MAX KLEIN BIBLE MINISTRIES
The Seven Baptisms
Written by: Max Klein
Baptism means identification or association:
Introduction:
1. This meaning began in Homer's time. Homer wrote of the one-eyed giant, Cyclops who had trapped Ulysses and his men in a cave and was eating them one at a time. The ingenious Ulysses devised a plan. He had his men sharpen a large log and together they rammed this log into the eye of the one-eyed Cyclops rendering him blind. They identified (baptized) the sharpened log with Cyclops’ eye which changed Cyclops from a seeing giant to a blind giant. Having blinded the Cyclops, they were able to maneuver their way out of the cave. Another example by Homer: Homer's Odyssey, book 9, used baptism for hot metal identified (baptized) with water when a smith dipped a piece of hot iron into water. This is how a blacksmith would temper swords in the ancient world. After this identification, the sword was made stronger and so less likely to bend.
2. Xenophon said that the Spartan military recruits after finishing infantry training would identify (baptize) their spears with pig’s blood. They would run by a barrel of pig’s blood and thrust their spears into this blood. This ritual, identified their spears with killing and the soldier’s readiness for combat with the enemy.
3. Euripides used the word for a ship identified with the bottom of the sea when it sank. Before sinking, the ship was valuable; after sinking it had no value at all.
4. So "baptize" in the classical Greek meant to identify one thing with another so that the characteristics of the original thing were altered. Therefore, the interpretation of the word "baptism" is identification with something that brings about a change.
5. There are a number of cognates related to this Greek word such as bapto, baptizo, baptisma, baptismos, baptistes, and embapto. A few examples follow:
6. John 13:26, “Jesus then answered, ‘That is the one for whom, I shall dip [the future of the Greek word bapto] the morsel and give it to him. So, when he had dipped [the aorist participle of bapto; the sop now takes on a new meaning that of honor] the sop [the morsel], He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.”
To give someone a sop [a special bit of food usually a piece of bread or meat with a tasty sauce] was the highest honor of a banquet. At a banquet a special piece of bread or meat was prepared along with a special sauce for the guest of honor who would then honor someone by giving it to that person. Jesus as the guest of honor took this sop and dipped it into a special sauce and gave it to Judas. In this way, the Lord Jesus Christ honored Judas as a member of the family of God, and for his ministry as an apostle to the Lost Sheep of Israel. This honor should have given Judas second thoughts regarding his plan to betray Jesus to the Sanhedrin.
7. Matthew 3:7, “but when he [John the Baptizer] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism [identification: the Greek word baptisma], he said to them, “You brood of vipers [poisonous snakes], who warned you to flee from the wrath to come [Baptism of Fire: identification with the fire of Torments and then the Lake of Fire]?”
8. Hebrews 6:1-2, “Therefore, leaving behind the elementary teaching about Christ, let us advance to maturity, not laying again the foundation [of the basics such as]: a change of thinking about dead works [just as an unbeliever must have a change of mind about Christ to obtain salvation, so the believer must have a change of mind about legalism (dead works) in order to obtain the spiritual life], and of faith toward God [Faith-Rest Drill], (2) doctrine of baptisms [the Greek word baptismos; a reference to the seven types of baptism as found in Scripture] as well as the laying on of hands [ritual rebound in the age of Israel], and of resurrection from the dead, and of eternal judgment [the Great White Throne Judgment].
9. Matthew 3:1, “In those days John the Baptizer [the Greek word baptistes; when John baptized someone into the Jordan River, the converts were identified with the plan of God and his kingdom.] came proclaiming [as a herald] in the desert of Judea.”
There are two categories of identification in Scripture namely an actual identification or a real baptism and a representative identification or a ritual baptism which uses water.
The four real or actual identifications with something that has significance.
1. The Baptism of Moses: 1 Corinthians 10:1-2 presents the baptism of Moses, "For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; (2) and all were baptized [the Greek word baptizo] into Moses in the cloud [the Lord] and in the sea." This was a real identification in which Moses was identified with the Lord and the open path through the Red Sea and the Jews were identified with Moses. By the way, none of the Jews got wet, only Egyptian unbelievers who were immersed in the water as a means of death.
2. The Baptism of the Cross is found in Matthew 20:22, “But Jesus answered [Salome by addressing her sons] and said, “You [plural: a reference to James and John] do not know what you [James and John] ask. Are you [James and John] able to drink of the cup [bear the punishment of all the sins of the world] that I am about to drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism [the sins of the world identified with Christ followed by the Father judging them] that I am baptized with [identified with]?” They [James and John] said to Him, “We are able. [the dumbest statement that James and John ever made]” [I selected the longer text as did Jerome.]
3. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Retroactive Positional Truth and Current Positional Truth) occurs at salvation for Church Age believers only.
Colossians 2:12. Having been buried [aorist participle] with Him [Jesus Christ] by means of the baptism [God the Holy Spirit identified us with the burial of Jesus Christ as part of our salvation] by means of which [Baptism] you have been raised up [main verb] with Him [in union with Jesus Christ seated at the right hand of the Father] through faith [at the point of salvation] in the operational power from the source of God who has raised Him [the humanity of Christ was given a resurrection body] out from the dead [physical death].
Romans 6:3-9:
Romans 6:3: Or do you not know that all of us who [a correlative] have been baptized into [identified with] Christ Jesus [Current Positional Sanctification: we are in union with Christ in his life in heaven], have been baptized into His death [Retroactive Positional Truth and so identified with his substitutionary spiritual death on the cross]?
Positionally, (in union with Christ) we share His righteousness, heirship, priesthood, destiny, election, eternal life, royalty, sonship etc. All these making us a new spiritual species in Christ Jesus. The plural correlative hosoi (ὅσοι) means that if we were identified with Christ in heaven and we were, then also we have been identified with Christ in his substitutionary spiritual death in which he removed the power of sin nature. Thus, the sin nature should not have power over our lives.
A few more points will be noted:
1. Note that the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation enters the believer into union with Christ at the right hand of God the Father which union is called current positional truth.
2. This verse also mentions identification with Christ in His spiritual death on the cross which identification theologians call retroactive positional truth. Retroactive positional truth also includes identification with Christ in His physical death and burial as well.
3. Identification with Christ in His death, then, has a two-fold connotation namely all personal sins were judged at the cross and since that is the case, God the Father is free to provide in grace, the Recovery Procedure. The second connotation is that good and evil were rejected by Jesus on the cross since good and evil are a part of Satan’s policy and plan. On the cross, Jesus relied on the proto-type spiritual life which operated under the two power options namely God’s power system.
