https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/2150136628453
October 30, 2011
This was posted before and many comments were
made but the questions are hardly answered. Let's try again. Let's do better
this time?
What were Paul's reasons for this confident
statement?
What was Paul theological understanding that
undergirds this confidence?
Without such theological understanding, would
there be such confidence?
Edmund Lau Kok Ming
Paul was confident because it was the gospel
of CHRIST. Not the gospel of evangelicals, reformed-labeled folks,
anointed-evangelists, megachurches, etc. today. It was supernatural, not human.
It was the gospel of GOD justifying the ungodly (an unthinkable thing - and
therefore, can only come from God Himself). It was not the nonsense preached
today about God justifying the believing. This is the ground of his confidence:
the supernatural origin of the unthinkable good news that GOD JUSTIFIES THE
UNGODLY.
(A Matthew deleted his comments)
Edmund Lau Kok Ming
Hi Matthew, I don't think you get the point
of my comment at all. But I think Bro Sing just explained it very clearly. Once
again, a moralist tendency to quickly start talking about sanctification
without getting justification right. Of course, the complete gospel of Christ
that Paul is not ashamed of is that by Christ, justified sinners are made
saints in Christ.
Sing F Lau
The object not ashamed of is none other than
the gospel of Christ, not just any gospel of man's imagination, but THE gospel
of Christ. So, it is needful to ask the question: what is the gospel of Christ?
And there are multitudes of notions if we have wrong notions on this, then
there would be reasons to be ashamed
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news
of the eternal redemption that God has PURPOSED for His elect, ACCOMPLISHED by
Christ through His life and death for the same, and APPLIED by the Holy Spirit
to each of the elect while they were dead in trespasses and sins.
The gospel is the good news of what has
HAPPENED, that is, what has happened all by the free and sovereign grace of the
Triune God. Man is completely passive, i.e. he contributed nothing to this good
news. If anything, man by nature is in enmity against this good news.
The gospel of Christ is not about great and wonderful possibilities conditioned upon the responses of sinners to the offer of eternal salvation. If that was the case, there would be a whole host of reasons for great disappointment!
Sing F Lau
The gospel is not only the good news of what
God has purposed, and what Christ has accomplished BUT ALSO what the Holy
Spirit has applied... and this APART and WITHOUT the preaching of the gospel of
Christ.
Apostle Paul addressed the Romans - to whom
he was writing, and was zealously desirous of preaching the gospel of Jesus
Christ - as 'the called of Jesus Christ... beloved of God, called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.' (Rom
1:6-7).
These were THE people Apostle Paul felt
indebted to preach the gospel. They were ALREADY' 'the called of Jesus
Christ... beloved of God, called to be saints' by the free and sovereign saving
activities of the Triune God... BEFORE Apostle Paul brought the gospel to them!
The gospel of Jesus Christ was ALREADY true
of them... but they are still ignorant of the good news. And the ministry of
the gospel is for their instruction, and edification, and training in
righteousness.
The gospel of Jesus Christ will be received
and believed by such. To such the gospel of Jesus Christ will be perceived and
received as the good news declaring the power of God in saving lost condemned
sinners like them.
Apostle Paul was not ashamed because he is
assured that the gospel will most certainly be received by those it is intended
for! There are ''the called of Jesus Christ... beloved of God, called to be
saints' out there by the free and sovereign activities of God that will receive
the gospel of Jesus Christ!!!
That being the case, there will be no disappointment whatsoever. It is a product that is guaranteed of reception by the intended recipient!
Sing F Lau
Supposing the application of eternal
salvation to a sinner is in some way dependent upon the preaching ministry of
the preacher, and the believing responses of his hearers, would Paul be able to
say, 'For I am not ashamed of the gospel?'
Sing F Lau
"for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
========
'to every one that believeth': i.e to all
believing ones.
These are believing ones BECAUSE the Holy
Spirit has applied eternal salvation to them, working the grace of faith in
them, thus making them believing ones, capable of believing the gospel of their
salvation.
'for the gospel is the power of God unto salvation': To all the believing ones, the gospel of Christ is perceived and received as good news declaring the power of God unto salvation - he purposed, accomplished, and applied eternal salvation for them, all by His free and sovereign grace.
And in this, there is no distinction between
the Jew and the Greek.
