Blotted Out!

Berean Baptist on December 12, 2016

Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous. (Psalms 69:28)

In last week’s article, we noted that Psalm 69 describes the agony of the suffering of Christ related to the events of the cross. This psalm shows the humiliation of Christ and the utter rejection of those who were His kindred in Israel. Of all the people who were complicit in His death, none was as sinister as Caiaphas, the high priest. Caiaphas was a Roman appointee as were all in the succession of high priests since Rome conquered Israel. Though he was not necessarily a full-fledged supporter of Rome, he was cooperative which helped him hold on to his position longer than any of his predecessors.

Despite the need to help sustain the Pax Romana (Roman peace), he still represented the sacred institution of the priesthood. As the highest religious authority, he had the responsibility of upholding God’s commandments. However, like the rest of the priesthood, scribes, and elders of Israel, he helped distort the Law so that it was an overwhelming burden that no one could bear. Jesus described this group of corrupt teachers as being willing to heap burdens on others, but unwilling to help lift the burdens. They broke their own laws with clever manipulation and in the process declared themselves righteous.

Practically to a man, all of these leaders were self-righteous hypocrites, and yet all of them believed they were as right for heaven as humanly possible. In their eyes, they were good enough and heaven should clap to hail their arrival. Psalm 69:28 is Christ’s strongest indictment against them.

This verse gives many a great deal of trouble. What is meant by the book of the living, and what do we make of blotting names out of it? First let me say the scriptures are clear that God has a book containing the names of all those who were predestined to eternal life. Their names were written in the book of life before the foundation of the world. Since God is omniscient, this is no trouble for Him. To think God would not have this information and plan for the salvation of the elect is to bring Him down to the level of man’s ignorance.

The second observation is that God is immutable. He does not write names and subsequently erase them. His omniscience supports His immutability as all God’s attributes work seamlessly together. How then can names be blotted out of God’s book? The key to the answer is found in Luke 8:18:  “Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.” Caiaphas and the other leaders believed they possessed everything necessary to eternal life. As far as they were concerned, their names were recorded and I am sure many others thought so as well. When Christ said, “Blot out their names,” He means the same as He said in Luke. What they seem to have will be taken away and the truth will be made known that their names were never there.

Many professed believers suffer under the same delusion. Their hope is their trip down the aisle of a church, and/or a prayer they prayed in which they made their “decision.” Because of this, they believe they are safe and secure. Sadly, their activities of life and the absence of Christian graces belie their confession. At the judgment, what they seem to have will be taken away. The books will be opened and their names will not be found—their names were never written.

These matters are too high for us as this verse is a conversation between the Father and the Son. We cannot pretend to resolve the paradoxes because we are too feeble to understand the wisdom of God. There is only one way we can be sure Psalm 69:28 is not about us. We must repent of all our sins, trust Christ with all our heart, and surrender to Him as Lord. This is the definition of saving faith. Saving faith is also living faith that reproduces the life of Christ in us. If this is what you have, your name is there. Praise God Psalm 69:28 will never be said about you.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

 

Jesus the Judge

Berean Baptist on July 18, 2016

 

In the study of Matthew, I often remarked how this gospel account presents a comprehensive view of the character of Jesus. In most churches, there in only one side presented and even this view is seriously misguided. Jesus is seen as a loving Saviour, as a kind benefactor, and as the most politically correct person you could ever meet. He never questions a motive nor does He ever rebuke an evil lifestyle. He will advise you to be kind and benevolent, to be peaceful and loving, and to be tolerant of everybody. The strong passages that speak of condemnation in hell and the utter destruction of the wicked are largely ignored.

I suppose the greatest tragedy of the understanding of Jesus is the divorcement of Him from the Old Testament scriptures. It is as if the God of the Old Testament is nothing but wrath and hatred while the Jesus of the New came to change the harshness of Israel’s God. This view fails to take into account this all important attribute of God—His immutability. God does not change, and if we understand who Jesus is in the real scriptural view, we will understand the Jehovah of the Old Testament is the Jesus of the New. If God does not change, then whatever God says in the Old Testament is the same as He says in the New Testament. The same actions of the Old Testament are the actions of the New.

Thus we come to Psalm 50 which is a representation of God as our judge. In this psalm, we are taught that God judges all. Not only is He the judge, He is also the prosecutor and His prosecution rests its case in the infallibility and absolute righteousness of His law. In this psalm, God accused Israel of false worship in which they disobeyed His statutes, but they brought their offerings as if they could make up for their wickedness by giving God a pacifier. The point the psalmist makes is that God needs nothing from us. Sacrifices are not acceptable payment for a heart that is cold in its obedience. There is also warning against those who pretend to know God and use Him as if He approves while having no relationship with Him.

The ultimate result of this is divine judgment. Judgment will fall because of the transgression of His holy law. Very simply, God is the judge. This is important to us as we piece together the responsibilities of Jesus revealed in the New Testament. He is nothing different from the God of the Old who will judge according to His righteous standard. We must carefully observe Jesus’ statements in John 5:22 and 5:27: “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son…And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.” All judgment is committed to the Son who is one with the Father.

When the Old Testament was written, the final judgment was yet future just as it still is today. In other words, final judgment has not yet occurred, so whatever judgment was promised by God in the Old Testament will be fulfilled by Jesus who is appointed by the Father to be the judge. The inescapable conclusion is that Jesus in the New Testament will judge with all the wrathful enforcement promised in the Old. This is the real picture of this aspect of Jesus’ divine work.

This is a very foreboding prospect and should be rightfully considered such. However, there is a more hopeful prospect revealed in both the Old and New Testaments about prosecutorial conduct. The prosecutor who placed the charges against us is the same who is willing to set us free. He does not pardon us because we are not guilty but because He will take our punishment for us.

Do you need to fear Him as your judge? Not unless you are in unbelief. Otherwise you can welcome God’s judgment because you know the perfect righteousness of Christ has covered all your transgressions. What better way to meet the judge than with the perfect righteousness He provided? Consider who Jesus really is. Either fear His judgment or rejoice in it. Which way is He your judge?

Pastor V. Mark Smith