4. So, the old sin nature’s ruling power over the Christian has been broken since all sins were judged on the cross and the Recovery Procedure has been provided. So, Retroactive Positional Truth has destroyed the sovereignty of the old sin nature over the life of the Christian.
5. Also, since Jesus rejected the good and evil policy of Satan so should the believer reject Satan’s policy of good and evil as the believer applies Retroactive Positional Truth.
Romans 6:4: Therefore, we have been buried together with Him through the identification [Baptism of the Spirit] into His death [physical], in order that just as Christ has been raised up from the dead [on Resurrection Sunday], through the glory of the Father [through the Father’s power], [So also we, the dead in Christ, will be raised from the dead by the power of the Father, and those alive at the Rapture, by the power of the Holy Spirit.] in this manner we also might walk in newness of life [Experiential sanctification should reflect our future ultimate sanctification.].
Christ had to die physically “and Jesus having shouted clearly with a loud voice said, Father, into your hands I deposit my [human] spirit, and having said this, he exhaled” (Luke 23:46). This last exhale caused His soul and spirit to depart from his mortal body resulting in physical death. Just as Christ had to die physically in order to obtain his resurrection body, so we must depart from our body of corruption, or mortality in order to receive our eternal body called our resurrection body.
The Newness of Life:
1. The newness of life provided through the baptism of the Spirit includes positional freedom from producing good and evil. Not only are we free from the tyranny of good and evil but we are also free from having to produce good and evil.
2. The believer has no obligation to improve the devil’s world through social action, socialism, welfare state, communism, environmentalism, or any social gospel, social action, getting involved, etc.
3. The human race is protected from Satan’s policy of good and evil through the laws of divine establishment which promote freedom instead of improvement at the cost of freedom.
4. In addition to the Laws of Divine Establishment the believer is insulated from good and evil positionally through the baptism of the Spirit.
5. Divorced from the Old Sin Nature positionally and its useless activity of human good and the function of evil, the life of the believer can be devoted to glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ through maximum knowledge and application of Bible doctrine.
Romans 6:5: For if we have become united with Him [Christ, the new husband] in the likeness of His death [the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross], and we have, and not only this, but also, we shall be [united in the likeness] of His resurrection [Current Positional Truth: in union with the resurrected Christ].
Romans 6:6: Be knowing this [through Retroactive Positional Truth], that our old man [our former husband, the sin nature dates back to the Garden] has been crucified together [with Him], in order that the [human] body, with reference to its sin nature, [the sin nature located in the body] might be rendered powerless [when we use Recovery Procedure and the two power options], that we should no longer be slaves to the sin nature.
“Our old man has been crucified with Him” meaning that the power of the sin nature has been broken on the cross. Since the power of the sin nature was broken by the work of the cross, we as believers have no excuse for not executing the spiritual life. We will not be able to say to Christ at our evaluation that our sin nature was too powerful for us to execute the spiritual life.
A few points for further clarification:
1. Retroactive positional truth is that phase of the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation which identifies the believer with Christ in His spiritual death, physical death and his burial.
2. In the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross all the personal sins in human history were imputed to Christ, but at the same time the other two trends of the old sin nature were not imputed for judgment.
3. Good and evil is the policy of Satan as the ruler of this world and the function of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life. In fact, the sin nature functions as the agent of Satan.
4. Good and evil were not imputed for judgment on the cross. Hence, in the spiritual death of Christ on the cross they were rejected to remain an issue in the angelic conflict, rejected to be perpetuated in human history as an issue every believer must face, and either overcome through the intake of doctrine or be entrapped by ignorance of doctrine and therefore lose out in glorifying God in time.
5. We are identified with Christ in His spiritual death, which means that we must understand that our sins have been judged and that good and evil has been rejected.
6. It all adds up to the fact that the sovereignty of the old sin nature over human life has been made powerless through retroactive positional truth.
7. The imputation of all personal sins of the human race to Christ on the cross means that the believer through the rebound technique is instantly forgiven sins, cleansed from all wrong doing which includes Satanic good and evil, restored to fellowship and filled with the Spirit.
Romans 6:7: For we who have died [the Christian is identified with the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ: theologically called Retroactive Positional Truth] have been acquitted [positional deliverance] from [the power of] the sin nature.
A few points for further clarification:
1. A dead person is discharged from the obligations of his former sphere of life. This is why the word “death” is used in this context. It is not a literal, physical death we are discussing but identification with Christ in His death.
2. As unbelievers we were under the authority of Satan as the ruler of this world, and under the authority of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life.
3. Both the power of Satan and the old sin nature have been abrogated through the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation.
4. This passage, then, emphasizes the annulling of the power and the authority of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life.
5. Positionally, the power of the sin nature has been broken. Experientially, the old sin nature controls to the extent that we fail to understand and utilize the provision and support of logistical grace.
Romans 6:8: Now if we have died with Christ, and we have [retroactive positional truth], we also believe that we shall live in association with Him [the instrumental of association; a reference to Current Positional Truth].
In this verse, the 1st Class conditional sentence shows the relationship between Retroactive Positional Truth with Current Positional Truth. The protasis, the ‘if’ clause states the reality of Retroactive Positional Truth and the apodosis, the concluding clause states the doctrinal inference and the reality of Current Positional Truth. While Retroactive Positional Truth presents positional rejection and separation from good and evil as the policy of Satan and the function of the old sin nature, Current Positional Truth relates the believer to the function of the royal family of God. In other words, they have separate functions.
Romans 6:9: Knowing that because Christ has been raised from the dead [He received a resurrection body], no longer can He die; [physical] death is no longer a master over Him.
Analysis:
1. Retroactive positional truth destroys the sovereign authority of the old sin nature over human life. Current positional truth, on the other hand, destroys the limited authority of physical death in human life.
2. Instead of being ruled by the old sin nature located in the cells of the human body and influencing our souls toward sin, good and evil, we now have a new sovereign, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are identified with Him in His deaths, in His burial, resurrection, ascension and session.
3. Before salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit our lives were under the absolute rule of Satan who is the ruler of this world and under the rule of the old sin nature which is the ruler of life, and under the limited rule of physical death. All of that, of course, has been changed since salvation.
4. Now both retroactive and current positional truth have abrogated the authority and power of these former rulers. The power of Satan over our lives has been broken through identification with the rejection of good and evil namely Satan’s policy and plan and through our position in union with Christ. The power of the old sin nature is broken through retroactive positional truth and the power of physical death is broken through current positional truth.
