Journal(of(Dispensational(Theology(JODT((ISSN%1947*9492)%

Volume'19,'Number'58'(Winter'2015)'(formerly"The"Conservative"Theological"Journal)!

!Executive"Editor" " General"Editor"Patrick%E.%Belvill% % Ron%J.%Bigalke%

%

Associate"Editor" " Book"Review"Editor%Miriam%Hayes% % Gary%E.%Gilley%

'

Editorial"Committee"Josh%Bailey% Christopher%Cone%David%E.%Olander%%%%Michael%Stallard%

!The! Journal!of!Dispensational!Theology! is!published!three! times!per!year! (spring,!summer/fall,!winter)!by!the!Society!of!Dispensational!Theology!in!cooperation!with!Tyndale!Theological!Seminary!as!a!means!for!conservative!evangelical!scholarship!from!a!traditional!dispensational!perspective.!Tyndale(Theological(Seminary,"its"administration," or" its" faculty" does" not" necessarily" endorse" all" the"interpretative"views"represented"by"each"of"the"respective"authors.!!Correspondence! and!manuscripts! can! be! emailed! to! editor@tyndale.edu.! Please!avoid!formatting!articles!or!using!non@standard!fonts.!Authors!are!expected!to!use!The!Chicago!Manual!of!Style!and!A!Manual!for!Writers!(by!Kate!L.!Turabian)!as!the!style! manuals.! Wherein! there! are! differences! between! Chicago! and! Turabian!styles,!potential!contributors!are!encouraged!to!peruse!the!most!recent!volumes!to!observe! submission! guidelines! or! to! view! those! specifics! online! (tyndale.edu)! in!the!document!entitled,!“JODT!Submission!Guidelines.”!!Books!for!review!should!be!sent!to!the!following!address:!Editor,!JODT!701!W.!Pipeline!Road!Hurst,!TX!76053!!Change! of! address! notification,! subscriptions,! and! renewals! can! be! submitted!online!at!www.tyndale.edu/journal.html!or!through!written!communication!to!the!above!address.!!Subscription!Rates!United!States!non@Tyndale!student:!$25!per!year!Foreign!non@Tyndale!student:!$35!per!year!(includes!Canada!and!Mexico)!All!subscriptions!payable!in!United!States!currency!!©! Copyright! 2015! by! Tyndale! Theological! Seminary.! Printed! in! the! U.S.A.! All! rights!reserved.! Materials! in! this! publication! may! not! be! reproduced! without! prior! written!permission.!The!editorial!committee!reserves!the!right!to!reject!articles!and!advertisements!for!any!reason!whatsoever.!

!

!

Journal!of!Dispensational!Theology!–!Winter'2015'!

Contents!!!

Editorial………………………………….…………..……………..….…….…………….…………...219...

Christ:.The.Divine.Solution.for.the.Human.Problem……..................................221.Samuiel(Bâlc!

!

New.Calvinism,.Part.IV:.Missionally.Flooding.into.Cities.........................…...........................................….....229.

Drew(Curley(.

God’s.Sovereign.Choice.of.Israel:.The.Holy.Root.of.Romans.11:16M17…………......……………….….………………….....253.

David(Olander((

Comparisons.and.Contrast.Between.the.Millennial.Kingdom.and.the.New.Heavens.and.New.Earth..........…...........................................………...271.

John(Michael(Wiley(!!

Book!Reviews!!!

Cahn,.Jonathan..The$Mystery$of$the$Shemitah……………………………….………….298..Cone,.Christopher..Integrating$Exegesis$and$Exposition…………….…………….287..Ehrman,.Bart.D..How$Jesus$Became$God.Bird,.Michael.F.,.et.al.,.How$God$Became$Jesus…………………………………….……294..Eldredge,.Stasi..Becoming$Myself……………………………………………………………..303..Halsey,.Michael.D..The$Gospel$of$Grace$and$Truth………….….……………………..285..Hoyt,.Samuel.L..The$Judgment$Seat$of$Christ,.rev..ed.………...………………...….290..Stanley,.Andy..Deep$and$Wide……………………………………………..…………………..305..Tewes,.Kevin..Answering$Christianity’s$Most$Difficult$Question……….………283..Vance,.Laurence.M..The$Making$of$the$King$James$Bible….….….……….……….292..Various..1$&$2$Thessalonians……………………………………………………………..…....300.

!

JOURNAL'OF'DISPENSATIONAL'THEOLOGY'–'Winter'2015' 219!'!

EDITORIAL!!Winter!is!a!special!time!of!the!year!for!it!includes!the!collective!time!in!which!to! celebrate! the! miracle! of! Christ’s! birth.! Luke! (the! evangelist)! was! quite!careful!to!affix!the!Lord’s!birthday!in!the!context!of!actual!history,!in!addition!to! a! true! world! and! genuine! locale;! however,! whether! Christ! was! born!anywhere!close!to!the!25th!of!December!is!not!important.!What!is!significant!is!that!the(Lord(was(born$—!that!He!actually!came!from!eternity!past!into!time!on!earth,! and! that! He! lived! on! earth! and! died! in! the! place! of! sinners! for! the!purpose!of!justifying!them!—!that!is!what!makes!all!the!difference.!Hallelujah,!the!gospel!message!of!eternal!salvation!by!God’s!grace!through!faith!in!Christ!Jesus! is! true!! The! gospel! is! not! a! spiritual!myth,! or! a!merely! pleasant! story,!neither!of!which!could!save!humanity!from!sin.!

Quietness! surrounded! the! Lord’s! birth,! not! the! kind! of! any! other!nativity! that!would!have!been!characterized!by!great! fanfare.!The!Lord! Jesus!came!in!utter!weakness!and!profound!humility.!The!response!—!“no!room!at!the! inn”!—!was!not! an! insult! to! the!Lord!because! it!was!his! choice;! in!other!words,! it! was! the! way! of! the! gospel.! In! the! Lord’s! humility,! He! never!considered!equality!with!God!something!to!be!grasped!or!selfishly!sought!(Phil!2:5T7).! Jesus! “emptied! himself,! taking! the! form! of! a! bondTservant.”! He!obediently! took! the! judgment! that! sinners! deserved! by! dying! on! behalf! of!fallen!humanity.!The!gospel!message!is!truly!astonishing!and!humbling!news.!

God! promised! redemption! and! restoration,! and! He! has! confirmed! it!with!his! perfect! timing.!The!day!of! the!Lord’s! birth! arrived! so! that! salvation!might! come! and! overwhelm! humanity! with! grace,! love,! and! mercy.! Of! all!people,! Christians! are! the!most! beloved! because! they! are! those! upon!whom!God’s!favor!abides!forever!—!all!because!of!what!He!has!accomplished!on!their!behalf.!Praise!the!Lord!many!times!!

From! the! cradle! to! the! cross,! Christ! Jesus! proved! himself! to! be! the!most!wonderful,!merciful! Savior,! living! in! the! place! of! sinners! and! dying! on!their!behalf.!Jesus!is!so!easy!to!be!loved,!and!so!worthy!of!adoration.!Christians!eagerly!anticipate!the!day!when!“every!knee!will!bow”!and!“every!tongue!will!confess!that!Jesus!Christ!is!Lord,!to!the!glory!of!God,!the!Father”!(Phil!2:10T11).!What! a! wonderful! message! to! captivate! one’s! thoughts! during! this! time! of!year!!! We! trust! that! the! articles! in! this! issue,! beginning! as! they! are! with!emphasis!upon!the!greatness!of!the!Savior,!and!then!addressing!eschatological,!missiological,! and! soteriological! themes! —! in! addition! to! the! helpful! book!reviews! for! discernment! and! enrichment! —! will! stimulate! your! thinking!during!this!blessed!time!of!the!year!and!into!2016!(and!the!years!thereafter).!!

—'Ron'J.'Bigalke,'Ph.D.'editor@tyndale.edu'

!

JOURNAL'OF'DISPENSATIONAL'THEOLOGY'–'Winter'2015' 221!!

!Christ:!The!Divine!Solution!for!the!Human!Problem!

!Samuiel!Bâlc!

.In! his! plan! which! God! put! together! from! all! eternity,! He! prepared!everything! that!was!necessary! for! the!rehabilitation!of!mankind!who!had!fallen! into! sin.! The! central! point! of! this! divine! plan! was! the! sacrifice! of!atonement! for! sin! through! his! only! Son! through!whom!He!would! secure!the! redemption! of! man.! Through! his! life! and! work,! Christ! fulfilled! the!greatest!mission!ever,!while!offering!at!the!same!time!a!worthy!model!to!be!followed! in! every! Christian! missionary! activity.! By! carefully! reading!through! the!Holy! Scriptures,! as!well! as! other!Christian! authors,! it! can!be!affirmed!without! reservation! the! fact! that!Christ!was,! is,! and!remains! the!unique!solution!for!the!human!problem.!

In!the!course!of!time,!people!have!distinguished!themselves!by!the!response!they!have!given!to!the!question:!“Who!is!Jesus?”!The!majority!of!people! accept! the! existence! of! Jesus,! the! fact! that! He! lived! and! taught!others! as! no! one! else.! The! person! of! the! Lord! Jesus! Christ,! however,!represents!more!than!just!an!historical!reality.!Christ!was,!is,!and!remains!the!divine!solution!for!the!human!problem,!a!fact!that!is!also!evident!from!the!first!book!of!the!Bible!(Gen.!3:15).!Because!his!teaching!was!radical,!it!also!inflamed!much!opposition.!However,!as!remarked!Sterie!Diamandi:!

!Whenever!He!speaks! to! the!crowd!announcing!and!explaining! the!Kingdom! of! God,! the! listeners! sense! the! shiver! of! eternity,! a!sublime!religious!enthusiasm,!the!splendor!of!moral!beauty!and!the!impetuous! tumult!of!aspiration! for!perfection.!The!words!of! Jesus!are!like!lightning!which!fills!the!night.!In!a!flash!across!the!darkness!tearing!it!apart,!it!sees!the!high!peaks!which!pierce!the!heavens!and!the!heights!by!which!the!soul!is!lain!bare!with!contemplation!of!the!most!wonderful!views!that!the!universe!and!life!can!offer.1!!The! person! and! work! of! Jesus! have! generated! and! continue! to!

generate!a!multitude!of!opinions!which!were!intended!to!clarify!but!which!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*" Samuiel" Balc," Ph.D.," pastor," Sibiu," Romania;" and," professor," Baptist" Theological"Institute,"Bucharest"

'1! Sterie! Diamandi,! Fiul( lui( Dumnezeu( –( Fiul( Omului,! 3! vols.( (Bucharest:!

Cartea!Românească,!1943)!2:260T61.!

222' Divine'Solution!(instead! have! created! a! certain! amount! of! confusion.! Bowman! and!Komoszewski!identified!this!issue!in!their!book!Putting(Jesus(in(His(Place(as!follows:!

!The! different! interpretations! which! have! been! given! to! Jesus! are!loaded!with!prejudice.!He!is!a!powerful!figure!who!people!desire!to!have! on! their! side! T! and! who! are! ready! to! recreate! according! to!their!own!image!in!order!to!assure!His!help.!.!.!.!I!have!a!sense!—!in!which! I! am!not! able! to! escape! T! that! I! have! taken! Jesus’! question!“Who!do!you!think!I!am?”!and!have!changed!it!to!“Who!do!you!want!Me!to!be?”2!!What!is!surprising!when!one!reads!concerning!the!work!of!Jesus,!is!

the! reaction! of! the! teachers! and! religious! leaders! concerning! Him.! The!question! that! constantly! arose! from! the! mouths! of! the! religious!authoritites,! as!well! as! the! crowds!who!had! gathered! to! listen! to!Him! is:!“Who!is!this!man?”!(Luke!5:17T21;!7:36T49;!9:7T9;!etc).!Even!the!disciples,!after!seeing!his!authority!over!nature!unleashed,!asked!themselves:!“Who!is!this!man?”!(Mark!4:35T41).!

