The Mercy Seat

Neal Pollard

I believe Hugh Stowell, many years ago, penned one of the most beautiful songs ever written. The song, “From Every Stormy Wind That Blows,” reads…

From every stormy wind that blows,
From every swelling tide of woes,
There is a calm, a sure retreat,
‘Tis found beneath the mercy seat.
There is a place where Jesus sheds
The oil of gladness on our heads,
A place than all besides more sweet;
It is the blood-bought mercy seat.
There is a scene where spirits blend,
Where friend holds fellowship with friend;
Though sundered far, by faith they meet
Around one common mercy seat.
There, there on eagle’s wings we soar,
And sin and sense seem all no more,
And heaven comes down our souls to greet,
And glory crowns the mercy seat.

To fully appreciate this song, one must understand what the mercy seat is. We are introduced to the mercy seat in Exodus 25, after the Lord had made the covenant with Moses and Israel upon Mt. Sinai. The people were voluntarily to give of their means for the building of the tabernacle and its furniture (Ex 25:9). The pattern for the ark was given first (:10-16), followed by instructions for the mercy seat (:17-22).
The mercy seat covered the ark of the testimony in the holy of holies (cf., Ex 26:34). God told Moses, “There I will meet with you…” (Ex 26:22). It was a place of holiness, fellowship, righteousness, and instruction. Not even Aaron, the High Priest, could come before the mercy seat without offering a sin sacrifice for himself (Leviticus 16:2ff). God was there, appearing in a cloud over the mercy seat. The ritual Aaron had to follow to approach the holiness of God there was extensive (read Leviticus 16:3-14). Included in that was the placing of blood upon the mercy seat to make “atonement” for himself and his household. The same thing was done to the mercy seat to make atonement for the people (Leviticus 16:15). Later on, when the temple was built, a place was reserved for the mercy seat (1 Chronicles 28:11).
When the New Testament speaks of the mercy seat, the primary audience is the Jews. The mercy seat is figuratively used to represent the importance and significance of what Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross does in taking care of our sin problem. We depend on the mercy of God to save us from the guilt of our sins, and the symbol of the mercy seat is designed to help us see both the ugliness of our sin and the complete holiness of God. He absolutely will not receive us and forgive us without an “atonement” for our sins.
Therefore, when you come to New Testament verses speaking of “propitiation,” “atonement,” and “reconciliation,” take into consideration their Old Testament background. These words describe God’s justice and wrath being satisfied in some way. The “some way” is Jesus’ blood sacrifice on the cross. 2 Corinthians 5:19 explains this by saying, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them…” Jesus, our High Priest (Heb 9:11-12), offered up His own blood, not for His sins but for our sins. By that sacrifice, we are made alive and right with God (Rom 5:11-21). But we must go to the designated place to receive the benefits of Jesus’ shed blood. The Bible says both that the blood (Revelation 1:5) and baptism (Acts 22:16) wash away our sins. So, Jesus’ blood washes away our sins at the point of baptism, submitted to by a repenting believer who is being baptized in order to have his or her sins forgiven (Acts 2:38).
It was certainly a relief to God’s Old Testament people to have their sins atoned for by the High Priest. But, each sacrifice each year was a reminder that the debt had not been fully satisfied (Heb 10:3-4). Thank God that what those sacrifices could NOT do, Jesus’ sacrifice did once for all time (Heb 7:27). When we do what God says to be saved, the debt against us is canceled and fully satisfied. If we continue to live faithful to God, that blood continues to save us (1 John 1:7). Because of this, no matter the hurts and heartaches we face in this life, we can have the peace and fellowship of God to hold us up “beneath the mercy seat.” What comfort!

The Wide and Narrow Roads

 

This particular subject has been on my mind frequently as of late.  This is partly due to a conversation I’ve been having with a friend, and partly due to the great lesson delivered this past Sunday night.  Notice the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.  For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Certainly there is much that could be said about these 2 verses, but I want to emphasize the phrases “there are many who enter through it [gate of destruction],” and “there are few who find it [gate of life].”

According to many sources, 2.2 billion people (about 1/3 of the population) are “Christians.”  All sects of Christianity believe that a person needs to “believe in Jesus” to be saved (at least in part), but many denominations claim that this is all that is needed for salvation.  Several of these same denominations believe that a person cannot be lost once they have been saved, no matter what they do from then on.

