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sermonette: Who Is the 'God of This World'? (Part Two)

David C. Grabbe
Given 07-Jul-18; Sermon #1441s; 18 minutes

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The last time we started considering II Corinthians 4 and verse 4, where the translators render the phrase God of this world or God of this age, they use a small G for God. We spent much of the time looking at who Scripture chose doing the blinding. And we saw that it is God who blinds, though in one instance, His angels physically blinded the men of Sodom. And this consistency is why I said that if II Corinthians 4 is referring to Satan, it is a major anomaly. When I gave that sermonette, I did not know about the intriguing history of this verse, but somebody sent me extensive research into how this verse has been interpreted over the years. The researcher examined the writings of those closest to the apostolic era, and he found that those writers understood this verse to be about the eternal God. But this verse then became controversial in the 2nd century because of a heretic named Marcion. Marcion is the source of the idea that there is an inferior and vindictive God of the Hebrew scriptures, but a superior loving and universal God revealed in the Gospel. Marcion used this verse to support his idea of an inferior creator God, and his writings attracted enough attention that for the next several centuries, next couple of centuries, numerous writers wrote against Marcion and especially his thoughts on this verse. Everybody but Marcion saw the true God in II Corinthians 4. Now after the controversy over Marcion died down, the common view for the next 1200 years was that this was talking about the true God and not Satan. All of the discovered writings during those 12 centuries show that there was essentially universal agreements that it's the true God that does the blinding. But that view changed during the Protestant Reformation. The main and loudest proponent of the of this new contrary view was John Calvin. It's possible that he picked it up from a man named Erasmus, but it was Calvin who really changed the prevailing view. About this verse, Calvin wrote, quote, Nobody of sound judgment can have any doubt that here the apostle is speaking about Satan, unquote. And he also wrote, quote, If all these men, he's referring to those early writers, if all these men had read Paul's words with, notice this, a calm mind, it would never have occurred to them to twist them into a forced meaning in this way, unquote. And yet Calvin skirted the facts that God Himself takes responsibility for blinding. Calvin simply asserted like a rationalist that if one cannot see Satan in this verse, it is because one does not have sound judgment or a calm mind. And Calvin was such a luminary that everyone followed where he led. As I mentioned, Satan is not shown blinding, but rather deceiving, distorting, and twisting. At times we use blinding and deceiving interchangeably, and it is true that they can have similar effects on understanding. However, there is a critical distinction, and it comes down to intent. On one hand, God is absolutely committed to what is true, to what is real. Jesus declared himself to be the truth. God's purpose is for his children to eventually understand and walk in truth. However, without the necessary spiritual faculties, truth can be overwhelming and even painful just as a diseased eyes eye may find bright light to be excruciating. God hides and reveals truth according to His will as he moves his creation to everlasting light. In type we do the same thing with our children. We recognize that some knowledge would be harmful to them, so we, before they are mature, and so we limit their exposure to some of the realities of life. We also limit what we hold them responsible for according to their capability. God does the same thing with his children. In his natural state, man cannot deal with the knowledge and understanding that God has. So God only opens the eyes according to what is appropriate. God also closes the eyes either as a judgment or else out of mercy. There is a parable in which the man who does not know the master's will is disciplined less because he is accountable for less. And so Romans 11 and verse 32 says that God has concluded humanity in unbelief, so that he can have mercy upon all. But on the other hand, Satan plays fast and loose with the truth with ultimate skill. He is not committed to the reality of God but rather to his own agenda. He will use lying, exaggerating, downplaying, acting, distracting, and any other subterfuge in his pursuit of superiority. He will use some truth, but he couches it in ways that are self-serving rather than reflecting reality. The scriptures do not show him opening eyes nor taking away understanding that God has given. However, he can twist, distort, and encourage our human nature to deceive itself regarding the truth that is available. This is why Romans I says that mankind is without excuse when it comes to the truth of God's existence. That truth is readily available, and Satan has not closed men's eyes to it. Rather, Romans one says that men have suppressed the truth, that is, they have clothed their own eyes, and Satan has helped them along the way. And similarly, Satan helped Eve to reinterpret what God had said in a way that seems to benefit her. In fact, this whole mess on planet Earth began with Eve seeking knowledge that was not appropriate for her yet, and their eyes were opened through the tree that God had made. Satan neither opens nor closed their eyes, but he offered an alternative narrative that made it easy for them to reject what God had said. And this is why cultivating a love for truth is paramount. That love is a hedge against falling away. When we value comfort or social harmony more than living by God's every word, we close our eyes, and when we make that choice, we alter our beliefs and can no longer see what we saw before. Now a second difficulty with interpreting II Corinthians 4:4 to be about Satan is that nowhere is he said to be the God of anything. Many proponents of Satan being the God mentioned here, say that the people of this world have Satan as their object of worship. There is truth in that statement, but that is not what the verse is saying. The word for God, Theos is used in a general sense in just a few places such as Paul's description in Philippians 3 in verse 19 of people who set their minds on earthly things. He says their God is their belly. It is an abstract and a rare usage of theos. But II Corinthians 4:4 is not abstract. It uses the definite article before God. It's talking about someone specific. It is the God, rather than a general concept. Everywhere that a specific theos is mentioned, it refers to the eternal God. And in addition, this verse is talking about this age rather than this world. The word here is ayan, A I O N, and it has to do with time. When we search out how ayan is used, it is clear who is sovereign over every age. So please turn with me to Hebrews chapter one. We start as we start looking at the ages. Hebrews 1, beginning in verse one. Says God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time pasted to the Fathers by the prophets, as in these last days spoken to us by His Son whom he has appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds. At the