Thinking on Scripture with Steven Cook: Recent Episodes
Steven R. Cook, D.Min.
God is holy and completely set apart from sin. Scripture reveals, “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You can not look on wickedness with favor” (Hab. 1:13; cf. Ps. 99:9; Isa. 6:3; 1 John 1:5). All of us are under the guilt of sin and helpless to save ourselves (Rom. 3:10-23; 5:6-10; Eph. 2:1-3). Further, good works have no saving merit in God’s sight (Isa. 64:6; Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5). Salvation is never what we do for God, but rather, what He has done for us through the finished work of Jesus Christ who died in our place and bore the punishment that rightfully belongs to us (Mark 10:45; 1 Pet. 3:18). Our salvation is conditioned on faith alone in Christ alone (John 3:16; Rom. 3:23-28; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9). Once we trust in Christ as Savior, God’s righteous demands toward our sin are forever satisfied (Rom. 3:25; 1 John 2:2), we are forgiven all our sins (Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:13-14), imputed with His righteousness (Rom. 5:17; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:9), and shal [...]
- “In Christian experience, assurance that one is saved by faith in Christ is essential to the whole program of growth in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. Assurance is a matter of experience and relates to personal confidence in present salvation. It should not be confused with the doctrine of eternal security, which will be discussed in the next chapter. Eternal security is a question of fact, while assurance is a matter of what one believes at a given time concerning his personal salvation. Assurance of salvation depends upon three major aspects of experience: (1) understanding of the completeness of the salvation provided in Jesus Christ; (2) the confirming testimony of Christian experience; (3) acceptance by faith of biblical promises of salvation.”[1]
Understanding the Nature of Salvation
God is holy and completely set apart from sin. Scripture reveals, “Your ey [...]
Sanctification (Heb. קָדָשׁ qadash & Grk. ἅγιος hagios) means to be set apart for sacred use. In Scripture, it refers both to people (Ex. 29:21; 1 Cor. 1:2) and objects (Ex. 29:37). There are three aspects to sanctification with regard to persons:
- Positional sanctification (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2; 6:11). In this sense, “Every born-again person is as much a saint the moment he is saved as he ever will be in time or eternity. The whole church which is His body is a called-out, separate people; they are the saints of this dispensation.”[1] Positional sanctification does not imply sinless perfection. The Christians at Corinth were regarded as “saints by calling” (1 Cor. 1:2), yet they were by no means perfect. They were guilty of childish quarrels (1 Cor. 1:11), carnality (1 Cor. 3:1-3), tolerating sinful behavior (1 Cor. 5:1-2), and selfishness and drunkenness (1 Cor. 11:17-21). (Read p [...]
Four Aspects of Righteousness
- “A vital difference between God and man which Scripture emphasizes is that God is righteous (1 John 1:5), while the fundamental charge against man as recorded in Romans 3:10 is that “there is none righteous, no, not one.” So also, one of the glories of divine grace is the fact that a perfect righteousness, likened to a spotless wedding garment, has been provided and is freely bestowed upon all who believe (Rom. 3:22).”[1]
God is Righteous
“This righteousness of God is unchanging and unchangeable (Rom. 3:25-26). He is infinitely righteous in His own being and infinitely righteous in all His ways.”[2]
The Self-Righteousness of Man
The Problem of Sin in the Life of a Christian
The sin nature, sometimes called “the flesh” (Gal. 5:17, 19) or “old self” (Rom. 6:6; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:9), is not eradicated from the believer during his time on earth, nor is it ever reformed, as though it can be made to love God. Because the sin nature is not removed from the believer after salvation, the believer experiences conflict within (Rom. 7:18-23; Gal. 5:16-26). Only the Christian has two opposing natures, and his spiritual growth guarantees internal conflict. The sin nature, though crippled at the moment of regeneration, does not give up control without a fight, and only the spiritually advancing Christian can overcome the power and habits of the flesh, as he devotes himself to learning and living Scripture and to walk by means of the Spirit.
Law as a [...]
Salvation From the Penalty of Sin
The most common word for salvation in the Hebrew OT is יָשַׁע yasha (sometimes as יְשׁוּעָה yeshua) which means “deliverance, rescue, salvation, also safety, [and] welfare.”[1] Salvation in the OT was primarily physical, as one might be delivered from his enemy in battle or from a plague (2 Sam. 22:3-4; 1 Chron. 16:23, 35; Job 5:4, 11; Ps. 3:6-8; 44:4-8; 85:7, 9; 89:26; Isa. 17:10; 45:8; Mic. 7:7). In the NT the Greek verb σῴζω sozo refers to the act of physical deliverance in some biblical passages Matt. 8:25; 14:30; Mark 13:20; Luke 6:9; John 11:12; Acts 27:20, 31), and spiritual deliverance in others (Luke 7:50; 19:10; John 12:47; 1 Cor. 1:21; Tit. 3:5; Heb. 7:25).
