Luke 1:57-80 1. The Birth of John

the Forernnner (1:57-66) A. The Mercy of God

Elizabeth, as well as Mary, rec-ognizes that the birth of her baby is the display of the covenant mercy of Jehovah. For an explanation of the Greek word for mercy, ELEOS, and the Hebrew equivalent, HESED, see the comments on page 15, 16 in the July/August issue of The Counsel. Theworddenotes that in the birth of the Forerunner and the Savior, God is not only being FAITHFUL to His covenant promises in the Old Testament, He is being GRACIOUS to His people in sending them salvation, which their age-old unfaithfulness and innate sinfulness did not de-serve.

When her neighbors and rela-tives had heard about Elizabeth's special pregnancy they came to her home and rejoiced with her, not simply because God had shown mercy to her, but because "the Lord had displayed (magnified) His great mercy toward her," vs. 58. "God magnifies His mercy when He lets it shine out in notable merciful deeds."-LenskL The Greekwordfor "display" or "magnified" is MEGALUNO which means "to make large in appearance," "to

praise," "to exalt," and "to make great." The subject of this verb is God not Elizabeth! Although Eliza-beth, as Mary, praised the Lord for His mercy, in verse 58 we are told that God praised Himself! God magnified His own mercy! In fact, that is the reason God was merciful to Elizabeth and Mary-to glorify and exalt His mercy so that all cre-ation would praise Him. God's ulti-mate reason for sending His Son to

save sinners is for "the praise of the glory of His grace which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved," Eph. 1:6, 12, 14.

B. The Faith of Elizabeth and Zacharias

In obedience to Biblical Law, when the infant, John, was eight days old his parents took him to receive "the sign of the covenant, circumcision," Genesis 17:12; Leviticus 12:3. Apparently a cus-tom had arisen of naming children at their circumcision, and some of the friends and relatives of Eliza-beth wanted her to name the child, Zacharias, after his father. Elizabeth firmly refuses to name him

Zacharias, and tells everybody that his name is to be John. She was emphatic, and in this she is giving testimony to her faith in the prom-ise of God through the angelic wit-ness. She believes her Sou is the promised Forerunner, as God had revealed, and so, in obedience, she names him as she was commanded.

Her friends and relatives argue with her over the baby's name, pointing out to her that "John" is

not a family name, and it would be better to give him a fam-ily name. They cannot convince her and so they tum to the child's father, Zacharias, to see what he would say. For-getting that he was dumb, but not deaf, they start making hand signs and

gestures to him to find out what he wanted his son named. Unable to speak, Zacharias communicates to them that he wants a tablet to write on. They give it to him and he immediately writes: "His name is John!" The crowds were astonished, but that settled it. God commanded Zacharias through the Angel to name him John, so his name IS John and nothing else. This too was an act of faith on Zacharias' part.

The second Zacharias wrote down, "His name is John!", his di-vinely imposed dumbness, as chas-tisement for his unbelief in the Angel's message, was healed, "at once his mouth was opened and his

September, 1993 ~ THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon ~ 17

tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise. of God," vs. 64. "That the first use of his recovered speech was to . continue blessing God, rather than to complain, is evidence that the punishment had proved a blessing to him." -Plummer

"His name is John!" is the key-note of this-section of Luke's narrative. Luke.is insistent: God must name all the key players in His world redemptive program to impress us with the fact that He and He alone determines, defines and controls aU aspects of that program. "Salvation is of the Lord!'; Zacharias- "God remem" bers His covenant" Eliza-beth-"God is the abso_ lutely faithful one" J ohn-':Jehovah is merciful". J esus-':J ehovah is salvation" J eho-vah-"l am that I ani".

C. The Fear of the People The. response of the neighbors

and relatives ofElizabeth,1ohn and Zacharias changed from rejoicing, vs. 58, to astonishment, vs. 63, and "fear," vs. 65. This incident about the naming of John was being talked about all over the hill country of Judea, vs, 65, and everybody kept thinking about these matters over and over, asking themselves, "What then will this child tum out to be?", -vs. 65-66. They were in this state of mind, not only because of what they had heard from Elizabeth and Zacharias, but because it was be-coming obvious that "the hand of the Lord was certainly with him," i.e., young John. John "was con-stantly supported by the power of

the Lard, who preserved, led and strengthened him so that he might be fitted for his life's work."-Geldenhuys. "The child continued to grow, and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appear-ance in Israel," vs. 80.

