"But without faith it is impossible to please him..."

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Introduction 

  Welcome…

This blog site is a public Bible teaching blog site and is an outreach ministry of “Faith Bible Ministries,” a division of “Faith Video Ministries Inc.” (a 501(c)(3) religious nonprofit Private Operating Foundation).  The blog site administrators are Brent and Rocky, who have been friends for going over 20 years, and are firmly committed to teaching God’s Word in the building up of believer’s faith by displaying God’s faithfulness in the engineering of a book that He alone could pin through 40 different authors, over 1600 years, from 3 different continents and in 3 different languages.  Our foundational Scripture is Romans 10:17, which states:

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

It is our belief that in teaching God’s Word by exhibiting and explaining fundamental Biblical exegesis of the Bible, which include: grammatical insights of the Greek and Hebrew text, context (both immediate, and the Bible as a whole), application (dual application, multiple applications), comparative application, both direct and indirect (intended applicant, mandated conditions vs. unconditional conditions, immediate application and/or global application), the Law of First Mention (noting where a specific word in its original language is first used in the Bible concerning its meeting) Perspicuity (noting the clarity concerning the subject matter according to the amount of Scripture on the subject), frequency  (noting the amount of Scripture concerning a subject in order to gain a fuller understanding the priority it is given), Object Lessons, Expositional Consistency – Typology (many types, only one meaning – literal emphasis upon the literal interpretation, never at the expense of meaning by the use of figurative interpretation), Figures of Speech, (The ways in which words are used in an unusual manner which doesn’t suit their normal meaning – figures of speech do not dispute the literal interpretation – figures of speech are the main reason for any misunderstanding concerning what others referred to as allegorical interpretation, figurative interpretation, or spiritual interpretation as originated by Origen, and then Augustine), and other rhetorical devices used to communicate on a multiplicity of levels, comparison & contrast, Prophetic Fulfillment (dual fulfillment, multiple fulfillment), cultural insights of both Testaments; all of which is used to present internal, as well as external evidences in order to establish the validity that the Bible is truly the Word of God. 

The word of God is our singular authority, not only concerning God and His will for man, but also regarding every facet of the human condition and direction that God desires to communicate. The threefold Biblical foundation of this ministry is to maintain that:

 ~ The Bible, God’s Word is the complete and only “authority” of God’s 
     revelation to man (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

~ The Word of God maintains the “preeminence” of Jesus Christ as Lord, 
     Savior & God (Eph. 1:20-22).

~ As exhibited by Jesus Christ, the Biblical based unwavering “commitment“
     concerning the necessity for true Biblical Faith (Rom. 1:17) unto salvation,
     based upon God’s free gift - grace (Eph. 2:8); provided by the sacrifice of God’s
     only begotten Son for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2), and the growth of faith
     within the life of the believer (Col. 2:7).

Many of these essays are exhaustive and hence long because they are meant to be used as research starting points to entice the Believer to dig deeper into God’s Word. It is our desire to communicate these truths within the two-way exchange of a blog site (for those that are interested) in order to achieve the goals the Holy Spirit has placed upon our hearts. 

Also, please see our parent teaching website at: http://www.FaithBibleMinistries.com

 

Charis (grace) and Shalom (peace), through Pistis (faith).

Whereas, we shall never have peace with God without grace first, yet always by faith.

 

Philippians 2:12-13 ~ Work Out Your Own Salvation

First I like to thank the individual that posted a comment concerning this passage regarding the essay: “Why Four Gospels – A Personal Statement & Introduction – Part 1“.  The following is in reply to their comment.

 

Introduction

The following commentary excerpt exemplifies an excellent exegesis of Philippians 2:12-13, which states:

“Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” 

The following references break down the text systematically and gives shades light on the orthodox interpretation.

“Wherefore”

This refers to the verses that have preceded.  That of having the example of Christ’s humility to guide us and the exaltation of Christ to encourage us.

“Work out” 

Keep on working out thoroughly in your own interests so as to achieve the desired results.  Both freedom and responsibility are implied.  In verses 12 and 13, we see divine sovereignty and human freedom in blessed cooperation.  Our salvation is worked in by the Holy Spirit in answer to faith in God’s promises and it is worked out by Christ’s atoning death upon the cross.  It is always a matter of trust and obey.  The verse does not say, “work for” your salvation.  The Philippians had already been saved.  Salvation is all of grace (Eph 2:8-10), but is to be manifested in the daily life by glorifying Christ in everything.  One must possess salvation first, and then work it out to its ultimate conclusion, namely, Christ-likeness.  No one can live the Christian life until he has Christ.  It is not a matter of the imitation of Christ, but the manifestation of Christ, the Holy Spirit reproducing the life of Christ in and through the believers. 

 

“Your Own Salvation” 

Salvation is a personal relationship; it is a divine work accomplished at Calvary.  Salvation should be viewed in three tenses:  past, justification; present, sanctification; and future, glorification.

 

“With fear and trembling” 

These two words describe the anxiety of the person who distrusts his own ability to meet all the requirements, but nevertheless does his best to discharge his duty.  This is not slavish fear, but wholesome, serious caution.  It is the constant apprehension of the deceitfulness of the heart, taking heed lest we fall (I Cor 10:12); or stop short of the final goal (II Peter 1:1-11).  It is that desirable distrust of our own self-sufficiency and the consciousness that all depends on the grace of God.  It is not fear of being lost, but fear of the failure of not walking in lowliness of mind, in true humility, and in unfailing obedience.  It is fear of all that would rob us of our spiritual vitality and spiritual victory and of shrinking from all carelessness in matters of faith and life. 

 

“For it is God which worketh in you”

For God is the one continually working effectually in you.  This word is used in Galatians 2:8 (wrought effectually) and in I Thessalonians 2:13 (effectually worketh).  We are God’s workmanship (Eph 2:10).

 

“Both to will and to do” 

To keep on being willing and to keep on working.  God is the source of al we need.  The Holy Spirit dwelling within makes the abundant life a reality (not merely a possibility).  The energy of God enables a Christian to desire God’s will and replace the Christian’s weakness with the needed power.  “Paul has no sympathy with a cold and dead orthodoxy of formalism that knows nothing of struggling and growth.  He exhorts as if he were an Armenian in addressing men.  He prays as if he was a Calvinist in addressing God, and feels no inconsistency in the two attitudes.  Paul makes no attempt to reconcile divine sovereignty and human free agency, but boldly proclaims both.”¹  

 

“Of his good pleasure” 

For the sake of His good pleasure – His sovereign and gracious purpose. 

 

“Do all things without murmurings”

We are to keep on doing all things apart from murmuring.  Murmurings mean to mutter, to murmur, an expression of secret and solemn discontent.  This word (Gr. gongysmos) appears many times in the LXX (Septuagint) of the children of Israel in the wilderness and refers to their stubborn spirit. 

 

“And disputings” 

“Disputings” refer to the thinking of a man deliberately with himself, rationalizing and calculating.  This word is translated “imagination” in Romans 1:21.  It has two distinct meanings: (1) inward questionings; and (2) outward disputings or discussions.  Used here in the first since it implies a doubtful spirit.  We get our word dialogue from this word.  The Christian is called to unquestioned submission to God’s will.² 

 

The Greek

The Greek word for “work out” is katergazomai.  The make-up of this verb is⁴:

 

1. Its mood is an         Imperative

2. Its tense is               Present

3. Its voice is               Middle (or Passive Deponent)

4. Its person is             Second Person

5. Its number is           Plural

 

1. What this means is that the word “work out” is an imperative mood, which means it is a command, God demands for us to do something. 

 

2. It is in the present tense, which means that the in action has been completed once and for all, never to be repeated.

 

3. It is in the middle (or passive) voice, meaning that we have something to do, but the main action is done by the one sending the message, God.

 

4. It is in the second person, meaning what is being said is intended for the reader, the person who is reading this passage is the one God means it for. 

 

5. It is plural in number, meaning what is being said is meant for all who read it, God wants all of those who read this passage, to understand, and constantly reflect on how God, using Jesus worked out (paid the price for) our salvation.

 

Main Grammatical Insight

This is why an understanding of the Grammar is so important.  If the word katergazomai was in the Active Voice, then the subject (the person it is written too) does (or is told to do) the action of the verb (work out their own salvation).  If it was in the Passive Voice, the subject would not need to do anything at all.  But it was in the Middle Voice, this means God does the major action of redeeming the reader, however, God intends for the reader to do something less as powerful (indicated by the Passive Deponent Voice), to examine how God has worked out their salvation.  To keep examining this sacrifice, to keep reading God’s Word, to keep our eyes focused on God’s Son who died for us.³

 

Historical Perspective 

The Greek word, katergazomai, which is rendered “work out,” was first used as a mathematical term, in the context of a teacher writing out an equation along with the answer, and then have the pupil (TO “work out”) go over the problem and answer so that he would understand the process.  It was done to reinforce an understanding of the process.⁴  This is why we are to review and keep reviewing how God saved us “with fear and trembling,” because God had to nail His own Son to the cross to save us, and we better hold that with the utmost respect and Godly fear.  Yet, there is a minor action for the hearer, that of the function in accordance with this insight, to: “do for His good pleasure,” meaning God’s Will.  Therefore, the hearer does not create or add to his salvation, but does obey God according to God working in the hearer, to desire to do God’s Will, and enables him to be able to achieve God’s Will.   

 

All Scripture verses listed, unless otherwise noted, refer to the King James Version.

Endnotes

1.     ROBERTSONS WORD PICTURES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, Vol. IV, A. T. Roberston, Broadman Press Inc., Nashville, TN 372341960, Page 446.

2.     THE KJV PARALLEL BIBLE COMMENTARY, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN, 37234, USA, 1990.

3.    THE COMPLETE WORD STUDY NEW TESTAMENT WITH GREEK PARALLEL, Spiros Zodhiates, PH T., AMG Publications, Chattanooga, TN 37422, USA, 1990.

4.     Please see: “WIERSBE BIBLE COMMENTARY: NEW TESTAMENT” 

      

Biblical Doctrine is an ongoing topical series that presents diverse insights into major and minor doctrines of God’s Word, the Bible.  Much of the subject matter is uncommon and may deal with obscure themes.  The purpose, as with all our essays is to build faith in God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and in His Holy Word.  Our main focus is always on Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of the world, God incarnate, He alone deserves preeminence in God’s Word.  God’s Word, the Holy Bible stands alone as our source of guidance and direction, and is our singular foundation for and of faith.  Biblical Doctrine is an outreach ministry of Faith Video Ministries Inc. You may contact us at our e-mail address: blb@faithbibleministries.com      

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Christian Rock ‘N Roll Music

Introduction

Since the Jesus movement of the 1960s and 70s, the youth culture has vastly influenced Christian music; with the question being asked is the genre of Rock ‘N Roll appropriate for Christian music in general, and worship songs in particular.  The sub-genres within rock ‘n roll music can be: hard rock, acid rock, punk rock, alternative, new wave, heavy metal, rap, reggae, hip hop, and more.

The Right Questions

Perhaps in addressing this question it might be more effective to separate it into four different areas:

1)      The Music Itself

2)      Its Purpose

3)      How It Is Done

4)      Can Scripture Validate It

 

1. The Music It’s Self

Within the music itself there are two components:

1)      The musical accompaniment

2)      The lyrics

 
Musical Complement – The Medium

Musical accompaniment is a medium; and a medium is how we communicate something, and normally a medium in itself is neutral, not evil, or good.  Examples of mediums would be the:  telephone, television, books, public address systems, dancing (such as David in the Old Testament, and as seen in the Jewish religious ceremonies), and music.  Normally the medium itself can be used for evil or good activities; it is the activity itself that defines the nature of the medium.  However, there are mediums that are intrinsically evil; a few examples are nude erotic dancing, vulgar comedy, and sexually oriented acting. 

Arguments Against & For the Use of Modern Genre, Musical Instruments, and Technologies

Some opponents to contemporary Christian music have stated that the use drums are not a simple musical media, but are sensual and ungodly, because they amplify the tempo and beat of the music, and has the effect of sensually enticing the hearer (to movement, and gyrations of the body), and therefore is not to be used in sacred music.

Drums

However, this premise concerning playing drums cannot be supported by Scripture, in fact we find the opposite to be true in God’s Word.  The Tabret ¹ was a type of tambourine, a hand drum that was struck with a hand or reeds, and was utilized throughout Old Testament and New Testament in religious ceremonies.  So the concept that utilizing the drum to maintain a tempo or beat, is devilish or of Satan; is an unbiblical teaching, and to be rejected. 

The Back Beat

There are also many within the church attempting to fight rock ‘n roll music based upon the presumption that certain styles (genres) of music are evil in themselves.  They utilize examples concerning rock ‘n roll music having a back beat (accents on beat 2 & 4 of a 4 beat time), which is not seen in traditional European-style worship music, and therefore is evil.  Their assumption is that since classical worship music is European in its style and make up, anything else would have to be antithetical and therefore evil.  However, the assertion that the back beat is foreign to European classical music or any other style of music is completely incorrect.  The back beat is derived from the accident placed in nontraditional timing, and is a feature of music, not a creation all its own.  “The New World Encyclopedia” states concerning the back beat, which is what is referred to as a syncopation, when it states:

“In music, syncopation is a stress on a normally unstressed beat, or a missing beat where a stressed one would normally be expected [hence a back beat]. Syncopation is used in many musical styles, including classical music, but it is fundamental in such styles as reggae, ragtime, rap, jump blues, jazz and often in dubstep. In the form of a back beat, syncopation is used in virtually all contemporary popular music. This rhythmic surprise has a dual purpose. There is a purpose related just to the art of the development of syncopation, and there is a greater purpose that syncopation serves to the entire piece. The rhythmic surprise of syncopation not only serves the interests of the changes of accent when a weak beat is stressed but also the larger purpose of the composition for its rhythmic complexities and contributes towards the totality of the piece.” 

“When a beat that is usually weak is accentuated, syncopation occurs which creates a rhythmic surprise to the natural rhythmic structure. Thus there is syncopation when this off-beat note is accentuated, i.e. 1-’2′-3-4, or when the stress occurs between two beats, i.e., 1-2. Syncopation creates a harmony and cooperation beyond any boundaries by bringing together classical, reggae, ragtime, rap, blues and jazz genres just with the use of a unique off-beat rhythm. These contradictions in the rhythmic meter serve to surprise the listener and create an excitement in the piece. Thus with syncopation used in music of all types and periods, it builds a sudden and unexpected rhythmic event within a musical framework.”

“Folk music of indigenous cultures contains syncopation to varying degrees especially in music that accompanies dance. Syncopation can be found in French compositions as early as the fourteenth Century.”

“European composers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries utilized syncopation to great effect and syncopated rhythms are commonly found in the music of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, and Dvorak. The music of Schumann, Brahms, and Dvorak frequently accomplishes syncopated affectations through the use of “hemiola.” (the practice of juxatospsing two note patterns with three note patterns.)”

“Composers in the twentieth century continued the use of syncopation, especially if source materials were rooted in folk music. The scores of Bela Bartok and Igor Stravinsky demonstrate this to great effect.” (http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Syncopation).

Those that make these absurd claims utilize anecdotal references that are simply “common sense,” as they phrase it; such as, the Africans dancing around the fire to the back beat of the drums.  And since these activities on the surface look like demon possession, how could one argue with them having a satanic origin.  However, when rock ‘n roll is played utilizing a back beat; the performers do not go into a demonic trance, dancing around a fire pit, displaying what might appear to be demon possession (jumping will be discussed later).  The medium of the back beat found in Africa is even different; unlike the back beat found in rock ‘n roll (the back beat found in rock ‘n roll music still utilizes European tempos); also, in these primitive dances around the fire pit in dark Africa they do not utilize electronic equipment, electric lead or bass guitars; and the drums are totally different as well, in their sound, manufacturing and utilization, as well as the use of cymbals and other percussion instruments.

 
European Style Music

And the assertion that a back beat² (accents on beat 2 & 4 of a 4 beat time) is diverse from normal European music styles is not correct, and even if it was utilized for secular purposes; that does not mean that it could not be utilized for God’s purposes now.  The counter to this argument is that some of the greatest classical hymns of the 16^th, 17^th, and 18^th century were based upon secular songs, commonly referred to as tavern or bar songs utilized for the purpose of dancing and frivolity centered around the intake of alcohol.

Martin Luther’s Contribution

Examples are Martin Luther’s Christmas Carol, “From Heaven on High I Come to You,” even those opposed to contemporary Christian music admit it was written by Luther based upon a secular score, a tavern song.  However, the classic example, though refuted is “A Mighty Fortress is our God.”  Those opposed to contemporary Christian music claim that this hymn was never based upon the music composition of a tavern song, but was referred to as a Bar Tune, but the bar referred to was musical terminology, not a reference to a drinking establishment.

It has been repeated over the centuries that Martin Luther was the author of the statement,”Why should the Devil have all the good music,” in response to a question of why he used secular music, rather than composing his own.  Those in opposition contemporary Christian music have stated that this statement was not made by Luther, but was stated by Rev. Rowland Hill (1744-1833), a London pastor and evangelist.  Hill was concerned over the lamentable quality of music in his church (Surrey Chapel, built for him in 1783) and he wanted do something about it.  So Hill wrote hymns and compiled/published five collections of psalms and hymns, based upon secular tunes, three of which were specifically for children and schools.  However, the point is: rather Luther or another pastor, or as history indicates dozens of pastors have utilize secular tunes for a compliment with Christian lyrics; the point is it’s been habitually done in the past.  However, this neither rationalizes the use of secular tunes and religious music nor condemns it.  What it should do is highlight the point that the music is a medium that can be used in either situation; the entertainment of man, or the glorification of God.  

 
Loudness

The argument has also been made that the reason rock ‘n roll music is played so loud is because at high decibel levels the human conscience and inhibitions are numbed, leading more easily into open sin, or even overt Satanic control.  For over 60 years scientists have been testing in the area of sound technology, and have never come to this conclusion.  A distortion of the facts which this may allude to is that high decibel levels create confusion and an inability to fully reason (technologies in battlefield applications), as well as brain damage; but we are speaking ranges higher than what is heard in a Church service.

There are other wave technologies which have the same type of effect, yet none is known to be specific to creating an atmosphere for sinful or satanic behavior.  The main problem here is that we have all seen the old black-and-white movies with the African tribesmen dancing around the fire in what appeared to be a demonic group, based upon repetitious chance and music that utilizes a back beat, and is very loud.  It is this type of imagery wherein there is what appears to be a psychological mass hypnosis wherein demon possession and Satan worship seem to coincide.  However this is all allusion and that there has never been any evidence which promotes this type of allegation.  This is where what is referred to as common sense is meant to interpret a situation which is fictitious to begin with.  There is no doubt that there are many tribes around the world that worship the devil or a demon (a figure which is the opponent of God), through rituals which include music.  However, in these situations it is direct worship of these idols and entities that creates the evil of the situation, not the media of music which they employ. 

Illegitimate Arguments which Create a Lack of Credibility

Well-meaning (? – perhaps), Christians that recite the above incorrect reasons, usually also state that the problem with rock ‘n roll music is not just its loudness, but also that it has a back beat, or that it uses electric instruments; without having scientific or biblical grounds for such assertions, display that they have a presupposition before entering the argument.

And it is these types of presuppositions that make Christianity look archaic, irrational, and man based; and usually do more harm than they ever do good.  Very few individuals come out of contemporary Christian music because of these allegations.  It is self apparent that these allegations are meant to validate the views of the holders, rather than glorify God.  God is not the God of confusion; rather the confusion is seen on a stage in the form of hard Christian rock music, or its detractors that use emotional illogical assertions to promote their own agendas.

 Matthew 15:6, state:

 “…Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.”

The literal Greek translation of the Scripture is: “You nullified the Word (precepts) of God on account of your tradition (a precept; specifically, the Jewish tradition or law). What the religious leaders did was they reinterpreted God’s law (In this particular case, honoring your parents by taking care of them in their old age, yet in order to tie up their funds, the Jews dedicated their money for the work of the ministry [Temple] instead of meeting the needs taking care of their parents) in order to accommodate their own views, which in essence had to do with self promotion, and lucrative gain.

Whenever we use God’s word to validate our presuppositions, we are twisting it to fit our own vanity.  Unfortunately, God is impugned because of the behavior of his children due to the fact that the world is not so dumb that they cannot see what is obvious. 

Lyrics – The Message

This is the meat and potatoes of the argument, and where we can utilize God’s Word in determining the appropriateness of rock ‘n roll music. 

 I Corinthians 14:12-20, states:

 “¹²Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. ¹³Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret. ¹⁴For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.  ¹⁵What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. ¹⁶Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest? ¹⁷For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified. ¹⁸I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all: ¹⁹Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue. ²⁰Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.”

 This text makes it abundantly clear, lyrics must be understandable.  Screaming words which cannot be understood are not understandable lyrics.  Many times in Christian rock ‘n roll music, it becomes obvious that the lyrics are used to rationalize the music, rather than the music used to heighten the lyrics.  This is easily identifiable when the lyrics are so nonspecific, or do not center on the person of Jesus Christ, or is a Jesus and “me” kind of song (God will share His glory with no one else³). 

Unfortunately, many times, due to the fallen nature of man, the argument becomes what can we utilize to rationalize this style of music, rather than, how can we worship the Lord.  Whenever the volume is so intense, the screaming so profound, and the words so twisted to serve a musical purpose rather than an intellectual one; then the performers are not singing intelligently as Paul dictates.

This is one of the primary problems within Christian music.  It is where the music becomes more important than the message, or that the purpose cannot be determined, or that the emotional sensual musings become the purpose, and Christ is not preeminent.

