ROMANS ROAD
to
RIGHTEOUSNESS |
Romans
1:18-3:20
|
Romans
3:21-5:21 |
Romans
6:1-8:39 |
Romans
9:1-11:36 |
Romans
12:1-16:27 |
|
SIN
|
SALVATION
|
SANCTIFICATION |
SOVEREIGNTY |
SERVICE |
NEED
FOR
SALVATION |
WAY
OF
SALVATION |
LIFE
OF
SALVATION |
SCOPE
OF
SALVATION |
SERVICE
OF
SALVATION |
God's Holiness
In
Condemning
Sin |
God's Grace
In
Justifying
Sinners |
God's Power
In
Sanctifying
Believers |
God's Sovereignty
In
Saving
Jew and Gentile |
Gods Glory
The
Object of
Service |
Deadliness
of Sin |
Design
of Grace |
Demonstration
of Salvation |
|
Power Given
|
Promises
Fulfilled |
Paths Pursued |
Righteousness
Needed |
Righteousness
Credited |
Righteousness
Demonstrated |
Righteousness
Restored to Israel |
Righteousness
Applied |
God's
Righteousness
IN LAW |
God's
Righteousness
IMPUTED |
God's
Righteousness
OBEYED |
God's
Righteousness
IN ELECTION |
God's
Righteousness
DISPLAYED |
|
Slaves to Sin |
Slaves to God |
Slaves Serving
God |
|
Doctrine |
Duty |
|
Life by Faith |
Service by
Faith |
|
Modified from Irving L.
Jensen's excellent work "Jensen's
Survey of the NT" |
FOR
WHATEVER WAS WRITTEN IN EARLIER TIMES: hosa gar proegraphe (3SAPI): (1Co
10:6,11 2Ti 3:16,17 2Pe 1:20,21)
Spurgeon...
"Comfort" is really the word he used,
turning into prayer the thought which had been suggested by his use of
the words "patience and comfort." "Now the God of patience and comfort"—
For - Whenever you observe a
term of conclusion
like "for" (compare, "for this reason", "because", , "therefore", etc) always take a
moment and ask the natural question "What is the "for" there for?" You will usually be
led to read the surrounding verses (the immediate
context)
to discern the answer. As you practice
inductive
approach
to your study of the divine Word, you will grow in confidence, your
interpretation
will be more accurate
and you will be prepared to more
apply
the transforming truth
to your daily life.
For (gar)
is a causative particle which expresses the reason for what has been
stated just prior, in this case, Paul is defending his application of (Psalm
69:9) to Christ and
by extension to believers. In other words, Paul is explaining how that
specific Old Testament quotation
was not just a prophecy about the coming Messiah but also was meant to give us
sustenance for our daily lives and motivation to carry out the instructions
and exhortations he had just presented.
Written
(1125)
(grapho
[word study])
from root graph- = primarily means
to scratch on or engrave as on an ornament, reports, letters, etc;
English = graph, graphic, etc) means to engrave or inscribe with a pen
or stylus characters or letters on a surface which can be wood, wax, metal,
leather, stone, parchment, dirt (John ), paper, etc. (Click
to review all 191 uses of grapho in the NAS)
It is written occurs 76
times in the (Click
for these uses). When we were children and our parents told us to do
something and we questioned "Why?", the answer was usually "Because I
said so!". Why are we commanded to be holy? Because God said so! A
popular saying is
God said it, I believe
it, that settles it.
This sounds good but isn't
accurate because God's Word is true, irregardless of whether we believe
it or not. A more accurate "saying" would be
God said it, that settles it!
It is written should put
a stop to every complaint or excuse. Paul is saying don't judge but
remember you will appear before Me to give an account (as the next verse
clarifies). This sobering thought should motivate us to obey this
injunction.
Cranfield notes that here Paul
justifies the use for the purpose of
exhortation of the Christologically understood OT passage just quoted.
All Scripture has its relevance and applicability to us—though of course
it must be applied intelligently. (Cranfield, C. E. B. A Critical
and Exegetical commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. London; New
York: TandT Clark International)
Cottrell explains that verse
4...
is a parenthesis in which Paul
reminds us of the validity of citing OT texts as a basis for ethical
exhortation to Christians: For everything that was written in the past
was written to teach us, … “Everything that was written” refers to OT
Scripture, and declares that every part of it has meaning and value for
those living under the New Covenant. It was written not just to teach us
theological truths, but also to be a source of practical instruction for
Christians concerning how to live. (Cottrell, J. Romans : Volume 2.
College Press NIV commentary Joplin, Mo.: College Press Pub)
J. E. Toews
explains the "for" by noting that...
Paul has just made a very radical
assertion. The strong people in the church shall act like Messiah Jesus,
they shall absorb and carry the shame of the weak. To make sure they
take his biblical interpretation seriously, Paul adds that the
Scriptures (here specifically
Psalm
69:9) were written
before hand for the instruction of contemporary believers." (Toews, J.
E.. Romans. Believers Church Bible commentary. Page 340. Scottdale, Pa.:
Herald Press)
S Lewis Johnson says that...
The appropriateness of the Old
Testament citation is supported by a reference to the general purpose,
and the more specific moral purposes, of the Scriptures. Instruction
with a view to hope is his point. As Liddon says, "The Old Testament is
not merely archaeologically precious as a record of the past, but has
enduring and spiritual value." The Old Covenant was designed to instruct
us, to the end that we might through endurance and encouragement cling
to our hope of an enduring future. (Cf. Ro 8:28-30)
The practical value of the Word of
God cannot be more strongly emphasized. They give us the power to endure
affliction and temptation, and too often our contemporary believers have
neglected their benefits. In difficulty we flee to our counselors, some
amateur and others professional, but they can never do the work of the
Word of God. It is possible through the Scriptures to have the Lord
Jesus Christ as our constant companion and permanent, moment by moment
counselor. Let us not run to men, but to Him. (Johnson, S. L. Romans
Sermons)
Peter reminds us of the
divine plenary (complete in every respect) inspiration of the Old
Testament (as well as the New Testament) writing that...
that no prophecy of Scripture is a
matter of one's own interpretation (NLT "no prophecy in Scripture ever
came from the prophets themselves" - i.e. the Scripture did not
originate from any private explanation held by the writer) for no prophecy was ever made by an
act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (see
notes
2 Peter
1:20-21)
The Pulpit Commentary notes
that...
