ROMANS 4

 Father Abraham was not justified in his flesh/works or else he could boast about himself, but not before God. Rather, the Scriptures say, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."

Those who work, his wages are as a debt to be paid. But those who trust in Christ (who justifies the ungodly) his faith is equal to righteousness. Even David, who was under the Law, said: 

Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.

Paul then asked if the blessing was only for the circumcised? No, because Abraham believed while he was uncircumcised. Faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness because he believed God's promise. Therefore, he received the "seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised..."

The promise that Abraham would be heir of the world was not to him or his seed through the Law but through faith that it might be of grace for all, whether of the Law or outside the Law. Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah's womb was barren, yet, he still believed God's promise that from him would come nations of people. And his faith was strengthened. 

The promise of imputation was not for Abraham alone, but for us who believe that Jesus died for our sin and that God raised Him up from the dead.

COMMENTARY

In this chapter, Paul used Abraham, Father of the Hebrew nation, and David, the greatest Hebrew king, to demonstrate that man is a sinner, and God provided a righteousness for sinners and justification by faith. Faith was God's only requirement. Abraham was justified by faith before the Law, and David sang of justification by faith under the Law.

Any good works Abraham had done did not aid in his salvation, but were the result of his salvation, being justified by faith. For example, when he offered up his son Isaac in obedience to God's command. This was a work of faith, not flesh. 

Abraham believed in his heart that God told the truth...[His] faith was not an act, but an attitude. His heart was turned completely away from himself to God and His promise. 

 David could never be saved by the Law because David was a sinner, and he was chastened; but he knew the Lord would put away his sin. So even with the Law, David could not be saved. 

Back to Abraham, he was justified by faith in the resurrection -- life from the dead. Abraham believed God's promise to raise up a son out of the tomb of death, or the womb of Sarah. God raised up His own Son out of the tomb. Sarah's womb was like a tomb. But God brought out of it life. 

In Christ's death, He paid our debt; in His resurrection, He took out our acquittance.

Renáta Fucíková, Czech, 1964

LUKE 24

 On the first day of the week, in the early morning, the women went (with the prepared spices) to the tomb and found it empty. The body of Jesus Christ was not there. Instead two men in shining garments stood by, and the women were afraid. The men asked why they sought the living among the dead. "He is not here, but is risen!" They reminded them that He said the Son of Man would be delivered and crucified and rise the third day. And they remembered. 

The women told the disciples, but they thought they were "idle tales." However, Peter ran to the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying by themselves, marveling at what happened.

Meanwhile, two men were walking from Jerusalem when Jesus joined them in conversation, asking what they were discussing. One of them asked how He could not know what had happened. And they explained to Him about Jesus who did mighty deeds, how the religious rulers condemned Him to death and crucified Him. They had expected Him to redeem Israel, and now women in their company reported His body was missing from the tomb and that they saw angels who said He was alive. 

Jesus called them foolish because they had not believed the prophets: that Jesus had to suffer these things to enter into His glory, such as the things spoken of from Moses and all the prophets, in the Scriptures. 

Jesus stayed with them awhile and broke bread with them, and as their eyes were opened, they realized it was Him, but He vanished. They declared that their hearts had burned within them while He opened the Scriptures to them. They immediately returned to Jerusalem and told the eleven disciples, 

He is risen indeed! 

Suddenly, Jesus appeared to them all in the room, saying, "Peace to you." They were afraid, and Jesus asked why they had doubts in their hearts. "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have." Then they ate with Him.

Jesus told them that the things that happened were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Him. 

And He opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

He told them that it was necessary for Him to suffer and rise from the dead the third day and that "repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." 

Then He sent them to Jerusalem to await the promise and power of the Holy Spirit. He walked with them until Bethany, blessed them, and then ascended to heaven. They worshipped Him and continued to Jerusalem with great joy. 

COMMENTARY

"The Bible can only be divinely understood. Human intellect is simply not enough to comprehend its truths." The Lord opened their understanding (of the Scriptures) that they might understand. In 1 Cor. 2:14, Paul said, "But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." Only the Holy Spirit can make them real to us. Again, in order to understand the Bible you have to have the Holy Spirit open your mind and heart. 

The gospel message from Jesus to His disciples and to the world was that Jesus died and rose again from the dead, and that by trusting Him, sinners could be saved. The power of the Holy Spirit, through His disciples and all believers would carry the message to the ends of the earth. 

Supper at Emmaus - Stom, 1632

 

Mark 16

 After the Sabbath, early the next morning of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and other women, went to the tomb of Jesus to anoint His body with oils, and they saw that the stone had already been rolled away. Inside the tomb, they were "alarmed" when they saw a man in a white robe who told them not to be alarmed. "You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go tell His disciples...that He is going before you into Galilee: there you will see Him, as He said to you."

