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 Eight
A verse-by-verse commentary by Max Klein
Matthew 8:1
Καταβάντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄρους ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ ὄχλοι πολλοί
When he came down from the mountainside [from the Sermon on the Mount], large crowds followed him.
The large crowds which followed Christ were from two different groups. Matthew 5:1a, “When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain. . .”. Jesus deliberately separated himself from the crowds in order that he might brief his disciples. As Jesus was briefing his disciples more and more people were making their way up the mountain so that when Jesus had finished the Sermon on the Mount, large crowds were surrounding his disciples as per Matthew 7:28, “When Jesus had finished these words [the end of the Sermon on the Mount: chapters 5-7] the crowds were astonished at His teaching [amazed, but no converts];” This crowd which came down from the mountain with Christ and his disciples along with the crowds that did not go up the mountain produced large crowds.
Matthew 8:2
καὶ ἰδοὺ λεπρὸς προσελθὼν προσεκύνει αὐτῷ λέγων, Κύριε, ἐὰν θέλῃς δύνασαί µε καθαρίσαι.
Behold, a leper having come, was worshipping Him and said, “Lord [a believer addressing the Lord], if you are willing [I don’t know whether you are or aren’t: he respects God’s sovereignty], you can [by the use of your omnipotence] make me clean.”
This leper is willing to go either way. If the Lord wants to heal him he knows that He can, and he will be thankful for it, but if He doesn’t want him to be healed he knows that the Lord has a purpose for the leprosy and so he will fulfil the principle of “in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” This leper was very humble for he did not assume that his leprosy was more important than the Lord’s plan for his life. Being very humble, he didn’t ask to be healed. Rather, he merely stated that the Lord could heal him if he so desired.
In the Old Testament, the Levitical priests both examined for leprosy and handled the ceremonial cleansing of a cured leper. If the person being examined (The priestly examination is found in Leviticus 13:1-59.) was found to have leprosy, then he was recorded as a leper. If a leper was miraculously cured of his disease, he would need to report this matter to someone in the Levitical priesthood. The ceremonial cleansing of a cured leper is described in Leviticus 14:1-57. The priests used chapter 13 often, but the scroll containing chapter 14 was rarely used.
In the Old Testament there was no cases of leprosy being cured except for a couple of cases where the cure came about through a miracle. The Lord healed Naaman, the general of the army of Aram through following the instructions of Elisha as per 2 Kings 5:14. Miriam, the sister of Moses was punished with leprosy by the Lord for maligning Moses and his Ethiopian wife. She was subsequently healed by the Lord through the intercessory prayer of Moses (Numbers 12:10-15). To prove that God was with Moses, God told Moses to put his hand into his bosom (under his cloak), when he pulls it out again, “his hand was covered with scales, like snowflakes.” When Moses again puts his hand in his bosom, it comes out clean (Exodus 4: 6-7).
During the ministry of Christ, many cured lepers had to report to the priests that they were cured. This should have alerted the priesthood that the messiah was here.
Matthew 8:3
καὶ ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα ἥψατο αὐτοῦ λέγων, Θέλω, καθαρίσθητι· καὶ εὐθέως ἐκαθαρίσθη αὐτοῦ ἡ λέπρα.
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean [aorist: instantly completely clean]!” Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.
There were literally thousands and thousands of lepers in that part of the world and Jesus only healed a few. Does this mean that He was remiss when He overlooked the rest? The point is: whenever someone was healed by Jesus Christ it had a purpose. Jesus was not remiss in His duty. He didn’t come to heal people; He came to save, So, the purpose of healing was not to alleviate suffering but to focus attention on the Lord Jesus Christ.
The one thing a person does not do and that is to touch a leper but the Lord did which was another proof of his Messiahship. Through this leper the priesthood will be alerted regarding the arrival of the Messiah. Jesus probably healed 25 lepers out of the thousands of lepers. He was not remiss for he didn’t come to cure all diseases, but to provide salvation for the human race.
