Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 58:13-14

“If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (Isaiah 58:13-14, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Luke 13:10-17 

“Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, ‘Woman, you are freed from your disability.’ And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, ‘There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.’ Then the Lord answered him, ‘You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?’ As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.” (Luke 13:10–17, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

You have likely noticed that Christ is often found condemning the sin of hypocrisy in this section of Luke’s gospel. 

In Luke 12:1 we hear Christ say, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” In Luke 12:56 he spoke to the unbelieving people in the crowd, saying, “You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” And here in the passage that is open before us today, Christ speaks to the ruler of a synagogue and to all who agreed with his faulty opinion, saying, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” (Luke 13:15–16, ESV)

It should be clear to all that Jesus Christ is vehemently opposed to hypocritical religion and to all who practice it. The religious hypocrite will practice their religion externally and superficially but without love in their heart for God and their fellow man. The hypocrite will dress and play the part of one who is religiously devout, but inwardly they remain dark and corrupted, devoid of spiritual life, light, and love. 

In Matthew 23:27 we hear Christ speak to the hypocrite, saying, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.” In Luke 11:39, Christ says something similar to the hypocritical Pharisees: “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.” 

These metaphors are powerful. They help us to see that religion that is merely external and superficial is an abomination to God and Christ. Christ came to redeem a people for himself. He came to free his people from bondage to sin, Satan, and the fear of death. He came to give his people new life (2 Corinthians 5:17), new hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-35), and new minds (Ephesians 4:22-24), so that we might walk in new obedience (Ephesians 4:1), not superficially, but in sincerity and truth (1 Corinthians 5:8). As I have said, religion that is merely external and superficial, like that of the Scribe’s and Pharisee’s, is an abomination to God and Christ. It always has been. It always will be. 

The Occasion

Let us now turn to our text by asking the question, What was the occasion of the rebuke delivered by Christ in Luke 13:15?   

In verse 10 we read, “Now [Jesus] was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.” I have a few things to say about this verse:

First of all, it must be recognized that Jesus Christ observed the Sabbath day and kept it holy in obedience to God’s law during the days of his earthly ministry. In those days, the Sabbath was to be observed on the seventh day of the week. As you probably know, the seventh day, or Saturday, was set apart by God as holy at the time of creation. Even in the Garden of Eden, before sin entered the world, Adam and Eve were to work to the glory of God for six days and cease from their ordinary labors on the seventh day to rest and to take up the work of worship. This ordinance was instituted at the time of creation. The Sabbath, like the institution of marriage, is for all humanity, therefore. And as you probably know, this creation ordinance was written on tablets of stone by the finger of God and given to Isarel through Moses at Mount Sinai. The fourth of the Ten Commandments is, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates” (Exodus 20:8–11, ESV). The Ten Commandments are repeated in the book of Deuteronomy. The fourth commandment is the same in Deuternomoy as in Exodus, but the people of God are called to remember two different historical events on the Sabbath day. In Exodus, the stated reason for keeping the Sabbath is, “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” In Deuteronomy, God commanded the Israelites to remember that they were slaves in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD had brought them out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. The text says, “Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day” (Deuteronomy 5:15, ESV). So then, all of humanity is to observe the Sabbath to remember creation and the God of creation. Old Covenant Israel was also to remember their redemption from Egypt. In a moment, we will consider the obligation that we have to observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy under the New Covenant. For now, I simply wish to observe that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ remembered the Sabbath day and kept it holy. If he had failed to do so, he would have sinned and could not have functioned as our Redeemer.

Secondly, it is important to notice what Christ did on the Sabbath. He assembled with the Old Covenant people of God to worship. Our text says, “Now [Jesus] was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.” The Jewish synagogues were very much like our churches. They were meeting houses where the Jews would assemble to hear God’s word read and explained, to pray, and to sing. So similar were the synagogues of the Jews to the churches of the New Covenant era that in James 2:2 the Apostle uses the Greek word for “synagogue” when he refers to the Christian church. The ESV translates the word as “assembly”. “For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly…”, or synagogue, the text says. The point is this: Jesus assembled with God’s people on the Sabbath day. Where would he be found? In the synagogue, or we might say, the church. 

Dear brothers and sisters, the Sabbath day has always been a day to assemble with God’s people for corporate worship. Stated negatively: never was the Sabbath to be observed merely by individuals in isolation from others. From the beginning, it was designed to bring God’s people together for worship. And this is one reason why a particular day is set apart by God’s appointment. If it were left us to us to choose one day our of the seven (as many these days suppose) then it would not facilitate us assembling. Please hear me: the Sabbath was not instituted for Adam as an individual, or for Eve as an individual, but for the two of them together, and for humanity descending from them. The communal purpose of the Sabbath is made exceedingly clear in the law of Moses. Leviticus 23:3 says, “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the LORD in all your dwelling places”. A convocation is a public meeting or assembly. A holy convocation is a public meeting for the purpose of worship. When Leviticus 23:3 says, “It is a Sabbath to the LORD in all your dwelling places”, it is clear that the Old Covenant people of God were not only to assemble at the tabernacle or temple at set times during the year but weekly in their communities to worship and serve God Almighty. What was the Sabbath designed to facilitate? Solemn rest and holy convocation or assembly.

Again I say, in a moment, we will consider the obligation that we have to observe the Sabbath day and to keep it holy. For now, please see that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ remembered the Sabbath day and kept it holy. Even he assembled with God’s covenant community for worship. Observing the Sabbath day and keeping it holy involves assembling with God’s people. It always has and it always will. This is why the writer of the book of Hebrews commands Christians, saying, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day [the last day] drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24–25, ESV). 