Matthew 7:13-14 is a very clear indicator that these denominations are mistaken.  Think about it.  If all a person needs to do to be saved is to “believe in Jesus,” then potentially 2.2 billion people are saved and will go to heaven.  This means 2.2 billion will enter heaven every 60-80 years (the span of a generation).  Certainly these numbers have been this way for hundreds of years and will probably continue until the end of time.  But does this fit Jesus words, “there are few who find it”?  Not at all.

We simply cannot follow the popular mold of the denominations to find salvation.  Let’s look to the Bible for the answer.  Scripture says that one is saved by…

1. Hearing the gospel of Christ (John 6:45; James 1:18, 21).
2. Believing that Jesus is God’s Son (Romans 10:17; John 8:24).
3. Repenting of past sins (Luke 13:3; 2 Peter 3:9).
4. Confessing that Jesus is the Lord (Romans 10:9-10).
5. Being baptized for the purpose of having sins forgiven at that very moment (Acts 2:38; Galatians 3:26-27; Romans 6:3-4).
6. Remaining faithful until death (Revelation 2:10) – because one can fall away from God and lose salvation (Galatians 5:4; 2 Peter 2:20-21; Hebrews 3:12; 8:4-8).

Something to keep in mind is that all verses of Scripture must fit together.  We cannot take one verse that says we are saved by faith (Ephesians 2:8) and ignore the many others that say salvation comes through repentance (Luke 13:3), confession (Romans 10:9-10), and baptism (1 Peter 3:21; Romans 6:3-4).  All have to fit together!  In fact, many Scriptures list several at the same time (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 8:12-13; 18:8).  Every single item mentioned in the list above plays a part in obtaining and keeping salvation.  Baptism is the final act, after the others have been done, to bring a person from a lost condition to a saved condition (Acts 2:37-41). 

Does your congregation or denomination teach and follow these things?  If not, then the words of Jesus indicate that you are traveling down the wrong path with the “many” (Matthew 7:13).  We must make sure we are on the right path (Matthew 7:14).  Heaven is just too good to miss, and hell is too terrible to attend.  They only way make sure we are on the right path is to follow all the turns on God’s road map, the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3).  

The Difference Between "Change Of Heart" And "Remission"

Neal Pollard

In 1914, Firm Foundation published a book of sermons E.M. Borden preached in Neosho, Missouri.  At the end of the book is a section of extracts, including one entitled "Change of Heart and Remission."  In this short article, Borden writes, "One very common occurrence in this age of the world is for people to mistake a change of heart for the remission of sins" (307).  Later in the article, he adds, "There is a feeling that comes with the change of heart, which is the result of making up the mind to quit the wicked habits.  Too many times that is taken for salvation" (ibid.).  Borden's correct conclusion is that change of heart happens on earth, but remission of sins takes place in heaven in the mind of God.

No doubt, there are many today who come to church services and worship with us.  They are exposed to teaching that effects their heart and causes them to want to live better.  That change in how they view life and the world, that appreciation for Bible teaching, and the other good things they feel and experience are necessary things.  However, a changed outlook, mentality, or worldview, alone, will not change one's eternal destination.  However, the right state of heart and thinking will surely lead one to do what God says to do in order to receive His forgiveness.  

When does remission (or forgiveness) take place?  All we can do is trust scripture for the answer to this.  When people 2000 years ago first asked the question, "What shall we do?", they were told by Peter, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).  They had to repent, a change of heart leading to a change of life, and be baptized, immersed, in order for God to forgive them.  Mankind tries to complicate matters, but it is truly that simple.

The Hardest Step In The Plan Of Salvation

Neal Pollard

The Lord teaches with great clarity what a person must do to receive the benefits of His grace.  Repeatedly, the New Testament makes clear that belief in essential for being made right (Rom. 10:10a), to come to God (Heb. 11:6), and to be saved (Ac. 16:31).  Yet, faith or belief is not possible without the Word first being taught (Rom. 10:13-14, 17).  One must be accurately taught, and an honest heart will be open to God’s conditions.  We cannot begrudge God for setting conditions for us to receive what all of us needs but what none of us deserves nor what any of us can earn.