Matthew 8:4
καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Ὅρα µηδενὶ εἴπῃς, ἀλλὰ ὕπαγε σεαυτὸν δεῖξον τῷ ἱερεῖ, καὶ προσένεγκον τὸ δῶρον ὃ προσέταξεν Μωϋσῆς, εἰς µαρτύριον αὐτοῖς.
Then Jesus said to him, “See [pay attention even though you are excited about being cured] that you don’t tell anyone [the priests are to be alerted first]. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift [two birds] that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them [to the priests].”
Whenever a leper was cured, he would have to go to the priests who would then examine him according to Leviticus 14. After satisfactorily meeting all the requirements of being cured, the priests would remove that person from the records of being a leper. Jesus wanted to alert the priesthood that the Messiah was here since they were the spiritual leaders.
Matthew 8:5
Εἰσελθόντος δὲ αὐτοῦ εἰς Καφαρναοὺµ προσῆλθεν αὐτῷ ἑκατόνταρχος παρακαλῶν αὐτὸν
When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, making a request.
Now we are going to meet a gentile believer. Here is a Roman officer, a military attaché attached to the Roman legation in Capernaum. Some of the greatest believers of all times have been soldiers for example, Gestaphas Adolphus.
Matthew 8:6
καὶ λέγων, Κύριε, ὁ παῖς µου βέβληται ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ παραλυτικός, δεινῶς βασανιζόµενος.
“Lord [he is a believer],” he said, “my son lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.”
The son is very sick and apparently dying, possibly in the advanced stages of polio.
Matthew 8:7
καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ, Ἐγὼ ἐλθὼν θεραπεύσω αὐτόν.
Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.”
Most believers would say that is great and let’s hurry. However, this gentile believer is very humble with a great understanding of authority.
Matthew 8:8
καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ ἑκατόνταρχος ἔφη, Κύριε, οὐκ εἰµὶ ἱκανὸς ἵνα µου ὑπὸ τὴν στέγην εἰσέλθῃς· ἀλλὰ µόνον εἰπὲ λόγῳ, καὶ ἰαθήσεται ὁ παῖς µου.
The centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy for you to come under my roof, but just say the word [great faith], and my son will be healed.
This believer recognizes that Jesus Christ is God. So, even though he himself is a high Roman official, he is not worthy to have God enter into his quarters, undoubtedly a very plush one.
Matthew 8:9
καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπός εἰµι ὑπὸ ἐξουσίαν, ἔχων ὑπí ἐµαυτὸν στρατιώτας, καὶ λέγω τούτῳ, Πορεύθητι, καὶ πορεύεται, καὶ ἄλλῳ, Ἔρχου, καὶ ἔρχεται, καὶ τῷ δούλῳ µου, Ποίησον τοῦτο, καὶ ποιεῖ.
For I myself am a man under authority with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes: and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
This man understands authority and lives under the principle of authority. He knows that Jesus has the authority to heal and applies that knowledge by faith.
Matthew 8:10
ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐθαύµασεν καὶ εἶπεν τοῖς ἀκολουθοῦσιν, Ἀµὴν λέγω ὑµῖν, παρí οὐδενὶ τοσαύτην πίστιν ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ εὗρον.
When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.
Jesus Christ just gave the faith award to a gentile soldier in the Roman Army in the midst of many Jews.
Matthew 8:11
λέγω δὲ ὑµῖν ὅτι πολλοὶ ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν καὶ δυσµῶν ἥξουσιν καὶ ἀνακλιθήσονται µετὰ Ἀβραὰµ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν·
“Truly, I say to you that many [gentiles] will come from the east [India] and the west [Spain], and will take their seats with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
These religious Jewish people and leaders looked down upon these Romans, yet many gentiles will take their seats with the founders of the Jewish race.
Matthew 8:12
οἱ δὲ υἱοὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἐκβληθήσονται εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον· ἐκεῖ ἔσται ὁ κλαυθµὸς καὶ ὁ βρυγµὸς τῶν ὀδόντων.