Music has a purpose, and its purpose must be intelligently communicated.  This becomes the problem with  many current Christian rock ‘n roll songs, no matter what sub-genre it is.  And the idea here is not that a few words are understandable, or that the choruses is understood, or even uplifting; but that the complete song  is intelligible to everyone present, believers and unbelievers, all.  A thorough examination of the above passage makes this clear, Paul states that concerning the work of the ministry, when the church comes together, singing must be understandable.  The main difference between Christian music and secular music is its purpose, and we can understand the words we can understand the songs purpose. 

2. Its Purpose

A casual consideration of the Psalms displays that the purpose of all Psalms are to glorify God.  Paul also validates this point when he states in Ephesians 5:19,

“Speaking to yourself in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”

Paul also validates the purpose of singing for the edifying of the believer when he states in Colossians 3:16,

“let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

But the focus of this edifying is glorifying God in the heart of the believer, not with the believer brought into focus.  Paul is not speaking about encouraging, or inspiring each other, as some songs do centering on the person rather than on Christ.

Purpose – Intelligently “Warning”

The English word “admonishing” is translated from the Greek word noutheteo, which means to caution, warn, or reprove gently.  The point Paul is making is singing is not a feel-good experiment to make us feel good about each other.

Singing is verbalizing God’s Word, and learning in a different medium.  It is still focused on understanding God’s Word, not our emotional response because we feel good.  We are always to focus upon God and Jesus Christ, specifically we do this by focusing on his word, the Bible, and doing so in understanding and education, been warned (admonished), not entertained.

The side benefit to this is that, when the mind of a Christian, considers God’s Word, the Holy Spirit of God who indwells him, we’ll create an emotional response that is gratifying.

Yet we must not get the horse mixed up with the buggy, we seek to glorify God; which makes us feel good, yet whenever we seek to feel good by glorifying God; or simply using God to achieve our own ends.

And I’m aware that there are some people who will think this is over intellectualizing the Scripture, yet that is an impossibility; we must understand exactly what God is attempting to communicate in His Word, if we are to give His Word homage, and in so doing glorify Him.

The Main purpose of singing is to glorify God and give Him thanks, as seen in the following Scriptures:

“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”  (Ephesians 5:19)

“And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.”  (Romans 15:9)

“What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.  Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?  For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.”  (1 Corinthians 14:15)

“Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.”  (Hebrews 2:12)

“Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.”  (James 5:13)

“And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.”  (Revelation 15:3)

Therefore the primary purpose of (“All” – according to God’s Word) music and singing, as well as dancing unto the Lord: is glorifying God, not entertaining men or making them feel good.

3. How it is Done

This is an area that needs to be examined concerning every genre of music, not just rock ‘n roll.  As we’ve just discussed the primary purpose of music is to glorify God.  And any time that man becomes a part of the focus of our attention, it becomes twisted and it is not as it was intended to be by God.  The enemy of the best is usually not the worst, but it is the second best, when it attempts to draw the attention from the best, to itself.

This is not to be taken to the place that man cannot conduct worship services, nor play instruments; but it has to do with what draws the center of attention.

Center of Attention

It was this consideration that lecterns⁴ were originally created.  They were a type of one person balcony, attached to the side of the wall, slightly raised up above the congregation, located on the right wall of the sanctuary, in which the pastor would stand and deliver the word of God.

Lecterns and Balconies

The front wall in front of the sanctuary was left blank, or if anything held a cross.  The idea was that the pastor delivered the Word of God but he was not the center of attention, God was.  Though this idea seems unusual to us, because of the practicality of a stage that lets someone up to be seen by all; yet the idea behind the lectern was more than symbolic, and felt that pre-eminence was more important than perceived practicality.

Musical instruments, as well as chorus groups were located in balconies, up and behind the seated parishioners.  The whole idea in the design of the sanctuary was drawing the attention to Jesus Christ and not man.

Stages

However, as time drew on, and the name of practicality traveling evangelist and preachers, due to the lack of lecturers in public halls (usually saloons), and meeting places; started standing in front of the group.  And with time, and the advent of vaudeville, certain evangelists began to use a stage to be lifted up, and seen by the whole audience.

It was in the name of practicality that attention started to be drawn to the preacher, rather than solely upon God.  With time the musical accompaniment eventually moved to the stage as well as the chorus, and now we have the whole praise band with their own microphones, upon the stage, worshiping in front of us (inspiring us?).  It was the same practicality that introduced electronic public address systems, and then electrical instruments.  It’s curious how Jesus could speak to 500 or 3000, using the natural acoustics of mountains, and still communicate his message effectively.  This displays God’s concern with our practicality.

Practicality

The problem is that in the name of practicality, in the same way that slowly turning up the temperature of the water in a boiling pot catches the frog by surprise; the church auditorium (no longer the sanctuary), features a stage (vaudevillian),  where the worship leader (lead singer) and the worship team (backup singers), as well as the pastor (the coach – according to Joel Osteen), lead the service (entertain), as the centers of attention (in front of the spectators – as opposed to parishioners that participate – if the audience doesn’t sing, you can’t tell because of the on stage troupe).

However, essentially, this is not the preponderance of the problem, but helps create the problem, the problem is how easy it becomes to be lifted up in pride according to the use of these tools of practicality. 

This is the reason for the statement, that How music is presented, is a much more sweeping in consideration than How the specific genre of music rock ‘n roll is, is that any genre of music, which draws attention to people, away from God, can become an instrument of pride.

Pride

However, specifically addressing rock ‘n roll music, are the facts that many Christian entertainers, display a man’s pride, in their physical movement⁵ while on stage.  Pride can be displayed as innocently as a child slightly lifting up it’s chin⁵ when being addressed, a sign of rebellion; or so obvious as open defiance in this respect exhibited when correction is doled out. 

We as human beings can all detect when someone is full of themselves, displaying pride, and self grandiosity, even when it wraps itself in false humility.  Pride, as seen in the books of Psalms and Proverbs; has been defined as preoccupation with self, rather it is seen in self aggrandizing behavior, or self belittlement; the consistency is seen in the focus, which is always on self.

Pride can be very insidious.  There is a story of some elders of the church being so impressed with the humility of one of its members, that they gave him a badge which stated, “Humblest Man,” yet, they were forced to take it away from him when he started to wear it.

The great Jewish leader Golda Meier tells the story about how she was seated next to a gentleman in the Knesset, who delivered a long and elegant speech, at which the members gave a standing ovation.  He bowed down attempting to sit down the few times, only to stand up again.  Finally, Golda could take it no more, and leaned over and whispered in his ear, “Don’t act so humble you’re not that great.”

When we see contemporary music entertainers, wearing tattoos⁶ all over their body, which is biblically prohibited⁶ ; this displays a behavior that the world has introduced, along with multiple piercings⁷, and the pertinent question becomes “why did they do this?”  Is it not to be seen that man, therefore is it not prideful behavior.  A form of drawing attention to oneself in an extreme manner, intensifying the vanity that we all are subject to.  Is this not extremely worldly.

Sanctification vs. Conformity

The Scripture is adamantly clear concerning the role of sanctification (separation – holiness) in the life of the believer, as seen in the following Scriptures:

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” (1 John 2:15-16)

“As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance. But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”   (1 Peter 1:14-16)

“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”  (2 Cor 7:1)

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.” (Ephesians 5:8)

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness.”  (2 Corinthians 6:14)

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16)

“Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;” (Titus 2:12)

“Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean,…” (Ezek 22:26)

Orderly, Without Confusion

Scripture is very clear concerning conducting church services in an orderly manner, where  emotions do not take the lead, but follow the intellect, in accordance with God’s Word, as seen in: 1 Corinthians 14:23-40, which states:

^“23If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? ²⁴But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: ²⁵And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.  ²⁶How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. ²⁷If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. ²⁸But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. ²⁹Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. ³⁰If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. ³¹For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. ³²And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. ³³For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.  ³⁴Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. ³⁵And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.  ³⁶What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? ³⁷If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. ³⁸But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. ³⁹Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. ⁴⁰Let all things be done decently and in order.”

If in Doubt, Self Restraint

Self-control and restraint are emphasized by Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:12, which states:

“All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”

4. Can Scripture Validate It

You’ll notice that the phrasing of the question is not “does Scripture validate Christian rock ‘n roll,” but “can Scripture be found in the Bible to validate.  These are two different questions.  The question of does the Bible supports something holds much more weight, then the question of can it be supported by the Scripture.

The Easier Question First

The difference in these questions can be seen in the form of those things that we are told that we are to do in the Bible, as compared to those things that we are allowed to do.  If the argument cannot be made to affirm the easier of the questions, then there’s no sense on asking the hard question.

Many representatives of Christian rock ‘n roll music have asserted that Christian rock ‘n roll music has reached a lot of youth, with them having dedicated their lives to the Lord, and that it is a tool to be used in the Ministry.  They allude to Paul’s statement that he would be “all things to all men” in order to spread the gospel.  This type of rationalization has been utilized many times over the centuries for all type of behaviors within the church, and without; and therefore needs to be examined more thoroughly. 

All Things to All Men

When Paul spoke about “…being all things to all men…,”⁸ he was not saying to use the world’s contrivances or trappings, or any of the things that are popular in the world to attract people.  Paul was not endorsing marketing techniques, which rely upon emotional manipulation, and attempt to utilize the frailties of humanity itself things, and make money. 

What Paul Was Not Saying

Paul was not speaking about drawing people with gimmicks that would accomplish this, nor was he saying we should use complementary images to get them to listen.  He was not talking about getting down and dirty with the masses or of learning what makes the world tick.  He was not even talking about using rock-n-roll music to get kids to listen to the gospel or giving away a meal or a bed for a night in exchange (a hook) for listing to a hell and damnation message.

What he was talking about was speaking to people in languages and terminologies that they understood.  When speaking to fishermen about Jesus, using terms that fisherman related too and that they easily comprehended.  When Paul addressed Sheppard’s, he used terms and analogies that aided them in understanding Spiritual truth.  When talking to children, use words that they would be familiar with.  The point being that the Gospel was to be taken to all people, in all places with all types of different backgrounds.  It was to be made plain when necessary, deep when appropriate, and always clear as possible to the hearer.  Rather than using big sounding, religious terms just to impress people, the message was what was important, not the verbiage used.

Jesus

This is not to say that we are to dumb down the Gospel.  Most, if not every time Jesus taught, a majority of the hearers did not fully understand his message.  According to Him, this was to fulfill the prophecy concerning Himself and His relationship with the Jews of His day, “that hearing, they would not hear; and seeing they would not see.”⁹  Jesus taught, knowing that it was the Holy Spirit that would give understanding to the hearer many of the enigmas he presented.  Yet at the same time, much of what he had to say was so simple and common that anyone could understand, yet the presupposition of the people them from fully comprehending the essence of what he taught.  Many times will we see is that due to the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit people at a later point understood his prior messages.  Many times, He explained to His followers the meaning of a teaching.

What we really need to understand about Jesus in his teaching was that he is rolled as the Messiah was that of dying on the cross primarily, in his teachings being the foundation of the church that would follow.  This is why after the situation between him and the Pharisees in Matthew chapter 13, Jesus states that he will only utilize parables in communicating to the masses.  He goes on to define that parables were meant to create enigmas not clarity.  How common it is to hear preachers misrepresent what parables were meant for, they were mysterious sayings that the Holy Spirit what unravel to the hearer, they were not teaching tools to bring clarity to everyone that heard it.

Jesus quotes this being a fulfillment of Isaiah 6:9-10; with the specific purpose of those which heard would not understand.  This is not to be confused with the stories that Jesus spoke about, which were meant to aid in teaching by been easier to remember.  You can make a statement about something which can be easily forgotten, that if you wrap the statement within a story, it is much easier to remember the story and therefore the statement that it contains.  Yet we must always remember that Jesus mission was specific what God had called him to do.  Many times we forget this to our own demise.

Many people talk about Jesus being passive and loving and caring, and act like he is defined by these qualities; yet Jesus said that he came to bring a sword a division even within families, that on two occasions he overturned the money or strangers at the Temple and used a whip on the people.  Jesus whipped people.  The point is that we must use discernment in understanding the Bible, and misusing something that Jesus says in cross-reference to Paul when the subjects are not related is unbiblical.  Paul’s mission was to make clear the mysteries that Jesus had presented, and that the Holy Spirit had revealed to him.

Paul’s Specific Meaning

In reading this passage we must realize what it does not say, and it does not mean, and therefore, realize that the subject matter does not relate that Paul never compromised the gospel, but that he compromised his own pride in presenting the gospel.  I Corinthians 9:18-23, states:

“For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;. To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.”  (KJV)

What Paul says, is: “unto the Jews, I became ‘as’ a Jew,” and “to them under the law, ‘as’ under the law,” and “to the weak became I “as” weak.”  The word “as” is used to indicate his form of communication to them, he talked to them in the vernacular that they understood, both in terminology and examples.  In our vernacular, we would say he spoke about the fish to fishermen, and used fishing words and analogies to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The word “as” indicates a figurative usage, he did not become legalistic to those under the law, if he did, this he would violate the grace of Jesus Christ.  He did not become weak and violate his own conscience to preach to those that were weak; this would have violated the gospel concerning Christ’s statement that those that would love Him would keep his Commandments.  This Scripture in no way states that we are to approach the world utilizing worldly techniques or behaviors.  We are in the world, but not of the world.

A simple Greek literal reading of the text, which is quite straightforward, would say:

“What is my reward then?  That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.  For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became [related] as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, [I related] as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, [I related] as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became [related] as weak, that I might win the weak.  I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.  Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.”   (I Cor 9:18-23)

Misusing this Concept

The problem of many current churches is that they misuse Paul’s teaching and indulgence in employing the trappings of the world to attract the masses.  They become user-friendly in their messages, seeker friendly in their outreach, and non-offensive altogether.  They are salt without savor, candles without light, and are driver by the newest trend of the day.  They are compromised and impotent.  They do not realize that they have stopped increasing Christ’s Church, and have started growing their own congregations.  They have become lukewarm, thinking they are hot.  Naked, not seeing their nakedness.  Poor, not perceiving that the massive structures, ministries, books, are reflections of their own egos and presuppositions concerning what success is.

They’ve replaced quality with quantity.  And unfortunately the compromise of the church has been the indulgence of self-centeredness.  As the seeker friendly focus of many large churches, utilizes such tools as: “Being Purpose Driven” (which focuses on the believer rather than Christ) rather than Christ driven.  Mistaking excellence for “what ever you do, do with all your heart,”¹⁰ making winning the goal rather than dying.

Never coming to understand or address the fact that, God may want us to lose in certain arenas, wherein humility, and seeking God becomes the center of attention rather than the self-centeredness of “ME.”  We forget one of the major examples of Jesus was that of dying to self, not serving self.

Pragmatic Allure

Besides the narcissism and materialism that are inherent to many of these presuppositions, one of the inherent problems is that addressing issues in a pragmatic in nature elevates success with accomplishing the goals that God had set out for his church.

We now have modern dance in our churches.  The rationality is that individuals can communicate their worship to God by using their bodies, yet wearing modest attire, and displaying respect in a calm demeanor.

The rationality has been used for this type of behavior, has been that it gets young girls involved in the church, and in studying scriptures that they will act them out.  The problem becomes the self-centeredness that it takes exploits.  Teaching young girls to draw attention to themselves, making worship into a form of entertainment rather than self-expression, such as is illustrated in Matthew 6:1-8.  The church and following the culture has become a place of entertainment, and where the activity of spectator has been legitimized.

The point is pragmatism; that of having a logical way of approaching things to achieve a logical successful / goal (which is completely goal oriented), doesn’t always work in Christianity.  The reason why human presuppositions are unbiblical and humans can never separate themselves of their presuppositions.  This is why; many of the egregious atrocities of man have been done using the Scripture as justification.  Yes, the Scripture was taken out of context either in the immediate passage, or concerning the whole of a biblical principle, which it is twisted out of shade from what it was intended.

But the point is, humans can mess up anything and everything; especially inside of the church of Jesus Christ.  The Jews refused to of knowledge this (ability to warp things) and therefore became victims to it.  The law that was meant to be a schoolteacher, they transformed into an accomplishment that merited salvation.  This is why the Hebrews took the brazen snake on a staff, and started to worship it, rather than realizing it was a typological instrument that symbolized something that God wanted to communicate to them (according to Jesus in chapter 3:14), they utilized it pragmatically speaking, and centered their worship towards it.  It was to be a reflection to be understood, not an object to be worshiped.

There are some things that cannot be combined with the gospel without violating the integrity of the gospel. You can’t witness by being a whore, no there’s no such thing as alcoholic ministry, that of being drunk and witnessing to drunks.  You can’t be a criminal, violate the laws, as well as God’s Word, and then attempt to witness to criminals.

More and more churches are propagating the same message.  Just look at the Seeker Friendly Churches, Rick Warren, the Emergent church, and the Name It and Claim It heresy, and you will see that the Pragmatic – success oriented – American culture is climbing into the church more each day.

It is in knowing when to apply certain biblical principles in certain situations that the Holy Spirit living inside of us gives directions; but always according to God’s Word.

Conclusion

When all is said and done, I believe the question has to be asked on an individual basis, rather Christian rock ‘n roll music can be utilized as a valid form of entertainment (a better question may be should Christians be entertained, or rather should they directly worship God themselves).  This question has to do with purchasing CDs and listening to songs in our cars and at home.  I believe this is an individual choice, yet the following should be taken into consideration; and that we are representatives and ambassadors of Christ and what we do affects His reputation, in His glory 

Yet when we take this question into the worship service, concerning the church, there are certain critiques that must be in place. 

1) The music must be intellectually discernible and understandable.¹¹

2) According to Colossians 3:16, singing incorporates the intellect concerning God’s Word.

3) The lyrics must center on glorifying God the Father, and Jesus Christ, without man in the picture whatsoever.

4) The person leading the service should never be the center of attention, displaying pride or self as the focus.

5) Playing or leading music must be done in a manner that is representative of the holiness of God.

6) The perception of effectiveness cannot be utilized to rationalize effectiveness.

7) Church services should be orderly, not chaotic or emotionally (soulishly) driven.

8) The underlying reason for all music is to glorify God – not to exalt man, or allow him to steal the focus from the preeminence of Jesus Christ.

 

A Final Thought (the next 12 paragraphs) from Warren Wiersbe

Colossians 3:16, states:

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

The word of Christ
“This means, of course, the Word of God. The false teachers came to Colossae with man-made traditions, religious rules, and human philosophies. They tried to harmonize God’s Word with their teachings, but they could not succeed. God’s Word always magnifies Jesus Christ.”

“It was not the word of false teachers that brought salvation to the Colossians; it was the Word of the truth of the Gospel (Colossians 1:15). This same Word gives us life and sustains and strengthens us (1 Peter 1:22-2:3).”

“The Word will transform our lives if we will but permit it to “dwell” in us richly. The word dwell means “to feel at home.” If we have experienced the grace and the peace of Christ, then the Word of Christ will feel at home in our hearts. We will discover how rich the Word is with spiritual treasures that give value to our lives.”

“However, we must not think that Paul wrote this only to individual Christians; for he directed it to the entire church body. “Let the Word of Christ dwell among you” is a possible translation. As it dwells richly in each member of the church, it will dwell richly in the church fellowship.”

“There is a danger today, as there was in Paul’s day, that local churches minimize the Word of God. There seems to be a lack of simple Bible teaching in Sunday School classes and pulpits. Far more interest is shown in movies, musical performances, and various entertainments than in God’s Word. Many saved people cannot honestly say that God’s Word dwells in their hearts richly because they do not take time to read, study, and memorize it.”

“There is (according to Paul) a definite relationship between our knowledge of the Bible and our expression of worship in song. One way we teach and encourage ourselves and others is through the singing of the Word of God. But if we do not know the Bible and understand it, we cannot honestly sing it from our hearts.”

“Perhaps this “poverty of Scripture” in our churches is one cause of the abundance of unbiblical songs that we have today. A singer has no more right to sing a lie than a preacher has to preach a lie. The great songs of the faith were, for the most part, written by believers who knew the doctrines of the Word of God. Many so-called “Christian songs” today are written by people with little or no knowledge of the Word of God. It is a dangerous thing to separate the praise of God from the Word of God.”

“Psalms were, of course, the songs taken from the Old Testament. For centuries, the churches in the English-speaking world sang only metrical versions of the Psalms. I am glad to see today a return to the singing of Scripture, especially the Psalms. Hymns were songs of praise to God written by believers but not taken from the Psalms. The church today has a rich heritage of hymnody which, I fear, is being neglected. Spiritual songs were expressions of Bible truth other than in psalms and hymns. When we sing a hymn, we address the Lord; when we sing a spiritual song, we address each other.”

“Paul described a local church worship service (1 Cor. 14:26; Col 3:16). Note that the believer sings to himself as well as to the other believers and to the Lord. Our singing must be from our hearts and not just our lips. But if the Word of God is not in our hearts, we cannot sing from our hearts. This shows how important it is to know the Word of God, for it enriches our public and private worship of God.”

“Our singing must be with grace. This does not mean “singing in a gracious way,” but singing because we have God’s grace in our hearts. It takes grace to sing when we are in pain, or when circumstances seem to be against us. It certainly took grace for Paul and Silas to sing in that Philippian prison (Acts 16:22-25). Our singing must not be a display of fleshly talent; it must be a demonstration of the grace of God in our hearts.”

“Someone has said that a successful Christian life involves attention to three books: God’s Book, the Bible; the pocketbook; and the hymn book. I agree. I often use a hymnal in my devotional time, to help express my praise to God. As a believer grows in his knowledge of the Word, he will want to grow in his expression of praise. He will learn to appreciate the great hymns of the church, the Gospel songs, and the spiritual songs that teach spiritual truths. To sing only the elementary songs of the faith is to rob himself of spiritual enrichment.”

