Doctrine-Starved

Made-to-order fare might be a good idea in the fast-food industry, but the made-to-order philosophy should be ditched at sermon time in church. The congregation needs to hear what the congregation needs to hear, and this is not always what it wants to hear. Hopefully, as the listeners in the pews continue to be spiritually fed and to grow and mature in their faith, what they want to hear will increasingly resemble what they need to hear. But the preacher needs to heed Paul's words to Timothy and "Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you." (1 Timothy 4:16, NASB).

The Greek work for teaching here, didaskalia, is translated "doctrine" in the KJV. In verse 13 Paul urges Timothy to "...give attendance to reading (i.e., the public reading of Scripture), to exhortation, to doctrine" (KJV). Significant portions of the pastoral epistles of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus are devoted to the importance of sound doctrine and the pastor's responsibility to teach from the Scriptures to the church assembly. Sadly, many pulpits today have the congregation on a steady diet of stories, anecdotes, and rambling platitudes rather than Scriptural exegesis. It is my opinion that a faithful, scriptural exposition of the Biblical text is generally the most important function a church can provide on Sunday morning. This is not to say that other things are not also important in church, but preaching from the word (yes, preaching!) should not take a back seat when the church bells ring.

Faith Alone

Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

-Romans 4:4-5

The one who works gets wages when accounts are settled. He gets what he is owed. The Greek MISTHOS, translated reward in the KJV, is rendered wage in the NASB: "Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due." The term wages (plural), is used in the ESV, NIV, RSV, and NKJV. Wages represent an obligation being fulfilled on the part of the one paying them. They have been earned.

One interesting point in this part of Paul's discussion of faith alone is the context in which Paul is using Abraham as his example. He cites an event in Abraham's life in which faith was accounted to the patriarch as righteousness, and the event was several centuries prior to the Law of Moses and was even prior to the time in Abraham's life in which the rite of circumcision was given. Therefore, one cannot dismiss Paul's rejection of works-based righteousness as only applying to works related to the commandments in Leviticus or the Mosaic Law. Paul here is excluding any meritorious deeds whatsoever as being beneficial to qualify mortals for righteousness. If righteousness can be earned, then it has not been freely given; it is not "reckoned of grace." Paul's point is that righteousness is not earned.

Some argue that they have no problem with righteousness being attained by grace through faith, but claim that righteous deeds must accompany that grace and faith, to participate, by coordinated effort, in the sinner becoming righteous. These see grace to the sinner as moving him from a state of helplessness to a state in which he is able to cooperate in his salvation by adding works of merit to his faith and being "helped along" by grace. This view fails to grasp the utter helplessness of the sinner to do anything to even assist in his redemption. Paul completely shatters the notion of even a works-supplemented justification throughout his epistles, and especially in Romans 3, 4, and 5.

In fact, Romans 4:5 completely rules out the possibility of any merit on the believer's part at all, even in a cooperative effort. The believer of verse 5 "worketh not" in the attainment of righteousness. He has not believed and worked, he has not worked, only believed. He was not justified after supplementing his faith with works; rather, he believed "on Him that justifieth the ungodly," and "his faith is counted for righteousness." Not faith and works, faith alone. Because God does not justify those who "earn" it, He "justifieth the ungodly". He justifies those who not only don't deserve it, but who were previously ungodly and were formerly working to contravene His purpose.

Now, for a word concerning the place of works in a believer's life . In Romans chapters 3, 4, and 5, Paul's rejection of works applies only to their lack of value or benefit in the sinner being declared righteous and being saved. Genuine, saving faith always encompasses a repentance from sin and submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Once saved, once justified, good works will flow in the believer's life as God works in and through the one He saved. Ephesians 2:10 asserts, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." These good works don't save, they characterize the life of the saved. Paul explains this at length in Romans chapters 6-8 and 12-15.

It Starts with an Event...