II. The Benedictus a/Zacharias 0:67-79)

A. The Character of the Benedictus

1. The Priestly Character of the Benedictus

As The Magnificat was modeled on the Psalms and the Song of Hannah, The Benedictus on the Prophecies of the Old Testament. In fact, it has been called "the last prophecy of the Old Dispensation and the first in the New Dispensa-tion." The tone of The Magnificat is REGAL, i.e., kingly, and the tone of The Benedictus is SACERDOTAL, i.e., priestly. The first is appropriate to Mary, the daughter of King David, and the second appropriate to Zacharias, thesonof the High Priest, Aaron.

18 , THE CQUNSEL ofChalcedon ~ September, 1993

2. The Name of the Benedictus The common name for this song

of Zacharias is the song's first word in the Latin version: "Benedictus esto Dominus Deus Israelis," i.e., "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel."

3. The Comparison of the Magnificat and the

Benedictus Mary's Magnificat is

a monologue sung in praise to God. Zach-arias' Benedictus,which addresses God in the third person, is a proph-ecyinstructing his hear-ers in the doctrine and reality of salvation. Mary's hymnisa prayer, Zacharias'hymnisaser-mono

4. The Poetry of the Benedictus

This entire hymn is composed of only two sentences, theIirst of which ends in verse 75. Zacharias' praise to God bursts forth like a pent-up stream. He speaks Hebrew poetry, "which is not rhymed, but rhyth-mic in the beauty ofth6ught com-bined with the beauty of balanced expression. Its perfection lies in the exceeding richness, pureness, and loftiness of its religious thought, in the clearness and the fulness of the gospel revelation, andin theperfec-tion with which O.T. allusion and phraseology are employed." -Lenski, pg. 100

5. The Theme of the Benedictus After centuries of silence from

Heaven, Zacharias praises God for once again visiting His people and revealing Himself to them in Jesus Christ. In two sentences he cel-

ebrates the personal and cultural salvation of God's people which has begun in the incarnation of jesus. the Savior who brings and accom-plishes this salvation.

The Magnificat and The Benedictus make clear that this SAL-VATIONISCOMPREHENSIVE.jn. 3:17; 4:42; Lk. 2:11. To under-stand this we must understand WHAT it is from which Christ saves us--,sin. its consequences and ef-fects. Mat. 1:21; I Tim. 1:1S; I In. 3:S;Jn. 1:29. Thus. because ofthe comprehensive scope and effects of sin on man and the creation. since Christ carne to save man and cre-ation from sin. that salvation must be as comprehensive. Salvation. therefore. "relates to every part of man's life, both now and in the future; it touches all of creation and even the destructiveness of Satan. II Cor. S:17; II Pet. 1:3; I John 3:8.-Christ is at this very moment a comprehensive Savior who came to make His blessings flow far as sin's curse is found!"- Greg Bahnsen, Penpoint,July, 1992, Vol. 3, NO.4

B. The Old Testament Roots of the Benedictus

The Benedictus----The O.T.Roots 1:68a --- Psa. 41:l3; 72:18;

106:48 1:68b --- Exod. 4:31; Psa.

111 ;9 1:69 ---1:70---

Zech.8:9

Psa. 18:2; l32:17 Ezra 1:1; Jer. 1:9;

1:71 --- Psa. l06:10 1:72a --- Psa. 2S:6;98:3; l36. l:72b, 73-- Gen. 12:2. 3; 17:7;

22:1S-18; Exod. 2:24; II Sam.22:S1 Psa. 105:6 - 10; Mic 7:20

1:74.75 ---Exod. 19:6; jeI. 30:9,10

1:76 -- Isa. 40:3; Mal. 3: 1 1:77 --- Psa.103:11.12; Isa.

