Post by ResLight on Jan 25, 2014 23:57:25 GMT -5
Luke 13:5 has been given to me regarding the ransom sacrifice of Jesus:
I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all perish (Greek, apollumi, destroyed, abolished) in the same way.
Evidently the thought is that those who do not repent will all perish/be destroyed/abolished forever in death due to their own sins (not the sin of Adam). Quoted out of context and given a meaning beyond what is stated, it could appear to be so. If this were true, then there would be no need of the future judgment day, for all who have not accepted Jesus during the present lifetime would already be judged and condemned to the second death. There would be no one left to judge.
What was Jesus here speaking of? He was speaking of common the condemnation upon mankind through Adam. The only way to escape that condemnation would be through faith in Jesus, that is, by faith, accepting the ransom sacrifice that Jesus was to give for sin of the world. However, for the Jew under the Law, repentance would have been toward that law, for any who keep that Law would live and never die. While the principle is true, none could keep that Law perfectly, so that it is "by [Jesus] everyone who believes is justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses." (Acts 13:39) Thus, "no man is justified by the law before God." (Galatians 3:11) The Law, which held the promise of life to any who would repent and obey that Law, became death, for it could justify anyone.
Luke 13:4 shows who Jesus was talking about:
Or those eighteen, on whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them; do you think that they were worse offenders than all the men who dwell in Jerusalem?
In other words, Jesus is saying that those upon whom the tower fell were not any worse sinners than others, but that they still died a tragic death. He is actually stating that they did not die because they were greater sinners than others, but they died because of the common sin of mankind in Adam.
Luke 13:5 - I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.
Was Jesus saying that if these Jews did not repent, that they would die by the tower of Siloam falling upon them? Of course not! He was simply pointing out the general condemnation upon the Jew under the Law and through the sin of Adam, but it was true that if one could repent and perfectly obey that Law could one avoid the condemnation under Adam, and thus never die. Of course, none of those Jews could ever obey that Law perfectly, thus we do not see of those Jews alive today.
Nevertheless, there is a general condemnation upon mankind through Adam, plus, for those Jews being under the Law, there is the added condemnation of the Law. No one gained life by keeping that Law.
However, Jesus was also preaching a different kind of repentance, as did John, as John said: "Repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:15) It was a repentance in accordance with the Gospel, not according to the Law. Thus Jesus said: "The law and the prophets were until John. From that time the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached." (Luke 1:16) Under the Law, the kingdom belonged to the Jew under that Law; however, as Luke 1:16 indicates, the kingdom was being taken away from them, and given to another. -- Matthew 21:43.
Thus, Jesus could have been telling them, unless you repent and believe in me, you will perish.
In either case, the perishing spoken of is the common death condemnation that is common to all mankind dying in Adam. Jesus was not saying that those who do not repent would perish for their own sins, as though such perishing set them apart for other sinners, for that was just the opposite of what he saying.
I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all perish (Greek, apollumi, destroyed, abolished) in the same way.
Evidently the thought is that those who do not repent will all perish/be destroyed/abolished forever in death due to their own sins (not the sin of Adam). Quoted out of context and given a meaning beyond what is stated, it could appear to be so. If this were true, then there would be no need of the future judgment day, for all who have not accepted Jesus during the present lifetime would already be judged and condemned to the second death. There would be no one left to judge.
What was Jesus here speaking of? He was speaking of common the condemnation upon mankind through Adam. The only way to escape that condemnation would be through faith in Jesus, that is, by faith, accepting the ransom sacrifice that Jesus was to give for sin of the world. However, for the Jew under the Law, repentance would have been toward that law, for any who keep that Law would live and never die. While the principle is true, none could keep that Law perfectly, so that it is "by [Jesus] everyone who believes is justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses." (Acts 13:39) Thus, "no man is justified by the law before God." (Galatians 3:11) The Law, which held the promise of life to any who would repent and obey that Law, became death, for it could justify anyone.
Luke 13:4 shows who Jesus was talking about:
Or those eighteen, on whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them; do you think that they were worse offenders than all the men who dwell in Jerusalem?
In other words, Jesus is saying that those upon whom the tower fell were not any worse sinners than others, but that they still died a tragic death. He is actually stating that they did not die because they were greater sinners than others, but they died because of the common sin of mankind in Adam.
Luke 13:5 - I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.
Was Jesus saying that if these Jews did not repent, that they would die by the tower of Siloam falling upon them? Of course not! He was simply pointing out the general condemnation upon the Jew under the Law and through the sin of Adam, but it was true that if one could repent and perfectly obey that Law could one avoid the condemnation under Adam, and thus never die. Of course, none of those Jews could ever obey that Law perfectly, thus we do not see of those Jews alive today.
Nevertheless, there is a general condemnation upon mankind through Adam, plus, for those Jews being under the Law, there is the added condemnation of the Law. No one gained life by keeping that Law.
However, Jesus was also preaching a different kind of repentance, as did John, as John said: "Repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:15) It was a repentance in accordance with the Gospel, not according to the Law. Thus Jesus said: "The law and the prophets were until John. From that time the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached." (Luke 1:16) Under the Law, the kingdom belonged to the Jew under that Law; however, as Luke 1:16 indicates, the kingdom was being taken away from them, and given to another. -- Matthew 21:43.
Thus, Jesus could have been telling them, unless you repent and believe in me, you will perish.
In either case, the perishing spoken of is the common death condemnation that is common to all mankind dying in Adam. Jesus was not saying that those who do not repent would perish for their own sins, as though such perishing set them apart for other sinners, for that was just the opposite of what he saying.
