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Luke 1:57-80

1. The Birth of John


the Forernnner (1:57-66)
A. The Mercy of God
Elizabeth, as well as Mary, rec-
ognizes that the birth of her baby is
the display of the covenant mercy
of Jehovah. For an explanation of
the Greek word for mercy, ELEOS,
and the Hebrew
equivalent,
HESED, see the
comments on
page 15, 16 in the
July/August issue
of The Counsel.
Theworddenotes
that in the birth of
the Forerunner
and the Savior,
God is not only
being FAITHFUL
to His covenant
promises in the
Old Testament,
He is being GRACIOUS to His
people in sending them salvation,
which their age-old unfaithfulness
and innate sinfulness did not de-
serve.
When her neighbors and rela-
tives had heard about Elizabeth's
special pregnancy they came to her
home and rejoiced with her, not
simply because God had shown
mercy to her, but because "the Lord
had displayed (magnified) His great
mercy toward her," vs. 58. "God
magnifies His mercy when He lets it
shine out in notable merciful
deeds."-LenskL The Greekwordfor
"display" or "magnified" is
MEGALUNO which means "to
make large in appearance," "to
praise," "to exalt," and "to make
great." The subject of this verb is
God not Elizabeth! Although Eliza-
beth, as Mary, praised the Lord for
His mercy, in verse 58 we are told
that God praised Himself! God
magnified His own mercy! In fact,
that is the reason God was merciful
to Elizabeth and Mary-to glorify
and exalt His mercy so that all cre-
ation would praise Him. God's ulti-
mate reason for sending His Son to
save sinners is for "the praise of the
glory of His grace which He freely
bestowed on us in the Beloved,"
Eph. 1:6, 12, 14.
B. The Faith of
Elizabeth and Zacharias
In obedience to Biblical Law,
when the infant, John, was eight
days old his parents took him to
receive "the sign of the covenant,
circumcision," Genesis 17:12;
Leviticus 12:3. Apparently a cus-
tom had arisen of naming children
at their circumcision, and some of
the friends and relatives of Eliza-
beth wanted her to name the child,
Zacharias, after his father. Elizabeth
firmly refuses to name him
Zacharias, and tells everybody that
his name is to be John. She was
emphatic, and in this she is giving
testimony to her faith in the prom-
ise of God through the angelic wit-
ness. She believes her Sou is the
promised Forerunner, as God had
revealed, and so, in obedience, she
names him as she was commanded.
Her friends and relatives argue
with her over the baby's name,
pointing out to her that "John" is
not a family
name, and it
would be better
to give him a fam-
ily name. They
cannot convince
her and so they
tum to the child's
father, Zacharias,
to see what he
would say. For-
getting that he
was dumb, but
not deaf, they
start making
hand signs and
gestures to him to find out what he
wanted his son named. Unable to
speak, Zacharias communicates to
them that he wants a tablet to write
on. They give it to him and he
immediately writes: "His name is
John!" The crowds were astonished,
but that settled it. God commanded
Zacharias through the Angel to name
him John, so his name IS John and
nothing else. This too was an act of
faith on Zacharias' part.
The second Zacharias wrote
down, "His name is John!", his di-
vinely imposed dumbness, as chas-
tisement for his unbelief in the
Angel's message, was healed, "at
once his mouth was opened and his
September, 1993 THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon 17
tongue loosed, and he began to
speak in praise. of God," vs. 64.
"That the first use of his recovered
speech was to . continue blessing
God, rather than to complain, is
evidence that the punishment had
proved a blessing to him." -Plummer
"His name is John!" is the key-
note of this- section of
Luke's narrative. Luke.is
insistent: God must
name all the key players
in His world redemptive
program to impress us
with the fact that He and
He alone determines,
defines and controls aU
aspects of that program.
"Salvation is of the Lord!';
Zacharias- "God remem"
bers His covenant" Eliza-
beth-"God is the abso_
lutely faithful one" J ohn-
':Jehovah is merciful".
J esus-':J ehovah is salvation" J eho-
vah-"l am that I ani".
C. The Fear of the People
The. response of the neighbors
and relatives ofElizabeth,1ohn and
Zacharias changed from rejoicing,
vs. 58, to astonishment, vs. 63, and
"fear," vs. 65. This incident about
the naming of John was being talked
about all over the hill country of
Judea, vs, 65, and everybody kept
thinking about these matters over
and over, asking themselves, "What
then will this child tum out to be?", -
vs. 65-66. They were in this state of
mind, not only because of what
they had heard from Elizabeth and
Zacharias, but because it was be-
coming obvious that "the hand of
the Lord was certainly with him,"
i.e., young John. John "was con-
stantly supported by the power of
the Lard, who preserved, led and
strengthened him so that he might
be fitted for his life's work."-
Geldenhuys. "The child continued
to grow, and to become strong in
spirit, and he lived in the deserts
until the day of his public appear-
ance in Israel," vs. 80.