Everyone! was! in! agreement! that! Jesus! was! a! special! person.! For!some,!it!meant!that!He!represented!a!great!hope,!while!for!others!He!was!a!great! threat.! Toward! the! end! of! his! work! on! earth,! the! questions!surrounding! the! identity! of! Jesus! reached! a! culmination!which! is! evident!for!example,!in!Matthew!16:13T16.!There!Jesus!asked,!“Who!do!the!people!say!that!the!Son!of!Man!is!.!.!.!but!who!do!you!say!that!I!am?”!(NASB).!“You!are! the! Christ”( recognizes! his! royalty,! the! fact! that!He! is! the!Anointed! of!God.!“You!are!the!Son!of!the!living!God”(understands!his!divinity,!that!He!is!worthy!of!receiving!worship.!

In! contrast! with! the! religious! community! of! the! day! who! prided!themselves!in!their!self!righteousness,!Jesus!deliberately!identified!Himself!with!those!for!whom!He!came!to!suffer.! In!spite!of!all!of!this,!He!was!met!with!indifference!or!unbelief!by!the!multitudes,!with!hostility!shown!by!the!circles!of!influence!and!with!fierce!responses.!Instead!of!generating!praise!and! unconditional! allegience,! his! miracles! and! divine! teaching! became!occasions! for! scandal! and! division.! In! spite! of! all! these! things,! it! is!surprising! for! some! how! Jesus! could! say,! “Heaven! and! earth! shall! pass!away!but!My!words!shall!not!pass!away”!(Matt!24:35).!

!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!2!Robert!M.!Bowman!Jr.!and!J.!Ed!Komoszewski,!Putting(Jesus(in(His(Place!

(Grand!Rapids:!Kregel,!2007)!17.!

JOURNAL'OF'DISPENSATIONAL'THEOLOGY'–'Winter'2015' 223!!

If! we! did! not! have! at! hand! the! perspective! of! time! and! the!convincing!reality!of!the!works,! it!would!certainly!be!true!that!we!would! be! tempted! to! conclude! that! the! content! of!words! such! as!these!could!be!the!fruit!of!a!sick!mind!which!suffers!from!delirious!megalomania.! The! unfolding! of! these! events! however! has! given!evidence!of!the!complete!solidity!of!Jesus!sayings.!!In!the!course!of!time,! year! after! year,! century! after! century,! the!words! uttered! by!Jesus!have!been!precisely!fulfilled.!Time!has!consumed!inumerable!nations! and! fortresses,! kingdoms! and! institutions,! glories! and!civiliations! which! seemed! imovable! forever;! His! words! however!have!remained!eternal!and!fertile.!The!teeth!of!the!ages,!instead!of!grinding! His! words! down,! has! polished! them,! solidified! and!smoothed! them! giving! them! indestructable! strength! and! dazzling!brilliance.!From!the!beginning,! Jesus!through!His!utterances!could!have! sounded! like! a! lunatic! who! suffered! from! grandious!delirousness! but! with! time! and! fulfillment! proved! that! He! is!divinity! incarnate;! this! is! so! because! only! a! God! could! speak! this!way! without! contradicting! Himself,! undergirding! His! unequaled!glory!in!the!eyes!of!posterity!instead!of!being!overcome!by!ridcule!or! compromising! Himself! beyond! repair.! And! behold! how! these!sayings! of! His! which! could! seem! like! those! of! a! lunatic! come! to!prove!exactly!His!divinity.3!!Jesus,!therefore,!came!to!fulfull!what!no!one!else!was!able!to!do.!In!

this!context,!the!road!to!the!cross!was!nothing!less!than!an!exact!fulfillment!of!the!divine!plan.!Speaking!with!regard!to!the!goal!of!Jesus’!first!coming!to!earth,!Swindoll!wrote:!

!Jesus!clearly!understood!his!purpose! for!coming! to! the!world!and!never! allowed! popularity,! success,! opposition,! threats! or! even!misunderstanding! around! Him! to! distract! Him.! He! remained!focused! on! His! mission! although! never! without! caring! for! the!people!around!Him.!He!strove!to!present!the!truth!in!the!simplest!way.!Time!after!time!He!called!people!to!embrace!the!truth.!But!He!never!allowed!the!failures!of!others!to!knock!Him!off!of!his!course.4!!The! historian! Kenneth! Scott! Latourette! commented:! “As! the!

centuries!pass,!the!evidence!is!accumulating!that,!measured!by!his!effect!on!history,! Jesus! is! the! most! influential! life! ever! lived! on! this! planet.! That!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!3!Diamandi,!Fiul(lui(Dumnezeu,!2:258.!4!Charles!R.!Swindoll,!Isus:!Cel(mai(mare(Om(din(istorie((Oradea:!Societatea!

Biblică!din!România,!2011)!156.!

224' Divine'Solution!(influence! appears! to!be!mounting.”5(For!his!part,! Ernest!Renan!made! the!following! affirmation! regarding! Jesus:! “Jesus! was! the! greatest! religious!genius!that!ever!lived.!His!beauty!is!eternal,!and!his!reign!shall!never!end.!Jesus!is!in!every!respect!unique,!and!nothing!can!be!compared!with!him.!All!history!is!incomprehensible!without!Christ.”6!

The! affirmations! that! Christ! made! concerning! Himself! identifies!Him!as!being!more!than!just!a!simple!teacher!or!even!a!prophet.!He!openly!made! the! claim! to! be!God,! the! only!way! to! the! Father,! the! only! one!who!could!forgive!sin!as!well!as!the!only!Mediator!of!salvation.!For!many,!these!affirmations! seemed! to!be!blasphemous! to!God! and!because!of! this!were!not!inclined!to!accept!them.!Hort!observed:!“His!words!were!in!a!sense!an!expression!of!Himself,!in!such!a!way!that!they!would!make!no!sense!if!they!were!seen!as!abstract!affirmations!of!a!divine!oracle!or!just!coming!from!a!prophet.! Remove! Him! from! being! the! main! subject! (or! the! ultimate!subject)! of! each! affirmation! and! all! of! these! collapse! into! nonsense.”7!Latourette,! conversely,! identified! the! following! with! regard! to! Jesus’!claims:!

!It! is! not! just! the! teachings!of! Jesus! that!make!him! so! remarkable,!although!these!would!be!sufficient!to!give!Him!this!distinction.!It!is!the! combination! of! the! teaching! and! the!Man! himself.! These! two!factors!cannot!be!separated.!.!.!.!It!must!be!evident!to!any!attentive!reader! of! the! Gospels! that! Jesus! considered! His! message! and!Himself!to!be!inseparable.!He!was!a!great!teacher!but!He!was!more!than!that.!His!teachings!about!the!Kingdom!of!God,!human!behavior!and!the!nature!of!God!were!important.!But!these!were!not!capable!of! being! separated! from! His! person,! without! being! —! from! His!perspective!—!completely!vitiated.8!!Resuming!the!affirmations!regarding!Jesus,!as!well!as!emphasizing!

his! work,! the! Apostle! John! wrote:( “But! these! are! written! that! you! may!believe! that! Jesus! is! the!Christ,! the!Son!of!God,! and! that!by!believing!you!may!have! life! in!his!name”! (John!20:31,!NIV).!One! can! say!with! certainty!that!the!life,!work,!and!teaching!of!Jesus!were!found!to!be!in!major!conflict!with!the!messianic!speculations!of!the!Jews!in!that!day.!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!5! As! quoted! in! Josh! McDowell,! More( Than( a( Carpenter! (Wheaton,! IL:!

Tyndale!House,!1977)(8.!6!As!quoted!in!ibid.!7!F.!J.!A.!Hort,!Way,(Truth,(and(the(Life!(New!York:!MacMillan,!1894)!207.!8! Kenneth! Scott! Latourette,!A( History( of( Christianity! (New! York:! Harper!

and!Row,!1953)!44.!

JOURNAL'OF'DISPENSATIONAL'THEOLOGY'–'Winter'2015' 225!!

Being! instructed!from!childhood!that!when!the!Messiah!comes!He!will!be!a!political! leader!who!will!bring! liberty!to! the!people!by!restoring!Israel!to!its!once!held!greatness,!their!hope!began!to!be!rekindled!with!the!coming!of! Jesus!on! the! scene.!The!expectation!of! a! liberator!was!without!doubt! intensified! by! the! events! which! occurred! at! that! time,! which! was!especially! true! when! Jewish! freedom! was! being! squelched! by! the!repressive!measures!of!the!increasingly!numerous!Romans.!In!this!context,!a! suffering! Messiah! was! a! completely! foreign! concept! to! the! Jews.! For!instance,!Burrows!commented:!“Jesus!was!so!different!than!what!the!Jews!expected! in! the! Son! of! David! that! even! His! disciples! encountered!difficulties! in! associating! the! person! of! Jesus!with! their! own! ideas! about!the!Messiah.”9!

The! suffering! Messiah! was! one! of! the! reasons! that! the! apostles!abandoned! Jesus! when! He! was! arrested.! Their! minds! were! so! deeply!steeped!in!the!idea!of!a!conquering!Messiah!whose!role!was!to!defeat!their!enemies!that!when!they!saw!Jesus!beaten!and!bloody!after!being!tortured!—!a!helpless!prisoner!in!Pilate’s!hands!—!and!when!they!saw!how!He!was!treated!by!the!Roman!soldiers!and!held!by!the!cross!to!die!as!an!ordinary!criminal,!all!their!Messianic!hopes!regarding!Jesus!were!shattered.10!

With! all! this,! in! a! very! short! time! after! Jesus’! crucifixion! and!resurrection! and! in! spite! of! their! initial! doubts! and!disappointments,! the!disciples!boldly!proclaimed!Jesus!as!Lord!and!Savior.!What!exactly!resulted!in! such! a! change?! With! certainty,! the! fact! that! “after! his! suffering,! he!showed!himself!to!these!men!and!gave!many!convincing!proofs!that!he!was!alive.!He!appeared!to!them!over!a!period!of!forty!days!and!spoke!about!the!kingdom!of!God”!(Acts!1:3,!NIV)!was!the!foremost!factor.!Meeting!with!the!risen! Christ! convinced! his! followers! that! He! was! truly! the! Messiah,! and!thus! the!divine!solution! for! the!human!problem.!The!resurrection!caused!them!to! testify! to! this! fact!not!only! through! their!powerful!messages!and!transformed!lives!but!also!through!their!deaths.!

Christ! was,! is,! and! shall! remain! therefore! the! most! influential!person! in!history,! the!divine! solution! for! the!human!problem.!Now!more!than!ever!is!the!need!for!a!clear!understanding!of!the!Person!and!work!of!the!only!Master!and!Lord,!Jesus!Christ.!The!life!of!Jesus!may!be!defined!by!supernatural!works,!wisdom!and!astonishing!sayings,! immeasurable! love,!perfect!life,!and!supreme!sacrifice,!which!all!offer!a!unique!hope.!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!9!Millar! Burrows,!More( Light( on( the(Dead( Sea( Scrolls! (London:! Secker!&!

Warburg,!1958)!68.!10!George!Eldon!Ladd,!I(Believe(in(the(Resurrection(of(Jesus!(Grand!Rapids:!

Eerdmans,!1975)!38.!

226' Divine'Solution!(

Unfortunately,! the! sacrifice! of! Jesus! Christ! together! with! all! its!implications! continues! to! be! largely! associated! with! a! nice! myth,! an!unrighteous! act,! an! abstract! and! mystical! reality! without! having! any!resonance! to! the! level! of!mind! or! heart.! For! those!who! condemned!Him,!the!death!of!Christ!was!seen!as!a!necessity,!which!was!so!because!to!them!He!was!considered!a!heretic,!blasphemer,!possessed,!and!both!dangerous!for! different! religious! groups! as! well! as! the! Roman! rule.! Moreover,! for!those! nearer! to! Christ,! He! was! considered! a! victim! of! a! mockery! of! due!process!and!clergical!conspiracy.!For!others,!however,!Christ!was!a!martyr!who!sacrificed!himself!as!a! inspiring!example.!Nevertheless,! for!everyone!Christ!was!and!remains!the!divine!solution!for!the!human!problem.!