5. Therefore, having studied these things by principle and by implication we are now ready for application, verses 12 & 13 specifically.
6. Having been positionally liberated from the sovereignty of the old sin nature as an absolute ruler, and the authority of physical death, we must recognise and apply doctrine for the experiential victory commanded in verses 11-13.
Galatians 3:25-28, “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under the authority of [have need of] a school bus. (26) For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (27) For all of you who were baptized into Christ [identified with Christ through union with Him] have clothed yourselves with Christ. (28) There is neither Jew nor Greek [no racial distinction], there is neither slave nor free man [no social or economic distinction], there is neither male nor female [no gender distinction]; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [All Christians have the same privileges and opportunities to execute the spiritual life.]”
Current Positional Truth, Elaborated:
In the Church Age, Current Positional Truth establishes our relationship with Christ as opposed to religion. It refers to the Church Age believer in union with Christ and is the key to understanding the Church Age and how the royal family came into being. Therefore, it is the basis for distinguishing between Christianity and religion. Christianity is a relationship with God without merit whereas religion is a system of works to gain the approbation of God. Never shall the twain meet!
The mechanics of Current Positional Truth is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, whereby the Spirit enters us into union with Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:13, “For also by agency of the one Spirit we are all baptized [identification resulting in becoming a new spiritual species] into one body [in union with Christ], whether Jews or Greeks [racial distinctions are removed], whether slave or free [class and economic distinctions are removed], even all were made to drink [the aorist passive, the voice of grace] the one Spirit [The Holy Spirit did not ask us whether we wanted to be put into union with Christ or not.].” Ephesians 4:5, “One Lord [becomes our Lord positionally at Salvation]), one faith [faith alone in Christ alone; Acts 16:31], one baptism [Baptism of the Holy Spirit takes place at salvation].”
Current Positional truth guarantees that there will be no judgment for believers in eternity, Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Thus, the condemnation which occurred at the first birth was removed at the 2nd birth. As a result of being born with the sin nature and the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin, we were condemned to the Lake of Fire for all eternity, but now that has been removed. Romans 5:12, “For this reason just as through one man [Adam] the sin [nature] entered into the world [procreation], and so spiritual death through the sin [the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin to the sin nature], and so spiritual death spread to all mankind, because all sinned when Adam sinned [since we were all genetically in Adam when he sinned, we will receive Adam’s Original Sin].” However, at our spiritual birth, the 2nd birth, our pre-salvation sins were all forgiven including Adam’s Original Sin. After which, the Spirit entered us into union with Christ where there is now no condemnation (Romans 8:1).
Current Positional truth qualifies the believer to live with God forever. To live with God forever, the believer must have eternal life and God’s perfect righteousness, 1 John 5:11-12, “And this is the deposition [testimony] that the God [the Father] has given to us, eternal life, and this life is in his son [Since we are in union with Christ, we share this life.]. (12) and he who has the son [a relationship with the Son] has the life [eternal life] and the one who does not have the son of God [relationship with the Son] does not have the life [eternal life].” 2 Corinthians 5:21, “And He [the Father] made Him who knew no sin [perfection] to be a sin offering [imputation of sins on the cross] as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him [current positional truth].” To live with God forever means you must have His life, and you must be as righteous as He is.
Positional truth guarantees the believer’s eternal security, Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded that neither death [nothing in death] nor life [nothing in life] nor angels nor principalities [ruling angels] nor powers [human organizations] nor things present nor things to come (39) nor height [nothing in heaven] nor depth [nothing in Hades] nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eternal life in Christ is for all eternity!
Positional truth belongs to all categories of believers whether they be apostate, mature, immature, spiritually adult, or carnal. Since Current Positional Truth occurs at the point of salvation before experience in the Christian life begins, it doesn’t depend on that experience. 1 Corinthians 1:2, “to the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus [at salvation], called saints together with all who call upon the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, their [Lord] and ours.” So, even though you may be carnal or in reversionism, you still have positional truth. Being in union with Christ has nothing to do with what you do [experiential righteousness], or don’t do [failure to execute God’s plan]. Current Positional sanctification is completely the work of God the Holy Spirit and so is not based upon our volition, but on the sovereign decision of God. We make the decision to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, but we don’t make the decision to enter into union with Christ “all were made to drink the one Spirit” as per 1 Corinthians 12:13. God the Holy Spirit graciously did that for us and so it cannot be undone.
Current Positional truth creates a new spiritual species in Christ as per 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ and he is, he is a new spiritual species. The old things have lost their power; behold, new things have come to pass.” You become a new spiritual species at salvation by being put into union with Christ. It is what God does for you, and therefore it is grace. It is not what you do after salvation, such as the self-righteous works of legalism. The “old things” have to do with spiritual death and those things related to that death; the “new things” refer to things you receive at salvation such as the 40 assets and the unique spiritual life.
Positional truth should motivate the production of divine good and a pattern of life compatible with royalty as per Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his creation, having been created in Christ Jesus [a new spiritual species with many assets] for the purpose of divine good production [via experiential sanctification] which the God [the Father] has prepared in advance [in eternity past, God the Father provided election and predestination as part of our Portfolio of Invisible Assets], that we in the sphere of them [election and predestination] may pattern our lives.”
Even though a Christian may die the Sin on to Death, he will not lose his position in union with Christ (1 John 5:18-20), and so cannot lose his salvation. In order for a believer to lose his position in Christ, he would have to sin in that status, but since the believer cannot sin in union with Christ, he cannot lose his position in Christ and so cannot lose his salvation. Thus, it is comforting and reassuring to a believer to know that even though a loved one may have died the ‘sin on to death’, he has not lost his salvation.
Because we are in union with Christ, we share His:
1. Eternal life, 1 John 5:11, “And this is the deposition [testimony] that the God [the Father] has given to us, eternal life [At salvation, God the Father imputes this life to the human spirit], and this life is in his son [The Christian also shares the life of Christ through union with Him]. (12) and he who has the son [a relationship with the Son] has the life [eternal life] and the one who does not have the son of God [relationship with the Son] does not have the life [eternal life].”
John 14:6, “Jesus said to him [Thomas], ‘I am the way, the truth and the life [eternal life]; no person [in human history] comes face to face with the Father [having an eternal relationship with the Father] except through Me.’”
2. Perfect righteousness, 2 Corinthians 5:21, “And he (God the Father) made him [Jesus] who knew no sin (perfection) to be a sin offering as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him [positional truth]. Sharing the righteousness of Christ, we become the objects of God the Father’s love as per Romans 8:39.
