It is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace Hebrews 13:9

Is sue 2 0 5 M a rc h 2 014

Christ, Our New Covenant King #4

John G. Reisinger

I remember hearing a well-known preacher say, If you want to learn how to

preach the gospel, study the book of Acts. There you have the actual sermons
of the apostles themselves. Acts chapter 2 records the coming of the Holy
Spirit on the day of Pentecost and the apostles speaking in tongues. The people
who witnessed this event were utterly amazed. Some asked what was the meaning of the event, and others wrote it off by saying the apostles were drunk.
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the
whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire
that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the
Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.1
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation
under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewil1. All Scripture quotations in this article are from
The Holy Bible, New International Version.

In This Issue
Christ, Our New Covenant King
#4

John G. Reisinger
Shepherding the New Covenant
Flock: Part 4 of 6
Shepherding Imagery in the OT:
Sheep that Shepherd

Steve West
Universal Atonement
A. Blake White
Reflections on the Loss of Our
Daughter
Fred Zaspel
Why I Did Not Pursue a PhD
A. Blake White
The Lord's Supper
A. Blake White

3
5

7
9

ReisingerContinued on page 2

Shepherding the New Covenant Flock: Part 4 of 6

Shepherding Imagery in the OT: Sheep that Shepherd
Steve West
Most people who are reasonably familiar with the Bible
understand that when the shepherd metaphor is used in
Scripture it is often referring to God. Even young children
are able to think through the imagery and figure out the
basic point it is designed to communicate. The metaphor is
multidimensional: it is used in multiple contexts to teach
multiple points (which of course are still conceptually
relatedif they werent, one image couldnt be freighted
with them all). Overall, the picture is one of care, guidance, compassion, and nurture. The shepherd is a wise,
strong, and concerned leader for the sheep. Because he
loves the sheep, the shepherd protects them; adopting this
role, however, means that his power is sometimes used
to destroy his flocks enemies. The same heart and power
that makes the shepherd a competent caretaker of his

sheep also entails that he is a danger to any predators that

threaten the safety of his flock. Wolves and sheep have
very different opinions about the merit of a good shepherd!
One of the very interesting things about the shepherd
imagery in Scripture is that it is not only used to teach us
about God, it is also used for humans who are in positions
of influence. Political, military, and religious figures can
all be referred to as shepherds, and the people they have responsibility for as sheep or flocks. As we will see, although
God is unfailingly an ideal shepherd, human shepherds are
not universally good at discharging the obligations of their
duty. In fact, when applied to human leaders, many times
the shepherd imagery reveals how negligent (not to menWestContinued on page 12

Page 2
ReisingerContinued from page 1

derment, because each one heard

them speaking in his own language.
7 Utterly amazed, they asked: Are
not all these men who are speaking
Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each
of us hears them in his own native
language? 9 Parthians, Medes and
Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia,
Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and
Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the parts of Libya near
Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both
Jews and converts to Judaism);
Cretans and Arabs we hear them
declaring the wonders of God in
our own tongues! 12 Amazed and
perplexed, they asked one another,
What does this mean?
13 Some, however, made fun of
them and said, They have had too
much wine. Acts 2

In verses 14-21, Peter begins to address the people. He assures them the
apostles are not drunk. Peter declares
the events taking place prove that the
kingdom promised in the Old Testament was being fulfilled. He cites
two Old Testament passages as being
fulfilled at Pentecost. He first declares
that the kingdom promised in the
book of Joel has come.
14 Then Peter stood up with the
Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: Fellow Jews and
all of you who live in Jerusalem, let
me explain this to you; listen carefully
to what I say. 15 These men are not
drunk, as you suppose. Its only nine
in the morning! 16 No, this is what
was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men
and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.

March 2014

19 I will show wonders in the

heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and
glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be
saved. Acts 2

He then shows that the kingdom

and the throne promised to one of Davids sons have been established. The
kingdom has come, and Davids son,
Christ the Messiah, is sitting on the
throne promised to David.
Jesus had all the credentials to
prove he was the promised seed of
David, the Messiah. The Jews still
crucified him but God raised him
from the dead. He ascended to heaven
and was given authority over all flesh
(John 17:1-3). Christ is the exalted son
of David, the Messiah, who sent the
Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
The tongues were the evidence of the
ascension and exaltation of Christ.
Our Lord earned the right, or authority, to send the Spirit as his vicar. Follow Peters argument carefully in the
following verses in Acts 2. First, Jesus
had all the credentials to prove his
claims that he was the promised Messiah. The Jews still refused to have
this man to rule over us and crucified him. His Father raised him from
the dead, seated him at his own right
hand, and gave him a new name, the
name Lord. The new name denoted
his earned authority to save or damn
all men (John 17:1-3). The great lesson
to be learned is set forth in verse 36,
Therefore let all Israel be assured of
this: God has made this Jesus, whom
you crucified, both Lord and Messiah. The heart of the lesson concerns
the lordship of Christ. He is the one
who fulfills the office of New Covenant King. The very same Jesus that
ReisingerContinued on page 4

Issue 205
Sound of Grace is a publication of Sovereign
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Issue 205

March 2014

Page 3

Universal Atonement
A. Blake White
Not surprisingly in our current
pluralistic culture, universalism is all
the rage. The difficulty is there is very
little exegetical basis for this view.
Universalists typically do not adhere
to sola scriptura, but sola cultura, to
use David Wells terminology. However, there are three passages that are
often pointed to:
2 Corinthians 5:15 And He died
for all so that those who live should
no longer live for themselves, but for
the One who died for them and was
raised. (HCSB)
Romans 5:18 So then, as through
one trespass there is condemnation
for everyone, so also through one
righteous act there is life-giving justification for everyone. (HCSB)

exception, then the verses prove too

much and universalism must be true.
In other words, the only evangelical
options for these verses are universalism or definite atonement. If Christ
was put forward as a wrath-bearing
substitute for all without exception,
then there can be no wrath for anyone.
If he died for all without exception,
then there will be life-giving justification for everyone. If he was the substitute for all without exception, then all
without exception will be made alive.
These verses pose a real problem for
those who hold to exclusivity and a
universal atonement.

1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in

Adam all die, so also in Christ all will
be made alive. (HCSB)

With regard to Pauls Christ/

Adam theology, he is referring to the
all within their respective representative heads. Adam is the representative head of all humanity; Christ is
the representative head of the new
humanity, the elect. So the verses are
saying that there is condemnation for
all represented by Adam but lifegiving justification for all represented
by Christ, the last Adam. In Adam, all
under his headship die, but all under
Christs headship are made alive. So,
universalism is at odds with the rest
of Scripture, and universal atonement
proves too much and leads to universalism. In my humble opinion, only
a definite atonement makes sense of
these three verses.

So is universalism true? Hardly.

Thats an alien worldview imposed on
the Bible. Whats the solution then?
Once one understands the corporate
personalities of Adam and the last
Adam, these verses make perfect
sense.

We have all heard the Bible says

all. All means all, so I believe it kind
of reasoning, but it is not quite that
simple. If these alls are all without

make no sense to say that Jesus died

for all without exception so that all
without exception should no longer
live for themselves. If that were true,
according to this verse, the cross of
Christ is a failure because there are
hundreds of thousands of people
around the world who live for one:
self.

Let me paraphrase the verses:

Jesus died for all whom he represents,
so that all those he died for would no
longer live for themselves. It would

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Page 4
ReisingerContinued from page 2

the Jews crucified was raised from the

dead and declared by the Father to be
Lord over every sinner.
22 Men of Israel, listen to this:
Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles,
wonders and signs, which God did
among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed
over to you by Gods set purpose and
foreknowledge; and you, with the help
of wicked men, put him to death by
nailing him to the cross. 24 But God
raised him from the dead, freeing him
from the agony of death, because it
was impossible for death to keep its
hold on him. 25 David said about him:
I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart is glad and
my tongue rejoices;
my body also will live in hope,
27 because you will not abandon
me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see
decay.
28 You have made known to me the
paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.
29 Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died
and was buried, and his tomb is here
to this day. 30 But he was a prophet
and knew that God had promised
him on oath that he would place one
of his descendants on his throne. 31
Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of
the resurrection of the Christ, that he
was not abandoned to the grave, nor
did his body see decay. 32 God has
raised this Jesus to life, and we are
all witnesses of the fact. 33 Exalted to
the right hand of God, he has received
from the Father the promised Holy
Spirit and has poured out what you
now see and hear. 34 For David did
not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,

March 2014

The Lord said to my Lord:

Sit at my right hand
35 until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.
36 Therefore let all Israel be
assured of this: God has made this
Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord
and Christ. Acts 2