The! teaching!of!Christ!portrays! itself!as!having!an!unnatural!ethic!and! in!so!doing!seems! to!be!sentenced! to!never!bear! fruit.!To!everyone’s!surprise,! however,! the! teachings! of! Christ! have! overcome! and! are!spreading!more!and!more.!Drawing!from!his!teaching,!it!can!be!said:!to!the!man!who!desires!pleasure,!Jesus!recommends!curbing!his!appetite;!to!the!one! enslaved! to!material! goods,!He! speaks! concerning! the!uselessness! of!earthly!treasures;!to!those!who!are!controlled!by!the!instinct!to!dominate,!the!Savior!shows!them!the!greatness!of!humility;!to!the!man!given!to!react!under!instinctive!impulses!in!order!to!take!the!law!into!his!own!hands!by!paying! evil!with! the! same,! Christ! speaks! to! him! regarding! Christian! love!which!is!manifested!in!a!concrete!way!and!not!simply!theoretically.!

Reading!through!this!article,!one!might!receive!the!impression!that!he! or! she! is! in! the! midst! of! a! few! moral! ideas! which! are! in! flagrant!contradiction!with!the! laws!of!human!nature.!Coversely,! if! Jesus!was!only!an!expression!of!a!moment! in!history,! stated!Sterie!Diamandi,! two! things!would!have!been!necessary!to!have!occurred:!

!1.!In!the!passing!of!time,!there!would!have!had!to!appear!a!number!of! heroes! just! like! Jesus! because! to! various!degrees! there!was! an!urgently!felt!need!for!saviors.!2.!With!Jesus!being!the!expression!of!but! a! moment! of! history! it! would! have! been! logical! for! Him! to!disappear!all!at!once!with!the!need!that!He!created,! limited!in!His!influence!by!space!and!time.11!!In!the!case!of!Jesus!Christ,!however,!the!exact!opposite!occurred.!In!

the!course!of!history,!Jesus’!was!and!remains!a!unique!advent.!Concerning!this! matter,! Ernest! Renan! said:! “Without! Him! all! of! history! is! without!meaning.!Whatever! the! unexpected! phenomenon! of! the! future!might! be,!Jesus!will!never!be!surpassed.!Every!age!will!proclaim!that!among!the!sons!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11!Diamandi,!Fiul(lui(Dumnezeu,!2:253T254.!

JOURNAL'OF'DISPENSATIONAL'THEOLOGY'–'Winter'2015' 227!!of!men!none!has!come!along!who!is!greater!than!Jesus.”12!!With!respect!to!Jesus,!Straus!asserted:!

!In!no!way!and!in!no!time!will!it!be!possible!for!someone!to!rise!up!above!Him!and!it!is!not!even!possible!for!us!to!imagine!anyone!who!could! be!His! equal.! The! passing! of! time! can! never! cause! Jesus! to!become! outdated! because! He! is! always! alive! and! present,! His!influence! not! being! dependent! upon! time! and! space.! His! image!constantly! serves!mankind! as! a! guide! for! life! like! the! North! Star!which!acts! as! a!point!of! orientation.!That! is!why!He! is!more! than!necessary!for!mankind,!He!is!indispensable.13!!Seeing! how! all! this! comes! together,! it! can! be! affirmed! with! all!

confidence!that!whatever!man!may!do!without!in!this!world,!one!thing!he!cannot! do! without! is! Jesus! Christ.!Without! Him,! mankind! would! regress!two! thousand! years.! The! twenty! centuries! which! have! passed! since! his!incarnation!have!done!nothing!but!further!his!greatness!and!brilliance.!As!opposed! to! supressing! his! authority! or! diminishing! his! influence,! the!passing!of!time!has!done!nothing!but!add!more!to!his!importance.!The!vast!horizon! that! history! offers,! unfurls! Jesus’! matchless! moral! greatness! as!dominating! all! the! sunbathed! pinnacles! in! the! regions! of! mankind’s!spirituality.14!Christ!was,! is,!and!remains! therefore! the!divine!solution! for!the!human!problem.!

!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!12!As!quoted!in!ibid.!2:254.!13!Ibid.!14!Ibid.!3:416.!

NOTES

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

JOURNAL'OF'DISPENSATIONAL'THEOLOGY'–'Winter'2015' 229!!!

NEW!CALVINISM,!PART!IV:!MISSIONALLY!FLOODING!INTO!CITIES!

'Drew!Curley!

!At! the! outset! of! this! article,! one! may! be! confused! as! to! how! the! new!Calvinist’s!desire! to!go!missionally! into!cities!has!anything! to!do!with! the!gospel.! The! confusion! is! due! to! the! fact! that! flooding! into! the! cities! is! a!central! tenant! of! their! understanding! of! the! gospel;! for! them,! it! is! the!gospel.!The!words!missionally!flooding!into!cities!are!specifically!chosen.1!The! focus! of! their! efforts,! at! least! for! some,! is! what! they! see! as! their!modernTday! Samaria,! places! where! nice! Christian! people! would! not! be!found,! paralleling! the! Jewish! sentiment! regarding! Samaria.! The! cities! are!an! unreached! mission! field,! but! new! Calvinism’s! theological! claims! are!unfounded.! For! example,! consider! The! Gospel! Coalition’s( confessional!statement!concerning!the!kingdom!of!God:!“living!as!salt!in!a!world!that!is!decaying! and! light! in! a! world! that! is! dark,! believers! should! neither!withdraw! into! seclusion! from! the! world,! nor! become! indistinguishable!from!it:!rather,!we!are!to!do!good!to!the!city.”2!

In!a!single!page!document!addressing!theological!beliefs,!there!are!few! groups!who!would! take! the! time! to!mention! cities! in! such! a! specific!way,! which! is! highly! telling.! For! new! Calvinism,! the! gospel! is!misunderstood! as! involving! social! action! or! cultural! redemption.! Chapell!explains,! in! one! of! The! Gospel! Coalition’s! booklets,! entitled!What( Is( the(Gospel?:(“if!the!King!comes!to!saves!sinners!and!if!their!salvation!includes!a!renewed! heart,! an! empowered! life,! and! a! transformed! world,! then! his!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*"Drew"Curley,"M.Div.,"Ph.D.,"associate"professor,"Carolina"College"of"Biblical"Studies,"Fayetteville,"North"Carolina!!

1! Of!Marsden’s! three!major! types! of! Calvinism,! this!missional! Calvinism!may! be! due! to! the! influence! of! Kuyperian/Dutch! Calvinism,!which! focuses! upon!cultural! reformation,! and! is! the! branch!of! Calvinism! that!would!produce! a!work!like!Grudem’s!PoliticsPAccording(to(the(Bible((Grand!Rapids:!Zondervan,!2010).(See!George!Marsden,! “Reformed! and!American,”! in!Reformed(Theology( in( America:( A(History( of( its(Modern(Development,(ed.! David! F.!Wells! (Grand!Rapids:! Eerdmans,!1985).!

2! The! Gospel! Coalition,! “Confessional! Statement”! [document! online]!(accessed! 13! June! 2013)! available! from! http://thegospelcoalition.org/about/!foundationTdocuments/confessional.!

230' New'Calvinism!(purpose! and! theirs! is! truly! good! news.”3! With! consideration! of! such!statements,!it!now!becomes!necessary!to!discuss!the!biblical!gospel.!.

THE'BIBLICAL'WORD'FOR'GOSPEL'.The!standard!Greek! lexicon!defines!εὐαγγέλιον! in!a! threefold!manner:! “1)!God’s!good!news!to!humans,!good!news;”!“2)!Details!relating!to!the!life!and!ministry!of!Jesus,!good!news!of!Jesus;”!and,!“3)!A!book!dealing!with!the!life!and! teaching! of! Jesus,! a! gospel! account.”4! The! Greek!word! is! actually! an!amalgamation! of! the! words! εὐ! (“good”)! and! ἄγγελος! (“messenger”).! An!εὐαγγέλιον!then!is!a!message!of!good!news.!

The! verbal! form! εὐαγγελίζω! is! to! proclaim! the! message! of! good!news.! Spicq! claimed! that! the!news!does!not!have! to!be!unilaterally!good,!and! asserted,! “any! kind! of! news! at! all,! even! false! news”! can! be! the!reference! of! εὐαγγέλιον.5! The! assertion! is! certainly! true! of! the! biblical!gospel! because,! at! its! heart,! it! is! an! exclusive! message! since! it! does! not!proclaim!a!universal!salvation,!and!the!gospel!may,!in!fact,!be!bad!news!or!condemnation!for!some.!

The!Septuagint!used!εὐαγγελίζω!in!place!of!בשׂר,!which!is!not!to!say!that!this!is!the!biblical!gospel,!merely!the!announcement!of!good!news!in!a!more!generic!sense.!An!important!distinction!needs!to!be!made!here.!While!there! is! good!news,! that! is!not! the!gospel,! one! should!exercise! caution! in!using!gospel!in!a!nonTsoteriological!sense.!.The!Biblical!Gospel!.The!mission!of! the! church! to!proclaim! the!propositional! gospel! has! been!distorted!in!recent!times!by!buzzwords!like!gospelTcentered,!gospelTbased,!and!gospelTfocused.!Too!often,!the!gospel!is!seen!as!something!bigger!than!just!the!message!of!the!forgiveness!of!sin!and!the!individual!reconciliation!to! the!Lord.!With! that!being!said,! the!gospel!should!be! the!centerpiece!of!the! message! the! church! conveys! to! the! world.! Although! not! all! recent!publications! involving! the! word! gospel! hold! a! specific! view,! the! gospel!message!should!not!be!confused!with!its!own!implications.!For!instance,!it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3!Bryan!Chapell,!What( Is( the(Gospel?,!Kindle! ed.! (Wheaton,! IL:!Crossway,!2011)!loc!386T87.!

4!William!Arndt,!Frederick!W.!Danker!and!Walter!Bauer,!A(GreekPEnglish(Lexicon(of(the(New(Testament(and(Other(Early(Christian(Literature,!3rd!ed.!(Chicago:!University!of!Chicago!Press,!2000)!402.!

5! Ceslas! Spicq! and! James! D.! Ernest,! Theological( Lexicon( of( the( New(Testament,!3!vols.!(Peabody,!MA:!Hendrickson,!1994)!2:83T84.!

JOURNAL'OF'DISPENSATIONAL'THEOLOGY'–'Winter'2015' 231!!is! said,! “the! gospel! is! not! only! sufficient! for! justification! but! also! for!sanctification.”!What!is!needed!today!is!“people!constantly!preach(ing)!the!gospel!to!themselves.”6!

The! gospel! has! too! often! been! replaced! with! a! bigger,! missional!vision!of!the!gospel.!Since!missional!is!a!rarely!defined!term,!it!is!used!here!in!reference!to!the!promotion!of!a!specific!gospel,!which!is!larger!than!the!simple! proposition:! believe! and! live.! The! term!missional! is! a!message! of!collective!reconciliation! through! the! incarnational!ministry!of! the!church;!it! confuses! the!practical! ramifications!of! the!gospel!with! the!gospel! itself.!The!gospel!needs!to!be!outlived,!but!there!is!no!biblical!support!for!this!as!a!specific!part!of!the!gospel!itself.!Stallard!traced!much!of!the!origin!of!the!contemporary! emphasis! on! the! whole! gospel! to! the! wording! of! the!Lausanne!Covenant!(1974).7!Therefore,! it!should!not!be!surprising!that!in!the!postmodern!world,!which!abhors!propositional! statements,! there!has!arisen! a! movement! defining! the! gospel! as! experiential! in! addition! to!propositional,!which!may!be!an!outgrowth!of!the!emergent!church.!