The third thing that would like you to notice about verse 10 is that Christ “was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.” Christ was regarded as a great Rabbi or teacher even by those who did not recognize him as the Messiah, so he was permitted to teach in the synagogue on the Sabbath. As it is under the New Covenant so it was under the Old, attention is to be given to God’s word, and especially to the promises concerning the Christ that are contained within, on the Sabbath day. 

Now, something special happened on this Sabbath day. In verse 11 we read, “And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself” (Luke 13:11, ESV). Mind you, not every physical ailment is attributed to Satan or the demonic in the Scriptures. In fact, in Luke 14 we will hear about a man who had a case of dropsy. He was also healed by Christ on the Sabbath day. Nothing is said about a disabling spirit or the influence of Satan in that case. But in this case, we are told that the woman was bent over and could not fully straighten herself because she had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. In verse 12 we read, “When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, ‘Woman, you are freed from your disability.’ And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God” (Luke 13:12–13, ESV). 

I would ask you to put yourself there in that meeting house of the Jews. Imagine the scene. I think it is safe to assume that many in the synagogue knew this woman. I doubt she was in any condition to travel. This was likely her hometown and her home church. What would you think if you saw this woman who had suffered for many years miraculously healed? What would your response be? And what would you think about the fact that she was healed on the Sabbath day? Would you rejoice and think, how fitting! This woman has been renewed and greatly refreshed on the day we are called to remember God’s creation and the eternal rest that will be ours through faith in the Messiah! More than this, she was delivered from the Evil One on the day we are called to remember the deliverance that God worked for Israel to bring them out of Egyptian bondage and to look forward to the greater redemption that Messiah will accomplish when he crushed the head of the serpent in fulfillment of the promise of Genesis 3:15. How fitting! Is that what you would think? I hope so! And what would you think about Jesus, the one who performed this miracle? Would you not ask yourself the question, who then is this who has the power to drive away evil spirits, to deliver from bondage to the evil one, to heal the body and refresh the soul? I would hope so! 

But consider the response of the ruler (we might say, elder) of the synagogue. In verse 14 we read, “But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant [angry]  because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, ‘There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day’” (Luke 13:14, ESV). 

The Problem

I trust that most, if not all of you, will know that there is something very wrong with this response from the ruler of the synagogue. Something is off, and I’m sure you can see that. But what is off? What exactly is the problem with his thinking? Let us now carefully consider Christ’s response in verses 15 and 16 so that we might know exactly what the problem is. 

In verse 15 Christ answers the ruler of the synagogue, saying, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?’” (Luke 13:15–16, ESV).

Notice a few things about Jesus’ reply: 

First of all, the word “hypocrites” is plural. Though Christ answered the ruler of the synagogue, he was speaking to others too. Others must have agreed with him, and so Christ confronted them all. 

Secondly, Christ put his finger on the problem when he called the ruler of the synagogue, and those who aligned with him, hypocrites. The problem was hypocrisy. Once again, we find religiously devout people externally practicing their religion, but without love in their heart for God and man. Think of how hard-hearted you would have to be to watch Christ touch this woman to heal her and to free her from her bondage, and for it to produce anger and indignation within you instead of joy. Think of how spiritually blind you would have to be to watch Christ perform this miracle and instead of thinking, this must be the Messiah, to think this man has sinned by doing work on the Sabbath day! Truly, this ruler, and those who agreed with his opinion, were religious hypocrites. They were like whitewashed tombs – pretty on the outside but vile within. They were like dishes and cups that had been washed on the outside but left filthy within. 

Thirdly, the ruler of the synagogue and those who agreed with him were hypocrites because they were terribly inconsistent. Christ called them out on this, saying, “Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it?” Do you see the point that Christ makes? The ruler of the synagogue condemned Jesus for touching this woman with his hand to lose her from her terrible bondage, to set her free, so that she might be refreshed in body and soul on the Sabbath day, and yet the ruler, and everyone present, would do something very similar with their ox every Sabbath day. They would use their hand to untie the oxen. They would lead it out and set it free so that it could drink and be refreshed. The ruler of the synagogue and those who agreed with him were hypocrites because they justified their actions while condemning Jesus for doing the very same thing.   

Fourthly, the ruler of the synagogue and those who agreed with him were hypocrites because they were devoid of love. Tell me, brothers and sisters. What is the sum of the moral law? The sum is this: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5–6, ESV), and “you shall love your neighbor as yourself…” (Leviticus 19:18, ESV). Contrary to popular opinion, these two great commandments do not lighten or lessen the obligation we have to keep the Ten Commandments. On the contrary, these two great commandments sum up the Ten and clarify that to keep the Ten, really and truly, one must keep God’s law from a heart filled with love for God and others. The ruler of the synagogue, and those who agreed with him, were hypocrites because though they loved to appear righteous before men by their strict (and legalistic) Sabbath keepinig, they did not love the LORD their God. If they loved the LORD they would have loved Jesus and all that he did, for he is the LORD, the eternal Son of God incarnate. And if they loved their neighbor as themselves they would have rejoiced to see this neighbor of theirs healed by Christ,  even on the Sabbath day. 

Fifthly, and related to this, I trust you can see how Jesus argued from the lesser to the greater. He countered the ruler and those who shared his opinion like this: You consider it to be perfectly appropriate to use your hand to untie a rope so that your ox or donkey can be set free from bondage to its post to drink water so that its life may be preserved. How much more appropriate it is for me, the LORD’s Messiah, to use my hand to lose this woman – this human being and daughter of Abraham – from her debilitating disease (a disease, by the way, which caused her to walk around, not upright like a human with her face lifted to heaven, but with her face pointed down to the ground like an ox), and from her bondage to Satan? If it is appropriate to untie your ox on the Sabbath (which it is) how much more appropriate is it for the Messiah to heal the sick and to set captives free on the Sabbath day? 