Verse 36 is the conclusion to

Peters explanation of the events of
Pentecost. It is also the heart of the
New Covenant gospel, Therefore let
all Israel be assured of this: God has
made this Jesus, whom you crucified,
both Lord and Messiah. We noted in
our last article that Peter said, Lord
and Messiah. In Scripture Jesus is
set forth as our Lord and Savior but in present day preaching it
is only Savior that is emphasized.
The phrase accept Christ as your
personal Savior is never used in the
New Testament. It would be just as
correct to say you must accept Christ
as your personal Prophet or accept
Christ as your personal King. The
whole concept of preaching in most
churches today can be summed up in
that phrase accept Christ as your personal Savior. The emphasis in Acts is
totally different. In Acts the emphasis
is on the resurrection and ascension of
Christ. The saving benefits of Christ
are never separated from his lordship.
You may quote Luke 2:11, Today in
the town of David a Savior has been
born to you; he is Christ the Lord,
and say, This text says a Savior is
born to us. True, but the text also
states that this Savior is Christ the
Lord.
I am not objecting to the word accept. I am not suggesting the word
accepting Christ should be changed to
receiving Christ even though I prefer
using the word receive. I remember
a dear brother made a big issue out
of this. He refused to say, You must
accept the gospel. He felt the word
accept means we have a free will.
He said that phrase implied the sinner has the ability to both reject and

Issue 205
believe the gospel and thus the phrase
taught man has a free will. He insisted we should say, receive Christ.
He likened it to pouring water into a
bucket. The bucket does not accept
the water, for it is totally passive; the
bucket merely receives the water.
Likewise, we do not accept Christ; we
receive Christ. I told the man that we
are not buckets. We are creatures with
a mind, heart, and will, and all three
parts of our humanity must be affected with the gospel. The mind must
be illuminated by the Holy Spirit, the
heart or affections must be penetrated
by the truth of the gospel, and the will
must be liberated by the same gospel. When biblical regeneration takes
place, we gladly accept Christ. When
the Holy Spirit gives you a new heart,
you will willingly accept Christ.
I once asked my friend, If I show
you a Bible text that says we should
accept the gospel, will you change
your mind? When he agreed, I
showed him 1 Timothy 1:15, This is a
faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners; of whom I
am chief. The text says the gospel is
worthy of being accepted, so what is
wrong with telling someone to accept
it?
If we would follow the apostolic
preaching of the New Testament, we
must preach a whole Christ, meaning
we should set forth our Lord as the
New Covenant Prophet, Priest, and
King. Likewise, we must insist just as
much that we preach a gospel which
affects every part of mans being,
namely his (1) mind, (2) heart and (3)
will. The whole man must be affected
by the whole Christ. Paul is quite clear
in stating this fact in Romans 6:17. I
have inserted numbers to highlight
the gospel affecting mans whole being. By nature we are slaves of sin,
but thanks to Gods sovereign electing
grace (it is always Gods grace and
never mans will that is the motivating
factor that delivers us). But thanks
ReisingerContinued on page 6

Issue 205

March 2014

Page 5

Reflections on the Loss of Our Daughter

Fred G. Zaspel
For a dozen or so years our daughter, Gina, suffered unspeakably from
more maladies and on more levelsphysical and otherwisethan
I could begin adequately to explain.
The infection that ravished her central
nervous system, the years of sleeplessness, the constant nausea, the passing
out and the many falls and concussions that came as a result, the severe
and relentless headache pain, the
haunting hallucinations, the struggles
with confusion, the blood clots, the
systemic infections, and so very much
more, all in the extreme, made her life
the most severely agonized I have ever
witnessed. Amazinglyyet true to
formshe found moments of laughter
almost daily, and we delighted in her
company even while hurting for her.
But the suffering became increasingly
severe on so many fronts. And as we
watched her suffer, how we prayed,
often in despair, that God would deliver her from it all.
About three years ago he did. In
a dramatic and miraculous moment
the disease was gone, and for a short
while it seemed her life had been
returned to her. But further setbacks
were to follow. The suffering again
became intense and unspeakable.
Until finally, on Thursday, October 31,
it was all over. Forever. Gina is now
with the Lord.
At several points over the years
it seemed she was dying, but then
she would rally. And on occasions
she and even we could have wished
it for her sakeher suffering was
so awful, death would have been
considered a mercy. We still feel all
that, but nothing could have prepared
us for the pain we now feel over our
loss. She was Daddys girl, Mommys
soul mate, and brothers very closest
friend. We are a very close family,

and we loved Gina more than words

could ever expressand we told
her so many, many times every day,
verbally and with countless hugs and
kisses. Surely a day will never pass,
in this life, without sensing this deep,
gaping hole in our hearts. We just
cannot imagine life without Gina.
How we loved her.
I have often suspected over the
years that Christians who romanticize
death have likely never experienced
the loss of a close loved one. Death
remains a dreaded and a devastating
enemy, and there is just no way to
make it pretty. It still stings, deeply
so, and when it comes close like this
it leaves us feeling all but completely
undone.
Yet for Christians there truly is a
difference. And during this past week
since Gina passed, agonizing as it has
been, we have learned first-hand that
we really do not sorrow as those who
have no hope. The weighty promises and massive truths that God has
revealed to us in his Word truly are
life-shaping and soul anchoring, and
they provide a sure point of reference
for even the most hurting heart.
United to Christ by faith Gina
belongedand belongsto God.
And through the years of her suffering we reminded ourselves often that
the God who in grace had rescued
her in Christ from sin loves her even
more than we do. And so we trust his
providence. He is too wise ever to
make a mistake, and too good ever to
do us wrong. And we acknowledge
that just as he was free and sovereign
in giving Gina to us 29 years ago, so
now he is free and sovereignand
good and justin taking her. He has
not wronged us. Indeed, not only do
we affirm this great truthwe rest

in it. This God is himself our Father,

a Father who knows what is best for
his children and faithfully directs our
lives accordingly. Moreover, he is
the Father who in love one day gave
up his own Son to bear our curse in
order to redeem us to himself. Yes,
of course there are many Why?
questions that we cannot answer, but
we lack no proof of Gods love or his
goodness. And we bless him today
with deeper passion than ever.
We are so very grateful not only
that God gave us our daughter for 29
years, but also that in grace he saved
her and made her his own. This is really everythingeverythingand we
recognize that we are blessed to know
that Gina is rejoicing today in the
presence of our great Redeemer. How
she loved him! How she loved the
gospel. Gina was marked by passion
in everything she did, but nothing so
stirred her like the gospel of Christ.
She loved to hear it, she loved to learn
it more deeply, she loved to sing it,
and she loved to share it with others.
Her whole hope was in Christ. Virtually every day, even in much pain, she
would sit down at the piano to play
and sing and refresh her aching soul
with some of her favorite songs about
Christ, Gods love in Christ, salvation in Christ, Gods faithful love and
providence, and the glory that awaits
us. And this same gospel is what assures us still. And we rejoice that neither death nor life nor anything else in
all Gods creation could ever separate
Gina or us from the love of God that
is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And we have come better to appreciate that our hope in Christ is not
for this life only. We eagerly await the
day of Christs return when we will
rejoice together in his glorious presZaspelContinued on page 14

Page 6
ReisingerContinued from page 4

be to God that, though you used to be

slaves to sin, you (2) wholeheartedly
(3) obeyed the (1) form of teaching to
which you were entrusted.
First of all, form of teaching
means the gospel. The gospel first addresses the sinners mind. As we will
see, the gospel must move the heart or
affections, but it reaches the heart via
the mind. Biblical preaching presents
verbal and rational truth. The gospel
does not come to us in dreams and
visions; it comes to us in clear words.
It does not come to us with water
being sprinkled on us or our being
totally immersed in water. The gospel
does not come to us in communion
cups or on a membership card in a local church. That form of teaching
which is essential to biblical preaching and true salvation always comes
to us in propositional form. It states
Gods Word that must be understood
and believed. It also lists mans false
ideas that must be rejected. God does
not save us in an intellectual vacuum.
We are rational beings. God made us
that way. He treats us as rational beings. The mind must be instructed
with gospel facts before we can be
saved.
Second, the biblical facts that must
illuminate and penetrate the heart or
affections concern the character of an
offended God, the nature and reality
of sin, and the promises of full and
free forgiveness of all sins through the
shed blood of Christ. When the Holy
Spirit does his regenerating work, the
sinner does far more than merely believe some facts, even the right facts.
He no longer reads Romans 3:23 and
understands in some general sense
that all people without exception
are sinners. He now feels like God
is speaking directly to him. The text
now means, I am the helpless guilty
sinner. He feels like God is addressing him directly as an individual. The
sinner freely admits that his guilt is
dyed deep red and is totally without
excuse. He literally feels his lost es-

tate.