But the sons of the kingdom [racial Jews] will be thrown outside into the outer darkness [Torments] where there will be weeping [lost opportunity] and gnashing of teeth [frustration from seeing gentiles entering the kingdom who had no spiritual heritage].”
They are religious, but not regenerate.
The ‘children of the kingdom’ are the Jews who had the Old Testament Scriptures but have not believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. They are going to weep and gnash their teeth when they realize that they have lost such an opportunity, an opportunity that many gentiles without the Jewish spiritual culture will not miss out on. This fact will even make it more frustrating for them.
Matthew 8:13
καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τῷ ἑκατοντάρχῃ, Ὕπαγε, ὡς ἐπίστευσας γενηθήτω σοι. καὶ ἰάθη ὁ παῖς [αὐτοῦ] ἐν τῇ ὥρᾳ ἐκείνῃ.
Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! As you have believed [there is no ‘so’], it has been done unto you for your benefit.” And his son was healed at that very hour.
Jesus could have healed this man’s son with or without the centurion’s faith. He didn’t heal the son because of the Centurion’s faith for there is no causal construction in this verse. Jesus didn’t say, “Because of your faith, I healed your son.” He healed his son because of his own matchless grace. Jesus does give recognition however to the centurion for his faith in front of a large crowd of religious Jews and some born again Jews without much faith-rest. Just as the Lord used the believing leper to speak to the priesthood, so he uses this gentile centurion to speak to the crowd of Jews.
Healing related to faith is found in Mark 5:25-29, 34 “And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. (26) She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. (27) When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, (28) because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." (29) Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering [she was healed]. (34) He said to her, "Daughter [a believer], your faith has healed you [her faith motivated her to touch his robe]. Go in well-being and be made complete from your illness [there would be no relapse]."
Many unbelievers were healed in Matthew 4:23-24, “Jesus went throughout Galilee teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the [eternal] kingdom and healing every disease and sickness among the people. (24) News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.” Unbelievers can only use faith in believing in Jesus Christ as their savior; they cannot execute faith toward God in healing themselves or someone else. So, obviously faith is not needed for healing.
Matthew 8:14-15
Καὶ ἐλθὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν Πέτρου εἶδεν τὴν πενθερὰν αὐτοῦ βεβληµένην καὶ πυρέσσουσαν· (15) καὶ ἥψατο τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῆς, καὶ ἀφῆκεν αὐτὴν ὁ πυρετός· καὶ ἠγέρθη καὶ διηκόνει αὐτῷ.
When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed very sick with a fever. (15) He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.
Whenever Jesus would enter Peter’s house, Peter’s mother would provide many services related to hospitality. Jesus appreciating such a gracious and hospitable lady, healed her.
Matthew 8:16-17
Ὀψίας δὲ γενοµένης προσήνεγκαν αὐτῷ δαιµονιζοµένους πολλούς· καὶ ἐξέβαλεν τὰ πνεύµατα λόγῳ, καὶ πάντας τοὺς κακῶς ἔχοντας ἐθεράπευσεν· (17) ὅπως πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ Ἠσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος, Αὐτὸς τὰς ἀσθενείας ἡµῶν ἔλαβεν καὶ τὰς νόσους ἐβάστασεν.
When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all that were sick [with demon-possession]. (17) That the communicative word might be fulfilled through the prophet, Isaiah saying, [53:4]: “He himself took our infirmities and carried them away and took away our diseases.” [Jesus Christ performed many acts of healing during his 3 years ministry to prove that He was the Messiah]
Point of the quotation: This was fulfilled two years before the cross. He healed in his ministry to prove that he was the Messiah and that people would listen to his gospel message. This then is not healing in the Atonement.
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The Greek word ‘lambano’ means to take by the hand and to carry away namely to remove these sicknesses and diseases from the people. These acts of healing had nothing to do with the cross.
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So, there is no such thing as ‘healing in the atonement’.
