The first several articles in this blog are topical–the historicity of Jesus, what must I do to be Saved, and Design or Darwin, topics concerning which I am particularly passionate. I originally planned to write most of my blog posts in this way. However, I feel prodded to work more directly with the biblical text. As a senior pastor, I almost always preached expositional messages teaching through various books of the Bible. By the time my 20 year tenure was over, I had preached through all of the Pauline literature, the Gospels, Acts, John and Peter’s epistles, Hebrews, James, and Revelation. I rarely did a topical series because I felt that exposition kept me honest. The text controlled the narrative rather than the narrator. It was the text in its grammatical/historical context that needed to be interpreted, explained, and applied.
I do not intend to write detailed exegetical commentaries on biblical books in this blog. However, I will try to address Scripture with integrity, looking carefully at the meaning of the author as he addressed his ancient audience. Nor do I plan to go strictly verse by verse as I did in my preaching ministry. I will allow myself to move more briskly between key paragraphs, while working to contextualize each passage. Remaining anchored to the text actually results in addressing a myriad of important and relevant topics. The key difference is that in exposition the topics appear organically from the guiding ministry of the Holy Spirit rather than in a contrived or manipulated way.
So, where to begin? The book of Romans is the most comprehensive discourse on the Christian faith in the Bible. It is likely for this reason that it stands first among the Church letters. I spent several years preaching through Romans in my own ministry. Furthermore, it contains the clearest explanation of the content of the gospel and the most persuasive argument for the need of the gospel. So, that’s where I will start. Depending on how long this blog lasts, it could be where I finish too! Let’s consider Romans 1:1-2, which explains that the Gospel was not a novel invention in Paul’s day. It was God’s plan all along. The prophets revealed it hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus Christ.
Paul initially identifies himself as a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, one who is set apart to communicate the gospel (Rom 1:1). The term “apostle” simply means “sent one.” However, in the New Testament it took on a more technical meaning. Christ’s apostles had miraculous power as seen in 2 Cor 12:12 which states, “Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you . . . in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.” The apostles were the wonder workers in the first century. Their miracles validated their message. Additionally, when the early church sought a replacement for Judas, they identified two qualifications necessary for his apostolic successor. First, the candidate had to have been present for the entirety of the Lord’s ministry. Second, he had to be a personal witness of the resurrection (Acts 1:21-22). Clearly no one meets those qualifications today. Thus, it seems certain that the office of apostle was a temporary gift bestowed to a chosen few, who through their miracles and signs confirmed the message of the gospel to the Jews.
After his introduction, Paul elaborates on the good news, saying that “God had promised the Gospel before by his prophets in the Scriptures, concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord . . ..” There is much to observe in this text. First, we see that God is the source of this message. It is the gospel which is from God–a genitive of source for those with a Greek background. The good news is God’s idea–it is His plan. Second, it was prophesied in the Old Testament hundreds of years before Jesus was born. As we shall see, the cross was no accident. It was a Divine appointment. Third, the gospel is about His Son Jesus Christ. It is not about us. We are not the main characters in the redemption story. We are the beneficiaries. The Hero of the story is Jesus.
So where in the Old Testament is the Gospel predicted? To what OT text is Paul referring? He does not cite the passage specifically. It’s possible he was thinking of many passages. However, I suspect one text in particular was top of mind. Isaiah is often thought of as the prophet of grace. He seems to have understood the grace of God better and more clearly than any other writing prophet. His book begins with an invitation, “Come now and let us reason together saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet. they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isa 1:18). Prophesy can both reveal and conceal. It is specific and concrete enough so that once it happens one can look back and see how the pieces fit together. But it is also mysterious so as to inhibit any forces seeking to obstruct its completion.
Isaiah’s ministry was from about 740-680 BC, during the reign of four kings, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (Isa 1:1). To my mind, Isaiah 52:13-53:12 is the greatest and most profound prophecy in the Old Testament. In this passage we learn several critically important things: we meet the Servant of Yahweh, we discover the nature of His service, and we are informed of the consequences of His service. Immediately, we encounter the fact that He is a suffering servant. Chapter 52:14 reveals that he will be tortured so severely that it becomes nearly impossible to identify him as a human being. The Servant of Yahweh is on a mission of death. He will be victimized, brutalized, and executed. This is His service to Yahweh. His death is a slow and painful one which involves both piercing wounds and crushing blows (Isa 53:5).
But what is the reason for His sacrifice, for this indignity, for this humiliation? The text answers this question unambiguously. It leaves absolutely no doubt as to the reason for this offering. Repeatedly it states the answer over and over. It is unrelenting and unequivocal. It was “for our transgressions, . . . for our iniquities, . . . by his stripes we are healed, . . . the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all, . . . for the transgression of my people was he stricken, . . . Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him . . . when thou shall make his soul an offering for sin, . . . He (Yahweh) shall see the travail of his (the Servant) soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities, . . . He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isa 53:5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12).
This passage predicts the sacrificial, substitutionary, atoning death of Jesus Christ some 700 years before he was born. Let that sink in. Of course, critics and skeptics try to mitigate the enormous predictive authority of this text by arguing that it was not written by Isaiah but by a later editor–a second Isaiah. However, the only reason this is suggested is because of the striking prophecies found in the book. For instance, in Isaiah 44:28-45:1 the name of the Medo-Persian King who would eventually deliver the Jews from their Babylonian Captivity is named specifically and directly–Cyrus! Secular history confirms his identify. That is humanly impossible, particularly since at the time of Isaiah’s writing the Babylonian Captivity would not occur for another 100 years or so. Nonetheless, there it is.
Now the critics don’t like this sort of thing because it so clearly indicates the divine nature of Scripture. Nonetheless, no amount of date-tampering can detract from the prophetic voice of Isaiah 53. The Caves of Qumran have seen to that. At Qumran a completed scroll of Isaiah was found containing chapters 1-66, beautifully scripted and containing all of the Isaiah 53 passage. Qumran is at least second century BC. This means that the prophecy of Christ was written at least 200 years before his birth. No collusion could have possibly occurred. Additionally, there is no evidence linguistically or otherwise for rejecting the 8th century date other than a distaste for prophetic accuracy.
Anyone familiar with the New Testament could easily confuse the words of Isaiah with those of the apostle Paul. Isaiah’s prophesy is exactly the same as Paul’s gospel (other than one is written in Hebrew and one is in Greek-but they mean precisely the same thing). Paul defined his gospel a bit more succinctly writing, “Moreover brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, . . . how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures . . ..” (1 Cor 15:1a, 3). The harmony is undeniable. The Servant of Yahweh in Isaiah is the Jesus of the Gospels. Both are sent on a rescue mission. Both are executed in a violent way that involves piercing wounds. Both submit to the will of God with unflinching devotion. Both are totally innocent. Perhaps most striking is that both serve as substitutes for the guilty–they are sacrificial victims. They both die for the sins of others. Their offering is efficacious, perfectly satisfying the just demands of God. Looking back, it is clear that Isaiah’s prophesy forecasts the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. Paul states in Rom1:3a that the OT prophesy he had in mind was in fact concerning “His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord . . .. (Rom 1:3a).
This is the message Paul was commissioned to preach. How that Christ died for our sins and has provided a way for sinners to be forgiven, cleansed, and justified before God. Indeed, through faith in Christ our sins really can be whiter than snow.
Glory to God!
RFS, PhD