March 2014

The third part of man that must be

affected by the Holy Spirit applying
the gospel truths is the will. By nature
the will is chained to sin and self and
must be set free, enabling us to believe the truth. We do not get a second
mind, heart, and will. In one sense
we repent and believe with the same
mind, heart, and will with which we
rejected the truth. In another sense,
the mind, heart, and will are all new
in the sense that the Holy Spirit frees
them from dominion to sin and self.
The action of the will follows the
mind and the heart. The will chooses
what the heart finds desirable, and the
heart finds desirable what the mind
finds appealing. We choose to do what
pleases us. Before our mind is regenerated by the Holy Spirit, we can only
desire to please ourselves. The carnal
mind (or nature) hates God and his
truth (Romans 8:7). When the Holy
Spirit regenerates the mind and heart,
we find trusting Christ to be most
desirable. We cannot even want to be
saved until the gospel illuminates our
mind to see the real beauty of Christ,
but when the Holy Spirit does his regenerating work, we cannot not want
to believe. We are given a new mind
only in the sense that our natural
mind is retaught by the gospel truths
enabling us to believe the gospel. Paul
calls this work of sovereign grace the
obedience of faith. It is obvious that
Gods goal in the redeeming work of
Christ is having a gospel that brings
sinners into submission to Christ as
both Lord and Savior. It would probably be better to say, following Luke
2:11, to bow to a savior who is Lord.
Imagine for a moment that a lost
person would say, I want to be a true
Christian. I want to be a true follower
of Christ. I sincerely believe that
Christ is the true and final Prophet of
God. I am going to obey his teaching
because I believe that he alone speaks
for God. I will gladly submit to his
authority as my King. However, I do
not believe in the idea of the need for

Issue 205
a blood sacrifice to pay for my sins. I
believe the whole system of blood sacrifice is pagan in origin. We would
have to say to such an individual, I
am sorry but you cannot become a
Christian under such a belief. Christ
as Prophet, Priest, and King is a
package deal. There are many people
who will extol wonderful things about
Jesus as the greatest teacher that ever
lived, but will balk at the doctrine of
propitiation. Actually, the word propitiation is probably one of the most
hated words in the Bible.
Suppose another person will say,
I thank God for the cross and atoning blood of Christ. I believe the shed
blood of Christ is my only hope of
salvation. However, I do not think
Christ was correct in everything he
taught. He was a man of his times.
Some of his views are not consistent
with what we have come to believe
today. Again we would have to say,
I am sorry but you cannot become
a Christian on those terms. You cannot have Christ as your priest to pay
for your sins and then reject him as
your prophet. It is a package deal.
The current view that teaches you
can receive Christ as your savior but,
at the same time, reject him as Lord
over your life is not at all the gospel of
the New Testament. If we desire that
sinners see the face of God in peace,
we must proclaim the whole Christ
Prophet, Priest, and Kingto the
whole manmind, heart, and will.
The modern day gospel misunderstands at least two major points
concerning our subject. One, it reduces saving faith to being only an
activity of the mind. Gospel faith is
not merely believing some facts are
true. It is receiving a person and trusting him to fulfill a promise he made.
When someone says, I believe in
Christ, I ask them, What do you
believe in him for? What do you trust
him to do? A forgiven sinner has
some knowledge of forgiveness by the
blood shedding on the cross. BelievReisingerContinued on page 8

Issue 205
For those who care about such
personal details, I thought Id provide
a brief life update about what the
Lord has been doing and where we
are headed. In the summer of 2012,
we moved to Fort Worth to do a PhD
in BT and ST at SWBTS. I was not
entirely sure about the plan, but felt
like the Lord had closed some other
doors and was opening this one. We
were very fortunate to be supported
by many, so I thought I would give it a
year and go from there.
I did, and I was done. In short, I
was not enjoying myself and life is too
short to spend 4-6 years (the average
time at SWBTS is 7.1 years) doing
something you do not enjoy and do
not ultimately need. I could point to
numerous details that I did not like
about the program, but I think the root
of my discontentment was because it
is time for me to get to work, so the
Lord frustrated my time here. There
were three primary reasons for not
continuing the PhD program:
First, I simply was not enjoying
most of the content. I love to read,
study, and write, but have found that
I love to read and write about what
I want to read and write about. Too
often, I found myself adding to, rearranging, and glancing over my
Books to Read When School is Over
in 2017 list. There are way too many
good books out there that need to be
read, and paying to have to read bad
books makes no sense. Furthermore,
and I know many disagree with me
here, in my experience the vast majority of what I was reading was irrelevant to local church ministry, which
is where my heart has been all along.
The divorce of the academy from the
local church is worth another paper
in itself. I went to the national ETS
meeting in 2012, and largely enjoyed
it because Im a nerd, but came away
asking how relevant to real life much
of it was. Again, this is not to disparage nuanced theological thinking I
just know that sort of life is not the
one for me personally. And if Im

March 2014

Page 7

Why I Did Not Pursue a PhD

A. Blake White
honest, based on empirical evidence,
Im afraid that that much time spent
on that much nuance can impair ones
social skills.

man randomly asked me, Are you going to slow down before you turn 80?
then walked out of the elevator. He
seemed full of regret. It scared me.

Second, at least for me, the amount

of work necessitated that time with
my family was sacrificed. Professors
often preach about how important
family life is, but then assign 50-55
hours of reading in a week (and that
was for one seminar out of three).
You do the math. I had a better situation than most, but still would have to
return to the study after dinner when
Id rather be wrestling with my boys
or hanging out with my wife, not analyzing Friedrich Schleiermacher or
Brevard Childs. One day a conversation with a recent (jobless) PhD grad
really brought this home; he told me
of numerous friends who had been
divorced during the program. Now,
I know that is something Alicia and
I would never even entertain talking
about, but it was still scary. I can see
why it happens though. Momma gets
tired of doing all the parenting by
herself and spending evenings alone.
I am confident my family would have
survived a PhD. Many do all the time,
but they would not have flourished,
and that was a deal-breaker for me. I
want to be fully present and what is
best for them.

I went to seminary initially in

2006 to be trained for pastoral ministry. It is now seven years later. I
turned 30 and had a third child. I already have more education than most
pastors in the world. It is time to get
a house, plant roots, buy a dog, and
get to work in the local church. There
is a lot of Bible to be proclaimed, lost
people to point to Jesus, dying and
discouraged saints who need the hope
of the resurrection, and fun to be had
along the way. Spending another 5-7
years in the library just did not seem
necessary or worth it for me. Again,
I realize many do pastoral ministry
while earning a PhD, but I am not
gifted enough not to neglect something important in my life with such
a load.

Third, my desire to preach the

Word and pastor Gods people became
too intense to remain in a library carrel five hours a day reading Walther
Eichrodt or Gerhard von Rad. Life
truly is a mist. Every year it speeds
up. During the first month of the PhD
program, I got chills when I stumbled
into a library elevator with my phone
in one hand, coffee in the other, and a
big bag on my shoulder. I must have
looked disheveled because a very old

Much more could be said, but that

is the short of it. I have many friends
who have obtained a PhD, or are getting one, and are doing it well. This
is a personal note about the Lords lot
for me. Descriptive - not prescriptive
- though I do take the opportunity to
ask the hard questions to friends considering a PhD. With the academic job
market being so sulky, the one thing I
ask is do not plan on going into pastoral ministry as a back-up plan if you
cannot land an academic post. The
church does not need such. Teach at a
Christian high school or something.
Also, to the prospective seminarian:
do work. But when you do, know that
if you are a good student, you will be
encouraged to keep going and consider the academic life. We need our best
and brightest in pulpits.

Page 8
ReisingerContinued from page 6

ing in Christ as our Lord and Savior

is not the same as believing Columbus crossed the ocean blue in 1492.
Anyone can believe that fact, or any
other historical fact is true, but no one
can believe in Christ in the biblical sense apart from Gods sovereign
electing grace.
Two, when we receive Christ, we
do not receive facts; we receive a
person, and that person is the Lord
of glory himself. We receive Christ
in a way that is not true in any other
relationship between two people. Paul
said, I know a man in Christ (2 Cor.
12:2). The Bible is the only literature
ever written at any time in history,
in any language, or in any style that
describes a relationship of two people
as one person being in the other
person. Every believer is baptized
into Christ. That is unique language
because it is a unique experience.
Scripture speaks of our being in
Christ and Christ being in us. This
descriptive language is unique to the
Word of God.
The apostle John introduces his
gospel by asserting the absolute deity of Christ. He was the creator of
the world. He came into the world he
created. He came unto his own, and
they rejected him. But some received
him. Notice it was a person they
receivedas many that received
him. Salvation is being joined to that
person by a living faith. Of course,
those who received Christ believed
the essential facts about him, but the
facts pointed to a person. Salvation
is not in the facts but in the person to
whom the facts pointed. Technically
speaking, we believe the testimony
of the Father concerning his perfect
satisfaction with the work of atonement accomplished by Christ. The
work of atonement, made by Christ on
the cross, was directed toward the Father. Christs obedient life and death
fulfilled the work of atonement that
Christ accomplished as our substitute.
This work was directed to the Father.