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These diseases were not transferred to Christ on the cross. Rather, these sicknesses and diseases were healed long before the cross occurred. The Scripture is very clear that Jesus Christ bore our sins on the cross not a handful of illnesses and diseases.
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The purpose of healing here was to focus attention on Christ as Savior and Messiah.
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In the atonement Christ bore our sins, not our sicknesses and diseases (1 Peter 2:24) and those sins were judged.
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This verse clearly states that Jesus Christ had power over disease by removing them, not by bearing them.
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Removing diseases through miracles were a presentation of the credentials of the King.
The Power of Christ over nature: verses 18-27.
Matthew 8:18
Ἰδὼν δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὄχλον περὶ αὐτὸν ἐκέλευσεν ἀπελθεῖν εἰς τὸ πέραν.
When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross over to the other side of the lake [of Galilee].
Jesus leaves the crowd this time to get rid of the dead wood. Jesus wanted quality, not quantity. The departure of Jesus creates a crisis for some members of the crowd. The second crisis would be the storm on the Sea.
This crowd had originally been gathered by our Lord's first thrust in the field of miracles. Many had stayed to hear the Sermon on the Mount. They were impressed up to this point. Like most crowds, however, they came to be entertained. They were entertained by the miracles and stimulated by having heard the Sermon on the Mount. However, for the most part they were not seeking truth. They were fickle, emotional, and irrational.
Furthermore, large crowds are a distraction to the teaching, training, and inculcation of the true disciples of our Lord during the dispensation of the Hypostatic Union, and so there has to be a separation of those who are positive from the rest of the crowd who mostly wanted to be entertained.
In this manner, the Lord separated positive from negative volition. This is just as true today. The pastor must so teach that there will be from time to time a separation of positive from negative volition. The job of the pastor is not to be popular but to be faithful in teaching the Word so that negative volition is irritated and moves on, and positive volition stands fast to grow in grace.
Matthew 8:19
καὶ προσελθὼν εἷς γραµµατεὺς εἶπεν αὐτῷ, ∆ιδάσκαλε, ἀκολουθήσω σοι ὅπου ἐὰν ἀπέρχῃ.
Then a certain scribe [teacher of the law] came to him and said, “Teacher [notice that he did not call him Lord], I will follow you wherever if you should go [3rd class conditional sentence].”
This unbeliever was following Christ because he was impressed with crowds. He is also full of a lot of hot air. He uses a 3rd class conditional sentence, if you go, but I don’t think that you will leave this crowd. This religious man would never leave this crowd, rather he would make every effort to exploit them. In his life, he has only known religious people and so has never known anyone with integrity. So, he thinks Jesus is just like all the others he has known. Therefore, when Jesus gave the command to leave the crowd, he thinks that he was bluffing. This unbeliever looks at life from the human viewpoint and from human success standards. What he really is saying is that he will follow the Lord as long as it doesn’t interfere with his personal comfort. Religious people are interested in conventions, rituals, social life, money, pleasure and popularity.
Matthew 8:20
καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Αἱ ἀλώπεκες φωλεοὺς ἔχουσιν καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατασκηνώσεις, ὁ δὲ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἔχει ποῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν κλίνῃ.
Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head [no reservations on the other side].”
The fox distraction is the negative volition of this intellectual person who has become superficial in his thinking. The fox is clever; so is the scribe. The fox is a smart animal; so is the scribe. The fox has a lair, a den, a burrow, his security.
Then, our Lord moves to the birds, “the birds of the atmosphere have roosting places [or nests]” and are relatively secure. While the fox is analogous to the cleverness of the scribe the bird illustrates prominence, wealth, and success.
Jesus concludes, “but the Son of Man has no place where he may recline his head” In other words, the Lord Jesus Christ is not promising any form of human security, prominence or wealth. Since these are what the scribe desired, he will not join the Lord.