“Before we leave this section, we should notice an important parallel with Ephesians 5:18-6:9. In his Letter to the Ephesians, Paul emphasized being filled with the Spirit; in his Letter to the Colossians, he emphasized being filled with the Word. But the evidences of this spiritual fullness are the same! How can we tell if a believer is filled with the Spirit? He is joyful, thankful, and submissive (Eph. 5:19-21); all of this shows up in his relationships in the home and on the job (Eph. 5:22-6:9). How can we tell if a believer is filled with the Word of God? He is joyful, thankful, and submissive (Colossians 3:16-4:1).”¹²

All Scripture verses listed, unless otherwise noted, refer to the King James Version.

Endnotes

1. TABRET: KJV term for Tambourine.  Scripture associates the tambourine with occasions of strong emotion: farewells (Genesis 31:27); prophetic ecstasy (1 Samuel 10:51); a victory procession (1 Samuel 18:6); the procession of the ark to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:5).  Tambourine music often accompanied festive occasions of drinking and merrymaking (Isaiah 5:12; 24:8; 30:32; Jeremiah 31:4).  Often women were the musicians (1 Samuel 18:6;2 Samuel 6:5; Psalms 60 8:25).  Taken from: HOLMAN BIBLE DICTIONARY, General Editor: Trent C. Butler, PH. D., Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, TN 37234, USA, 1991-1998, Electronic Media.

 2. If this hypothesis is true, then when ever man attempts to create a beat variation, such as in classical music; there is an opportunity for Satan to take control.  The insult in this argument is a presumption that African music is specifically Satanic (as compared to man’s carnal and sinful behavior all on its own; there is a difference between the sinfulness of man, and Satanic dominance and worship.  The millennium addresses this) in its origin, however, diversity within musical temples and styles are varied across many cultural ranges, and to assert that one cultural style is more Satanic than another is problematic, without biblical references. 

THE REAL PROBLEM WITH THIS TYPE OF REASONING IS PEOPLE MAKING STATEMENTS WHICH CANNOT BE VALIDATED BY GOD’S WORD, AND THEREFORE, THEY APPEAR FOOLISH AND INSULTING IN THEIR ATTEMPT TO FORWARD THEIR OWN PRESUPPOSITIONS. 

UNFORTUNATELY, THE GREATER PROBLEM IS THREEFOLD:

ONE, IT MAKES CHRISTIANS IN GENERAL, AND CHRISTIANITY IN PARTICULAR LOOK FOOLISH, IGNORANT, PREJUDICIAL, AND SUBJECTIVE.

SECONDLY, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY IT CHANGES THE CHRISTIANS POINT OF REFERENCE FROM THE BIBLE TO SCIENCE, THEREFORE INVALIDATING THE POWER AND AUTHORITY OF GOD’S WORD.

THIRDLY, AS AMBASSADORS OF CHRIST, OUR BEHAVIORS AND RHETORIC REFLECT HIM; AND ULTIMATELY GOD IT IS THAT IS DISGRACED BY OUR EMOTIONALLY-BASED FERVOR BECAUSE OUR PRIDE IS WOUNDED WHEN OUR OWN PRESUPPOSITIONS ARE ATTACKED.  WE ARE CREATED FOR GOD’S GLORY, NOT OUR OWN.

3. Isaiah 42:8 ~ “I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”

4. A lectern is a stand with a sloping top on which a book or notes can rest in front of a standing speaker – originally they were mounted on the side of the sanctuary, half way up the wall; on top of, and attached to a type of pedestal which had a stairway for access.

5. Chin lifted up & proud movement – Isaiah 3:16 ~ “Moreover, the Lord said, “Because the daughters of Zion are proud, And walk with heads held high and seductive eyes, And go along with mincing steps, And tinkle the bangles on their feet.”

6. Tattoos prohibited – Leviticus 19:28 ~ “You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead, nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the Lord.”

7. Piercings are frowned upon except as directed in Exodus 21:6, and Deuteronomy 15:17 for a specific purpose. According to the International Bible Standard Encyclopedia, concerning body piercing:

But men, and especially women, had their noses pierced for the wearing of jewelry (Gen 24:47; Isa 3:21; Ezek 16:12). In one passage the meaning is not completely clear, namely, in the enumeration of blemishes which disable a “son of Aaron” from the execution of the priest’s office (Lev 21:18), where English Versions of the Bible translates “flat (margin “slit”) nose.” The Hebrew word is חָרֻם, ḥārum, which is a hapax legomenon. It corresponds, however, to the Arabic root  ḥaram, ḥarmān (kharam, kharmān), which means “to open,” “to pierce the nose,” especially the bridge of the nose. We may accept this meaning as the one intended in the passage.

Another dark and much discussed passage must still be referred to: “And, lo, they put the branch to their nose” (Ezek 8:17). The usual explanation (whereof the context gives some valuable hints) is that a rite connected with the worship of Baal (the sun) is here alluded to (see Smend and A.B. Davidson’s commentaries on the passage). A similar custom is known from Persian sun-worship, where a bunch (barecma) of dates, pomegranates or tamarisks was held to the nose by the worshipper, probably as an attempt to keep the Holy One (sun) from being contaminated by sinful breath (Spiegel, Eranische Altertamer, III, 571). Among modern Jews posies of myrtle and other fragrant herbs are held to the nose by the persons attending on the ceremony of circumcision, for the alleged reason of making the sight and smell of blood bearable. Another interpretation of the above passage would understand זְמוֹרָה, zemōrāh, in the sense of “male sexual member” (see Gesenius-Buhl, under the word; Levy, Nhb. Worterbuch, I, 544), and the whole passage as a reference to a sensuous Canaanite rite, such as is perhaps alluded to in Isa 57:8.

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BIBLE ENCYCLOPEDIA, James Orr, Parsons Technology Inc., Cedar Rapids, IA 52404, USA, 1999, Electronic Media.

BIBLICAL EARRINGS - SIDENOTE:  There is a notable exception concerning piercing, that of a pierced ear understood in the Old Testament as a badge of honor among the Hebrews, a process ordained of God.  Paul, used a repetitive introductions and epitaph concerning himself as a ”bond salve” of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:1;1 Corinthians 7:21; Colossians 1:10; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:7; Titus 1:1;).  Unfortunately, our English translations of the Bible many times translate this term into “servant,” however; the Greek word utilized by Paul has much more meaning than our simple English term.  The Greek word which is translated into the English word “servant” is: Dulos and meant “A bond salve by choice,” indebted for life to serve humbly.  It is understanding the history of this word that we gain a much clearer view of the humility which Paul exhibited, as well as the symbolism and typology that God set up to teach an object lesson to his people.  As the ultimate bond slave of humanity was Jesus Christ who is pierced to across to atone for the sins of the world. 

The idea of the bond slave / Dulos was that if a man lost everything and had no grain to feed his animals, he could sell himself to another man to become his servant, which we commonly referred to as employment, but the Bible refers as becoming a slave, some translations use the word “servant.”  Many of these individuals were referred to as “field hands,” and slept in their own homes at night and worked for their master’s during the day.  There were other situations where individuals would become totally destitute and have no food for their family whatsoever and become servants as well.  In these cases they could indeed sell themselves as a slave 24/7, living with the master (a term sometimes to be equated with the current label “boss”)  for a set period of time in order to feed their family, while paying off that debt that they had incurred.  According to the Torah, God set it up so that every seven years, as well as on the 50th year in the celebration the server was set free of his obligation and became a free man again.

A bond slave was an individual who had worked off their debt, and had obtained their freedom.  Yet, during the course of their servitude they had married another servant and had children.  According to the Torah, the father could sell himself gladly back to the family to purchase and redeem his other family members.  This was an honored position, and treated much differently than normal servants or salves; because it was servitude by choice – we get the concept of a trustee from this situation. 

There was a ceremonial act that would take place where the husband who is purchasing his family would stand at the front door of the house, leaning his ear against the door-frame, and have his ear nailed to the door with awl, placing a part of their skin within the door frame, a symbol of the strength of the house, and of him becoming a prominent part of the house.  

Then the nail would be pulled out, and he would wear an earring in the hole in his ear as a symbol that he was a bond salve, which was a sign of superiority indicating he had become a servant with the home for life others own free will, sacrificing himself for his own family.  Therefore, he was admired and respected by the other slaves for having sacrificially placed his family before himself.  And because this was a lifelong commitment, and was only done by individuals with integrity; bond slaves were always supervisors in the household, not doing hard labor, but taking care of and managing the master’s estate in good stead.  This is what Paul meant when he meant he was a bond slave of Jesus Christ. 

God use this kind of symbolism to also teach the foreshadowing of what his son would do by purchasing humanity when He was bonded to the cross with awls (nails), displaying perfect servitude to the Father and purchasing us with his blood (this is where we get the understanding of what Jesus meant in John 5:39, which states: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”  Everything written in God’s Word is to teach us about Christ, rather directly or indirectly, even in the object lessons such as this.). 

8. I Corinthians 9:22 ~ “To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

9.Isaiah 6:9-10 ~ “And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.  Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.”

10. Colossians 3:22-25 ~ “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.  But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.”

11. 1 Corinthians 14:40 ~ “Let all things be done decently and in order.”

12. Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, Warren Wiersbe, David C. Cook Distribution, Canada; Ontario, Canada N3L 3E5, 2007.

Biblical Insights Into Error is an ongoing topical series that examines those teachings, practices, and patterns of current Christian movements and organizations within the Christian community which are unbiblical, extra-biblical, heretical, cultic, or promote the flesh, directly or by implication; and exposes them in the light of God’s Word.  It is in addressing these unbiblical practices and teachings within the church, in contrast to the true gospel of Jesus Christ, that the church needs to moderate and guard against, understanding that “judgment starts in the house of God.”  This series also examines the ways and means that ministry is meant to be conducted, and that preachers and leaders are to function according to the Word of God.  Our main focus is always on Jesus the as the Lord and Savior of the world, He alone deserves preeminence in God’s Word.  God’s Word all alone is our source of guidance, direction, and our singular rule of faith.  Biblical Insights into Error is an outreach ministry of Faith Bible Ministries, a division of Faith Video Ministries Inc. You may contact us at our e-mail address: blb@bibleministries.com

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A Small Insight ~ “Many Shall Run To and Fro”

Introduction (Updated)

We shall take a brief look at just one of the passages in the unbelievable revelation from God, referred to as the book of Daniel.  Chapter 12 of the book of Daniel is a vision that he receives concerning the last days.  The “Last Days” is a generic term which covers over 2000 years, from the time of Christ death to today (started at Pentecost ~ Acts 2:17).  Yet, a more descriptive term for this period of time is used by Christ, which He referred to as the ”Great Tribulation” (Matthew 24:21), and by the prophet Jeremiah which referred to it as ”Jacob’s Trouble“ (Jeremiah 30:7).  

In particular Daniel 12:4, says:

“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”

What we see in Daniel 12:4, is where God advises Daniel to “shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end…”  This is an idiomatic expression where God directs that the prophecy He’d given is far off in the future, and not meant to be understood at the present, as far as it’s total declaration (Daniel 8:26; Isaiah 29:11; Revelation 22:10).  

The main gist is that God is openly declaring His deity and proclaiming the “ending from the beginning” (Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; ), wherein the last days when these words are meant to be understood, man has no excuse for doubting the validity of God’s Word.  Words spoken thousands of years prior to the events that He so accurately describes.  What better proof that it is God, and God alone who is the Author of this sacred book we hold in our hands, which we so commonly referred to without thought as ”the Bible” (from the Latin for “The Book,” using the definite article, “the;” to indicate that this book is unlike any other; originally better referred to as “The Holy Bible,” wherein it is sacred, separated from any other); yet, more accurately this book is the “Word of God.”

Daniel 12:4, in speaking about the last days (“time of the end”) talks about travel being rapid (“run”), open to the masses, indicating commonality (“many”), and routinely (“shall”) extensively and habitually (“to and fro”). 

It also speaks about a compounding of the increase in knowledge exponentially, with this statement “and knowledge shall be increased.”  

This expression indicates that this time in history is identified according to not just an increase in knowledge, but that knowledge itself shall be increased – exponentially.  But notice what it does not say, it says nothing about wisdom. 

Wisdom is properly defined as “the correct application of knowledge.”  There are many individuals that read their Bibles and gain knowledge concerning what it says.  Yet, there are far fewer that understand the application of God’s Word as it pertains to their life; as well as the depth of its meaning.  These last days are a time of unbelievable increase in technology, yet unfortunately it seems to be at the cost of wisdom in how to apply that knowledge to where understanding transcends to wisdom.

It is no doubt because of this identifying characteristic of knowledge being increased that the prior statement concerning travel intensifying exponentially is made possible.  What also is alluded to is a direct correlation of greater wealth and prosperity for the common people, that facilitates the ability to take advantage of travel in this way.  During the time of Jesus it was common that many individuals never traveled more than 100 miles from their own home.  The exceptions were those that were rich, and those that followed the admonition concerning the Feast’s of Israel, wherein that three of the seven feasts had to be attended by a mature male.

It is very easy to read this passage of Scripture and fail to grasp how significant it really is.  The following illustrations will hopefully paint a more vivid picture of how unbelievable the advances wherein the Bible has predicted so technically had change the way man lives.
 

Speed & Time of Common Travel for the Masses 

Year

2500 BC          6          Mph           A Two Horse drawn Chariot (multiple people conveyance) 

1800 AD          6          Mph           A Two Horse drawn Carriage (multiple people conveyance)

1900 AD          60        Mph           Steam Locomotive Train (Union Pacific Railroad) 

2000 AD         600      Mph           Intercontinental Airliner (Concorde Super Airliner)

2100 AD         6000    Mph            Jet Airliner (Boeing Research and Development Projection) 

For over 4000 years man traveled at the same rate, 6 Mph.  Then, in only 200 years man has increased his travel time by 1000 percept.   

Common Food Preparation Time – Boiling Water for the Masses

2500 BC            45 Minutes                   Opened Camp Fire/ Brass Pot

1600 AD            45 Minutes                   Opened Camp Fire/ Cast Iron Closed Pot

1700 AD            30 Minutes                  Open Pit Fireplace / Cast-Iron Closed Kettle

1800 AD            20 Minutes                   Pot Belly Stove / Cast-Iron Closed Kettle

1900 AD            15 Minutes                    Gas Stove / Tin Closed Kettle

1950 AD            10 Minutes                    Electric Stove / Stainless Steel Closed Kettle

1960 AD            5 Minutes                       Energy-Efficient Gas Stove / Aluminum Closed Kettle

1970 AD           3  Minutes                       Range Top /Corning Ware

1990 AD            3 Minutes                       500 Watt Microwave Oven / Microwavable Container

2000 AD            2 Minutes                      750 Watt Microwave Oven / Microwavable Container

2005 AD            1 Minute                         1000 Watt Microwave Oven / Microwavable Container

Technology has increased more in the last 400 years than in the previous 4000 years. 

How amazing is God’s Word.  yet more amazing is the fact that God wouldst do down, condescend to follow man and prove himself according to such prophecies.  And this is only a few of thousands found in God’s Word.

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Thank You Lord Jesus

 I received my answer -

“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”   (Romans 8:15-18)

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)

Who is Your god/God, and Where Does He Live?

Universal Truth
Every man has a god.  Many might try to argue the point and assert that they don’t believe in the notion of a higher power.  They may assert that God is a man-made myth and an indication of weak character, low intelligence, or sick emotions. 

Many of them believe in evolution, claiming that man ascended from lower life forms¹ and advanced to become Homo Sapiens.  They refute the idea of an intelligent creator who intricately designed man with all his mental and emotional complexities, along with the marvels of his human body.²  Not to mention our elaborate environment the earth, and it’ support system, the universe.  They assert the theories of randomness, “The Big Bang Theory,” “survival of the fittest,” and evolution in its many deviant variations.

Many of these conjectures are considered archaic by a majority of today’s leading scientists, yet are still taught in our universities.  One example of an antiquated theory no longer held by any of todays leading scientists is “The Big Bang Theory.”  Another is Randomness, which can be disproved by statistical probability.

There has been suppression of information by today’s leading universities and evolutionists regarding the new study of the “Anthropic Principle.”  This focuses on the earth’s fragile existence and proves evidence of intelligent design and omnipotent supervision.

Therefore, rather one is a hardened evolutionist or a zealous Christian; it is evident that we all share one common thread.  We all have our own belief system.  We believe in many things.  It is by those beliefs that we define everything, and by them that we make our decisions and choices – hence, only referred to as a “Worldview.”   

Belief System
There are those who would argue the point, insisting that they have no beliefs, especially concerning the existence of God.  Some call themselves atheists, emphatically stating that God doesn’t exist.³

The word atheist is Greek and is made up from the word “Theo,” which means god, and “a,” which means non or against.  The word meaning is, “one who does not believe God exists.”  Ironically, we might pose the question; why would someone fight against something they do not believe exist?  We only fight against what we perceive is real, I’ve never met a Dragon fighter, though I’ve heard there are a few individuals that believe they still exist; but the necessity of being a Dragon fighter is believing that dragons do exist in the first place.

Atheist
I understand that the atheist would state that this is a misnomer.  That they are not fighting something they believe exist but they’re fighting a lie that is caustic or dangerous.  Yet, when one honestly examines history concerning those which are true Christians⁴, those that follow the teachings of Jesus Christ as his follower; there has been nothing but positive additions to humanity.  Name me one atheist hospital, none; they were all originally started by Christians.  Of the original universities, all of them were schools of divinity teaching Christianity.  Concerning Charity, over 95% of all charitable activity in the world is done by Christians.  And concerning the allegations of the wrongs done by religion, such as the murder of Jewish babies during the Crusades, or of Hitler’s pronouncement that he was a believer.

Remember my previous qualification; a Christian is one who follows the behaviors of Jesus and his teachings.  The Inquisition, mass murder of the Catholic Church, genocide in Eastern Europe; along with Hitler, the curse age and many other extremist in humanities perpetrated against man; none of them followed the behavior or teachings of Jesus.  They were fraudulent.  And we never used the fraudulent to hold the genuine accountable.  It is simply the only evidence that the atheist, and those opposed to Christianity can attempt to use to validate their presupposition that Christianity is evil.

The atheist might respond that he is only fighting the manmade idea of God.  However, if he is truly obsessed by this mania, close examination may indicate an excessively emotional irrationality, bordering on absurdity.  This same condition is also seen in some cults and even mainline religions.

Agnostic
There are those that call themselves agnostic, which is also a Greek word.  It is taken from the word “nous,” which means understanding or knowledge and “a” which again means non or against.  The word meaning is, “one who does not know of God.”  The agnostic doesn’t say that there is no God, he simply says, if God exists He is not knowable.

The agnostic also asserts that no other person can know God; subsequently all organized religions are erroneous.  The one thing that atheists, agnostics, occultists, spiritualists, religionists, and Christians all share is a belief system.  Their belief system may be, to not believe what others believe, or to not believe anything at all.  They still hold ideals that govern their lives and therefore their actions.  Everyone believes something, even if what they believe is to believe in nothing; or that no one else can believe in what is truly the truth. 

American Idols
In America today we have a tendency to think of a god as a being, something alive, rational, and omnipotent.  The English word “god” means: “Any of various beings conceived of as supernatural and immortal; esp., a man deity,” “An idol,” “A person or thing deified – in monotheistic religions, the creator and ruler of the universe; Supreme Being.”⁵

An idol is a god because it is worshipped.  It is believed either to be deity itself or to represent deity.

Other cultures openly worship idols, and have a diverse understanding of what the word “god” means.  We Americans have a tendency to believe because of the greatness of our nation, that we are superior to the rest of the world.  No doubt, we are advanced in technology, and are the richest and perhaps freest nation on earth.  Our form of government may be superior, and our military force better-supplied and stronger than most.

However, because of our humanity, freedom, and affluence, we have become materialistic, self-indulgent, and spoiled.  We have chosen to believe Madison Avenue advertising and rationalized our own narcissism.  In doing so, we have accepted many lies that have corrupted our thinking and tainted our objectivity.  We have believed that bigger is better than smaller and newer is superior to older.  That immediate gratification is healthy, and therefore good things are not worth waiting for.  Patience is not ta virtue; it is better to get, than to give.  Life is not all that valuable, if it gets old, get rid of it, and money and things bring heappiness.⁴

Consequently, we have become shallow and blinded to real dangers, unconcerned about issues we deem as unimportant.  We look down upon deep-rooted standards, and cultures that are older and have time-honored values.  As a result, we devalue other civilizations, their ways, and their views as archaic, illiterate, and superstitious.

World Views are Based upon Value – Value Placed in Something
Much of the worlds ethnic groups believe in idols.  An “idol” is defined as: “an image of a god, used as an object of worship,” “Any object of ardent or excessive devotion.”⁵

According to this description an idol can and is anything which we love or place excessive devotion in.

In order to understand this more clearly let’s examine the word “worship” which means: “a service or rite showing reverence for a deity,” “Intense love or admiration.”⁵   the word worship is a cognitive two words: “worth,” with the suffix “ship.”  We know that worth is defined as the value of something.  The suffix ship is defined as: “A word ending that indicates quality, state, status, skill, or collective body. Created by people to expand meaning of words;” therefore the word “worship” means the quality state of something which is expressed.  We give homage by our worship.

Idols, which are objects of our worship, can be: forces, powers, animals, people, animate and inanimate objects, life, and even death.

The point is that anything can be an idol, something we put excessive worth in.  If we agree with the dictionary, and a majority of the world’s population, then we in 21^st century America are unquestionably guilty of idolatry, because of the inordinate value we place in things or people (an unhealthy fixation).

