Last time, we discussed the second commandment and the judgment that falls to the third and fourth generation of them that hate God. We addressed Ezekiel 18. What may we take from this, as justified saints? We learn that there is a real threat of God’s judgment that visits individuals and generational sins—sometimes spiritual, other times temporal, sometimes both.
One matter. Parents learn from this commandment…the cruelty and danger of leaving a poor example, poor instruction, and a poor legacy to our children. This is a generational and individual matter of daily importance.
We turn to Jeremiah 9.13-15:
“And the LORD said, `Because they have forsaken My law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, nor walked according to it, but they have walked according to the dictates of their own hearts and after the Baals, which their fathers taught them, therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: `Behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink. I will scatter them also among the Gentiles, whom neither they nor their fathers have known. And I will send a sword after them until I have consumed them.’”
The sins of the fathers are not excused and the cumulative guilt, aggravated by the sons in imitating the horrific example of the forbears, is noted. It is not language one could ever desire to hear about oneself from His Majesty, I will send a sword after them until I have consumed them. As we’ve elucidated elsewhere, the Old Testament was written to show us Christ, His Law and Gospel. God’s elect hear these threatening with trembling faith (cf. Is.66.1-2) and “get it.” Those hardening themselves, sometimes in the very presence of God’s Word and Sacraments, receive terrible fruits.
We are forced to ask about mainline Protestantism from which many of us sprung. We are forced to ask about liberalism and Anglo-Romewardizng, at least in the case of this scribe. We are forced to ask questions about Romanism from which we, historically, came. We are forced to ask if there are any generational sins we have unconsciously inherited and/or are promulgating ourselves? Of course we have the righteousness of His Majesty, our only Saviour, imputed to us. Our sins are covered. However, that does not excuse us from the ruthless self-analysis and acceptance of godly responsibility.
The good news attached to this great commandment is that our Sovereign God affirms this:
…and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
This speaks of those who truly love God...thousands of them. They have God as their delight as the Psalmist said, But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You. Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those who love Your name be joyful in You. For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield. (Psalm 5.11-12).
We bring one caution. The Law does not teach justification by works; we will expound that more fully in our Old Testament blog on Exodus, the Tabernacle, Leviticus and the sacrificial system in the days ahead, Lord willing.
Rather, we rejoice because Christ has fulfilled the conditions of the law as the Perfect Son of the Covenant of Grace. Romans 10.4: For Christ is the end[1] of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Philippians 3.9: …and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. We have nothing if we have not Christ, nada, zippo, nothing. The mastery of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans is a solemn duty and serves as a prophylaxis to errors.
We do not, like Romanists, suppose that our salvation is based upon attainments of obedience, but is based entirely upon “Another’s” perfect righteousness. We are adopted into His family. Instead of being children of wrath (Eph.2.1-3), we are sons by adoption. He gives to us eternal life, daily strength, comfort, direction, and perseverance.
As we pray in "The Daily Order for Morning Prayer," and we bless thee...for thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace and the hope of glory..." We have the assurance of life after death (2 Cor.5.1-10, Phil.1.21, inter alia) by a faith not of our own, but one created in us by His Majesty's most Holy Spirit.
An additional thing: another caution. Our justification and subsequent obedience does not guarantee the same to our children. They are baptized with the promise of redemption. But election remains a hidden mystery. Romans 9.15: For he says to Moses, I will have mercy upon whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.
Within Anglicanism, this has occasioned historic debate, although the Gorham decision of 1850 in the Church of England ruled, rightly, that the view expressed here in this post—baptismal promises may not necessarily be tied to the moment of regeneration. Regeneration may occur later in life. They ruled, quintessentially, in favour of the view expressed by The Westminster Confession of Faith. In fact, the ruling said that the evangelical view had been the historic view of the Church of England since the days of the Reformation.
We also realize that there are Esau-children born within the church; we note this, but reluctantly. They never "will get it." This affiant further sayeth no more. Romans 9 is a biblical fiat on the matter.
We call your attention to a thoughtful article by the Rev. Dr. Scott Clark, Westminster Seminary, Escondido, California. This posted in the last few days.
http://heidelblog.wordpress.com/2009/07/22/what-about-the-promise/
Nonetheless, such children—elect and reprobate— have the benefits of a religious education, are the objects of many prayers and solicitations, enjoy the fruits of stability, peace and godly love that the Gospel brings, and have a full right to the Abrahamic promise, I will be as God to thee, and to thy seed after thee. Genesis 17.7. Let them claim it and embrace it. If they fail to believe it, they aggravate their situation, being under divine condemnation for insolence, unbelief, and disrespect. (I can tell you what happens in the U.S. military when there are expressions of such to seniors.)
This is what we teach in our lives, to our children and grandchildren. It has been passed to us by grandparents and parents who were justified saints, faithful and earnest in the way for decades and generations. And His Majesty continues those blessings to thousands of others.
…and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
As a testimony—replicated by others also—I thank God for both sides of grandparents and both my parents.
“Now Thank We All Our God”[2]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5KqahRwNPo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzX42Z0McFU&feature=related
Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!
All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.
We close with an adaptation of “The Second Collect at Evening Prayer” (1662 Book of Common Prayer):
“O God, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed; We bless thee for our grandparents and parents who have believed and lived in thy holy faith and fear. We bless Thee for thy gifts to them that have been left to us. We thank thee for baptismal promises through them back to Christ and Abraham in thy one true, holy, catholic, reformed and protestant Church. Thou hast blest us with these good gifts of life eternal and all the several benefits that do accompany or flow from thy free salvation. We most heartily beseech Thee, O King of grace, to extend thy manifold mercies to our children and grandchildren. O God, have mercy! Christ have mercy! Holy Spirit, have mercy!
Give unto thy servants, O Majestic and Merciful Saviour, that peace which the world cannot give; that both our hearts may be set to obey thy commandments, and also that by thee we being defended from the fear of our enemies may pass our time in rest and quietness; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.”[3]
[1] Telos or goal and purpose of the law, cf. Galatians 3.24.
[2] Forever deliver us from Un-contemporary Contemporary music. For non-U.S. citizens reading this, we have convenience stores called "Seven Eleven." Some wag has rightly called this Contemporary stuff, "7-11" music. Seven words repeated eleven times. It is written at a third-grade level and reproduces childishness. In light of the second commandment, this question has immediate relevance. Lex orandi, lex credendi. Or, what is said (e.g. in worship, song, and prayer) is what one will believe. I am slowly--as is usual with me--coming to the view that this is a profanation of worship of His Majesty. There will be generational consequences for leaders who have embraced and advanced this illiteracy under the rubric of "reaching out." There will be consequences for the adherents and advocates of it. Serious people ask serious questions. They respect honesty, directness, firmness with teaching, education, answering questions, and done with humility, abiding kindness, and love. We do no one any favours by tolerating this anti-intellectual, anti-creational, shallow, and irreverent approach to the King of kings.
[3] The Book of Common Prayer (London: Eyre and Spottiswoode Limited, Her Majesty’s Printers, 1968), 65.
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