3. Election, Ephesians 1:4, “just as He [the Father] has elected us for Himself in Him [Jesus Christ] before the creation of the world [in eternity past], that we may be set apart [experiential sanctification] and blameless [ultimate sanctification] in the presence of Him [Father].”
4. Destiny, Ephesians 1:5, “By means of love, He has predestined us for the purpose of adoption as adult sons to Himself through Christ Jesus our Lord according to the grace purpose of His will.”
5. Sonship, Galatians 3:26, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”
6. Heirship, Romans 8:16-17, “The Spirit Himself testifies together [bears witness] with our [human] spirit, that we are the children of God. (17) Now, if we are children and we are, also heirs, on the one hand heirs of God [the Father], and joint heirs with Christ. If indeed [if it is true that], we suffer with Him [pass all three stages of undeserved suffering], that also we might be glorified with Christ.”
7. Sanctification, 1 Corinthians 1:2, “to the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints together with all who call upon the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, their [Lord] and ours.”
8. Priesthood, Hebrews 7:12-19, “For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change in the Law also. (13) For the One [the Lord Jesus Christ] concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe [the tribe of Judah] from which no one has officiated at the altar. (14) For it is evident that our Lord has descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests, (15) and this is clearer still, if another priest arises similar to Melchizedek, and there has, (16) who has become a priest not on the basis of physical requirement [a reference to the Levitical Priesthood] but on the basis of indestructible life [the Lord’s priesthood is forever]. (17) For this reason, it is witnessed, ‘You are a priest forever similar to the order of Melchizedek.’” [We are in union with Christ. Therefore, we are royalty and priests forever. We represent ourselves before God as royal priests.] (18) For, on the one hand, there is a rescinding of the former commandment [the Mosaic Law that authorized the Levitical priesthood] because of its weakness and uselessness (19) (for the Law brought nothing to completion), but on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope [the second door of hope for the Church Age believer—a personal sense of destiny—by which we enter the adult spiritual life] through which we draw near to God.”
Hebrews 7:26-28, “For it is fitting that we should have such a high priest, impeccable integrity, the One who cannot do evil, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; (27) Who does not need daily, like those Levitical priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for their own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He [Jesus] offered up Himself. (28) For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of His [God the Father’s] oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, who has become perfect forever [Jesus Christ is a perfect high priest].”
9. Royalty, 1 Peter 2:9, “ But you and only you are an elect [elect by God the Father] race [as a new spiritual species], a royal priesthood [since Jesus is a king-priest], a holy nation [God’s entity: a nation of priests: every Christian is a priest], a people for God’s own possession [a protected people], so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him [Christ] who has called [in eternity past] you out of darkness [spiritual death and the Cosmic Systems] into His amazing light [his plan];”
10. New Spiritual Species, 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ and he is, he is a new spiritual species. The old things have lost their power [Old Covenant]; behold, new things have come to pass [This would include the New Covenant to the Church.].”
Current Positional Truth changes our relationship with Angels.
1. Through current positional truth the believer is higher than angels positionally.
2. Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, and so superior to all angels. By virtue of being in union with Christ, every believer is now positionally superior to angels.
3. Positional truth has fulfilled the believer’s triumph with Christ in the angelic conflict. We are victorious with Him already.
4. Furthermore, positional truth demands compatibility with experiential righteousness. Therefore, the believer’s walk on this earth must be compatible with positional truth since we have perfect security in Christ, we have the freedom to choose for Jesus Christ, to love Jesus Christ, to respond to His love, and to fulfill our purpose on this earth.
What positional truth is not?
1. It is not an experience, emotions or ecstasies.
2. It is not progressive; it cannot be improved in time or eternity.
3. It is not related to human merit or ability.
4. It cannot be changed by God, man or angels. It is eternal in nature.
5. It is not obtained gradually as you grow in grace, but in toto at salvation.
6. It is not known apart from the metabolization of doctrine.
7. From understanding the doctrine of positional truth, we progress in our spiritual life, but we cannot improve it since it is perfect at salvation.
8. We are not in Christ because of what we do (execution of the spiritual life) or fail to do (fail to execute the spiritual life), but because of what God has done.
A few points of explanation:
1. The conclusion from positional truth, whether retroactive or current, is that the Christian must apply these doctrines to his spiritual life.
2. In Romans 7:1-4 where we have an illustration of a woman whose first husband has died freeing her to marry another. This is what actually happens to us as believers at salvation. The old sin nature is the husband up to the point of salvation, but at the moment we believe in Jesus Christ positionally the sin nature is dead, as it were, the first husband has died and we have a new husband through union with Christ. Retroactive Positional Truth removes our first husband, the sin nature whereas Current Positional Truth enters us into union with Christ, our new husband.
3. The old sin nature-husband is still around, still seeking to regain his control over his former wife, the believer. But union with the second husband, the Lord Jesus Christ, has broken the first husband’s authority over the former wife.
4. The Baptism of Fire:
Matthew 3:11, “On the one hand I [John the Baptizer] baptize you [believers] by means of water because of a change of thinking [about Christ], but the one coming after me is mightier than I whose sandals I am not worthy to lace [loosen, remove]. He himself will baptize by means of the Holy Spirit [a reference to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Church Age] and by means of fire [a reference to the Baptism of Fire at the 2nd Advent].”
Baptism of Fire: The baptism of fire (identification with fire) is defined as the judgment of unbelievers both Jew and gentile at the Second Advent. They will be removed from the earth and placed in fire for 1000 years until the Last Judgment, Luke 3:16-17; Mathew 25:31, 33. The analogy to the Baptism of Fire is found in Matthew 24:36-41. The one left in the field is the mature believer; the one taken is the unbeliever.
Parables of the Baptism of Fire:
1. The wheat and the tares (the unbelievers), Matthew 13:24-30, 36-40.
2. The good and bad fish (unbelievers), Matthew 13:47-50.
3. The ten virgins: five wise, five foolish (the unbelievers), Matthew 25:1-13.
4. The sheep and the goats (the unbelievers), Mathew 25:31-46.
5. The talent test, Matthew 25:14-30. The one talent man represents the unbeliever.
If Jesus Christ had not been rejected by the Jewish people, then the age of Israel would have continued until its completion (the Tribulation completes the age of Israel). (However, they did reject Jesus Christ as Savior and Messiah and so the client nation was destroyed, and the Church age was intercalated that is inserted before the age of Israel was complete.) After the completion of the age of Israel at the end of the Tribulation, comes the wrath of God namely the Baptism of Fire when the Lord removes both Jewish and gentile unbelievers from the earth and identifies them with fire forever. After which, the Millennial reign begins.