The interesting thing about mentioning the ‘head’ in which Jesus had more doctrine than any other human being in history, and yet He had no place to rest His head, but for Jesus that was not an issue since He knew that God the Father would sustain Him all the way to the cross and then in resurrection, Ascension and Session. So, since Jesus had a secure relationship with the Father, human security was not an issue.
The scribe with his superficial scholarship, his pseudo-intellectualism, his arrogance, his spurious emotion, his human security orientation illustrates the person who because of his arrogance and his cleverness is impressed by the superficialities of life such as human approbation, large crowds, miracles, and the popularity of our Lord Jesus Christ, but was not interested in the gospel message.
Matthew 8:21
ἕτερος δὲ τῶν µαθητῶν [αὐτοῦ] εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Κύριε, ἐπίτρεψόν µοι πρῶτον ἀπελθεῖν καὶ θάψαι τὸν πατέρα µου.
Another [of a different kind: saved] of the disciples said to him, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.”
Going to his father’s funeral is not wrong, it is not sinful, it is not immoral, it is not evil, it is a normal and wonderful function. So, we are not dealing with sin in this case, we are dealing with another form of superficiality, the protocol of human society. For this believer, the approbation of people was more important than the approbation of the Lord.
Matthew 8:22
ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς λέγει αὐτῷ, Ἀκολούθει µοι, καὶ ἄφες τοὺς νεκροὺς θάψαι τοὺς ἑαυτῶν νεκρούς.
But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and allow the [spiritually] dead to bury their own [spiritually] dead.”
Not offending his family and friends was more important to him than obeying the Lord. A funeral of an unbeliever attended by unbelievers means nothing to a believer except for the opportunity to present the gospel. Even if this believer had the opportunity, he would not take advantage of it for fear of offending his unbeliever relatives and friends. Furthermore, this believer knew that if he did not attend, he would be ostracized by his family and friends and this he did not want for his family and friends were more important to him than the Lord Jesus Christ. He will live out his life, therefore, inside of the cosmic system and will eventually die the sin unto death.
This man obviously loved his father and wanted to attend the funeral, but not so much out of love, as we will note, but from the standpoint of protocol, conformity to the regulations of society. That was more important to him than to continue in the plan of God. There are a lot of legitimate functions in life that are not related in any way to sin or evil. The funeral is merely used as the illustration here. Where the protocol of society is concerned, however, this disciple is inflexible. In his case, traditional observance of a funeral took precedence over the mandate of Jesus Christ, and that is the issue.
Believers think to themselves, “What will they think if I do not attend the boss’s party? What will they think if I do not do this, or that, or the other thing?” If there is a conflict between doctrine and something you want to do or something that will advance you personally by way of a party, by way of a social life of some sort, even a business life of some sort, then doctrine always loses out. When doctrine loses out in normal circumstances you can count on it that you will never ever pass any momentum testing, and when the crisis comes you will fall apart and act like any unbeliever would in your category. There are probably millions of believers today with “legitimate” excuses as to why they do not take in doctrine every day. They are not growing spiritually, and they are not prepared for the crisis.
Matthew 8:23
Καὶ ἐµβάντι αὐτῷ εἰς [τὸ] πλοῖον ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ οἱ µαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ.
When he got into the ship, his disciples followed him.
We do not know how many boarded the ship, but it was more than the Twelve. The storm at the sea will become a test for believers who are advancing in the spiritual life.
These are the ones who are positive to the plan of God. They were pluggers, they were persistent in the perception of doctrine. They stayed with the ship. They continued their momentum and they finally arrived at occupation with Christ. They are unremitting in their perseverance and they did not allow wrong priorities to distract them from the plan of God. These disciples follow our Lord into the boat, not knowing where He is going, not knowing what is on the other side for them.
Before any believer can face the storms of life, he must get into the ship, he must get into the plan of God and stay with it. No storm or testing ever becomes a blessing in your life until you live and have momentum inside God’s power system.
