The Image of God
One of the most wonderful things about man’s creation is that he was originally created in the image of God. He was, then, like God in some ways. Nothing could possibly be more wonderful than that.
Obviously, man could not be like God physically, since God is a Spirit whom no man hath seen or can see (John 4:24; I Tim. 6:16). The likeness, therefore, was a spiritual likeness. The Bible tells, in fact, in Ephesians 4:24 and Colossians 3:10, that there were three ways in which man was like God: he had righteousness, holiness and true knowledge of God. That was what man was like before he fell into sin and condemnation.
The question is often asked, however, whether fallen, sinful man has anything left of the image of God. This is an important question. If man has anything at all of the image of God in his sinful condition, then there must still be something good and worthwhile in him, for God is always good. If he has nothing left of the image of God, then there cannot be anything good in him anymore, for God alone is good.
The Bible gives a very clear answer to this question and the Bible’s answer is that fallen man has nothing left of the image of God. It is impossible to believe that the totally depraved sinner might still be like God! Jesus says in John 8:44 to the unbelieving Pharisees and to all who do not believe in Him, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.” In other words, the only likeness they now have spiritually is the likeness of Satan, and that shows in their deeds.
The Bible also answers this question when it says in Ephesians 4:24 and Colossians 3:10 that when we are saved we are renewed in the image of Him who created us. He destroys the image of Satan in us and recreates us in His own likeness once again when He, through the Spirit of Jesus Christ, regenerates us and gives us again righteousness, holiness and true knowledge.
Have you been renewed in the image of God? If you say “Yes,” do your deeds and your speech show that you are like Him? What a shame if they do not! What a testimony if they do! Rev. Hanko
Pleasure In Death? (1)
“Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?” (Ezekiel 18:23).
“Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11)
These two verses out of the prophecy of Ezekiel are most often used to support the idea of a free and general offer of the gospel, according to which God desires the salvation of all men and expresses this desire in the preaching of the gospel. In the gospel, God declares that he wants all men to be saved.
It would seem at first glance that indeed these texts teach this very thing. The argument then would be something like this: 1) the “wicked” spoken of in these passages are all men. 2) God has no pleasure in the death of anyone in the world. 3) What does please God is that all men turn from their wicked way and live. 4) Because God is pleased that all men turn from their wicked way and live, therefore God desires the salvation of all men.
The argument seems strong and unassailable.
Those who have been reading these articles know by this time that I do not believe that Scripture teaches a free and general offer of the gospel. These readers know too that it is my judgment that Scripture has to be badly twisted and misinterpreted to support a free offer of the gospel. So the question comes with some justification: What is wrong with the argument spelled out above? How do you explain the text? And, more importantly, how do you explain the text without doing violence to it and twisting it to teach something which it does not teach?
These questions are important. They need to be answered.
Admittedly, the texts are not that easy. I well remember that, although I have been persuaded for many years that the free and general offer of the gospel is contrary to Scripture, these texts seemed difficult to explain.
It is because of this difficulty of explanation that I offer below two possible interpretations; either one could possibly be correct or both could be implied in the text.
The first possible explanation of these passages is one which refers both passages to God’s elect. The meaning then would be that both passages express God’s displeasure at the death of His people and His pleasure at their repentance.
There are several reasons why this explanation seems possible.
First of all, God is surely talking here, not of all men in general, but of “the house of Israel” (10). Surely the house of Israel is God’s chosen people, the object of His electing love.
But it may be argued that, even if the text does not refer to all men, but only to the house of Israel, surely everyone will have to admit that there were both elect and reprobate in that house of Israel. And this is true. So it could still be argued that God desires the salvation of the reprobate in the house of Israel.
This brings me to the second point to be noticed: There are specific people in the house of Israel to whom God is speaking—those who were concerned about their sins. God Himself quotes these people in the last part of verse 10: “Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?”
We must remember that Ezekiel was in captivity with the Jews at the river Chebar (Ezek. 1:1). The people had been taken into captivity because of the sins of the nation. God had used this captivity to bring the elect in the nation to repentance and confession of their sin. They are concerned that their sins are so great that they will remain forever in captivity, and they ask the prophet whether there is any hope that they will live.
It is to these repentant captives that God speaks these comforting words: I have no pleasure in your death; turn from your evil way and I promise you life.
In the third place, in commenting on 18:23, Calvin suggests this interpretation. We cannot go into detail on what Calvin says on this verse, for he has much to say and, in fact, suggests another interpretation as well, but Calvin even goes as far as to say: “Since, therefore, repentance is a kind of second creation, it follows that it is not in man’s power; and if it is equally in God’s power to convert men as well as to create them, it follows that the reprobate are not converted, because God does not wish their conversion; for if he wished it he could do it; and hence it appears that he does not wish it.”
We shall continue this discussion later. Prof. Hanko
Pleading and Persuading
One reader of our newsletter has asked, “Where does pleading and persuading fit into Protestant Reformed theology (II Cor. 5:11, 20; I Cor. 4:12-13)?”
I believe that this question has reference to the preaching of the gospel—whether such pleading and persuading ought to have a place in the preaching. Many believe that because we deny that the gospel is an offer of grace we do not believe in such pleading and persuading and cannot do justice to passages such as II Corinthians 5:11 and 20, where Paul says concerning his own preaching, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we persuade men,” and “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”
Do we believe, then, in “persuading” men in the preaching of the gospel? Most certainly we do! Gospel preaching ought to be as persuasive as it can be. It ought to be persuasive in its content, that is, its content ought to be well-reasoned and well-ordered. This is, in fact, what the word “persuade” emphasizes when it is used in a passage like II Corinthians 5:11.
Do we believe in “beseeching” and “praying” sinners to be reconciled to God? Without a doubt! Gospel preaching ought to be persuasive also in its fervency. It is gospel preaching. The minister of the gospel must show that the message he brings means something to him. Preaching which is matter-of-fact and in which the preacher gives no indication of any personal interest in the message or in the hearers is not true gospel preaching. The manner in which the gospel is preached, therefore, ought to show that it is good news. And urgency of the gospel message ought to be plain also, that it is a message which cannot be ignored. When the minister beseeches his hearers that is exactly what he is doing.
It must be clear, however, that preaching with fervency, urgency and persuasiveness does not require that the gospel be turned into an offer of salvation. The basis for such fervency and persuasiveness is not a love of God for all men, nor a desire of God that all men be saved, nor an atonement which is in some sense for everyone who hears. The fervency of the gospel does not consist in its being an offer of salvation to every hearer. In fact, an “offer” is much less urgent than a command or call, and only the preacher who believes he is bringing such a command or call from God can really do justice to the urgency of the message.
Nor does Scripture present the matter as though the fervency and persuasiveness of the message rests in its being an offer of salvation. In II Corinthians 5:20, the passage which speaks most clearly of persuading and entreating, the motive is the “terror of the Lord”—not a general grace or mercy of God to all.
Do we believe in pleading and persuading? Yes, we do! But not in the way of turning the gospel into an offer and begging sinners to accept it. That is neither God-glorifying, nor edifying, since the response of the sinner depends not on his decision, but on the sovereign grace of God. Rev. Hanko