The Three Ritual Baptisms. None are extant at the present time. They are representative identifications in which water is used as a training aid to represent some principle of doctrine.
1. The Baptism of John is found in Matthew 3:2-6, “Saying, ‘Change your thinking [regarding Christ] for the kingdom of heaven is near.’ [The future king was already on the earth] (3) For this is what was communicated through Isaiah, the prophet saying, ‘The voice of one [John the Baptizer] proclaiming loudly in the desert [of Judea]. Prepare [the aorist tense is a one time-decision] the way of the Lord [an idiomatic expression for salvation]. Keep on making upright [the use of the Recovery Procedure followed by the development of experiential righteousness] His paths!’ (Isaiah 40:3) (4) Now, John himself kept on having a garment of camel’s hair [very uncomfortable] and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. (5) Then [after John went where God wanted him to be] Jerusalem kept on going out to him [face to face] and all Judea and all the districts around the Jordan. (6) and they were being baptized [identified with the kingdom] by him [under John’s authority] in the Jordan River [where Israel crossed when they entered the land], and they kept on confessing their sins [post-salvation confession of sins].”
MAX KLEIN BIBLE MINISTRIES
The Gospel of Matthew: Chapter Nineteen
A verse-by-verse commentary by Max Klein
Matthew 19:1-2
Καὶ ἐγένετο ὅτε ἐτέλεσεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τοὺς λόγους τούτους, µετῆρεν ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς τὰ ὅρια τῆς Ἰουδαίας πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου. (2) καὶ ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ ὄχλοι πολλοί, καὶ ἐθεράπευσεν αὐτοὺς ἐκεῖ.
And it came to pass when Jesus had finished these messages [the dissertation in Peter’s home in Capernaum: Matthew 18], He departed from Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan, (2) and large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.
“Finishing these messages” refers to the dissertation in Matthew 18 which was given in Capernaum, the hometown of Peter. The ministry which is covered in chapter 19 takes place in Perea on the other side of the Jordan which today we call Trans Jordan. Jesus took the routine route by-passing Samaria, going south toward Perea. The great multitudes which followed knew that the Lord could resolve their medical problems which He did and in so doing He once again presents His credit card of His Messiahship. The purpose of healing once again was to focus attention on the gospel message which followed his healing them.
Matthew 19:3
Καὶ προσῆλθον αὐτῷ Φαρισαῖοι πειράζοντες αὐτὸν καὶ λέγοντες, Εἰ ἔξεστιν ἀνθρώπῳ ἀπολῦσαι τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ κατὰ πᾶσαν αἰτίαν;
Some Pharisees came to Him testing Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?
These same Pharisees will be exposed in Matthew 23 as hypocrites. They were not asking a question to gain knowledge, but to find a way to discredit the Lord Jesus Christ. No matter how Jesus answers, it is designed to discredit him.
If Jesus answers that one could divorce his wife for incompatibility or dissatisfaction, they will contend that he is abusing the Law. On the other hand, if Jesus answers by restricting divorce, the Pharisees will content that he is disregarding the Law.
This entire passage is related to Deuteronomy 24:1-4, “If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent [though unknown, it cannot refer to adultery] about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, 2 and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, 3 and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, 4 then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled [had sexual relationships with another man]. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord. Do not bring sin upon the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.”
Matthew 19:4
ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν, Οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε ὅτι ὁ κτίσας ἀπí ἀρχῆς ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐτούς;
And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female [a reference to Genesis 1:27].
Genesis 1:27, “So, God created [the Hebrew verb barah out of nothing]
the man in His shadow image, in the image of God. He created [out of nothing] him. Male and female, He created them [created out of nothing their souls].”
Matthew 19:5-7
καὶ εἶπεν, Ἕνεκα τούτου καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὴν µητέρα καὶ κολληθήσεται τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔσονται οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα µίαν. (6) ὥστε οὐκέτι εἰσὶν δύο ἀλλὰ σὰρξ µία. ὃ οὖν ὁ θεὸς συνέζευξεν ἄνθρωπος µὴ χωριζέτω. (7) λέγουσιν αὐτῷ, Τί οὖν Μωϋσῆς ἐνετείλατο δοῦναι βιβλίον ἀποστασίου καὶ ἀπολῦσαι [αὐτήν];
And said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother [to form one’s own corporation with its own authority] and be joined to his wife [physically], and the two shall become one flesh” [Genesis 2:24]? (6) “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. ‘What, therefore, God has joined together, let no man separate [through divorce].’” (7) They said to Him, “Why then, did Moses command [a man wanting to divorce his wife] to give her a certificate of divorce [for reasons other than immorality] and to divorce her?” [a reference to Deuteronomy 24:1]
The punishment for fornication and adultery was capital punishment for the guilty individuals. Since that was the case, then the reason for divorce as mentioned in Deuteronomy 24 cannot be for adultery. Deuteronomy 22:20-24, “If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the young woman’s virginity can be found, 21 she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done an outrageous thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house. You must purge the evil from among you. 22 If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel. 23 If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, 24 you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death—the young woman because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man’s wife. You must purge the evil from among you.”
Matthew 19:8-12
λέγει αὐτοῖς ὅτι Μωϋσῆς πρὸς τὴν σκληροκαρδίαν ὑµῶν ἐπέτρεψεν ὑµῖν ἀπολῦσαι τὰς γυναῖκας ὑµῶν, ἀπí ἀρχῆς δὲ οὐ γέγονεν οὕτως. (9) λέγω δὲ ὑµῖν ὅτι ὃς ἂν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ µὴ ἐπὶ πορνείᾳ καὶ γαµήσῃ ἄλλην µοιχᾶται. (10) λέγουσιν αὐτῷ οἱ µαθηταὶ [αὐτοῦ], Εἰ οὕτως ἐστὶν ἡ αἰτία τοῦ ἀνθρώπου µετὰ τῆς γυναικός, οὐ συµφέρει γαµῆσαι. (11) ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Οὐ πάντες χωροῦσιν τὸν λόγον [τοῦτον], ἀλλí οἷς δέδοται. (12) εἰσὶν γὰρ εὐνοῦχοι οἵτινες ἐκ κοιλίας µητρὸς ἐγεννήθησαν οὕτως, καὶ εἰσὶν εὐνοῦχοι οἵτινες εὐνουχίσθησαν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ εἰσὶν εὐνοῦχοι οἵτινες εὐνούχισαν ἑαυτοὺς διὰ τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. ὁ δυνάµενος χωρεῖν χωρείτω.