II. The Benedictus
a/Zacharias 0:67-79)
A. The Character of the
Benedictus
1. The Priestly Character
of the Benedictus
As The Magnificat was modeled
on the Psalms and the Song of
Hannah, The Benedictus on the
Prophecies of the Old Testament.
In fact, it has been called "the last
prophecy of the Old Dispensation
and the first in the New Dispensa-
tion." The tone of The Magnificat is
REGAL, i.e., kingly, and the tone of
The Benedictus is SACERDOTAL,
i.e., priestly. The first is appropriate
to Mary, the daughter of King David,
and the second appropriate to
Zacharias, thesonof the High Priest,
Aaron.
18 , THE CQUNSEL ofChalcedon September, 1993
2. The Name of the Benedictus
The common name for this song
of Zacharias is the song's first word
in the Latin version: "Benedictus
esto Dominus Deus Israelis," i.e.,
"Blessed be the Lord, the God of
Israel."
3. The Comparison of the
Magnificat and the
Benedictus
Mary's Magnificat is
a monologue sung in
praise to God. Zach-
arias' Benedictus,which
addresses God in the
third person, is a proph-
ecyinstructing his hear-
ers in the doctrine and
reality of salvation.
Mary's hymnisa prayer,
Zacharias'hymnisaser-
mono
4. The Poetry of
the Benedictus
This entire hymn is composed of
only two sentences, theIirst of which
ends in verse 75. Zacharias' praise
to God bursts forth like a pent-up
stream. He speaks Hebrew poetry,
"which is not rhymed, but rhyth-
mic in the beauty ofth6ught com-
bined with the beauty of balanced
expression. Its perfection lies in the
exceeding richness, pureness, and
loftiness of its religious thought, in
the clearness and the fulness of the
gospel revelation, andin theperfec-
tion with which O.T. allusion and
phraseology are employed." -Lenski,
pg. 100
5. The Theme of the Benedictus
After centuries of silence from
Heaven, Zacharias praises God for
once again visiting His people and
revealing Himself to them in Jesus
Christ. In two sentences he cel-
ebrates the personal and cultural
salvation of God's people which has
begun in the incarnation of jesus.
the Savior who brings and accom-
plishes this salvation.
The Magnificat and The
Benedictus make clear that this SAL-
VATIONISCOMPREHENSIVE.jn.
3:17; 4:42; Lk. 2:11. To under-
stand this we must understand
WHAT it is from which Christ saves
us--,sin. its consequences and ef-
fects. Mat. 1:21; I Tim. 1:1S; I In.
3:S;Jn. 1:29. Thus. because ofthe
comprehensive scope and effects of
sin on man and the creation. since
Christ carne to save man and cre-
ation from sin. that salvation must
be as comprehensive. Salvation.
therefore. "relates to every part of
man's life, both now and in the
future; it touches all of creation and
even the destructiveness of Satan. II
Cor. S:17; II Pet. 1:3; I John 3:8.-
Christ is at this very moment a
comprehensive Savior who came to
make His blessings flow far as sin's
curse is found! "- Greg Bahnsen,
Penpoint,July, 1992, Vol. 3, NO.4
B. The Old Testament Roots
of the Benedictus
The Benedictus----The O.T.Roots
1:68a --- Psa. 41:l3; 72:18;
106:48
1:68b --- Exod. 4:31; Psa.
111;9
1:69 ---
1:70---
Zech.8:9
Psa. 18:2; l32:17
Ezra 1:1; Jer. 1:9;
1:71 --- Psa. l06:10
1:72a --- Psa. 2S:6;98:3; l36.
l:72b, 73-- Gen. 12:2. 3; 17:7;
22:1S-18; Exod. 2:24; II Sam.22:S1
Psa. 105:6 - 10; Mic 7:20
1:74.75 ---Exod. 19:6; jeI.
30:9,10
1:76 -- Isa. 40:3; Mal. 3: 1
1:77 --- Psa.103:11.12; Isa.
1:18; lsa. 43:2S;S3:S,8.10. 12;jer.
31:34b; Mic. 7:19
1:78,79 --- Psa.107:1O; !sa. 9:1;
42:7; Isa. 60:1- 3; Mal. 4:2
C. The Divine Origin
of Zacharias' Benedictus
The Benedictus is introduced
with these words: "Zacharias was
filled with the Holy Spirit and
prophesied .. .. " vs. 67. Zacharias'
words resulted from the HolySpirit's
coming upon him and filling him.
Therefore. his words are to be re-
ceived as words of divine prophecy,
the verbal revelation of God. 'To
prophesy is not merely to foretell
the future or to speak in exalted
language that resembles psalms but
to understand the will and the acts
of God in their inner connection
and to reveal this connection for the
hearers in their present situation
and as regards the future. - ... to
prophesy is to speak as indicated,
under the extraordinary influence
of the Spirit who is granted for the
time being as a special gift so that
what is uttered is spoken by inspi-
ration and bears the mark of infalli-
bility." -Lenski, pg. 99.
