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"Intermediate State", which they should have purged out.
relationship - "Son", he says (v. 25). But he repudiates the
Instead of completing the Reformation in respect to such
Pharisee's title to any spiritual favor on that account. He does not
heathen traditions, they are still clinging to them to-day; and so
use the word "Son" again. Abraham is represented as repudiating
tenaciously, that they are giving Romanists and Spiritists all they
the Pharisee's claim to anything beyond natural relationship. He
want as the foundation for their false teachings; while they
may be related to him according to the flesh, but there is no
reserve their wrath for those who, like ourselves, prefer to
closer relationship, though the Pharisee continues to claim it. So
believe God's truth in opposition to the first great lie of the Old
the Lord does not make Abraham repeat the word "Son" again;
Serpent. But once see the truth of God's word, that "death"
though the rich man twice more calls Abraham "Father". This
means death; and cease to read the word as meaning life ­ and
understanding of the passage is, therefore, in strictest harmony
away goes the only ground for the worship of the Virgin Mary,
with the whole of the immediate context, and with all other
the invocation of saints, prayers to or for the dead; and all the
Scriptures which bear upon this subject. It was quite unnecessary
vapourings and falsehoods of "lying spirits" and "teachings of
for the Lord to stop to explain for us the sense in which He used
demons" (I Tim. 4:1, 2), who would deceive, by personating
this tradition, because it was so contrary to all the other direct
deceased persons of whom God declares their thoughts have
statements of Scripture, that no one ought for a moment to be in
perished.
doubt as to what is the scope of the Lord's teaching here. No
But there is one further argument which we may draw from
previous knowledge of Pharisaic traditions is necessary for the
the internal evidence of the passage itself, taken with other
gathering of this scope. But as this is the conflict between
statements in the Gospel narrative. The Jews laid great stress on
Tradition and Scripture, the evidence from the Talmud comes in,
the fact that they were "Abraham's seed" (John 8:33). They said,
and may well be used to strengthen our interpretation.
"Abraham is our Father", whereupon the Lord answers that,
No! the Lord was at the crisis of His condemnation of the
though they might be Abraham's seed according to the flesh, yet
Pharisees for their false traditions which made the Word of God
they were not Abraham's true seed, inasmuch as they did not the
of none effect, and He makes use of those very teachings,
works of Abraham (vv. 39, 40).
adapting them to the great end of condemning them out of their
Early in the Gospels this fallacy was dealt with judicially,
own mouth.
when John said by the Holy Spirit: "Think not to say within
May we all prayerfully consider the testimony of God's Word
yourselves, We have Abraham to our father" (Matt. 3:9). This
in regard to death and when the dead will live again. Thanks be
was when He saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to
to God in that we have the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord
His baptism; and called them "a generation of vipers", and not
and that victory is in Him for truly He is the Resurrection and
the sons of Abraham. They thought and believed that inasmuch
The Life.
as they were the sons of Abraham by natural generation, they
were entitled to all the blessings and privileges which were given
to Abraham and his seed. So here, one of them is represented as
saying, "Father Abraham". Three times he calls him "father", as
though to lay claim to these blessings and privileges (vv. 24, 27,
30). And the point of the Lord's teaching is this, that the first
time Abraham speaks, he is made to acknowledge the natural