Verses 24-27 the crisis of the storm:
Matthew 8:24
καὶ ἰδοὺ σεισµὸς µέγας ἐγένετο ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, ὥστε τὸ πλοῖον καλύπτεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν κυµάτων· αὐτὸς δὲ ἐκάθευδεν.
And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea so that the ship was being covered with the waves; but Jesus himself was asleep.
The Sea of Galilee is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth and the second-lowest lake in the world (after the Dead Sea, a saltwater lake), at levels between 705 feet and 686 feet below sea level. It is approximately 33 miles in circumference, 13 miles long, and 8.1 miles wide.
The Sea of Galilee is a dangerous place in a storm for it is rather shallow and is surrounded by Mountains except for a valley that leads into it. So, when winds come down this valley and enter the sea, it forms a wind funnel producing sudden and violent storms.
In the storm, the disciples learn who and what Christ is. Our safety is in our relationship with the Lord and nothing else. By sleeping in the ship, Jesus was attempting to give them a lesson on the faith-rest drill.
Matthew 8:25
καὶ προσελθόντες ἤγειραν αὐτὸν λέγοντες, Κύριε, σῶσον, ἀπολλύµεθα.
And they came to him and awoke him, saying, “Save us, Lord [title of deity]; we are perishing!”
Why didn’t the humanity of Christ awaken and give them assurance? This is not the way to meet disaster. The believer meets disaster by applying metabolized doctrine from his stream of consciousness. Since they had the doctrine, they didn’t need any personal attention or encouragement from others to pass the test.
Waking up the humanity of Christ and addressing Him as Lord, meaning deity made no sense whatsoever. Since it would be the deity of Christ who would deliver them and since deity never sleeps, their act was irrational. They needed to apply the Lord’s essence or some other doctrine by faith during this dangerous storm.
The suddenness of the storm turned them into cowards even though they would be winners later-on in their spiritual lives. At this time, they flunked the test because they could not think under pressure. The storm was the crisis, the disaster. The disaster, of course, was testing for spiritual acceleration and blessing. (Note that this was not the time for prayer or a time to be counseled.) These disciples flunked the test because even though they had the necessary doctrines, they couldn’t apply them. They couldn’t apply them because they had entered into fear.
The storm, of course, is designed to teach the futility of human resources. There is no preparation, no ability, no genius, no system of human philosophy that can handle the historical disaster illustrated by the storm. Only the disciples, by the way, who were positive to the plan of God faced the storm. In the storm positive believers learn who and what Christ is, and therefore the storms of life teach the higher form of security. The sea is very much like the circumstances of life; one moment the sea is perfectly calm and very beautiful, representing the pleasant circumstances of our life; the next moment the sea becomes stormy and awesome in the fury of its power, representing disaster and crisis in the circumstances of life.
The ship represents the plan of God with its mandates and its priorities; and with maximum doctrine resident in the soul, the believer can have his greatest blessings in the storm. The fact that the disciples failed merely emphasized the point. They could have succeeded; they could have had the wonderful privilege of riding out the storm and enjoying every minute of it.
The adverse circumstances of life are like the stormy sea, they provide uncertainty, they indicate lack of human control, they indicate that the resources of life apart from what God has provided are absolutely useless. The ship is the only place of safety in the storm just as the spiritual life is the only place of security, safety and blessing in this life. We can’t afford to be out of God’s system of power for even five minutes. Bible doctrine resident in the soul is the basis of capacity for happiness and blessing and the ability to handle the adversities of life. Bible doctrine resident in the soul is the key to our strength and our stability. Many believers never get into the ship because they are distracted by the cosmic system, but those who do face the storm not as a discipline but as a blessing. All adversity which comes to you when you are living in the divine power system with its two power options is for blessing. The only place of security in the storm is the ship no matter how unstable it appears to be in the storm.
God does not deliver the believer by cancelling the crisis, He delivers by intensifying the crisis and forcing us to go away from human resources to the Bible doctrine we have stored in our souls from persistent perception of doctrine in Bible class. The blessing, therefore, comes not from avoiding the storm but from riding out the storm; not from the cancellation of the storm but going through it. The mature believer is delivered in the storm, never from the storm.