The New Testament reveals conditions other than faith. The Bible ties repentance to forgiveness of sins (Ac. 2:38; 5:31), life (Ac. 11:18), faith (Ac. 20:21), salvation (2 Cor. 7:10), and not perishing (2 Pe. 3:9).  These are all inescapably essential.  Further, Scripture shows a connection between confessing faith with Christ and salvation (Rom. 10:10).  The Ethiopian eunuch gives us an example of this (Ac. 8:37).  Added to these conditions is one other, clearly revealed condition strangely disputed by much of Christendom.  Baptism is inseparably tied to the following: forgiveness of sins (Ac. 2:38), sins being washed away (Ac. 22:16), being in Christ (Gal. 3:27), being in the “one body” (1 Cor. 12:13), the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and newness of life (Rom. 6:1-4), and salvation (1 Pe. 3:21).

Despite the unfathomable controversy in the religious world over the role of baptism in salvation, it is not, in my estimation, the hardest “step” in God’s saving plan.  While getting people to hear is hard, getting them to believer is harder, and getting them to submit to baptism is harder still, could anything be more difficult than repentance?  Repentance literally means to “change one’s mind” and “feel remorse, be converted” (BDAG, 640). Friberg and Miller add that its strict meaning is to “perceive afterward, with the implication of being too late to avoid consequences” with “a religious and ethical change in the way one thinks about acts” (260).

What a wrestling match!  It’s difficult to change our minds, which implies admission of wrong.  When we see only too late that we are sinners lost in sin, to both feel sorrow and resolve to make it right requires exceptional humility and tenderheartedness.  To change our ways, to turn away from sin and to God, is exceptionally difficult.  Repentance is involved in receiving salvation, but it is necessary for one after receiving it.  It is a lifelong process, requiring honesty, self-examination, self-denial, and sacrifice.  Yet, however difficult it is, in view of what God is offering it is worth the strain and effort!  How true are E.M. Bartlett’s words: “Just a little while to stay here, just a little while to wait, just a little while to labor in the path that’s always straight. Just a little more of trouble in this low and sinful state, then we’ll enter Heaven’s portals, sweeping through the pearly gates.”

Neal Pollard
The Lord teaches with great clarity what a person must do to receive the benefits of His grace.  Repeatedly, the New Testament makes clear that belief in essential for being made right (Rom. 10:10a), to come to God (Heb. 11:6), and to be saved (Ac. 16:31).  Yet, faith or belief is not possible without the Word first being taught (Rom. 10:13-14, 17).  One must be accurately taught, and an honest heart will be open to God’s conditions.  We cannot begrudge God for setting conditions for us to receive what all of us needs but what none of us deserves nor what any of us can earn.
The New Testament reveals conditions other than faith. The Bible ties repentance to forgiveness of sins (Ac. 2:38; 5:31), life (Ac. 11:18), faith (Ac. 20:21), salvation (2 Cor. 7:10), and not perishing (2 Pe. 3:9).  These are all inescapably essential.  Further, Scripture shows a connection between confessing faith with Christ and salvation (Rom. 10:10).  The Ethiopian eunuch gives us an example of this (Ac. 8:37).  Added to these conditions is one other, clearly revealed condition strangely disputed by much of Christendom.  Baptism is inseparably tied to the following: forgiveness of sins (Ac. 2:38), sins being washed away (Ac. 22:16), being in Christ (Gal. 3:27), being in the “one body” (1 Cor. 12:13), the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and newness of life (Rom. 6:1-4), and salvation (1 Pe. 3:21).
Despite the unfathomable controversy in the religious world over the role of baptism in salvation, it is not, in my estimation, the hardest “step” in God’s saving plan.  While getting people to hear is hard, getting them to believer is harder, and getting them to submit to baptism is harder still, could anything be more difficult than repentance?  Repentance literally means to “change one’s mind” and “feel remorse, be converted” (BDAG, 640). Friberg and Miller add that its strict meaning is to “perceive afterward, with the implication of being too late to avoid consequences” with “a religious and ethical change in the way one thinks about acts” (260).
What a wrestling match!  It’s difficult to change our minds, which implies admission of wrong.  When we see only too late that we are sinners lost in sin, to both feel sorrow and resolve to make it right requires exceptional humility and tenderheartedness.  To change our ways, to turn away from sin and to God, is exceptionally difficult.  Repentance is involved in receiving salvation, but it is necessary for one after receiving it.  It is a lifelong process, requiring honesty, self-examination, self-denial, and sacrifice.  Yet, however difficult it is, in view of what God is offering it is worth the strain and effort!  How true are E.M. Bartlett’s words: “Just a little while to stay here, just a little while to wait, just a little while to labor in the path that’s always straight. Just a little more of trouble in this low and sinful state, then we’ll enter Heaven’s portals, sweeping through the pearly gates.”