March 2014
Christ offered himself to the Father.
The atoning work of blood shedding
was essential to satisfy Gods holy
character. The resurrection, ascension, seating at the Fathers right hand,
and receiving full authority to forgive
whom he chose was all involved in
Christ being given the new name of
Lord as a reward for his atoning
work. Verse 37 in Acts 2 records the
response of the unbelieving Jews to
Peters explanation of the events of
Pentecost.
When the people heard this, they
were cut to the heart and said to Peter
and the other apostles, Brothers,
what shall we do?

Verses 38-39 are surely on any list

of most misused texts of Scripture.
Verse 38 is used as a proof text to
prove that you must be baptized in order to be saved. If this is the meaning,
then we must rewrite many texts that
make it very clear that baptism is not
essential to salvation.
Then Peter said unto them, Repent,
and be baptized every one of you in the
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38).

Verse 39 is a key text used by

those who believe in infant baptism.
I have been trying to understand the
Word of God for over fifty years. I
have been in many discussions by
mail and face to face. I have been
forced to revise my understanding on
more than one occasion. I have seen
good and godly men twist Scripture
verses at the expense of clear truth in
order to hang onto a creed. I can say
without any questions that using Acts
2:39 as a proof text for infant baptism
is simply astounding. It denies and defies every rule of biblical exegesis. It
is one of the most glaring examples of
bad interpretation that I know.
For the promise is unto you, and
to your children, and to all that are
afar off, even as many as the Lord our
God shall call (Acts 2:39).

Issue 205
The paedobaptist view of Acts 2:39
is clearly set forth by Robert Shaw
in his widely used exposition of the
Westminster Confession of Faith.
The promise in Acts 2:39 is said to
be the covenant of grace made with
Abraham. That same promise is said
to be made with Christian parents and
their children. For a moment, assume
that is correct. Assume further that
Shaw is correct, and then we must
read Acts 2:39 this way, The promise
of the covenant made with Abraham
is the same promise made to the people to whom Peter spoke on the day
of Pentecost. There is not a single
shred of evidence for reading that into
the verse. You must ignore what the
text actually says and read into the
text what is not there. I am reminded
of the story of Spurgeon and the Anglican priest. The Anglican priest
wanted to discuss infant baptism. He
said to Spurgeon, I will read a verse
of Scripture in favor of infant baptism
and then you give a verse for your
view. The Anglican quoted Matthew 19:14: Suffer the little children
to come unto me. Spurgeon thought
a moment and then quoted Job 1:1,
There was a man in the land of Uz
whose name was Job. The Anglican
said, What in the world does that
verse have to do with infant baptism?
Spurgeon replied, The same as Matthew 19:14, nothing at all. Acts 2:39
has absolutely nothing to do with
infant baptism. Here is Robert Shaws
comment.
We thus find, that when God established his covenant with Abraham,
he embraced his infant seed in that
covenant; and that the promise made
to Abraham and to his seed is still
endorsed to us is evident from the
express declaration of the Apostle
Peter (Acts ii. 39): The promise is
unto you, and to your children. If
children are included in the covenant,
we conclude that they have a right to
baptism, the seal of the covenant.2
2. http://www.reformed.org/documents/

ReisingerContinued on page 10

Issue 205

March 2014

The Lords Supper

A. Blake White
Our Lord left his church with two
ordinances, Baptism and the Lords
Supper. This being the case, we had
better think through them carefully! I
want to take a look at three aspects of
the Lords Supper: Past, Present, and
Future.
Past
There are five primary ways that
Gods past mighty acts inform our
present celebration of the Supper.
First, we learn from the Gospels that
the Lords Supper has roots in the
Jewish Passover Festival (Ex. 12:2427), which was instituted to remind
the people of God of the exodus where
God delivered them from 400 years of
slavery and degradation. God heard
the cry of his people and sent plagues
to Egypt. Due to Pharaohs rock-hard
heart, it took ten plagues before he
finally let Gods people go. The last
plague was the death of every firstborn male in Egypt. Since Pharaoh
was considered a god, his son would
become one too. God takes that son
in order to save his own firstborn son,
Israel (Ex. 4:22). God provided salvation for the sons of his people through
blood.
Gods provision is a key theme
that will poke its lovely head up again
and again as we reflect on the Lords
Supper. God tells his people to kill an
unblemished animal and spread the
blood on the door posts and the lintel,
and Yahweh would pass over that
house, sparing the firstborn Son. After
giving these instructions, God said,
This day is to be a memorial for you,
and you must celebrate it as a festival
to the LORD. You are to celebrate
it throughout your generations as a
permanent statute (Ex.12:14; Deut.
16:3 HCSB).

Yahweh led his people out of

Egypt into their own place by a pillar
of cloud and a flame of fire at night,
which provided guidance, shade, and
warmth. He provided bread from
heaven (Ex.16:4) and water from the
rock (Ex.17:6) for the journey to the
Promised Land.
The second Old Testament background is the blood of the covenant.
Jesus said that the new covenant is established by his blood (1 Cor. 11:25).
With these words, Jesus is clearly alluding to Exodus 24:8, where we read,
Moses took the blood, sprinkled it
on the people, and said, This is the
blood of the covenant that the LORD
has made with you concerning all
these words. The blood ratified the
covenant. Sinful people only approach
the all-holy God through blood. Animal sacrifices restrained Gods wrath,
but it is impossible for the blood of
bulls, goats, and sheep to take away
sin (Heb. 10:4). Something more was
needed.
The third past event that informs
the present is the promise of the justifying work of the suffering servant.
In Isaiah 53:11-12, we read that My
righteous Servant will justify many,
and He will carry their iniquities.
Therefore I will give Him the many
as a portion, and He will receive the
mighty as spoil, because He submitted Himself to death, and was counted
among the rebels; yet He bore the
sin of many and interceded for the
rebels. Jesus said For this is My
blood that establishes the covenant; it
is shed for many for the forgiveness of
sins (Matt. 26:28). With the language
of many being forgiven, Jesus is
clearly seeing himself in the role
of the Isaianic Servant. Jesus is the

Page 9
righteous Servant who gave Himself
in the place of His people.
Fourth, the Supper alludes to the
past promises of a new covenant. The
old covenant given at Mount Sinai
was a broken one. Directly after the
ratification of the covenant, where the
Israelites said We will do everything
that the Lord has commanded (Ex.
24:3), they did the opposite of what He
commanded. The second of the Ten
Commandments was do not make an
idol. Before Moses is even finished
receiving the instructions for the
construction of the Tabernacle, stiffnecked Israel is at the foot of Mount
Sinai melting their jewelry, making an
idol, and giving it the credit as the god
who brought them out of Egypt (Ex.
32:1-4)! Israel was taken out of Egypt
but Egypt needed to be taken out of
Israel. They broke the covenant before
it was even fully given, which is akin
to committing adultery on ones wedding night.
Something new was needed.
Something effective. Something that
would fully forgive the people and
enable them to obey. The prophets
promised a new covenant where sin
would be definitively dealt with and
the Spirit would be universally poured
out from on high (Jer. 31, Ezek. 36).
Isaiah even describes this new work
God would do with language and
metaphors that picture a new exodus.
God would again lead his people
and liberate them from slavery, but
this time not from Egypt or Babylon
or Assyria but from Satan, sin, and
death. Jesus said, This cup is the new
covenant established by My blood (1
Cor. 11:25). With these words, Jesus
signaled the end of the old covenant
and the establishment of the new.1
All of these Old Testament events
and institutions find their fulfillment
in Jesus. He is the Passover lamb
1 Gregg R. Allison, Sojourners and
Strangers (Wheaton, IL: Crossway,
2012), 387.

