The Sovereign God’s Goodness, Mercy, and Compassion

What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” Romans 9:14-15

The Old Testament passage that the apostle Paul cites in our text is found in Exodus 33:19. It is the LORD’s answer to Moses’ request that he be allowed to see Yahweh’s glory. The LORD said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” (Ex. 33:19-20)

Laborers Worthy of Their Wages

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” 1 Tim 5:17-18

Paul, moved by the Holy Spirit, twice in the New Testament invokes this Old Testament quote from Deuteronomy 25:4. “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing.” (NAS) Here in his first letter to Timothy concerning elders, and in 1 Corinthians 9:9 to the Corinthian church concerning himself and his work of evangelist.

Bingeing and Purging

“For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside,God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.” 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 (NAS)

The apostle Paul, in dealing swiftly and severely with the grievous sin of immorality between a man and his father’s wife in the body of the Corinthian church, quotes from the book of Deuteronomy as to how this wicked man’s behavior should be handled.

The Earth And All It Contains

“Eat anything that is sold in the meat market, without asking questions for conscience’ sake; for the earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains.” 1 Cor. 10:26

The apostle Paul, in addressing the believer’s liberty in Christ to eat according to their conscience, reminds the Corinthians of a principle set forth in his quote of Psalm 24:1. “The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.” (NAS) Many believe this psalm of David originated with the bringing of the ark into the Tabernacle as recorded in 2 Samuel 6:12-17.  If you read the context following (Ps. 24:3) our chosen verse you will note David’s rhetorical reference to ascending the hill of the LORD and standing in His holy place (Ps. 24:3). Based upon the context, one can see why many hold this position.

I Will Come, You Shall Have A Son

“For this is a word of promise: ‘At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.’ ” Romans 9:9 (NAS)

As the Holy Spirit moved Paul to manifest the superiority of faith versus law, another principle is revealed in our chosen text for the edification, encouragement and equipping of the saints-the promises of God.  We’ve considered other passages in previous installments regarding the promises of God and it seems good to be reminded of these things again in this new year, because, to borrow from a Biblical principle, it is no trouble to write of the same things again, and it’s a safeguard for you (Phil. 3:1). It also allows us to build upon last week’s article concerning one of the themes in the Bible, which is the promised progeny (the seed) to come, the Christ.

A Living Soul or a Life-Giving Spirit?

“So also it is written, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living soul.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” 1 Corinthians 15:45 (NAS)

The Scripture is arranged and written so as to communicate as much information as possible through analogy, metaphor, illustration, parables, comparisons and contrasts. The apostle Paul, as he was moved to pen the latter part of this first letter to the Corinthian church, uses contrast to convey effectively the superiority of what the believer has received in the spiritual realm through God’s perfected plan in the resurrection of Christ Jesus.

Jesus Christ, The Fulfillment of God With Us

“Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us.’ ” Matthew 1:22-23 (NAS)

Two weeks ago we delved into the Apostle Peter’s quote of Isaiah 8:12 and in that study of the context of Isaiah’s utterance and the associated historical background, we brushed briefly upon the prophecy of Immanuel, the promised son to be born. In light of the reason the season is now being celebrated by many in the world, the birth of the promised Child of a virgin, it seems logical to consider this Old Testament quote by the apostle Matthew as found in His gospel account and “flesh” this subject out more completely.

Every Fact Is To Be Confirmed

“But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.”  Matthew 18:16

The Lord Jesus Christ, in preparing the apostles (and eventually the brethren as a whole) on how to conduct discipline in the church which He was going to build (Matt. 16:18), emphasized a critical Old Testament principle that was to be present in the proceedings. The need for at least two to three witnesses and every fact was to be established. Jesus quoted from the book of Deuteronomy, chapter nineteen, verse fifteen which reads, “A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed.”

Do Not Fear, God Is With Us

“And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts” 1 Peter 3:13-15a (NAS)

We’ve been working of late on Old Testament passages cited by the apostle Peter in his first inspired epistle, so once again, we’ll continue down that track.

You Shall Be Holy (Part Three)

“but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;  because it is written, ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.’ ” 1 Peter 1:15-16 (NAS)

Although there are many and varied principles put forth throughout the New Testament that deal with practicing holiness, today we will wrap up our study into the apostle Peter’s quote from the book of Leviticus concerning the LORD’s command for us to “be holy, for I am holy.” (C. f. Lev. 11:44-45, 19:2, 20:26)Again, this divinely directed utterance makes clear the Lord’s predetermined plan for the church was not one of producing forgiven “black-hearted sinners” who would struggle against sin yet succumb again and again, but rather saints (lit. holy ones), those who have the proper faith picture to overcome.