I was introduced to the BBF a couple of years after the Lord saved me. When I left home to go to university, I joined what I later found out was a BBF church. I was young and green and this didn’t mean anything to me at the time. Then several years later, when my eyes began to see through the BBF smoke-screen, about 20 years after it came into existence, even I could see problems. And then ten years later, it was no longer worthy of its name or its founders.
One of the founders or influential in the formation of the BBF was a man named J. Frank Norris. He was one of the most dynamic and charismatic men in the United States from the 1920’s to the 1950’s. A truly exceptional man among a generation of exceptional men which included W.B. Riley and T.T. Shields. In 1909 Norris became pastor of the First Baptist Church of Fort Worth, Texas. Known as the “Texas Tornado,” Norris built that church into one of the largest in the world, with over 5,000 in attendance every Sunday. That church fought against Roman Catholicism, the Southern Baptist Convention, alcohol, and corrupt politics, drawing down upon itself all kinds of attacks and abusive names. Then while still pastoring in Fort Worth, Norris also became the pastor of another very large church in Cincinnati, Ohio – The Temple Baptist Church. This man lead two congregations at the same time with a total membership of over 10,000. I don’t know how effective he was in both places, but his name and reputation were large enough for both.
J. Frank Norris came to my mind as I considered our scripture for this evening. It’s impossible to make a proper comparison, but the Lord Jesus ministered to two congregations as well. Someone might be thinking that Christ had an Old Testament ministry and an additional New Testament ministry, but that would be a mistake. Rather, the Lord Jesus had an Hebrew ministry first, and then He took on a Gentile ministry. But that second ministry was definitely not an afterthought – it simply came later in human time.
From about the time of the Babylonian captivity the term “Jew” became a synonym for “Israel.” I know that technically, the term refers to children of Judah, but it must be remembered after the fall of the northern ten tribes to the Assyrians, Judah was basically all that was left of Israel. And by the time of the New Testament, as we clearly see in the epistles, besides “Christians,” there were two groups of people in the world – “Jews” and “Gentiles.” When the woman at the well pointed out that Jesus was a Jew, He didn’t correct her. “Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.” “Salvation is of the Jews” in the sense that through them came the Messiah – the Saviour.
“Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers.” The Lord Jesus ministered under the law which was given to “the circumcision” – Israel. But we must remember that when Moses climbed Sinai, receiving the Law, it was to the pre-incarnate Christ that he listened. Jesus didn’t begin his existence in that stable outside of Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. Jesus was merely the incarnation – the human manifestation – of the eternal Son of God. The Son of God created the universe, saved Noah, and spoke with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And it was the Son of God, who delivered the nation of Israel from Egypt. Then as Israel spent about a year at the foot of Sinai, one of the peaks of the mountains of Horeb, it was the Son of God who taught Israel how to live and serve God. Are we surprised to see that when that same Creator/Law-giver took upon him human flesh, He lived under the limitations of the law which He proscribed? The Bible tells us that Christ Jesus not once did, or didn’t do, something which the law demanded of Israel. Yes, he was accused of breaking the law, but it’s clear that the law referred to was man’s corrupted version of God’s laws. The Lord was guilty of such things as serving the Lord on the Sabbath and not washing his hands as thoroughly as the Pharisees demanded. But these were not sins against the Lord or transgressions of God’s laws. And yet there was no sacrifice required by the Law which Jesus did not make, even though the original reason for those sacrifices didn’t apply to Him. And there was nothing forbidden which Jesus did, even to the misuse of words and language.
Furthermore Christ was a minister of the circumcision of the truth of God in the sense that he fulfilled the law. Not only did He fulfill the Law in the sense that He obeyed it, but He also completed its intention. The purpose of the Law was and still is, to prove that we are all sinners. The purpose of the Law is to mark the difference between all of us and the Lord. He is absolutely holy, and we are so far below that line that comparisons are impossible. For those few years when the Son of God lived among us in human flesh, those people who had their eyes open, saw this divine difference. But there was a purpose in the law which went beyond condemning the sinner and elevating Jehovah. Every word of condemnation and every bloody sacrifice teach us that something must be done about sin. And of course, in the death of Christ, there was the ultimate sacrifice – the sacrifice to end all sacrifices. Christ Jesus ministered the Truth of God, exposing sin, revealing the Law, and satisfying its demands.
The truth of God also has a covenantal nature – the Lord made a number of promises to Israel through Abraham, Jacob and others. There were divine promises about the land of Israel. There were promises about national salvation, personal salvation, and peace. Christ Jesus ministered to the people of the circumcision in two of these kinds of promises. And in so doing he confirmed that all the rest of those promises would be completed as promised.
Whether bigoted Israel really cared to notice, there were also promises made to her neighbors.
Of course, Goliath was not converted, but thousands of others have been. And every one of those Gentiles do glorify God for his mercy, as they confess Christ and sing praises to his Name. In fact, aren’t you one of those Gentiles? “Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people” Israel – verse 10. “Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.” “There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.” Christ Jesus is not only the Saviour of “the circumcision” but also of “the uncircumcision.”
The second product of Christ’s ministry to both groups of people is reconciliation. And I believe that this was the reason that Paul brought this up at this point. The differences between the members in Rome came in part because of their ethic backgrounds. The eating or not eating of this meat or that meat, was cultural. The celebrating or not celebrating of special days was related to the kind of calendar that was handed to them by their parents. Who were the weaker brethren and who were the stronger was debatable and not important. What was important was that “everyone of us should please his neighbor for his good to edification.” “Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.” “That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Ephesians 2:11-19 certainly relates to his chapter. “Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”
Paul’s point in referring to this duel-nature in the ministry of our Saviour, was to encourage the right kind of relationship between the members of the church of Rome. Perhaps the details are a little different as we go from the church to church. But the lesson remains the same. “As Christ also received us to the glory of God,” we are to be ministers of Lord today.