Biblical View
The Bible says,

“For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”⁷

The Bible also says,

“Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience.”⁸

The Scriptures equates idolatry with covetousness, but why is this?  The reason is simple, if we covet which Biblically speaking means; “to strongly desire,”then we have a passion, love, or admiration for something.  Furthermore, if we have a strong desire for something, and refuse to let go of this desire, we become discontent, and distrustful of God, who did not give us what we needed.

Ultimately, our strong desire becomes overwhelming, and competes with our love for God.  It shows our dissatisfaction with God’s choices for our life.  We start to look at this thing, or rather the obtaining of it, for our pleasure in life, instead of looking to God for our meaning.  We become preoccupied with a thing, and lose focus of what is most important in life; which is God.⁹   God will not allow anything to take His place in our hearts.

Unseen Spiritual Insight
The act of inordinately desiring something is spiritually dangerous, because until it is obtained, we do not and cannot see its superficiality.  It cannot meet our spiritual needs; only God can.

When we finally acquire what we have been coveting, we are unfulfilled and start the hunt all over again looking for something else to occupy our time, attention, and love.  As a result, we go from one desire to the next, showing the excessive value we place in things or people.  This indicates a longing far beyond what is healthy and appropriate.  It is worship; indicating the extreme worth or value we place in something or someone.

God’s Definition of Idolatry
Perhaps the best definition of the display of worship concerning something that is not God and therefore would be termed as an idol is found in Psalms 135:15-18, which states:

“The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths. They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them.”

However enlightening is the conclusionary statement: “… So is everyone that trust us and them.”

Faith
You see everything gets back to faith; rather it’s faith in God unto salvation, or faith in a worldview that believes there is no God, wherein the person makes themselves out to be God to judge all things by their own purview, it all comes back to faith.  The deceived have faith in their false prophets, the atheists have faith in their own determinations, the fallen Angels have faith in Lucifer; and the true follower of Jesus Christ as faith in the atoning work of Christ death upon the cross as a substitute for their own sin – this unto eternal salvation.

We also find within this passage that God points out that the idols have human traits which are fraudulent, yet ratifying that they are objects of worship that have no life in them – “… Neither is there any breath in their mouths.” However, it is this next statement that I find so amazing: “…they that make them are like unto them…”

We Become like Our Idols
What an insight, we become like our idols.  If a man’s idol is money, he becomes cold, self-centered, superficial,; never satisfied.  If a man’s idol is sex, he becomes self-centered in seeking his own pleasure, he becomes superficial concerning anything else, when he achieves his own stimulation, there is nothing left; only the next conquest.  Yet, there is a good side to this issue.  If a man worships Jesus Christ, he will come more like that which she worships; he will become more Christlike in acquiring the mind of Christ.  Displaying more of those biblical traits of the Fruits of the Spirit, which are simply the fruits of Christ.  The follower of Christ should look more like Christ with each passing year, if – he is one of His.

Conclusion
The identity of your God or gods is easy to perceive, whether you admit it, refute it, or decline to see it.  Those around you, family, friends, or mere acquaintances can, with little effort, see what or whom you ultimately value and love.¹⁰

The answer to the question of where the object of your worship lives is the same for every one, whether you’re a believer, atheist, agnostic, or hold another religious view.

Your God or gods live in your heart.¹¹

Don’t be fooled, no choice is still a choice.  Therefore the only important issue left for you to understand and consider is, that you will “choose for yourselves today whom you will serve.”¹² 

 Endnote
  1. Romans 1:21,22.
  2. Psalms 139:14.
  3. Psalms 14:1; 53:1.
  4. The Christian church even has such people.  They do not resemble Christ.  They
      don’t act in a way that would indicate the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  They do not
      bear fruit, proving their God’s children.  They are tares, growing along side wheat,
      false believers ruled by their corrupt minds & evil (often, overly emotional) hearts.
  5. WEBSTER’S NEW WORLD DICTIONARY AND THESAURUS, 1996.
  6. “For a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he
      possesseth.”  Luke 12:15; Matthew 6:19-21,24,25,31-33; 13:22; 16:26; 19:23-24;22:1-14; etc.
  7. Ephesians 5:5.
  8. Colossians 3:6.
  9. Mark 12:30.
10. “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34).
11. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart⁹ be also.” (Matthew 6:21).
12. Joshua 24:15.

 

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How to be a Christian in an UnChristian World

Subject: The Christian Walk
in a Sinful World
Topics Covered: Daniel & His 3 Friends,
Examples of Bad Christian Leadership,
Biblical Definition of the word “Heart“, 
Christ’s Example of Humility,
A Grammatical Breakdown of Phil. 2:5-8,
Thinking & Feeling,
Essence vs. Attributes
               “Meek,” the Biblical Understanding of the Word
The Christian walk: Introspection, Developing Humility, and Fighting Pride
A Story by Golda Meir
Acting & Being, The Difference in “Being” Authentic Compared to External Displays
We are to be Led by our Mind, Not our Emotions
Controlling our Minds, Dwelling upon that which is Good, Taking Every Thought Captive
Defining: Denying Yourself and Picking up your Cross, Daily
Slavery and the Biblical Definition of a “Bond Slave”
My Own Bad Example as a Less Mature Christian 
My Later Application of the Lessons Learned from God’s Word
How to go Through Secular College with Honors, Without Compromising your Biblical Principles
See – Choose – Do
Endnote: Psychology – Why it has Gained its Credibility
Endnote: Psychology – Its History in a Nutshell
Endnote: Psychology – When Mixed with Christianity
Endnote: The Difference between Attributes & Essence, How Christ was all God & all Man
Endnote: Apologetics – A Rudimentary Example of External Biblical Evidence 
Endnote: Black Liberation Theology, and Christian Liberals.
  

Introduction (created: 01-2012)
Currently, I am on paid staff at a major North Texas hospital as a chaplain.  Chaplaincy, both as paid staff member and as a volunteer worker has been something I’ve done for the last few decades.  However, on the purely secular side of life, I entered my third secular profession over a decade ago which is within the mental health profession.  My field is chemical dependency, I am a LCDC (License Chemical Dependency Counselor), and a CCJP (Certified Criminal Justice Addiction Professional).  My training was in classical psychology, specializing on the clinical aspects of treatment.  This is not to say that I practice psychology or support any of its presuppositions; I don’t (See Endnote #1). However, throughout my endeavor in this occupation I have learned how to survive: within a secular unbelieving industry (See Endnote #2), within the structures of atheistic higher education, and how to function under the limitations of being a state employee; yet all without compromising my Christian beliefs (no I am not talking about utilizing what is referred to as “Christian Psychology,” which is as fraudulent concerning the mixing of Christianity and psychology as the mixing of oil and water.  See Endnote #3). 

Being a Daniel in a Nebuchadnezzar Type of World
A good biblical example of how this is done is seen in Daniel and his three friends (Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) who when faced with the secular demands of they’re day as seen in the types and preparation of food that they ate, held to they’re beliefs and did not eat of the King’s food in violation of their conscience. 

However, these wise men did not make demands, display condescension or superiority, or attempt to muscle their way concerning their convictions, they simply stopped eating; and were willing to suffer for their beliefs by starving themselves at the same time that they were presented with some of the most elegant and extravagant food known to man at that time.  It’s one thing to starve when there’s no food to tempt you.  It’s another thing to starve when you have nothing but great food in your pantry; cakes, cookies, and candy; steaks vegetables and fruits; homemade bread of every variety.  Yet, these individuals abstained while sitting at the table with some of the greatest foods prepared of the day.   This was suffering.

Then, as their keeper noticed that they were not eating they did not take a demonstrative stand displaying pride or arrogance, they simply explained their belief, and then respectively suggested to their keeper that their dietary requirements would suit them better, and that a test might prove the point.  There submission is seen in their willingness to suffer (to hunger, even if death if that was necessary because of refusing an order of the king to eat his food) for what they believed in as well as their submissive behavior.  Yet, because their behavior was not outright arrogant brashness, for which they would’ve lost their head, a test was allowed to occur proving the superiority of their own diet.  We will come back to this later under the heading: “The Lessons to Learn.”    

Today’s Type of Example
Very often within Christian circles we see leaders who display proud arrogance, who attempt to power thrust their way through any opposition; using intimidation, grandiosity, and self-righteous superiority; in order to win at any cost.  They attempt to use emotional-based types of presentations in order to whip their audience into an emotive state in order to manipulate them into submission.  It is the use of the emotions that these heretics, false prophets, and wolves in sheep’s clothing utilize to motivate and control their followers.  The Bible repeatedly advises us to use our minds, not our emotions in order to do God’s Will according to His Word.  It is with our minds that we handle God’s Word in dealing with our daily walk (the biblical use of the word “heart” which as I have repeatedly stated, never means the emotions only; but in both the Greek and Hebrew languages refers to the internal makeup of man.  The order of priority is the: 1) mental reasoning, 2) emotional response, 3) willpower in making decisions between the two.  We’re never told to emotionally respond to any situation, with the exception of worship and adulation to God.  Search out the original Hebrew and language word studies if you feel any different – this is not subject to interpretation is a fact based upon the language and the meanings of the words. See the essay entitled: ”The Heart and the Mind – What the Biblical word “Heart’ Means“), yet these individuals display flamboyant presentations, using emotionally driven, experientially derived language in order to motivate and drive their audiences, merely to promote their own agendas.  It is unfortunate that the Bible becomes a prop in their hands to validate their own presuppositions, as opposed to the Bible being their guide that they follow.    

When ever these individuals address the powers that be, rather in the forms of our governmental structure, our political system, are schools of higher education, or any other secular institution; they utilize power and intimidation which is merely a display of their own egos and pride, as opposed to humility and submission based upon faith in the God they profess to believe in.  This is never to say that we should allow ourselves to be abused to the extent that we allow evil to run rampant, this has more to do with the attitude that we display to the world when we confront them, as we are never just to allow evil to exist or grow.   

Christ’s Example
It is Christ that is our best example of how to be in the world, but not a part of the world (John 15:19).  Understanding that He is the Divine Son of God, sinless; and that we will never even come close to His example; yet He is our best source to attempt to follow as best as we can.  How often have we seen spiritual leaders filled with self-righteous indignation demand that their enemies submit to our own belief systems.  This is NOT what Christ came and did.  Concerning Christ, a simple reading of Philippians 2:5-8 paints an amazing picture.

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

Please allow me to share a few insights concerning this passage.

Concerning the word “mind“,consider the following passages:

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart [which includes primarily the mind, as well as the emotions and the will], be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”  Psa 19:14

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart  [which includes primarily the mind, as well as the emotions and the will], that I might not sin against thee“  Psa. 119:11

“Keep* thy heart  [which includes primarily the mind, as well as the emotions and the will] with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life“   Pro. 4:23

*”Keep” (nasar) = “guard.”  A verb meaning to guard, to keep, to observe, to preserve, to hide. The word refers to people’s maintaining things entrusted to them, especially to keeping the truths of God in both actions and mind

“be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” Rom. 12:2

“…bringing into captivity every thought“  2 Corth. 10:5    

“forgetting those things which are behind…”  Php. 3:13

“…think on these things” Php. 4:8

“…gird up the loins of your mind“  1 Pet. 1:13

Concerning the doctrine that Christ is fully man and fully God.

First we know that the Scripture says that “God is not a man, that he should lie, ” (Numbers 23:19); yet those that would espouse that Jesus maintained His divine attribute of Omnipotent (“All Powerful, Visible & Invisible.”), naïvely accuse God of breaking His Word, because here in Philippians (Php. 2:7-8), it unequivocally it states that Jesus became a man in every sense of the word, yet a sinless man. 

And for those that would say that Jesus being sinless would not make him fully man, ignore the fact that Adam was fully man and he was created sinless until his fall.  So Jesus could be fully man, and yet sinless at the same time, and exactly fulfill this passage. 

One of the phrases in the Philippians passage is, “and was made [Greek: ginomai," to become"] in the likeness [Greek; homoioma, "a figure," "image," "likeness," "representation," i.e. resemblance such as amounts almost to a quality or identity" ~ again this addresses the essence of Jesus being God and not the outward manifestations of attribute] of men: And being found in fashion [Greek: schema, "The habitus, as comprising everything in a person which strikes the senses, the figure, bearing, discourse, actions, manner of life etc." ~ this is his attributes - and proves the fact that he did not have Omnipotent power] as a man,”

When it says that Jesus “took upon him the form [Greek: mophe, "the form by which the person or thing strikes the vision" or external appearance" ~ this refers to a being's outward attributes, not their inward essence, such as supernatural power] of a servant,” what does that mean?  A King is a King, and a servant is a servant; and a servant never exercises the powers of a King. 

What about the analogy of the “The Prince and the popper,” as a rationality that Jesus look like a man, yet maintained His power.  This would overlook the fact that when the Prince traded places with the popper, he did not have the power of a Prince.  In fact, it was not until he traded places again that he would regain the power of a Prince.  If the prince, who had traded places with the popper, walked up to a soldier and gave him an order, the soldier would have laughed, because a popper doesn’t have the power of the Prince.  And if Jesus was to become a servant it would be a charade if He had the power of God, and acted like He was defenseless.  Also see Isa. 53:3, “The Suffering Servant” of God, who lived in poverty & need, relying solely on God in faith.

Essence vs. Attributes ~ Jesus was all God and all Man
It is our understanding that Jesus, the Divine eternal Logos (Greek: “word,” or “communication of…”) of God (John 1:1), became fully man and was fully God.  this would appear to be an impossibility, a contradiction in terms.  However if we understand the difference between attributes and essence, we gain the understanding of how this could be No. 

It is whenever we dig deep into the original languages of the Bible that we glean a much clearer understanding of what is stated. One such example can be found in the use of the word “meek,” both as it is utilized in the Hebrew of Numbers 12:3, in reference to Moses; yet more importantly concerning the study at hand when the same word is used of Jesus as found in Matthew 11:29 , which states:

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

Meek
Unlike the English understanding of the word, the word “meek,” in the Greek meek means: “power under control,” in reference to the passages concerning Moses (those that say that he stammered and was weak or powerless, seem to gloss over the display of how powerful and dominant his personality really was as seen in the exodus of Israel.  The incident at the burning bush is a display of his humility, not any weakness) and Jesus. How do we come to this.  Utilizing the Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament, and the Byzantine Greek translation of the New Testament; the two words for “meek” used are synonyms in their root.    

“for I am meek” (praos) [G4235] – Matt. 11:29 ~ Taken from the New Testament Greek Textus Receptus

“Moses was very meek” (praus) [G4239] – Num. 12:3 ~ Taken from the Old Testament Greek Septuagint 

If we utilize the Old Testament Hebrew Masoretic Text in examining Numbers 12:3, the Hebrew word translated “meek” in the English is from the Hebrew word, “anaw,” (Strong’s # 6035). 

According to Vine’s Hebrew Dictionary:  “anaw is translated, humble; poor; meek.”  “Anaw” appears almost exclusively in poetical passages and describes the intended outcome of affliction from God, namely “humility.”  In its first appearance the word depicts the objective condition as well as the subjective stance of Moses “who was entirely dependent on God.”

In the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, called the Septuagint (which Jesus mainly quoted from), the Greek word (praus) is translated from Hebrew word “anaw.” Praus is a synonym of the same Greek word used concerning Christ in Matthew 11:29, where Jesus refers to Himself as “meek.”

The first use of the word praus (understanding the first use of a word gives the clearest definition of the word, as over time often the word is used differently in secular sources.  This rule of in hermeneutics this refers to is ”The Law of First Mention”), was in a classical Greek play about the training of a particular breed of horse.  In the play, this breed of horse was known as the strongest runners, but also as the hardest to break because of their will power.  It was common for the stallions to die rather than being broke.  In the play, a very rich man fell in love with and purchased the strongest stallion out of a herd.  No matter what the rich man’s horse trainer did, he could not break the horse.  He advised the owner to destroy the horse due to its lack of utility and the danger it presented due to its uncontrollably.  The master decided to personally train the horse, which was very unusual because of his high station in life. The master decided to break the horse with love and patience as opposed to attempting to use power and force, which he knew would not work.

The master took over the feeding of the stallion. He had a giant pin built outside of his own tent, where the horse could readily observe him. Every morning and evening he would feed the horse personally by stepping out of his tent with a bucket of feed and slowly and methodically approach the pen, wherein he would place the bucket on the inside of the pin, and walk backwards to his tent slowly. After quite some time the master eventually stepped inside of the pen and proceed to step one step further each day then set down the bucket and step backwards, returning to his tent.

The animal was shrewd as well as powerful; he always stood in the middle of the pin where he could watch all the fence line for possible predators. The horse maintained his vigilance in the center of the pen whenever the master would step in to feed him, never moving as day by day the master stepped closer. Then, finally after months the master was close enough to touch the animal, and did so by petting his mane. The master continued to do this for another few months, until one day he walked out into the pin without a bucket, holding a bridle as he approached the horse slowly. The master walked up and placed the bridle on the horse, then gently slid upon the horses back and nudged him to move. The horse gently walk forward, and as the master pulled on one side of the bridle the horse’s head turned in that direction and accordingly the horse turned in that same direction. Within one day, never having to use force the master had broken the spirit of the horse to obey his own will.

The horse would allow no one else to come near him, and was dominant over all the other horses. He was known far and wide as the fastest, most powerful steed in the region.  He would jump any gorge or obstacle his master directed. He was courageous because of his trust (his faith which was not blind, but based upon their interaction) in his master.  He was not weak, powerless, afraid, or beaten down.  He was “power under control,” he was tamed by love, based upon faith; he was “meek.”
 
For these reasons, in today’s vernacular it seems more relevant for our usage of this Greek word to employ the English word tamed, rather than “meek” which simply means power under control.  Jesus was humble in nature, attitude and behavior; yet at the same time He was powerful, and fully in control of Himself. 

The Lessons to Learn
Keeping Christ as our ultimate example, the behavior of Daniel and his three friends display a pragmatic approach of conducting ourselves as believers in a unbelieving world by first displaying humility (which is the opposite of pride), which is “power under control” – “meekness.”

1) Engage in Introspection - Self-discernment
Yet, to be humble necessitates self discernment – introspection.  Introspection to be able to discern when we are simply defending our own egos based upon pride, as opposed to defending the gospel in humility.  And believe you me, unbelievers have the ability to know the difference.  Don’t forget that the unbelievers were created in God’s Image (in the person of Adam prior to man taking on a fallen nature), just as much as a believers were, even though the fallen nature has been corrupted, much of their discernment (many things are simply to easy to recognize, rather for the Believer or non-believer), is much better than we wish to give them credit, especially in regards to pride.  And do not attempt a fool yourself that because you’re a believer, and because the Holy Spirit indwells you cannot be self-deceived about your own sinfulness (remember Christ’s admonition to the apostles “be not deceived,” which would make no sense if this could not occur ~ Luke 21:8.  Believers can be deceived, and the worst type of deception is self-deception), God is a gentleman and will not crush you into seeing the truth, but will use His Word and experiences in life to teach you concerning your own pride and self-deception – if you will allow this to occur.  And this does not diminish the fact that unbelievers can tell the difference between an arrogant attitude, and a humble one.  So self-examination is necessary in order to foster humility based upon a true examination of who we really are as sinful creatures.  Paul elegantly said it best when he stated in 1 Corinthians 11:31, which states:

“For if we would judge [Greek: diakrino] ourselves, we should not be judged [Greek: krino].”

The first word for judge, diakrino, means to separate thoroughly, to withdraw from, to discriminate, or decide; depending on the grammatical breakdown.  The second word for judge, krino according to its grammar means in this passage to condemn.

The literal Greek rendering is: “if we discern for ourselves, then we will not be eternally condemned.” According to the full context of the chapter which centers around the Lord’s Supper; what is implied is that if a person discerns according to the Gospel, faith unto salvation, they will not be eternally judged – the discernment here is unto life.  Those in verse 29 are unbelievers, which is displayed because they could not see the value of Christ’s death, and indulged in the Lord’s  Supper focusing on themselves – if they were righteous enough to partake, not on Jesus’ as the only acceptable sacrifice for their sins.  In verse 32 it states literally in the Greek:

“when we perceive we are condemned as sinners, this perception by faith leads to God’s training/teaching [by and through His Word] wherein we are saved apart from the world that is condemned to pay the price for that condemnation“. 

2) Develop Humility
As displayed by Christ Himself, as well as Daniel and his three friends; humility is not the same as self loathing, but is a recognition of a person’s true worth.  Whereas Christ understood His Divinity, yet never needed to flaunt it.  He never defended Himself or justified Himself (which is normally from a human standpoint based on insecurity, “I know this one far too well”).  And concerning the self-evaluation of a believer as fallen man, self-righteousness should be the last manifestation that should be seen.  We gain the proper attitude by stopping the justification for our own sinfulness.  By stripping away our rationality’s of why our sin is acceptable, yet others is not.  We call a spade a spade.  We look into the mirror of God’s Word and come to the only conclusion possible, we’re terrible sinners deserving of hell and damnation.  And the only value we have is the value that God has placed on us, never deserving; but always grateful. 

If we truly look at ourselves as we are, humility is the natural fruit that is born.  And it is what we see in the life of Daniel and his three friends as living as believers in an unbelieving world.