The psalm quoted (quoted verbatim from last half of
Septuagint (LXX)
of
Psalm
69:9) was
peculiarly one of endurance and comfort under vexations and reproaches,
and of hope beyond them. It was written afore-time for our instruction,
that so it may be with us, as it was with Christ.
Denney says that...
Here Paul justifies his use of the
whole OT...(It) was written to teach us, and therefore has abiding
value.
The NIV Study Bible
agrees writing that...
Here Paul defends his application of
Ps 69:9 to Christ. In so doing, he states a great truth concerning the
purpose of Scripture: It was written for our instruction, so that as we
patiently endure we might be encouraged to hold fast our hope in Christ
(see 1Co 10:6, 11).
The Wycliffe Bible Commentary
asks...
What value does the OT have for the
Christian? It has instruction to give to Christian believers. In reading
and responding to the OT Scriptures, the Christian learns both endurance
and consolation. Instruction, endurance, and consolation are all
essential elements for the Christian who has hope (v. 4). The OT can do
this because it is a book about God and his people rather than about
ideas. (Pfeiffer,
C F: Wycliffe Bible Commentary. 1981. Moody
or
Logos)
John MacArthur agrees that...
Whatever was written in earlier times
obviously refers to the divinely-revealed truths we now call the Old
Testament. They were written for the times in which they were recorded
but also for our instruction, for God’s people in the present age. As we
have seen, beginning with Romans 14:1, Paul emphasizes that the
ceremonial requirements of the Old Covenant are no longer binding on
believers, Jews or Gentiles. But even though we are not bound to obey
all of the commands of that covenant, every part of God’s revelation
written in earlier times is still valuable for our instruction.
Knowledge of all Scripture had spiritual benefit for Christians in
Paul’s day and still has benefit for Christians for all time. (MacArthur,
J: Romans 9-16. Chicago: Moody Press
or
Logos)
Barnes
takes an interesting perspective on the phrase whatever was written
in earlier times commenting that...
This is a general observation which
struck the mind of the apostle, from the particular case which he had
just specified. He had just made use of a striking passage in the Psalms
to his purpose. The thought seems suddenly to have occurred to him that
all the Old Testament was admirably adapted to express Christian duties
and doctrine, and he therefore turned aside from his direct argument to
express this sentiment. It should be read as a parenthesis.
Adam Clarke writes that here
Paul...
refers not only to the quotation from
the 69th Psalm, but to all the Old Testament scriptures; for it can be
to no other scriptures that the apostle alludes. And, from what he says
here of them, we learn that God had not intended them merely for those
generations in which they were first delivered, but for the instruction
of all the succeeding generations of mankind.
Mounce writes that Romans
15:4...
contains a principle of great
significance for the twentieth-century believer. Everything that was
written in Scripture in days gone by was written for us. Not only did it
serve the needs of its own day but it is still relevant in the modern
world. Scripture is relevant because it speaks to our deepest needs.
It is through the endurance taught in Scripture and the encouragement
it brings that we are enabled to live in hope. (Mounce,
R. H. Romans: The New American Commentary. Broadman and Holman Publishers
or
Logos)
The Reformation Study Bible
clearly states that...
It is basic New Testament teaching
that the Old Testament Scriptures were written by divine inspiration for
the benefit of Christians (Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B.
K., and Silva, M.. Reformation Study Bible. Nashville: T. Nelson)
J Vernon McGee
forthrightly states that...
The Old Testament, therefore, does
have a definite application to believers today. I frequently receive
letters from folk who say, “I didn’t know the Old Testament was so
practical,” or, “I had not realized that the Old Testament had such
meaning for us today. I did not know it spoke of Christ as it does.”
Paul here says that it was written for “our learning.”
In my opinion, the greatest sin in
the church of Jesus Christ in this generation is ignorance of the Word
of God. Many times I have heard a church officer say, “Well, I don’t
know much about the Bible, but …” and then he gives his opinion, which
often actually contradicts the Word of God! Why doesn’t he know much
about the Bible? These things were written aforetime for our learning.
God wants you to know His Word. As an officer of the church, are you
boasting that you are ignorant of the Word of God? Well, you had better
get down to business and find out what God has said to you in His Word.
Ignorance of the Bible is the greatest sin of the hour—in and out of the
church. Paul says these things were written for your learning.
What will a knowledge of the Bible do
for you? “That we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might
have hope.” The Word of God imparts patience, comfort, and hope.
You won’t find any hope in the daily
newspaper. You won’t find any hope in modern literature. Look at any
field and see if you can find any hope. There is none whatsoever. It is
dark and dismal when you look out at this world today. My friend, the
only place you can find real hope is in the Word of God.
I was in the state of Washington,
speaking at a Bible conference, and it rained and rained and rained.
Then it rained some more. Oh, how dark and dismal the days were! For our
flight back home we went to the airport, and it was still raining. The
plane took off and went up through a heavy layer of cloud. In a few
moments we broke out into the light—the sun was shining up there. Oh,
how beautiful it was. Less than a mile up, the sun was shining. Here we
had been living like a bunch of gophers in all that rain. Now, don’t
misunderstand me—Washington needs all that rain to grow that lush
vegetation and beautiful trees. But because I live in Southern
California, I am used to sunshine, and I love it.
There are a great many Christians
today who are living down beneath the clouds. The Lord says, “Come on up
here and get in the sunshine of hope!” That is what the Bible will do
for you, my friend. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “Now all these things
happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our
admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come” (1 Cor. 10:11).
When I was teaching the life of David, scores of people told me what an
encouragement David was to them. One person said that he was going
through a very dark period in his life and that the study in the life of
David delivered him from suicide. Well, that is the reason God put these
things in His Word. God put David’s sin on display—and it wasn’t very
nice—but God paints mankind exactly as he is for our learning.
Everything in the Old Testament is written for our learning and to give
us patience and to give us comfort and to bring hope into our lives. (McGee,
J V: Thru the Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson
or
Logos)
John Calvin
wrote that...
This is an interesting passage, by
which we understand that there is nothing vain and unprofitable
contained in the oracles of God (Ed note: Calvin is clearly
includes the OT); and we are at the same time taught that it is by the
reading of the Scripture that we make progress in piety and holiness of
life. Whatever then is delivered in Scripture we ought to strive to
learn; for it were a reproach offered to the Holy Spirit to think, that
he has taught anything which it does not concern us to know; let us also
know, that whatever is taught us conduces to the advancement of
religion. And though he speaks of the Old Testament, the
same thing is also true of the writings of the Apostles; for since the
Spirit of Christ is everywhere like itself, there is no doubt but that
he has adapted his teaching by the Apostles, as formerly by the
Prophets, to the edification of his people. Moreover, we find here a
most striking condemnation of those fanatics who vaunt that the Old
Testament is abolished, and that it belongs not in any degree to
Christians; for with what front can they turn away Christians from those
things which, as Paul testifies, have been appointed by God for their
salvation? (Romans 15)
Expositor's
Bible Commentary notes that Paul...