Sixthly, I hope you would agree that when Christ healed on the Sabbath day it was most fitting, given what the Sabbath signifies. 

What does the Sabbath say signify? From the time of creation when God first instituted the Sabbath (Genesis 2:1-3), the Sabbath signified eternal rest in God’s glorious presence. Stated differently, from the time of creation when God first instituted the Sabbath, the Sabbath signified eternal life – life in glory. The Sabbath was instituted at the time of creation to function as a perpetual reminder that God created the heavens and the earth in six days and rested on the seventh. It functioned as an invitation to Adam and Eve to enter into eternal rest, eternal life, or life in glory through their faithful obedience to God under the Covenant of Works. But as you know, Adam and Eve failed to enter that rest. They committed an act of treason when they ate of the Tree of the Knowledge Of Good and Evil. They were expelled from Eden and barred from the Tree of Life. They sinned and fell short of the glory of God (see Romans 3:23). They did not enter into the eternal rest of which the Sabbath was a sign. But the practice of Sabbath keeping remained in the world amongst the faithful in the days between Adam and when the Ten Commandments were given to Israel through Moses at Sinai (see Exodus 16:22-23). And when God’s unchanging and ever-abiding moral law was summarized in the Ten Commandments, the command to observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy was given a central place. 

Question: why would Sabbath keeping remain in the world after man’s fall into sin?  Do you understand why I am raising this question with you? If the sabbath was originally given to signify eternal rest in the presence of God and to function as an invitation to enter it through obedience, why would Sabbath keeping remain after man’s fall into sin? The tree of life was taken away, but Sabbath-keeping remained. Why? 

One, to remind God’s people that God is the creator of heaven and earth and that is with. 

Two, to remind God’s people of God’s original offer to Adam in the Covenant of Works, namely, life eternal in his glorious presence obtainable through obedience to God’ law. 

Three, to remind God’s people that Adam and Eve, and all humanity descending from them, fell short of the glory of God when Adam fell into sin. The ongoing pattern of six days of work and one day of rest functions as a perpetual reminder that we have not yet entered into the eternal rest of which the Sabbath is a sign. 

Four, the ongoing practice of Sabbath-keeping functioned as a reminder that God has promised to redeem us from our sin and misery by sending a Savior, born of the woman, who would crush the head of the serpent, Satan, who tempted her in the beginning. The first promise concerning this redeemer is found in Genesis 3:15. It was restated, developed, and amplified many times over as redemptive history unfolded. And we have the divinely inspired record of this contained in the pages of Holy Scripture. That the seventh day Sabbath functioned as a reminder that God would redeem his people from sin and misery is seen most clearly in Deuteronomy 5:15 wherein Moses commands Israel to keep the Sabbath day holy and to remember that they were slaves in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD brought them out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched. If you know your Bible, you will know that the Exodus event was a type or picture of the much greater redemption that the Messiah would work for his people to deliver them from bondage to sin, Satan, and the power and fear of death. Why did Sabbath keeping remain after Adam fell into sin given that he failed to obtain the eternal rest of which the Sabbath was a sign? To remind God’s people of God’s creation, man’s fall into sin, and the redemption that was promised to come through Christ the Redeemer. 

With all of that in mind, I return to my sixth observation about Luke 13:15-16. Not only was it fine for Jesus to heal this woman on the Sabbath day, it was most fitting! In other words, the Sabbath day was the very best day for this miracle to be performed by Jesus! Why? Because he is the Messiah. He is the scull crushing the seed of the women promised in Genesis 3:15. He is the Redeemer of God’s elect. He is the one greater than Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15; Luke 9:35, Acts 3:22). He is the one greater than Joshua (Hebrews 4:8). He is the second and greater Adam (Romans 5:12ff; 1 Corinthians 15:22, 42-58). Jesus Christ is the one who has redeemed us from our sin and misery and has earned for us life eternal in the blessed presence of God. He obeyed God’s law perfectly, suffered in the place of sinners,  made atonement for the sins of his people when he bleed on the cross. Jesus died, was buried, on the third day he rose from the dead. He has ascended to the right hand of God the Father, where he is now seated. Christ, the second and greater Adam, has entered into his rest. And when he returns, those united to him by faith will then be invited to enter into the new creation and into the eternal rest of God which he has secured as our head and representative. When Jesus touched this woman and healed her on the Sabbath day it was must fitting, for it showed that he is the LORD’s Messiah. This mirricle was a samll foretaste, or preview, of the work of redemption that he was about to accomplish. He came to set his people free from bondage to sin, Satan, and death. He came to begin and new creation and to heal us body and soul. This is the work he will bring to completion when he returns to judge and make all things new. Then, we will experience the eternal Sabbath rest of which our present Sabbath-keeping is a sign (see Hebrews 4:8-11).    

The seventh, and final observation I have regarding Jesus’ response to the legalistic synagogue ruler, as recorded in Luke 13:15–16, is that the problem was not that the ruler desired to observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy.

As you probably know, very few professing Christians today care at all about the Sabbath. In fact, many would claim that there is no longer an obligation to observe the Sabbath under the New Covenant. And those who hold to this erroneous view will sometimes point to passages such as this one and say, See! Jesus was against the Sabbath! In fact, the text says no such thing.

It is true, Jesus is against the hypocritical observance of the Sabbath. 

It is also true, Jesus is against all forms of legalism. 