WhiteContinued on page 10

Page 10
ReisingerContinued from page 8

The first thing Shaw has to find in

the text in order to use it as a proof
text is evidence that Peter is speaking
to believing parents. The you being promised has to be proven to be
believers concerning their children
sharing in the promise made to
Abraham. The problem is that Peter
is addressing lost sinners! He is not
speaking to believing parents. The
promise being mentioned is clearly
spelled out in verse 21. It is whoever believes will be saved. Peter
is preaching the gospel to the very
people who literally crucified the Son
of God. The promise is given in
response to the question asked by the
lost Jews with the blood of Christ on
their hands. They asked, What must
we do? Peter replies, Believe the
gospel and be saved. This verse has
nothing to do with believing parents.
It has to do with ungodly sinners who
crucified Christ. You dont tell believing parents to save yourselves from
this untoward generation.
The second thing Shaw needs to
explain is how non-covenant children
(those children not born in a Christian
home) are included in the promise.
Notice carefully exactly what Acts
2:39 says. It is Peters response to the
question asked in verse 37 by the convicted but still lost Jews who crucified
Christ. It was the promise of salvation
to all who call on the Lord in saving faith. This same promise is made
to the children of the ungodly Jews
if they will believe this same whosoever will gospel. This very same
promise is made to these lost Jews,
and is made to their children, and is
also made to those afar off. That
would be the Gentiles. In other words,
the pagans have the identical same
promise of the gospel as do the lost
shaw/, Chapter XXVIII. Of Baptism
(accessed 2/4/2014).

March 2014
Jews and their children. If the promise
means the covenant of grace, then the
pagans are just as included in it as are
the lost Jews and their children.
There is one more difficulty for
those who want to get the infants of
believing parents into Acts 2:39. That
which governs who believes the promise in Acts 2:39 is not physical birth
but sovereign election. Peter is quite
clear that all the elect will realize the
promise. Salvation is not determined
by your birth certificate and who your
parents are; the new birth experience
is determined by sovereign electing
graceeven as many as the Lord our
God shall call. The phrase, even as
many as the Lord our God shall call,
governs the whole verse. In other
words, the promise will be realized
by 1) as many of those who are effectually called from among those
who heard Peter preach on the day of
Pentecost, 2) as many of the children
who are effectually called, and 3) as
many from among the pagans who
will be called. There is not a single
word about a special promise to the
children of believers in this text. The
children of believers have no more
promised to them than do the Gentile
pagans afar off. What is clear is that
some children of believing parents
are among the elect and some are not.
The Lord who is both the only Savior
and the only judge saves whom he
will. The promise of salvation is to all
who believe the gospel. All of these
are synonymous with all those who
are elect regardless of whether they
are among the Jews or the Gentiles.
The one doing the choosing in every
case is God. If you chose to believe
in infant baptism, God bless you
but please, do not use Acts 2:39 as a
proof text. If you claim to believe and
preach a biblical gospel, make sure it
begins and ends with Jesus Christ as
Lord of Lord and King of Kings.

The baptism of believers, we believe to be a reasonable, scriptural, and

profitable service, calculated to strengthen and perpetuate every right feeling and conduct.
Charles H. Spurgeon

Issue 205
WhiteContinued from page 9

(1 Cor. 5:7). He brings about a new

exodus (Luke 9:31). Through being
washed in His blood we avert death
and hell. His blood of the covenant establishes the new covenant where we
find full forgiveness and the gift of the
Spirit. He is the Suffering Servant.
Finally, and most notably, we look
back to his victory. We look back to
the bloody cross and mighty resurrection. Jesus said twice to do this
in remembrance of Him. The Lord
s Supper is about the Lord. Body
broken; blood shed. We celebrate
this meal because Jesus died and was
raised.
Present
There are also five aspects in
the present to consider in the Lords
Supper. As mentioned, Jesus left us
with two ordinances: Baptism and the
Lords Supper. Baptism symbolizes
the beginning of a relationship with
God through Jesus Christ, and the
Lords Supper symbolizes the continuing of that relationship in several
ways.
First, the Lords Supper provides
assurance. Some traditions call the
Lords Supper the Eucharist, from
the verb eucharist which means I
give thanks. Eu charis = good gift.
Jesus said, This is My body, which
is for you (1 Cor. 11:24). For you.
This is a time of remembrance and
renewal. To receive the bread and cup
is to receive Gods love afresh. This
is not about what we do; this is not
about what we give to God. Nor is it
a sacrifice to him. This is not about
what we do, but about what Jesus did.
As sure as you are seeing, touching,
and tasting this bread and this cup, so
sure it is that Jesus is a reality and he
is for you.
Second, the Lords Supper is a
proclamation. Here is our divinelyinstituted Gospel-drama ministry. We
explain and illustrate the body broken
and the blood shed. This is about the
proclamation of the gospel.

Issue 205
Third, the Lords Supper is a community-forming practice.2 Though
our English translations hide this, the
you in 1 Corinthians 11:23 is plural
(hymin): I received from the Lord
what I passed on to yall. Think of
the Passover and Exodus. God leads
them out and gives them his covenant.
Passover was a family meal. To be in
covenant relationship to God is to be
in covenant relationship to His people.
Starting with the promises given to
Abraham (Gen. 17:3-8) and recurring
all through the pages of Scripture we
read the standard covenant formula:
You shall be My people, and I shall be
your God. We are the new covenant
family of God. We are bound together
and called to unity. First Corinthians
10:17 reads Because there is one
bread, we who are many are one body,
for all of us share that one bread. The
one loaf symbolizes and fosters unity.3
Fourth, the Lords Supper brings
with it a call to self-examination, but
we have really messed up this part of
the Supper. The Bible is not calling us
here to confess personal sins that we
have committed all week. We arent
Catholic, are we? We believe in the
gospel of grace so we confess sin as
it happens. This is not a call to make
oneself worthy.4 Sometimes we act
like this time is a time to beat ourselves up until we feel sorry enough
about our sin that we can now partake
in communion. Straight up Romish
penance. No, no, no. We are all always
unworthy participants, but the warning is that we dont eat in an unworthy
manner.
As Robert Murray MCheyne said,
for every one look at our self we need
2 Jonathan T. Pennington, The Lords
Last Supper in the Fourfold Witness
of the Gospels, in The Lords Supper
ed. Thomas R. Schreiner and Matthew R. Crawford (Nashville: B&H
Academic, 2010), 53-56
3 Allison, Sojourners and Strangers,
408.
4 Ibid., 394, 407.

March 2014
to take ten looks at Christ.5 Scripture
doesnt prohibit unworthy participants
but unworthy participation.6 The Bible
doesnt prohibit anyone who has ever
danced with the devil to come to the
table because we all have but you
cannot come to the table holding the
Devils hand.7 If you are repentant,
you come. The primary issue here
is that of division in the church. As
one Baptist theologian puts it, The
self-assessment is not for searching
out remaining sins; these should be
confessed and repented of quickly and
inconsiderately before sharing in the
Lords Supper. Rather, the self-examination is specifically for the purpose
of detecting broken relationships,
division-causing behavior, disrespect,
and mistreatment of brothers and
sisters in Christ.8
The Lords Supper is just that a
supper. The word for supper is deipnon and always means meal. We are
malnourished today due to the crumbs
weve substituted. Its ironic how
literalistic we Baptists are about the
mode of one of the ordinances, but opt
for convenience with the other one.
Weve turned a symbolic meal into a
symbol of a meal. Communion in the
Bible was part of a larger love feast.9
There was an actual table they came
to. Roman houses could typically
fit approximately nine people in the
dining area, and thirty to forty people
in the atrium. Typically, a rich person
was the host. In Corinthian culture,
it was normal for the rich guests to
5 Memoirs and Remains of
M'Cheyne, ed. Andrew Bonar (Edinburgh: Oliphant, Anderson, and
Ferrier, 1883), 239.
6 Allison, Sojourners and Strangers,
406.
7 Ray Van Neste, The Lords Supper in
the Context of the Local Church, in
The Lords Supper, ed. Thomas Schreiner and Matthew Crawford (Nashville: B and H Publishing,2011),387.
8 Allison, Sojourners and Strangers,
407.
9 Ibid., 392.