At!this!point,!it!is!necessary!to!understand!the!biblical!usage!of!the!term!gospel!to!truly!comprehend!its!meaning.!Fortunately,!there!is!only!a!single!word!that!is!translated!as!gospel:!εὐαγγέλιον.!An!examination!of!this!word!will!help!to!reveal!the!biblical!concept!of!the!gospel.!.The!Propositional!Gospel"!The! New! Testament! usage! of! εὐαγγέλιον! falls! into! three! categories.! The!gospel!concerns!(1)!the!kingdom!(Matt!4:23;!9:35;!24:14),!(2)!Jesus!(Mark!1:1);!and,!(3)!God!(Mark!1:14).!All!these!usages!of!εὐαγγέλιον!appear!to!be!in!reference!to!a!specific!proposition,!which! is!because!of! the!presence!of!the! definite! article.! In! these! instances,! the! gospel! is! not! referenced! as! an!action! (i.e.! the!gospeling!of! Jesus)!but!a! specific!proposition.!Most!do!not!deny!the!propositional!nature!of!the!gospel!since!it!is!selfTevident.!Instead,!an!experiential!aspect!to!the!gospel!is!added!alongside!the!proposition.!

When! speaking! of! the! preaching! of! the! gospel,! Matthew! used!κηρύσσω!in!the!aorist,!not!present.!The!usage! indicates!that!the!gospel! is!being!proclaimed!(considering!it!as!a!whole!action)!and!not!as!something!which!occurs!continual!(which!would!necessitate!the!Greek!present!tense).!The! continual! aspect! of! the! present! must! be! used! if! the! gospel! is! to! be!outlived.!What!is!being!proclaimed!or!preached!is!not!social!reconciliation.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6!Eric!Geiger,!Michael!Kelly,!and!Philip!Nation,!Transformative(Discipleship:(How(People(Really(Grow((Nashville:!B&H!Publishing,!2012)(67.!

7!Mike!Stallard,!“Gospel!Centeredness,! Jesus!and!Social!Ethics,”!Journal(of(Ministry(and(Theology(15!(Fall!2011):!24.!

232' New'Calvinism!(The!gospel!is!not!in!the!process!of!changing!the!world!and!reconciling!it!to!God.!

Mark! told! his! readers! (1:15)! to! believe! the! gospel,! not! live! the!gospel.! The! Apostolic! Fathers! universally! used! the! gospel! in! its!propositional!sense.8!The!gospel!is!never!the!object!of!any!verb!that!can!be!translated! as! to! live! or! to! outlive! (ζάω! or! κατοικέω).! As! a! result! of! this!understanding,!new!Calvinism!has!a!tendency!towards!the!social!gospel.!

The! social! gospel! is! defined! as! a! corporate! obligation! to! pursue!justice! in! broader! society.! One! new! Calvinist! stated,! “ministering! to! the!poor! is!a!crucial! sign! that!we!actually!believe! the!gospel”!and!elaborated,!“one!aspect!of! living!a!holy! life! is! treating! the!poor!with! compassion!and!pursuing!justice.”!9!These!visions!of!the!gospel!are!typically!removed!from!the! context! of! the! theocratic! kingdom! of! Israel! or! based! upon! a!misunderstanding! of! the! kingdom.! Unsupported! claims! are! often! found!similar!to!the! following:!“just!as!God!provided!manna!for!everyone! in!the!wilderness!(Ex.!16:18),!so!the!church!is!to!be!God’s!manna!equalizer!now.”!10!

Avoiding! the! term! social! gospel,! the! new! Calvinists! prefer!preaching! a! holistic! or! missional! gospel.! The! propositional! gospel! is!succinctly!summarized!in!a!few!places.!One!of!the!most!prominent!is!Acts!16:31.!When! asked! by! the! jailer! “what!must! I! do! to! be! saved,”! Paul! and!Silas!responded,!“believe!in!the!Lord!Jesus,!and!you!will!be!saved.”!In!giving!the!purpose!statement!of!his!gospel,! John!states!“these!have!been!written!so! that! you!may!believe! that! Jesus! is! the!Christ,! the!Son!of!God;! and! that!believing!you!may!have!life!in!His!name”!(John!20:31,!NASB).!.Becoming!the!Gospel""Notice! Paul’s! statement:! “God! was! in! Christ! reconciling! the! world! to!Himself”!(2!Cor!5:19).!The!church!is!to!bring!the!message!of!reconciliation,!but! it! is! another! thing! to! claim! that! the! church! is! to! redeem! society.!Τὴν διακονίαν τῆς καταλλαγῆς! concerns! individuals! at! enmity! with! God.! Paul!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!8! See! the! following! for! comparison:! 1! Clement! 47:2;! 2! Clement! 8:2;!

Ignatius’!Letter!to!Philadelphia!5:1T2;!8:2,!9:2;!Ignatius’!Letter!to!Smyrna!5:1;!7:2;!Martyrdom! of! Polycarp! 1:1;! 4:1;! 22:1;! Didache! 8:2;! 11:3;! 15:3T4;! Epistle! of!Barnabas! 5:9;! 8:3;! Letter! to! Diognetus! 11:6;! and,! Fragments! of! Papias! 11:4! (in!Ignatius’s!letter!to!the!Philadelphians).!

9! Kevin! DeYoung! and! Greg! Gilbert,!What( is( the( Mission( of( the( Church?(Making( Sense( of( Social( Justice,( Shalom,( and( the( Great( Commission( (Wheaton,! IL:!Crossway,!2011)!174T75.!

10!Ibid.!168.!

JOURNAL'OF'DISPENSATIONAL'THEOLOGY'–'Winter'2015' 233!!further! asserted,! in! this! verse,! that! God! “θέµενος ἐν ἡµῖν τὸν λόγον τῆς καταλλαγῆς.”!God!has! committed! the!word.of! reconciliation! to! the! church!and! not! the! act! of! reconciliation.! The! message! is! concisely! stated,!“καταλλάγητε τῷ θεῷ”! (2! Cor! 5:20).! Kαταλλάσσω! occurs! in! the! second!person!plural! since! it! involves!persons!and!not! the! third!person!singular,!which!could!refer!to!society.!Although!this!may!seem!to!be!an!insignificant!point,! it! is! a! necessary!because! there! is! only! one! gospel! entrusted! to! the!church.!.Acts!20:24!!In!his!farewell!to!Ephesus,!the!Apostle!Paul!declared:!“But!I!do!not!consider!my!life!of!any!account!as!dear!to!myself,!so!that!I!may!finish!my!course!and!the!ministry!which!I!received!from!the!Lord!Jesus,!to!testify!solemnly!of!the!gospel!of!the!grace!of!God”!(ESV).!Although!there!are!very!few!evangelicals!who!would!deny!that!the!gospel!is!all!in!relation!to!the!grace!of!God!being!shown!to!man,!there!is!only!a!singular!usage!in!Scripture!of!the!phrase!the!gospel!of!grace,!which!is!in!the!book!of!Acts!and!is!attributed!to!the!Apostle!Paul.!The!gospel!of!grace! is! tremendously! important!as!a! topic!and! it!has!been!observed,!“one!could!scarcely!summarize!the!heart!of!Paul’s!message!better!than!the!‘good!news!of!God’s!grace.’”11!

The!Greek!construct!in!this!passage,!τὸ!εὐαγγέλιον!τῆς!χάριτος!τοῦ!θεοῦ,! has! the! genitives! χάριτος! and! θεοῦ! modifying! the! accusative!εὐαγγέλιον,!which!means!adjectival!genitives!“grace”!and!“God”!modify!the!object,! “the! gospel.”12! The! second! genitive! identifies! the! origin! of! grace,!namely!from!God;!it!is!the!gospel,!which!is!God’s,!and!it!is!the!gospel!that!is!gracious.!Robertson!summarized!this!well!by!asserting,!“to!Paul!the!gospel!consisted!in!the!grace!of!God.”13!Likewise,!Lenski!stated,!“‘the!gospel’!is!the!good!news,!and!its!contents!is!‘the!grace!of!God.’”14!

The! gospel! is! absolutely! free;! it! is! unbound! from!merit! and! free!from! condition,! which! does! not! mean! it! is! free! from! obligation! once!received.! MacArthur! affirmed,! “it! must! be! noted! that! the! message! the!apostle!preached!and!all!preachers!echo!is!called!the.gospel.of.the.grace.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11! John! B.! Polhill,! Acts! (The! New! American! Commentary)! (Nashville:!

Broadman!&!Holman,!1995)!425.!12!Although! the!words!grace!and!God!are!nouns! in!English,! in! the!Greek!

they!function!like!adjectives.!13! A.! T.! Robertson,! Word( Pictures( in( the( New( Testament! (Nashville:!

Broadman!Press,!1933)!Acts!20:24.!14! R.! C.! H.! Lenski,! The( Interpretation( of( the( Acts( of( the( Apostles!

(Minneapolis:!Augsburg!Publishing!House,!1961)!843.!

234' New'Calvinism!(of. God.! The! clear! emphasis! is! on! grace,! the! unmerited! favor! of! God! by!which!He!forgives!undeserving!sinners!the!totality!of!their!sins!and!freely,!mercifully!gives!them!the!complete!righteousness!of!Jesus!Christ.”15!Other!Calvinistic! expositors! affirm! this! statement.! For! example,! “Paul! did! not!preach! an! easyTbelievism! but! rather! the! necessity! of! faith! in! Christ! for!salvation,!which!results!in!a!changed!life.”16!Others!have!said:!“the!essential!feature!of!the!gospel!is!its!declaration!of!God’s!free!grace!to!a!guilty!world,!forgiving! sins,! and! imputing! righteousness! through! faith! in! Jesus! Christ.!The!distinctive!work!of!the!ministry!is!to!declare!that!grace.”17!

Works!do!not!complete! justification;!neither! is! it!a!condition!of! it.!Precious! time! and! energy! has! been! exhausted! “chasing! after! the! wind”!trying!to!necessitate!works!for!salvation!in!a!way!that!is!nonTmeritorious,!but!grace!is!free.!Unfortunately,!“some!call!their!preaching!‘gospel’!when!it!does!not!comply!with!Paul’s!description!in!whole!or!in!part.”18!!

EXCURSUS:'ROMANS'13:1Y7'!A! believer’s! relationship! to! secular! government! has! been! an! issue! of!tremendous!importance!even!prior!to!the!institution!of!government!being!created.!Many!Jews!were!concerned!with!achieving!independence!from!the!Roman! Empire! and! revolutionaries,! like! Judas! Maccabeus! and! others,!attempted!to!make!this!a!reality.!Even!today,!the!believer’s!relationship!to!secular!government!remains!a!significant!issue,!which!is!especially!true!in!the! United! States! where! a! believer! simultaneously! has! the! ability! to!participate!in!the!governmental!process!while,!at!the!same!time,!the!need!to!submit!to!the!governmental!authorities!placed!over!them.!The!excursus!is!included!here!because!it!relates!to!new!Calvinism’s!belief!that!the!church!is!called!through!the!gospel!to!be!agents!of!cultural!transformation.!!The!Command!!Paul! began! his! discussion! in! Romans! 13! by! giving! a! command.! The!imperative! serves! as! the!basis!of!his!discourse.!The!exhortation!does!not!occur! in! a! vacuum;! rather,! it! is! a! logical! outgrowth! of! Paul’s! previous!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!15! John! F.!MacArthur! Jr.,!Acts! (MacArthur! New! Testament! Commentary)!

(Chicago:!Moody!Press,!1994)!326.!16!R.!Kent!Hughes,!Acts:(The(Church(Afire! (Wheaton,! IL:!Crossway,!1996)!

278.!17! H.! D.! M.! SpenceTJones,! ed.,! Acts( of( the( Apostles,! 2! vols.! (The! Pulpit!

Commentary)!(New!York:!Funk!&!Wagnalls,!1909)!2:146.!18!Lenski,!Acts(of(the(Apostles,!843.!

