The Unchanging Truth

Announcer: Welcome to The Unchanging Truth, the verse-by-verse Bible teaching ministry of Dr. Jerod Gilcher, lead pastor of Christ Community Bible Church in Arlington, Texas. Through the living and active Word of God, The Unchanging Truth exists to encourage your soul, transform your life, and help you trust and treasure Christ as Redeemer, Savior, and King. Now, opening the Scriptures and proclaiming the truth that never changes, here is Dr. Jerod Gilcher.

Dr. Jerod Gilcher: This group of pastors and theologians, this is what they teach about the nature of Christ. They say, "We then, with one accord, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ." Okay, what about him? Listen: "He is perfect in his deity and also perfect in his humanity; truly God and truly man, who exists in two distinct natures—the divine and the human—which are joined together in one person, without confusion, without change, without division, and without separation. He is therefore very God and very man, yet one Christ, the only mediator between God and man." And that is incredible.

I hope you believe that. And yet the question is, where did they get that? Where did they get their theology? That Christ is truly God and truly man, existing in two natures, joined together in one person? From where in the Bible did they get their theology and did they form their creed? Among the thousand different places where they got their theology, one of the places where they got it was none other than Romans 1, verses 3 and 4.

Look at verse 3. The gospel is about his Son, who became or was born from the offspring of David according to the flesh. There it is, there's his humanity. And here it is: "He was declared the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord." Do you see it? The offspring of David wasn't only a man, but God undercover as a man.

And one of the events that blew his cover and displayed his deity was none other than the resurrection itself. Paul said notice that he was declared the Son of God by the resurrection. Declared—that word "declared" in Greek is horizo, where we get our word "horizon" from. And what it means is a vivid display of an object's quality through its juxtaposition with another object. Like diamonds on a black velvet, like a candle in the dark, so was Jesus as God vividly displayed.

And yet Paul's careful here. Notice that he calls Christ the Son of God. Calls him the Son of God and we kind of trip over the shoelaces of that "son" language. We think, okay, well does that mean he's less than God? Does that mean that he came after God? Does that mean that he will grow to become like the Father in some way? What does "son" language mean? What you have to understand is that that title is profoundly Trinitarian.

He is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, equal to the Father and the Spirit in terms of his dignity, in terms of his glory, in terms of his deity. But he is different and unique in his function and his role. And yet the question is, what event proved his deity? What did it? I mean something so incredible, so supernatural, so scientifically impossible that it proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that this hick from a dumpy village on the other side of the tracks is none other than God himself in human flesh. And what does Paul say? It is none other than his triumph over the grave.

That did it. That was the proof. That and like 10,000 other things that also proved he is God, but at the top of the heap of all of that other verification of his deity, it was none other than his resurrection from the dead. Calvin put it like this. He says, "Christ is declared the Son of God with power"—and this is important—"because there was seen in him the power which belongs properly to God, and which proved beyond doubt that he is God. This was in fact evident in the resurrection." He's right.

And you notice that small prepositional phrase Paul says that this was done with power. With power meaning clearly, unmistakably divine and supernatural. And yet that raises a question, right? Well, okay, other people were raised from the dead throughout history, right? Christ was not the first. Other people were raised from the dead and they're not God. How does this prove that? And you can clearly see that this is different. This is unique and set apart in the history of resurrections.

You see, what all those other resurrections had in common is that there was always a human agent in the process, right? Here, notice who the unseen agent was. Paul says that Christ was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead. Here it is: "according to the Spirit of holiness." Do you see it? Even the resurrection was profoundly Trinitarian. The Son, sent from the Father, raised by the Spirit. And yet the question is, the question I have is, well, why mention the Spirit here?

There's lots of places in the New Testament that talk about the resurrection and the Spirit is not mentioned. Why mention the Spirit here in the act of resurrection of Christ? And the reason I think is because Paul read the prophets. He read the prophets. And the prophets are really clear about this, that when the Messiah would come, all he would do would be done by the power of the Spirit. And when we get to the Gospels, that's exactly what we see, is it not?

Conceived in the womb by the power of the Spirit. He resisted sin by the power of the Spirit. He preached his sermons by the power of the Spirit. He did miracles by the power of the Spirit. And according to Romans 1, verse 4, he was raised from the dead by the power of the Spirit, confirming that he was the Messiah and God. It's incredible. Don't you see? We don't merely worship a crucified Jew on a hunk of lumber. We don't worship some social activist rabbi who did nice things for people.

We worship the eternal Son of the Father, fully God, fully man, joined together in one person, the great Davidic King who proved himself as God when he triumphed over the grave. This is the heart of the gospel, beloved. And even the end of verse 4, even that is full of theological power. Paul says the gospel's about the Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus his name, Christ his title, right? The name Jesus means Yahweh saves. Christ is the Messiah. Add them together, what do you get? You get Jesus Christ is Lord. And that word "Lord," by the way, is the Greek word of choice for the name Yahweh. Jesus Christ is Yahweh, and that is the gravitational center of the gospel.