Page 11
be served first and have better food.10
The problem was that the church was
eating like the world. The rich were
eating all the food and getting drunk
and the poor folk were left out. They
were eating their own supper, not the
Lords (1 Cor. 11:20-21).
Rather than focusing on their
own appetites, they must examine
themselves, and recognize the body
of Christ; otherwise, they will be
disciplined by the Lord (1 Cor. 11:2732). So to eat in an unworthy manner
is to disregard the needs of others.
Discerning the body is recognizing
the body of Christ, the community of
believers for what it really is.11 Paul
rebukes them: Eat at home if you are
going to act selfishly because in doing
so you are acting like an unbeliever.12
The question to ask before the meal is
not Is there any unconfessed sin in
my life from last week? but rather Is
there disunity in the body? Division?
Unforgiveness? The Lord disciplines
such divisiveness.
Finally, the Lords Supper should
be a celebration. I have been to way
too many communion services where
the atmosphere was only slightly more
cheery than an unbelievers funeral.
This is not a funeral. This is not about
messing up our faces and pretending
to feel sorry for Jesus.13 Jesus is not
dead but alive! The victory has been
won. The Lords Supper is not an
10 Richard B. Hays, First Corinthians.
Interpretation (Louisville: John Knox
Press,1997), 196.
11 Ibid., 200.
12 James M. Hamilton, The Lords
Supper in Paul: An Identity-Forming
Proclamation of the Gospel in The
Lords Supper, ed.Thomas Schreiner
and Matthew Crawford (Nashville: B
and H Publishing,2011), 100.
13 Russell D. Moore, Christs Presence
as Memorial, in Understanding Four
Views on the Lords Supper, ed. John
H. Armstrong (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007), 33.
WhiteContinued on page 14

Page 12
WestContinued from page 1

tion sometimes evil) human leaders

can be. When the metaphor is employed in this direction, it is assumed
that shepherds should be goodthe
fact that some are lazy, selfish, or abusive does not alter the latent content of
the imagery. What it does is provide
a positive backdrop that sets in clear
relief the inexcusable failure of shepherds who do not properly lead the
flocks entrusted to their oversight.
There are three larger frameworks
which we should bear in mind when
we start to work through what the
Bible says about human shepherds.
One is the wider thought world of the
Ancient Near East, where shepherd
imagery was extremely commonplace.
In fact, shepherd was a title often
assigned to deities and very frequently
assumed by kings. It was a valued
royal title. This means that one connotation the shepherd metaphor had in
Hebrew culture that is largely lacking
in our own interpretive culture is the
accent of royal power and governmental authority. The President of the
United States is Commander in Chief.
In the Ancient Near East there were
dozens of rulers with the word shepherd in their titles. Perhaps today if
the President was referred to as the
Commanding Shepherd we would be
a step closer to naturally understanding a very, very important aspect of
shepherd imagery in the Bible.
The second larger framework
is theological. God is the ultimate
shepherd: he is the one who owns
the flock and employs all the human
shepherds. They never own the flock;
God does. This means that they are
responsible to him for the job they do
and are answerable for the condition
of the flock entrusted to their care.
Like every other type of power and
authority in the universe, whatever
we have is derivative. We do not grow
our flock and then gift it to Godhe
already owns everything and entrusts
his possession to our stewardship.
Whatever human shepherds there are

March 2014
owe their power and authority to God.
It all comes from him, through him,
and is to him. Human leadersin any
capacitymust humbly remember
that the positions they occupy are
gifts from God.
The third framework is biblicaltheological. Here, as everywhere, it is
important to follow sound principles
of hermeneutics. Regardless of the
vocabulary we use, we must read the
Bible in its canonical fullness. All
Scripture reveals Jesus and remains
improperly interpreted until we see
how it finds its natural fulfillment
in Christ. In regards to the shepherd
metaphor, whatever we learn about
human shepherds (whether good or
bad) the canonical movement reveals
that we have a desperate need for a
supremely good shepherd. The worst
shepherds need to be judged, punished, and removed. The best shepherds still fall short, and leave the
sheep yearning for something more.
All human shepherds in all of their
various capacities plainly prove we
simply need a Messianic Shepherd, a
man who shepherds exactly like Yahweh. Since the only shepherd who can
act exactly like Yahweh is Yahweh,
the canonical trajectory is towards a
shepherd who is God incarnate. But
that is our theme for the next article
and must be left to the side for the
present.
Turning from these wider-angle
considerations, we will examine a few
representative OT passages that refer
to human beings as shepherds with
responsibility towards other human
beings who are imaged as sheep. Yet
just before proceeding to the texts
where the relevant shepherd metaphor
is found, one more observation should
be made. I must confess to not knowing if much significance should be
attached to the following point, but it
is intriguing. Some of the most pivotal
leaders in the history of Gods redemptive plan were literally shepherds
of sheep before they were metaphorically shepherds of Gods people-flock.

Issue 205
All the patriarchs had vast flocks
(which actually lead to interpersonal
tension at different times). Jacob
watched over the flocks of Laban and
built his own flock from select offspring. When Joseph brings his whole
family to Egypt they are explicitly
identified as shepherds and they settle
in Goshen. Moseswho is very
important in terms of the shepherd
metaphortends flocks in the wilderness between the time he fled from
Pharaoh and the time God calls him
to go back and lead his people out of
slavery. David, of course, who gives
us Psalm 23, was a shepherd boy and
learned lessons about bravery, battle,
leadership, and tenderness from his
time as a shepherd. It was this background that allowed him to recognize
the greatness of the Lords shepherding, and it also taught him lessons he
applied throughout his reign. Since
analogies, metaphors, and other symbolic or figurative modes of speech
require understanding both the picture
and the referent, David had the perfect
interpretive background in which to
reflect on what aspects of shepherding
sheep most fittingly apply to leading
people. Naturally enough, a godly
man like David could not help but see
how all the best elements of shepherding were found in God: the analogy
was natural and profound.
As important a figure as Moses
was, the Bible is very clear that he
was an undershepherd of God. Notice
the following two statements in Psalm
78 and Psalm 77. Psalm 78 looks back
over Israels history and how God
miraculously delivered them from
slavery in Egypt. The psalmist writes,
But he brought his people out like a
flock; he led them like sheep through
the wilderness (Psalm 78:52). Here
the shepherd is obviously God. Yet
Psalm 77which also looks back to
the exodus from Egyptends with
this statement: You led your people
like a flock by the hand of Moses and
Aaron (Psalm 77:20). God is still the
ultimate shepherd and the people are

Issue 205
still his flock, but there are intermediaries. God leads his flock through the
agency of human leaders.
It is precisely because this is how
God works that Moses is very concerned that a godly leader will be
appointed after he dies. As Moses
considers what will become of Israel
after he is gone he is moved to pray to
the Lord. This is his request: May the
Lord, the God who gave breath to all
living things, appoint someone over
this community to go out and come in
before them, one who will lead them
out and bring them in, so the Lords
people will not be like sheep without a shepherd (Numbers 27:16-17).
Notice that although Mosess request
is compassionate, the imagery is not
focused on compassion, or tenderness,
or loving care. The point of contact is
leadership. Moses prays that God will
appoint a leader over the people, and
the shepherd imagery naturally bears
that meaning.
The same straightforward equating of shepherding and leadership is
found at the end of Psalm 78 (previously quoted to show that God himself
was considered the great shepherd of
Israel). Yet Psalm 78 ends with God
appointing a mediating king/shepherd
over his people. He chose David
his servant and took him from the
sheep pens; from tending the sheep he
brought him to be the shepherd of his
people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance.
And David shepherded them with
integrity of heart; with skillful hands
he led them (Psalm 78:70-72). Why
was David a good shepherd? He had
integrity and he competently led the
people. Moses and Davidtenderness asideare shepherds because
they lead the people. Even the people
recognize this principle. When Saul
dies and Israel makes David king, the
people say, In the past, even while
Saul was king, you were the one who
led Israel on their military campaigns.
And the Lord your God said to you,
You will shepherd my people Israel,
and you will become their ruler (I

March 2014
Chronicles 11:2). Military and political leading and ruling are the dominant notes sounded by the metaphor
in these contexts. In fact, leadership
is so tightly bound up with the OT use
of the metaphor that God can generically refer to all Israels leaders as
shepherds (cf. I Chronicles 17:6 where
God uses the phrase, their leaders
whom I commanded to shepherd my
people).
The same imagery is used in
contexts of judgment. When Ahab is
persisting in rebellion against God
and about to go to his death, Micaiah the prophet tells him, I saw all
Israel scattered on the hills like sheep
without a shepherd, and the Lord
said, These people have no master.
Let each one go home in peace (I
Kings 22:17). The reason they are like
sheep without a shepherd is because
they have no master, no leaderthe
king is going to die in the upcoming battle. The way Micaiah uses the
metaphor is as a picture of disaster:
when the king dies, the people are left
like sheep who have no shepherd. The
same principle underlies Zechariahs
famous Messianic prophecy, Awake,
sword, against my shepherd, against
the man who is close to me! declares
the Lord Almighty. Strike the shepherd, and sheep will be scattered, and
I will turn my hand against the little
ones (Zechariah 13:7). Similarly, in
Jeremiah when God says he will judge
the nations, he depicts himself as a
lion devouring flocks, against whom
no shepherd (i.e. leader) can stand
(Jeremiah 49:19; 50:44).
The shepherd metaphor is extensively developed in Ezekiel 34. Space
precludes a full treatment of the text,
but a few relevant points need to be
noted. The prophecy is directed not
against a singular shepherd figure
(like a king or false prophet) but
against the shepherds of Israel
(34:2). There is a plurality of leaders
who have been given the responsibility of being shepherds over Gods
people. But when God addresses them