Having cited
Psalm
69, a portion
evidently regarded in the early church as messianic, the apostle is led
to refer to the Scriptures in a more general way as useful for the
instruction of NT believers--in fact, as deliberately planned for their
edification. The very phenomenon of quoting from the OT speaks loudly of
the dependence of the church on the course of redemption history
reflected there. Things both new and old enter into Christian faith. The
example of Christ was bound to influence the church to revere and use
the OT, and this was made easier because at the beginning its
constituency was largely Jewish-Christian. As for the Gentiles, in many
cases at least, they had become familiar with the OT in the synagogue (Acts
13:44-48) before hearing the gospel and putting their trust
in the Lord Jesus. (Gaebelein,
F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary 6-Volume New Testament.
Zondervan Publishing)
MacDonald
writes that...
This quotation from the Psalms
(referring to
Romans 15:3)
reminds us that the OT Scriptures were written for our learning. While
they were not written directly to us, they contain invaluable lessons
for us. As we encounter problems, conflicts, tribulations, and troubles,
the Scriptures teach us to be steadfast, and they impart comfort. (MacDonald,
W and Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson or
Logos)
In sum, the phrase Whatever was written in
earlier times obviously refers to the Old Testament Scripture.
They were written for the times in which they were recorded but they are
timeless and so are also for
our instruction, so that as we
patiently endure we might be encouraged to hold fast our hope in Christ.
Writing to the Corinthians Paul
reminds them that the Old Testament passages...
happened as examples
(in context they were warnings and admonitions) for us,
that we should not crave evil things, as they also craved (Nu
11:4,34)... and they
were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have
come. (1Cor
10:6,11).
Ray Stedman
adds his keen insight on this verse:
"The Old Testament is really
the richest commentary ever written on the New Testament. If you are
coming to a place where faith is beginning to fail and your heart finds
itself in the grasp of doubt, then turn to the record of God at work with
men of the Old Testament. You will find, as you read thoughtfully, that
your faith will begin to flame up again because "faith comes by hearing
and hearing by the word of God," {cf, note
Romans 10:17}. It's as the Word of God
rings in our ears that faith is created in our hearts to lay hold of the
truth we hear, and to make it available in our lives." (Power
to Please)
(bolding added)
Harry Ironside wrote that Romans
15:4...
stresses the importance of Old
Testament Scripture. "Whatsoever things were written aforetime were
written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the
scriptures might have hope." Link with this 1Cor 10:6,11 . "All Scripture
is not about me, but all Scripture is for me" is a quotation well worth
remembering.
Robert Haldane wrote that...
Some persons have blasphemously said
that the Old Testament is now out of date. But the writers of the New
Testament give no such view of the Old. Instead of this, they refer to it
as proof, and treat it as of constant use to the people of God. All that
is therein written, whether history, types, prophecies, precepts, or
examples, although under another dispensation, is intended for the
instruction of believers, to train them to patience, and to impart the
consolation which the Scriptures provide for those that have hope in God.
“Take, my brethren,” says James (James
5:10), “the prophets, who
have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering
affliction, and of patience.” The passage quoted in the preceding verse
(see note
Romans 15:3)
is not only useful to us, as applicable to Christ, but it is, as the
Apostle shows, useful as an example. If the reproaches of those who
reproached God fell upon Christ, the people of God ought to live and act
in such a manner as the Apostle elsewhere enjoins, when he says “Let us
go forth, therefore, unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach.” If
Christ did not please Himself, neither ought His people to please
themselves, but to please Him and His people for their edification. (Haldane,
R. An Exposition on the Epistle to the Roman. Ages Classic Commentaries)
H G C Moule offers sage comments
on why we should not neglect the Old Testament...
For all the things forewritten,
written in the Scriptures of the elder time, in the age that both preceded
the Gospel and prepared for it, for our instruction were written —
with an emphasis upon “our” — that through the patience and through
the encouragement of the Scriptures we might hold our hope, the hope “sure
and steadfast” of glorification in the glory of our conquering Lord. That
is to say, the true “Author behind the authors” of that mysterious Book
watched, guided, effected its construction, from end to end, with the
purpose full in His view of instructing for all time the developed Church
of Christ. And in particular, He adjusted thus the Old Testament records
and precepts of “patience,” the patience which “suffers and is strong,”
suffers and goes forward, and of “encouragement,” paraklesis, the word
which is more than “consolation,” while it includes it; for it means the
voice of positive and enlivening appeal.