And if Paul were here, I think he would ask you, is this the gospel that you believe? Is this the gospel that you hold to? Have you trusted in the word made flesh? I'm asking you, Jerod is asking you right now, have you trusted in the word made flesh? Have you despaired in your worthless works to save you and cast yourself upon Jesus Christ alone and his redemptive achievements? Have you bowed the knee to the Lord, the cosmic King of all authority, who summons all to repent and yield to him?

That brings us to part 3, which I call "Salvific Identifiables". Salvific identifiables. I know that's lousy, sorry, not sorry. It rhymes with the other points, but here's my point. In verses 5 through 7, Paul defines at the deepest theological level possible what it means to have salvation. That's what he does, in a subtle and incredible way. And what it means that you are saved—listen carefully—what it means that you are saved is that you are chosen, you are called, and you are loved by God before the universe was made.

First, verse 5, look at what Paul does. I love verses like this, so subtle we just blow by them and we don't think about them, and yet there's gold here. Paul, notice he authenticates his calling as an apostle. Still talking about Christ, he says, "through him, through Christ, we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name." And there it is again, a clear indication that God is supreme, right? That everything Paul has, everything Paul had, everything in his life was given and governed and ordained by God.

You understand the apostles did not appoint themselves. It was not their idea, it was not their desire to make disciples of all the nations. Paul says we received grace and apostleship from Christ. And our mission, he says, why we exist, is to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name. Do you hear that? It is for the sake of his name. Do you know what that is? That is equivalent to saying for his glory. That's what that means. It's for his glory.

That he would be exalted. That he would be the treasure and the prize. That he would be matchless and supreme. That every knee would bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. That's why all of this exists. One commentator says this, listen carefully: "Paul's words remind us that the true end of the preaching of the gospel and the winning of men to faith is not just the good to whom we are preaching, but the glorification of the worth and beauty of Jesus Christ." He is exactly right.

And yet notice, notice very carefully how Paul makes the clever turn to the Romans in verses 6 and 7. We're called to reach the nations for the sake of his name. Notice what he says: "among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called as saints: grace and peace to you." And do you see them there? What I call the "salvific identifiables". The way Paul describes their salvation in a rich and theological way. He says that they are called of Jesus Christ. Do you see that?

He says that they are beloved of God. Do you see that? And he says that they are called as saints. Those are the salvific identifiables. Let's take these one at a time. First Paul says you are called by Jesus Christ, verse 6: "among whom you are also the called of Jesus Christ." And again, you just hear the passive voice in that, don't you? Jesus Christ is the one who called you. You were called by another. He called you. Meaning what? Meaning he chose you.

He picked you. He singled you out and selected you. And then when the time was right, he awakened you and saved you. This is what theologians call the effectual call of God, called in eternity past and then awakened by his grace to believe and be saved. 2 Timothy 1:9, Paul says God has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace—listen carefully—which was granted us before time began. That's exactly what this is.

And so you see Paul's point, don't you? God is doing this thing in history, Romans. He's doing a thing. God's got a plan unfolding in the world, saving, bringing about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name. And you Romans are a part of that. You are also among the called. You, CCBC, are among the called of Jesus Christ. You're included in the plan. And that is the most important thing about us, is it not?

Not what we have done, but singled out, picked, selected for salvation and awakened by his grace. That just radically changes the way we view our lives, doesn't it? It radically alters the way we think about our lives and helps us distrust our feelings and the foolish thing our heart says in moments of despair. You have to understand that the one who called us will sustain us, and preserve us, and protect us, and help us persevere in faith until we get to the kingdom he has prepared for us.

But then theologically notice what Paul does. I hope you just feel profoundly and divinely loved right now. This is incredible because watch what Paul does. He goes one step deeper. He actually goes further back in the process of salvation even beyond our call, all the way back into the secret counsels of God that explains why we were called and chosen, namely the love of God before the foundation of the world. Look at verse 7. He says, "among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ"—here it is—"to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called as saints. Grace and peace to you."

Do you see it? Called or beloved by God. What does that mean? It means Jesus Christ loved you. God loved you. You are the object of God's love and affection, which of course raises the question, right? Well, okay, if that's true, well then how far back does that love extend, right? When did the love of God for us begin? When were we first loved by God and the objects of his divine affection? And the answer, beloved, is as ancient as God himself, right? It's as ancient as God himself.

Biblically, theologically, we know that we were loved by God before the universe was made. God loved these Romans even before there were any Romans to love. And it's exactly the same with you. It's exactly the same with me. We are beloved of God, which is literally why I say that in sermons. I call you beloved not just because I love you, but because God loves you. And where I got that from is Romans 1, verse 7. That's why.