He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart [the seventh stage of moral or immoral degeneracy] Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning [in the garden] it has not been this way. (9) “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for the cause of adultery [the instrumental of original cause] and marries another woman commits adultery [because he is still married to the first].” (10) His disciples said to Him, ‘If this is the case [situation] of the man with his wife [the strict view of marriage], it is better not to marry.’ (11) But He said to them, ‘All men cannot receive the doctrine [regarding celibacy], except they to whom it is given [‘given’ implies the means for remaining a celibate].’ (12) For there are some [introduces a category] eunuchs who were born so from their mother's womb [congenital eunuchs, not possessing normal libido]; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men [emasculated eunuchs]; and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of Heaven's sake [the Law of Supreme Sacrifice]. He who is able to accept it [celibacy], let him accept it [celibacy in order to be more devoted to the spiritual life and ones ministry].
It is God’s will regarding certain believers whose ministries are of such a nature that marriage would be a tremendous burden if not impossible. The best illustration is the Apostle Paul who lived as a celibate under the Law of Supreme Sacrifice “some eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.” God has provided the gift of celibacy to both sexes in order that certain functions which are absolutely necessary might be performed.
1 Cor 7:6-8, “But this I keep teaching by way of concession, not by command. Yet I wish that all persons were even as I myself. However, each person has his own gift [not a spiritual gift, but a vocation] from God, one in this manner, and another in that. But I say to the unmarried, to the widows, that it is good for them to remain even as I [in celibacy].”
Matthew 19:13
Τότε προσηνέχθησαν αὐτῷ παιδία, ἵνα τὰς χεῖρας ἐπιθῇ αὐτοῖς καὶ προσεύξηται· οἱ δὲ µαθηταὶ ἐπετίµησαν αὐτοῖς.
Then, little children [ages 5 to 15] were brought to Him, that He should put His hands on them [a sign of blessing through association] and pray for them but the disciples rebuked them.
Children need to be encouraged to believe in Christ and to learn the Word. So, adults should always encourage children in this way. Unfortunately, at this point the Lord’s disciples had no concern nor sensitivity in this matter.
Matthew 19:14-15
ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν, Ἄφετε τὰ παιδία καὶ µὴ κωλύετε αὐτὰ ἐλθεῖν πρός µε, τῶν γὰρ τοιούτων ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. (15) καὶ ἐπιθεὶς τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῖς ἐπορεύθη ἐκεῖθεν.
But Jesus said, Permit the little children to come to Me, and do not hinder them; for of such a kind [they are believers or potential believers] is the kingdom of Heaven. (15) And He laid his hands on them [the children] and departed from there.
His laying on of his hands is divine association with these little children All those who were saved would be blessed by association with Him. The Lord would not leave until he had encouraged these children through association with Him.
The Proud Rich Young Ruler: Matthew 19:16-24
Why did the rich young ruler approach Jesus Christ? In his arrogance, the rich young ruler assumed that salvation is obtained by one’s own righteousness; in his case, by keeping the Mosaic Law (which he assumed to have kept perfectly), and many of the Jewish traditions found in the Mishnah as well. This man did not come to the Lord to seek salvation, but to receive confirmation from someone whom he and many others considered an authority regarding theological matters. Many people ask questions not because they are seeking answers, but to have their own beliefs substantiated by another authority.
This religious man had great pride related to his pseudo self-righteousness; he was a legalist, a person who believed in earning salvation through keeping moral and religious laws; and above all he was a person who considered himself perfect, though the Lord will soon reveal him as imperfect. His pride based on his pseudo righteousness had made him completely anti-grace in his thinking and orientation. Thus, the first step in breaking through this anti-grace barrier would be for the Lord to smash the young man’s image of himself as being perfectly righteous. So, Jesus commanded him to give all his money and possessions away to see if he truly loved his neighbor as himself. (A rather extreme application of Leviticus 19:18, but not as extreme as the cross would be for Jesus Christ.) Did the Lord expect this unbeliever to obey this command? No, of course he didn’t, but wanted to prove to this ruler that he could not keep the Mosaic Law perfectly. When the rich young ruler realized that he could not obey this command because he did not love his neighbor as himself, he should have concluded that since he could not keep the Mosaic Law perfectly, he was not perfect. With this realization, he should then have asked the Lord for a grace solution. If he had, the Lord would have given him the gospel message.
Not only was this person proud of his righteousness, but he was also quite successful and therefore quite self-sufficient. Self-sufficient people have a hard time depending upon grace. This man obtained rulership and wealth at a relatively young age. As a ruler, this man was probably a member of the Pharisees, and apparently very intelligent. Also, it appears that he was an aggressive, diligent businessman who had acquired great wealth (Mark uses the Greek word ‘ktema’ in this way (Mark 10:22) based on the verb ‘ktaomai:’ to acquire, to produce for oneself). So here is an accomplished person; a man that never had to depend upon others for anything. Sometimes people of this category have a hard time understanding and accepting grace-gifts.
The Mosaic Law was divided into three parts: the Ten Commandments (Codex 1); Christology and soteriology, the theological code designed to present Jesus Christ as the only Savior (Codex 2); and the establishment code (Codex 3). The first and third portions demanded a righteousness that no human being born with a sin nature could keep perfectly. Thus, the major purpose of these two portions of the Mosaic Law was to demonstrate to the Jewish people that they could not keep the Law perfectly since they were sinners, unrighteous and imperfect (Romans. 3:20-22; 7:7; Galatians. 2:16; 3:24, 25). Once a person understood this, then he would see the need to obtain God’s imputed righteousness through the work of Christ on the cross, presented by the second portion of the Mosaic Law, Codex 2 which included the animal sacrifices that represented and taught of Christ's death on the cross. Unfortunately, this arrogant young man could not accept this simple truth.
Matthew 19:16-17
Καὶ ἰδοὺ εἷς προσελθὼν αὐτῷ εἶπεν, ∆ιδάσκαλε, τί ἀγαθὸν ποιήσω ἵνα σχῶ ζωὴν αἰώνιον; (17) ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Τί µε ἐρωτᾷς περὶ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ; εἷς ἐστιν ὁ ἀγαθός. εἰ δὲ θέλεις εἰς τὴν ζωὴν εἰσελθεῖν, τήρησον τὰς ἐντολάς.