The legalist thinks that they can be justified before God through their law-keeping. This is false. As Paul says in Galatians 2:16, “yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” (Galatians 2:16, ESV)

The legalist will also add manmade laws to the law of God, which is certainly what this ruler of the synagogue, and all who agreed with him, had done. We are to cease from work on the Sabbath day, and that must include works of mercy, including healing. They were wrong to add their own laws to the law of God and to lose sight of the real meaning and purpose of the day. 

 But it is not true that Jesus was opposed to Sabbath-keeping. As has already been said, it would have been a sin for Christ to profane the Sabbath, and if he sinned he could not have been our Redeemer.  

In fact, the gospels often speak of Jesus observing the Sabbath day to keep it holy. And we often find his entering into disputes with the Pharisees over the proper observance of the day. The question is, what were the disputes over? Was Jesus arguing against the creation ordinance of Genesus 2:1-3 or the 4th commandment? I think not. Why then the disputes over the Sabbath? Here is an idea. Perhaps Jesus was concerned with teaching his disciples how to properly observe the Sabbath so that could keep holy and teach others to do the same, afteer his assention to the Father’s right hand. Perhaps he was concerned to rescue the Sabbath from the hypocrisy and legalism of the Pharisees! They had piled a lot of garbage on the Sabbath day! Their manmade laws and traditions had obscured the intended meaning and purpose of the day and had turned the day into a burden instead of a delight. Perhaps Jesus entered into these disputes about the Sabbath, not to do away with it, but to rescue and restore it for use in the New Covenant era. If the practice of Sabbath keeping were meant to be thrown in the garbage, it is odd that the gospel writers would spill so much ink telling Christians about how Christ, who is said to be Lord of the Sabbath, observed the day (see Luke 6:5).

The point is this: the problem with the ruler of the synagogue, and those who agreed with his opinion, was not that they loved God’s law and desired to keep it from a renewed heart, but that they were hypocrites and a legalist. And so Christ Christ rebuked them. 

In verse 17 we read, “As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.” Dear brothers and sisters, when Jesus Christ and his works are at the center of our Sabbath-keeping, it will lead to much rejoicing amongst the people of God. 

Permanence

We have considered the occasion for the rebuke offered up by Christ. We have also considered the problem with the ruler of synagogues’ opinion. Finally, I would like to speak briefly about the permanence of the Sabbath day. This is necessary given the prevalence of the view held by many Christians today that the practice of Sabbath-keeping does not remain for the people of God (see Hebrews 4:9).

I’ll be very brief. Here are ten reasons to believe that the practice of observing one day out of every seven as holy unto the Lord remains for the New Covenant people of God, that the day has changed from Saturday to Sunday, and that this arrangement will last until Christ returns to usher in the new heavens and earth, in which the faithful will enjoy eternal rest in the presence of the glory of God. 

One, the Sabbath was instituted at creation, not at Mt. Sinai. Like the institution of marriage, the practice of Sabbath-keeping was not for Israel only, but for all people descending from Adam and Eve, living in all times and places

Two, connected with this, the Israelites knew they were to observe the Sabbath day before the Ten Commandments were given (see Exodus 16:22-23).

Three, when the command to observe the weekly Sabbath day and keep it holy was given to Old Covenant Israel, it was placed right at the heart of the Ten Commandments, which are a summary of God’s ever-abiding and unchanging moral law. 

Here is a question to ask the anti-Sabbitarian. Is the Christian still to worship God alone, not with idols, to not take the name of the Lord in vain, to honor father and mother, to not murder, commit adultery, steal, lie, or covet? Any orthodox Christian will admit that these moral laws are to be obeyed by all people, especially the Christian. After all, it is this law – the moral law which was written by the finger of God on tablets of stone at Sinai – that is written on all the hearts of God’s New Covenant people through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit (see Jeremiah 31:31-34). If the command to treat one day out of every seven as holy unto the Lord as a day for rest and worship is not one of these ever-abiding and unchanging moral laws, then why did God write it in stone as one of the Ten? 

In fact, there is a really good explanation for why the fourth commandment does contain an ever-abiding moral lprinciple. The first four commandmenst are about the worship of God. The first commandment tells us who is to be worshipped – God alone. The second commandment tells us how God is to be worshipped – not with images or according to the imaginations of men, but only according to God’s word. The third commandment has to do with the attitude or heart of worship. We are to worship God, not vainly, but with reverence and awe. And the fourth commandment is about the time of worship. God is to be worshiped always. He is Lord of every day. But he is especially to be worhipped on one day out of seven according to the pattern instituted at creation. One and six, one and six, one and six. This pattern is baked into the created order.

The fourth reason that a Sabbath-keeping remains for the people of God is this: that of which the Sabbath is a sign is not here yet. Christ has entered his rest. We rest in him, partially. But the eternal rest that Christ has earned will be ours on the last day when he returns to judge and make all things new. The Scriptures explicitly teach this in Hebrews 4. I’ll say it again. The thing that the Sabbath signifies, namely eternal Sabbath rest in the presence of the glory of God, is not enjoyed by us in full. Only when it is here in full will the weekly Sabbath be fulfilled and thus taken away.

The fifth reason to believe that the practice of Sabbath-keeping remains for the people of God is that Jesus Christ is Lord of the Sabbath and in his earthly ministry, he taught us how to keep the Sabbath day holy, free from hypocrisy and legalistic demands. We are to follow the example of Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath.

Sixthly, concerning the question, who changed the day from the seventh day to the first day, the answer is simple: Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Sabbath, changed the day. 