Page 13
it is a message of woe and judgment. The general indictment is that
they are shepherds who take care of
themselves instead of the flock (v. 2).
In more specific terms, they take the
wool and slaughter the sheep, but do
not care for them (v. 3). In other words
they take from the flock but do not
give to the flock. They do not care for
the sick and weak, they do not look
for the lost, and they have ruled [the
sheep] harshly and brutally (v. 4). As
a result, the sheep were scattered (v.
5-6). Because of their hard and selfish
hearts and their gross negligence, God
is now the enemy of his shepherds (v.
10). This is because the sheep were
always his. Multiple times God refers
to the treatment of my sheep and
my flock at the hands of the shepherd. The sheep are always his, and
the shepherds appointed over them are
always accountable to God.
Gloriously, God does not simply
abandon his people to their fate. He
himself promises to do all that the
other shepherds were supposed to do.
He will search for them, rescue them,
gather them, pasture them, tend them,
feed them, and heal them (vv. 11-16).
If a shepherd could communicate to
a literal sheep what this kind of care
would be like, the sheep would realize it was going to be the recipient of
perfect care. If metaphorical sheep
truly understood what God has promised, they would know that they are
receiving perfect care from the perfect
shepherd.
A fascinating shift in the imagery
occurs in verse 17. Now God is depicting himself as a shepherd judging
between the sheep in his flock. Who
are the sheep who are being judged
for their bad treatment of the weaker
sheep? They are the leaders, the same
group that had just been depicted as
shepherds. Human leaders are shepherds but they are also, simultaneously, still sheep. Viewed from one
angle they are metaphorically like
shepherds; viewed from a slightly difWestContinued on page 14

Page 14
WestContinued from page 13

ferent angle they are metaphorically

just one sheep in the flock, surrounded by their peers. If nothing else, this
means that a human leader who thinks
of themselves as a shepherd but does
not equally think of themselves as a
sheep will invariably have a distorted
view of themselves, their role, and
the relationship they actually have
with others. Franklyalthough this
is a theme for a future articlein my
judgment there are far, far too many
pastors who are locked into thinking
about themselves as shepherds and
the rest of the church as sheep. This
is dreadful error: it is unbalanced and
can have extremely negative repercussions.
There is one more vital twist in
Ezekiel 34. After threatening the
wicked shepherds who are also just
mean sheep, God makes a very interesting promise. He says, I will save
my flock, and they will no longer be
plundered. I will judge between one
sheep and another. I will place over
them one shepherd, my servant David,
and he will tend them; he will tend
them and be their shepherd. I the Lord
will be their God, and my servant
David will be prince among them. I
the Lord have spoken (vv. 22-24).
I believe this promise is to be taken
as assurance that a David-figure, the
fulfillment of Davidic/Messianic typology, is going to rule over the flock
one future day. As David was a good
shepherd, this figure, as the typological fulfillment, will embody all the
best qualities of the historical David
but with none of the weaknesses and
sinful failures. David was a good
shepherd of Israel; the fulfillment will
be the good shepherd. The promise
was made and the flock of God longed
for the shepherds advent. Now we
look back over two millennia and
know his name. Next month we will
survey how the shepherd metaphor is
perfectly fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the
great David.

March 2014
ZaspelContinued from page 5

ence and discover for ourselves that

the sufferings of this present time are
not worth comparing with the glory
that will then be revealed in us.
Meanwhile, we are learning afresh
the blessedness of the joy that is in
Christ, a joy that bereavement somehow only serves to deepen. What
a great hope, and what great joy is
ours in him. We are also coming to
appreciate more deeply the present
work of Christ for us. In his sermon
last Sunday our pastor wonderfully
reminded us of our sympathetic high
priest, the Lord from heaven who has
come as one of us and who himself
having learned sufferingsuccessfullynow is able to provide for us
every needed grace at every needed
point in our journey. And we have
also come to appreciate more deeply
the real encouragement God gives
through his people. Christian friends
so often apologize for their stumbling
words, unable to find words that seem
suitable. Yet their many expressions
of loving sympathy have all been
blessed indeed.
We are hurting for our loss. The
pain is massive, and on one level Im
sure it will never be absent in this
life. But deep as this hurt is, we are
not left adrift. With minds and hearts
shaped by gospel truth, with the love
of God marvelously shed abroad in
our hearts by his Spirit, with confidence in his unerring providence, and
with an unshakable joy and hope in
Christ, God has given us more than
all we will need.
Scripture assures us that one
day God will wipe all tears from
our eyes. I doubt that this language
was intended to make us envision a
gigantic handkerchief or some kind of
cosmic hug. I suspect, rather, that this
comfort will come by means of further revelationthat God will enable
us to see things from his perspective,
to see his wise purpose as he has
worked it out in history unerringly
for the good of his people to his own

Issue 205
glory. There at last, with this fuller
understanding, all mourning will be
turned to joyful praise.
And so even in our loss, we do not
doubt that for all eternity, one note of
our song, looking back, will be Our
God has done all things well.
Then I heard a loud voice from the throne:
Look! God's dwelling is with men,
and He will live with them.
They will be His people,
and God Himself will be with them and be their
God.
He will wipe away every tear from their
eyes.
Death will exist no longer;
grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer,
because the previous things have passed away.
Then the One seated on the throne said,
"Look! I am making everything new."
Revelation 21:3-5 HCSB

WhiteContinued from page 11

ongoing sacrifice but a sign that THE

sacrifice has been accepted once for
all.14 It is a celebration because it is
about King Jesus. We remember Him.
Future
The Supper also points to the
future. The Christian church has
celebrated the Lords Supper for over
2,000 years and will continue to do so
until Jesus returns. At the Last Supper, Jesus said, But I tell you, from
this moment I will not drink of this
fruit of the vine until that day when I
drink it in a new way in My Fathers
kingdom with you (Matt 26:29). So
this is a celebration of hope a certain
hope. In the supper we see the fulfillment of past promises and are given
assurance of future promises. In this
sense, the supper is really an appetizer
for the great Messianic banquet (Isa.
55:1-3, Rev. 19:9).15 Take. Eat. Celebrate.
14 Ibid., 32.
15 Pennington, The Lords Last Supper, 56.

Issue 205

March 2014

Council on Biblical Theology

Page 15

July 22-25, 2014

Grace Church at Franklin
4052 Arno Rd., Franklin, TN 37065

Theme: Gods Eternal Kingdom Purpose:

NCTTime for a More Accurate Way
(Make Your Reservations as Early as Possible)
Morning (8:45-12:00) & Evening (6:45-9:30) Speakers
Tony Costa. Christian Apologist & Adjunct Professor, Providence Theological Seminary (PTS). The Sabbath and Its
Relation to Christ and the Church in the New Covenant.
Peter Gentry. Professor of OT Interpretation, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. (Two Messages) Ephesians 3:4-6:
What the OT Says about the Inclusion of the Gentiles & Gods Dealings with Abraham: Conditional or Unconditional? One or Two Covenants?
Gary George. Evangelist & Pastor, Sovereign Grace Chapel, Southbridge, MA; Board Member PTS. The Regenerative
Power of the Holy Spirit in the OT and the NT
Frank Gumerlock. Professor of Church History and Systematic Theology, PTS. Hebrews 11:8-19: Gods Land Promise to
Abraham and the New Covenant
Zach S. Maxcey. Graduate of PTS and Blog Administrator for PTS. Daniel 9:24-27: The Messiah and the New Covenant
W. W. Sasser. Pastor, Grace Church at Franklin and Board Member PTS. Grace and Law: Whats the Big Deal?
Greg Van Court. Pastor, Dayspring Fellowship Church, Austin, TX & Adjunct Professor PTS. 2 Timothy 3:16-17: The
Profitability of All Scripture
Kirk Wellum. Principal, Toronto Baptist Seminary, Toronto, Canada. The Ecclesiological Implications of the New Covenant
Stephen Wellum. Professor of Christian Theology, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. (Two Messages) What Is New
about the NC? and The Nature of Typology Revisited: Do We All Agree?
Blake White. Pastor, Spicewood Baptist Church, Spicewood, TX. 1 Corinthians 9:19-23: Not Under Law But Not Without
Gods Law.
Wednesday & Thursday Afternoon Consolidated Doctrinal Workshop Topics (2:00-3:30 p.m.
Moderator: Gary D. Long Faculty President, PTS
Topics Include:
Use and Misuse of Inaugurated Eschatology in Dispensational and Covenant Theology
Response to Criticism of the Book Kingdom through Covenant
Servant King and Obedient Son as Covenant Categories in Genesis 1-3
Hebrew Idiom in Covenant Making (Cut vs. Establish a Covenant)
The Church, Pentecost and Spirit Baptism
The Two Greatest Commandments and the Covenantal Administration of the Law of God
REGISTRATION & MOTEL ROOMS FOR THE COUNCIL ON BIBLICAL THEOLOGY
Franklin, TNJuly 22-25, 2014
Registration Fee: $75 per person attending the Council. Enclose Check or Money Order and mail to: Providence Theological Seminary, c/o Dr. Gary D. Long, 6720 Wild Indigo Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80923, with a note For 2014 Council
on Biblical Theology. Questions: Call Dr. Long at 719-572-7900; Alternate #: 719-821-9892
Room: Individual Responsibility. Call Baymont Inns & Suites in Franklin, TN (615) 591-6660) located at 4202 Franklin
Commons Ct., Franklin, TN 37067 and reserve a King-size bed room, or a room with two Queen beds, or a King-size
Suite with one King-size bed and one Queen pull-out bed. The group rate per room is $69.99 + 17.25% tax. All rooms are
non-smoking. Mention to the Motel that you are attending the Grace Church Doctrinal Conference. PLEASE MAKE
YOUR ROOM RESERVATION EARLY DUE TO THE HIGH TOURIST SEASON FOR THE NASHVILLE AREA. (If
Baymont Inns & Suites becomes filled, check directly with other motels in Franklin.)
Administrative Host: Grace Church at Franklin, Pastor W. W. Sasser; Church Office: (615) 791-1575.
Nursery Service provided by the Church. Church hosted Dinner provided Wednesday evening, July 23d.