D. The Content of the Benedictus
1. (1:68-75)First Stanza:
The Salvation of the
"Hom of Salvation"
a. (1 :68a) The God to be Praised
for Salvation: Jehovah-Elohim
The God Who is incarnate in
Jesus and who brings salvation to
mankind through Himis none other
than "the Lord God of Israel." This
name, "KURIOS HO THEOS" is
Greek for "YAHWEH ELOHIM,"
the Almighty Creator of the the
universe, Gen. 1: 1. and the God of
the Covenant. who reveals Himself
to His people and who controls
everything in creation for the sake
of His people. He is the only true
and living God. Besides Him there
is no other. THE CREATOR IS THE
REDEEMER.
b. (1 :68b) The Divine Visitation
to Mankind
This true and living God "has
visited us" in the person of Jesus
Christ, revealing Himself in Him
and in His saving work, Psa. 106:4.
"Has visited" is literally "looked
upon" in Greek. (EPESKEPSATO),
i.e., to look upon with active con-
cern and eagerness to help, to over-
see, Exod. 4:31; Lk. 7:16. The ob-
ject of this verb is "His people,"
which is drawn from the indirect
object of the second verb. jesus
saved His chosen people from their
sins, Mat. 1 :21. by being
IMMANUEL. i.e . GOD WITH US.
He oversees us. visits us. intervenes
into our history. cares for us, and
defends us as our "good Shepherd."
john 10, and as the "Bishop. (over-
seer), of our souls. I Peter 2:24f.
"Visited" is in the prophetic past
tense, as in O.T. Hebrew. to express
the certainty of the matter and also
the fact that it had already begun.
Malachi 3 :If prophesies this divine
intervention into human history, as
we have seen.
c. (l:68c) The Accomplish-
ment of Redemption
God visited us in Christ in order
to accomplish redemption for His
people. "Redemption"isLUTROSIS
in Greek, which means the act of
ransoming. Lk. 2:38;Act. 7:3S. God
"ransomed" His people in Christ.
B.B. Warfield. in his book, The Per-
September. 1993 TIlE COUNSEL of Chalcedon 19
son and Work of Christ, and Leon
Morris, in his book, The Apostolic
Preaching of the Cross, have shown
that the word "redemption" and its
relatives denote an act of setting
free by the payment of a ransom
price, Mk. 10:45; I Cor. 6:19,20; I
Cor. 7:22, 23; Rev. 5:9, 10.
LUTROSIS occurs three times in
theN.T., Lk.l:68; 2:38; Heb. 9:12.
In Hebrews 9: 12
"Christ is pictured as a
High Priest who, not.
'through the blood of
goats and calves, but
through his own blood,
entered.in once for all
into the holy pla,ce,
having obtained eter-
nal redemption,' which
brings us into the.realm
of sacrifice. But the sac-
rifi<;ial conception is
blended with that of
redemption, and 'his
own blood' must be
regarded as indicating the price of
redemption, as well as pointing to
the sacrificial process."-Morris, pg.
36.
Zacharias understands this
meaning of "redemption" as is obvi-
ous in his hymn. In verse 77 the
"salvatidn"which this "redemption"
pmduces "consiSts in the forgive-
ness of sins." 'This certainly settles
the question that we here have the
ransoming act of the Messiah re-
ferred to. Calvary does not merely
creep in, it . holds the entire terri-
tory. When God looked upon Is-
rael, its political situation was an
entirely minor matter compared
with its spiritual need of a ransom-
ing act to free it from sin and guilt.
God wrought ("accomplished") His
ransoming act by sending the
Ransomer and by having Him pay
the ransom or price and thus effect-
ingtheliberation."-Lenski,pg.102.
Notice the identity of those
whom God ransomed in Christ-
"His people," Mat. 1:21, His elect,
Eph. 1:3f, not everybody in the
world head for head. Zacharias be-
lieved in "limited atonement," Le.,
not an atonement limited in power,
but one limited in design.
d. (1: 69) The All Powerful
Savior-King
In the incarnation ofjesus, God
"raised up a Hom of salvation for
us." The image of a "hom," the
instrument of strength in many ani-
mals such as bulls, was a symbol of
power,Psa.18:2;IKings22:11;Isa.
34:7. This Divine Power is saving,
redeeming, conquering, regenera-
tive power-"a hom of salvation."
This Hom is the powerful Person in
Whom God would accomplish the
salvation and redemption of all His
people,Eph.1:18f; Rom. 1:16. This
personal Hom of Power is the Son
of the House of King David, Jesus
Christ the Lord. Salvation and re"
20 THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon September, 1993
demption are accomplished by this
Savior, and since there is no salva-
tion apart from or outside Him, He
is the Savior of the world, Acts 4: 12;
John 14:6. "Raising up the Hom of
Salvation in the House of David
must mean that Jesus is an actual
descendant ofDavid, and that Mary
is the mediUm of this descent."-
Lenski. Zacharias; inspired by the
Holy Spirit, is telling
us that Mary is a de-
scendant of David,
since, at this point, Jo-
.. seph has not yet en-
tered the picture.