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand); then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains; let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house; neither let him which is in the field return back to take his cloak.
-Matthew 24: 15-18

Two posts previously when we examined the superlative magnitude of the tribulation depicted in Matthew 24: 21-22, I pointed out that, as severe as the torment in Jerusalem in A. D. 70 was, it did not meet all the conditions given in these two verses. This scripture is therefore still awaiting fulfillment. Matthew 24:21 emphatically states the predicted tribulation will be the most severe in the entire history of the world, before or after; verse 22 indicates that no flesh would be saved unless those days were cut short. Thus, in both scale (global vs. local) and severity (the worst travail ever vs. a time of great distress), verses 21 and 22 anticipate a future end-time cataclysm of unique proportion which will far exceed the events in A. D. 70.

In Matthew 24: 15 a sign is given to indicate when this Great Tribulation prophesied in verses 21 and 22 will be on the verge of starting. An event described as "the abomination of desolation" is the signal which demands a response so urgent (verses 16-18) that the inhabitants of Judea are warned to flee to the mountains without even the delay it takes to return inside the house from outside or to backtrack and retrieve a coat.

When Titus led the Roman invasion of Jerusalem in A. D. 70, Matthew 24: 2 was literally fulfilled and the temple was completely dismantled. Luke 21: 20-24 was also literally fulfilled; Jerusalem was, in fact, surrounded by Gentile armies and was "trodden down", many of its citizens fell "by the edge of the sword" and others were "led away captive into all nations." However, the parallel passage in Luke must be seen as a harmonization of Matthew 24 and Mark 13 with Luke providing additional specific details about the first-century invasion of Jerusalem and Matthew and Mark giving more information about the end-time tribulation. All three gospels predict both the first-century and end-time tribulation events spoken about in the Olivet Discourse. But Luke 21: 20-24 does not refer to "the abomination of desolation", does not speak in superlative terms about the time of distress anticipated in the coming invasion, and, while warning the inhabitants to flee "...when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies (21: 20 NASB)," it doesn't forbid taking a minute to return to the house from outside. Instead it warns those in rural areas not to return to the city. I believe it is a mistake to view Luke 21: 20-24 as a reference to the same event as Matthew 24: 15-22 and Mark 13: 14-20.

The attention to detail in Matthew's and Mark's accounts cannot be overlooked; especially given the precise fulfillment of the predicted 70 A. D. invasion. The reference to the abomination of desolation is emphasized in both accounts, with the caveat that when it occurs, it will immediately preceed (very immediately) the greatest travail the world has ever known or will ever know again. So one indication that it has occurred will be that the greatest tribulation in world history will follow right after it. The Lord Himself provides two additional clarifications to assist the reader in understanding the meaning of the reference to the abomination of desolation: First, it is an event spoken of in the Old Testament book of Daniel. Secondly, the reference involves a location--the abomination of desolation will be standing "in the holy place (Matthew 24: 15)", "where it ought not (Mark 13: 14)".

The Greek reference to the abomination of desolation language of Matthew 24: 15 and Mark 13: 14 is found in the Greek Septuagint in Daniel 9: 27, 11:31, and 12:1. It is also found in the non-canonical but historically reliable book of 1 Maccabees (1: 54), which describes the fulfillment of Daniel 11:31, when Antiochus IV "Epiphanes" desecrated the temple at Jerusalem in 167 B. C. The book of 1 Maccabees provides an account in which the regular temple service was suspended, idolatry was set up in the temple, pig's blood was sacrificed there, and the altar profaned. So offensive was the desecration that after Judas Maccabees' army liberated the temple, the priests would not use the same altar, but replaced it before restoring the regular temple proceedings. Josephus also records the abomination of desolation committed by Antiochus IV, and sees it as the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy.

But like many Old Testament eschatological Scriptures, the reference was both to a short-term future occurrence and an end-time ultimate fulfillment. The sacrilege by Antiochus IV reveals a foreshadowing of what the event would be expected to resemble when ultimately fulfilled. And at the time of Jesus' Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24, its ultimate fulfillment had not yet come.

When it does, it will signal impending worldwide travail to the superlative degree.