Seventhly, why did the day change from the seventh to the first? Answer: because Christ rose from the dead on the first day of the week. When Christ rose from the dead, it was the beginning of the new creation. When Christ rose from the dead, it was for the accomplishment of our redemption. You see, the day was not changed arbitrarily, for no good reason, or according to human custom. No, the day was changed by the work of Christ. Just as the seventh day Sabbath was instituted through God’s work of creation, so too the first day Sabbath was instituted by God’s work of re-creation. The first day Sabbath commemorates, not only the first creation (which was ruined by sin), nor Israel’s redemption from Egypt (which was a type of greater redemption yet to come), but Christ, his life, death, burial, and resurrection, the redemption he has accomplished and the new creation he has earned.   

Eighthly, what then has happened to the seventh day Sabbath? Answer: it has been fulfilled by Christ and thus taken away. In fact, under the Old Mosaic Covenant, there were many new moons, festivals, and Sabbath days added to the weekly Sabbath (see Leviticus 23). These – the seventh day Sabbath, and the other yearly Sabbaths,  have been fulfilled by Christ and are no longer binding on the people of God. And this is why in Colossians 2:16 Paul says, “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (Colossians 2:16–17, ESV). It’s a shame the ESV translates the Greek word σάββατον in the singular, for in the Greek it is plural. A more litteral reading would be, Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. So, there is a sense in which the Old Covenant, seventh day Sabbath, along with the Sabbath days that were added to it under Moses have been fullfiled by Christ and have passed away. This explains texts like Colossians 2:16 and Romans 14:5. You are not bound to observe the weekly, seventh day Sabbath or the Jewish calendar instituted in the days of Moses, brothers and sisters. These were fulfilled by Christ. But this does not touch the pattern of one in seven instituted at the time of creation.  

Ninelthy, is there any Biblical evidence that the New Covenant church observes the weekly Sabbath, not on the seventh day, but on the first day of the week? Yes, the evidence is overwhelming. This new pattern was established by Christ. When Christ appeared to his disciples after his resurrection and before his ascension, he met with them to break bread on the first day of the week, which is sometimes called the eighth day (see John 20:19, 26). And it was clearly the practice of the early church to assemble for worship on the first day of every week (see Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2). In Revelation 1:10 we learn that this day had come to be called the “Lord’s Day”, for it is the Day of Christ’s resurrection, the day that the Lord has set apart as holy. When all things are considered, it is clear that the pattern of setting aside one day for rest and worship out of every seven remains for the people of God. And no, it is not left to us to decide what day it will be. The Christian’s holy day is Sunday, the first day, the Lord’s Day.  It is this day that is to be observed and kept holy unto the Lord as the Christian Sabbath.     

Tenthly, there is a New Testament text that teaches all of this in a very direct way. I’ve referenced it already. It is Hebrews 4:1-13. Lord willing, I will preach through the book of Hebrews someday. Then we will be able to consider this text in detail. For now, I will cite the conclusion to the argument that is developed there: “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God…” (Hebrews 4:9, ESV). The word translated as “Sabbath rest” is σαββατισμός. It refers to a special religiously significant period for rest and worship—‘a Sabbath rest, a period of rest.’” (Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 651. I believe the meaning is this: the practice of Sabbath-keeping remains for the people of God in this New Covenant era.

Our confession is correct in Chapter 22.7: “As it is the law of nature, that in general a proportion of time, by God’s appointment, be set apart for the worship of God, so by his Word, in a positive moral, and perpetual commandment, binding all men, in all ages, he has particularly appointed one day in seven for a sabbath to be kept holy unto him, which from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ was the last day of the week, and from the resurrection of Christ was changed into the first day of the week, which is called the Lord’s Day: and is to be continued to the end of the world as the Christian Sabbath, the observation of the last day of the week being abolished.”

As it pertains to the practice of Sabbath keeping, our confession is also correct in Chapter 22.8: “The sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering their common affairs aforehand, do not only observe an holy rest all day, from their own works, words and thoughts, about their worldly employment and recreations, but are also taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.”

Conclusion

Why do I, as your pastor, urge you to remeber the Sabbath day and to keep it holy?

One, I am a minister of the word of God, and this is what God’s word teaches. I believe that I will stand before God someday to give an account. I’d like to hear the Lord say, well done good and faithful servant. For a minister to pick and choose what he wants to preach and teach in order to appease his audience is an act of treason against Christ the Lord.

Two, I love God and Christ and wish to see them worshipped. Yes, we are to worship God always as individuals, as families, and in the community each and every day, but one day out of seven is to be set apart as holy. It is a day for solemn rest and holy convocation. Dear brothers and sisters, I long to see you assemble with hearts and minds prepared for worship. 

Three, I do love and care about you and your souls. I’m an convinced that the honoring the Lord’s Day Sabbath as holy is the very best thing for you. Your body needs rest. You soul needs to be refreshed. As the hymn says, we are prone to wander as we walk in this world. The Sabbath day has a way of calling us back to God and Christ, our creator and redeemer.

Dear brothers and sisters, when you treat the Lord’s Day as if it were a common day – when you work unnecessarily, when you devote the day to recreation, when you fail to assemble with the church of God for worship – you do sin against God and profane what is holy. I must exhort you to stop sinning against God, my friends. But I wish to also impress this upon you: when you profane the Sabbath day by treating it as if it were common, you do damage to your own soul and miss out on the great blessing of the Sabbath day. I do love the saying of Jesus found in Mark 2:27: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”, Christ said. This does not mean that the Sabbath is a day for us to do whatever our sinful hearts desire. But it does mean that the Sabbath was instituted by God for our benefit! If is for our good that God commands us to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy! And it should not be difficult for you to see why it is for our good. The Sabbath day, when properly kept,  has a way of recentering our lives upon God and Christ. It is a day for spiritual nurishment and refreshment. It is also a day that helps us to love one another. Yes, it is a day for worship. But Christ has taught us that it also a day to show mercy and kindness to those in need.  