1:18; lsa. 43:2S;S3:S,8.10. 12;jer. 31:34b; Mic. 7:19

1:78,79 --- Psa.107:1O; !sa. 9:1; 42:7; Isa. 60:1- 3; Mal. 4:2

C. The Divine Origin of Zacharias' Benedictus

The Benedictus is introduced with these words: "Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied .. .. " vs. 67. Zacharias' words resulted from the HolySpirit's coming upon him and filling him. Therefore. his words are to be re-ceived as words of divine prophecy, the verbal revelation of God. 'To prophesy is not merely to foretell the future or to speak in exalted language that resembles psalms but to understand the will and the acts of God in their inner connection and to reveal this connection for the hearers in their present situation and as regards the future. - ... to prophesy is to speak as indicated, under the extraordinary influence of the Spirit who is granted for the time being as a special gift so that what is uttered is spoken by inspi-ration and bears the mark of infalli-bility." -Lenski, pg. 99. D. The Content of the Benedictus

1. (1:68-75)First Stanza: The Salvation of the "Hom of Salvation"

a. (1 :68a) The God to be Praised for Salvation: Jehovah-Elohim The God Who is incarnate in

Jesus and who brings salvation to mankind through Himis none other than "the Lord God of Israel." This name, "KURIOS HO THEOS" is Greek for "YAHWEH ELOHIM," the Almighty Creator of the the

universe, Gen. 1: 1. and the God of the Covenant. who reveals Himself to His people and who controls everything in creation for the sake of His people. He is the only true and living God. Besides Him there is no other. THE CREATOR IS THE REDEEMER. b. (1 :68b) The Divine Visitation

to Mankind This true and living God "has

visited us" in the person of Jesus Christ, revealing Himself in Him and in His saving work, Psa. 106:4. "Has visited" is literally "looked upon" in Greek. (EPESKEPSATO), i.e., to look upon with active con-cern and eagerness to help, to over-see, Exod. 4:31; Lk. 7:16. The ob-ject of this verb is "His people," which is drawn from the indirect object of the second verb. jesus saved His chosen people from their sins, Mat. 1 :21. by being IMMANUEL. i.e . GOD WITH US. He oversees us. visits us. intervenes into our history. cares for us, and defends us as our "good Shepherd." john 10, and as the "Bishop. (over-seer), of our souls. I Peter 2:24f. "Visited" is in the prophetic past tense, as in O.T. Hebrew. to express the certainty of the matter and also the fact that it had already begun. Malachi 3 :If prophesies this divine intervention into human history, as we have seen.

c. (l:68c) The Accomplish-ment of Redemption

God visited us in Christ in order to accomplish redemption for His people. "Redemption"isLUTROSIS in Greek, which means the act of ransoming. Lk. 2:38;Act. 7:3S. God "ransomed" His people in Christ. B.B. Warfield. in his book, The Per-

September. 1993 ~ TIlE COUNSEL of Chalcedon ~ 19

son and Work of Christ, and Leon Morris, in his book, The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross, have shown that the word "redemption" and its relatives denote an act of setting free by the payment of a ransom price, Mk. 10:45; I Cor. 6:19,20; I Cor. 7:22, 23; Rev. 5:9, 10.

LUTROSIS occurs three times in theN.T., Lk.l:68; 2:38; Heb. 9:12. In Hebrews 9: 12 "Christ is pictured as a High Priest who, not. 'through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered.in once for all into the holy pla,ce, having obtained eter-nal redemption,' which brings us into the.realm of sacrifice. But the sac-rifi

Abel's Sacrifice, Noah's Dove, Abraham's First Fruits, Aaron's Rod, the Israelites' Rock, the Patriarchs' Manna, David's Tabernacle, Solomon's Temple: all these prefig-ured His Incarnation. They were folds and swathing bands of this babe JESUS."-quoted by Bishop Browning in Lenski, pg. 104. (2). The Verbal Inspiration of the Bible

This statement in verse 70 that "He (God) spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets" shows that Zacharias believed in the verbal, propositional revelation of the Bible, as well as in Messianic prophecy. "His (Zacharias') words, which were spoken by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, vs. 67, are the Holy Spirit's own testimony that God spoke through the lips of the prophets. This is the Scripture definition of verbal inspiration: God speaks and uses the mouth of the prophets as His medium."-Lenski

f. (1 :71) The Nature of Salvation as Deliverance from Enemies

The salvation of God's people which the accomplished redemp-tion in Christ produces includes these basic elements:

(1). Victory over our enemies, and over all who hate God's people, vs.71.