3) Fight Pride
Developing humility is not a one-time experience, it is a lifelong progression.  We should always continue to do as stated above, to stay mindful of our true sinful motivations and behaviors.  Yet, in fostering humility is also necessary to fight against pride.  So the question becomes how to we fight against pride.  What we must also understand is fighting pride is not ACTING humble – acting something is not being something. Acting is faking it, (Editorial: which is why I wonder why actors and movie stars are given so much attention concerning their views on political and controversial issues.  We forget that we pay these people to lie to us.  These individuals display some of the most self-centered, deceitful and emotionally disturbing behavior of those among us – why, because they live in a world of faking it, of saying and doing what profits them.  Acting is a fraudulent deception wherein the actors fool their audience, even if it is by choice of the audience.  It is still antithetical to that which is authentic), it cultivates deception within a person’s life.  Please allow me to share a story. 

Golda Meir, one of the great Israeli leaders, was seated in the Knesset next to a gentleman who was making a speech to the General assembly.  As he was concluding his speech, attendees would start to clap as he was trying to seat him.  He would start to sit down and then rise his hands making gestures to stop the clapping, but then he would start to raise up again and bow.  After repeating this behavior five times, Golda leaned over and stated: “stop acting so humble, you’re not that great.”  What an example of what so many people think humility is – faking it, acting humble as a charade, while only fostering genuine pride.

Acting and Being
This is the way a lot of individuals approach the subject of humility; it’s all simply an acting game.  It’s like the motion picture executives said: “sincerity, when you learn to fake that, you’ve got it made.”  This is what occurs whenever we start acting and stop being something.  The difference between these two words necessitate the application of the first principle – introspection, self discernment.  Many people are so used to acting they have no realistic understanding of what it is like to simply be.  The activity of being, as opposed to acting, is the activity of being genuine, of being authentic.  It is NOT always easy to distinguish this many times. 

If I know that there are certain expectations concerning my behavior, and I behave that way in order to achieve acceptance (within dysfunctional families this becomes a survival tool, and is more easily seen in abused individuals; especially victims of incest and extreme abuse.  Alcoholics and drug addicts are masters in this area either to being victims or abusers themselves.  We forget that most addicts while perhaps starting their addiction for purposes of enjoyment, maintain their addiction to medicate themselves as a coping strategy to deal with internal pain), therefore, am I acting or am I being.  Well, unfortunately most the time we would be acting. 

However, there is a good side to this type of acting, if it done concerning acting in the positive. If you act something long enough, many times you become what you are acting.  One of the positive things about human nature is that many times if we keep doing the right thing, even though we don’t want to, even though we are doing it to be accepted by others; after a while this habituation becomes natural and we stopped acting, and start becoming what we are doing.  Yet, what we must always do is be honest with ourselves about our true motivations.  Many state that this is the basis for socialization, that individuals perform at the level they know they are required to perform.  No matter what, if this is true or not, the point is if you can do something long enough that it affects the way that you think and your attitude; and therefore it can affect the difference between being and acting, as it becomes an innate part of who we become.

Act the Way you Think, Not the Way you Feel
Many people say that the reason they don’t behave correctly is that it’s not authentic; it’s not the way they really feel.  Well, were never supposed to be fully dominated by the way we feel.  Some would say that this is fraudulent that you need to act the way you feel.  Yet, if you notice that these individuals’ lives are full of drama, their normally self-deceived concerning their own pride and motivations, because emotion’s are so deceptive.  We need to smile when you’re happy, we need to cry when you’re sad – this is not what I’m talking about.  The point is if I allow my emotions to be my master then I sidestep utilizing my brain.  This is why the Scripture says and Philippians 4:7-9, which states:

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

The reality of life is this – I act the way I feel, yet I feel the way I think.  My point is that you must think in order to even feel.  Thinking is what you utilized understand the situation that you respond by feeling.  If we learn to challenge how we think about something, we learned to feel differently.  If myself talk rationalizes that I can be a thief because I was brought up poor, my feelings will follow this type of logic.  And my emotions will demand that the world owes me something.  This will come out in my attitude.  This is why Paul said in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ“

It’s really not as complicated as it seems but the point is this: if you spend your time in God’s Word, thinking upon those things to be true (“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” ~ Philippians 4:8) that God has said they will affect how you process information, and therefore how you feel in response to what occurs in your life.  This in turn will develop your attitude in response to those events.  Act the right way – be honest about your motivations, even if your honesty is only internal – because the outcome is that you become different in a process, gaining a greater ability to become more honest with yourself the more you practice this. 

This may be the reason that Jesus was so comfortable with sinners.  Their sin was obvious to everyone, including themselves and could not be rationalized, so there was a sense of being authentic about who they really were, they were NOT fake.  Yet the religious leaders of Jesus’ day always received His criticism, because the act did righteous, deceiving others as well as themselves and self-deception; and were therefore guilty on the inside (Matthew 23:25).  Even if the best we can do at the time is to act the right way, based upon the motivations of being accepted by others as opposed to being good for the sake of being good, be honest about it – at least to yourself.  Shakespeare said it best when he said: ” to thine own self, be true.”  

Fighting Pride
Fighting pride is much easier than it seems as seen in Luke 9:23, which states:

“And He [Jesus] said to them all, If any man wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

Notice what it does not say, it does not say to pick up Jesus’ cross — No one could do that. It says to pick up “his,” referring to our individual cross.

What cross was Jesus speaking about?  What did he mean?

A cross is an instrument of death; it is only used to kill something.

In this case it is a device to kill the flesh; it is something that we can use to put to death our self-centered, narcissistic, and self-ruling life.  We are not speaking only of the kind of obvious vanity that is seen in movie stars and rock stars. 

Were talking about a self-centered life which is void of submission to God.  These individuals, many times display philanthropic and humanitarian characteristics; where benevolence, compassion and even deep love are seen.  However, many times it is in the unseen aspects of a person’s motivations that we come to understand the sincerity of their sacrificial gestures.  As a counselor the question I often ask myself prior to a session is, ” who’s needs am I meeting.”  Unfortunately, many times they are simply my own, yet I must pose the question constantly in order to attempt to stay on track and stay client centered rather than allowing my own agenda to creep into the situation. 

The individuals that I’m speaking about are those that may do very loving and righteous acts, yet if their motivation is to make others appreciate them or to fulfill some sense of self-worth, in reality it is still self-centered behavior.  I can’t honestly say that I can come close to reckless abandon concerning self.  Many times words like these harm my own soul.  However, truth must be spoken, even if it harms the speaker.  And the point of all this goes back to the need for introspection, and being true to ourselves concerning our true motivations concerning any and all behaviors.  It is at this point that we can come to understand how diabolical the sin nature within us really is.  And therefore the necessity up picking up our cross and crucify our own narcissism and self-centeredness, daily as Christ says.

The Grammar
In Koiné Greek, when two nouns are connected with the conjunctive, “and” (Greek: kia [G2532]), and ONLY one has the definite article, (Greek) ho [G3588]), while the other noun does not have the definite article; the two nouns are speaking about the same thing in essence, they are referring to the same person or thing; not separate entities.  An example of this can be found in Luke 19:23, which states:     

“…let him deny himself, and [Greek: kia] take up his [Greek: ho] cross daily…”

The definite article can normally be found in one of three different spellings in the Greek; ho, hay, to (Greek: [G3588]), though there are other definite articles which apply as well.  In most cases the definite article is translated into the English: “the,” “this,” “these,” “that,” “his,” “he,” “her,” “she,” “some,” “it;” as well as other pronouns.

And IF these conditions are not met exactly, then the two nouns are NOT the same in essence, and are not synonymous, but separate (example of where the nouns are separate can be found in: Rom. 8:17, Acts 6:8).

Therefore, what this verse is saying is that denying yourself is the same as picking up your cross, the two are the same in essence. Very simply, Christ is defining how we pick up our cross, how we crucify the flesh, how we die to self; which is to done by denying ourselves.

Another very notable example of this grammatical principle (called the “Granville Sharpe Rule of Greek Grammar”), is found in Ephesian 4:11, which states: “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some (Greek: ho [G3588]), pastors and (Greek: kia [G2532]) teachers.” Therefore, some pastors and teachers referred to here is speaking about the same person who is responsible for both functions, not two separate individuals – these two nouns, pastors and teachers are not two people but one person who holds two functions.

Your cross will aid in helping you “to die to self”
As we previously addressed in the essay “the leaven of the Pharisee“, the foundational sin of Lucifer was that of pride, and therefore every sin has its root in pride.  As we discussed, you cannot sin without pride being the foundation that the sin was motivated by.  And pride is not simply wanting to look good, it actually has to do with the focus of attention.

This explains why pride can be seen in both self grandiosity, “seeing me, how great I am,” as well as self loathing, “see me, how sick I am;” the point of both of these types of behavior is the focus of attention, which must be on self.  Pride, seeking to have the attention “I feel I deserve” is the most prominent spiritual sin committed within the clergy, which again explains why Christ referred to it as the “doctrine of the Pharisee“ (Matt. 16:12).  He also spoke about following their instructions when they spoke out of the Torah, yet not following their behaviors which were examples of pride, being puffed up with self, which Jesus referred to as their “doctrine.” 

So if self-centeredness, which is self-obsession, is at the root of every sin, then it is pride that must be killed by “daily picking up our cross,” wherein we deny ourselves. 

When it comes to fighting against self, against pride; what tools besides denying self are there – I only know of one other way to kill my pride, to pick up my cross daily and die to self – it is by FIRST exercising humility .

It has been wisely said: “pride cannot grow where humility has already been planted.”

And in case we need any reassurance about how God feels about pride, what is it that James 4:6 states:

“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

Christ, who is our example, as well as our Lord; did not come on a King’s steed; He came on a lonely colt, and as Matthew 20:28 states:

“just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

When Jesus spoke about leadership within the church, of how His followers were to treat their followers, what did He say as recorded in Luke 22:25-27:

“And He said to them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called benefactors. But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.”

Another passage which directs where we should put our focus, as opposed to on self only; is Philippians 2:4, which states:

“Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

This is not stating that we are not to take care of our own interest, but that we are also to care about that which is a priority to others.  It is about asking people about their lives not just talking about our own.  It is about seeking to help others, not only to get them to help us.  It is the working out of humility on a daily basis.

Understanding that Jesus is our only true example, as He is Divine and righteous, and our Savior, but most importantly our God; yet when I look to the examples of men in the Bible, besides that by Daniel, I always consider Paul.

Paul was a very human man, he displayed his sin, as seen openly within his many letters – he was not pretentious, he did not try to hide his humanity.  He was a man that could act out in pride or arrogance, yet would admit those sins just as freely (2 Cor. 11:23; 12:11). 

Humility, A Tool to Fight Pride
You see humility does not mean that a person does not have pride in their life.  Humility is what they do to fight the pride in their life.  It’s when pride goes unchecked, without restraint that sin runs rampant. 

It is when we humble ourselves that we stand any chance of holding pride in check.  It’s by taking ownership of our sins and wrongs that pride is resisted by humility.  It is not falling down in pride, as much it is how many times we get up in humility (James 4:10). 

And if we choose not to humble ourselves, if we are God’s child, He is then forced to humiliate us (James 4:6).  And it is far easier when we humble ourselves and grow in character, then when God humiliates us in front of all, and we stumble yet one more time.  However, even then if we take ownership of our sin, confessing our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us (1 John 1:9).

Concerning Paul, one of his repetitive introductions and epitaphs was his reference to himself as a ”bond salve” of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:1;1 Corinthians 7:21; Colossians 1:10; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:7; Titus 1:1;).  Unfortunately, our English translations of the Bible many times translate this term into “servant,” however; the Greek word utilized by Paul has much more meaning than our simple English term.  The Greek word which is translated into the English word “servant” is: Dulos and meant “A bond salve by choice,” indebted for life to serve humbly.  It is understanding the history of this word that we gain a much clearer view of the humility which Paul exhibited.

Slavery
To equate what the Bible refers to as being a “bond slave,” or selling oneself into slavery; with projections concerning 18th or 19th-Century, is completely false (See Endnote #6). 

In the Old Testament slavery was an option allowed for an individual that had become destitute or due to calamity lost his entire livelihood and possessions in order to save his life and or his families. 

The idea was this.  If a man lost everything and had no grain to feed his animals, he could sell himself to another man to become his servant, which we commonly referred to as employment, but the Bible refers as becoming a slave, some translations use the word “servant.”  Many of these individuals were referred to as “field hands,” and slept in their own homes at night and worked for their master’s during the day.  There were other situations where individuals would become totally destitute and have no food for their family whatsoever.  In these cases they could indeed sell themselves as a slave 24/7, living with the master (a term sometimes to be equated with the current label “boss”)  for a set period of time in order to feed their family, while paying off that debt that they had incurred. 

Whereas without the Biblical guidelines they could be forced into a form of slavery which the nations around Israel participated which was barbaric.  It was not that God was rationalizing slavery; it was that God was allowing this form of servitude so that someone was not sold into slavery such as Joseph was concerning the Egyptians.  According to God’s law, a man would work 7 years to pay off his debt no matter what size the debt was.  There was also a celebration called Jubilee which was held the year after the 49th year (7 times 7), and redemption was again given within Israel. 

The point was, if you owed a non-Hebrew individual money and you didn’t pay they would come and take you and your family; and you would spend the rest of your life as slaves if not for the law which God had instituted inside of Israel as a protection for His people. 

Under God’s law you could go to a family member, a “kinsman-redeemer,” and seek to have him pay off your debt, and you could go work as a servant for him under conditions which were much better working conditions, again somewhat synonymous with today’s type of employment.  Now to the definition of a “bond slave.”

Bond Slave
A bond slave was an individual who had worked off their debt, and had obtained their freedom.  Yet, during the course of their servitude they had married another servant and had children.  According to the Torah, the father could sell himself gladly back to the family to purchase and redeem his other family members.  This was an honored position, and treated much differently than normal servants or salves; because it was servitude by choice – we get the concept of a trustee from this situation. 

There was a ceremonial act that would take place where the husband who is purchasing his family would stand at the front door of the house, leaning his ear against the door-frame, and have his ear nailed to the door with awl, placing a part of their skin within the door frame, a symbol of the strength of the house, and of him becoming a prominent part of the house.  

Then the nail would be pulled out, and he would wear an earring in the hole in his ear as a symbol that he was a bond salve, which was a sign of superiority indicating he had become a servant with the home for life others own free will, sacrificing himself for his own family.  Therefore, he was admired and respected by the other slaves for having sacrificially placed his family before himself.  And because this was a lifelong commitment, and was only done by individuals with integrity; bond slaves were always supervisors in the household, not doing hard labor, but taking care of and managing the master’s estate in good stead.  This is what Paul meant when he meant he was a bond slave of Jesus Christ. 

God use this kind of symbolism to also teach the foreshadowing of what his son would do by purchasing humanity when He was bonded to the cross with awls (nails), displaying perfect servitude to the Father and purchasing us with his blood (this is where we get the understanding of what Jesus meant in John 5:39, which states: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”  Everything written in God’s Word is to teach us about Christ, rather directly or indirectly, even in the object lessons such as this.). 

My Un-Daniel-Like Years
During my first 20 years or so a be the Christian, I practiced apologetics (See Endnote #5); attempting to win arguments and debates concerning the gospel.  And when I say arguments, I do not mean heated displays of rage, I mean it in the rhetorical sense of presenting opposing views, sometimes informal one-on-one; sometimes structured such as debates.  But I am NOT speaking about trying to cram anything down someone’s throat, simply presenting an analytical and scientific presentation concerning the validity of Christianity. There are unbelievable internal evidences, as well as external evidences (See Endnote #5) to prove the validity of Christianity.  However, I was not following Daniels example of humbly addressing my opponents; atheists and agnostics.    

Application of the Lessons Learned
During those 20 years, when an atheists or agnostics would present something that was un-biblical, or opposed to Christianity I would debate them displaying a lack of respect, never realizing it was really my own ego that was in control (which is what I’m referring to concerning the above supposed spiritual leaders), I used a rationality for my lack of humility (which displayed a lack of power under control), that I was fighting the good fight.  I came across far too emotionally (which unfortunately is far too easy as I am an emotional responder by nature), allowing my feelings to get into the battle.

However, when I started my latest career in substance-abuse counseling, where I was required to attend secular college; I was more amenable to following Daniels example.  I managed better self-control than I would’ve ever thought was possible.  Please do not misunderstand I do not claim to have mastered this ability, in fact I have much further to go before I should be acting as one with authority on the subject. 

But one of the little secrets I learned on how to survive within a secular college was that it was not my job to correct the teacher or the curriculum.  Their responsibility was to teach me information.  What I needed to do was to learn the information and display that I learned it by answering the test questions appropriately, according to what they said was the correct answer.  Their job (though most of them didn’t understand this) was to teach me information; that was it. 

Now, during class interaction when our opinions were sought, I presented my belief system, what I felt the Word of God had to say when what they were teaching or others were stating contradicted the Bible.  And I must admit there were many occasions that my feelings were hurt, and I went home feeling awful.  But the point was I did much better during those years in college than I had done in the previous 20 years; as far as learning to survive as a believer in an unbelieving environment.  I have an awful long way to go, and because of my own insecurities I will probably never ever get close to the level that Daniel and his three friends did. 

But our Christian walk is simply that, a life of progression.  And whereas I am not the example, it is when you are I follow God’s Word as our example that we get a little further down the road, and do a little better.  I received honors at my college, never receiving lower than an A on all my assignments, tests, and midterms exams, and term-papers.  Yet, more importantly I was a better example of a follower of Christ in an unchristian environment.  

Conclusion
So, to conclude; to live as believers in an unbelieving world we need to:

First, judge ourselves through fervent introspection, by using critical self-discernment – SEE
Second, consciously cultivate then display humility based upon introspection – CHOOSE
Thirdly, fight pride by humbling yourself, putting others first, and taking ownership of your sin – DO 

