That’s like the title of an old Francis Schaffer Book.
How Should We Then Live?: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture
Seemed like a good title for this post.
Reading Mike’s post this morning I had several thoughts…
I’ll let you read it and then I have a few comments……
It’s a great discussion and I like how Mike uses the Greek Lexicon to explain the text.
I also found the Old Geneva Bible Notes helpful on these verses:
Acts 9:15
9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a {g} chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
(g) To bear my name in.
What a great image a special vessel with the purpose of bearing God’s name.
Likewise in the next verse:
Acts 9:16
9:16 For I will {h} shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
(h) I will plainly show him.
Plainly reveal to him….sounds like it was made pretty clear what Paul was to get into.
To go further, Old John Gill has this insight:
Acts 9:15
But the Lord said unto him, go thy way,…. The Syriac version reads, “arise, go thy way”; make no delay, nor any excuse, there is no reason for it; nothing is to be feared from him:
for he is a chosen vessel unto me; a choice and excellent one, full of the heavenly treasure of the Gospel, full of the gifts and graces of the Spirit, and so very fit and richly qualified for the use and service of Christ; and was כלי חמדתה, “a vessel of desire”, or a desirable one, as the Jews speak (n): or he was, to render the words literally, “a vessel of election”; both an instrument gathering in the election, or the elect of God, through the preaching of the Gospel; and was himself chosen of God, both to grace and glory, a vessel of mercy, and of honour prepared for glory; and was separated, predestinated, and appointed to the Gospel of God, to preach it among the Gentiles; which sense is confirmed by what follows:
to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel; by “the name” of Christ is meant his Gospel, which is a declaration of his person, perfections, glories, and excellencies, of his offices, grace, righteousness, and salvation; and to “bear” it, is to preach it, to carry it about, spread abroad, and propagate it; in allusion either to the prophets of old, whose prophecies are often called a “burden”, which they bore and carried to the several nations to whom they were sent; or to the Levites bearing the tabernacle of the Lord, and its vessels, “be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord”, Isa 52:11. Upon which Aben Ezra has this note,
“they are the Israelites, נושאי התורה, “that bear the law”;”
but Saul was a chosen vessel to bear the Gospel; or to the sower of seed, Psa 126:6 “before the Gentiles”, or nations of the world; and he was an apostle, and teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity; the Gospel of the uncircumcision was particularly committed to him: and before “kings”, as he did before Agrippa, king of the Jews, and before Nero, emperor of Rome; and his bonds for the Gospel, and so the Gospel through his bonds became manifest in all the palace, or court of Caesar. And before
the children of Israel; the Jews, to whom he first preached it; but when they put it away he turned to the Gentiles, and afterwards, before the Jews, he bore a testimony for it.
(n) T. Bab. Megilla, fol. 6. 1.
Acts 9:16
For I will show him,…. In vision, and by prophecy, either now, or hereafter; or by facts, as they come upon him:
how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake; such as weariness, pain, and watchings, hunger, thirst, fastings, cold, and nakedness, perils on various accounts, and from different quarters, stripes, scourges, imprisonment, shipwreck, stoning, and death, of which he himself gives a detail, 2Co 11:23 so that Ananias had no reason to be afraid to go to him, and converse with him, and do unto him as he was directed.
When Jesus was teaching earlier in the Sermon on the Mount he spoke these words about Righteousness and Persecution…two themes of Mike’s discussion:
Mat 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Mat 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness‘ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Mat 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
As for the Romans 1:16-17 passage, it’s truly one of the foundation texts in the Bible. I use to say one of my “favorite” Bible verse, but I don’t like the personal tone of that any more, all Bible verses are becoming favorites. So I’m going to try to refer to these as foundational. Though it’s true:
2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Here is the text in the KJV:
Romans 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
A couple of thoughts, just thoughts I’m not writing a sermon:
- Righteousness by Faith is a great thought as we reflect on the Reformation Anniversary.
- It’s not our own righteousness earned by works, it’s revealed by God, and it’s Christ’s righteousness given to us though Christ.
- Paul and likewise in a lesser way all of us have a role in passing that on, preaching or sharing the gospel and the truths in the Bible.
- Being not ashamed. But sharing the truth in love.
- The KJV and Geneva Bibles make it explicitly clear this is the gospel of Christ….not just any gospel. Not the social gospel, or the Marxist gospel or the Roman Catholic works gospel, or the Mormon or Islamic or New Age or Mystical or Gnostic Gospel….one could go on…
- There are warnings about that in the Bible..
- 2Co 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
Gal 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
Gal 1:7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. - Rev 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
So what to do…Study the word, the Bible, think deeply about the doctrines and meaning in context. Memorize what you can. Share when God gives you the opportunity, don’t be ashamed or change the gospel, share it in truth and love.
Let God work from there in the hearts of men.
Rainbow Trout 