(2). Fulfillment of all the cov-enant promises in the life of the people of God, vs. 7Z.

(3). Ability and desire to serve God in holiness and righteonsness all our days, vs. 74f.

(4). Knowledge and personal ex-perience of the blessings and effer:ts of salvation, vs. 77.

(5). Forgiveness of sins for all of God's people, vs. 77.

(6). Enlightenment in the will and ways of God with us, vs. 78f.

Verse 71 describes salvation in terms of victory over our enemies and over those who would harm us as the people of God. As we have seen in our introduction, "salva-tion," which is a key word in the Gospel According to Luke, does not denote escapism; rather, it denotes deliverance from enemies by vic-lOry over those enemies. God deliv-ers His people from their enemies, not by "rapturing" them out of the midst of their enemies, but by de-stroying their enemies. This is the work of the mighty "Horn of Salva-tion." He strikes and destroys our enemies for us. Our enemies are any individual, force, (human or demonic), movement, institution or nation thaL seeks to hinder us from hallowing God's name and doing God'swill on earth as it is in heaven.

The O.T. quotation in verse 71 is Psalm 106:10- '50 He saved them from the hand of the one who hated them,and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy." Psalm 106:11 goes on to describe how God saves His people from the power of their enernies- "And the waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left. "The effect of this victory/salva-tion over Israel's enemies in the Red Sea is given in Psalm 106: 12-"Then they believed His words; they sang His praise."

g. (1:72-73a) The Covenantal Basis and Root of

Salvation in Christ These verses indicated the cov-

enantal basis and root of the salva-

tion God has accomplished in] esus Christ. (See notes on the covenant in our introduction to the Gospel of Luke.) Zacharias' point is that the .Messiah made His appearance in history and God's Kingdom began to dawn and redemption was ac-complished in Christ BECAUSE GOD REMEMBERED HIS HOLY COVENANT. Therefore we cannot understand the life and mission of Jesus unless we understand: (1). the covenant structure of the Bible, the gospel and the history of re-demption; and (2). the continuity of the O.T. and the N.T.

The two infinitives denote pur-pose. In accomplishing redemption and effecting salvation in Christ, God intends "to show mercy to-ward our fathers" and "to remem-ber His holy covenant." This hymn focuses on divine mercy, vss. 58, 72, 78, because it deals with deliv-erance from the miserable conse-quences and effects of sin. "To show mercy" is to show mercy in a dedc sive and effective way (aorist). God shows mercy "toward our fathers" by being faithful to the promises He made to them, which would deliver their posterity from the misery of sin. "To remember His holy cov-enant" is also an effective aorist. Therefore, to remember is to ex-ecute and fulfill that covenant com-pletely. "To remember" is to speak anthropomorphically of God. In the O.T. when God acts after a long "delay", he is said to remember.

The "holy covenant" is "the cov-enants of promise" historically de-veloped throughout the Old Testa-ment and consummated in the New Covenant in Christ. The "holy cov-enant" is God's Covenant of Grace

September, 1993 t- THE COUNSEL Qf ChalcedQR ~, 21

with His people historically devel-oped in the Edenic Covenant, the Adarnic Covenant, the Noahic Cov-enant, theAbraharnic Covenant, the Mosaic Covenant and the Davidic Covenant. This "covenant" is "HOLY" because it belongs exclu-Sively to the Lord, originating with Him andadrninlstered by Him. It Is a communion of life with God in Christ and and a sovereignly- dic-tated order oflife for His

cuse for sluggishness, for the en-couragement of God's word and oath is constantly there for those who have turned their backs on the passing allurements of this world and have fled for refuge."-P.E. Hughes, Hebrews, pg. 232-33.

h. Cl:73b-75) The Purpose and Effect of Salvation in the Redeemed

fore God, Lk. 1 :74; Act. 24:14; Heb. 12:28, with an inward as well as an outward dimension, I.e., thought and behavior.

(2) . "Holiness" is HOSIOTETI in Greek, meaning separation from sin and devotion to God.

(3). "Righteousness" is DIKAI OSUNE, meaning obedience to what God's revealed will requires of us. Whatever is holy Is righteous.

"Our entire service to God people.