Endnote
1. Psychology ~ Why has it Gained its Credibility.  Have you ever asked yourself as a Christian, why does humanistic psychology have so much credibility within our culture.  Agreeing first that the un-saved individuals lack an aspect of discernment which renders them spiritually blind.  However, we must remember at the same time that the imageness of God, which was placed in Adam (though affected by man’s fall unto degradation); is still a part of humanity, as seen any intelligence in man, and mans abilities to yet discern his environment, and others.  Man’s perception may be limited in certain areas, or at certain times; yet the unbeliever still bears a perception that God placed within man.  Therefore, how do we explain the hundred years of radical acceptance of psychology by the masses, both believers and unbelievers all over the world?  I believe the reason for this is that psychology as a supposed scientific pursuit has made many thoughtful observations concerning man and his behavior.  And that as psychologists learn from these observations, and can therefore make predictions, they thereby gain credibility from the masses.  Example: you can watch a dog for weeks, perceiving and recording its reactions to its environment; and therefore conclude a very thorough sophisticated outline concerning the dogs actions and the probability of future actions.  However, this does not give you any formation concerning the true internal aspects of the dog.  You cannot tell if the dog has a spiritual aspect – a soul, and if so, where it’s soul came from prior to its physical existence.  And if this could be true, you could not determine if there was a master designer – a God who originally created the dog; or who that personage may be.  Nor can you tell what happens after its death.  And though you may be able to make certain somewhat qualified predictions concerning its behavior, you would only be guessing concerning the working of its motivation and understanding of life, both actually would be foreign to your endeavor.  the best you could do is gasp based upon your insights into the thinking process of man, understanding that a dog is not the same and could not truly be compared.  However, this is what psychology has done concerning humans, and concerning their observation of dogs have stated that they can make conclusion concerning dogs in reference to humans, because humans are just animals themselves and there must be some similarity.  Psychologist, whether stated or not must group man within the same arena as animals, explaining how experiments can be done animals that will reflect aspects concerning humanity.   It’s done concerning biology wherein lavatories are set up to test products on animals before human consumption, and psychology just takes it one step further than.  Example: one of the many psychological insights that has given psychology such credibility is referred to as ”Birth Order Personalities,” as originally created by Kevin Leman. This hypothesis conjectures that within an original family group, that certain personalities will develop according to which child is born in what order.  The first child normally becomes the hero, the achiever; the second child normally becomes the rebel, the third child becomes the clown, and the fourth child becomes the silent child.  Now this all breaks down whenever you bring in blended families where conflict between the chronology breaks down as prior established personalities conflict within the new blended family unit.  Where there are now two heroes who duke it out, and so on.  This is a very understandable phenomena.  With the first child, the parents having no experience and treat the child as if it is gold, treating as if it would not grow up right unless they treated like the center of their world.  It is common that this child is spoiled, having been doted over by parents and grandparents alike as the first introduction of children to the family.  They invest more time and energy into this child, which creates a sense of empowerment and entitlement in the child which normally leads to this child being a leader, a winner, more dominant than others.  The second child may attempt to usurp the first child’s station in the family, yet the parents and others have already accepted the role of the first child, so the second child would search for identity, and normally finds it as being the opposite of the first child, as the antagonist; in the form of being in the rebel, where they gain attention in this way.  The third child, in searching for identity finds acceptance by being non-threatening in getting attention as the family clown, he receives attention from others by being the funniest.  The fourth child, finding no ready acceptance becomes more introverted, usually astute and excels academically.  The commonality that all of these children seek is in the form of seeking love, which is manifest in seeking attention.  It has been wisely said that the opposite of love is not hate, but in the refusal to acknowledge the other person’s existence.  If two people were in love and broke up, and the one that left still hated the one that wanted the relationship to continue, the rejected one still is involved in a relationship even though it is based upon hate – there are emotions still being churned.  Yet, there is nothing worse for the rejected one than to sense that there is completely no feelings whatsoever for them; they are nonexistent in the world of the person they love.  This is devastating, even worse than being hated.  There is nothing worse in the world then isolation, and isolation is based upon a lack of relationship, it is based upon a lack of acceptance and acknowledgment.  Therefore, as a child grows up it is primed to their feeling of love to be accepted and acknowledged as who they are.  Therefore as intelligent creatures as God made us, as we grow up within our own family we seek out acceptance and acknowledgment, validity of our existence.  And this is done by our behaviors, and habitual behaviors are simply manifest in what we refer to his attitudes, which are presented into the world as personalities.  Therefore, this observation; if true, is not based on any great the nominal of psychology, simply an observation of reality.  Before I ever heard of Kevin Leman, my grandfather spoke about the same kind of phenomena concerning humanity having never went to college a day in his life.  As it goes there always breakdowns in classifying anything, and exceptions to the rule, and the same is true concerning this type about starvation; especially within a culture where divorce and remarriage is the standard rather than the exception.  Also exceptions are seen in the length of time between the different births.  Such as a baby that is born 5 to 10 years after the rest; which may become the golden-haired child because it’s siblings, if female will nurture it, and it becomes spoiled having many more people to render time to its parenting – it’s the “baby”.  The point is, that this type of observation wherein psychology has grained such credibility is merely based upon spending time studying something.  It does not validate the science as a whole concerning any conclusions or treatment that psychologist may render, hence the reason we have over 500 different types of psychological pursuits.  and despite all of the clamor and rhetoric concerning psychology, these observations may or may not help in assisting individuals in the treatment of how to deal with (what psychology terms as), mood disorders, personality disorders, or physical or environmental stressors (as identified and classified in the  “DMS-IV-TR”, the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” utilized by the medical and psychological establishments), as well as any other psychological condition people display.
2. Psychology ~ Its History in a Nutshell.  While many say that Sigmund Freud, and his apprentice Carl Jung are the fathers of European psychology, William James and Wilelm Wundt are considered by most to be the fathers of modern psychology in America.  Many people think of psychology as one discipline, rather than understanding that it is more of a category with over 500 individual disciplines under it’s heading.  By the late 1970s there were over 250 different psychological disciplines – forms of therapeutic approaches to the treatment of mental deficiencies or problems; with this number increasing almost 500 by the turn-of-the-century.  What most people don’t understand is that each new psychological approach was created usually in deference to another approach, so within these 500 different forms of treatment while there may be an eclectic use of the same terms, or tools; most of them seem to be antithetical one to the other.  The point is there is NOT a uniform consensus that can be addressed when one form is used to attack Christianity.  The devil was very smart in this, rather than have one arch-enemy where a template could be devised where Christians could understand how to deal with these philosophies which are antithetical to Christianity, Satan create hundreds of different modalities, with different presuppositions.  However, there are certain presuppositions which a majority of these forms of treatment hold to as foundational.  There as are many types of psychology; consequently, there are many different groupings of these presuppositions.  A random listing might consist of: Determinism, Experimentalism, Reductionism, Naturalism, and Relativism.  Others might also add Materialism, Evolution, Empiricism, Humanism, and even Occultism.  attempting to make overboard statements concerning the field of psychology becomes different whenever we approach the methodology or foundational presuppositions of these diverse therapies.  Yet, many of these approaches deal with thinking processes that have been disturbed because of past experiences and or physical trauma to the muscle referred to as a brain.  The mind is not a physical description, the brain is.  And as many of these disciplines seek to understand those activating events which initiated trauma to the human mind, many believe that this knowledge will indicate the proper course to addressing the treatment of these traumas.  In the early part of the 20th century a divergent philosophy concerning psychology, which was antithetical in many aspects emerged.  This new approach rejected introspective methods or mere talk therapy and sought to restrict psychology to experimental methods which reduced problems to behaviors, behaviors which could be learned and unlearned. All of us have heard of “Pavlov’s Dog,” where Ivan Pavlov observed the connection between behavior and thought processes.  It was B. F. Skinner who perfected many of the insights gained within behaviorism.  And while an avowed atheist and humanist, Skinner dealt with behaviors and conditioning as opposed to delving into the psyche of the subject.  Skinner’s modality, termed ”Radical behaviorism is the philosophy of the science of behavior. It seeks to understand behavior as a function of environmental histories of reinforcing consequences. Such a functional analysis makes it capable of producing technologies of behavior. Unlike less austere behaviorisms, it does not accept private events such as thinking, perceptions, and unobservable emotions in a causal account of an organism’s behavior” (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.F._Skinner).  Of all the forms of psychology, over 500; this approach to the human condition is much more conducive to dealing with training or retraining human behaviors.  Yet, this as all psychological approaches must be understood to be humanistic and man oriented as opposed to Christian and God oriented.
3. Psychology ~ When Mixed with Christianity.  Today there are many in the church who practice what they refer to as “Christian Psychology.”  These individuals are normally well-meaning believers that have great empathy (to experience compassion for someone who is going through something that YOU HAVE went through yourself) or sympathy (to experience compassion for someone who is going through something that YOU HAVE NOT went through yourself) for others; however, it is their training in psychology that we should question, not their motives.  Yet, if you take the time to thoroughly examine this practice, you will find that it is a psychologist or therapist that uses biblical citations, merely as props, yet does not fully follow biblical doctrine.  Even those that use a lot of Scripture, MAINLY do so loosely and merely to make their own presuppositions (I am not ONLY referring to psychological premises, but also to the positive side of the human conscience.  Many of the teachings found in God’s Word are just good common sense.  This is because we are made in the imageness of God Himself, through Adam.  Therefore, these presuppositions may line up with the Bible, but the question becomes what came first the presupposition or the Bible that they use to find Scriptures that validate their beliefs), while practicing a psychological framework which is their ultimate guide; rather it is antithetical to the Bible or not.  Many times what they state is simply common sense, and may even be neutral.  But it is when they present psychological presuppositions concerning discretion that you must be alarmed.  Remember the old adage, simply because the poison is only a drop within a large glass, does not nullify the death that follows.  There over 500 different types of psychological pursuits, and it is impossible to address them all, yet if you take them one by one you will find that their practitioners are psychologist first and foremost, and that the use of Scriptures as props does not validate their forms of therapy, even if they call it Christian psychology.  Psychology, according to the popular Rogerian (Carl Rogers) example, is “client centered,” which is anathema to the book of principles wherein the Bible is God centered.  Foundational to any therapeutic pursuit is a relationship between counselor and counselee; wherein the counselor is always on the side of the counselee, taking what they say at face value, rather than the pursuit of truth.  Often I have heard supposedly Christian counselors advise Christian women to divorce a man who the woman states is verbally or emotionally abusive, which is not validated in the Bible; nor do they even attempt to use Scripture concerning these types of cases.  And worse yet, they never attempt to validate the merit of what the counselee says by meeting with the husband.  Pastorally speaking, having run into this type of situation the first saying is to bring the couple together and utilize God’s Word to work out the problems of their relationship.  What I mean by the premises or presumptions of psychology is such belief that verbal abuse is the same as physical abuse.  Or they haphazardly throw out the term emotional abuse.  Yet they are never there to witness these declarations that they assist occur based upon one person’s perspective.  As that counselor, how arrogant is it to believe that you can discern the reality by only hearing one side of the issue.  The arrogance and pride that is submitted by a counselor who thinks that they can judge a situation by hearing the counselee only displays a lack of humility, as well as a lack of faith in God that trusting in Him will result in a righteous conclusion.  Personally, within pastoral counseling I have repeatedly found how Christians that are uncomfortable in a situation; wishing for an excuse to leave, rather voluntarily or not distort the situation.  A good counselor looks for the truth, not for simply building a good relationship with the counselee, believing that they can interpret a situation from such a limited perspective.  Biblically speaking, the way to deal with an abusive husband is lined up in God’s word which I’ve never seen a Christian psychologist ever use.  The scriptural basis is very simple and found in Matthew 18:15-18.  This has to do with when Christians violate other Christians.  Yet the one thing I have never seen happen with a Christian psychologist is to state that marriage is to be honored even if it’s participants do not do so.  That divorce is not recognized except in the case of adultery as per Jesus very own words.  I have seen situations where women have been physically abused, and for their own physical safety as well as the safety of their children have left the husband, yet without divorcing them.  I have also seen God bring these families together by using the separation of losses a family to motivate the man to again seek God and correct his behaviors.  However, the Christian psychologist who set their priority as their discernment of the happiness of their client never speak of leaving the abuser without divorce.  Because why should the woman be tied to an abusive man and be unhappy.  This is their kind of thinking it has to do with a false belief that believers were created to be happy, as opposed to the Bible which states that believers were created to glorify their God.  This is why I say that Christian psychologist build their practice upon psychology first and foremost; because they do not have the courage to totally reiterate what God’s Word has to say within these kind of devastating situations.  Therefore, the psychologist is not allowing God to work in the situation, but they must manipulate based solely upon man’s ability, as opposed to God’s superiority.  Within the biblical framework for  pastoral counseling, a pastor already has built credibility in a relationship with the individuals prior to those situations that biblical counseling is needed.  Also, those that refer to themselves as Christian Counselors (those trained in psychology that utilize psychological theories and tools; rather they call themselves “Christian Psychologist,” or “Christian Counselor;” it is simply semantics, it is their premise and tools that define their behavior that counts), and charge money (even if they have to pay for higher education, this does not mandate that they make money from pastoral counseling to do so – it’s not about making money online it’s about serving God.  If He owns everything in my life, then why do I need to use Him to make money to pay for those tools that have equip me to better serve Him) for that which they have freely received of God, according to and through God’s Word (if they truly do use God’s Word as a foundation for their work), do so in violation of God’s Word (Matthew 10:5-8, as an example to us now).  There are no biblical allowances for an outside paid occupation of being a Christian psychologist. The presuppositions that are necessary to practice psychology are antithetical to God and His Word; it is like mixing oil and water.  Either you serve one, or you serve the other, period (Matthew 6:24).  They do not mix, at all.  I spent years as a proponent of Christian counseling, always fighting my internal biblical reasoning, until finally I had to stop following the vanity of my own mind in order to legitimize my wholesale commitment of time and energy that I had made to psychology.  Many Christians are won over to Christian psychology because it legitimizes their behaviors, and many times appears to free them from challenging, if not dangerous situations.  However, it is God and His Word that is to be supreme in our life, not humanistic philosophies which can APPEAR so helpful, or even logical. remember Colossians 2:8-10, which states:

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.”

4. The Difference Between Attributes and Essence – How Christ was all God and yet all Man.

Attributes
A common problem that I see in the church today is confusing attributes and essence.  The essence of something is what it is in its makeup, internally, whereas the attributes are behaviors (which can be seen and therefore identified, which is not true of essence, which is the inner part of a person), which are simply displays that radiate from, and are distinct from the essence that created them.  It is very common for people to mistake attributes for essence, and falling short in their understanding many times they misinterpret the essence of something because the attributes or behaviors may vary in diverse situations.

Roles 
This may seem like a rationality for hypocrisy, however different situations mandate different responses, this is more readily seen because different roles maintain different responsibilities and therefore mandate different responses.  An example of this can be seen in human relationships.  A man may be the King of his castle at home, yet a servant while at work.  He may be a father to his son and therefore hold that prominent place of respect, yet when he is in the presence of his own father, he is to be the one displaying respect.  He is the same person, yet functions differently in different roles.  He may be a kind and loving father to his daughter, yet a stringent judge in the courtroom.  He may be the loving husband to his wife, yet the aggressive defender in his home taking the life of an intruder.  The person is the same, the essence of him has not changed, yet his roles and responsibilities are diverse in different situations, and therefore he displays different attributes.

Distinction between Attributes and Roles
In examining anyone we must always be aware of the role that the individual is playing at the time in order to evaluate the correctness of those attributes.  It is in examining those attributes, or behaviors that discretion must be seen according to the mandates of the situation.  It is rightly said that we should not judge one another as referred to in Matthew 7:1 (for the sake of this argument let us temporarily set aside the different Greek words for “judgment,” which can vary from unrighteous condemnation to righteous condemnation to evaluation for edification sake.  Whereas certain judgment is demanded in certain situations, such as: I Corinthians 5:12, 13; 6:2-5; 11:31;14:29; I Thessalonians 5:21 as compared to that which is condemned in other situations, such as: Matthew 7:1; Colossians 2:16; James 2:4;4:11,12), yet only of few verses later, Christ commanded that we judge concerning false prophets in Matthew 7:15-20.  What is the main difference in these two situations, it is the role of the one being evaluated, because they are a leader and therefore affect people in a different way than normal members of a group.  Wherein a false student may lead one or two astray, a good teacher will ferret them out; however, a false prophet (remember that the word “Prophet” means “one who speaks for another”, and may not have anything to do with telling the future, such as the case of John the Baptist) , especially in the role as a teacher, can do an immense amount of damage to many individuals; therefore because of their roles, and the responsibility that it entails, we are to evaluate or judge teachers because of this.  The role makes the difference, and as such, there should be different attributes that also follow.  Roles many times define attributes, or behaviors. 

The Roles of God  
The reason this discussion is necessary is to distinguish those attributes that God displays during certain roles He performs at certain times in history, as compared to other roles at diverse times.  This is why individuals have made the mistake of stating that the God of the Old Testament is a warring God that kills and judges; and the God of the New Testament is a loving and forgiving God, as seen in Jesus.  God the Father is the same, and so is Jesus in both Testaments, yet it is in the roles that they play at certain times wherein the confusion lies.  It is when men do not take the whole counsel of God1 into consideration; by using the justification of the local context only, isolating it from the rest of Scripture in an attempt to make their own point.  Scriptural context is more than its local application; it is in its application to the Bible as a whole that it must be utilized. 

When God the Father instructed the Israelites to kill every man, woman, and child of certain tribes and nations in the promised land, He did so as a father that is protecting His own child from those that would later seek out to destroy that child by either destruction or genetic contamination.  God the Father’s role was that of a protecting father.  Yet,  how could one question the love of God the Father in that He would nail His own Son to the cross for His enemies, which He would then adopt. 

It is in misunderstanding the roles of Jesus Christ that many liberals rationalize pacifism.  They concentrate on Jesus in His First Coming and interpret Jesus’ essence according to those attributes of that particular role that He displays on this occasion. This is why it is so helpful to understand that the four Gospels display four views of Jesus in His First Coming: that of the Matthew as the Messiah, the lion of the tribe of Judah; that of Mark as the suffering servant; that of Luke as the perfect man; and that of John as the son of God. 

Without the benefit of this perspective many concentrate only on Jesus as the suffering servant, and therefore only see him as demanding that everyone always turn the cheek.  While Jesus instructed the 70 disciples not take a sword with them on their first Ministry training outreach, they forget that Jesus latter speaking concerning His upcoming departure instructed them to carry a sword.  When they speak about His kindness, they do so by isolating Him from the contempt He showed to the Pharisees, or the intolerance he displayed to the opportunist when He turned over their money tables in the Temple courtyard. 

And most importantly they separate Him from the role He will play at His Second Coming, that of a warring conqueror claiming His prize.  They allegorize fire coming from His mouth, and the fact that He will kill millions of people.  His role at this time is defending Israel, and vanquishing the earth dwellers.
 
They also seem to have a hard time with the Christophanies of the Old Testament, the fact that Joshua was confronted by Him at night wearing a soldier’s uniform, a sword drawn in his hand, and announcing that he is the captain of the Lord’s Host, meaning that he is the very highest ranking warrior leader of God’s armies.

The world either wants to keep Jesus as a baby at Christmas who has no power; or as a pacifist unwilling to display power; either way, they can avoid his sovereignty to their own demise.

Caveat
Understanding that God displays different attributes according to the role He is fulfilling at that time, we must still understand the deficiency in defining God according to those, or any attributes; because attributes are not a definition of essence.  And whenever we attempt to define God according to His attributes we in essence attempt to minimize and compartmentalized Him.  We attempt to bring Him down to our capacity to understand.  How can the finite define the infinite?  It can’t, and any attempt to do so is condescending. 

Yet at the same time, we are intellectual creatures, created with logic and rationality’s, and have a need to understand anything and everything.  And by necessity, we must attempt to understand or define God, while at the same time; regarding the task with great reverence.  We can never rap our arms or minds around God, and to think we can to any large extent is blasphemous.  Yet, how do we know which God is really God.  God is a title and not a personal name or descriptor.  So which deity is truly deity?  This can only be accomplished by the mere act of attempting to understand, and therefore define that deity, but to do so in reverence and awe.

Technical Definition
Elwell’s Evangelical Dictionary of Theology says, concerning the attributes of God:

God is an invisible, personal, and living Spirit, distinguished from all other spirits by several kinds of attributes: metaphysically God is self-existent, eternal, and unchanging; intellectually God is omniscient, faithful, and wise; ethically God is just, merciful, and loving; emotionally God detests evil, is long-suffering, and is compassionate; existentially God is free, authentic, and omnipotent; relationally God is transcendent in being immanent universally in providential activity, and immanent with his people in redemptive activity.2

Answer to the Question
Of those attributes which are observable concerning God, if I had to name one that was most appealing to me, it would be that attribute for which my whole existence hinges that of God’s mercy.  We know that mercy is not receiving that negative reward we deserve, and that grace is receiving that benefit we do not deserve.  Therefore, it is difficult at best to separate grace from mercy. 

What is most amazing is that God in His infinite wisdom could display both attributes of justice as well as mercy, because they are mutually exclusive.  To display mercy mandates the restraint of justice; to display justice mandates lacking the ability to display mercy.  Yet God, as only God could; devised a means to maintain both of these attributes; while also maintaining an attribute just as necessary, that of integrity. 

In comparison, how unfortunate for those deceived by the false religion of Islam.  The non-existent god of Islam, lacks mercy as well as integrity.  This imaginary god is as inconsistent, as he is cruel. 

By contrast, we as Christians have a heavenly Father, who in His role as Father, is invincible; we have a Savior, who in His role as Savior is the perfect perpetuation for sin.  Their mercy and grace unwavering, and their integrity unceasing.

Footnote to this Endnote
1. Acts 20:27 – “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.”
2. ELWELL’S EVANGELICAL DICTIONARY OF THEOLOGY, Walter A. Elwell, Baker 
     Book House Company, Grand Rapids, MI 49546, USA, 1984, electronic media.

5. Apologetics ~ A Rudimentary Example of External Biblical Evidence.
 According to secular history we know that the man Jesus existed in the place and time which the Bible records.  Even false religions (the Koran) record these facts as well as His crucifixion as a criminal.  The question then becomes from a secular point of view, in order to explain His death, He either was a liar, a lunatic, or who He said He was, the Lord; the Son of God (and for those individuals that say that Jesus never made this claim to be God, they have never really read the Gospels ~ Matt. 5:18, Luke 24:27, Luke 24:44-47, John 1:1, John 1:14, John 1:29, John 1:45, John 5:39, John 8:13-58; John 12:16, John 13:13,14; John 14:6, John 14:9; John 15:25, John 17:6-7, for starters).  We see no evidence whatsoever to indicate He was a lunatic, and if He was we are at a total absence to explain how over 500 individuals thought contrary to this.  Therefore, the pivotal question becomes either Christ was a liar, or He was who He said He was, Lord of all (which is why the Pharisees kept trying to stone Him for claiming to be God, which is what the Torah demands as punishment).  If He was a liar, and during the post-resurrection He was seen by over 500 individuals who were living when the Gospels penned (meaning as the letters were being circulated, there would people who could give creditability or dispute those claims), how did He fake His resurrection.  The hypothesis referred to as “Swooning,” where Jesus was not actually killed, but due to the temperature of the cave and other conditions He later revived.  This displays a lack of insight concerning Roman crucifixion, wherein death was from suffocation and the inability to hold oneself up by their legs, which is why when the soldiers would get tired of waiting for a prisoner to die, they would break their legs (and if a prisoner got away, the soldier would take his place – do you think that a Roman would take any chances – there is never a record of this occur, no man crucified ever lived).  Yet, Jesus only lasted six hours, and to verify His death, a soldier plunged a spear into His side up into His heart cavity, wherein both water and blood flowed.  There has never been recorded case of a prisoner of crucifixion surviving the practice.  Therefore, if Christ was a liar, and somehow 500 individuals attest that He was resurrected, Christ must have had other accomplices in His conspiracy to fake everyone one out, but who; it could only be the apostles.  What is amazing about the 12 apostles, is that the prophesied one Judas, who took his own life, John lived to a ripe old age which appears to be somehow related to Christ’s words? (John 21:22), the remaining 10, according to secular history died as martyrs for the faith, claiming that the resurrection was true.  Now presuppose that you lived during this time in history when there was no common communications as we know it today.  And if you were a liar, 1000 miles from all your friends and were told you would be killed unless you were canted the Gospel story, why not recant.  I mean you could meet up with others later and claim that you did not recant, but were miraculously saved, who would know.  Yet, there has never been a story found in all of secular history of this occurring.  What secular history has recorded is that the 10 apostles of Jesus Christ were all tortured and murdered for claiming that Jesus Christ was the divine Son of God, that was resurrected three days after his death.  Peradventure, that a virtuous man would give his life for his brother; could we imagine that a liar would ever give his life for a lie, that he knew was a lie, when it wasn’t necessary to do so in order to maintain his integrity with his co-conspirators.
6. It is ironic when Black Liberation Theology proponents, and those that refer to themselves as Christian liberals desecrate the Bible based upon what they suggest is God’s sanction of slavery, as if the Bible was suggesting the type of slavery that they referred to as the brutalization that occurred on Southern plantations up until a century ago, was the same.  They gloss over the history that the original slave traders were Black African chieftains who captured to make money on the slave trade, never allowing the white-man beyond their coastline, or that many slaves were treated very well.  However, this does not take from the fact that slavery is perhaps the worst injustice perpetrated in American history.  So that individuals do not misunderstand what I am saying, there is no rationality for slavery as it is practice outside of God’s Word; which is not a rationality, but instructions so individuals will not become abused.  I am not supporting slavery in any way, shape, or form.  Man was created to be free, and the first and most important right due to humanity is this freedom.  Without freedom we have no choice to respond to God’s love, and choose to have faith in Him or to reject Him.  You asked me why God does not destroy evil as it exists today, it is because of the love He has for us; and that to destroy all evil, He would have to destroy all humanity.  And for the love that God had for man, He has allowed evil to exist – yet this is due because of the complete necessity of freedom.  And it is God, our Creator who tolerates sin, as opposed to destroying the sinner.  Of all the inhumanity of man, outside of mass genocide and murder; next in line is that of slavery.  The slavery that was practiced in United States displays perhaps the greatest wickedness of mankind, with the mass-murder of American Indians and enslaving them, as well as the wholesale destruction of their way of life and great nation (there are so many examples of the atrocities that we have done, neglecting any at this time is only because of a lack of space, we do not have time to address such examples as the interment of American Japanese during World War II, and many other atrocities that even now occur on a daily basis).  Fallen man, throughout history has done diabolical and evil things to each other, yet to equate God’s directions concerning servitude with the slavery of the United States is completely without merit.  It only takes a simple reading of the basic doctrine of Black Liberation Theology to understand that these are Christian cults, which have nothing to do with the true gospel of Jesus Christ.  Denigrating the atonement of Jesus Christ concerning salvation by faith in Christ alone into a corporate salvation, where social justice and the social gospel are foundational.  They openly teach that Christianity has been shanghaied and polluted by white Caucasians who have attempted to use the Bible in an effort to conquer the known world under the guise of capitalism. 

