Jeremiah 31:34

Status
Not open for further replies.

Peairtach

Puritan Board Doctor
And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." (Jeremiah 31:34, ESV)

This passage is sometimes used by the Baptists to defend their position that only true believers are in the New Covenant.

What is its (likely) meaning?

Is it that all God's true people in the New Covenant era have an anointing of the Spirit to be prophets, as in Joel 2:28-29:

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

and Acts 2:16-18.
 
And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." (Jeremiah 31:34, ESV)

This passage is sometimes used by the Baptists to defend their position that only true believers are in the New Covenant.

What is its (likely) meaning?

Is it that all God's true people in the New Covenant era have an anointing of the Spirit to be prophets, as in Joel 2:28-29:

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

and Acts 2:16-18.

Richard.....I have seen these verses used looking forward to the NT time.To explain the Jer31 passage.
43Jesus answered, therefore, and said to them, `Murmur not one with another;

44no one is able to come unto me, if the Father who sent me may not draw him, and I will raise him up in the last day;

45it is having been written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God; every one therefore who heard from the Father, and learned, cometh to me;
Isaiah 54
1Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.

2Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;

3For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

4Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

5For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

6For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.

7For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.

8In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.

9For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.

10For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.

11O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.

12And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.

13And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

14In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.
 
Yes. But even in modern Baptist churches (visible) not everyone knows the Lord, if by knowing the Lord we mean salvation.
 
John Gill understood the 'teaching' of this passage not concerning "the outward ministry of the word," but that "in heaven indeed there will be no need of it." I think Gill's view is worth considering.

Jer 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother,.... Which is not to be understood of the outward ministry of the word; in heaven indeed there will be no need of it, nor in the New Jerusalem state; but in every period of time before it. In the first times of the Gospel, persons were appointed and qualified by Christ to be pastors and teachers; and in the latter day men shall run to and fro, and increase knowledge; besides, the saints in the present state stand in need of teaching; since they know but in part, and there is room for a growth in grace, and in the knowledge of Christ: nor does this contradict brotherly teaching, or the private instructions of saints in religious conversation and Christian conference, which are very useful; but is rather opposed to pretended revelations of private men; or to the magisterial dictates of persons in public office; the word of God being the only rule of instruction in righteousness: or this may be not absolutely, but comparatively said; setting forth the abundance of knowledge under the Gospel dispensation, that, in comparison of former times, there would be no need of the means of further knowledge:

saying, know the Lord: not naturally, or as by the light of nature; but spiritually; nor in a general way, as the God of nature and providence, as a Creator, Preserver, and Benefactor; but in a special manner, as the God of grace, as the God and Father of Christ, and his people in him; not legally, but evangelically; not speculatively, but practically, and in a saving way and manner: this kind of knowledge now under the Gospel dispensation is greater than under the former; as the knowledge of God in his persons, in his perfections, in his titles and characters, and in his Son; and as to the manner of it, clearly, with open face as in a glass; and as to the persons to whom it is communicated, not to Judah only, but to men of all nations; all which is owing to a greater effusion of the spirit, as it follows:

for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: not all mankind; but all the house of Israel, all the family of God, all the children of God being taught by him; not all alike, but all with the same kind of knowledge. This is frequently applied to the times of the Messiah by the Jews (n):

for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more; there was forgiveness of sin under the former covenant, but the blood of Christ was not then actually shed for it; it was held forth under types; and there was a remembrance of sin made every year; and saints had not such a clear and comfortable sight of pardon in common as now; and it was known and applied but to a few. This is the staple blessing of the covenant, and the evidence of all the rest.

(n) Zohar in Lev. fol. 10. 1. & 24. 3. and on Numb. fol. 54. 4. Vid. Chizuk Emunah, p. 51.
 
Yes. But even in modern Baptist churches (visible) not everyone knows the Lord, if by knowing the Lord we mean salvation.

I maintain a clear distinction as it descibes in jn 6:45.......everyone who is taught of God.they heard , they learned, adult believers. Anyone else who comes physically among the called out ones, are not the people of God until,they have heard,and learned of the Father.
7Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

8This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

9But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

10And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:

11Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

12Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?

13But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
13But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.

Absolutely. But they have to be planted in the Visible Church/Covenant Administration in order to be rooted up.

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me (John 6:44-45)

We have no infallible way of knowing whether those who have a credible profession of faith or their children have been really taught of God. They will be rooted up by God through church sanctions later, or rooted up by God Himself at death.

John Gill understood the 'teaching' of this passage not concerning "the outward ministry of the word," but that "in heaven indeed there will be no need of it." I think Gill's view is worth considering.

Well it is interesting that Gill who was a Baptist doesn't take the line that this text shows that only believers are in the New Covenant administration of the CoG.
 
Is it that all God's true people in the New Covenant era have an anointing of the Spirit to be prophets, as in Joel 2:28-29:

Eph 4:11 indicates that Christ gave some to be prophets.

Jer. 31 is specifically referring to the use of "mediatorial" teaching. The priest was to teach the people in relation to the sacrifice which he offered on their behalf.
 
Eph 4:11 indicates that Christ gave some to be prophets.

For a time until the Bible was complete, unless you're talking about prophecy in terms of preaching. But all God's true New Testament people are prophets, priests and kings, spiritually-speaking, while these offices qua offices in the Church are ceased.

Jer. 31 is specifically referring to the use of "mediatorial" teaching. The priest was to teach the people in relation to the sacrifice which he offered on their behalf.

Thanks for that, Matthew. Maybe you could fill out your thinking on it. To some extent kings and prophets were also mediatorial in Old Covenant Israel. In New Covenant Israel we don't have kings, prophets and priests in that sense.
 
I would refer you to Hebrews Chapter 8 where St. Paul expounds the Passage. I would also refer you to Read John Owen's commentary on Hebrews 8.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top