In remembering His covenant-bond and cov-enant promises to His people, Jehovah could not help but remember the OATH with which He sealed that covenant, Gen. 22 16-18; Heb. 6:13-20. Thisdivineoath. was a gracious conde-scension on God's part to weak and doubting men. This oath of God was

"God, in perfect faithfulness to His covenant promise, sent Jesus to redeem us from our sin and our enemies, and to restore us to fel-lowship with Himself in order that He might grant us the ability and the desire to serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days."

is confined to this sphere -hich is filled withholi-ness and righteous-ness."Lenski. That is the significance of the word "in" in the phrase in verse 75, "in holiness and righ-teousness."

(4). "BeforeHim,"vss. 75,15,17,19,Is literally "in His sight" or "in His presence." The purpose for which Gdd sent Jesus to save us is that we rnlght

added to the covenant proJp.ise "not because God's word wa,s in need of any kind of support, for in the na-ture of the case His word is indefec-tibly finn and reliable (which is the whole reason for swearing in God's name), but because, the human situ-ation being .what it Is, God in His goodness desired to show more con-vindngly, to underline, as it were, with a double assurance, the un-changeable character of His pur-pose. - God, then, guaranteed His trustworthiness, (and the irrevoca-bility of His purpose), through two unchangeable things, namely, His word of PROMISE and His OATH in confirmation of that word, in which ' it is impossible that God should prove false. - With this powerful incentive there is no ex-

God, in perfect faithfulness to His covenant promise, sent Jesus to redeem us from our sin and our enemies, and to restore us to fellow-ship with Himself in order that He might grant us the ability and the desire to "serve Him without fear ,in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days." Whether our enemies persecute us or not, being delivered from them in Christ, we serve God fearlessly. It was the pur-pose of God to save us in Christ so as to make us His servants and worshipers, Rom. 8:1-4; Eph. 2:8-10.

(1). "Serve" Is LATREUEIN in Greek. It means "to work, to serve, to cherish, to worship, Dt. 1O:12f; Josh. 24:19. The verb has the gen-eral sense of obedient conduct be-

22 , THE COUNSEL of ChaIcedon ~ September, 1993

joyfully and obediently worship God in Christ our whole life long on this earth. We are to strive to live consciously "in God's Presence" all our days.

2. (1:76-79) Second Stanza: The Salvation of

"The Sunrise from on High" a. (1: 76-77a)The Unique Pro-

phetic and Preparatory Ministry of John the Forerunner

Just as the first stanza of The Benedictus focused on Jesus, the "Hom of Salvation," so the second stanza focuses on Jesus, the "Sun-rise from on High." However, Zacharias begins the second stanza by addreSSing his son,John, and by defining the role God has given him to play as the Forerunner of the

Savior. He addresses John, not as "my child," but as "child," empha-sizing his God-given calling, while placing his personal relation to him in the background.

(l).His Role as "The Prophet of the Most High"

As the mouthpiece of the Lord, John the Forerunner was the last and greatest of the prophets, be-cause he immediately preceded the Messiah and belonged to the New Day of Salvation.

(2). His Work of Going Before "The Lord's Face"

John would, (literally), "go be-fore the Lord's face to make ready His ways." Jehovah Himself comes to His People in the person ofJesus. He causes His Face to shine in Him. And John was sent to prepare the people of God for that divine visita-tion by incarnation.

The "ways" of the Lord are "the paths along which He wishes to come to impart His salvation to man, In. 1:23. And because God comes to men whose hearts and inmost natures and attitudes to-wards life are receptive for Hisrnani-festedsalvation, it followsthatJohn's task as forerunner of Christ will be to bring people to the right attitude through the power of God. This attitude will mainly consist in this, that men will be brought to a real-ization and confession of sin and will long and hunger for the Mes-siah-Redeemer. ThusJohnwillpro-claim to His people the arrival of redemption, a redemption which does not consist in external politi-cal liberation (at least in the first irtstance) but in the forgiveness of sins. He himself will not accom-plish the redemption; the Messiah

will do this. John will merely give notice to the people that it is com-ing and that it takes the form of salvation from the guilt and power of sin through the work of the Mes-siah. In thisrnanner, he will prepare the people for the work of Christ." -Geldenhuys