JOURNAL'OF'DISPENSATIONAL'THEOLOGY'–'Winter'2015' 235!!teaching!to!“never!pay!back!evil!for!evil!to!anyone!.!.! .![and!to]!be!at!peace!with! all! men”! (Rom! 12:17T18,! NASB).! Having! previously! discussed! this!instruction! as! it! relates! to! personal! interaction! with! others,! Paul! now!directed!his!attention!to!living!this!teaching!in!relation!to!civil!authorities,!and! this! provides! the! immediate! context! leading! to! the! command.!Everything! that! follows! this! command! can! be! categorized! in! one! of! the!following!three!ways:!reasons!for!this!command,!answers!to!an!objection,!and!practical!implications!of!the!command.!

Prior!to!considering!Paul’s!overarching!point,!it!is!important!first!to!examine!the!command!itself.!First,!it!is!given!to!every!person!(πᾶσα ψυχὴ).!One!could!easily!conclude!that!because!of!this,!the!command!applies!to!all!humanity,! but! it! is! not! equally! applicable! to! all.! In! the! context! of! the!passage,!Paul!was!clearly!talking!to!believers!only.!In!addition,!one!should!remember!that!neither!Paul,!nor!Scripture,!attempts!to!regulate!the!moral!behavior!of!nonTbelievers!during!the!church!age.!In!the!command!itself,!the!verb! occurs! in! the! present! middle! imperative! (ὑποτασσέσθω),! which!indicates! that! the! action! has! the! subject! acting! upon! himself.! Paul!commanded! his! readers! to! subject! themselves! to! something.! Along! with!this,! the! usage! of! ὑποτάσσω! instead! of! ὑπακούω! implies! that! this! is! to! be!done!willingly!by!the!subject.!The!believer!then!is!to!subject!himself!to!the!governing!authorities!(ἐξουσίαις ὑπερεχούσαις),!which!is!not!overly!specific!in! its! reference.! Furthermore,! it! does! not! apply! simply! to! presidents! and!congressmen,! but! to! all! those! who! have! been! placed! in! a! position! of!authority!or!power!over!another.!!Reasoning!!Having! just! commanded! the! believer! to! subject! themselves! to! those! in!authority!over!them,!Paul!now!gave!his!readers!the!reasoning!for!it.!Paul’s!argument! appears! like! a! tautology,! which! systematically! instructs! his!audience! as! to! the!basis! for!his! command.! In!other!places,! Paul!provided!his! apostolic! office! as! the! authority! for! a! command! (e.g.! the! introductory!material! of! an! epistle),! but! this! would! be! counterproductive! here.!Obedience! to! authority! cannot! reasonably! be! derived! from! claimed!authority,!unless!speaking!in!reference!to!God!himself.!In!addition!to!this,!it!is!important!to!remember!the!highly!controversial!nature!of!what!Paul!was!discussing!to!both!his!Jewish!and!Gentile!audiences.!Not!many!issues!were!as!volatile!as!the!believer’s!responsibility!to!governmental!authorities;!it!is!likely! because! of! these! circumstances! that! Paul! here! gave! a! more!reasonable!basis!for!his!instruction.!

236' New'Calvinism!(

Paul’s!argument!begins!with!an!assumption,!which!is!that!there!are!people!who! exercise! authority! in! some!way,! shape,! or! form! over! others.!The!assumption!is!almost!selfTevident.!If!one!is!going!to!give!a!command!in!regards! to! governing! authorities,! then! it! is! logical! to! conclude! that! there!are! in! fact! governing! authorities;! it! seems! like! an!unimportant!point,! but!this!assumption!plays!a!role!in!the!logic!of!Paul’s!argument.!The!first!major!part! of! Paul’s! actual! argument! is! that! “there! is! no! authority! except! from!God”!(Rom!13:1,!NASB).!The!clause!is!interesting!in!that!it!has!two!negative!adverbs! (οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἐξουσία εἰ µὴ ὑπὸ θεοῦ).! The! type! of! construct! is!highly!unusual! in!proper!English!because!it!has!the!effect!of!being!able!to!say! the! same! thing! in! positive! terms.! The! construct! could! be! rendered!equally! “all! authority! is! from! God,”! which! is,! in! fact,! the! point! that! Paul!made! in! the!next! clause.!The! reasoning!behind! this! arrangement! is! likely!because!he!was!guiding!his!audience! in! their!understanding!and!building!upon!an!easier,!and!less!controversial,!point!to!comprehend.!

There! are! no! exceptions! to! the! rule:! all! authorities! are! from!God.!Exceptions!are!where!people!naturally!go!with!any!rule,!but!Paul!broke!the!common!misconception! that! there!may,! in! fact,! be! governing! authorities!that!are!put!in!place!by!people!other!than!God.!Essentially,!Paul!stated!that!while!this!may!be!true!in!a!limited!sense,!it!is!not!true!in!its!ultimate!sense!because! of! God’s! providential! control.! From! here,! Paul!was! able! to! build!upon!his! idea! in! the!positive! sense.!Having!broken! the!misconception,!he!was! free!to!state,! “those![authorities]!which!exist!are!established!by!God”!(Rom!13:2).! Paul! then! brought! this! thought! to! a! conclusion;! he! stated,! if!God!has!established!governing!authorities,!then!disobedience!to!governing!authorities!is!to!oppose!God!himself,!which!would!have!struck!right!at!the!heart!of!Paul’s!contemporaries!who,!as!a!whole,!were!not!too!fond!of!being!subservient!to!Rome.!If!the!believer!is!not!to!resist!authority,!what!exactly!are! believers! supposed! to! do?! The! query! is! the! concern! of! the! practical!outworking!of!this!doctrine.!

Modern! ears! dull! the! translation! of! διαταγῇ! as! ordinance,! as!with!the! New! American! Standard! translation.! Although! the! translation! is!accurate,! what! Paul! stated! is! that! resisting! authority! is! opposing! “that!which!has!been! specifically!ordered!or! commanded”!by!God.19!Therefore,!Paul! equated! the! commands! of! man! with! the! commands! of! God.! Man’s!obligation!to!each!is!the!same,!which!does!not!mean!that!man!is!obliged!to!follow! ungodly! moral! commands.! The! reason! is! because,! first! and!foremost,! the! “responsibility! of! the! Christian! is! to! obey! freely! and! fully,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

19!Johannes!P.!Louw!and!Eugene!Albert!Nida,!GreekPEnglish(Lexicon(of(the(New(Testament:(Based(on(Semantic(Domains,! 2!vols.,!2nd!ed.,! elec.! ed.! (New!York:!United!Bible!Societies,!1996)!1:425.!

JOURNAL'OF'DISPENSATIONAL'THEOLOGY'–'Winter'2015' 237!!unless! to! do! so!would! directly! violate! God’s! laws”! otherwise!man’s! laws!would! superseded! those! of! God.20! The! result! of! disobedience! to! the!governing! authorities! on! all! other! matters! is! condemnation! before! both!man’s!governing!judicial!authorities!and!God.!.Objection'!The! next! section! of! this! reading! involves! a! logical! objection! to! the!command,!which!Paul!gave!to!the!believers!in!Rome.!The!objection!is!never!explicitly! stated.! Instead,! Paul! raised! it! through! a! discussion! of! good!behavior! and! fear.! Essentially,! Paul! used! an! argument! based! upon! the!government’s! use! of! force,! which! is! not! too! surprising! since! Paul! had!already! established! the! depravity! of! man! in! this! same! letter.! Having!expounded!upon!the!sinfulness!of!humanity,!Paul!stated!that! if!one!is!evil!in! his/her! actions! they! have! reason! to! be! obedient! to! government! based!upon!fear!of!repercussions,!which! is!why!government!has!been!given!use!of! the! sword.! He! then! reversed! the! discussion! and! asked! concerning! the!believer! who! does! well! and! obeys! his! government,! but! still! receives! the!sword!from!it.!Constable!rephrased!this!in!the!following!manner:!“if![those!who!govern]!do!not!but!serve!the!welfare!of!the!people!as!they!should,!we!have!no!fear!of!them!and!can!submit!to!them!fairly!easily.!What!if!they!are!evil?”21!The!objection! is!whether!believers!are!to!obey!a!government!that!persecutes! the! church.! The! answer! is! a! resounding! yes.! The! obvious!exception! to! this! is! always!when! a! believer! is! forced! to! choose! between!obeying!the!governing!authorities!and!obeying!the!Word!of!God.!

There!are!then!two!reasons!given!in!this!passage!why!the!believer!is! to! willingly! subject! himself! to! the! governmental! authorities.! The! first!involves!wrath,!which!the!government!has!been!given!to!enact!through!the!use! of! force.! The! government! has! the! power! to! punish! and! this! should!provide!the!believer!with!motivation!to!submit.!Paul!exemplified!this!in!his!own! life,! repeatedly! submitting! himself! to! the! force! of! the! government!through! imprisonment!and!physical!punishment.! If! this!were!not!enough,!Paul! previously! established! that! the! believer! is! to! submit! himself! to! the!governing!authorities!based!upon!the!fact!that!God!has!put!them!there.!One!must!remember!that!the!Lord!has!ordained!both!the!power!and!force!given!to!government.!Additionally,!they!have!been!given!this!power!for!a!reason.!Paul! earlier! asserted! in!Romans,! “God! causes! all! things! to!work! together!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

20! Charles! C.! Ryrie,!Dr.( Ryrie’s( Articles! (Bellingham,!WA:! Logos! Research!Systems,!2010)!141.!

21!Tom!Constable,!Tom(Constable’s(Expository(Notes(on(the(Bible!(Garland,!TX:!Galaxie!Software,!2003)!Romans!13:3.!

238' New'Calvinism!(for!good! to! those!who! love!God,! to! those!who!are!called!according! to!His(purpose”! (Rom!8:28,!NASB).! Governments! have! been! ordained! for!man’s!good,! whether! they! are! to! be! praised! or! abhorred.! Luther! explained,!governments!“do!not!compel!us!to!do!what!is!evil,!but!what!is!good.”22!The!governing! is! in! light! of! depravity.! Having! answered! the! most! obvious!objection,!Paul!was!now!able!to!consider!its!practical!implications.!.Implications'!Paul!did!not!usually!just!give!a!command!and!defend!it.!He!also!built!upon!it! and! discussed! a! practical! implication! for! heeding! the! command.! The!practical! instruction! is! meant! to! challenge! the! reader,! which! is! deduced!from!the!previous!verse’s!conclusion:!διὰ τὴν συνείδησιν.!As!a!consequence!of!the!conscience,!or!the!desire!to!do!well!before!God,!the!believer!should!be!willing!to!submit!to!the!ruling!authority;!it!is!because!of!this!willingness!that! the! believer! is! to! pay! taxes.! Taxes! are! not! the! direct! topic! of! the!discourse.! Instead,! the! passage! deals! with! the! issue! of! a! believer’s!relationship! to! secular! government.! The! topic! of! taxes! is! a! practical!outworking!of!Paul’s!original!command.!

Paul’s!elaborated!to!assert!that!the!believer! is! to!pay!taxes! from!a!desire! to! do!well! before! God,! as! well! as! a! desire! to! serve! the! Lord.! One!could!then!conclude!that!this!is!a!form!of!worship.!Paul!already!established!earlier! that! believers! are! “to! present! [their]! bodies! a! living! and! holy!sacrifice,! acceptable! to!God,!which! is( [their]! spiritual! service! of!worship”!(Rom!12:1,!NASB).!In!this!way,!obeying!even!an!ungodly!ruler!is!an!act!of!worship!directed! towards! the!Lord.!While! these! rulers!do!not! knowingly!serve! the! Lord,! Paul! used! the!word! λειτουργοί! because! they! are! persons!“who!render!special!service”!and!are!busily!engaged(in!this!endeavor.23!To!put! this! simply,! they! are! unwilling! and! unknowing! instruments! in! the!hands!of!God!to!accomplish!a!believer’s!sanctification.!

