1. What is the significance of the 153 fish caught by many of the disciples who went back to their nets after the crucifixion?
2. Is justification the same in the Old Testament as it is in the New Testament?
3. How can someone being described as “carnal” still be called a Christian?

Q. What is the significance of the 153 fish caught by many of the disciples who went back to their nets after the crucifixion?

A. That kind of detail is rather interesting, and probably does add interest to the story. What it means is the subject of conjecture and speculation. Nevertheless, it is a detail that the Holy Spirit put into the story.

Theologians often put great meaning in the significance of numbers. The number 7 often suggests completion or perfection. It is often called the number of God. Hebrew scholars have suggested that for every Hebrew letter or word there was a numerical equivalent (A=1, B=2, etc.). Using this numerology, the Hebrew phrase “the sons of God,” has a numeric value of 153. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (vol. 9) suggests that in this passage, “numerous attempts have been made to establish a symbolic meaning for the number of fish, but no solid results have been achieved. All attempts are too fanciful to be credible.”

My wife and I have had the unparalleled experience of traveling to Israel with two Bible tours sponsored by Moody. On one of those trips, when we came to the shore of the Sea of Galilee, the Bible teacher quoted John 21:11, and simply suggested that the number 153 in the story may actually have referred to the total of the different kinds of fish that were found in the sea at the time of Christ. Each kind was represented in the net. If that’s accurate, it is a simple statement that Jesus not only got these large fish into the nets without breaking them, even after the fishermen had actually failed to do it earlier by themselves, but He also brought 153 different varieties to the net. That would be a miracle unto itself. When Christ called them, they came.

Q. Is justification the same in the Old Testament as it is in the New Testament?

A. Both the Old and New Testaments plainly indicate that we are only justified by the singular act of God and not any other way. It is God, and He alone, who declares us righteous. In the Old Testament, God counted men righteous who lived a life of obedience and faithfulness. They believed God and acted on what they believed. Galatians tells us that Abraham believed God, and his faith was put to his account as righteousness. Romans 4:20–22 says: “He (Abraham) did not waver through unbelief . . . but gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. That is why ‘it was credited to him as righteousness’.”

God manifested Himself to men through His Son Jesus Christ who came to bring eternal life. We’re told in John 1:12, “to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become the children of God.” Verse 14 declares, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The apostle Paul made it clear that while all of mankind died as a result of Adam’s sin, the gift of salvation is made available to all men through belief in Christ’s atoning death on the cross for their sins and His resurrection to eternal life. All the saints, both in the Old Testament and New, are redeemed by Christ’s work on Calvary.

Q. How can someone being described as “carnal” still be called a Christian?

A. Several years ago, a friend was jogging down one of the rural roads near our home. Looking on ahead, he saw a huge mound of butterflies near the upcoming intersection. He couldn’t understand what it was until he actually came closer, and discovered this huge clump of butterflies feeding on road kill. He couldn’t believe it. These glorious butterflies were eating from the decaying carcass of some unfortunate animal. As he resumed his run, he thought, “How like those butterflies Christians are—transformed by God, often feeding on the decaying detritus of this old world.” He admitted that he too, was like them: often caught up in the filth of this world.

John MacArthur Jr. has said that he defines carnal Christians as people who are carnal in some things, and yet make Spirit-filled decisions in other areas. He personally doesn’t believe that a carnal Christian is a permanent state, and I would agree. There are times when spiritual people, genuinely born-again men and women, are controlled by the things of this world. The truth is that we all from time to time live carnal lives through our choices, which are not based on the Spirit of God within us but by the old nature. Paul wrote, “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. . . . You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly?” (1 Cor 3:1, 3). I believe it is clear that Paul is actually addressing brothers and sisters in Christ. If a person is in a constant state of carnal living, he should probably examine his life, and ask, “Am I really a child of God at all?” When Paul was talking to people he considered “carnal Christians,” he was speaking of those who at the time were being ruled by their flesh nature and not by the Spirit of God that dwells in authentic Christians. The child of God should readily know that he has messed up and should quickly confess his sin, restoring his fellowship with a holy God.

By Michael Kellogg
Moody Radio Host