We will conclude by reading the same passage that was read at the beginning of this sermon: Isaiah 58:13-14: “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (Isaiah 58:13-14, ESV)

Baptist Catechism 35

Q. 35. What benefits do they that are effectually called, partake of in this life?

A. They that are effectually called, do in this life partake of justification, adoption, sanctification, and the several benefits which in this life do either accompany or flow from them. (Rom. 8:30; Gal. 3:26; 1 Cor. 6:11; Rom. 8:31,32; Eph. 1:5; 1 Cor. 1:30)

Baptist Catechism 36

Q: 36.  What is justification?

A.  Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone. (Rom. 3:24; Eph. 1:7; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 5:19; Phil. 3:9; Gal. 2:16)

Scripture Reading: Romans 8:28–39

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:28–39, ESV)

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Q. 35. What benefits do they that are effectually called, partake of in this life?

A. They that are effectually called, do in this life partake of justification, adoption, sanctification, and the several benefits which in this life do either accompany or flow from them. 

Baptist Catechism question 35 asks, What benefits do they that are effectually called partake of in this life?  Answer:  They that are effectually called do in this life partake of justification, adoption, sanctification, and the several benefits which in this life do either accompany or flow from them.

Notice a few things about this question and answer.

Firstly, notice the phrase, They that are effectually called.  This phrase is to remind us of all we learned in the previous lesson from Baptist Catechism questions 32-34.  I will not rehash all of that teaching here.  I do think it would be helpful, though, to remind you of Baptist Catechism 34.  It asks, What is effectual calling?, and answers, Effectual calling is the work of God’s Spirit, whereby convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the gospel.  So, here in Baptist Catechism 35, the question is, what benefits come to those who are effectually called, that is to say, to those who embrace, or have faith in, Jesus Christ?

Secondly, it is important to know that the word “benefits” means blessings or advantages.  So the question is, what blessings come to those who have faith in Christ? 

Thirdly, notice that this question focuses our attention on the benefits those who have faith in Christ enjoy in this life.  Question 40 will ask, What benefits do believers receive from Christ at their death?  Question 41 will ask, What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?  With the help of these questions and answers we will learn that Christ blesses his people with many blessings now, at the moment of death, on the last day, and for all eternity. 

Fourthly, notice that Baptist Catechism 35 lists three main benefits enjoyed in this life by those who have faith in Christ.  They are justification, adoption, and sanctification.  I like to think of these as fountainhead blessings.  They are the main blessings that Christ gives his people, but from them, many other blessings flow.  And that is what our catechism means when it says, and the several benefits which in this life do either accompany or flow from them.

Fifthly, notice that Baptist Catechism questions 36-39 will elaborate on this question and answer.  Question 36 asks, What is justification?  Question 37 asks, What is adoption?  Question 38 asks, What is sanctification?  And finally, Question 39 asks, What are the benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification?

Question 36:  What is justification?

Answer:  Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.

Let’s now move on to question 36.  It asks, what is justification? Answer: Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.

It would be difficult to overstate just how important the answer to this question about justification is.  Those who have studied theology and who have some knowledge of church history will know that differences of opinion over the question of justification were at the heart of the Protestant Reformation.  Is justification something we earn by our good works or obedience, or is it received by the grace of God alone through faith in Christ alone? The Reformed were insistent that we are justified by the grace of God alone through faith in Christ alone, and that is what our catechism teaches.  As usual, every word and phrase in this brief answer is important.  Let us now consider the answer with care. 

Firstly, our catechism tells us who justifies.  It says that justification is an act of God’s free grace.  We will learn what justification is in just a moment.  For now, it is very important to see that, whatever it is, it is something that God does.  Justification is not something that we do.  We do not, in any way, shape, or form, justify ourselves or contribute to our justification.  Justification is an act of God.  When our catechism says that justification is an act, it is to be understood that it happens in a moment.  In other words, justification is not a work in progress.  Those who are justified, go from being not justified at all to fully justified in a moment.  Lastly, justification is said to be an act of God’s free grace.  This means it is a gift freely given by God.  In no way is it a wage that can be earned.  

Romans 3:23-24 clearly teaches this.  It says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…” (Romans 3:23–24, ESV).  Now listen also to Romans 4:4-6: “Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.  And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works…” (Romans 4:4–6, ESV).  In the first passage, God’s Word clearly states that justification is a gift from God.  In the second passage, Paul makes the simple point that wages are earned, but gifts can only be received.  Justification is a gift from God.  We cannot in any way earn it.  It can only be received.

Secondly, our catechism tells us what justification is.  Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us… 

Three aspects of justification are mentioned here. 

One, when God justifies a sinner he graciously pardons all their sins.  To pardon is to forgive, absolve, or excuse.  “Pardon”, it should be noted, is a legal term.  When we think of justification, it is right to picture a courtroom with God as the judge.  When God justifies a sinner, he pardons them. This means, he forgives all their sins and declares them to be not guilty.  Ephesians 1:7 says, “In [Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace…” (Ephesians 1:7, ESV).  How is it possible for God to pardon guilty sinners and yet remain just?  It is possible because Jesus Christ paid the penalty for the sins of his people when he died on the cross.  His blood was poured out as an atonement for the sins of God’s elect (see Romans 3:26).