For the meaning of
"salvation" see my
notes on 1:47 and
above; and for the sig"
nificance of the Davidic
connection see my
notes on 1 :32f.
e. (1:70a) The Fulfill-
ment of the Divine
Promise of the Old
Testament
(1). The Fulfillment of
O.T. Promise
Aftersummarizing the messianic
promises of the O. T. in verses 68-
69, Zacharias now says in verse 70.,
"as He spoke by the mouth of His
holy prophets FROM OF aLD."
"From of old" reaches back to the
very beginning of the O.T. The en-
tire Old Testament prophesies of
Jesus Christ. "He was the sum and
scope of all their predictions. He
was Abraham's promised Seed,
Abraham's Isaac, Jacob's Shiloh,
Moses' Great Prophet, Isaiah's
Immanuel, Ezekiel's Shepherd,
Daniel's Holy One, Zechariah's
Branch, Malachi's Angel; all of them
predictions of his coming. He was
Abel's Sacrifice, Noah's Dove,
Abraham's First Fruits, Aaron's Rod,
the Israelites' Rock, the Patriarchs'
Manna, David's Tabernacle,
Solomon's Temple: all these prefig-
ured His Incarnation. They were
folds and swathing bands of this
babe JESUS."-quoted by Bishop
Browning in Lenski, pg. 104.
(2). The Verbal Inspiration of the
Bible
This statement in verse 70 that
"He (God) spoke by the mouth of
His holy prophets" shows that
Zacharias believed in the verbal,
propositional revelation of the Bible,
as well as in Messianic prophecy.
"His (Zacharias') words, which were
spoken by inspiration of the Holy
Spirit, vs. 67, are the Holy Spirit's
own testimony that God spoke
through the lips of the prophets.
This is the Scripture definition of
verbal inspiration: God speaks and
uses the mouth of the prophets as
His medium."-Lenski
f. (1 :71) The Nature of Salvation
as Deliverance from Enemies
The salvation of God's people
which the accomplished redemp-
tion in Christ produces includes
these basic elements:
(1). Victory over our enemies,
and over all who hate God's people,
vs.71.
(2). Fulfillment of all the cov-
enant promises in the life of the
people of God, vs. 7Z.
(3). Ability and desire to serve
God in holiness and righteonsness
all our days, vs. 74f.
(4). Knowledge and personal ex-
perience of the blessings and effer:ts
of salvation, vs. 77.
(5). Forgiveness of sins for all of
God's people, vs. 77.
(6). Enlightenment in the will
and ways of God with us, vs. 78f.
Verse 71 describes salvation in
terms of victory over our enemies
and over those who would harm us
as the people of God. As we have
seen in our introduction, "salva-
tion," which is a key word in the
Gospel According to Luke, does not
denote escapism; rather, it denotes
deliverance from enemies by vic-
lOry over those enemies. God deliv-
ers His people from their enemies,
not by "rapturing" them out of the
midst of their enemies, but by de-
stroying their enemies. This is the
work of the mighty "Horn of Salva-
tion." He strikes and destroys our
enemies for us. Our enemies are
any individual, force, (human or
demonic), movement, institution or
nation thaL seeks to hinder us from
hallowing God's name and doing
God'swill on earth as it is in heaven.
The O.T. quotation in verse 71 is
Psalm 106:10- '50 He saved them
from the hand of the one who hated
them,and redeemed them from the
hand of the enemy." Psalm 106:11
goes on to describe how God saves
His people from the power of their
enernies- "And the waters covered
their adversaries; not one of them was
left. "The effect of this victory/salva-
tion over Israel's enemies in the Red
Sea is given in Psalm 106: 12-"Then
they believed His words; they sang His
praise."
g. (1:72-73a) The Covenantal
Basis and Root of
Salvation in Christ
These verses indicated the cov-
enantal basis and root of the salva-
tion God has accomplished in] esus
Christ. (See notes on the covenant
in our introduction to the Gospel of
Luke.) Zacharias' point is that the
.Messiah made His appearance in
history and God's Kingdom began
to dawn and redemption was ac-
complished in Christ BECAUSE
GOD REMEMBERED HIS HOLY
COVENANT. Therefore we cannot
understand the life and mission of
Jesus unless we understand: (1).
the covenant structure of the Bible,
the gospel and the history of re-
demption; and (2). the continuity
of the O.T. and the N.T.
The two infinitives denote pur-
pose. In accomplishing redemption
and effecting salvation in Christ,
God intends "to show mercy to-
ward our fathers" and "to remem-
ber His holy covenant." This hymn
focuses on divine mercy, vss. 58,
72, 78, because it deals with deliv-
erance from the miserable conse-
quences and effects of sin. "To show
mercy" is to show mercy in a ded
c
sive and effective way (aorist). God
shows mercy "toward our fathers"
by being faithful to the promises He
made to them, which would deliver
their posterity from the misery of
sin. "To remember His holy cov-
enant" is also an effective aorist.