Rich indeed are Pentateuch, and
Prophets, and Hagiographa, alike in commands to persevere and be of good
courage, and in examples of men who were made brave and patient by the
power of God in them, as they took Him at His word. And all this, says the
Apostle, was on purpose, on God’s purpose. That multifarious Book is
indeed in this sense one. Not only is it, in its Author’s intention, full
of Christ; in the same intention it is full of Him for us. Immortal indeed
is its preciousness, if this was His design. Confidently may we explore
its pages, looking in them first for Christ, then for ourselves, in our
need of peace, and strength, and hope. Let us add one word, in view of the
anxious controversy of our day, within the Church, over the structure and
nature of those “divine Scriptures,” as the Christian Fathers love to call
them. The use of the Holy Book in the spirit of this verse, the persistent
searching of it for the perceptive mind of God in it, with the belief that
it was “written for our instruction,” will be the surest and deepest means
to give us “perseverance” and “encouragement” about the Book itself. The
more we really know the Bible, at first hand, before God, with the
knowledge both of acquaintance and reverent sympathy, the more shall we be
able with intelligent spiritual conviction, to “persist” and “be of good
cheer” in the conviction that it is indeed not of man (though through
man), but of God. The more shall we use it as the Lord and the Apostles
used it, as being not only of God, but of God for us; His Word, and for
us. The more shall we make it our divine daily Manual for a life of
patient and cheerful sympathies, holy fidelity, and “that blessed Hope” —
which draws “nearer now than when we believed.” But may the God of the
patience and the encouragement. He who is Author and Giver of the graces
unfolded in His Word, He without whom even that Word is but a sound
without significance in the soul, grant you, in His own sovereign way of
acting on and in human wills and affections, to be of one mind mutually,
according to Christ Jesus; “Christwise,” in His steps, in His temper,
under His precepts; having towards one another, not necessarily an
identity of opinion on all details, but a community of sympathetic
kindness. No comment here is better than this same Writer’s later words,
from Rome (Philippians 2:2-5); “Be of one mind; having the same love;
nothing by strife, or vainglory; esteeming others better than yourselves;
looking on the things of others; with the same mind which was also in
Christ Jesus,” when He humbled Himself for us. And all this, not only for
the comfort of the community, but for the glory of God: that unanimously,
with one mouth, you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ; turning from the sorrowful friction worked by selfwill when it
intrudes into the things of heaven, to an antidote, holy and effectual,
found in adoring Him who is equally near to all His true people, in His
Son. Wherefore welcome one another into fellowship, even as our Christ
welcomed you, all the individuals of your company, and all the groups of
it, to our God’s glory. These last words may mean either that the Lord’s
welcome of “you glorified” His Father’s grace; or that that grace will he
“glorified” by the holy victory of love over prejudice among the Roman
saints. Perhaps this latter explanation is to be preferred, as it echoes
and enforces the last words of the previous verse. But why should not both
references reside in the one phrase, where the actions of the Lord and His
disciples are seen in their deep harmony? For I say that Christ stands
constituted Servant of the Circumcision, Minister of divine blessings to
Israel, on behalf of God’s truth, so as to ratify in act the promises
belonging to the Fathers, so as to secure and vindicate their fulfilment,
by His coming as Son of David, Son of Abraham, but (a “but” which, by its
slight correction, reminds the Jew that the Promise, given wholly through
him, was not given wholly for him) so that the Nations, on mercy’s behalf,
should glorify God, blessing and adoring Him on account of a salvation
which, in their case, was less of “truth” than of “mercy,” because it was
less explicitly and immediately of covenant; as it stands written (Psalm
18:49), “For this I will confess to Thee, will own Thee, among the
Nations, and will strike the harp to Thy Name”; Messiah confessing His
Eternal Father’s glory in the midst of His redeemed Gentile subjects, who
sing their “lower part” with Him. And again it, the Scripture, says
(Deuteronomy 32:43), “Be jubilant, Nations, with His people.” And again
Psalm 117:1), “Praise the Lord, all the Nations, and let all the peoples
praise Him again.” And again Isaiah says (Isaiah 11:10), “There shall come
(literally, “shall be”) the Root of Jesse, and He who rises up — “rises,”
in the present tense of the divine decree to rule [the] Nations; on Him
[the] Nations shall hope” with the hope which is in fact faith, looking
from the sure present to the promised future. Now may the God of that
hope, “the Hope” just cited from the Prophet, the expectation of all
blessing, up to its crown and flower in glory, on the basis of Messiah’s
work, fill you with all joy and peace in your believing, so that you may
overflow in that hope, in the Holy Spirit’s power: “in His power,” clasped
as it were within His divine embrace, and thus energised to look upward,
heavenward, away from embittering and dividing temptations to the unifying
as well as beatifying prospect of your Lord’s Return. (The Epistle of St
Paul to the Romans)
Alexander Maclaren addresses the
question of whether the OT Scriptures are still "relevant" to us today in
view of the fact that we possess the NT....
Scripture (Maclaren is
referring to the Old Testament)...encourages us by its records and by its
revelation of principles.
Who can tell how many struggling souls
have taken heart again, as they pondered over the sweet stories of sorrow
subdued which stud its pages, like stars in its firmament? The tears shed
long ago which God has put ‘in His bottle,’ and recorded in ‘His book,’
have truly been turned into pearls. That long gallery of portraits of
sufferers, who have all trodden the same rough road, and been sustained by
the same hand, and reached the same home, speaks cheer to all who follow
them. Hearts wrung by cruel partings from those dearer to them than their
own souls, turn to the pages which tell how Abraham, with calm sorrow,
laid his Sarah in the cave at Macpelah; or how, when Jacob’s eyes were dim
that he could not see, his memory still turned to the hour of agony when
Rachael died by him, and he sees clear in its light her lonely grave,
where so much of himself was laid; or to the still more sacred page which
records the struggle of grief and faith in the hearts of the sisters of
Bethany. All who are anyways afflicted in mind, body, or estate find in
the Psalms men speaking their deepest experiences before them; and the
grand majesty of sorrow that marks ‘the patience of Job,’ and the flood of
sunshine that bathes him, revealing the ‘end of the Lord,’ have
strengthened countless sufferers to bear and to hold fast, and to hope. We
are all enough of children to be more affected by living examples than by
dissertations, however true, and so Scripture is mainly history, revealing
God by the record of His acts, and disclosing the secret of human life by
telling us the experiences of living men.
But Scripture has another method of
ministering encouragement to our often fainting and faithless hearts. It
cuts down through all the complications of human affairs, and lays bare
the innermost motive power. It not only shows us in its narratives the
working of sorrow, and the power of faith, but it distinctly lays down the
source and the purpose, the whence and the whither of all suffering. No
man need quail or faint before the most torturing pains or most disastrous
strokes of evil, who holds firmly the plain teaching of Scripture on these
two points. They all come from my Father, and they all come for my good.
It is a short and simple creed, easily apprehended. It pretends to no
recondite wisdom. It is a homely philosophy which common intellects can
grasp, which children can understand, and hearts half paralysed by sorrow
can take in. So much the better. Grief and pain are so common that their
cure had need to be easily obtained. Ignorant and stupid people have to
writhe in agony as well as wise and clever ones, and until grief is the
portion only of the cultivated classes, its healing must come from
something more universal than philosophy; or else the nettle would be more
plentiful than the dock; and many a poor heart would be stung to death.
Blessed be God! the Christian view of sorrow, while it leaves much
unexplained, focuses a steady light on these two points; its origin and
its end. ‘He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness,’ is
enough to calm all agitation, and to make the faintest heart take fresh
courage. With that double certitude clear before us, we can face anything.
The slings and arrows which strike are no more flung blindly by an
‘outrageous fortune,’ but each bears an inscription, like the fabled
bolts, which tells what hand drew the bow, and they come with His love.
(Maclaren. Expositions of the Holy Scripture)
Middletown Bible...
If the strong are going to be what they
ought to be to the weak (Ro 15:1, 2), then they must have the mind of
Christ (Ro 15:3). The only way to have the mind of Christ is through
understanding the Scriptures, those things which have been "WRITTEN
BEFORE."