The word sin is found throughout Scripture, and both the Hebrew and Greek share the same basic meaning. The Hebrew word חָטָא chata means “to miss the target, or to lose the way,”[1] and the Greek word ἁμαρτάνω hamartano is defined as “miss the mark, err, or do wrong.”[2] In Judges 20:16 the Hebrew word is used of skilled soldiers who do not miss their target, and in Proverbs 19:2 of a man who hurries and misses his way.[3] Sin is when we transgress God’s law and depart from His intended path. The apostle John states, “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). “The teaching of Scripture is that sin is any want of conformity to the character of God, whether it be an act, disposition, or state.”[4] [...]
- “The early chapters of Genesis record the fall into sin by Adam and Eve. The various interpretations of this record either take it as a literal event explaining the sinfulness of the human race or attempt to explain it away as unhistorical or a myth. The orthodox interpretation, however, is that the event took place exactly as recorded in Scripture, and this is the way it is treated in the rest of the Bible.”[1]
Adam Before the Fall
Adam and Eve were created sinless and placed in the perfect environment God prepared for them. After their initial creation, God had declared everything “very good” (Gen. 1:31). The coupled represented the human race at that time. Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God introduced sin into the human race (Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:21-22).
The recor [...]
Man as a Created Being
- “Discovering himself in the midst of a wonderful universe and being the highest order of its physical creatures, man would naturally seek to understand his own origin as well as the origin of all existing things. Because nature does not reveal the creation of man and tradition would not be a reliable source of information, it is reasonable to expect that God would reveal the essential facts about man’s creation in the Bible. In the early chapters of Genesis and elsewhere in the Bible, the creation of man is clearly taught in Scripture.”[1]
Apart from divine revelation, man has no ability to know his origin and speculations abound. The idea of evolution through natural selection—survival of the fittest—is the most prominent and prevalent theory tod [...]
“Two errors regarding Satan are current, and since he alone is benefited by them it is reasonable to conclude that he is the author of them.”[1]
- Many believe that Satan does not really exist and that the supposed person of Satan is no more than an evil principle, or influence, which is in man and in the world.[2] Scripture reveals Satan as a real person with all the capacities of personhood, such as intelligence, volition and feelings.
- Likewise, others believe the error that Satan is the direct cause of sin in every person. Scripture reveals people produce sin and are held responsible for it ( 2:16-17; 3:1-7; 6:5; Mark 7:20-23; Jam. 1:13-15).
The Work of Satan
”Isaiah 14:12-17 is only one of the many passages bearin [...]
The name Satan is derived from the Hebrew שָׂטָן Satan (Job 1:6) and the Greek Σατανᾶς Satanas (Matt. 4:10). Both words mean adversary. Other names include the shining one, or Lucifer (Isa. 14:12), the evil one (1 John 5:19), the tempter (1 Thess. 3:5), the devil (Matt. 4:1), the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4), the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10), the prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2), the serpent (Rev. 12:9), the great red dragon (Rev. 12:3), and the angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14).
The Personality of Satan
Satan was a created person (Col. 1:16; cf. Ezek. 28:11-18).[1] Satan exercises all the functions of a person. 1) He has volition (Isa. 14:12-14), 2) he practices deception (Ge [...]
The Nature of Angels
The word angel translates the Hebrew word מַלְאָךְ malak and the Greek word ἄγγελος aggelos, and both words mean messenger. Thirty-four books of Bible teach the existence of angels. The word angel occurs approximately 275 times throughout Scripture. Angels are created beings (Col. 1:16), were present at the creation of the world (Job 38:4-7), have volition (Matt. 8:28-32), emotion (Mark 1:23-26), and intelligence (1 Pet. 1:12). Angels are spirit beings (Heb. 1:14), are distinct from humans (Mark 1:23-26), do not reproduce after their kind (Mark 12:25), have great power (2 Peter 2:11; cf. Dan. 10:1-21), and are innumerable (Heb. 12:22; Rev. 5:11).
God has organized angels into different classes. Michael is the only one [...]
- “The Bible discloses the fact that human history is the fulfillment of an eternal purpose of God. God’s eternal plan is revealed in Scripture and centers in solemn covenants or promises which God has made. At least eight biblical covenants are recorded, and they incorporate the most important facts relating to God’s plan and purpose in the world. Most of these covenants are in the form of a declaration of divine purpose which will certainly be fulfilled. In addition to the biblical covenants, theologians have advanced three theological covenants especially relating to the salvation of man.”[1]
The Theological Covenants
- The Covenant of Redemption. It is claimed this covenant was made between God the Father and God the Son in eternity past in which the Son agreed to provide redemption for those who w [...]