Paul! concluded! this! section! discussing! the! wider! practical!implications!beyond!the!issues!of!taxes.!The!issue!of!taxes!has!already!been!discussed! at! length! in! all! three! synoptic! gospels.! Paul! used! it! here! as! a!point!for!the!believer!to!examine!his!own!life.!Believers!are!to!pay!taxes!to!whom! they! are! due,! but! in! addition! to! this,! they! are! to! pay! custom! or!revenue!to!whom!it!is!due,!to!respect!and!finally!honor!to!whom!these!are!due.!Respect!and!honor!are!important!because!they!move!“away!from!the!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!22!Martin!Luther,!Commentary(on(Romans((reprint,!Grand!Rapids:!Kregel,!

1954)!181.!23!Louw!and!Nida,!GreekPEnglish(Lexicon,!1:460.!

JOURNAL'OF'DISPENSATIONAL'THEOLOGY'–'Winter'2015' 239!!realm!of!taxes!and!indicate!a!proper!regard!for!those!in!high!places.”24!The!implication!is!more!than!just!giving!a!denarius!to!the!government,!but!a!life!lived! in!humble! submission! to! all! authorities.!To!Paul,! it! concerned!more!than! a! coin,! it! was! in! regards! to! the! attitude! of! the! heart,! which! is!exemplified!in!giving!due!respect!and!honor.!.Conclusion'!The!believer’s!responsibility!towards!the!governing!authorities!has!always!been,! and! likely! will! remain! an! important! issue! as! the! Day! of! the! Lord!approaches.!Having! focused! upon! this! single! passage,! one!must! conclude!that! Paul! was! not! concerned! with! revolutionizing! the! government.! The!passage! stands! in! direct! opposition! to!modern! liberation! theology! or! the!social! gospel.! Instead,! it! focuses! upon! one! principle,! which! speaks! very!broadly!upon! the!matter.!The!believer! is! to! live! in!humble! submission! to!the! rulers!placed!over! them!by!God,!which! is! an! act! of! obedience! and!by!extension!worship!to!the!Lord.!The!believer!is!to!do!this!because!God!has!enthroned!rulers,!even!evil!ones,!and!He!is!sovereignly!using!them!for!his!own!purposes.!The!only!notable!exception!to! this!rule! is!when!a!civil! law!goes!against!one!God’s!direct!commands.!Even!then,!revolution! is!not! the!answer,! but! submission! to! the! penalty! imposed! by! the! state,! as! Paul!exemplified! repeatedly.! Shadrach,! Meshach,! and! Abednego! provide! great!examples! concerning! a! believer’s! responsibility! to! a! pagan,! ungodly!authority.!!

CASE'STUDY:'TIMOTHY'KELLER'!As! one! of! the! coTfounders! of! The! Gospel! Coalition,! Keller! has! played! a!major!role!in!new!Calvinism.!What!is!important!to!note!here!is!the!possible!influence! of! postmodernism! upon! his! form! of! Calvinism.!While! this! does!not!necessarily!characterize!every!new!Calvinist,!it!may!be!part!of!a!larger!overall! trend.! Many! within! new! Calvinism! seem! more! aware! of! the!implications! of! some! of! Keller’s! theological! statements.! Despite! this,! the!work!he!has!done!through!The!Gospel!Coalition!greatly!impacted!the!new!Calvinist!movement!as!they!seek!to!impact!the!world.!

Keller!is!also!known!for!founding!Redeemer!Presbyterian!Church!in!New! York! City.! Since! there! is! little! upon! which! Redeemer! Presbyterian!Church! stands! theologically,! it! is! possible! to! reproduce! its! core! values! in!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!24!Leon!Morris,!The(Letter(of( James! (Pillar!New!Testament!Commentary)!

(Grand!Rapids:!Eerdmans,!1988)!466.!

240' New'Calvinism!(their!entirety;! it! is! interesting!that!this! is!where!they!have!chosen!to!take!their!stances!theologically.!

!Redeemer.Presbyterian.Church’s.Core.Values!!1.!Gospel!!

The! “gospel”! is! the! good! news! that! through! Christ! the! power! of!God’s! kingdom! has! entered! history! to! renew! the! whole! world.!When! we! believe! and! rely! upon! Jesus’! work! and! record! (rather!than!ours)!for!our!relationship!to!God,!that!kingdom!power!comes!upon!us!and!begins!to!work!through!us.!!2.!Changed!People!!

The!gospel!changes!people!from!the!“inside!out.”!Christ!gives!us!a!radically!new!identity,!freeing!us!from!both!selfTrighteousness!and!selfTcondemnation.! He! liberates! us! to! accept! people! we! once!excluded,! and! to! break! the! bondage! of! things! (even! good! things)!that! once! compelled! us.! In! particular,! the! gospel! makes! us!welcoming! and! respectful! toward! those! who! do! not! share! our!beliefs.!!3.!City!!

We!believe!that!nothing!promotes!the!peace!and!health!of!the!city!like!the!spread!of!faith!in!the!gospel;!it!renews!both!individual!lives!and! reweaves! the! fabric!of! entire!neighborhoods.!We!believe! that!nothing!moves! Christians! to! humbly! serve,! live!with,! and! love! all!the!diverse!people!of!the!city!like!the!gospel!does.!!4.!Community!!

The! gospel! creates! a! new! community! which! not! only! nurtures!individuals!but!also!serves!as!a!sign!of!God’s!coming!kingdom.!Here!we! see! classes! of! people! loving! one! another! who! could! not! have!gotten!along!without!the!healing!power!of!the!gospel.!Here!we!see!sex,! money,! and! power! used! in! unique! nonTdestructive! and! lifeTgiving!ways.!!5.!Movement!!

JOURNAL'OF'DISPENSATIONAL'THEOLOGY'–'Winter'2015' 241!!

We! have! no! illusions! that! our! single! church! or! our! Presbyterian!tradition! is! sufficient! to! renew! all! New! York! City! spiritually,!socially,! and! culturally.! We! are! therefore! committed! to! planting!(and!helping!others!plant)!hundreds!of!new!churches,!while!at!the!same! time! working! for! a! renewal! of! gospel! vitality! in! all! the!congregations!of!the!city.!!6.!Serving!!

Though! we! joyfully! invite! every! person! to! faith! in! Jesus,! we! are!committed! to! sacrificially! serving! our! neighbors! whether! they!believe!as!we!do!or!not.!We!do!this!by!using!our!gifts!and!resources!for!the!needs!of!others,!especially!the!poor;!and,!more!than!merely!meeting!individual!needs,!we!work!for!justice!for!the!powerless.!!7.!Renewing!!

We! believe! that! the! gospel! has! a! deep,! vital,! and! healthy! impact!upon! the! arts,! business,! government,!media,! and! academy! of! any!society.!Therefore,!we!are!highly!committed!to!support!Christians’!engagement! with! culture,! helping! them! work! with! excellence,!distinctiveness,!and!accountability!in!their!professions.25!

!The! document! is! a! manifesto! of! a! church! that! has! wholeheartedly!embraced!postmodernism;!it!appears!that!they!have!shaped!their!thinking!and! practices! in! an! effort! to! be! relevant! to! the! world! around! them.! In!Deconstructing( Defeater( Beliefs,( Keller! denied! the! sinful! heart! of! man! in!praxis!by!espousing!a!rationalistic!presentation!of!the!gospel.!He!perceives!that! the! mind,! and! not! the! heart,! is! the! issue! preventing! people! from!coming! to! a! saving! faith! in! Christ.! He! said,! “Christianity! is! disbelieved! in!one!culture!for!totally!opposite!reasons!it!is!disbelieved!in!another.”26!The!assertion! is!a!denial!of! the!essence!of!Calvinist!soteriology.!He!replaced!a!bold! proclamation! of! the! gospel!with! one! that!must! be! loving,! attractive,!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!25! Redeemer! Presbyterian! Church,! “Core! Values”! [document! online]!

(accessed!5!September!2013)!available!from!http://www.redeemer.com/about_us!/vision_and_values/core_values.html.!

26!Timothy!Keller,!“Deconstructing!Defeater!Beliefs:!Leading!the!Secular!to!Christ”! [article! online]! (1! January! 2000,! accessed! 5! September! 2013)! available!from! http://www.case.edu.au/images/uploads/03_pdfs/kellerTdeconstructingTde!feater.pdf! (accessed! through! The! Gospel! Coalition! at! http://thegospelcoalition.!org/resources/entry/DeconstructingTDefeaterTBeliefsTLeadingTtheTSecularTtoTChrist).!

242' New'Calvinism!(and!nonToffensive,!which!is!what!he!regards!as!“the!sandwich!approach”!to!the!gospel!and!is!more!a!baitTandTswitch!technique!than!a!presentation!of!the!gospel.!One!major!issue!is:!“the!word!of!the!cross!is!foolishness!to!those!who!are!perishing”!(1!Cor!1:18).!The!gospel!is!offensive!!Paul!said,!“but!if!I,!brothers,!still!preach!circumcision,!why!am!I!still!being!persecuted?!In!that!case!the!offense!of!the!cross!has!been!removed”!(Gal!5:11,!ESV).!The!cross!and!the!gospel!by!their!very!nature!are!offensive!and!exclusive.!

Keller! has! embraced! a! fundamental! flaw! connected! to! a!misunderstanding! of! hamartiology,! which! is! evident! throughout! his!theology!and!the!core!values!of!Redeemer!Presbyterian!Church.!Romans!3!explains!that!the!issue!preventing!people!from!coming!to!a!saving!faith!in!Christ!is!primarily!a!heart!issue.!There!is!not!one!unregenerate!person!who!would!desire! to! follow!God!even! if! the!gospel!was!presented! in! the!most!attractive! way! possible,! which! is! truly! the! Reformation! and! Calvinistic!understanding! of! the! depravity! of! the! human! heart.! All! the!contextualization!in!the!world!could!not!help!save!a!single!soul.!Keller!does!not!outright!deny!important!doctrinal!matters,!but!in!postmodern!fashion!he!does!not!appear!to!hold!them!absolutely,!which!is!part!of!the!paradigm!shift!in!new(Calvinism.!.Mission!over!Theology!!One!of!the!dangers!that!led!to!such!a!divergence!from!traditional!reformed!theology! is! the!emphasis!placed!upon!the!mission!of! the!church!over!and!above!theology.!Notice!the!absence!of!the!doctrines!of!grace!in!Redeemer’s!core! values.! The! openness! in! theology! allows! for! a! diversity! of! new!Calvinist!pastors!and!theologians!to!maintain!a!closeTknit!fellowship.!If!one!selfTidentifies! as! a! Calvinist,! then! other! doctrines! are! seemingly!insignificant.!What!is!truly!important!is!the!missional!nature!of!the!church.!There!is!theological!indifference!as!long!as!one!selfTidentifies!as!a!Calvinist,!which! corresponds! with! the! postmodern! mindset! wherein! one! is! to! be!tolerant!and!not!to!judge!others.!

Redeemer! Presbyterian! Church’s! theology! is! so! open! one! can!hypothetically! reject! central! tenants! of! the! Nicene! Creed! and! still! be! in!agreement!with!their!core!values.!For!example,!although!it!mentions!Jesus!as! redeemer,! it! does! not! mention! his! divinity;! it! also! fails! to! mention! a!biblical! vision! of! salvation! mentioning! “Christ! gives! us! a! radically! new!identity,! freeing! us! from!both! selfTrighteousness! and! selfTcondemnation.”!The! statement! does! not! mention! that! this! new! identity! frees! man! from!condemnation! and! the! penalty! of! sin,! and! it! subtly! replaces! biblical!terminology! with! modern! philosophical! and! liberal! concepts.! The!

JOURNAL'OF'DISPENSATIONAL'THEOLOGY'–'Winter'2015' 243!!postmodern! man! can! say! a! lot! without! saying! anything,! which! is!exemplified!in!Redeemer’s!Core!Values,!and!this!is!why!new!Calvinism!has!been! able! to! produce! such! ecumenicity.! In! speaking! with! regard! to!doctrinal!distinctives,!Keller!stated:!!

the! “already”! of! the! New! Testament! means! more! boldness! in!proclamation.! We! can! most! definitely! be! sure! of! the! central!doctrines!that!support!the!gospel.!But,!the!“not!yet”!means!charity!and!humility!in!nonTessentials!beliefs.!In!other!words,!we!must!be!moderate!about!what!we!teach!except!when!it!comes!to!the!cross,!grace!and!sin.!In!our!views,!especially!those!that!Christians!cannot!agree!on,!we!must!be!less!unbending!and!triumphalistic.27!