And they left there trembling and amazed.

Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene first. She had gone to tell the disciples, but they did not believe. Jesus also appeared to two men on the road, and they also told the others, but they did not believe them either. Then He appeared to the eleven and rebuked them for their hardened hearts when they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 

He told them to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but He who does not believe will be condemned." Then Jesus gave power to those of the apostles.

Finally, after speaking to His disciples, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father. And the disciples went out and preached the Word, and the Lord worked with them, "confirming the Word through accompanying signs."

COMMENTARY

I did not know this until now, that verses 9-20 of chapter 16, may have been written and added later. In many cases, those verses are omitted in some texts, but in my John MacArthur Study Bible and in McGee's commentary, they are there with reference to the controversy. 

It is helpful to read the other gospels to cross reference the empty tomb and resurrection to understand the order of events. We know the women were the first to go to the tomb, while the disciples hunkered down and mourned together. When the women arrived at the tomb, they were instructed to go tell the disciples what the angel said. Jesus said He would meet them in Galilee, and Matthew wrote about that meeting. Jesus also met with the two men walking on the road to Emmaus, and Luke's gospel includes that account. Jesus did command His disciples to go into the world and preach the good news, which we know they did that, too.

Regarding Jesus' words "He who believes and is baptized will be saved..." means those who believe will be saved, because Jesus also stated that those who do not believe are condemned. Baptism is not a condition for salvation. It is what believers do to profess their faith. (see John 3:36)

The signs that Jesus gave to His disciples were for those early ministries of the apostles; sign gifts are no longer present today or necessary, particularly because we have the Word of God to read for ourselves. When the disciples brought the Word to every creature, "...the Lord did work with them and confirmed the Word with signs which they performed."

credit: ArtPal

 

John 20

On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and could see that the stone had been taken away from the entrance to the tomb where Jesus had been buried. She ran and found Peter and John and told them that "they" had taken the body of Jesus, and do not know where they laid Him.

Peter and John ran to the tomb. John peered in and saw the linen cloths lying there, but Peter went into the tomb and he also saw the linen cloths, but the handkerchief was folded in a place by itself. When John went into the tomb, he believed. But neither disciple understood, yet, the Scripture that Jesus would rise from the dead. 

After Peter and John went away to their own homes, Mary stood weeping at the tomb. When she looked inside, she saw two angels, who asked her why she was weeping. She told them because they had taken away her Lord. Then she turned around and there was Jesus, though she did not recognize him. He asked her why she was crying, and she thought he was the gardener who took away Jesus' body. 

Then Jesus said, "Mary." And she knew Him! He told her not to cling to Him because He had to ascend to His Father, her Father, His God, and her God. Mary ran off to tell the disciples that she had seen the Lord.

Later that evening, the disciples were assembled together behind closed (locked) doors, when Jesus appeared to them, saying, "Peace be with you." He showed them His hands and His side. He told them, "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you...Receive the Holy Spirit." 

Unfortunately, Thomas was not present when Jesus came, and he did not believe them when they told him they had seen the Lord. He said, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."

Eight days later, while the disciples were assembled again, behind locked doors, Jesus stood in their midst and told Thomas to look at and touch the wounds in His hands and side, and believe!

And Thomas answered, "My Lord and my God!"

Jesus said, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

And Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. 

COMMENTARY

This is why Christians worship on Sunday: because Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday, the first day of the week. The Sabbath belonged to the old creation. Jesus was dead over the Sabbath. He rose on Sunday, and from then on, believers gathered on the first day of the week. "Now we have come to the new creation in Christ Jesus. [Even] Pentecost occurred on Sunday." 

When Jesus breathed onto the disciples, they had received the Holy Spirit. This was not like Pentecost. It was an interval between the Lord's Ascension and Pentecost. On Pentecost, they would be baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ and given power. But for now, they will need His Spirit to tide them over. 

And when Christ instructed the apostles to forgive sins, He was only encouraging them to do so in His name, to proclaim the forgiveness of sins, which He alone has the power to do. They may proclaim the forgiveness of sins in Jesus' name. 

Keep in mind that God does not arbitrarily forgive sins; but rather the blood of Jesus covers sins, and we must individually believe this before we may have our sins forgiven. The only way this happens is when a person hears the gospel and believes. So someone has to share it -- and here Jesus is instructing His disciples to go and preach the gospel -- the good news -- the way to have your sins forgiven.

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas - Caravaggio 

"My Lord and My God." - Thomas