Therefore, to remember is to ex-
ecute and fulfill that covenant com-
pletely. "To remember" is to speak
anthropomorphically of God. In the
O.T. when God acts after a long
"delay", he is said to remember.
The "holy covenant" is "the cov-
enants of promise" historically de-
veloped throughout the Old Testa-
ment and consummated in the New
Covenant in Christ. The "holy cov-
enant" is God's Covenant of Grace
September, 1993 t- THE COUNSEL Qf ChalcedQR ~ 21
with His people historically devel-
oped in the Edenic Covenant, the
Adarnic Covenant, the Noahic Cov-
enant, theAbraharnic Covenant, the
Mosaic Covenant and the Davidic
Covenant. This "covenant" is
"HOLY" because it belongs exclu-
Sively to the Lord, originating with
Him andadrninlstered by Him. It Is
a communion of life with God in
Christ and and a sovereignly- dic-
tated order oflife for His
cuse for sluggishness, for the en-
couragement of God's word and
oath is constantly there for those
who have turned their backs on the
passing allurements of this world
and have fled for refuge."-P.E.
Hughes, Hebrews, pg. 232-33.
h. Cl:73b-75) The Purpose and
Effect of Salvation
in the Redeemed
fore God, Lk. 1 :74; Act. 24:14; Heb.
12:28, with an inward as well as an
outward dimension, I.e., thought
and behavior.
(2) . "Holiness" is HOSIOTETI
in Greek, meaning separation from
sin and devotion to God.
(3). "Righteousness" is
DIKAI OSUNE, meaning obedience
to what God's revealed will requires
of us. Whatever is holy Is righteous.
"Our entire service to God
people.
In remembering His
covenant-bond and cov-
enant promises to His
people, Jehovah could
not help but remember
the OATH with which He
sealed that covenant,
Gen. 22 16-18; Heb.
6:13-20. Thisdivineoath.
was a gracious conde-
scension on God's part to
weak and doubting men.
This oath of God was
"God, in perfect faithfulness to His
covenant promise, sent Jesus to
redeem us from our sin and our
enemies, and to restore us to fel-
lowship with Himself in order that
He might grant us the ability and
the desire to serve Him without
fear, in holiness and righteousness
before Him all our days."
is confined to this sphere
-hich is filled withholi-
ness and righteous-
ness."Lenski. That is the
significance of the word
"in" in the phrase in verse
75, "in holiness and righ-
teousness."
(4). "BeforeHim,"vss.
75,15,17,19,Is literally
"in His sight" or "in His
presence." The purpose
for which Gdd sent Jesus
to save us is that we rnlght
added to the covenant proJp.ise "not
because God's word wa,s in need of
any kind of support, for in the na-
ture of the case His word is indefec-
tibly finn and reliable (which is the
whole reason for swearing in God's
name), but because, the human situ-
ation being .what it Is, God in His
goodness desired to show more con-
vindngly, to underline, as it were,
with a double assurance, the un-
changeable character of His pur-
pose. - God, then, guaranteed His
trustworthiness, (and the irrevoca-
bility of His purpose), through two
unchangeable things, namely, His
word of PROMISE and His OATH
in confirmation of that word, in
which ' it is impossible that God
should prove false. - With this
powerful incentive there is no ex-
God, in perfect faithfulness to
His covenant promise, sent Jesus to
redeem us from our sin and our
enemies, and to restore us to fellow-
ship with Himself in order that He
might grant us the ability and the
desire to "serve Him without fear ,in
holiness and righteousness before
Him all our days." Whether our
enemies persecute us or not, being
delivered from them in Christ, we
serve God fearlessly. It was the pur-
pose of God to save us in Christ so
as to make us His servants and
worshipers, Rom. 8:1-4; Eph. 2:8-
10.
(1). "Serve" Is LATREUEIN in
Greek. It means "to work, to serve,
to cherish, to worship, Dt. 1O:12f;
Josh. 24:19. The verb has the gen-
eral sense of obedient conduct be-
22 , THE COUNSEL of ChaIcedon September, 1993
joyfully and obediently worship
God in Christ our whole life long on
this earth. We are to strive to live
consciously "in God's Presence" all
our days.
2. (1:76-79) Second Stanza:
The Salvation of
"The Sunrise from on High"
a. (1: 76-77a)The Unique Pro-
phetic and Preparatory Ministry of
John the Forerunner
Just as the first stanza of The
Benedictus focused on Jesus, the
"Hom of Salvation," so the second
stanza focuses on Jesus, the "Sun-
rise from on High." However,
Zacharias begins the second stanza
by addreSSing his son,John, and by
defining the role God has given him
to play as the Forerunner of the
Savior. He addresses John, not as
"my child," but as "child," empha-
sizing his God-given calling, while
placing his personal relation to him
in the background.
(l).His Role as "The Prophet
of the Most High"
As the mouthpiece of the Lord,
John the Forerunner was the last
and greatest of the prophets, be-
cause he immediately preceded the
Messiah and belonged to the New
Day of Salvation.