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A Personal Note

 It has been my practice to attempt to produce a blog essay each week.  However, due to medical processes and surgeries I have went through recently, it will be another week or so until I produce my next blog.  By the middle of the month we should be back on schedule.  Consistency has been a fervent goal of this ministry, but I think I need to take a few more days off.

Just for information to my friends the following is what I have undergone in the last month or so. 

Emergency room visit because of kidney stones. Apparent heart or upper body pain which mandated a heart Cath Lab procedure for arterial blockage.  An upper G.I. and lower G.I. (the colonoscopy was my Christmas present – G thanks). Two CAT scans and an ultrasound, trick finger thumb surgery, and gallbladder removal, and liver biopsy. 

The end result is I’m in great shape, no artery blockage, or other major problems besides the gallbladder trouble.  But between this and the dozen or so doctor’s visits I feel like a human pin cushion. 

Not complaining, God has always been more than faithful; even with the answers are not positive; such as having cancer a decade ago.

In fact what is amazing is how God has so orchestrated all of the above for an individual that didn’t any have insurance 60 days ago, and without necessitating the building up of bills. 

No, what I need to say is that God has always taken great care of me, and the above is just more proof of that.

And none of God’s grace is less deserved than one such as myself.  I don’t normally share personally like this, but let me take this opportunity to affirm that as most of us, I am a terrible sinner; who has spent most of his life serving self and neglecting God.  

Yet, God is faithful to His word that He would save a wretch as I, holding nothing back; providing nothing but the best, yet this does not mean that He gives me only good things.  It is those unanswered prayers (not really, the answer was just no), where the unavoidable pain and loss occur, that I’ve learned to praise God for the most.  

This is the reason I harp so much on faith, it is because most of the church world miss-believe that faith is a tool to receive what you’re asking for; rather than a condition for a relationship with the living God wherein you trust Him even when the results are painful. 

The name it and claim it guys have to leave out vast portions of Scripture, while reinterpreting others in order to pander to the lust of the flesh in order to produce their message that the sign of Christianity is wealth and prosperity.

The simple question is this, if wealth and prosperity without trial and tribulation are a reflection of the Christian walk, then all of the apostles and Christ Himself died failures. 

This form of faith is not only abusive, it is illegitimate.  Job said it well when he said: “Though he slay me, yet will I have trust in him…;” (Job 13:15) and Christ said it best when He said: “…nevertheless not my will, but thine be done” (Luke 22:42).

Thank you for your commitment of time, and hopefully investment in time in visiting this ministry and blog site.  As the world has much to fear in the coming years, we have so much more to look forward too; that of the coming of our Lord and the reign of His “kingdom on earth” (“…thy kingdom come…”).   

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Judging – Church Discipline – Forgiveness & Turning the Cheek

Judging

Introduction
I am re-issuing this essay due to the necessity of understanding the subject matter.  Especially in light of how important this teaching is, as it was when the church was first established.

 

Pacifism
Pacifism is one of the great tools of the enemy in order to douse the flames of evangelism within the world, and emasculate the church.

 

If you cannot kill your enemy, then by all means talk him into voluntarily giving up his life by not defending himself; so that the message will be stopped. 

 

Now this is not the same as being a martyr for the cross of Jesus Christ.  There are times in situations where a believer must make a choice: recant or be willing to die for our belief in Christ – that is not what we are speaking about here. 

 

Many in the liberal church has turned Christ into a milk-toast pacifist.  Refusing to understand that His first coming displayed a particular role that He had to play, that of the sacrificial lamb that would die for the sins of the world (John 1:29).  However, His second coming displays a completely different role, that of the warrior King (Revelation 19:11,14,18,19,21) that comes to conquer His enemies and to save His people, the remnant of Israel.  

 

I have often said that the world has no problem accepting a neutered Christ, a baby in a manger who has no power.  They can even accept a young prophet  who’s a pacifist and makes no great demands, but seems to teach social justice. 

 

Their problem is a God King that demands their rights and liberties, and even their very bodies; commanding to be sovereign within their life. 

 

Judgment
Within our current generation, due to this Gondi like presentation of Christ, wherein pacifism is the standard; how easy it is to demand that people not use discernment, biblically speaking, judgment; which appears to be so hard hearted. 

 

Yet, this is perhaps the greatest tool of our generation that Satan has used to hinder the spiritual growth of the church.  If no one is allowed to use discernment, then everybody can do whatever they want.  And fact, you can talk about the power of the authority of the Word of God, but without the discernment to hold others accountable for their behavior when it opposes God’s Word; where is the cleansing force God’s Word is meant to maintain within the church. 

 

Therefore, it is only when the church follows the example of the first century church and exercises proper Biblical judgment concerning that which is righteous according to God’s Word, and that which is proper according to God’s Will, that the church will again be empowered to affect the world as occurred in the 17th and 18th century, with more headway for salvation made than has ever been known in the history of man – or is it too late. 

 

Have we refused to judge others so that they in turn will not be allowed to judge us in return, to the extent that there is no going back?  First, let’s take a look at the issue at hand.

 

Judgment is not the Same as Condemnation
It is common in Christian circles to hear believers state that “we should not judge other people,” and while we are never to condemn (Greek: kataÌkrima, to render “condemnation” ~ Romans 5:16, 18; 8:1) another person, as this is God’s role and not ours; this statement is not completely true, in fact sometimes it is completely false because we are commanded to judge others¹.  what is unfortunate concerning our English translation of the Greek New Testament, is that the English word “judgment” is translated from more than a few Greek words which don’t have the same meaning in the Greek.  Sometimes the Greek word is the equivalent of the English judgment, as in the use of discernment.  However, sometimes the Greek base word is the word “condemnation,” in the sense of condemning something or someone to hell, which is only God’s privy.  Unfortunately, the same English word “judgment” is translated for these two opposing Greek words, wherein in the Greek the use of discernment is never considered on par with the use condemnation.

 

Correct Application
We are to “keep” God’s Word (Deuteronomy 11:8, 18-22; Psalm 19:13), which mandates that we watch (Greek: gregoreuo: which means “to give strict attention to”; “to exercise judgment and discretion in the most serious sense of readiness and awareness”) how others interpret it (Acts 17:11), and teach it (Acts 20:28-32; Romans 16:17-18), which will lead to identifying those false prophets and teachers that distort the Word of God (2 Corinthians 11:12-15; Galatians 1:6-10; Ephesians 5:6-11; Colossians 2:4,8; 18-19), for without watching and staying aware (1 Thessalonians 5:6; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4), the ability to be productive workman for the kingdom is made null and void (2 Timothy 2:15).

 

We are to judge when believers sin against other believers, such as defrauding each other financially (1 Corinthians 6:1-4), though this is normally referred to as church discipline (Matthew 18:15-20²), it is the discernment of the individual members of the church that is necessary, not just the pastor (1 Corinthians 6:5).

We are also to judge other believer’s behaviors within the church which are sinful (1 Corinthians 5:1-12; 6:2-6).

We are to judge the actions of our leaders as well (Matthew 7:15-23), determining by their behavior, referred to as their “fruit“, if it lines up with sound Biblical doctrine, displaying what good spiritual leadership should entail, or if their behaviors can identify them as false leaders or prophets (2 Peter 2:1-3).

Fallen Human Nature & Judging
At the worldly, secular level it is common to observe a lack of desire to judge or be judged, which becomes understandable in light of the natural (fallen nature) human rejection of authority in general (Proverbs 12:15; 16:2; 21:2), and the authority of God in particular (Psalms 107:8-11; 10:4). Added to this is the observation that the display of judgment lends itself to the manifestation of condescension, aggression, a lack of sensitivity or being unsympathetic, and of being inconsiderate, callous, unkind, or harsh.

What is unfortunate is that those in the church are following this example, many times in the name of tolerance, diversity, acceptance, and what it refers to as love.

However, without the ability to discern, there is no ability to rightly choose, and without the ability to choose correctly [only made possible by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit] we are cursed to follow the sin nature, which is opposed to the Word of God.

The Source of Godly Discernment
Perhaps the most elegant passage that addresses the application of judgment, also referred to as discernment is found in Hebrews 5:11-14, which states:

“Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

  

First, we should note that the writer states that in spite of his desire to press on and teach the weightier issues of God’s Word, he cannot because they are dull of hearing. He goes on to state that in spite of the amount of time that they have been believers, in which they should be teachers by now, they haven’t even began to understand the elementary principles and doctrines of God’s Word, which he refers to as milk, that they are unable to metabolize whole food, the more deeper issues presented in God’s Word.

 

Discernment & Spiritual Growth
What a pathetic picture the author draws, that of believers who should be spiritual adults, yet spiritually immature believers unable to dig deeper into God’s Word; not because they have not heard the teachings, not because there’s not been a teacher to explain it, not because there is a lack of ability to perceive what is stated cognitively; but because of their lack of exercising proper judgment concerning what is good and evil. In the same way that faith is like a muscle and must be stretched and used in order to grow, the same principle is true concerning Spirituality, wherein the muscle that must be stretched is that of judgment and discernment. There must be an application of God’s Word concerning what is right or wrong in order to create the condition for yet further growth.

 

It’s like a baby that does not practice crawling, can never achieve the muscle necessary for standing. What is unfortunate is that the lack of ability to judge is formulated because of a lack of desire to use it.

Discernment, which is simply a politically correct way of saying judgment, must be used or it will be lost. And when there is a lack of judgment there is a lack of ability to spiritually perceive reality, and see what the Holy Spirit wishes to teach the believer from God’s Word.

 

The Connection
There is a connection between spiritual perception, the understanding of God’s Word, spiritual growth, the ability to discern good and evil

                                                  and

The repetitive and habitual use of Biblical judgment.

 

Correctly Dividing God’s Word Regarding Judgment
As was stated in the introduction, many times we hear well-meaning Christians state we are not to judge one another, citing Matthew 7:1, or Luke 6:37, or Romans 2:1.

Summary
What this means is that there are many believers who cannot perceive deeper spiritual truths in God’s Word, which are necessary for spiritual growth, because of their refusal to exercise discernment according to God’s Word; and are therefore lacking spiritual perception concerning what is good and what is evil.

 

Matthew 7:1
However, concerning these three passages (Matthew 7:1, or Luke 6:37, or Romans 2:1; which appear to be abused more than most), we need to exercise grammatical and contextual integrity in examining them. Matthew 7:1-5, states:

 

“Judge [Greek: krino] not, that ye be not judged [Greek: krino] .  For with what judgment (Greek: krima) ye judge [Greek: krino], ye shall be judged[Greek: krino]: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”

 

In verse one, the Greek word for judge (Greek: krino)³is a verb wherein the word can mean judgment but it can also mean condemnation, depending on the grammar, and condemnation is not about evaluating something, but it is about damning the person.

 

Concerning the grammar concerning the above Greek word “judgment” (Greek: krima) used in this verse, it is a verb, the tense is present (a continuous, never stopping action), the voice is active (the person being spoken to is doing the action, not receiving it), the mood is imperative (this is a command, it is absolute, the person doing it is not ambiguous), and the person is second (the command is to anyone), and the number is plural (the command applies to everyone, no exceptions).⁴ What this means is that the judgment was a continuous action, never stopping, not contingent upon the situation but upon the person who continually judged. The judgment was therefore not discernment, but and attitude of condemning others which is prohibited.  And the condemnation came from the person was not a reflection on God’s Word, but their own opinion.  This grammar displays a permanent attitude of superiority, wherein the final result is ultimate condemnation (this word in the English, though it has the same base as the other word for Judge; would better be translated “condemnation,” it is the grammar that more fully displays the difference in these two Greek words), that of condemning someone to hell in judgment.  This command from our Lord to not condemn others applied to His local audience as well as you and I, and it pertains to everyone.

 

Defined & Applied
What this means is that the intention of the word  (“judgment” ~ Greek: krima) was “condemnation,” not simple discernment or judgment, but putting oneself in a place of superiority in condemning another person, and doing so in hypocrisy. This is seen in contrast to the correct application of judgment where discernment and judgment are rendered rather than condemnation, and where the person doing the judgment does so not in hypocrisy, but yet in humility in accordance with God’s Word. The point is, this is not about a subjective opinion, this is about application of God’s determination of right and wrong. It is applying God’s Word to a situation where judgment is necessary in order to bring correction, as opposed to condemnation and self-righteousness which is never correct.

 

Robertson states that concerning the word “judgment” used here that it was:

 

“The habit of censoriousness, sharp, unjust criticism. Our word ‘critic’ is from this very word. It means to separate, distinguish, discriminate, that is necessary. But prejudice (which is prejudgment) is unfair, and captious criticism.”⁵

 

Barnes states concerning this passage in the word “judgment“:

 

“Judge not … - This command refers to rash, censorious, and unjust judgment. See Romans 2:1. Luke 6:37 explains it in the sense of “condemning.” Christ does not condemn judging as a magistrate, for that, when according to justice, is lawful and necessary. Nor does he condemn our “forming an opinion” of the conduct of others, for it is impossible “not” to form an opinion of conduct that we know to be evil. But what he refers to is a habit of forming a judgment hastily, harshly, and without an allowance for every palliating circumstance, and a habit of “expressing” such an opinion harshly and unnecessarily when formed. It rather refers to private judgment than “judicial,” and perhaps primarily to the customs of the scribes and Pharisees.”⁶

  

What we need to see about this particular use of the word judgment was that the focus was not on the judgment, but upon condemnation, as well as inappropriate hypocrisy when judgment was merited. What Jesus is honing in on is the attitude of the person, who did not have genuine concern for the person they observed as having a mote in their eye, and was the observer in a position to where they had clarity to truly discern the situation, by not having a mote and their own eye. This passage deals with pride, arrogance, and condemnation, along with hypocrisy, and spiritual immaturity; it is not condemning discernment or evaluation in judging, but the use of judging others in an immature ungodly manner.

 

The Real Issue
It is by noticing that verse 5 goes on to instruct the hypocrite that once he has corrected his own error, to go on and address the error of his brother, in support of helping a brother by the exercise of judgment that needs to be focused in on concerning the subject of judgment.

 

What should also be noted is that a few sentences later, at verse 15 and 16, Jesus commands (Jesus states: “beware” ~ Greek: prosecho ~ which is in the imperative in the Greek, meaning it is a command not an option) the people to become fruit inspectors, meaning that they were to judge the behaviors of their leaders to discern if they were teachers according to God and His Will, or false teachers.

 

Without proper judgment, without proper discernment; the believer is not properly using God’s Word or following His guidance.  Judgment is not only a privilege (1 Corinthians 6:2-3) but a necessity as far as God is concerned (1 Corinthians 6:5).

 

Acting ~ Hypocrisy
One other aspect concerning hypocrisy is seen in the Greek word for “hypocrite” which is based upon one of its derivatives combined with the Greek word for “to cover,” meaning: “a person that judges from behind a mask.“  This word was used of actors. The Greek plays, which were symbolized by two masks, one laughing and the other crying (this icon has been used ever since movies originated), goes back to this idea. Hypocrites are not those that say one thing, and do another, they are individuals that hide behind a mask and judge and mock those in front of them. This is what the actors had the ability to do because of the cover of the mask while they were wearing (these masks were not worn on the face, but held in front of the face with stick which was held by the actor, in order to disguise who they were, but also what they were really feeling. This was a valuable tool concerning sarcasm, condescension, and mockery. Sometimes the actor presented according to their words sympathy while behind the mask truly feeling sarcasm or contempt) them on stage.

 

Luke 6:37
This passage appears to be a reintegration of the sermon of the Mount as was in the above Matthew passage.

 

Romans 2:1
Concerning the context of the Romans 2:1 passage, it would be best to consider as much of it as possible to gain the full context, at least through verse 11, which states:

 

“Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.”

 

Proper Outline

First, it must be understood that this passage is to the unbeliever, not the believer. The unbeliever has no ability to discern or judge anything due to their spiritual deadness, which in turn mandates spiritual blindness. This essay, concerning discernment only applies to born-again believers, and only applies to those that by studying God’s Word, and exercising what God has said concerning good and evil, have gained the ability to correctly judge the world they live in, as always only according to and by God’s Word. In no way is this essay meant to separate Biblical discernment from God’s Word, Biblical discernment cannot be separated from God’s Word. It is when the believer has hid God’s Word in his heart⁷, has studied God’s Word and taken it as his own, when he has incorporated God’s views and judgments; that the believer can thus exercise discernment.

 

When reading the above passage in Romans in context, it is clear that God is contrasting the arrogant, presumptuous, evil type of judgment of fallen man (nonbelievers) in relation to God’s own judgment and that God speaks against those that condemn according to their own blindness. This passage has nothing to do with the judgment which comes according to the Holy Spirit as seen in God’s Word, meant for reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness, as stated in 2 Timothy 3:16, which states:

 

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine [teaching ~ “what is right”], for reproof [correcting wrong doctrine ~ “what's wrong”], for correction [correcting wrong behavior ~ “how to get it right”], for instruction [teaching right living ~ “how to stay right”] in righteousness“

 

The reason for all of this is explained why in the next verse (2 Timothy 3:17), which tells us:

 

“That the man of God may be perfect [Greek: artios: "complete, sufficient, qualified"]³, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

 

Correct Application
What we must understand is that there are many different aspects (over 12 words in the Hebrew and Greek, with more diverse renderings according to the grammar) to the root word for “judgment“ (such as: judge, judging, judged, judgment, discern, separate, select, choose, to determine, to examine, investigate, question, to separate throughout, discriminate, to decide, to judge, to pronounce judgment, to condemn⁴).

 

A few examples taken from the Word of God concerning the word “judgment” in regards to diverse applications are:

 

1) Execution of Judgment ~ Only God’s prerogative ~ 2 Thess. 2:12; Acts 7:7.
2) Making the Judgment of Condemnation ~ Man’s wrong assumption ~ Rom. 2:1.
3) Exercising the Role of a Judge ~ Rulers ~ Matt. 5:25; 7:1; John 3:17 (Noun).
4) The Process of being under Judgment ~ A trial ~ John 3:18; 16:11; 18:31; Jas. 2:12.
5) Judgment Rendered ~ A sentence or verdict ~ Acts 15:19; 16:4; 21:25.
6) Legislative Judgment ~ Plaintiff ~ Matt. 5:40; 1 Cor. 6:1; Defendant ~ Acts 23:6.
7) Governmental Judgment ~ To administer affairs, to govern ~ Matt. 19:28; cf. Judg. 3:10.
8) Figurative Judgment ~ To make a resolve ~ Acts 3:13; 20:16; 1 Cor. 2:2.
9) Discerning Judgment ~ To form an opinion ~ Luke 7:43; John 7:24; Acts 4:19; Rom. 14:5; I Cor. 6:5, 11:31; Heb. 11:11.
10) Believers to Exercise ~ Judgment according the truthfulness of what is said (fulfilled prophecy, which is speaking for another, speaking for God, rather future tense or not) ~ Deut. 13:1-5; 2 John 7.
11) Believers to Exercise ~ Judgment according to the Biblical doctrine of the divinity of Christ ~ 1 John 4:1-3; and Jude 1:3.
12) Believers are ~ commanded by Christ judge the fruit (behavior) of spiritual leaders in determining that they are not false prophets ~ Matthew 7:15.
13) Believers to Exercise ~ Judgment according to doctrine / God’s Word ~ Acts 20:28-32; Rom. 16:17-18; Gal. 1:9; Eph. 5:6-11; Colo. 2:8; 1 Thess. 5:6, 21; 2 Thess. 2:1-4; 2 Pet. 1:20 to 2:3.
14) Believers to Exercise ~ Judgment according to the prompting of the Holy Spirit within ~ Eph. 5:10; 1 John 4:1-3 ~ 1 Tim. 4:1.
15) Believers to Exercise ~ Judgment concerning the behavior of believers in the church ~ 1 Cor. 5:12-13, 6:2-5.
16) Believers to Exercise ~ Self-Examination/ Judgment ~ Mark 4:22-25; 1 Cor. 11:31.
17) Spiritual Leaders to Exercise ~ Guarding Their Doctrine ~ 1 Tim. 4:16; 2 Tim. 4:3; Tit. 1:9 to 2:1.
18) Spiritual Leaders to Exercise ~ Guarding Their Congregation ~ 1 Tim. 6:20-21; 2 Tim. 2:23-25.