(3). His Work of Giving God's People the

Knowledge of Salvation The preparatory ministry of] ohn

was necessary because the Jewish people, (with few exceptions), at that time held a long-standing mis-conception concerning the nature of salvation the Messiah would bring and concerning the nature of the Kingdom of the Messiah. They ex-pected a Messiah who would bring political salvation, and whose King-dom would overturn the Roman Empire so as to liberate the Jewish people that He might exalt them once again to a pOSition of political greatness as in the days of King David. This political view of salva-tion and the kingdom was popular because the people themselves had no true conception of their own spiritual need-they were totally depraved and in need of forgive-ness of sins and renewal of heart. They considered themselves as righ-teous, when in fact, they were unrighteousness, and under God's condemnation.

b. (l :77b) The Nature of Salva-tion as Forgiveness of Sins

(1). The Knowledge of Salvation consisting in the

Forgiveness of Sins We have the personal lmowl-

edge and experience of salvation in only one way, 'in connection with the remission of our sins,' i.e., when

forgiveness of sins is ours through faith in Jesus Christ. This forgive-ness of sins is an objective act of God resulting in the subjective knowledge on our part of having been forgiven. If we are to person-ally experience the powers and blessings of salvation, we mnst re-ceive the forgiveness of our sins through faith in the once-for-all sacrifice of] esus Christ in our place.

(2). The Meaning of "Forgiveness of Sins"

"Forgiveness" is APHESIS in Greek. It denotes God's sending away of our sins--as far as the east is from the west, Psa. 103: 12; into the depths of the sea, Micah 7:19; blotting them out and never re-membering them against us again, Isa.43:25.

(a). How Does God Forgive Our Sins?

"Poor sinful man is justified be-fore God, that is, absolved and de-clared free and exempt from all his sins, and from the sentence of well" deserved condemnation, and adopted into sonship and heirship of eternal life, without any merit or worth of our own, also without any preceding, present, or any subse-quent works, out of pure grace, because of the sole merit, complete obedience, bitter suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Christ alone, whose obedience is reckoned to us for righteonsness." -Concordia Triglotta 919,9 as quoted in Lenski.

(b). Zacharias' Emphasis on Forgiveness of Sins

Several statements by Zacharias in The Benedictus are linked with the forgiveness of sins. John the Forerunner will minister to it. His preaching, by which God works

September, 1993 4 THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon ;. 23

faith in his hearers, is the means of apprehending it. It is the essence of salvation. The mercy of God is the origin and fountain of it. Christ the Sunrise from on High and His re-demptive work comprise the basis of it. Divine enlightenment, divine guidance and divine enablement to walk in the ways of peace are the results of it.

(3). The Theology and Ethics of Forgiveness of Sins

'new freedom,' the state rapidly ex-tends its powers over the people, over family life, economics, educa-tion, business, labor, and agricul-ture, over the churches, art, sci-ence, and all things else."-Rushdoony,pg.199

(d). "Where there is no forgive-ness of sins, there is also the con-doning of sins. A sinful society finds itself unwilling to accept the fact of

history and to 'regenerate society even as hehas been regenerated. He can bring the word of God to bear on all problems and establish God's law order in every realm." Rushdoony, RevoltAgainstMaturity, pg.283.

(g). "Without forgiveness of sins, hell would be the basic and ulti-mate state of all men. The torment of the burden of sin and guilt would

(a). Forgiveness is not an emotional act, it is a judicial and legal act of God. I t means that the charges have been dropped against a guilty person, because satisfaction has been ren-dered by Christ.

(b). "The forgiveness of sins restores man into com-munion with God and' into his rightful place as lord of the earthin Christ. The for-givehess of sins is the lib-

"The new man in Christ, having forgiveness of sins, is able to introduce a new motive force in history and to regenerate soci-ety, even as he has been regen-erated. He can bring the word of God to bear on all problems and establish God's law order in every realm." R J Ruehdoony

not only gnaw at the en-trails of all men but also make them past-bound and past-oriented. The guilty man endlessly re-hearses the past, telling himself, I should have done thus and so, and he makes himself impotent in cop-ingwith the present. When men are guilt-ridden, and a culture is dominated by guilty and unregenerate men, history bogs down into an impotent longing for past glory and a futile,

eration of man from God's judg-ment, and from the sentence of his own heart. It is the restoration of man into his calling as man, to be priest, prophet, and king under God. It is the restoration of man into dear and true thinking." -Rushdoony, The Foundations ofsoctaLOrder, pg. 2-l.