(2). His Work of Going Before
"The Lord's Face"
John would, (literally), "go be-
fore the Lord's face to make ready
His ways." Jehovah Himself comes
to His People in the person ofJesus.
He causes His Face to shine in Him.
And John was sent to prepare the
people of God for that divine visita-
tion by incarnation.
The "ways" of the Lord are "the
paths along which He wishes to
come to impart His salvation to
man, In. 1:23. And because God
comes to men whose hearts and
inmost natures and attitudes to-
wards life are receptive for Hisrnani-
festedsalvation, it followsthatJohn's
task as forerunner of Christ will be
to bring people to the right attitude
through the power of God. This
attitude will mainly consist in this,
that men will be brought to a real-
ization and confession of sin and
will long and hunger for the Mes-
siah-Redeemer. ThusJohnwillpro-
claim to His people the arrival of
redemption, a redemption which
does not consist in external politi-
cal liberation (at least in the first
irtstance) but in the forgiveness of
sins. He himself will not accom-
plish the redemption; the Messiah
will do this. John will merely give
notice to the people that it is com-
ing and that it takes the form of
salvation from the guilt and power
of sin through the work of the Mes-
siah. In thisrnanner, he will prepare
the people for the work of Christ." -
Geldenhuys
(3). His Work of Giving
God's People the
Knowledge of Salvation
The preparatory ministry of] ohn
was necessary because the Jewish
people, (with few exceptions), at
that time held a long-standing mis-
conception concerning the nature
of salvation the Messiah would bring
and concerning the nature of the
Kingdom of the Messiah. They ex-
pected a Messiah who would bring
political salvation, and whose King-
dom would overturn the Roman
Empire so as to liberate the Jewish
people that He might exalt them
once again to a pOSition of political
greatness as in the days of King
David. This political view of salva-
tion and the kingdom was popular
because the people themselves had
no true conception of their own
spiritual need-they were totally
depraved and in need of forgive-
ness of sins and renewal of heart.
They considered themselves as righ-
teous, when in fact, they were
unrighteousness, and under God's
condemnation.
b. (l :77b) The Nature of Salva-
tion as Forgiveness of Sins
(1). The Knowledge of Salvation
consisting in the
Forgiveness of Sins
We have the personal lmowl-
edge and experience of salvation in
only one way, 'in connection with
the remission of our sins,' i.e., when
forgiveness of sins is ours through
faith in Jesus Christ. This forgive-
ness of sins is an objective act of
God resulting in the subjective
knowledge on our part of having
been forgiven. If we are to person-
ally experience the powers and
blessings of salvation, we mnst re-
ceive the forgiveness of our sins
through faith in the once-for-all
sacrifice of] esus Christ in our place.
(2). The Meaning of
"Forgiveness of Sins"
"Forgiveness" is APHESIS in
Greek. It denotes God's sending
away of our sins--as far as the east
is from the west, Psa. 103: 12; into
the depths of the sea, Micah 7:19;
blotting them out and never re-
membering them against us again,
Isa.43:25.
(a). How Does God
Forgive Our Sins?
"Poor sinful man is justified be-
fore God, that is, absolved and de-
clared free and exempt from all his
sins, and from the sentence of well"
deserved condemnation, and
adopted into sonship and heirship
of eternal life, without any merit or
worth of our own, also without any
preceding, present, or any subse-
quent works, out of pure grace,
because of the sole merit, complete
obedience, bitter suffering, death,
and resurrection of our Lord Christ
alone, whose obedience is reckoned
to us for righteonsness." -Concordia
Triglotta 919,9 as quoted in Lenski.
(b). Zacharias' Emphasis on
Forgiveness of Sins
Several statements by Zacharias
in The Benedictus are linked with
the forgiveness of sins. John the
Forerunner will minister to it. His
preaching, by which God works
September, 1993 4 THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon ;. 23
faith in his hearers, is the means of
apprehending it. It is the essence of
salvation. The mercy of God is the
origin and fountain of it. Christ the
Sunrise from on High and His re-
demptive work comprise the basis
of it. Divine enlightenment, divine
guidance and divine enablement to
walk in the ways of peace are the
results of it.
(3). The Theology and Ethics of
Forgiveness of Sins
'new freedom,' the state rapidly ex-
tends its powers over the people,
over family life, economics, educa-
tion, business, labor, and agricul-
ture, over the churches, art, sci-
ence, and all things else."-
Rushdoony,pg.199
(d). "Where there is no forgive-
ness of sins, there is also the con-
doning of sins. A sinful society finds
itself unwilling to accept the fact of
history and to 'regenerate society
even as hehas been regenerated. He
can bring the word of God to bear
on all problems and establish God's
law order in every realm."
Rushdoony, RevoltAgainstMaturity,
pg.283.
(g). "Without forgiveness of sins,
hell would be the basic and ulti-
mate state of all men. The torment
of the burden of sin and guilt would
(a). Forgiveness is not
an emotional act, it is a
judicial and legal act of God.
I t means that the charges
have been dropped against
a guilty person, because
satisfaction has been ren-
dered by Christ.