end of verse two, the word translated worlds is a yan, and it should be translated as ages. God is sovereign over the ages because He created them through His Son. Now, if you flip over to the faith chapter, chapter 11, it begins in a similar way. Hebrews 11 and verse 3. By faith we understand that the worlds, that's Ion were framed by the word of God, for that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. It was the ages that were framed or prepared by the word of God. God is sovereign over the divine timeline, and he has not given any part of it to Satan. Now this is important because there was an idea called dualism that was becoming popular in the first century. We will not explore all the specifics, but part of dualism is that there is an ongoing cosmic struggle between light and darkness, good and evil. In quote unquote Christian terms, God has part of the creation and Satan has part of the creation, and they are battling for the souls of men. Notice though that this puts God and Satan on essentially equal levels. But Paul lays this idea to rest in Ephesians one if you would return there with me. Ephesians one Beginning in verse 20. To which he, the Father worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places. Ephesians 1:21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come. So verse 21 says that Christ is far above everything in this age. He is above every principality and power which includes all the angels and even the rebellious ones. He is not only preeminence in this age, but also in the next one. In other words, Jesus Christ is the God of this age, just as he is the God of the next age, and only the Father is higher. Even though he allows Satan to rule, Satan is limited by God and is shown having to ask permission to do things like afflict Job or to sift the apostle Peter. He may be inadvertently worshiped, but he is not the God of any age, nor has God given him the authority to blind. Now if you turn with me to 2 Corinthians, we will start looking at the larger context of the verse in question. II Corinthians we will begin in chapter 2. II Corinthians 2:14. Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. Verse 15, for we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. And this is actually the beginning of the thought that winds up in chapter 4, and it's about the true knowledge that God has dispersed through his servants. Verse 15 shows two general classifications. There are those who are being saved and those who are perishing. The word perishing is central to the overall thought and it has to do with being destroyed or being lost. Jesus used this word when he referred to the loft sheep of the house of Israel. The loft sheep were perishing sheep. In Luke 13, he tells his audience twice that unless they repent, they will perish. And from those famous verses in John 3, we know that those who believe will not perish but have everlasting life. God gave knowledge in the Gospel of the kingdom. Some people responded positively through belief and repentance, but most did not. And thus the Israelites are a major contingent of those who were perishing. Now continuing into chapter 3, verses 7 and 8. But if the ministry of death written and engraved on stones was glorious so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance which glory was passing away. How will the ministry of the spirits not be more glorious? So Paul moves on to a brief discussion of the covenants. He notes that the Old Covenant had a glory, but the ministry of the spirit is even more glorious. He also refers to the incidents when God's glory was reflected from the face of a man, and even that reflected glory was too much for the Israelites to bear. Out of consideration then Moses wore a veil. Continuing with verse 12. Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech. Unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the ends of what was passing away. Verse 14, but their minds were blinded, for until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day when Moses is read, a veil lies on their hearts. Nevertheless, when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. It says Moses kept them from looking at the end of what was passing away. Romans 10:4 says that Christ is the end, meaning the goal of the law, and this is important for us because we should be able to look at all of the sacrifices and rituals and see the glory of Christ in them, for he was their object. His light was too bright for the Israelites because they did not have minds to receive it. So Paul uses the metaphors of blindness and veils. Moses's veil was out of consideration for a carnal people who could not handle the light either physically or spiritually because of their natural state. And yet it was not Satan who introduced the veil. God declares that he blinded Israel and hardened them. You can find that in Isaiah 6 verses 9 and 10. As well as Isaiah 29:10 and 14. When Jesus came to his own, God withheld an incredible blessing, such that the Jews, the Israelites, could not see the Savior. This withholding was not out of vindictiveness, but rather it was a testimony of their rejection all along. On the road to Emmaus, the eyes of those two disciples were restrained. It says Jesus began with Moses writing and showed those disciples all the places in Scripture that were about him. He opened their eyes so they could see the things that they were unable to see before. It was the true God who had clothed Israel's eyes, and now he was opening the eyes of the few that he was calling. This is backed up in Romans 11:7-8, which I'll read to you. Says what then Israel has not obtained what it seeks, but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. Just as it is written, God has given them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear to this very day. Now II Corinthians 4 and verses 3 and 4 should be plain as day. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the God of this age has blinded, who do not believe, left the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. Consider the concepts that affect the interpretation of these verses. Rightly dividing them begins with an accurate concept of God, of accepting that God said what God says he will do and has done. It involves recognizing how God and the apostles consistently refer to Satan as opposed to how he views himself. It depends on using the whole council of God rather than rationalism. It rests on understanding God's plan, God's calling, the resurrections, and that there is no contest between God and Satan for the souls of men. And a right understanding is undergirded by an absolute belief in God's sovereignty. For those who are perishing, the gospel of the kingdom is veiled. There are aspects that they can understand and for which they are accountable, but only the elect are equipped by the Holy Spirit to understand the deep things. And even with what we do understand, we still see dimly and await being face to face. But everybody else will have his or her chance in the resurrection. They are responsible for much less than we are. God has consigned them to disobedience so that he may show mercy. When the time is right. He will open the eyes of those whom he has blinded for now.

DCG/aws/

 

 

Sermon Topics

False Gospels

Jesus Christ's Return

Life after Death

Repentance

Resurrection

The Gospel

The Kingdom of God