Now behold a man came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good shall I do to obtain eternal life?” (17) And He replied to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good [What good shall I do]? There is only one [Jesus, the only person born without a sin nature and so without the imputation of Adam’s sin] who is [intrinsic, absolute] good [a reference to both his deity and humanity and so qualified to provide salvation]. If you desire to enter into [eternal] life [through your self-righteousness and your pseudo perfection], and you do [an implication of the first-class conditional sentence], then keep the commandments [impossible for any member of fallen mankind, sinful man with a sin nature to keep God’s commandments perfectly].
The Greek word ‘agathos’ means intrinsic good, absolute good. When a believer uses God’s power in the execution of the spiritual life, he produces this good as in the case of Joseph of Arimathea in Luke 23:50-51, “a good [agathos] and righteous man.” Barnabas was called a “good man” since he was both filled with the Spirit and walked by faith according to Acts 11:22-24. Morality and the Laws of Establishment are good (agathos) since they are from God (Romans 13:3). So, whenever the Greek word ‘agathos’ appears in the New Testament, it is always related to God in one way or another.
However, there was only one intrinsic, good person who was able to accomplish the work for eternal life that is the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-Man. Regarding His humanity, Jesus filled with the Spirit and applying doctrine under the greatest imaginable pressure accomplished the work for the salvation of the entire human race. However, this extremely arrogant young man in effect, tells Jesus that He doesn’t need to go to the cross since he, the young ruler is able to obtain eternal life on his own. So, even though he asked the following question, “Teacher, what good shall I do to obtain eternal life,” he really was not seeking an answer, but seeking confirmation from a respected authority.
Since the Lord realizes that this was a debate, he answers a question with a question, “Why do you call me good (Mark 10:17-18)?” Jesus Christ answered those who were seeking salvation in one way, but those who were not in another way. Also, by this question the Lord is probing to see if he understood anything about the virgin birth, His hypostatic union, impeccability, the perfection of the God-Man, and how all these doctrines relate to redemption, reconciliation, propitiation, justification and imputation. In any case, the young wealthy man apparently knew very little of these doctrines and for sure was not interested in salvation through Jesus Christ. Worst yet, when Jesus stated that there is only one who is good, this young man’s attitude and subsequent statements would imply that he understood himself to be that one good person.
Matthew 19:18-20
λέγει αὐτῷ, Ποίας; ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν, Τὸ Οὐ φονεύσεις, Οὐ µοιχεύσεις, Οὐ κλέψεις, Οὐ ψευδοµαρτυρήσεις, (19) Τίµα τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὴν µητέρα, καί, Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν. (20) λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ νεανίσκος, Πάντα ταῦτα ἐφύλαξα· τί ἔτι ὑστερῶ;
The man inquired, “Which ones [in response to the command in verse 17]?” Jesus replied, “You shall not murder; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness [in court]; (19) you shall honor your father and mother, and you shall love your neighbor [those in your periphery; the ones a person has contact with on a daily basis] as yourself.” (20) And the young man answered, “All these, I have guarded. What do I still lack?”
Since the young man thinks that he is as good as the God-Man, the Lord commanded him to keep all the commandments which only the Lord Jesus Christ could do. He flippantly asks, “which ones?” He has complete confidence that he has kept all the Commandments perfectly. The first five commandments the Lord mentioned require only human morality to fulfill them, and so it is possible even for an unbeliever to execute them. However, the last one (loving your neighbor as yourself) requires virtue, a virtue that only the spiritual life of a great believer could manufacture. When the young man stated that he had loved his neighbor as himself, it is either blind arrogance or deceitfulness and a glossed over lie.
Matthew 19:21-22
ἔφη αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Εἰ θέλεις τέλειος εἶναι, ὕπαγε πώλησόν σου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα καὶ δὸς τοῖς πτωχοῖς, καὶ ἕξεις θησαυρὸν ἐν οὐρανοῖς, καὶ δεῦρο ἀκολούθει µοι. (22) ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ νεανίσκος τὸν λόγον ἀπῆλθεν λυπούµενος, ἦν γὰρ ἔχων κτήµατα πολλά.
And Jesus said to him, “If you desire to be perfect and you do [though it is impossible since you are not God-Man], go and sell all your possessions, and give them to the poor [which he will not do], and [after you have lost all your worldly possessions through the upcoming historic disaster in 70 A.D., you will respond to crisis evangelism] you will have treasure in heaven [this seems to be a prophetical statement] and [return] here and follow Me [in regeneration: Matthew 19:28a, “And Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I say to you that you who have followed me, in the regeneration].” (22) After the young man heard the instruction, he departed grieving for he possessed a lot of property.
If a mature believer were extremely wealthy, and if it were God’s will for him to give all his wealth away and become totally destitute in order to demonstrate that he loved his neighbor as himself, that man could do so for the mature believer has the necessary virtue love to execute such a difficult command, as Barnabas had demonstrated (Acts 4:36, 37). However, the Lord does not expect an unbeliever to do this, for no unbeliever has the virtue to “love his neighbor as himself”. Rather, the Lord wanted him to realize that he could not keep the Mosaic Law perfectly since he was not perfect, and instead turn to the perfect One, placing his faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.
He grieved because he wanted to be saved via legalism namely by his own works, not by the grace of God. If he had been seeking salvation by the grace work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, he would have been delighted since the solution was before him. However, since he desired to be saved by his own works through keeping the Mosaic Law for salvation, the Lord’s command brought him great frustration since at that moment, he realized that he could not fulfill his objective of keeping the Mosaic Law perfectly.
However, this man’s arrogance is too extreme. He is not only a self-righteous legalist, but also a totally self-sufficient wealthy businessman. Since the Lord could not break through his wall of legalism, the next step will be to remove all his wealth through national disaster. This is quite likely what happened to him when the Romans put down the Jewish Revolt from 68-70 A.D.
To help us understand Matthew 19:21 let us put it in Chronological order. “And Jesus said to him, “If you desire to be perfect and you do [though it is impossible since you are not Jesus Christ], go and sell your possessions and give them to the poor, then [after you have realized that you cannot execute this command] then return here and follow Me [in regeneration], and you will have treasure in heaven.” (Jesus answered the rich young ruler’s question as found in Mark 10:17, “As He was setting out on a journey, a man [the rich young ruler] ran up to Him and knelt before Him and asked Him, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life.?’” (After obtaining salvation through faith, one has the opportunity through his spiritual life to inherit treasures in heaven.)
