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Imparting
some Spiritual gift Our working theme of Romans: “The righteousness of God” CHARTING THE COURSE FOR THIS STUDY: Ø
Paul’s Zeal
Before and After his conversion Ø
Imparting
some Spiritual Gift PAUL’S
ZEAL BEFORE AND AFTER HIS CONVERSION
Did Paul’s zeal for God increase or decrease after his
calling and conversion? Why accounted for Paul’s zeal for God and the gospel? What can affect our zeal for God and the gospel?
What do you care too much
about? What don’t you care enough about? (cf. 2 Chronicles 12:14; Ezra 7:10; Matthew 6:21) What was most important to
Paul? THE
DEITY OF JESUS
bond-servant of Christ Jesus (v.1) – This is patterned after the OT “Servant of Yahweh.” “Indicative of Paul’s high Christology is the fact that he replaces the “Lord” of the OT phrase with “Christ Jesus” (Moo, NICNT, 41). OBEDIENCE
OF FAITH
obedience of faith (v.5; Romans 16:26; cf. Gal.5:6) – phrase which brackets Romans and summarizes the heart of Paul’s gospel in terms of response. This phrase brackets Romans and summarizes the heart of Paul’s gospel in terms of response. It captures Paul’s entire apostolic ministry seen from the perspective of initial faith and from the side of the reception of his gospel message. This concept goes back to the covenant with Abraham (cf. Gen.17:1-2; 18:19). A. The initial act of faith in Christ whereby we are justified is an act of obedience, “The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples
continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests
were becoming obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7). “dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thessalonians 1:8). B. Paul has many negative things to say about heretical views of the law. While the Gentiles are not under the Jewish misunderstanding of the law, nevertheless both Jews and Gentiles are called to lives of obedience (e.g. faith works). “constantly bearing in mind your work of faith
and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the
presence of our God and Father” (1 Thessalonians 1:3) “Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification: (John 1:12, Rom. 3:28, Rom. 5:1) yet is it not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but worketh by love (James 2:17,22,26, Gal. 5:6)” (Westminster Confession of Faith, 11:2). I
LONG TO SEE YOU SO THAT I MAY IMPART SOME SPIRITUAL GIFT TO YOU A. The gifts Paul desired to impart related directly to the topics he wrote about in Romans: 1. her strengthening (Romans 1:11) 2. her mutual edification (Rom.1:12-13) 3. her unity (Romans 12:5ff.) B. As an Apostle, Paul could impart Spiritual gifts: 1. that other Christians could not impart. 2. that could only be imparted in person and not through a letter. What gifts could the Apostle Paul give that other Christians could not? What gifts could only the Apostle Paul give that he had to be present? (cf. Acts 8:14-19; 19:6) Charismatic
Gifts And The Unity Of The Jewish And Gentile Church What is speaking in tongues? (Acts 2:4-11)
B. Acts 10-1:18; cf. Galatians 3:1-2/Cornelius (Caesarea) Who was Cornelius? God-fearers/worshippers of God – people committed to Judaism but not fully received by the Jews (cf. Acts 17:17). It seems that while they gave allegiance to Yahweh, they did not submit entirely to the laws and customs of the Jews (e.g. circumcision, food laws, festivals, rabbinical interpretation of law, etc.). Examples: the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:25-39), Cornelius (Acts 10-11), Titius Justus (Acts 18:7), Lydia (Acts 16:14). Proselytes – Gentiles who converted to Judaism and submitted to circumcision and probably were required to make an offering at the Temple in Jerusalem. It seems that proselytes submitted to the entire law and customs of the Jews. Early Christians who were former proselytes: Nicolas (Acts 6:2; cf. Acts 2:10; 13:43) For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has
accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word
and deed, C. Acts
19:1-6/disciples ( Charismatic
Gifts And Jewish Evangelism (Genesis
11:1-9 with Genesis 12:1-3; 1 Cor.14:20-25; cf.
Romans 9-11) Imagine that you were a Jew in the 1st century and you hear in your own language the Gospel in your own language. What would that mean to you if you were familiar with your Hebrew Scriptures? (Genesis 11:1-9 with Genesis 12:1-3; cf. Isa.28:11-12 with 1 Cor.14:21-22; cf. Deut.28:49, 32:19-22, Isaiah 66:18; Acts 2:36-40; Romans 9-11) Which of Paul’s letters speaks at length about speaking
in tongues? According to Paul, was speaking in tongues for believers or unbelievers? (1 Cor.14:21-22) Where was the probable location of the church at Corinth? (Acts 18:6-8; cf. 1 Cor.1:14) “Today there is no need for a sign to show that God is moving from the single nation Israel to all the nations. That movement has become an accomplished fact. As in the case of the founding office of apostle, so the particularly transitional gift of tongues has fulfilled its function as covenantal sign for the Old and New Covenant people of God. Once having fulfilled that role, it has no further function among the people of God” (p. 53) (O. Palmer Robertson; “Tongues: Sign of Covenantal Curse and Blessing,” Westminster Theological Journal 38 [Fall 1975] p.53). Implications A. It seems as though Peter had not visited Rome when Romans was written. If he had, we would not expect the believers to be lacking in Spiritual gifts. “If Peter had been in Rome as a bishop as long as Catholic dogma argues, why did Paul write to the church at Rome? “I long to see you [in Rome] in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established” (Rom. 1:11). Why could Peter not have done this ministerial work of building up the believers in that city? This remarkable verse alone seems to bring on the death knell of what the Catholics are trying to prove” (Mal Couch, “The Power of the Catholic Popes”; Conservative Theological Journal Volume 6:152). B. Romans 1:11 seems to be important for our understanding of certain charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit: 1. Prophecy (i.e. Fore-telling the future or new inspired revelation – Acts 11:28; 21:10,11; cf. 1 Cor. 12:8,10, 28; 14:1-6, 22-25, 29-33,39) 2. Speaking in tongues (1 Cor. 12:10-30; 14:2-39; cf. 14:1-19) 3. The ability to interpret speaking in tongues (1 Cor. 12:10, 30; cf. 14:5, 13, 26-28) 4. Healers (1 Cor.12:9,28) and working miracles (1 Cor. 12:10, 28) C. The impartation of the Spirit was under the jurisdiction of the Apostles because only the Apostles had the infallible interpretation of the significance of the event, “What does this mean” (Acts 2:12; cf. Eph.2:20). D. I do believe that there are “extraordinary” manifestations of the Spirit today (although I don’t believe that barking, vomiting, laughing or fainting are among them). 1. God still works supernaturally! 2. Individuals don’t have the gifts of prophecy, speaking in tongues, nor are there miracle workers because there are no more Apostles to impart such gifts. 3. There is a distinction between God working miracles through men in certain circumstances versus men working miracles on behalf of God on a regular basis (like the prophets and Apostles). This is an appropriate place to
remind our readers that my cessationist position for its part is not as
closed as it might appear. I do not deny that experiences may occur today,
incalculably in the Spirit’s sovereign working, that in some respects are similar
to those associated with the revelatory word gifts present in the New
Testament. What I do question is that the New Testament teaches that these
gifts are to continue or are to be sought today, and that those individuals
and groups that claim to have received them today are, in that respect,
closer to New Testament Christianity than those who have not (Richard Gaffin,
“A Cessationist Response to Robert L. Saucy,” in Are Miraculous Gifts for
Today? (ed. Wayne Grudem; E.
“Biblically speaking, “Charismatic” and “Christian” are synonymous.” (Report…on
the Baptism and Gifts of the Holy Spirit) |