!One! can! discern! Ladd’s! influence! once! again! manifest! itself.! The!already/not!yet!paradigm!is!expressed!in!ways!beyond!eschatology.!

What! is! more! important! than! theology! is! authentically! living! the!Christian! life;! it! views! Christianity! through! a! philosophical! lens,! the! best!possible!religious!system!to!follow,!and!not!as!absolute!truth,!which!is!why!they!are!so!concerned!with!manifesting!the!faith!and!minimally!concerned!with!standing!for!the!true!faith!doctrinally.!Hypocrisy!is!what!stands!in!the!way!of!postmoderns!in!New!York!City,!where!Keller!pastors.!They!need!to!overcome! this!obstacle! in!order! that! souls! can!be! saved.! If! only! they!had!seen! a! church! and! a! people! living! authentically,! then! they!would! see! the!beauty!and!majesty!of!Christ’s!plan!at!work!and!be!compelled!to!believe.!

One! problem! is! that! many! churches! will! more! characteristically!resemble! the!Corinthian! church! than! the!utopian! ideal! of!Redeemer;! it! is!the! biblical! gospel! that! has! the! answer.! Man! is! sinful,! which! is! why! the!church!appears!hypocritical.!The!gospel!begins!with!man’s!depravity,!with!universal! guilt! and! universal! condemnation,! which! is! why! the! gospel! is!such!good!news.!The!gospel! is! the!message!of! salvation! to! those!who!are!perishing.! Keller! does! not! regard! sin! in! its! proper! biblical! definition.! He!chooses! instead! to! read! his! understanding! back! into! sin,! thereby!contextualizing!sin!improperly.!He!stated,!“the!root!of!every!sin!is!a!failure!to! believe! the! gospel! message! that! Jesus,! and! Jesus! alone,! is! our!justification,! righteousness,! and! redemption.”28! How! does! the! root! of! sin!apply!to!Adam!or!to!anyone!prior!to!the!coming!of!Christ?!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!27! Tim!Keller,! “The! Centrality! of! the! Gospel”! [article! online]! (accessed! 5!

September! 2013)! available! from! http://download.redeemer.com/pdf/learn/!resources/Centrality_of_the_GospelTKeller.pdf.!

28! Timothy! J.( Keller,! Center( Church:( Doing( Balanced,( GospelPCentered(Ministry(in(Your(City,!Kindle!ed.!(Grand!Rapids:!Zondervan,!2012)!loc.!1755T56.!

244' New'Calvinism!(

Keller! perverts! the! gospel! because! he! no! longer! regards! it! as! a!proposition:! believe! and! be! saved.! The! best! way! that! Keller’s! artificial!gospel!can!be!defined!is!a!GodTempowered!change!mechanism.!Jesus!is!the!redeemer;! the! believer! is! to! be! an! agent! of! redemption,! thus! the! gospel!concerns! redemption.! Observe! the! following! statements! concerning!Keller’s!view!of!the!gospel.!!

The! gospel! is! to! be! applied! to! every! area! of! thinking,! feeling,!relating,!working,!and!behaving.29!!The!main! problem,! then,! in! the! Christian! life! is! that!we! have! not!thought!out!the!deep!implications!of!the!gospel,!we!have!not!“used”!the!gospel!in!and!on!all!parts!of!our!life.30!!The!key!to!continual!and!deeper!spiritual!renewal!and!revival!is!the!continual$reKdiscovery$of$the$gospel!(emphasis!original).31$$Paul!used!the!gospel!on!racism.32!!We!have!seen!that!the!gospel! is! the!way!that!anything! is!renewed!and! transformed! by! Christ—whether! a! heart,! a! relationship,! a!church,!or!a!community.33!!All! problems,! personal! or! social! come! from! a! failure! to! use! the!gospel!in!a!radical!way.34!!

The!final!statement!claims!that!the!root!of!all!the!world’s!problems!is!not!sin,!but!a! failure!to!use!the!gospel.!What! is!surprising! is!that!more!within!Reformed!circles!are!not!raising!their!voices!against!this!kind!of!theology,!which! is! what! occurs! when! a! movement! embraces! postmodernism! and!emphasizes! spirituality! over! doctrine! (viz.! it! inevitably! abandons! true!religion).!

In! succumbing! to! the! postmodern! mindset,! he! refuses! to! believe!there! is! any! nonTcontextualized! gospel.! He! believes! that! all! gospel!presentations!are!contextualized,!even!those!recorded! in!Scripture.!While!these!are!based! in!actual!events,!he!goes! to!great! lengths! to!demonstrate!that! Paul! in! one! place! is! sharing! the! gospel! to! Jewish! persons! and! in!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!29!Tim!Keller,!“Centrality!of!the!Gospel.”!30!Ibid.!31!Ibid.!32!Ibid.!33!Ibid.!34!Ibid.!

JOURNAL'OF'DISPENSATIONAL'THEOLOGY'–'Winter'2015' 245!!another! place! sharing! it! with! Greeks.! He! emphasizes! the! discontinuity!between! these! two!gospel!presentations!over! and!above! their! continuity.!The! reason! is! because,! in! his! thinking,! the! church! has! failed! to! properly!contextualize!the!gospel.!He!never!goes!so!far!as!denying!the!historicity!of!the! gospel,! but! he! does! deny! that! the! gospel! can! be! expressed! in! a! nonTcontextualized!way,!which! is!of! great! importance!as! it!provides! the!basis!for!the!practical!outworking!of!his!theology.!He!claims!to!be!a!Calvinist,!but!it!is!difficult!to!perceive!Calvin!or!the!doctrines!of!grace!being!understood!in!his!theology.!He!stated:!!

contextualization! is! not! —! as! is! often! argued! —! “giving! people!what! they! want! to! hear.”! Rather,! it! is! giving! people! the! Bible’s!answers,!which!they!may!not!at!all!want!to!hear,!to!questions!about!life! that! people! in! their! particular! time! and! place! are! asking,! in!language! and! forms! they! can! comprehend,! and! through! appeals!and!arguments!with!force!they!can!feel,!even!if!they!reject!them.35!

!While!Keller!frequently!quotes!Luther,!this!statement!is!an!outright!denial!of!Luther’s! thesis! in!Bondage(of( the(Will.(The!work!was!perhaps!the!most!important!work!of!the!Reformation!and!a!great!foundation!upon!which!to!understand! the! grace! of! God.! A! person’s! rejection! or! acceptance! of! the!gospel!has!nothing!to!do!with!the!way!it!is!presented,!which!does!not!mean!that!the!church!should!not!have!concern!for!how!the!gospel! is!presented;!rather,! she! most! definitely! should.! What! Keller! is! arguing! is! that! the!properly!contextualized!gospel!yields!the!best!results.!He!stated!explicitly,!“our! ministry! will! be! unfruitful! because! we! have! failed! to! contextualize!well.”36!He!also!said,!“it!is!possible!to!subscribe!to!every!orthodox!doctrine!and!nevertheless!fail!to!communicate!the!gospel!to!people’s!hearts!in!a!way!that!brings!about!repentance,!joy,!and!spiritual!growth.”37!The!reason!this!is! certainly! true! is! due! to! the! hardened! heart! of! the! hearer! and! not! the!ineffectiveness! of! the! communicator.! There! is! a! disconnect! between! the!ears!and!the!heart,!and!it!is!only!God!who!can!accomplish!these!ends.!!Social!Justice!.There! is! an! everTpressing! concern! within! new! Calvinism,! and! in! the!theology! of! Keller,! for! social! justice! to! be! enacted.! There! is! this! aurora!concerning!the!new!Calvinists!that!they!are!the!only!group!with!a!genuine!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!35!Timothy!Keller,!Center(Church,!loc.!2250T53.!36!Ibid.!loc.!2259.!37!Ibid.!loc.!1847T48.!

246' New'Calvinism!(concern! for! the!poor.!While! the!church!carries!a!message,! it! is!an!offer!of!reconciliation! toward!God!and! it! has!nothing! to!offer!other! than! the! true!message! of! the! gospel.! If! the! church! abandons! this! message,! then! what!good! will! food! or! clothes! do! for! those! in! need?! The! church! should! be!concerned!for!those!in!need,!but!Scripture!explains!that!the!church!is!to!do!this!as!a!service!for!the!Lord.!As!Paul!said,!if!you!abandon!the!true!gospel!you! have! believed! in! vain.! All! social! work! is! in! vain! without! the! true!propositional!gospel.!

What! Keller! and! others! have! proposed! is! a! larger! vision! of! the!gospel!that!includes!social!action!and!racial!reconciliation.!Consequently,!it!is!as!if!those!who!believe!only!in!the!propositional!aspect!of!the!gospel!do!not! have! concern! for! social! responsibility! or! racism.! Keller! in! describing!the!Christian!life!stated,!“this!kind!of!life!(activism)!reflects!the!character!of!God.”38! Activism! is! a! part! of! the! Christian! life,! but! this! fails! to! take! into!account!Paul’s! teaching! in!Romans!13!or!Peter’s! in! chapter! 2! of! his! First!Epistle.!While!Christians!in!America!are!given!the!privilege!of!participating!in! government,! most! Christians! live! under! authoritative! governments.!These! same! Christians! are! not! given! the! freedom! to! participate! in! social!activism,! and! must! submit! to! their! governments! as! GodTordained!authorities.!

Keller! then! couples! social! activism! with! a! view! of! salvation!whereby,! “true! grace! always! results! in! changed! lives! of! holiness! and!justice.”39! One! of! Keller’s! contributions! to! new! Calvinism! is! to! add! the!phrase!“and!justice”!to!an!understanding!of!salvation.!In!another!work,!he!stated,!“the!implication!is!that!if!you!do!not!actively!and!generously!share!your!resources!with!the!poor,!you!are!a!robber.!You!are!not!living!justly.”40!Apparently,! one! is!not! a!Christian! if! he!or! she!does!not! share! generously!with! the!poor,!which! is! a!misunderstanding!of! the! lesson!of!Ananias! and!Sapphira.!Therefore,! it! is!not!surprising,!yet!still!shocking,! to!witness!him!claim,!“if!you!are!not!just,!you’ve!not!truly!been!justified!by!faith.”41!

Scripture!goes!to!great!lengths!to!demonstrate!that!there!is!no!one!good!except!God.! In! the! same!manner,! there! is!no!one!who! is! just!except!God! alone.! Keller’s! beliefs! could! be! a! logical! outworking! of! his! view! of!salvation.!Consequently,! it! is!easy! to!understand! that!when!one!begins! to!add!a!single!requirement!to!salvation,!it!is!much!easier!to!continue!adding!requirements.! Personal! salvation! is! not! enough.! What! must! be! done,!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!38!Timothy!Keller,!Generous(Justice:(How(God’s(Grace(Makes(Us(Just,!Kindle!

ed.!(New!York:!Penguin,!2010)!loc.!361.!39!Keller,!Center(Church,(loc.!387.!40!Keller,!Generous(Justice,!loc.!346.!41!Ibid.!loc.!1205T06.!

JOURNAL'OF'DISPENSATIONAL'THEOLOGY'–'Winter'2015' 247!!according! to! Keller! is! that! “we!must! retell! the! culture’s! story! in! Jesus,”42!which! is! something!he! regards! as! gospel! renewal.! There! is! a!major! issue!with!this!concept!of! the!big!gospel,!which! is!becoming!increasing!popular!today.! Perverting! the! gospel! is! a! serious!matter.! So! serious,! in! fact,! that!Paul! stated! unequivocally! “as!we! have! said! before,! so! I! say! again! now,! if!any!man!is!preaching!to!you!a!gospel!contrary!to!what!you!received,!he!is!to!be!accursed!”!(Gal!1:9,!NASB).!