(b). "The forgiveness of
sins restores man into com-
munion with God and' into
his rightful place as lord of
the earthin Christ. The for-
givehess of sins is the lib-
"The new man in Christ, having
forgiveness of sins, is able to
introduce a new motive force in
history and to regenerate soci-
ety, even as he has been regen-
erated. He can bring the word
of God to bear on all problems
and establish God's law order in
every realm." R J Ruehdoony
not only gnaw at the en-
trails of all men but also
make them past-bound
and past-oriented. The
guilty man endlessly re-
hearses the past, telling
himself, I should have done
thus and so, and he makes
himself impotent in cop-
ingwith the present. When
men are guilt-ridden, and
a culture is dominated by
guilty and unregenerate
men, history bogs down
into an impotent longing
for past glory and a futile,
eration of man from God's judg-
ment, and from the sentence of his
own heart. It is the restoration of
man into his calling as man, to be
priest, prophet, and king under God.
It is the restoration of man into dear
and true thinking." -Rushdoony, The
Foundations ofsoctaLOrder, pg. 2-l.
(c) .. "Without the liberating
power of Christianity, the forgive-
nesS of sinsi:hrough Jesus Christ,
there is no possibility of overthrow-
ing tyranny. The gospel of the ty-
rantstate becomes the assertion that
liberty is license to sin, and slavery
is the liberty of moral self-govern-
ment. In every such state, the courts
and schools decree and interpret
liberty as freedom from morality.
- .. as the people wallow in this
judgment, because it is vulnerable
to judgment. As a result, the law is
steadily subverted." -Rushdoony,
pg. 199
(e). "Where there is no forgive-
ness of sins, there is bondage to sin.
A sinning people may fret against
the injustice of their overlords, but
they lack the moral courage to make
a stand against injustice."-
Rushdoony,Pg.200
CD. "Without forgiveness and re-
generation, there can be nothing
new in history. Man the sinner
would then endlessly repeat his sin,
compound his guilt, and have no
escape save the hope of eternal
death. - The new man in Christ,
having forgiveness of sins, is able to
introduce a new motive force in
24. ~ .THE COUNSEL ofChalcedon ~ September, 1993
back-biting rehearsal of past a ~ d
present sins."cRushdoony, Salvation
and Godly Rule, pg. ~ 5 2
(h). "To seek forgiveness of sins
from Jesus Christ. means not only
dealing with our unregenerate and
sinful past but also with our present
and future. - First, .. .forgiveness
removes the burden of past sins
through the atoning work and sat-
isfaction of God's justice by Jesus
Christ, Rom. 5:19; 3:24,25.-. Sec-
ond, forgiveness has a present ref-
erence, in that it fills us with peace
and joy and gives us increasingly
the assurance of forgiveness, Rom.
15:13. - Third, forgiveness has a
present AND future reference, not
only in the fact of hope but in the
active imperative to forgive others
their offenses: 'Forgive us our debts
as we forgive our debtors,' Mat.
6:12. -Fourth, .. .forgiveness is not
only a personal act, one in which
God has the initiative, and man in
Christ manifests the same grace to
other persons, but also a social act,
in that it manifests the grounds of
the jubilee society," i.e., a Christian
society where our debts are can-
celed, our slavery to sin terminated,
and the repossession of the earth as
our dominion under God begun."-
Rushdoony, Salvation, pg. 255-56.
c. (1:78-79) The Nature of
Salvation as the Visitation of
"The Sunrise from on High"
(1). The Source of Salvation:
The Tender Mercy of God
The reason and basis for the
forgiveness of sins is the tender
mercy of God. THE ULTIMATE
CAUSE OF FORGIVENESS OF
SINS IS INTHE HEART OF GOD-
in His ELEOS-HESED. "Tender" in
Greek is SPLANGNA, meaning the
viscera, the human "entrails," such
as the heart, lungs, liver. This figu-
rative language indicates the pro-
found depth of God's mercy.
(2). The Identity of
"The Sunrise from on High"
Clothed in this tender mercy of
God "the Sunrise from on High"
"has visited us," (according to some
manuscripts), "will visit us," (ac-
cording to others). The Greek word
for "Sunrise" is ANATOLE, refer-
ring in other places in Greek litera-
ture to the rising of the sun. See
Malachi 4:2, where Christ is said to
be "the Sun of righteousness rising
with healing in His wings (rays)."
See also Isaiah 9:2; 60:1; II Pet.
1:19; Rev. 22:16.
(3). The Purpose of the Visit of
"The Sunrise from on High"
(a) . "To Shine upon Those Who
Sit in Darkness and the Shadow of
Death"
God visited His people in Jesus
Christ to shine a bright light on
those who sit in darkness and in the
shadow of death. "Those who sit"
refers to people "who are utterly
helpless, tired, worn out, giving up
the struggle, hopeless." -Lenski. "In
darkness" intensified by "the
shadow of death" refers to "all this
darkness that envelops these hope-
less, despairing people (which) is
that (darkness) cast by death which
stands so close to them that its
shadow already rests upon them
as being utterly doomed. Can a
more deplorable and desperate spiri-
tual condition be imagined?"-
Lenski. In Christ, God scatters the
darkness of their sin and its misery,
sets them free from the fear and
shadows of death, and illumines
their lives.