(c) .. "Without the liberating power of Christianity, the forgive-nesS of sinsi:hrough Jesus Christ, there is no possibility of overthrow-ing tyranny. The gospel of the ty-rantstate becomes the assertion that liberty is license to sin, and slavery is the liberty of moral self-govern-ment. In every such state, the courts and schools decree and interpret liberty as freedom from morality. - .. as the people wallow in this

judgment, because it is vulnerable to judgment. As a result, the law is steadily subverted." -Rushdoony, pg. 199

(e). "Where there is no forgive-ness of sins, there is bondage to sin. A sinning people may fret against the injustice of their overlords, but they lack the moral courage to make a stand against injustice."-Rushdoony,Pg.200

CD. "Without forgiveness and re-generation, there can be nothing new in history. Man the sinner would then endlessly repeat his sin, compound his guilt, and have no escape save the hope of eternal death. - The new man in Christ, having forgiveness of sins, is able to introduce a new motive force in

24. ~ .THE COUNSEL ofChalcedon ~ September, 1993

back-biting rehearsal of past a~d present sins."cRushdoony, Salvation and Godly Rule, pg. ~52.

(h). "To seek forgiveness of sins from Jesus Christ. means not only dealing with our unregenerate and sinful past but also with our present and future. - First, .. .forgiveness removes the burden of past sins through the atoning work and sat-isfaction of God's justice by Jesus Christ, Rom. 5:19; 3:24,25.-. Sec-ond, forgiveness has a present ref-erence, in that it fills us with peace and joy and gives us increasingly the assurance of forgiveness, Rom. 15:13. - Third, forgiveness has a present AND future reference, not only in the fact of hope but in the active imperative to forgive others

their offenses: 'Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors,' Mat. 6:12. -Fourth, .. .forgiveness is not only a personal act, one in which God has the initiative, and man in Christ manifests the same grace to other persons, but also a social act, in that it manifests the grounds of the jubilee society," i.e., a Christian society where our debts are can-celed, our slavery to sin terminated, and the repossession of the earth as our dominion under God begun."-Rushdoony, Salvation, pg. 255-56.

c. (1:78-79) The Nature of Salvation as the Visitation of

"The Sunrise from on High" (1). The Source of Salvation: The Tender Mercy of God

The reason and basis for the forgiveness of sins is the tender mercy of God. THE ULTIMATE CAUSE OF FORGIVENESS OF SINS IS INTHE HEART OF GOD-in His ELEOS-HESED. "Tender" in Greek is SPLANGNA, meaning the viscera, the human "entrails," such as the heart, lungs, liver. This figu-rative language indicates the pro-found depth of God's mercy.

(2). The Identity of "The Sunrise from on High"

Clothed in this tender mercy of God "the Sunrise from on High" "has visited us," (according to some manuscripts), "will visit us," (ac-cording to others). The Greek word for "Sunrise" is ANATOLE, refer-ring in other places in Greek litera-ture to the rising of the sun. See Malachi 4:2, where Christ is said to be "the Sun of righteousness rising with healing in His wings (rays)." See also Isaiah 9:2; 60:1; II Pet. 1:19; Rev. 22:16.

(3). The Purpose of the Visit of "The Sunrise from on High" (a) . "To Shine upon Those Who

Sit in Darkness and the Shadow of Death"

God visited His people in Jesus Christ to shine a bright light on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. "Those who sit" refers to people "who are utterly helpless, tired, worn out, giving up the struggle, hopeless." -Lenski. "In darkness" intensified by "the shadow of death" refers to "all this darkness that envelops these hope-less, despairing people (which) is that (darkness) cast by death which stands so close to them that its shadow already rests upon them as being utterly doomed. Can a more deplorable and desperate spiri-tual condition be imagined?"-Lenski. In Christ, God scatters the darkness of their sin and its misery, sets them free from the fear and shadows of death, and illumines their lives.