How thankful we can be that these things have been written for us:
"But these are written that ye might believe..." (John 20:31)
"These things have I written unto you...that ye may know..." (1John 5:13).
"For our sakes, no doubt, (this) is written..." (1Cor. 9:10).
"They are written for our admonition..." (1Cor. 10:11). (ROMANS
CHAPTER 15)
FOR OUR INSTRUCTION:
eis (expresses purpose =
with a view to) tên hêmeteran didaskalian:
Observe three truths from this
verse:
1. All the scriptures are for our
instruction - We must be willing to learn what the scriptures teach
if we expect to be encouraged by the truth of scripture rather than by
an accidental sound of words or reflections of our own ideas and
desires. We need a systematic diet of instruction, not just a few crumbs
a day, if we are going to fight successfully to maintain the full
assurance of hope to the end.
2. All the scriptures are intended by God to give perseverance and
encouragement. - When the instructions of the scriptures are
properly understood, they produce perseverance and encouragement.
Perseverance is what you have to have to keep on going in a path of
obedience when you feel miserable and when you encounter all manner of
opposition. Perseverance comes from the scriptures which is exceedingly
practical! Again and again the we find that meditating on the Word of
God will give you God's perspective on things and that Biblical
perspective will make a hard situation endurable. How foolish we are if
we neglect them. If you want to have staying power, if you want to
endure to the end in the path of costly obedience, then turn off the
television, the mp3 player, and the internet and meditate on the Word of
Truth.
3. All the scriptures have as one of their goals the sustenance of
our Christian hope when we read of others who have persevered. And
these Old Testament examples of perseverance make a difference in our
lives by sustaining our hope, a hope that keeps us going in tough
situations, when you are battling to cope with the daily temptations to
disobey and throw in the towel on your responsibilities.
In sum, clearly the Old Testament is
profitable for New Testament saints. In the OT we find the record of how God
taught men to live not to please themselves, but to please Him.
Instruction
(1319)
(didaskalia
[word study])
is a general term referring
to instruction or “doctrine” which is used by God's Spirit to shape our
will and renew our minds. Instruction then indicates far more
than impartation of intellectual knowledge. The emphasis, in fact, is on
practical knowledge, knowledge that can be, and should be, applied to
living the supernatural, transformed life of a Christian.
Didaskalia is
derived from
didasko,
to teach which describes instruction given meant to shape one's will by
the content of what is taught. Didasko speaks less of the method of
teaching and more of the actual content.
The Biblical concept of teaching
differed quite radically from secular Greek teaching in the matter of its
goal. Whereas the Greek teacher sought to impart knowledge and skills,
teaching for the Jew sought to change one’s entire life. The ministry of
teaching in the OT sense that carried over to the early Church was
therefore concerned “with the whole man and his education in the deepest
sense.” It included the intellect, but its final goal was the will. Rengstorf says that “to the Jewish ear didaskein suggests the
successful and total molding of the will of another by one’s own.”
Didaskalia appears 15x in the Pastoral Epistles (Mt 15:9; Mk 7:7; Ro
12:7; 15:4; Eph 4:14; Col 2:22; 1Ti 1:10; 4:1, 6, 13, 16; 5:17; 6:1, 3;
2Ti 3:10, 16; 4:3; Titus 1:9; 2:1, 7, 10) where it implies the systematic
explanation of the Word of God. It could embody developing a means of
teaching people individually, or in small groups meeting in homes. The
point is that an excellent minister is to disseminate sound teaching to
all people at all times through all means. That is the heart and soul of
the ministry, since the Word is the only source of life and truth. It is
no surprise, then, that an elder was required to be able to teach (1Ti
3:2; Titus 1:9-note).
Paul wrote to Timothy that
All Scripture
is inspired by God and profitable for teaching (didaskalia), for
reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness (2Ti 3:16-note)
WAS WRITTEN THAT THROUGH THE PERSEVERANCE: egraphe (3SAPI)
hina dia tes hupomones kai dia tes parakleseos ton graphon ten elpida
echomen (1PPAS): (Jas
5:10,11 Heb 6:11,12)
The idea appears to be that the
Scriptures, the actual Word of God written in the Old Testament, give us "perseverance
and encouragement".
How so? For one thing others have run the race and testify that bearing up
under the trials of life with a Godward attitude is worth the "pain".
The Scriptures do not teach us to
just ''grin and bear it". These things happened for our encouragement.
Let
us not shrink back (Heb 10:38, 39-see notes
He 10:38;
39;
2Ti 2:12, 13-2Ti 2:12;
13) from suffering for Messiah that we might persevere
and
hold fast to the end (Heb 3:6, 14-see notes
He 3:6;
14).
Perseverance
(patience, KJV)
(hupomone
[word study]
from hupo = under + meno = abide) is the word which speaks of patience in respect to things or
circumstances. It is a God-honoring endurance which undergoes life's
fiery trials because of the glory that lies ahead. It is this character
quality which will determine whether we finish our course or not. (Heb
10:36-note;
He 12:1-note
).
The
difficulties in our lives,
The obstacles we face,
Give God the opportunity
To show His power and grace.
Hupomone
is graphically described by William Barclay as that
lithe spirit which can bear all
things, not simply with resignation, but with blazing hope; it is not
the spirit which sits statically enduring in the one place, but the
spirit which bears things because it knows that these things are leading
to a goal of glory; it is not the patience which grimly waits for the
end, but the patience which radiantly hopes for the dawn. It is the
quality which keeps a man on his feet with his face to the wind. It is
the virtue which can transmute the hardest trial into glory because
beyond the pain it sees the goal... it is the triumphant adequacy which
can cope with life; it is the strength which does not only accept
things, but which, in accepting them, transmutes them into glory.
(Barclay,
W: The Daily Study Bible Series. The Westminster Press
or
Logos)
Barnes commenting on the KJV
word patience that...
This does not mean, as our
translation might seem to suppose, patience of the Scriptures;
but it means, that by patiently enduring sufferings, in connexion with
the consolation which the Scriptures furnish, we might have hope. The
tendency of patience, the apostle tells us, (Romans 5:4,) is to produce
hope.
AND THE ENCOURAGEMENT:
kai dia tes parakleseos:
(1Th 5:11-note)
Encouragement (3874)
(paraklesis from pará = side of +
kaléo = call) means literally the calling to one's side and so
refers can refer to exhortation, solace, comfort (that which gives
strength and hope and which eases the grief or trouble of another) and
consolation (that which alleviates grief, sense of loss, or trouble of
another).