Two, when God justifies a sinner he imputes the righteousness of Christ to them.  To impute is to attribute or accredit.  Jesus Christ stands righteous before God all on his own.  Never did he sin.  He was faithful to do what God commanded him to do.  But we must remember that Christ lived, died, and rose again, not for himself only, but for all whom the Father gave to him in eternity.  When God justifies a sinner, the righteousness of Christ is imputed or given to them.  2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV).  This principle of imputation should sound familiar to you.  We encountered it for the first time when we talked about Adam’s fall into sin and how that affected the whole human race.  Adam lived as a federal head of the human race.  His sin and guilt were imputed to all he represented.  Jesus Christ is also a federal head.  His righteousness is imputed to all he represents.  This is what Paul teaches in Romans 5:19, saying, “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19, ESV).  

Three,  when God justifies a sinner he graciously accepts them as righteous in his sight.  We have learned in earlier lessons that we are not righteous in God’s sight because of our sins.  But when God justifies a sinner, he sees them as righteous. 

These three aspects of justification can be illustrated by a man wearing filthy clothes.  He is in no condition to stand before the King.  But the King wishes to bring the man into his presence.  So the King commands that his servants remove his filthy clothes, bathe him, and give him a new set of clothes — gleaming white garments — taken from the closet of his only Son.  In this way, through the process of removing the old dingy garments and replacing them with new, gleaming white garments, the man is made acceptable to the King.  When the King looks upon the man now, it’s as if he is looking upon the radiant purity of his own Son. This is what happens in justification.  Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us.

Thirdly, our catechism tells us how justification is received.  It is a gift, remember.  Gifts cannot be earned.  They must be received. How is this gracious gift of justification received?  Our catechism is very right to say, by faith alone.

In Philippians 3:8-9, Paul the Apostle speaks of the incredible worth of justification.  There he also tells us how it is received.  He says, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith…” (Philippians 3:8–9, ESV).  I trust you can see that justification is not a wage to be earned, but a gift from God that can be received through faith in Christ alone.  Faith is the open hand that receives the gift of justification that is offered to sinners in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

*****

Conclusion

Dear friends, it is of utmost importance that you know what justification is according to the Scriptures. This is no minor or inconsequential doctrine. In fact, this doctrine is central to the gospel of Jesus Christ. If we get this doctrine wrong it means we get the gospel of Jesus Christ wrong. And getting the gospel of Jesus Christ wrong has eternal consequences. 

So listen very carefully to how churches and pastors define justification. If you hear them saying things like this: justification is earned by us through faith and obedience, or justification is received by the grace of God alone through faith alone in the beginning but it is earned through our good works in the end, you have every reason to be very concerned.  

Here is a definition of justification that is faithful to the Scriptures: Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.

Baptist Catechism 34

Q. 34. What is effectual calling?

A. Effectual calling is the work of God’s Spirit, whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, He doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the Gospel. (2 Tim. 1:9; John 16:8-11; Acts 2:37; 26:18; Ezekiel 36:26; John 6:44,45; 1 Cor. 12:3)

Scripture Reading: Titus 3:1–7

“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:1–7, ESV)

*****

Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God incarnate, the great prophet, priest, and king of God’s people, accomplished redemption for God’s elect when he assumed a human nature, lived, died, rose again, and assended to the Father’s right hand nearly 2,000 years ago. That work – the accomplishment of our redemption – is finished. There is nothing more to do. The question that this portion of our catechism is addressing is this: How do the elect of God come to have the benifits of the redemption that Christ has accomplished as their own?  

Let me remind you of Baptist Catechism 32. It asks, How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ? Answer: …by the effectual application of it to us, by His Holy Spirit. 

Question 33 probes a little deeper, asking, How doth the Spirit apply to us the redemption purchased by Christ? Answer: …by working faith in us, and thereby uniting us to Christ in our effectual calling. So then, we have learned that it through faith in Christ that we come to be saved, or redeemed. And it is through faith in Christ that we come to be saved, or redeemed, because faith unites us to Jesus. What he has earned comes to be ours when we are you united to him in this way. 

This brings us to Baptist Catechism question 34 which digs a little deeper still by asking, What is effectual calling?, and answering, Effectual calling is the work of God’s Spirit, whereby convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the gospel. This is a marvelous question and answer. He we find a clear and sucinct summery of what the Bible teaches on this very importinat subject. 

First, we are told that effectual calling is the work of God’s Spirit.  At this point, I should probably mention that there is a kind of calling that is the work of man.  When a preacher preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ and urges men and women, boys and girls, to turn from their sins and trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, he does call them to faith and repentance, but this is not effectual calling.  Theologians have referred to this call — the call that those who preach the gospel extend — as an external call.  Why?  Because when the preacher preaches men and women hear him with their natural ears only (unless the Spirit works).  The call of the gospel preacher is not always effective, therefore.  But when the Holy Spirit calls a person, it is always effective, for the Spirit calls inwardly.  The Spirit’s “voice” is not heard with the natural ears but with the ears of the heart.  Theologians refer to the Holy Spirit’s calling as an internal or effectual call.  Here in this catechism question, we are talking about effectual calling, and so the answer begins, effectual calling is the work of God’s Spirit.

Secondly, notice the word, “whereby”.  This word indicates that we are about to be told what the Spirit does in a person to effectively call them to faith and repentance.  Notice that this word,  “whereby”, is followed by three phrases, each of them beginning with a word ending in –ing: convincing, enlightening, renewing. What are the three things the Spirit does to a person inwardly when he effectually calls them?  One, the Spirit convinces them of their sin and misery.  Two, the Spirit enlightens their minds in the knowledge of Christ.  And three, the Spirit renews their wills.  This is how the Spirit persuades and enables us to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the gospel.