Page 16

March 2014

TITLE
Abide in Him: A Theological Interpretation of John's First Letter White
Abrahams Four SeedsReisinger
The Abrahamic Promises in GalatiansWhite *NEW*
The Believers SabbathReisinger
Biblical Law and Ethics: Absolute and CovenantalLong
But I Say Unto YouReisinger
Chosen in EternityReisinger
Christ, Lord and Lawgiver Over the ChurchReisinger
The Christian and The SabbathWells
Continuity and DiscontinuityReisinger
Definite Atonement Long
The Doctrine of BaptismSasser
Full Bellies and Empty HeartsAutio
Galatians: A Theological InterpretationWhite
GraceReisinger
The Grace of Our Sovereign GodReisinger
Hermeneutical Flaws of DispensationalismGeorge
In Defense of Jesus, the New LawgiverReisinger
Is John G. Reisinger an Antinomian?Wells
John Bunyan on the SabbathReisinger
Jonathan Edwards on Biblical Hermeneutics and the
Covenant of GraceGilliland
La Soberana de Dios en la ProvidenciaJohn G. Reisinger
The Law of Christ: A Theological ProposalWhite
Limited AtonementReisinger
Missional EcclesiologyWhite
Ministry of Grace Essays in Honor of John G. ReisingerSteve West, Editor
The New Birth Reisinger
The New Covenant and New Covenant TheologyZaspel
New Covenant TheologyWells & Zaspel
New Covenant Theology & ProphecyReisinger
The Newness of the New CovenantWhite
The New Perspective on Justification West
The Obedience of ChristVan Court
Our Sovereign God Reisinger
Perseverance of the Saints Reisinger
The Priority of Jesus ChristWells
A Prisoners ChristianityWoodrow
Saving the Saving GospelWest
Sinners, Jesus Will ReceivePayne
Studies in GalatiansReisinger
Studies in EcclesiastesReisinger
Tablets of StoneReisinger
Theological Foundations for New Covenant EthicsWhite
The Sovereignty of God and PrayerReisinger
The Sovereignty of God in Providence Reisinger
Total Depravity Reisinger
Union with Christ: Last Adam and Seed of AbrahamWhite
What is the Christian Faith? Reisinger
What is New Covenant Theology? An IntroductionWhite
When Should a Christian Leave a Church?Reisinger

Issue 205
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Issue 205

March 2014

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LIST

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Warfield on the Christian LifeFred G. Zaspel

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Philosophical Dialgoues on the Christian FaithSteve West

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What Jesus Demands from the WorldJohn Piper

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All Things NewCarl Hoch

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Context! Evangelical Views on the Millenium ExaminedGary D. Long

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The Atoning Work of Jesus ChristWilliam Sasser

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The First London Confession of Faith-1646 Edition

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The New Covenant and the Law of ChristChris Scarborough

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Justification by FaithJames White

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Answers to Catholic ClaimsJames White

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Page 18

March 2014

Issue 205

The 2014
John Bunyan Conference
The 2014 John Bunyan Conference is scheduled for May 57
at Reformed Baptist Church in Lewisburg, PA

Speakers
Peter J. Gentry (PhD, University of Toronto) is professor of Old Testament Interpretation at the Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary and director of the Hexapla Institute.
Larry McCall has served as a pastor at Christs Covenant Church, Winona Lake, IN since 1981. He has written a
number of articles and is the author of two books, Walking Like Jesus Did and Loving Your Wife as Christ Loved
the Church. He received his BA in New Testament Greek and MDiv from Grace College and Theological Seminary. In 1993, he completed his Doctor of Ministry at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
Stephen Wellum (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is professor of Christian Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and editor of The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology.
Steve West (PhD) is the Lead Pastor of Crestwicke Baptist Church, Guelph, Ontario, and an adjunct professor at Toronto Baptist Seminary.
A. Blake White (MDiv, SBTS; ThM, SWBTS) is pastor of Spicewood Baptist Church in the Texas Hill Country. He
and his wife Alicia have three children: Josiah, Asher, and Karis. He is the author of What is New Covenant Theology? An Introduction and eight other books focusing on exegesis and biblical theology.

Topics
Peter J. Gentry

Larry McCall
Stephen Wellum
Steve West
A. Blake White

Overview of How the Covenants are Central to the Plot Structure of Scripture
Culminating in the New Covenant
Exposition of the Covenant at Creation and Its Foundational Role in the Understanding of the New Covenant
Loving Your Wife as Christ Loves the Church - 2 Messages
Underpinning and Understanding Biblical Theology
Understanding the CovenantsCentral to Theology

Shepherding the New Covenant Community 3 Messages

Marks Prologue and the Isainic New Exodus (Mark 1:1-15)
The Gospel Gift of Gods Righteousness (Romans 1:16-17)

Pre-Conference

Stephen Wellum will present two pre-conference messages Sunday, May 4 at 9:30 and 10:45 am at
Reformed Baptist Church.
For further information, please contact the church directly:
Reformed Baptist Church, 830 Buffalo Road, Lewisburg, PA 17837.
Phone (570) 524-7488; Website: www.rbclewisburg.org; Email: rbclewisburg@earthlink.net

Issue 205

March 2014

The 2014
John Bunyan Conference
Registration Form

Page 19

Lodging for the conference is available at a reduced rate at the Country Inn and Suites by Carlson in Lewisburg, PA. Just
mention that you would like accommodations for the John Bunyan Conference to receive a double occupancy room for
only $90.00 per night which includes a nice continental breakfast.
Reservations must be made by no later than April 13, 2014 to receive this reduced rate.
Reservations at the Country Inn and Suites may be made by calling 800-456-4000 or 570-524-6600. Their website is
www.countryinns.com/lewisburgpa and the address is 134 Walter Drive, Route 15, PO Box 46, Lewisburg, PA 17837.
Meals for lunch and dinner will be available at the church.
The registration is $80.00 per individual and includes five meals.
Space for meals is limited and registration will be restricted to the first 80 individuals who register. Please register by no
later than April 13, 2014. Sign-in for the conference will be from 9:00 to 10:00 am Monday, May 5, 2014
at Reformed Baptist Church.
Please call 301-473-8781 or email johnbunyanconf@comcast.net to register; Discover, Visa or MasterCard accepted.
Please register by no later than April 13, 2014.
REGISTRATION FOR THE 2014 JOHN BUNYAN CONFERENCE, LEWISBURG, PA
MAY 57, 2014
Register me for the 2014 John Bunyan Conference. Enclosed is a check for $80.00.
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If Jesus is not God

George Mylne, "Reposing in Jesus: Or, The True Secret of Grace and Strength" 1862

It is of great importance that we should practically know Jesus as He isthat we should be able to repose on
Him in all the reality of His divine nature.
If Jesus is Godthen I must repose on Him as God; and this, not merely for the correctness of my beliefs
but for the strengthening of my faith, and for the encouragement of my soul in all the varieties of its experience
and warfare.
If Jesus is not Godthen He could not have loved me from everlastingand I then have no warrant that He
either can, or will, love me forever.
If Jesus is not Godthen He has neither rendered an infinite obedience, nor made a perfect atonement for
sins, on my behalf.
If Jesus is not Godthen my faith is vain, and I am yet in my sins.
If Jesus is not Godthen I cannot look to Him for unfailing guidance, wisdom or power.
If Jesus is not Godthen His grace is not sufficient for menor is His strength made perfect in my weakness.
But my repose is this, that Jesus is Godthat "in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily"and
that "From the fullness of His grace, I have received one gracious blessing after another!"

Courtesy of Grace Gems: www.GraceGems.org