Kenneth Wuest
notes that paraklesis...
...has various meanings; “a calling
near, a summons, imploration, supplication, entreaty, exhortation,
admonition, encouragement, consolation, solace.” The well-rounded
all-inclusive idea is that of encouragement, of aid given the
needy person, whether it be consolation, exhortation, or supplication.
(Wuest,
K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans
or
Logos) (Bolding added)
Webster defines
encouragement as the act of raising of one’s confidence especially
by an external agency (in the presence context that "agency" being the
Scriptures, God's Word of truth and life).
Marvin Vincent has this note on
paraklesis, writing that...
Consolation
(paraklesis). From para, to the side of, and kaleo, to
call or summon. Literally, a calling to one’s side to help; and
therefore entreaty, passing on into the sense of exhortation, and thence
into that of consolatory exhortation; and so coming round to mean that
which one is summoned to give to a suppliant — consolation. Thus it
embodies the call for help, and the response to the call. Its use
corresponds with that of the kindred verb parakaleo, to exhort or
console." (Vincent, M. R. Word studies in the New Testament: Vol. 1,
Page 3-313)
H C G Moule
adds that paraklesis is a
word which is more than
“consolation,” while it includes it; for it means the voice of positive
and enlivening appeal. Rich indeed are Pentateuch, and Prophets, and
Hagiographa, alike in commands to persevere and be of good courage, and
in examples of men who were made brave and patient by the power of God
in them, as they took Him at His word. And all this, says the Apostle,
was on purpose, on God’s purpose. That multifarious Book is indeed in
this sense one. Not only is it, in its Author’s intention, full of
Christ; in the same intention it is full of Him for us. Immortal indeed
is its preciousness, if this was His design. Confidently may we explore
its pages, looking in them first for Christ, then for ourselves, in our
need of peace, and strength, and hope. Let us add one word, in view of
the anxious controversy of our day, within the Church, over the
structure and nature of those “divine Scriptures,” as the Christian
Fathers love to call them. The use of the Holy Book in the spirit of
this verse, the persistent searching of it for the preceptive mind of
God in it, with the belief that it was “written for our instruction,”
will be the surest and deepest means to give us “perseverance” and
“encouragement” about the Book itself. The more we really know the
Bible, at first hand, before God, with the knowledge both of
acquaintance and reverent sympathy, the more shall we be able with
intelligent spiritual conviction, to “persist” and “be of good cheer” in
the conviction that it is indeed not of man (though through man), but of
God. The more shall we use it as the Lord and the Apostles used it, as
being not only of God, but of God for us; His Word, and for us. The more
shall we make it our divine daily Manual for a life of patient and
cheerful sympathies, holy fidelity, and “that blessed Hope” — which
draws “nearer now than when we believed." (The Epistle of St Paul to the
Romans)
Barnes writes that
encouragement of the Scriptures signifies...
By means of the consolation which the
writings of the Old Testament furnish. The word rendered comfort means
also exhortation or admonition. If this is its meaning here, it refers
to the admonitions which the Scriptures suggest, instructions which they
impart, and the exhortations to patience in trials. If it means comfort,
then the reference is to the examples of the saints in affliction; to
their recorded expressions of confidence in God in their trials, as of
Job, Daniel, David, etc. Which is the precise meaning of the word here,
it is not easy to determine.
William Barclay
writes that the Christian who studies and applies the Old Testament
Scriptures is the one who...
...draws encouragement. Scripture,
from this point of view, provides us with two things. (a) It gives us
the record of God’s dealing with a nation, a record which is the
demonstration that it is always better to be right with God and to
suffer, than to be wrong with men and to avoid trouble. The history of
Israel is the demonstration in the events of history that ultimately it
is well with good and evil with the wicked. Scripture demonstrates, not
that God’s way is ever an easy way, but in the end it is the only way to
everything that makes life worth while in time and in eternity. (b) It
gives us the great and precious promises of God. It is said that
Alexander Whyte sometimes had a habit of uttering one text when he left
some home during his pastoral visitation; and, as he uttered it, he
would say: “Put that under your tongue and suck it like a sweetie.”
These promises are the promises of a God Who never breaks His word. In
these ways Scripture gives to the man who studies it, comfort in his
sorrow and encouragement in his struggle. (Barclay,
W: The Daily Study Bible Series. The Westminster Press
or
Logos)
The words "through
perseverance and
the encouragement of the Scriptures" may be taken together and mean
“through that perseverance and consolation which the Scriptures produce.”
Alternatively, the
words "through perseverance" may be separated from the word
"Scriptures", so that the sense is, “that we, through perseverance and
through the encouragement of the Scriptures …” The former explanation is
the one most often adopted and is the most natural.
For example
Kenneth Wuest translates this verse
For whatever things were written
aforetime with a view to our learning were written, in order that
through the patience and through the encouragement arising from the
scriptures we might be having hope.
Middletown Bible...
This verse shows us that the Scriptures
bring two things to the believing heart—patience and comfort: "that
we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope" ["of
the Scriptures" is a genitive or ablative of SOURCE, see Dana and Mantey
Grammar, p.82].
The patience and comfort comes from the
Scriptures. The Scriptures are the SOURCE of patience and comfort.
PATIENCE involves endurance, perseverance in the midst of great
difficulties and trials and affliction. Literally it means "to abide
under," thus it means to remain steadfast under the intense trials of
life. COMFORT means encouragement. The believer whose mind is saturated
with the Scriptures and whose mind is baptized in the Word of God will
find from this source every kind of encouragement to persevere and remain
faithful to God, even under the most difficult of circumstances. What is
the result? "that we might have HOPE"! By means of the Scriptures we are
encouraged to trust God and persevere through the greatest of difficulties
with the great EXPECTATION and certain HOPE that God will successfully get
us through and the future can only be bright!
Running illustration: The Christian life has been compared to a
race (Heb. 12:1-note,
Heb 12:2-note;
1Cor 9:24; 2Ti. 4:7-note).
As we run the race there are certain difficulties and trials and obstacles
that we face along the way. However, we must keep running no matter how
difficult it gets, no matter how tired we are, and no matter how much our
body hurts. We must hang in there (patience, compare Heb 12:1-note),
endure and persevere. We must not give up. We must finish the race. Along
the way we receive comfort and encouragement. Spectators may cheer us on,
we may get a second wind, and most importantly we remember the One who
already has run the race successfully (Heb 12:2-note).
