Adam Clarke on Matthew 25:41

My comments on Mr. Clarke's comment shall follow it.

"Mat 25:41

Depart from me, ye cursed - Or, Ye cursed! depart. - These words are the address of the king to the sinners; and contain the reason why they are to be separated from blessedness: Ye are cursed, because ye have sinned, and would not come unto me that ye might have life. - No work of piety has proceeded from your hand, because the carnal mind, which is enmity against me, reigned in your heart; and ye would not have me to reign over you. Depart! this includes what some have termed the punishment of loss or privation. Ye cannot, ye, shall not be united to me - Depart! O terrible word! and yet a worse is to come.

Into everlasting fire - This is the punishment of sense. Ye shall not only be separated from me, but ye shall be tormented, awfully, everlastingly tormented in that place of separation.

Prepared for the devil and his angels - The devil and his angels sinned before the creation of the world, and the place of torment was then prepared for them: it never was designed for human souls; but as the wicked are partakers with the devil and his angels in their iniquities, in their rebellion against God, so it is right that they should be sharers with them in their punishment. We see here, plainly, why sinners are destroyed, not because there was no salvation for them, but because they neglected to receive good, and do good. As they received not the Christ who was offered to them, so they could not do the work of righteousness which was required of them. They are cursed, because they refused to be blessed; and they are damned, because they refused to be saved."

 

"No work of piety…" This may not strictly be true, as a man may have been saved once and at one time been pious, or pleasing to God. After his salvation the same man may have gone back to sinning, whereupon his previous piety or righteousness would be forgotten.

"The devil and his angels sinned before the creation of the world," I also don't know where he gets this, it could be correct or erroneous, but to the sense of his commentary it does not add or detract. It matters not when the angels sinned, the fact is, they did and everlasting fire was prepared for them. Into this everlasting fire sinners shall be cast.

A Statement of Faith, Perhaps

Please tell me what you think of these as a statement of faith? I would like ANY INPUT YOU CAN THINK OF THAT WOULD IN ANY WAY improve this document.

 

• I believe in one God as set forth in 1 John 5:7 and John 1:1
  
  • 1John 5:7 "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."
    
  • John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
    
  • John 1:14 "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."
    
• I believe in God the Father
  
  • I believe He is one with the Son and with the Holy Spirit
    
    • 1John 5:7 "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."
      
  • I believe He is Almighty
    
    • Genesis 17:1 "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect."
      
  • I believe He is Maker of heaven and earth
    
    • Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
      
  • I believe He is eternal
    
    • Revelation 1:8 "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."
      
  • I believe He has no predecessor or successor
    
    • Isaiah 44:6 "Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God."
      
    • Isaiah 43:10 "Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me."
      
• I believe in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
  
  • I believe He is one with God the Father, and with the Holy Spirit
    
    • 1John 5:7 "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."
      
  • I believe He was born of the Virgin Mary by the power of God
    
    • Luke 1:34-35 "Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."
      
  • I believe that He was a flesh and blood man
    
    • 1John 4:2 "Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:"
      
    • John 1:14 "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."
      
  • I believe He died and was buried
    
    • John 19:33 "But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they broke not his legs:"
      
    • Luke 23:52 "This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus."
      
    • Luke 23:53 "And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulcher that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid."
      
  • I believe that after three days He rose again from the dead
    
    • 1Corinthians 15:4 "And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures:"
      
    • Luke 24:6 "He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,"
      
    • Luke 24:7 "Saying, the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again."
      
  • I believe He ascended into heaven
    
    • Acts 1:9 "And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight."
      
    • Luke 24:51 "And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven."
      
  • I believe He sat down at the right hand of God the Father Almighty
    
    • Hebrews 10:12 "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God;"
      
  • I believe He shall return to judge the quick and the dead
    
    • 2Timothy 4:1 "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;"
      
    • John 5:22 "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:"
      
  • I believe Jesus Christ is the only one by whom we can be saved
    
    • Isaiah 43:11 "I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no savior."
      
    • John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
      
    • Acts 4:12 "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
      
• I believe in the Holy Ghost (Spirit)
  
  • I believe that the Holy Ghost is one with God the Father and with Jesus Christ
    
    • 1John 5:7 "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."
      
• I believe that all Christians are one in Christ
  
  • Gal 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."
    
• I believe in the forgiveness of sins
  
  • 1John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
    
  • 1John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."
    
  • Romans 10:9 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
    
  • John 5:24 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
    
• I believe in the resurrection of the body
  
  • John. 11:23 "Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again."
    
  • John. 11:24 "Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
    
  • 1Corinthians 15:21 "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead."
    
  • Philippians 3:21 "Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."
    
  • Colossians 1:18 "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence."
    
  • Luke 24:39 "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have."
    
  • 1John 3:2 "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."
    
• I believe in life everlasting
  
  • Rom 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
    our Lord."
    
• I believe that we are able to live righteously in this life
  
  • Tit 2:12 "Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;"
    
  • 1John 2:3 "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments."
    
• I believe the Bible is the word of God
  
  • 2Ti 3:16 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"
  • 2Pe 1:20-21 "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any privateinterpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy menof God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."
    

Thoughts on Galatians 5:1

Hey, Brothers in Christ,

I was reading in my Bible this morning and came to verse 1 in Galatians chapter 5. It says "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." As I was thinking I came to the conclusion that the liberty with which we are made free is freedom from the sacrificial and other similar laws of the old covenant. We are, by the sacrifice of Jesus once for all, freed from the laws of the old covenant that require us to keep feasts, observe days, and make sacrifices. Also, we are not to be entangled again into that bondage.

Again, when I was getting the verse text to copy into this post, I looked at what Bible commentator Adam Clarke says.

"Gal 5:1

Stand fast therefore in the liberty - This is intimately connected with the preceding chapter: the apostle having said, just before, So then, brethren, we are not children of the bond woman, but of the free, immediately adds, Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free. Hold fast your Christian profession; it brings spiritual liberty: on the contrary, Judaism brings spiritual bondage. Among the Jews, the Messiah's reign was to be a reign of liberty, and hence the Targum, on Lam_2:22, says: "Liberty shall be publicly proclaimed to thy people of the house of Israel, על יד משיחא al yad Mashicha, by the hand of the Messiah, such as was granted to them by Moses and Aaron at the time of the passover."

The liberty mentioned by the apostle is freedom from Jewish rites and ceremonies, called properly here the yoke of bondage; and also liberty from the power and guilt of sin, which nothing but the grace of Christ can take away."

Adam Clarke, From his Commentary

"As all unrighteousness is sin, so he that is cleansed from all unrighteousness is cleansed from all sin. To attempt to evade this, and plead for the continuance of sin in the heart through life, is ungrateful, wicked, and even blasphemous; for as he who says he has not sinned, 1Jo_1:10, makes God a liar, who has declared the contrary through every part of his revelation; so he that says the blood of Christ either cannot or will not cleanse us from all sin in this life, gives also the lie to his Maker, who has declared the contrary, and thus shows that the word - the doctrine of God is not in him.

Reader, it is the birthright of every child of God to be cleansed from all sin, to keep himself unspotted from the world, and so to live as never more to offend his Maker. All things are possible to him that believeth; because all things are possible to the infinitely meritorious blood and energetic Spirit of the Lord Jesus. See the notes on the parallel passages in the margin; and particularly in St. John's gospel, John 1 note."

 

—Adam Clarke

Post I

Hey,

I think I'll use this site to publish various christian documents.

In Christ,

Me