Keller!claims!that!the!church!in!general!has!abandoned!or!forgotten!the!social!aspect!of!the!gospel.!If!the!biblical!gospel!truthfully!does!include!these! social! elements,! as! Keller! claims,! then! is! the! church! apostate! and!accursed?!The!biblical!ἀνάθεµα!would!need! to!be!pronounced!upon! those!who!Keller!is!speaking!against.!There!are!two!gospels!being!proposed.!Only!one! can! be! the! gospel;! the! other! gospel! is! false! and! Paul! pronounces!ἀνάθεμα! upon! it.! Stallard! explained! that! the! intermingling! of! the! biblical!gospel! with! the! social! gospel! “can! easily! lead! to! a! lack! of! clarity! in! the!giving! of! gospel! invitations! and! to! a! lack! of! evangelism! in! the! work! of!Christians.”43!

In!his!magnum!opus!on!practical!ecclesiology,!Center(Church,(Keller!exhorted! the! contemporary! church!not!only! to!pursue! the! redemption!of!individuals! but! society! as!well.! He! spoke! of! the! church’s! approach! to! its!current!practices!in!unflattering!terms!saying:!“many!Christians!resist!the!idea!that!social!systems!need!to!be!dealt!with!directly.!They!prefer!the!idea!that! ‘society! is! changed! one! heart! at! a! time,’! and! so! they! concentrate! on!only!evangelism!and!individual!social!work.!This!is!naïve.”44!

One! looks! in! vain! for! biblical! support! for! Keller’s! statement.! His!theological! justification! is! inadequate!and!his!biblical! support! is!artificial.!He! developed! his! own! conclusion! of! the! Good! Samaritan! parable! as!follows:! “social! reform!moves! beyond! the! relief! of! immediate! needs! and!dependency!and!seeks!to!change!the!conditions!and!social!structures!that!aggravate! or! cause! that! dependency.! Imagine! a! sequel! to! the! Good!Samaritan! parable.! The! months! go! by! and! every! time! he! makes! his! trip!from! Jerusalem! to! Jericho! he! finds! another!man! in! the! road,! beaten! and!robbed.!Finally!the!Samaritan!says,!“How!do!we!stop!the!violence?”45!

He!also!looks!to!Israel!and!the!provisions!made!in!the!Mosaic!Law!for! the! poor.! He! said,! “Israel! was! charged! to! create! a! culture! of! social!justice!for!the!poor!and!vulnerable!because!it!was!the!way!the!nation!could!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!42!Keller,!Center(Church,!loc.!3523T24.!43!Stallard,!“Gospel!Centeredness,”!6.!44!Keller,!Generous(Justice,!loc.!1491T92.!45!Ibid.!loc.!1472T75.!

248' New'Calvinism!(reveal!God’s!glory!and!character! to! the!world.”46!God!made! the!provision!for! the!poor! in! light!of! the! sinfulness!of!man,!which! is! the! same!with! the!provision!for!the!king!in!the!Pentateuch.!While!it!is!true!that!provision!was!made! in! the!Law!for!a!king,! this!was!not!God’s!desire! for! Israel;! rather,! it!was!created!with!the!foreknowledge!of! Israel’s!disobedience,!and!it! is! the!same!way! for! the! protection! of! the! poor!whereby! it! is! a! protection! from!man!and!not!a!mandate!to!eliminate!poverty.!

Keller!would!have!great!difficulty!reconciling!this!belief!with!Jesus’!rebuke!of!Judas!when!he!protested!that!Christ’s!feet!should!not!have!been!anointed! with! expensive! oil! (Matt! 26:6T13;! Mark! 14:3T9;! John! 12:1T10).!The!question!of!Judas!has!a!modern!twist!in!Keller’s!proposal,!which!is!not!to! say! that! the! church! is! to! be! indifferent! concerning! society,! but! it! is! a!reminder!to!keep!a!proper!perspective!regarding!social!injustice!being!only!a!temporal!issue.!Eternal!issues!are!of!much!graver!concern!for!the!church,!which! is! why! the! epistles! to! the! church! are! not! concerned! with! social!transformation.! Indeed,! Paul! wrote! to! submit! to! the! government! even!though!he!was! frequently! imprisoned! for!his! faith! in! an! empire! that!was!egregiously!unjust.!His!desire!was!never!to!reform!society.!

Overall,!Keller’s!anthropology! is! reminiscent!of!postmillennialism.!He! even!made! the! claim,! “God! is! distressed! that! the! unity! of! the! human!family!has!been!broken!and!declares!his! intention!to!take!down!the!walls!of!racism!and!nationalism!that!human!sin!and!pride!have!put!there.”47!He!mainly!sees! the!goodness! in!man!and!not! the! true!depth!of!his!sinfulness!and!depravity.!He!says!that!he!believes!the!doctrine!of!total!depravity,!but!in!reality!it!is!denied!in!the!outworking!of!his!beliefs.!

The!city!itself!plays!an!important!role!in!Keller’s!practical!theology,!which!is!not!too!surprising!given!that!he!is!a!pastor!in!New!York!City,!and!is! important! to! him! because! “the! city! is! humanity! intensified! —! a!magnifying!glass!that!brings!out!the!very!best!and!worst!of!human!nature!—! it! has! a! dual! nature.”48! ! The! biblical! doctrine! of! depravity! denies! this!dual!nature!in!man!prior!to!regeneration.!While!it!is!true!that!cities!can!be!a! special! place! for! the! gospel,! this! is! because! of! the! concentration! of!humanity!that!occurs!there.!The!gospel!does!work!powerfully!in!cities!but!its!uniqueness! is! found!against! the!backdrop!of!a!city’s!utter!darkness.! In!the! dark! places,! the! light! can! burn! brighter,!which! is! not! to! say! that! the!suburbs!or!country!are!any!better;!they!too!have!their!own!distinct!issues.!What!is!necessary!is!to!break!down!the!romanticized!notion!of!Keller’s!that!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!46!Ibid.!loc.!260T62.!47!Ibid.!loc.!1430T31.!48!Keller,!Center(Church,!loc.!3684T85.!

JOURNAL'OF'DISPENSATIONAL'THEOLOGY'–'Winter'2015' 249!!God!works!especially!in!cities!and!to!protest!the!concept!that!the!city!as!an!entity!plays!a!pivotal!role!in!the!arc!of!redemptive!history.49!!Total!Depravity!.Keller!claims!for!himself!the!title!of!Calvinist,!but!he!does!not!truly!hold!to!the!doctrine!of! total!depravity.!What!this!means! is! that! in!his!attempts!to!reach! the! lost,! Keller! does! not! see! the! true! nature! of! the! unregenerate!person’s!heart! and!mind.!Part!of! this! results! from!an!overemphasis!upon!reason,!and!is!also!seen!in!his!estimation!of!the!problem!of!evangelism!(viz.!“gospel! preaching! that! targets! some! sins! but! not! the! sins! of! oppression!‘cannot!possibly!work!among!the!overwhelming!majority!of!people! in!the!world’”50).!There!is!an!indication!of!liberation!theology!in!the!assertion,!but!more! importantly! it!makes! the! response!of!man! to! the! gospel! contingent!upon!the!contextualization!of!the!one!presenting!the!gospel.!

Keller! has! often! sought! to! avoid! the! issues! that! have! plagued! the!church!growth!movement,!but!all!too!often!his!thinking!still!aligns!with!it.!Keller! pastors! a! very! large! church! that! he! planted;! therefore,! it! is! not!surprising!then!to!see!that!he!views!God!as!working!in!a!special!way!in!his!specific! church.!He! readily! admits! that! this! is! not! because!of! any! specific!methodology!that!he!has!employed,!but!due!to!his!church’s! fidelity! to! the!gospel.! They! take! the! beliefs! of! the! church! growth! movement,! “try! this!method! and! a! church! will! grow,”! and! simply! replace! it! with! “follow!Scripture,!as!we!see!it,!and!a!church!will!grow.”!Keller!repeats!the!heart!of!the! church! growth!movement’s! belief! that! churches! produce! growth,! not!the! Spirit.! Keller! even! suggests! that! the! pastor! is! to! be! judged!based!not!upon! numerical! growth! (as! in! the! church! growth! movement)! or! in! his!faithfulness! (which! is! a! naïve! dead! orthodoxy)! instead! he! “came! to! the!conclusion!that!a!more!biblical!theme!.!.!.!(for!evaluation!is)!fruitfulness.”51!

Obedience! in! ministry! will! inevitably! result! in! quantifiable! fruit;!otherwise! the! minister! is! ineffective.! In! one! statement,! he! even! said,! “if!gospel!ministry!was!going! to!be!productive.! .! .! .”! 52!The!productiveness!of!gospel!ministry,!as!he!sees!it,!is!dependent!upon!the!work!of!man.!Only!God!can!produce! fruit! in!ministry,!whether! it! is! through! the!pastor!or!even! in!spite!of!him.!While!he!derides!the!church!growth!movement!for!claiming!to!know!the!secret!behind!growth,!Keller!essentially!instructs!others!to!follow!his!method!because!it!is!more!biblical.!Keller’s!thesis!behind!Center(Church(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

49!Ibid.!loc.!3693.!50!Keller,!Generous(Justice,!loc.!759T60.!51!Keller,!Center(Church,!loc.!96.!52!Ibid.!loc.!131.!

250' New'Calvinism!(is!that!what!is!needed!by!church!today!is!a!gospel!vision,!that!is,!a!vision!for!the! full! gospel! that! reaches! the! cities! and! renews! the!world.! The! church!needs! a! proper! contextualization! of! the! gospel! that! reaches! the!postmodern! world.! He! said,! “our! ministry! will! be! unfruitful! because! we!have! failed! to! contextualize! well.”53! He! completely! ignores! that! it! is! God!and!only!Him!who!makes!ministry!fruitful.!

One!area!that!explicitly!denies!the!depraved!nature!of!man’s!mind!and!heart!is!Keller’s!approach!to!evangelism.!In!his!“sandwich!approach”!to!evangelism,! he! said,! “first,! the! gospel! must! be! presented! briefly! but! so!vividly!and!attractively!(and!so!hooked!into!the!culture’s!baseTline!cultural!narratives)! that! the! listener! is! virtually! compelled! to! say! ‘It( would( be(wonderful( if( that(were( true,( but( it( can’t( be!’(Until! he!or! she! comes! to! that!position,!you!can’t!work!on!the!implausibility!structure!!The!listener!must!have!motivation! to! hear! you! out.! That! is!what! defeaters! do! –! they!make!people! super! impatient!with! any! case! for! Christianity.! Unless! they! find! a!presentation!of!Christ!surprisingly!attractive!and!compelling!(and!stereoTtype! breaking)! their! eyes!will! simply! glaze! over!when! you! try! to! talk! to!them.”54!

The! “sandwich! approach”! ignores! the! nature! of! an! unregenerate!man’s!heart.!A!depraved!heart!is!enslaved!to!its!own!sinful!desires,!and!the!gospel!will!not!appear!attractive! to! the!unregenerate!man.!Somehow,! the!response! of! man! to! the! gospel! is! best! accomplished! through! Keller’s!technique!of!presenting!the!wonderful! things!about!being!a!Christian!and!then!only!later!explaining!to!them!the!implications!of!becoming!a!Christian.!The! approach! makes! it! seem! as! if! becoming! a! Christian! can! be! solely!achieved!by!human!means,!and!thus!seeks!to!manufacture!the!work!of!the!Spirit! artificially.!One!hopes! that! the! theological!world!will! recognize! the!missional!nature!of!new!Calvinism!for!what!it!is:!postmodernism.!

!CONCLUSION'

!At! the! outset! of! this! article,! one! may! be! confused! as! to! how! the! new!Calvinist’s!desire! to!go!missionally! into!cities!has!anything! to!do!with! the!gospel.! For! starters,! new! Calvinism’s! gospel! is!misunderstood! to! involve!social! action! or! cultural! redemption.! An! outgrowth! of! this! thinking! is! to!focus!on!cities!as!their!primary!mission!field.!For!them,!this! is!the!gos