Moreover we run with the great hope and sure expectation of the finish
line. We know the joys and blessings that await us there, and we look
forward with great expectation to the "Well Done!" that we will hear upon
the completion of the race. Thus it is that through patience and comfort
[encouragement] we might have hope [happy expectation]. (ROMANS
CHAPTER 15)
OF THE SCRIPTURES:
ton graphon:
Scriptures
(1124)
from grapho = to write; English = graphite - the lead in a pencil!)
means first a writing or thing written, a document. (see
in depth study of
graphe)
With few exceptions (Ro 16:26-note;
2Pe 3:16-note),
the NT references to Scripture signify the OT. And so
the majority of the NT uses refer to the
Old Testament writings, in a general sense of the whole collection when the
plural (= Scriptures - Matt. 21:42; 22:29; 26:54; Mk. 12:24; 14:49;
Lk. 24:27, 32, 45; Jn. 5:39; Acts 17:2, 11; 18:24, 28; Rom. 15:4; 2Pe 3:16)
is used and other times of a particular passage when the singular is
used (= the Scripture - Mk. 12:10; 15:28; Lk. 4:21; Jn. 13:18; 19:24, 36, 37;
Acts 1:16; 8:35; Ro 11:2; Jas. 2:8, 23) and is used in such a way that
quoting Scripture is understood to be the same as quoting God!
My soul
languishes for Thy salvation; I wait for Thy word.
My eyes fail with longing for Thy word, While I say, "When wilt
Thou comfort me?"
Though I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, I do not forget Thy
statutes. (Psalm 119:81-83)
God gives us encouragement to persevere. He provides this impetus by means
of the Scriptures, which chronicle all the reasons to keep believing. They
give us reason to sustain hope for our glorious future.
Jeremiah speaks of
God, the author of Scripture, as the
“Hope of Israel, its Savior in time of
distress” (Jer 14:8 cp La 3:21, 22, 23, 24).
The psalmists repeatedly speak of their
hope in
the Lord (Ps 42:5 Ps 62:5 Ps 119:49, Ps 119:116, Ps 119:166
Ps 119:130:5).
Robert Mounce notes that
Romans 15:4 teaches us...
Everything that was written in
Scripture in days gone by was written for us. Not only did it serve the
needs of its own day but it is still relevant in the modern world.
Scripture is relevant because it speaks to our deepest needs. (Mounce,
R H: Vol. 27: Romans The New American Commentary. Page 260.
Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers)
The application is inescapable:
Believers are to be well acquainted
with the Old Testament Scriptures.
Beloved, are you?
Preachers should preach not just from
the New Testament but from the Old.
Dear pastor: are you?
Dr. Henry Morris in his
excellent, literal, creationistic study Bible, agrees writing that
The Old Testament Scriptures were all
written for our benefit today, as well as for the pre-Christian
Israelites. Paul very frequently quotes from the Old Testament as
authoritative (as in the preceding verse, for example), and clearly
believed all of it to be divinely inspired and in every way profitable
for Christians (2 Ti 3:15, 16, 17-see notes
2Ti 3:15;
16;
17). By no means should Christians limit their
Bible study to the New Testament. (Defender's Study Bible) (Bolding
added)
The result will be “hope,” which
strikingly distinguishes a believer from an unbeliever, for the latter
has no true Biblical hope outside of Christ and His Words of truth and
life.
Expositor's Bible Commentary
adds that...
The use of the Scriptures promotes
"endurance" and supplies "encouragement." Both may be learned by precept
and example from these records of the past. These two elements are
intimately connected with hope, for the endurance is worthwhile if it
takes place on a course that leads to a glorious future, and the
encouragement provides exactly that assurance.
William Newell has
provoking observation calling us to...
Note these four words that God has
joined together: "learning . . . patience . . . comfort of the
Scriptures . . . hope":
"learning" is heart knowledge, as our Lord said:
"Every one that hath heard from the Father, and hath learned, cometh
unto Me" (John 6:45).
"Patience" follows, for, knowing God, we can wait for
Him to work.
Next is "comfort of the Scriptures." It is
astonishing-something beyond human conception, this "comfort of the
Scriptures"! We have all seen saints poor in purse, accounted nothing at
all by men, and perhaps suffering constant physical pain, sad
bereavement of loved ones, and complete lack of understanding by other
professing Christians: yet comforted by poring over the Scriptures!
Hearts happy and hopeful, despite it all! You can step from any state of
earthly misery into the glorious halls of heavenly peace and comfort!
Praise God for this! "Be ye comforted, " writes Paul in
2Corinthians 13:11.
It is ever good to be going over
God's dealings, not only with Christ, but with His Old Testament saints;
marking how He is continually bringing them into hard places, where they
learn to trust Him more! Joseph, in prison for righteousness;
David, anointed of God, but hunted for years "like a partridge in
the mountains"; Jeremiah in the miry dungeon; the three in
Nebuchadnezzar's furnace, and Daniel in the den of lions: not to
speak of the New Testament story-James and Stephen killed,
the apostles in prison.
You may ask, How does "hope" spring
out of such trials? We do not ask such a question if we have learned
the lesson of Romans Five (see
exposition of
Romans 5):
"Knowing that tribulation worketh steadfastness; and steadfastness,
approvedness; and approvedness, hope, " -- witnessed to by the shedding
abroad of God's love for us in our hearts! Therefore let us seek that
comfort and hope which this verse tells us the Scriptures work in us if
we patiently learn them. When we get thus learningly to verse 13 in this
chapter (Ro 15:13-note), we
shall find ourselves abounding in hope!" (Newell, W: Romans Verse by Verse).
(Bolding added)
Middletown Bible...
God’s Word is FOR US! Precious Book!
[See tract,
What Can God’s Precious Word Do For Me?]
God has not left us in the dark. God has not left us without instruction.
God has not left us without comfort and hope. God has not left us without
a compass and map. He has given us precise instructions for how to live
for His glory here in time. These things are written FOR US, for our
learning (Ro 15:4), for our instruction, for our doctrine, that we might
be taught. Compare 2Timothy 3:16--"all Scripture is profitable for
DOCTRINE." (ROMANS
CHAPTER 15)
WE MIGHT HAVE HOPE: ten elpida echomen (1PPAS): (Col
1:5 1Ti 1:1 Heb 6:11,12, 18, 19, 20)
Might have
(2192)
(echo) means to hold or possess the truth about Biblical "hope",
so that ultimately this truth exerts its "hold" on us and effects
a transformation by the renewing of our minds. The present tense emphasizes that "We might keep on having hope"
as a lifestyle or as our habitual practice. What we believe does effect
how we behave and respond to the manifold trials and adverse
circumstances of life.
