“The Just Shall Live By Faith”

New King James Version                          Written by: David Hicks

 

Romans 1:17 “ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

Galatians 3:11 “But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."

Hebrews 10:38 “Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."

“Articles of Faith"

An Orderly Account Of The Greatest Story Ever Told

(A Study in Luke)

Chapter 12:4-12:

In our last lesson, before the Lord would engage in the sermon portion of His teaching; He wanted His disciples to beware of the corruption and hypocrisy of the Pharisees. This entire chapter until verse 54, is given to His disciples; however, in a public forum (as we will see one from the crowd interrupt His teaching in verse 13). In this lesson, the Lord is now going to enter into the sermon as a continuation of the introduced warning. The focus will be on the proper attitude towards God and His Christ from a true disciple!

Text #1:

Luke 12:4-7 “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!
6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Similar teaching in: Matthew 10:27-31. This teaching was given by the Lord as part of the instructions when He sent out the twelve.

Whom You Should Fear: As the Lord has warned His disciples concerning the corruption of the Pharisees, it is a natural course to instruct them not to fear their threats. We have seen in previous lessons that the disciples of the Lord; were at times, caused to doubt and fall short because of the Pharisees and scribes: see the lesson about the boy the Lord healed after He came down from the Mount of Transfiguration - http://www.plvcc.org/Luke937-45.htm

We could spend pages on the value of the proper fear of God! Suffice it to say that it is an issue of proper perspective. Jesus establishes that perspective in verses 4-5.

Cast Into Hell: The word “Hell” here, even in the New King James, is improperly translated and should be translated, “Gehenna”. The Lord never used the word “hell” and literally spoke one of two words that are translated with the word “hell”; they are “Hades” and “Gehenna”. “Hades” was the place of the spirits or dead.

“Gehenna” was a real place to the children of Israel . It was the Aramaic title for the Valley of Hinnom . This valley had been a place for unmentionable abominations as the seat of worship of the idolatrous god Molech. These places were destroyed by Josiah king of Judah (II Kings 23:10) and afterwards the valley was considered an abomination. Later because of this and because of the proximity to the city of Jerusalem , it was used as a site where trash was burned as well as offal, dead bodies of those to poor for graves, etc… The fires in the valley were kept burning day and night, the odor was the smell of death and rot, and the flies, maggots, and vultures were always there. It invoked the most horrible images to the Jews and this is the physical place that Jesus used as an illustration of the spiritual eternal separation from God reserved for the wicked.

Sparrows and Hairs: The final portion of this text is given for the disciples to know that whatever they might be called upon to undergo, they would at all times know that they were the object of God's care and providence.

The coin mentioned here is from the Greek, “assarion”; a coin worth about 1/16 of a denarius's (one day's wage). Not of great value to men, but as used of the disciples, important to God if they follow the advice given.

Text #2:

Luke 12:8-12 “Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. 9 But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
10 “And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.
11 “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Similar teaching found in: Matthew 10:32-33.

As an addition to the proper attitude towards God, it would stand to reason that the disciples of the Lord would also need to confess without fear the Son of God. To confess Jesus as the Christ is to openly acknowledge Him as such.

Blaspheme Against the Holy Spirit:

To revile is to speak evil of men; but to speak evil of deity is to blaspheme. During this instruction, the Lord is looking forward to a time after He is to no longer be with them in the flesh. This is very similar language to that which He would use to comfort them after the last Passover meal in John 13:36-16:33; showing them that although He was leaving them, He would not leave them orphans, He would send the Spirit to comfort, teach, remind, and bring them to all truth.

There were many at this time that would speak a word against Jesus as the Son of God; however, after His resurrection and ascension when the Spirit would be given in apostolic measure and His Apostles would testify through the Spirit that Jesus was the Christ, to speak evil of Christ was not blaspheme Him as the Son of God and the Holy Spirit who revealed and testified of this.

Mark 16:15-16 “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

In this teaching of Jesus concerning the Great Commission, we see the message the Spirit would teach them and the result of any who speaks evil of the Holy Spirit through them . Denial of Jesus as the Christ of God through the Spirit given Gospel of Christ is to deny the life the Son of God came to give.

As the Apostles of Christ went out in fulfillment of the commission, the warnings that Jesus gives them now, concerning the persecutions they would face, played out in detail in the book of Acts (they were brought before the Sanhedrin – Chap. 4-5; 23; governors – Chap. 24-25; kings – Chap. 12, 26). In each case the Spirit consoled them, strengthened them, and gave them the knowledge to speak:

Acts 4:8-13 “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”

These first two sections are in contrast to the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of this day.

John 12:42-50 “Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
44 Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45 And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. 46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. 47 And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. 50 And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”

In addition, this passage actually stands a good commentary on this portion of teaching by the Lord.

Next: “A Parable of Folly and the Command NOT to Worry”