The Meaning of Dispensations
The word dispensation (in the KJV) is a translation of the Greek word οἰκονομία oikonomia which means a stewardship or administration (Luke 16:2-4; 1 Cor. 9:17; Eph. 1:10; 3:2, 9; Col. 1:25; 1 Tim. 1:4), and may be generally defined as a “state of being arranged, arrangement, order, plan.”[1] The Greek word οἰκονόμος oikonomos refers to a steward who manages household affairs (Luke 12:42; 16:1, 8; Rom. 16:23; 1 Cor. 4:1-2), Pastors who supervise the local church (Tit. 1:7), and Christians who supervise their spiritual gift (1 Pet. 4:10). “A dispensation can be defined as a stage in the progressive revelation of God constituting a distinctive stewardship or rule of life.”[2] There are seven commonly identified dispensations in the Bible:
Certain works of the Holy Spirit occur at the moment of salvation and are never repeated (i.e. regeneration, indwelling, sealing and baptizing). However, the filling of the Holy Spirit is a repeated experience to empower the Christian to live in God’s will. The word filled means to be under the guiding influence of something/someone. It is used of the guiding influence of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4; 4:8; 7:55; 9:17), but is also used of Satan and sinful attitudes (Acts 5:3, 17; 19:28-29). “The filling of the Spirit may be defined as a spiritual state where the Holy Spirit is fulfilling all that He came to do in the heart and life of the individual believer.”[1] All Christians are commanded to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). Being filled does not mean we have more of the Spirit at one time and less at another; rather, it means the Spirit has more of us. The filling of the Holy S [...]
The Meaning of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit
There are several references to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in Scripture (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 1:5; 11:16; 1 Cor. 12:13). The Greek word βαπτίζω baptizo means to place into, immerse, or identify with.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit Before Pentecost
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not found in the Old Testament. The first mention of it occurs in the four Gospels (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33), and those occurrences, along with Acts 1:5, reveal the baptism of the Holy Spirit as future.
All Christians Baptized by the Spirit in the Present Age
All Christians are baptized by the [...]
The Holy Spirit was with and in a few believers in the Old Testament (1 Sam. 10:6; 16:13; Ezek. 2:2). However, His indwelling of every believer is a new activity of the church age. Jesus announced the Spirit’s indwelling during the Upper Room discourse, where He said of the Holy Spirit, “He abides with you and will be in you” (John 14:17).
A New Feature of the Present Age
There were instances in the book of Acts in which believers received the Holy Spirit after conversion (Acts 8:14-17; 19:1-6; cf. 2:1-4; 11:15-16). However, these were unique situations that reflected a transition from the dispensation of Israel to the dispensation of the Church.
The Universal Indwelling of the Holy Spirit in Believers
God the Holy Spirit indwells every Christian from the mome [...]
Regeneration is a fundamental teaching in the doctrine of salvation. It is a work of God on behalf of man and in man. The word “regeneration” occurs only twice in the Bible (Matt. 19:28 and Titus 3:5). In both places the Greek word used is παλιγγενεσία paliggenesia, which means the “the state of being renewed… [the] experience of a complete change of life, rebirth of a redeemed person.”[1]
- On the basis of this text [Tit. 3:5], the word “regeneration” has been chosen by theologians to express the concept of new life, new birth, spiritual resurrection, the new creation, and, in general, a reference to the new supernatural life that believers receive as sons of God. In the history of the church, the term has not always had accurate usage, but properly understood, it means the origination of the eternal life which comes into the believer in C [...]
Under the Mosaic Law the Holy Spirit indwelt and empowered only a few believers such as Artisans (Ex. 31:1-5), Judges (Num. 11:25-29; Jud. 3:9-10), Prophets (Ezek. 2:2), and Kings (1 Sam. 10:6; 16:13). Also, the Holy Spirit could be taken from a believer as an act of discipline (1 Sam. 16:14-16; cf. Ps. 51:11).
The Coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
During the ministry of Jesus, the Holy Spirit was promised to come into the world in a special way (John 14:16-17, 26; 16:7). The Holy Spirit began His special ministry in the world on the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:5; 2:1-4).
The Holy Spirit works in the hearts of unbelievers to convict them concerning their unbelief in Jesus as Savior, that Jesus is righteous and has been accepted by the Father, and that Satan has been judged and condemned (John 16:8-11; cf. John 3:18). The Holy Spirit also res [...]
The Personality of the Holy Spirit in Scripture
“The Spirit is said to do that which is possible only for a person to do. a) He reproves the world (John 16:8), b) He teaches (John 14:26), c) the Spirit speaks (Gal. 4:6), d) the Spirit intercedes (Rom. 8:26), e) the Spirit leads (Gal. 5:18), f) the Spirit appoints men to specific service (Acts 13:2; cf. Acts 20:28), g) the Spirit is Himself subject to appointment (John 15:26), h) the Spirit ministers: He regenerates (John 3:6), He seals (Eph. 4:30), He baptizes (1 Cor. 12:13), He fills (Eph. 5:18). He is affected as a person by other beings. a) The Father sends Him into the world (John 14:16, 26), and the Son sends Him into the world (John 16:7). b) Men may vex the Spirit (Isa. 63:10), they may grieve Him (Eph. 4:30), they may quench (resist) Him (1 Thess. 5:19), they may blaspheme Him (Matt. 12:31), they may lie to Him (Acts 5:3), they may disrespect Him (Heb. 10:29), they ma [...]