The disciples had their eyes on the storm instead of having their eyes on the Lord. Testing through catastrophe and disaster always brings out what we really are. No one ever becomes strong until he has passed this category of pressure testing. They will learn from this pressure test in this storm that doctrine can be applied and must be applied. The disciples who were too distracted to embark on the ship will never learn this lesson and they are losers throughout life no matter what life brings their way. Their suffering is always discipline but never for blessing. Believers living in the cosmic system never suffer for blessing.
Matthew 8:26
καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς, Τί δειλοί ἐστε, ὀλιγόπιστοι; τότε ἐγερθεὶς ἐπετίµησεν τοῖς ἀνέµοις καὶ τῇ θαλάσσῃ, καὶ ἐγένετο γαλήνη µεγάλη.
He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then [after rebuking them], he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.
Human panic assumes that the Lord was sleeping and therefore not paying any attention to them, whereas in eternity past Christ had already paid attention to them. Human panic is the source of pseudo-prayer of fear, worry, anxiety, guilt-complex, all of which are sins. The disciples were not thinking. It never occurred to the disciples to ride out the storm and see what the Lord had for them. They were on one trip where it would be impossible for that ship to sink and therefore, they missed all the fun.
Jesus Christ controls history, and so we will never be taken from this life until He is ready to take us. God does not intend for the believer to run to Him or anyone else in time of disaster since He has provided the basis for utilizing inner resources. The believer must throw away his crutches. In other words, as the apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “we walk by faith and not by sight.” This means that every time we seek help or counsel from another we are weakened. They sought advice from the Lord, but the Lord had already given them advice in many, many messages. He had already prepared them for this storm.
Matthew 8:27
οἱ δὲ ἄνθρωποι ἐθαύµασαν λέγοντες, Ποταπός ἐστιν οὗτος ὅτι καὶ οἱ ἄνεµοι καὶ ἡ θάλασσα αὐτῷ ὑπακούουσιν;
The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this that even the winds and the sea obey him?”
After witnessing the deity of Christ rebuking the wind and the sea, this is got to be the dumbest statement that a group of believers could have possibly made. One thing is for sure, and that is the Apostle Paul would never had said this! Well, on the other hand, it should provide some comfort for us in that if these morons could make it, we can too.
The Power of Jesus over demons: verses 28-34.
Matthew 8:28
Καὶ ἐλθόντος αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ πέραν εἰς τὴν χώραν τῶν Γαδαρηνῶν ὑπήντησαν αὐτῷ δύο δαιµονιζόµενοι ἐκ τῶν µνηµείων ἐξερχόµενοι, χαλεποὶ λίαν, ὥστε µὴ ἰσχύειν τινὰ παρελθεῖν διὰ τῆς ὁδοῦ ἐκείνης.
When he came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were extremely violent that no one could pass by that way.
The Hellenized Jews liked pork, but pork was prohibited. So, they had to find a way around it for two reasons namely to maintain their hypocrisy and to avoid criticism from the religious faction. Since the area of the Gadarenes was a mountainous area, it was a great area to hide their hog-industry. Then, at night they would ship their pigs across the sea to their Jewish customers who had developed a taste for pork chops and roast.
Matthew 8:29
καὶ ἰδοὺ ἔκραξαν λέγοντες, Τί ἡµῖν καὶ σοί, υἱὲ τοῦ θεοῦ; ἦλθες ὧδε πρὸ καιροῦ βασανίσαι ἡµᾶς;
And they cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the times [a reference to sending them to the abyss to be tormented before the angelic appeal trial had finished]?”
There was a conversation between the indwelling leader of the demons and the Lord Jesus Christ. The demon makes an issue out of ‘minding one’s business’ when demons don’t abide by that principle at all. They use these things only when it is for their benefit. This demon was obviously smarter than the disciples who had just referred to the work of God the Son as the work of a man.
