Date: Tue, 6 Dec 1994 09:32:27 CET
Reply-To: t.benschop@pobox.ruu.nl
Sender: Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel
From: Teus Benschop
Subject: The Scriptures opened, 8
Contents
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1. Weekly reading, Gen.44:32
2. Psalm 116:11
3. New Testament, Luke 15:1,2
4. Paul and James
5. Books
1. Weekly reading, Gen.44:32
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Gen.44:32
For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I
bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for
ever.
Who is saying this? It is Judah, verse 16. He has done a long speech, from
verse 16 to the end of this chapter. In this speech, he shows how the
situation was. Yaakov did not want to let go Benjamin, but Judah made
himself surety for the boy. He was surety to bring back Benjamin to Yaa-
kov. What, when he not would do this? "Then I shall bear the blame to my
father forever". In Hebrew is written: "Then I have sinned to my father
all the days". In reality, Judah had not sinned himself. Why does he say,
that he will have sinned in the case that Benjamin not would come back? He
has sinned because he was surety. He said: "I will be surety for him; of
my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him
before thee, then let me bear the blame forever." (Gen.43:9)
Let us take a closer look at this word "surety". Judah "arav", that is, he
is surety for Benjamin. The same word is also written, for example, in: "O
LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me." (Isa.38:14). The king Hezekiah is
saying this. "O LORD", he says, "be my surety". He needed a surety while
he was oppressed. This is important for us to see. When we not are op-
pressed, we will never pray to God, and ask if He will be our surety. When
we have no problems, we think that we get along in own strength. However,
when we stand before the death, like Hezekiah, or when we are in a dange-
rous situation, then we see that we need a surety. O LORD, be my surety.
When a man must pay, and he cannot, then the pay will be given by the
surety. The same is it with Hezekiah. He was oppressed, could not pay and
stood before the gates of the death. Therefore, he needed the LORD as a
surety, to pay for him.
The same will happen to us. When we come before the gates of the death,
then we will see what great sinners we have been. When we not have a
surety, who will pay for our sins, then we are very miserable.
In the New Testament is written: "By so much was Jesus made a surety of a
better testament." (Hebr.7:22) Jesus was and is surety for the sinners. In
the time of Hezekiah, the LORD was the surety, and in the times of the New
Testament, also the LORD is surety, as Jesus is the LORD.
Reader, do you already have a surety for your soul? Or do you think that
you need none? When you think that you are better than king Hezekiah, and
not need the LORD as your surety, you are wrong. Perhaps you overlook your
sins because you are spiritual blind, and you think that you are righte-
ous. Please, open your eyes, and say with Hezekiah: O LORD, I am op-
pressed. Be my surety.
2. Psalm 116:11
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Ps.116:11 I said in my haste, All men are liars.
The prophet of this psalm was in great distress. He said in the previous
verse: "I was greatly afflicted." (Ps.116:10) Because of that torture, he
hastened to flee from the danger. While the enemies attacked him, he
hurried to get away from them. While he was attacked, he saw how the
people in reality were. In his haste, he said: "all men are liars". Look,
how all men persecuted the prophet. You cannot rely on men. Only on God,
we can rely. That is the great difference between God and men. God is the
truth, and all men are liars. God is good, and all men are bad. God gave
us His law, and all men transgress it. He said: "Thou shalt not bear false
witness against thy neighbour" (Exod.20:16), and all men are liars, thus
transgressing this commandment.
Sometimes is said: A goy is a liar. This is true, because also the goyim
are part of "all men". However, to whom has the prophet said this state-
ment, in this verse? Did he say it to the goyim? No, but to the Jews of
that time. Let us bear this in mind. Let we not to fast overlook oursel-
ves, and accuse the other men. When we hear or see a transgression, we are
inclined to look at the other people. We skip ourselves, because "we are
good and no sinners". We always overlook our great sins, and speak about
the little sins of the other people. Because of this Jesus said: "Thou
hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt
thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."