(b). "To Guide Our Feet into the Way of Peace"

"Where men sat abjecdy they now rise to their feet joyously; where in the darkness they knew not whither to tum they are now guided aright; where there was nothing but death's shadow there is now the bright and shining way of peace."-Lenski

"HODOS," the Greek word for "way," and for the Hebrew, DEREK, refers to ethical principles of con-duct. "The way of peace" refers to those ethical principles of God's word which are inseparable from the glorious restoration of God's order and of total health to the

people of God. " 'Peace' is far more than the feeling of calmness, secu-rity, and rest, which as such would be deceptive,it is the condition of real harmony and friendship be-tween God and us, which was es-tablished by Christ and made ours through Him."-Lenski. Peace does not primarily refer to emotional peace and calmness of soul. It de-notes everything that makes for a person's highest good.

III. (1:80) The Childhood of John the Forerunner

John resembles Jesus in his de-velopment from infancy through childhood and adolescence to young manhood. ''The child continued to grow and to become strong inspirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance (his presentation day) to Israel." How-ever, notice the difference between the development of John in 1:80 and that ofJesus in 2:40.

John's parents, already aged at his birth, could not have lived long after his birth. As a young man he lived in remote places in the desert, away from the distractions of the evil society of that day. God guided his life in this way to prepare him for his ministry as Forerunner. "Here in the wilderness the word of God eventually came to him, and he went to the Jordan country to preach, Lk. 3:2. This was his "pre-sentation day", the day when God presented him to Israel for his great work."-Lenski

Some recent "scholars" have tried to tie John with some sect of the Essenes, which were communities in the deserts ofJudea. "We have no reason to believe that he came in

September, 1993 ~ THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon ~ 25

contact with them. Excepting the ascetic life, and a yearning for some-thing better than obsolete Judaism, there:was litde resemblance between their principles andbis. He preached the Kingdom of God they preached isolation. They abandoned society; he str()ve to refonn it."cPlummer

"The reader-has been prepared to expect the dawn of a great day when John would come forth from his obSCUrity to herald the coming of the Christ. Commenting on Luke 1:80,J.Gresham Machen has said:

"Does that verse not lead the reader to look for the great day that is theteheldin prospect, the day wheh]ohn would emerge from his 6qscurity and appear publicly as the forerunner of the fuessiaruc sal-vation? Whenever 'that day should come, surely It would be'heralded by the writer 'wh() iricluded 1 :8Cl in his book, with allthesolernnitythat he could command.' AJ:ld just ex-acdy that is done in Luke3:lff. The period of obscurity and waiting in which the reader was left in ,the former passage is over; the forerun_ nereUlerges . froUl. the deserts and the day of the Ulessianic salvation has daWlled. Wh.at wonder tl;l.at the concomitant political conditions are marked with all.the precision that the ~ttll" can cOffiUland; :what WOI).c der dwt rulers and high priests lire. lI).llrshallep,to do honor to tl;l.e grellt event tIlat Signalized their ~eign?"_ quo\ed by Stonehouse. .

Conclusion Jesus Christ is our HORN OF

SALVATION,whopowerfully ac-complishes our eternal redemption, and by His Spirit, effectually ap-plies that ?alvation to ourlives, in-wanlly lind outwardly, individ)lally

lind socially. He is our RISING SUN, who shines His holy light on us,lellding us in the paths of pellce. "Out of darkness-the symbol of estmngement from God, of igno-mnce, impurity and misery-He, the Sun of Righteousness, lellds us through His work of reconciliation lliong thewllyeverlasting-the path of light and peace."-Geldenhuys

the inner life of humankind, re-gardless of its technology lind edu-cation. "Through Christ the es-trangement from God, the spiritual ignomnce, enslavement to sin lind the feeling of futility are replaced by intimate communion with God, by true knowledge of the deepest truths of life, by inner freedo.n lind rich-ness of life-ll consciousness of

Today liS in Zacharias' time, de- vocation which makes life worth spllir, depravity and pessimism grip while." -Geldenhuys n

"After centuries of silence from Heaven. Zacharias praises God for once again visiting Hi5 people and revealing Himself to them in Jesus

Christ. In two sentences. he celebrates the personal and cultural salvation of God's people which has J:?egun in the incarnation of Jesus. the Savior who

brings and accomplishes this $alvation." Luke 1:67"80

26 ~ TIlE COlJNSEL of Chalcedon ~ Septemher, 1993