Matthew 8:30-31
ἦν δὲ µακρὰν ἀπí αὐτῶν ἀγέλη χοίρων πολλῶν βοσκοµένη. (31) οἱ δὲ δαίµονες παρεκάλουν αὐτὸν λέγοντες, Εἰ ἐκβάλλεις ἡµᾶς, ἀπόστειλον ἡµᾶς εἰς τὴν ἀγέλην τῶν χοίρων.
Now there was a herd of many swine feeding at a distance from them. (31) The demons began to entreat him, saying “If you are going to cast us out and you are [1st class conditional sentence], send us into the herd of swine.”
Jesus knew that at least one of these two demon possessed individuals would believe in Christ if he had a chance to use his volition, and in order to use his volition, the Lord Jesus had to first remove the demons.
Luke 8:38, 39, “But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him [since he was now a believer]; but He sent him away, saying, (39) Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you [present the gospel]. So, he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things [removing demon possession so that he could believe in Jesus Christ as his Savior] Jesus had done for him.”
Human history is the Angelic Appeal Trial. This explains why angels including both fallen and elect are involved in human history. It further explains why even though Satan and the fallen angels were sentenced to the Lake of Fire before human history as per Matthew 25:41 they do not go into the Lake of Fire until after human history, not until the trial has been brought to completion (Revelation 20:10).
God has set up certain rules to be followed during this appeal trial. Demon possession of humans obviously would not be allowed during this trial since it prevented freedom of volition. So, these fallen angels aware of their violation, requested to indwell these swine instead of being sent to the Abyss for the rest of human history. Well, after the swine died, they were sent to the Abyss undoubtedly.
Luke 8:26-31, “Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. Seeing Jesus, he [the demon leader] cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I [speaking on behalf of the other demons] beg You, do not torment me.” For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man [the man was demon possessed]. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds [demon possession gave him great strength] and be driven by the demon into the desert. And Jesus asked him [the demon spokesman], “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion” [speaking for at least 2000 demons since 2000 hogs became indwelt]; for many demons had entered him. They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss [a compartment in Hades for those demons who had violated the rules established regarding the Angelic Appeal Trial.”
Mark 5:13, “Jesus gave them permission, and coming out, the unclean spirits [demons] entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them, and they were drowned in the sea.”
Matthew 8:32-34
καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Ὑπάγετε. οἱ δὲ ἐξελθόντες ἀπῆλθον εἰς τοὺς χοίρους· καὶ ἰδοὺ ὥρµησεν πᾶσα ἡ ἀγέλη κατὰ τοῦ κρηµνοῦ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ ἀπέθανον ἐν τοῖς ὕδασιν. (33) οἱ δὲ βόσκοντες ἔφυγον, καὶ ἀπελθόντες εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἀπήγγειλαν πάντα καὶ τὰ τῶν δαιµονιζοµένων. (34) καὶ ἰδοὺ πᾶσα ἡ πόλις ἐξῆλθεν εἰς ὑπάντησιν τῷ Ἰησοῦ, καὶ ἰδόντες αὐτὸν παρεκάλεσαν ὅπως µεταβῇ ἀπὸ τῶν ὁρίων αὐτῶν.
And he said to them, “Go!” And they came out and went into the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea [of Galilee] and perished in the waters. (33) The herdsmen ran away and went to the city and reported everything including what had happened to the demoniacs. (34) And behold the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they implored him to leave their region.
Luke 8:35-37, “The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened. 36 Those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well. 37 And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear [regarding their illegal pork industry]; and He got into a boat and returned.”
The people in this town were making a lot of money in the pork industry since they could charge outrageous prices for their pork in this black market. So, they were not happy when they found out that the Lord had just caused to drown an entire herd of swine by permitting this indwelling.
Consequently, they wanted to get rid of Jesus. So, they asked Him to leave. While the industry was dealt a blow, two men who had been uncontrollable maniacs, were now in possession of their minds as believers in the Lord.