(b). "To Guide Our Feet
into the Way of Peace"
"Where men sat abjecdy they
now rise to their feet joyously; where
in the darkness they knew not
whither to tum they are now guided
aright; where there was nothing but
death's shadow there is now the
bright and shining way of peace."-
Lenski
"HODOS," the Greek word for
"way," and for the Hebrew, DEREK,
refers to ethical principles of con-
duct. "The way of peace" refers to
those ethical principles of God's
word which are inseparable from
the glorious restoration of God's
order and of total health to the
people of God. " 'Peace' is far more
than the feeling of calmness, secu-
rity, and rest, which as such would
be deceptive,it is the condition of
real harmony and friendship be-
tween God and us, which was es-
tablished by Christ and made ours
through Him."-Lenski. Peace does
not primarily refer to emotional
peace and calmness of soul. It de-
notes everything that makes for a
person's highest good.
III. (1:80) The Childhood of John
the Forerunner
John resembles Jesus in his de-
velopment from infancy through
childhood and adolescence to young
manhood. ''The child continued to
grow and to become strong inspirit,
and he lived in the deserts until the
day of his public appearance (his
presentation day) to Israel." How-
ever, notice the difference between
the development of John in 1:80
and that ofJesus in 2:40.
John's parents, already aged at
his birth, could not have lived long
after his birth. As a young man he
lived in remote places in the desert,
away from the distractions of the
evil society of that day. God guided
his life in this way to prepare him
for his ministry as Forerunner. "Here
in the wilderness the word of God
eventually came to him, and he
went to the Jordan country to
preach, Lk. 3:2. This was his "pre-
sentation day", the day when God
presented him to Israel for his great
work."-Lenski
Some recent "scholars" have tried
to tie John with some sect of the
Essenes, which were communities
in the deserts ofJudea. "We have no
reason to believe that he came in
September, 1993 THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon 25
contact with them. Excepting the
ascetic life, and a yearning for some-
thing better than obsolete Judaism,
there:was litde resemblance between
their principles andbis. He preached
the Kingdom of God they preached
isolation. They abandoned society;
he str()ve to refonn it."cPlummer
"The reader-has been prepared
to expect the dawn of a great day
when John would come forth from
his obSCUrity to herald the coming
of the Christ. Commenting on Luke
1:80,J.Gresham Machen has said:
"Does that verse not lead the
reader to look for the great day that
is theteheldin prospect, the day
wheh]ohn would emerge from his
6qscurity and appear publicly as
the forerunner of the fuessiaruc sal-
vation? Whenever 'that day should
come, surely It would be'heralded
by the writer 'wh() iricluded 1 :8Cl in
his book, with allthesolernnitythat
he could command.' AJ:ld just ex-
acdy that is done in Luke3:lff. The
period of obscurity and waiting in
which the reader was left in ,the
former passage is over; the forerun_
nereUlerges . froUl. the deserts and
the day of the Ulessianic salvation
has daWlled. Wh.at wonder tl;l.at the
concomitant political conditions are
marked with all.the precision that
the can cOffiUland; :what WOI).c
der dwt rulers and high priests lire.
lI).llrshallep,to do honor to tl;l.e grellt
event tIlat Signalized their
quo\ed by Stonehouse. .
Conclusion
Jesus Christ is our HORN OF
SALVATION,whopowerfully ac-
complishes our eternal redemption,
and by His Spirit, effectually ap-
plies that ?alvation to ourlives, in-
wanlly lind outwardly, individ)lally
lind socially. He is our RISING SUN,
who shines His holy light on
us,lellding us in the paths of pellce.
"Out of darkness-the symbol of
estmngement from God, of igno-
mnce, impurity and misery-He,
the Sun of Righteousness, lellds us
through His work of reconciliation
lliong thewllyeverlasting-the path
of light and peace."-Geldenhuys
the inner life of humankind, re-
gardless of its technology lind edu-
cation. "Through Christ the es-
trangement from God, the spiritual
ignomnce, enslavement to sin lind
the feeling of futility are replaced by
intimate communion with God, by
true knowledge of the deepest truths
of life, by inner freedo.n lind rich-
ness of life-ll consciousness of
Today liS in Zacharias' time, de- vocation which makes life worth
spllir, depravity and pessimism grip while." -Geldenhuys n
"After centuries of silence from
Heaven. Zacharias praises God for
once again visiting Hi5 people and
revealing Himself to them in Jesus
Christ. In two sentences. he celebrates
the personal and cultural salvation of
God's people which has J:?egun in the
incarnation of Jesus. the Savior who
brings and accomplishes this
$alvation." Luke 1:67"80
26 TIlE COlJNSEL of Chalcedon Septemher, 1993

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