Matthew 19:23
Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν τοῖς µαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ, Ἀµὴν λέγω ὑµῖν ὅτι πλούσιος δυσκόλως εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν.
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly, I say to you that it is difficult for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.”
The proud rich young ruler has three impediments to salvation namely religion, morality, and wealth. Jesus would have to remove at least one of them before he would be able to successfully present the gospel. So, Jesus Christ began by pointing out to him that his morality cannot make him an intrinsically good person. This would require the extraction of the sin nature and Adam’s imputed original sin. However, since he had already distorted his morality into self-righteous arrogance, the Lord could not penetrate this wall of arrogance even after demonstrating to him that he could not keep the Mosaic Law perfectly. Since it would be nearly impossible to attack his religion which included his morality and other factors as well, Jesus Christ knew that the only way that the gospel could penetrate his soul was to remove his self-sufficiency on wealth, and since he would not give it away, his wealth would have to be removed through some disaster. Once his wealth was gone, he would naturally be more open to the gospel.
Wealthy people do become believers in the same way that any unbeliever becomes a believer though they have difficulty in believing in Christ because they have a tendency to depend upon their wealth for their security and as their problem-solving device. (Wealthy people tend to develop this attitude of self-dependence and self-sufficiency sometimes even unbeknown to themselves.) Also, they are so busy making, keeping and enjoying their money even worrying over it so that they give very little thought to eternal matters and to the gospel (Mark 8:36-38; 1Timothy 6:11-17; James 5:1-6;). The next verse illustrates this difficulty.
Matthew 19:24
πάλιν δὲ λέγω ὑµῖν, εὐκοπώτερόν ἐστιν κάµηλον διὰ τρυπήµατος ῥαφίδος διελθεῖν ἢ πλούσιον εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ.
And again, I say to you, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” [synonymous with the kingdom of heaven]. (So, the Lord probably removed the wealth of this proud rich young ruler in order to make it easier for him to believe in Christ.)
In the cities of the ancient world, the main gate or gates would be closed in the evening and not opened until the next day. However, if some traveler should arrive when the main gate was closed, he and his animals could be brought into the city via a small door in the gate. This small opening was called the eye of the needle. It was especially difficult to push a camel through this opening for a camel would need to get down on his knees and then be pulled and shoved through. Furthermore, since camels don’t like doing something they don’t want to do and have a nasty personality to boot, it would be very difficult to get them to go through that opening, though not impossible.
Matthew 19:25-26
ἀκούσαντες δὲ οἱ µαθηταὶ ἐξεπλήσσοντο σφόδρα λέγοντες, Τίς ἄρα δύναται σωθῆναι; (26) ἐµβλέψας δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Παρὰ ἀνθρώποις τοῦτο ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν, παρὰ δὲ θεῷ πάντα δυνατά.
When His disciples heard, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, “Who then can be saved?” (26) But Jesus looked on them and said to them, “With men this is impossible [it is impossible for mankind to save himself], but with God all things are possible [including salvation by grace].”
That was the very point that the Lord was trying to point out to the rich young ruler, namely that unrighteous mankind needs a Mediator who will go to the Cross and provide what mankind can never provide. On the other hand, with God all things are possible even providing salvation for totally sinful, helpless, unworthy mankind.
Matthew 19:27
Τότε ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Πέτρος εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Ἰδοὺ ἡµεῖς ἀφήκαµεν πάντα καὶ ἠκολουθήσαµέν σοι· τί ἄρα ἔσται ἡµῖν;
Then answered Peter and said to Him, ‘Behold, we have forsaken all [legalistic emphasis] and followed you. Therefore, what shall we have?’
No unbeliever is ever saved by giving up things; No believer is ever rewarded on the basis of giving up things. In Peter’s case, he gave up his fishing business as a believer in order that he may be with the Lord all the time. In answering Peter’s question, the Lord points out the importance of one’s motivation. The Lord further points out that if a believer is forced to abandon his possessions or deliberately does so because of his love for the Lord, that act will be rewarded not because of the act itself, but because of the reason and motivation behind that act. If a believer gives up something or suffers persecution because of his love for the Lord, he will both be blessed in time and in the eternal state.
Matthew 19:28
ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Ἀµὴν λέγω ὑµῖν ὅτι ὑµεῖς οἱ ἀκολουθήσαντές µοι, ἐν τῇ παλιγγενεσίᾳ, ὅταν καθίσῃ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπὶ θρόνου δόξης αὐτοῦ, καθήσεσθε καὶ ὑµεῖς ἐπὶ δώδεκα θρόνους κρίνοντες τὰς δώδεκα φυλὰς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ.
And Jesus said to them [the disciples], “Truly I say to you that you who have followed me, in the regeneration [believed in Jesus Christ], when the Son of Man shall sit on the throne of His glory [2nd Advent], you yourselves [he is addressing Judas and the other eleven] also shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” [at the 2nd Advent]
At the 2nd Advent, Peter and the other apostles to Israel will judge the unbelievers [preliminary to the Baptism of Fire] and pass out rewards to those Tribulational believers who had executed God’s plan.
Matthew 19:29
καὶ πᾶς ὅστις ἀφῆκεν οἰκίας ἢ ἀδελφοὺς ἢ ἀδελφὰς ἢ πατέρα ἢ µητέρα ἢ τέκνα ἢ ἀγροὺς ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόµατός µου ἑκατονταπλασίονα λήµψεται καὶ ζωὴν αἰώνιον κληρονοµήσει.
And any [believer] who has left behind houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake [because of his love for the Lord indicating the highest level of spiritual growth], shall receive a hundredfold [maximum blessing in time], and you shall inherit everlasting life [maximum blessing in their resurrection bodies].
Luke 10:25-28, “On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.””
Luke 18:29-30, “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them [his disciples], “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come, eternal life.”
Matthew 19:30
Πολλοὶ δὲ ἔσονται πρῶτοι ἔσχατοι καὶ ἔσχατοι πρῶτοι.
"But many who are first [in the pre-canon period of the Church Age] will be last [in rewards], and the last [in the post canon period of the Church age] will be first [in receiving the highest honors and rewards]."
Many believers in the first century even though first [in the Church Age] will be last, that is they will not receive the great honors and decorations and other rewards since they failed in their spiritual lives. Many of those living in the post canon period of the Church Age, the last [in the Church Age] will be first in receiving the highest honors and rewards because of their great spiritual accomplishments. It’s not when you live, but how you live your spiritual life.