We are loved, church. Loved with sovereign love and affection. Think about this. Love that wrote our names in the book of life. Love that gave us to the Son for whom he would die and purchase with his blood. Love that opened our blinded eyes to the glory of the gospel. Do you remember? Love that removed the heart of stone and gave us a heart of flesh. Love that canceled all the wrath and guilt that mounted up against us. Love that stands at the Father's right hand and intercedes on our behalf. Love that sends trials and pain into our lives—not out of anger, and never to crush our faith, but only to deepen our joy further in his love.

You are dearly loved, church. And that is the most important thing about you. And many people, I'm almost done, many people are looking for their calling in life, right? People are anxious and antsy and fidgety about finding a calling in life, what they're supposed to do, a life of meaning and significance and satisfaction, right? And that makes sense. We get that, we totally get that. And there are websites, countless websites devoted to helping people find their calling in life. I found one that gave 16 ways to find your calling in life. And all of it was just banal nonsense.

For instance, number one: listen to your internal compass. What is that? What is that? I get lost driving all the time with a GPS. I don't have one of those, so I'm sunk already. Number five: take note of your dreams, like the sleep dreams, and things that seem like a coincidence. Well, I don't believe in coincidences, and I dream about ants and preaching, so I don't know what I'm supposed to do with that. Number six: express yourself however feels right. Really? Just say and do whatever you want and that will help you find your calling in life?

Okay, and then they go on. Prioritize wellness, I guess. Reflect on things you loved to do as a kid, that's risky. And my favorite: be authentically uncool. Now, that I can do. I am the king and the captain of not being cool. Okay, and here's my point. There's a myriad of ways that the Bible describes our calling in life as Christians, and that's exactly what Paul does in verse 7. Look at what he says: "To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called as saints." Called as saints. And there it is, church.

That's our calling, our direction, our purpose. That is who we are to be and do. And again, you can hear it, can't you? If you think about it, you hear the passive voice. You were called to be a saint by the will of another. This was not a self-appointment. Christ did this at your conversion. And you have to understand, "saint"—the Catholic church has kind of ruined this for us because "saint" is not a special class or kind of Christian. It is what it means to be a Christian. You are saints.

And yet what does that mean exactly? What does it mean to be a saint? And you know that the word "saints" literally means "holy ones." Holy ones. And it doesn't mean you never sin, but it does mean that in Christ you are separated from sin, set apart from sin. That little by little you are growing to hate sin and fight sin and put it to death by his grace, right? It at least means that. But at the end of the day, to be a saint very simply means that we are different. We're different.

We love different things. We prize different things. We pursue different things. We prioritize different things. We live in a way different than the world enslaved by sin. I mean, the world should literally look at us like we are from another planet. At the end of the day, to be a saint means that we live and exist for the glory of another. That's what it means to be a saint. Of the one who called us, bought us, owns us, and rules us. And then, look at the end of verse 7. This is incredible. Typical fare in letters and we blow by it way too quickly. Paul says, "grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ."

And what does that mean? Well, you think about it. Grace and peace, that's a summary of the Christian life. Grace is that which got you saved and peace is the result of when you got saved. And each of these things come from the Father and from the Son. And so you stand back and you look at the text, and those are the five features of your identity in Christ that shape how you live and for whom you live, right? They're all there. Number one, we are slaves—bought by blood and saved by grace. Number two, we, like Paul, are set apart for the gospel, you and I, to prize it, to preach it, to proclaim it to those still trapped in the darkness.

Number three, we are called and chosen by Christ, singled out in selection for salvation and then awakened by his power. Number four, we are loved by God and have been loved by God even before the galaxies were made. And number five, we are called as saints—light in the dark, salt of the earth, people of joy in a world of despair. These are the most important things about us. And it just radically alters how we live and for whom we live, doesn't it? It should, it must, it has to.

And the thing I love about all this is that it's just in the introduction. Just in the introduction. Paul hasn't even served the appetizers yet, let alone the meal and the feast. All he's doing is handing out glasses and napkins and plates and silverware. And yet what incredible glasses and napkins and plates and silverware it is. Because all it means is that a five-star, four-course gourmet theological meal is on its way, and oh, how good it will be for our souls to taste it.

Announcer: Thanks for joining us for The Unchanging Truth, the verse-by-verse Bible teaching ministry of Dr. Jerod Gilcher and Christ Community Bible Church in Arlington, Texas. At Christ Community Bible Church, we exist to prize, portray, and proclaim the supremacy of Christ as we trust in his Word and wait for his return. We hope today's teaching has encouraged your soul and helped you trust and treasure Christ as your Redeemer, Savior, and King. If you're in the DFW area and looking for a church home, join us for worship Sunday mornings at 10:30. To learn more about the mission of the church, meet the pastoral staff, or plan a visit, go to ccbiblechurch.com. You'll find ministry services and additional teachings there as well. Just click on the resources tab to get started. That's ccbiblechurch.com. Join us again next time as we open the Scriptures together and proclaim the truth that never changes. This has been The Unchanging Truth.