By the way, I think we are to see that these three works of the Spirit are presented as remedies to the corruptions of our nature mentioned in Baptist Catechism 21. Human beings are body and soul.  The body has parts and the soul has parts.  The parts of man’s soul are the mind and the will (affections are the motions of the will).  We must remember that human nature was corrupted when Adam fell into sin.  The human mind is not full of light as it was in the beginning, but is darkened. The human heart is not soft to God and the things of God, but is hard and calloused.  And the will of man is bent towards evil.  This is what Paul plainly says in Ephesians 4:18-19.  He speaks of the natural man when he says, “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.  They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity” (Ephesians 4:18–19). You see when the Holy Spirit effectually calls a sinner, he repairs these defects in us to make us willing and able to believe in Christ. This is called regeneration or new birth. 

There is a famous story found in John 3.  There Jesus speaks with a man named Nicodemus.  He was a Pharisee who came to Jesus at night to ask him questions.  Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3, ESV).  As this passage unfolds, it becomes clear that Jesus was talking about the new birth that the Holy Spirit brings.  For a person to see and to enter the kingdom of God, the Holy Spirit must first make the dead sinner spiritually alive.  Only then will they truly see their sin and Christ as the King of God’s kingdom leading them to repentance and faith. 

Jesus made a very similar point recorded for us in John 6.  In this passage, Christ speaks to a great multitude and plainly says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44, ESV).  A little later he reiterated this same point with his disciples, saying, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father” (John 6:65, ESV).  These sayings of Jesus are about effectual calling or the doctrine of regeneration.  If spiritually dead sinners are to respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ in repentance and faith, God must make them alive.  It is this new birth that Paul speaks of when he says, “And you [Christian], who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses…” (Colossians 2:13, ESV).  It is God who makes us alive, and this he does through his word and by his Spirit. 

Our catechism is correct.  Effectual calling is the work of God’s Spirit, whereby convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the gospel. 

Before concluding, we must consider the last phrase, “he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the gospel.”  I have three brief observations to make about this important statement.

One, notices the words, “he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the gospel.”  Friends, repentance, that is, turning from sin, is something you must do.  You are called by God to repent.  And faith is something you must exercise.  You must trust in Christ personally.  The Holy Spirit does not repent or believe for us when he effectually calls us.  And neither does the Holy Spirit force us to repent and believe.  He does, however, persuade and enable the elect of God to repent and believe at God’s appointed time.  The Spirit of God persuades the elect of God by convincing them of their sin and misery and enlightening their minds in the knowledge of Christ, as we have already said.  The Spirit of God enables the elect of God — that is to say, he makes them able — to repent and believe by renewing their wills. When sinners turn from their sins and trust in Christ, it is something they do willingly and freely from the heart.  But we know that they are persuaded and enabled to do this only by the grace of God.  They willingly come to Christ because God the Father chose them in eternity, the Son atoned for their sins on the cross, and the Holy Spirit effectually calls them at God’s appointed time. 

Two, notice the phrase, “he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ…” This reminds us of what was said in Baptist Catechism 33. There we learned that it is by faith that we are united to Christ.  Here our catechism says that the Holy Spirit enables us to embrace Jesus Christ.  This is another way of talking about faith.  To have faith in Christ is to embrace Christ.  I appreciate the warmth of this expression.  Those who have true faith in Christ will warmly and lovingly embrace him, and the ability to do so is a gift from God delivered by the effectual calling of the Holy Spirit (see again Ephesians 2:8-9). 

Three, notice the phrase, “freely offered to us in the gospel”.  This is a very important little phrase.  For one, it clarifies that the Holy Spirit always effectually calls sinners to faith and repentance through, or in concert with, the gospel.  The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ.  It is through the preaching (or reading) of the gospel that sinners are called to repentance and faith in Christ in the external way described earlier.  And while it is true that there is a great difference between the external call of gospel preaching and the internal, effectual call of the Holy Spirit, the two things are related.  The Holy Spirit calls sinners inwardly and effectually as the good news of Jesus Christ is delivered.  It is the gospel of Jesus Christ that tells us about our sin and misery.  It is the gospel of Jesus Christ that tells us about Christ and the salvation he offers.  And it is the gospel of Jesus Christ that calls us to turn from our sins, to trust Christ, and to confess him as Lord. But it is the Spirit of God who works within us to convince us of our sin and misery, enlighten our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renew our wills.  In this way, the Spirit persuades and enables God’s elect to embrace Jesus Christ as he is freely offered to them in the gospel (see Acts 13:48).  To put it another way, while it is possible (and common) for men to be called by the gospel externally but not inwardly and effectually, it is not possible for men to be called inwardly effectually but not externally.  The Holy Spirit always calls inwardly and effectually in concert with the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ.   

The words “freely offered” are also important.  Friends, Jesus Christ is to be freely offered to all through our gospel preaching. You and I do not know who the elect of God are.  You and I do not know who God will effectually call or when he will do it.  We are to freely offer Jesus to all who will hear the proclamation of the gospel.  We are to cast the seed of the gospel far and wide, having no concern for the condition of the souls of men and women.  That, I think, is what the parable of the sower found in Luke 8 is about. And this is how Paul the Apostle (and others) went about their gospel ministry.  They preached the gospel of Jesus Christ knowing “it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16, ESV).  They traveled far and wide to preach this gospel knowing that none would be saved apart from it.  In Romans 10:14 Paul asks, “How then will they call on [Christ] in whom they have not believed?  And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?  And how are they to hear without someone preaching?  And how are they to preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’” (Romans 10:14–15, ESV).  So, for sinners to be saved, the gospel must be preached.  And for the gospel to be preached, preachers must be sent.  But Paul also knew that for men and women to respond to the gospel in repentance and faith, the Spirit had to call them inwardly and effectually. 

Conclusion

Q. 34. What is effectual calling?
A. Effectual calling is the work of God’s Spirit, whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, He doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the Gospel.