(Matt.7:5)
Some think that the prophet, when he said this, was wrong. For he said it
in his haste. When a man says something in his haste, he does not know
well what he says. However, this is an excuse of the liars. The liars do
not like that the Bible so clearly says that they transgress the law. To
show that the prophet was right, we will have a look at other places of
the Scriptures. "Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not
in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neigh-
bour will walk with slanders. And they will deceive every one his neigh-
bour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak
lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity." (Jer.9:4,5) "Their tongue
is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his
neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait." (Jer.9:8)
"Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit." (Ps.50:19)
When you have read these witnesses, you will see that the prophet knew
what he said.
What to do now? Let us say with David: "Remember not the sins of my youth,
nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy
goodness' sake, O LORD." (Ps.25:6,7) It is better that we confess our sins
and ask for forgiving, than that we deny our sins and receive punishment.
3. New Testament, Luke 15:1,2
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Luk.15:1,2
Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And
the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners,
and eateth with them.
This is said about Jesus. All the great sinners came to Him. The reason is
that all the publicans and the sinners felt themselves thrown out from the
society. The publicans helped the dominating Romans to get the toll. The
sinners were people, who impudently sinned in the public. The sinners are
also mentioned in the first Psalm. "Blessed is the man that walketh not in
the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sit-
teth in the seat of the scornful." (Ps.1:1) The sinners are the ungodly,
the people who never cease sinning, the scornful. This kind of person was
thrown out from the society. And with right as they transgressed God's
commandments.
They came to Jesus because they heard that there was forgiveness for their
sinful life. They knew about themselves that they would never be saved
because of their sins. Therefore, they sought forgiving. When they got
forgiving of their sins, was it to sin again? No, surely not. Who seeks
forgiving to sin again, his damnation is righteous. When one comes to
Jesus, and receives forgiving, real forgiving, he will try not to sin
again. Let us see this in the example of the publican Zacchaeus. After
Jesus came to him, he did not say: "Fine, now I can sin again, because
through the belief, all my sins will be forgiven". Although many name-
Christians say this, this is not right. A true Christian will try to live
righteous, in the power of God. Also Zacchaeus. "And Zacchaeus stood, and
said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor;
and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore
him fourfold." (Luk.19:8)
This is the task of Jesus. Coming to the sinners, and to all people who
cannot live righteous. It is Jesus' task to make them righteous through
the belief in Him. A man, like he is born, is unable to live a true right-
eous life. He is only able to transgress the commandments. Through the
belief in Jesus, a man will get His righteousness. As a result of this, he
will try to live righteous.
Reader, are you a sinner? Know that there is forgiveness through the
belief in Jesus as your Saviour. Do you know of yourself that you are
absolutely unable to live well? Know also that you cannot live a good life
without the power of God in Jesus.
"And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying: This man receives sinners
and eats with them.". The Pharisees and scribes thought of themselves that
they were righteous. They despised all the sinners. The Pharisees and
scribes though to be righteous, but it was only appearance. Their heart
was not righteous, but a black hole of unrighteousness. They did not
understand the work of the Messiah. Like many nowadays, they thought that
the Messiah would come when they were righteous. And they did not under-
stand that the Messiah came to make the people righteous. Jesus came to
forgive the sins to make the sinners righteous. The Pharisees and the
scribes, who not needed forgiving, will keep their sins, and therefore
stay unrighteous.
Unrighteous! I call you up to ask if God will give you the belief in
Jesus. Righteous! That means: you who think you are righteous! I call you
up to ask if God also you will give the belief in your really unrighteous
nature, and the belief in Jesus Christ.
4. Paul and James
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Introduction:
Some say that James refutes Paul. Paul says that a man is justified by
faith alone without the works, but James says that a man is justified by
works, and not by faith alone. Paul says in Romans 3:28
A man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
James says in James 2:24
Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith
only.
These two teachings seem to be contrary, but are not. This will be proved.