Bearing up under is a discipline which yields increased certainty in a
steadfast hope (Ro 5:4-note;
He 6:19-note)...as we look at what the OT saints (e.g., Heb 11:1-40 saints)
had to endure in faith (seeing the unseeable, like Noah building an ark
having never seen rain and knowing the unknowable, taking God at His Word)
we see the result of their faith and patience...they inherited the promises
of God (Heb 6:11, 12, 15 - see notes
He 6:11; 12; 15) We too must imitate their faith (He
6:12-note;
Heb 13:7-note).
The OT Words of God come alongside us and give us a firm
foundation on which to base our conviction to which we can then surrender
our wills out of which flows a conduct and lifestyle that brings glory to
the Father (Mt 5:14-note).
We gain hope from Scripture (OT). By no means should Christians limit their
Bible study to the NT. Through it we find strength to endure life's
disappointments, crises, and hardships.
Scripture encourages us to hope in
Christ in spite of life's circumstances.
Scripture does not merely provide
information about the past. It is not designed for us to read
selectively, choosing parts to obey and discarding the rest. We read
Scripture to discover Jesus Christ, to learn more about Him, and to grow
as His disciples.
Hope (elpis)
(1680)
(Click other uses in Romans)
(Click discussion of hope).
Later in this
chapter Paul prays
Now may the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the
power of the Holy Spirit. (Ro 15:13-note)
So in whereas
hope in the present verse is associated with intake of the Word,
it is the Holy Spirit Who presumably takes the Holy Word
and renews our mind and transforms our thinking producing hope.
Our Lord indeed taught that...
It is the Spirit Who gives life; the
flesh profits nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit
and are life. (John 6:63)
Hope is the desire
of some good with the expectation of obtaining it. Hope is that
glorious Biblical truth which strikingly distinguishes the true
Christian from his hopeless (or "hope so") pagan neighbors.
Beloved do those in your sphere of
influence who are otherwise hopelessly lost see the truth of this blessed hope in your life and
hear it on your lips?
Hope in
Scripture is the absolute certainty of future good.
Hope is full
assurance (Heb 6:11-note, cf
He 6:18-note,
He 7:19-note,
Heb 10:23-note),
a strong confidence that God is going to do good to us in future.
Hope, like an
anchor,
is fixed on the unseen.
Robert Haldane
thus exhorts believers to...
read the Scriptures with a view not
to gratify our curiosity, but to increase and nourish our hope of future
glory. This passage teaches that we should encourage ourselves by the
example of those who, amidst similar temptations, have overcome. For
this purpose, the conduct of those who obtained a good report through
faith is set before us, that we may not be slothful, but followers of
them who, through faith and patience, inherit the promises.” (Hebrews
6:12) (Haldane, R. An Exposition of Romans)
Matthew Poole writes that
Paul...
Lest any should think, that the
testimony before alleged concerneth only David or Christ, he showeth
that it belongeth also unto us; that we may learn by their example to
bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Yea, he
takes occasion from hence to inform us of the general use of the
Scriptures, that whatsoever is written, in this or any other place, is
written for our learning and instruction (Matthew Poole's Commentary on
the New Testament)
Matthew Henry agrees...
That which is written in the
scriptures of the Old Testament in the general is written for our
learning. What David had said in his own person Paul had just now
applied to Christ. Now lest this should look like a straining of the
scripture, he gives us this excellent rule in general, that all the
scriptures of the Old Testament (much more those of the New) were
written for our learning, and are not to be looked upon as of private
interpretation. What happened to the Old-Testament saint happened to
them for ensample; and the scriptures of the Old Testament have many
fulfillings. The scriptures are left for a standing rule to us: they are
written, that they might remain for our use and benefit.
Barton says that...
All of Scripture (here referring to
the Old Testament) was written and preserved for future generations. Our
scriptural knowledge affects our attitude toward the present and the
future. The more we know about what God has done in years past, the
greater will be our confidence in what he will do in the days ahead. We
should read our Bible diligently to increase our trust that God’s will
is best for us....
How does the Bible encourage us? (1)
God’s attributes and character constantly remind us in whom our hope is
based (Psalm 46:1, 2). (2) The biographies of saints who overcame great
obstacles give us examples of what can be done with God’s help (Hebrews
11:1-40). (3) The direct exhortation of Scripture calls for endurance and
speaks encouragement (James 1:2, 3, 4; Hebrews 12:1, 2). (4) The prophetic
statements support our hope for a wonderful future planned for us in
eternity (Romans 5:1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Paul admonishes strong believers not to please
themselves but to please God and others. Scripture records stories of
those who pleased God, those who didn’t, and those who failed but
learned from their mistakes. We are to endure as Christ endured and be
encouraged by the examples of other believers. This gives us hope as we
look toward the future. (Barton,
B, et al: The NIV Life Application Commentary Series: Tyndale
or
Logos) William Barclay
has an excellent description of a believer who has Biblical hope
writing that...
The Christian is always a realist,
but never a pessimist. The Christian hope is not a cheap hope. It is not
the immature hope which is optimistic because it does not see the
difficulties and has not encountered the experiences of life. It might
be thought that hope is the prerogative of the young; but the great
artists did not think that. When Watts drew “Hope” he drew her as a
battered and bowed figure with one string left upon her lyre. The
Christian hope has seen everything and endured everything, and still has
not despaired, because it believes in God. It is not hope in the human
spirit, in human goodness, in human achievement; it is hope in the power
of God. (W. Barclay. The Daily Study Bible series, Rev. ed.
Philadelphia: The Westminster Press)
The
cynical editor H. L. Mencken defined hope, as does much of the modern
world, as...
“a pathological belief in the
occurrence of the impossible.”
Mencken's cynical definition does
not even agree with Webster's Collegiate Dictionary which defines "Hope"
much like the NT --
"cherish a desire with
anticipation, desire with expectation of obtainment, expect with
confidence".
CLICK
BELOW FOR ADDITIONAL STUDY OF
THE BLESSED HOPE
The Blessed Hope: Part 1
The Blessed Hope: Definition
The Blessed Hope: Source of
The Blessed Hope: Part 2
The Blessed Hope: Stabilizing Effect
The Blessed Hope: Sanctifying Effect
Other
resources
on the Blessed Hope |