Paul's teaching:
Paul says that a man is justified by faith alone, without the deeds of the
law. This is not a teaching from Paul, or from the New Testament alone,
but it is grounded in the Old Testament. Paul gets his doctrine from the
example of Abraham. He writes:
For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted
unto him for righteousness. (Romans 4:3)
Paul cites the Old Testament, where is written:
And he (Abraham) believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for
righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)
Abraham was not righteous through his works. Why not? Did he not do good
works? Yes, Abraham did many good works, but those works were not perfect.
Because those works are not perfect, they cannot be counted as righteous
before God. To be righteous before God, he needed belief. His belief is
counted to him for righteousness. Paul is doing nothing else but repeating
what the Scripture says, that is: a man is righteous before God by faith,
not through works. We have to bear this in our mind. We cannot say that he
is teaching something new above the Old Testament. Abraham had not his own
righteousness, but he got a righteousness from God. He got a righteous-
ness, which was counted unto him.
James' teaching:
It is James' intention to show that a belief without works is dead. One
can say that he believes, but when he not is doing good works, his belief
is not true.
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and
have not works? can faith save him? (Jam.2:14)
When one says that he believes, and he is not doing good works, we cannot
believe him. For a belief without works is dead. A real faith can save
him, says James, but a belief which is without works is not a true
believe, so it cannot save a man. James does not say that one is saved by
works, but he says that the belief is proved to be true out the works.
Therefore, he says
Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by
my works. (Jam.2:18)
He says: I will show my faith by my works. The faith needs to be proved
before the eyes of the people, out the works. The works have the function
to prove the belief before the people. James is not stating that the works
are a ground for one to be saved, but that the works show the truth of the
belief.
Comparison of the two teachings:
Paul is speaking about the ground, whereon one is righteous before God.
The belief is the ground. James is speaking about the signs, from which a
belief can be proved to be true. That is the difference. Paul speaks about
the ground and James about the fruits. I will draw it, to make it more
clear for you.
ground -> -> fruit
belief -> righteousness -> good works
The ground of the Through the belief, a The fruit of a man,
righteousness is the man is counted who is righteous, is,
belief. righteous before God. that he will do good
works. The good works
show to the other
people that he is
righteous.
When you connect Paul and James, you get a good idea of this teaching.
Paul speaks often about the grounds, and James about the fruits. Both
things are indispensable. A belief without good works is not true. Good
works without belief are not really good. The belief is the ground of the
righteousness, and the good works are the fruit of the righteousness.
Admonition and spur:
There are many Christians in the world, who say that they have belief in
Jesus Christ. When we, however, look at them, we see that they not have
any good works. James is warning them, saying: A belief without good works
is not true. On the other hand, there are many Jews in the world, who say
that they have good works, and are righteous before God. Paul is warning
them, saying that Abraham was not righteous through good works, but only
through belief. Do not think, Jews, that this is Paul's doctrine. Surely
not, but it is taken from Abraham.
I admonish you to ask for belief in the Lord, in order that you will do
good works. I always admonish the Christians that they do good works, in
order that their belief is proved to be be true.
5. Books
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John Calvin, Sermons on Deuteronomy.
The 200 sermons Calvin preached on the Book of Deuteronomy in 1555-56
remain one of the finest examples of evangelical preaching - faithful to
the biblical text and thoughtfully applied to the individual and society.
A quality facsimile reproduction of Arthur Golding's translation of the
Deuteronomy sermons first published in 1583.
ISBN 0 85151 511 8
1408 pp. Cloth-bound.
Price around $55,00. Ask your local bookstore or order from:
Lindenberg
Slaak 4-14
3061 CS Rotterdam tel. 31 104111607
The Netherlands fax. 31 104136682
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Chr-Exp, a Christian explanation of the Tanach and the New Testament
Editor: Teus Benschop - t.benschop@pobox.ruu.nl
No copyrights on this publication - Translated by a Dutchman
Institution Practical Bible-education, the Netherlands
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file: /pub/resources/text/ipb-e/so: s-open-008.txt
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