 

A Good Example
It is in understanding the diversity of a word that we gain clarity concerning what the Scriptures expect of us in exercising discretion, as compared to the act of condemnation. A good example can be found in I Corinthians 11:31, which states:

 

“For if we would judge [Greek: diakrino] ourselves, we should not be judged [Greek: krino].”

 

The literal Greek rendering is: “if we discern for ourselves, then we will not be eternally condemned” (according to the full context of the chapter which centers around the Lord’s Supper; what is implied is that if a person discerns according to Gospel, faith unto salvation, they will not be eternally judged, the discernment here is unto life.  Those in verse 29 are unbelievers, which is displayed because they could not see the value of Christ’s death, and indulged in the Lord’s Support focusing on themselves, not on Jesus’ as the only acceptable sacrifice for their sins.  In verse 32 it states literally in the Greek: “when we perceive we are condemned as sinners, this perception by faith leads to God’s training/teaching [by and through His Word] wherein we are saved apart from the world that is condemned to pay the price for that condemnation“).  The first word for judge, diakrino, means to separate thoroughly, to withdraw from, to discriminate, or decide; depending on the grammatical breakdown.  The second word for judge, krino according to its grammar means to condemn.

 

Therefore, we understand that this is stating that,

 

“if we would discern ourselves; with the implied intent of change, we would not be subject to ultimate condemnation.”

 

This is what is to take place within the life of the believer according to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

 

Lack of Discernment
In these last days, one of the most predominant features within the church is this lack of discernment which allows carnality to run rampant, even disguising itself as spirituality.

 

Some have said the greatest trick the devil ever performed was to convince the world that he was nonexistent.  Yet, I believe the greatest trick Satan has performed within the church of Jesus Christ is to convince us that the application of discernment and judgment has no place within Christendom, and that therefore tolerance and acceptance are true signs of Christian love.

 

It is when we lower the standards of God’s Word, either due to a lack of application, judgment; that we open ourselves to all kinds of worldly pursuits.

 

Corinth, a Church for 21st-century America
The church of Corinth displayed such poor judgment that it had allowed incest to be accepted openly, as well as believers defrauding other believers financially, their preoccupation with mysticism, along with signs and wonders in place of gifts of the Spirit, where the supper of the Lord was abused in drunkenness and gluttony, while others went hungry. Where selfishness became the norm to the extent that Paul worked a full-time job to support himself as well as the Ministry (which he later regretted because it added to their spiritual immaturity) no doubt exhibiting their lack of financial support in spite of the fact that they were very affluent. Yet, in a close examination it becomes apparent that all of this existed because of their lack of and refusal to exercise proper judgment according to the mind of Christ. They were a very worldly church that refused to judge and intervene according to the church discipline (Matthew 18:15-17).  Unfortunately for us, of all the New Testament churches we most resemble them today.

 

We in America are affluent and prosperous, we suffer no persecution; and yet we are also arrogant, self-centered, and morally bankrupt as a society. The buzzwords of the day which display that which is politically correct (concerning a lack of judgment) are: tolerance, broadmindedness, open-mindedness, forbearance, patience, acceptance, conformity, understanding, and respect.  As well as (concerning the selfish, me-first, “refusal to die to self,” egocentric mindset which is becoming predominant within the church) such politically correct buzzwords as: success oriented, victorious, expedience, pragmatic, and purpose driven; all words which display our narcissism, and underpin a mindset that is contingent upon a lack of judgment in what is good and what is evil concerning God’s perspective as reflected in His Word.  It is the idolatry found within Christianity today which explains why America is becoming more and more ungodly in spite of its Biblical roots.  Christian idolatry can be seen when believers:

 

“Worship Their Work, Work at Their Play, and Play at Their Worship.”

 

Deception – Warning
Without judgment we have no ability to perceive danger when it is present. This is why Jesus spoke so often about deception.  The only protection against deception is God’s Word and its application as seen in proper Biblical judgment.

Jesus repetitively warned: “Take heed that no man deceive you,” and “be not deceived,” as recorded in Matthew 24:4; Mark 13:5; Luke 21:8.

 

Paul and others also warned us concerning deception as recorded in: John 7:24; Acts 20:28; Romans 16:18; I Corinthians 3:18; 5:1-13; 6:9; 15:33; Galatians 1:6-9; 6:3,7; Ephesians 4:14; 5:6; 5:11; II Thessalonians 2:3,10; 3:6; 3:14-15; Titus 1:10-16; II Timothy 2:15; 3:5-7; Hebrews 5:14, James 1:22,26; II Peter 2:14; I John 1:5, 8; 3:7; 4:1; II John 1:6-9; as well as the seven times that the word “deceive” is used concerning the Devil in the book of Revelation.

 

What we must keep in mind is that these references are exclusively to believers, it is the believers that can be deceived when they refuse to stand firmly on God’s Word and judge according to what God has said.

 

An Example from the book of Revelation
One of the common denominators within the seven letters to the seven churches as recorded in the book of Revelation, chapters 2 and 3; is their inability to perceive their true spiritual state. It is their lack of discernment, their lack of judgment that stands out so predominantly concerning their condition, and was why they could not see the remedy to their problems.

 

Defending God’s Word
We, as the church of Jesus Christ have been granted the privilege of holding God’s Word in written form in our hands. And with privilege comes responsibility, which cannot be separated from accountability. This is why Peter said in I Peter 4:17:

 

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?”

 

Judgment Commanded

It is in realizing that many times judgment is demanded in God’s Word concerning the ability to “Watch, “or “Guard,” or in warnings such as: Be not deceived;” the point is that the Bible is filled with admonitions to judge as seen in the following examples: Mark 4:24; Acts 20:28-30; Romans 16:17-18; Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 2:4; 2:8; 2:18-19; I Corinthians 5:12,13; 6:2-5; 11:31;14:29; I Thessalonians 5:6; 5:21; II Thessalonians 2:1-4; I Timothy 4:16; 6:20-21; II Timothy 2:23-25; Titus 1:9; I John 4:1-3; and Jude 1:3.  Judgment is even demanded many times in the Bible as seen in Christ’s command (“beware” in the Greek is in the imperative, which is a command) to believers to judge the behaviors (idiomatically referred to as fruit) of their spiritual leaders to affirm that they are not false prophets, as seen in Matthew 7:15-23. Jesus also commanded judgment in John 7:24, yet “righteous judgment,” which Biblically speaking is always according to God’s Word.  The largest amount of text concerning judgment is the Biblical admonition and/or command to judge which in comparison to those passages which speak against judging because it is either condemnation or condescension; is minimal, as seen in James 2:4; 4:11, 12. Or where conditions are required, such as: Matthew 7:1; or areas where judgment is not allowed due to an incorrect application (their interpretation of fulfilling the laws of Moses), such as: Mark 2:16-28; Romans 14:1-17; Colossians 2:16.

 

 

Church Discipline

Matthew 18:15-20 ~

 

“Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”

 

A few insights concerning Church Discipline according to Jesus:

1. We, the reading audience are not who Jesus is directing addressing here as He is speaking to the second person (“thee,” or “you”), He does this to communicate that we have all been guilty of offending someone else, and within the church this is something that should be dwelt with rather than allowing it to fester.

 

2. We can assume that the person accused (whether the accusation is verbalized, or simply felt by the other) is innocent of the accusation, otherwise the Lord would have instructed him to apologize, make amends, openly confess his sin, and thereby be restored to their brother, the accuser.

 

3. Therefore, if a brother (Church Member) has something against you, you are not to wait for him to approach you; you are to go to him. Be assertive, not aggressive; be gentle, not forceful.

 

4. When you go, go alone (the first time), keep it private – don’t attempt to use others to make you feel justified, the one who is right.

 

5. You are not to go to other brothers and attempt to enlist them as a jury where you present your side, and win approval.

 

6. You are to show honor by keeping the privacy of your disagreement between yourselves, to go tell others in order to receive reassurance is actually gossip, and brings division to the church, setting people into groups, and against each other.

 

7. If you cannot convince your brother that you are right and an agreement cannot be reached between the two of you, then meet with him again and this time bring 2 or 3 other brothers as witnesses, but also to attempt to convince of him of his error.

 

8. If he refuses to concede, next you are to take the issue before the whole church as an assembly to judge.

 

9. This is not a jury situation where opinions are rendered, where discretion is allowed. Either you are vindicated according to the Bible or your brother is. This judgment is not about what others think; only who lines up with God’s Word, and who does not. It is black and white; there are no gray areas in the Bible. When there appear to be contradictory passages, clarity is obtained according to the priority as it is set in the Bible, yet always according to God’s Word.

 

10. What should be noted here is that there is no specific reference to the pastor or leader of the church being involved. No doubt that Jesus left out the Pastor so that there would be no intention of trying to draw him in and make it about the Pastor and the two of you. Church discipline involves the whole church, yet without voting. What is inferred by this is that it would be obvious to all according to their knowledge of God’s Word who is innocent and who was guilty, it is not propagating a democracy. God’s Word and the Torah are not subjective, but the idea is that the whole church was involved in the process so that if a person was excommunicated, the whole church would shun the person, and not associate with transgressor.

 

11. If the person refuses to repent (Change his mind and ways) and obey the judgment of the church, he is to be excommunicated, and treated as a heathen, not as a brother in Christ. There is not the option to show forgiveness without consequences, because the priority here is the purity of the church, without the option of mercy to individuals. Forgiveness cannot he granted without repentance, and a turning from the sin, making amends and setting it right.

 

We like to paint Jesus as a loving individual that showed mercy to all, without exception. Yet, this is an un-Biblical picture of Jesus, as repentance (changing direction ~ Acts 20:21) was mandatory (Matthew 9:13; Mark 1:4), as well as sorrow for wrongs committed (2 Corinthians 7:9, 10). The wrongdoer had to admit that they were wrong (Mark 2:17), seek for forgiveness, and be willing to make amends (Matthew 3:8; Luke 3:8; Acts 26:20). It is un-Biblical to allow sin to persist within the church, corrupting others; in the name of mercy, grace, and love; and allowing sin to go unanswered, which in reality has nothing to do with any of these 3 virtues.

It’s like allowing your oldest child to habitually violate your rules with no repercussions, while their younger siblings watch and learn from this pattern of rebellion. Excommunication is demanded in this situation, it is not an option. The motive was always to correct, to drive the brother to repentance, in order to receive him back (2 Corinthians 2:6-10). It must also be seen that when a brother was excommunicated, there was no Biblical defense against litigation. 1 Corinthians 6:1, forbids a brother from taking another brother to court, yet when a believer has been maltreated, or mistreated by a nonbeliever, they have the right as a citizen (Matthew 5:40 ~ presupposes involvement in the judicial system) to utilize the legal system which was meant as a defense against evil being allowed to permeate, and grow, perverting the community, and contaminating every one.

 

What About Forgiveness as in: “turning the cheek”

Matthew 5:38-41 ~“Ye have heard that it hath been said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the left also. And if any man will sue the act the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.”

An eye for an eye
The problem that we have in understanding this passage is our lack of awareness that it had become common during that period of time, that if a Jew (wealthy & powerful prominent individuals) had felt that he had been wronged and suffered loss at the hands of another, rather than following Gods ordained system of law (Deuteronomy 19:18-21) which dictated that a local magistrate would investigate the situation and render justice in the form of any prescribed punishment according to the law of God, the Jews would revenge themselves, which meant that it was no longer a system of justice, but of vengeance.

What Christ is NOT saying here is to disregard the law, which contained a criminal justice system concerning the punishment of criminal behavior (Matthew 7:12; Romans 3:31). What Christ is saying here is that believers are not to revenge themselves upon perpetrators, but being willing to forgo what had become the standard of the day, which was to retaliate when one was wrong. Christ is indicating that we should forgive those that offend us.

Resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other
It had become common that if a Jew felt humiliated or shamed by another, in return they would strike a person upon the cheek which in itself was viewed as a humiliation. This was usually done with an audience, in front of others as a display of shame and ridicule. The physical pain was minimal and not meant to address or correct negative behavior, but it was the humiliation of the act that was the point of the offense.

The very act of slapping another person on the face was an act of condescension, displaying pride and arrogance, and therefore considered evil in its self.  The Greek phrase used here (me antistenai toi poneroi), would be more literally translated: “resist not him that is evil,” which concerning the grammar is in the infinitive (second aorist active), an indirect command; which could place the emphasis either on “the evil man,” or “the evil deed,” but either way this plays the assumption of the definite article (“THE“) in the English, which indicates not that Christ is saying to allow evil to permeate our society, without resisting it according to God’s law (1 Timothy 1:8).  But that on any individual basis, when a believer is minimally assaulted physically, and (to the real issue at hand) is humiliated or shamed, which is evil or done by an evil person; don’t retaliate, or defend yourself physically. We must keep in view that the issue here is not so much the physical contact, but the humiliation and shame intended. This also doesn’t say that we don’t question or defend ourselves verbally. Jesus displayed this Himself when He was slapped (as a sign of humiliation and ridicule) by one of the Temple officer’s while being questioned by the High Priest (John 18:19-23), and Jesus responded by verbally defending himself and saying, “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?”

The point is that Jesus is not presenting a pacifist doctrine here. As believers we are always to fight against evil, and those that promote it, otherwise we would violate the very law which God had given to man as a reference concerning what was good, which always mandated fighting and punishing what was evil. Jesus was not contradicting the law, He did not come to change the law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:44) by dying for the sins of the world (2 Corinthians 5:21). The point was not that we are all forgiven, but that our punishment was paid by Jesus, but the point is there had to be punishment (1 John 2:2; Romans 3:25; 1 John 4:10) that the justice of God would be upheld (Romans 3:25).

What Christ is saying is that if a (small) offense is committed against you, such as being shamed by another (to reiterate, which is what being stricken on the cheek meant to the Jews, striking on the cheek was considered a non-punishable offense, one of questioning another’s integrity by publicly shaming them), take the offense and don’t revenge yourself, show honor and character in the face of humiliation.

If any man will sue thee at the law
First, and most importantly, what Jesus indicates here is that you are guilty in this litigation, and that your accuser wins against you, according to the legal conclusion against you in that the court determines to: “take away thy coat.” The law was very specific concerning the loss of personal property, especially if it was the essentials, such as a personal wardrobe (which are many consisted of the clothes on their back).

Jesus is here referring to a common occurrence of his day, wherein an individual would utilize their (tunic) inner garment as collateral for a purchase, and after being found guilty of not having fulfilled your part of the bargain, be prepared to surrender your outer garment as well. Because of the essential nature of the need of clothing, such as the tunic, in Hebrew law, the only way that your adversary could seize your tunic was because you used it as collateral for a loan and default on the loan. It was common that if an individual conducted a street transaction (bartering) and did not have the items with them (which in a case where coinage was not used or available, bartering by using animals or other intrinsic articles was common), they would leave as collateral something of greater value with the person, such as their interior coat / tunic. This is seen when Judah doesn’t have the price of bartering (“a kid of the flock“) to pay Tamar, but uses as collateral (pledge) his signet, both bracelets and his staff (Genesis 38:17-18).

Therefore what Christ is saying is if you lose litigation, indicating that you are wrong, be prepared to pay not just your obligation but even more in recompense, which in this case would be to allow the claimant to have your outer cloak as well, which was more expensive.

Whoever shall compel thee to go a mile
The expression “shall compel” was a specific terminology of Persian origin (a Figure of Speech, a current American cultural expression would be like saying “the few, the proud, …”, which would set the stage for the understanding that the reference was a expression concerning “…the Marines”), and was utilized concerning a royal standing command that was as a Royal law of the kingdom, throughout the conquered lands of Persia (from which the Jews had many times been under, such as Cyrus), and was understood that one of the officers of the King’s court could demand that a local citizen would personally escort them during their journey for a distance of up to 1 mile in aiding them during their travels. This principle was used by the Romans, and known as the law of Angaria.  Whereas verbal instructions concerning directions could be misunderstood (“go straight for 1 mile, then turn right at where Farmer Joe’s barn used to be”), having a local citizen personally take you to your destination became necessary.

The point that Christ is making is that when it comes to our civil commitments (whether they seem righteous or not), we should be willing to not only fulfill the requirement of the law, but sacrifice even more than required. Believers, as citizens are not only to meet their requirements, but to exceed them.

A final thought
It is amazing to consider that due to a lack of understanding concerning cultural issues of the (Biblical) times, that when believers do not study (studying is far more than simply reading, it is using credible Biblical dictionaries, encyclopedias, commentaries, word studies, and being fed by Spirit and guided Bible teachers; and more. If we love God with our whole being [Mark 20:30], why would we do less) God’s Word, that what they perceive superficially ends up being much different than the reality that is presented.

Summary
Concerning Matthew 5:38-41, these 3 short verses hold tremendous insights and immense meaning.

First, do not revenge yourself, but allow the Powers that God has ordained (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17) to administer justice. ~ Be a forgiving person

Second, if someone shames, humiliates, or ridicules you; do not revenge yourself, but show honor and character by not reiterating the same back. ~ Be a humble person

Thirdly, if you have been found legally guilty, and rightly so, be prepared to suffer for your wrongs into pay back even more than what seems fair. ~ Be a righteous person

Fourthly, concerning your civil commitments; be willing to not simply meet your requirements, but to exceed them as well. ~ Be a good neighbor and good citizen, therefore be a good example

Endnotes
1. See section: “Judgment Commanded,” from our teaching website,  located in the endnotes of the “Faith” webpage of www.faithbibleministries.com
2. See section: “Church Discipline,” from our teaching website,  located in the endnotes of the “Faith” webpage of www.faithbibleministries.com 
3. Thayer’s Greek Definitions, Parsons Technology Inc., Cedar Rapids, IA 52404.
4. Robinson’s  Morphological Analysis Codes, eSword, Ver. 9, Rick Myers, esword.org.
5. Robertson’s Word Pictures In The New Testament, Vol. IV, A.T. Robertson, Broadman Press Inc., Nashville, TN 37234.
6. Albert Barne’s Notes On The Bilbe, William McDonald, Thomas Nelson Pub., Nashville , TN.
7. Psalms 119:11 ~ “Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

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A Gun, a Dog, Burnt Hands, and the Cross; and How they’re All Connected.

This is dedicated to Nonni, as I promised that I would write a ”real” blog. Reissued

What an unusual title for a post, you might be thinking; and you would be absolutely correct.  Let us see if I can make sense of this enigma in the form of a title.

Prelude
I am a second amendment advocate.  No, I not only believe in the constitutional right to bear arms as an individual (which also meant to be organized with a group of my fellow citizens – a militia, which was a generic term used at the writing of the Constitution which did not include a formal regiment or standing army.  The word militia has changed in its meaning, yet it is the meaning of the writers that is most important – this is why I am considered a constitutionalist, a purist concerning the document), I believe in the biblical mandate concerning self-defense and the protection of one’s family as well (please see my next post concerning: “Judging – Church Discipline – Forgiveness &; Turning the Cheek  concerning Christianity and proper judgment” – and please use parentheses on both sides within the search bar, which also addresses turning the cheek and Christian pacifism). 

I’m not speaking about revenge on a personal basis, nor am I addressing justice on a secular basis; but God’s directive to protect myself as His vessel (unless God has directed otherwise, or the situation is better served by dying for the cause, such as the persecution of Christians who were martyred for their belief – and died for the gospel of Jesus Christ), as well as those under my roof.  Now what does this have to do with a dog, burnt hands, and the cross; I hope the following will explain. 

A Gun
Having been a police officer and an investigator; I was privileged to have the ability to carry a firearm to protect myself and others.  Many have called me a gun nut, at least those that lean more to the left – however, I would take issue with that type of description as being bigoted and inappropriate at least concerning myself.  To know my heart, is to know that the use of a gun has never been my desire, yet the ability to use a gun always has – it is this deterrent factor that has saved my life on more than a few occasions. 

You see I have been firearm trained through 2.5 police academies (don’t ask about the .5); and had to re-qualify every year for over a dozen years, spending 24 hours each year going over the laws, as well as the technical proficiency of firearms handling and discharge.  In that training; and in my law enforcement career I had mentally prepared myself to take a life in the protection of saving a life.  Because the only reason to use a gun is to stop somebody else from taking your life or someone else’s life, and in that action you never shoot to wound because that does not stop the assailant’s behavior immediately, you shoot to kill – this is what stops the other person from killing someone else.  So to me the gun was a tool to save life, not take it. 

Yes, this was accomplished by taking the life of the perpetrator (and it was the perpetrators choice to put himself in a position where his life would be taken by cold heartedly attempting to take another persons life, whereas the victim had not chosen such an evil behavior) who is attempting to kill someone else, yet it was the only full proof way of immediately stopping someone from murder, hence it is referred to as self-defense; and while it is killing – it is not murder.  Murder, or attempted murder is when someone attempts to unlawfully take the life of another, and the only lawful way to take the life of another was in protecting yourself or another person from murder.  Not too complicated when you really think about it, yet not quite what the liberal anti-gun proponents might attempt to present. 

I’ve always understood that you don’t hesitate in an emergency situation, you don’t second-guess yourself when someone’s life is on the line; you pull your firearm and shoot mid body mass – the heart, in order to defend someone else’s life.  This sounds gruesome, but I have always felt that it is one of the noblest of all acts of man, that of saving someone else’s life.  The reason I find nobility in this type of killing; is in understanding my own mindset of what it would cost me to do so. 

I am painfully aware that due to my sensitive conscience, if I ever had to take a human life it would bother me every day that I lived afterwards.  Yet, what I could not live with is the thought of my in-action costing an innocent person their life.  You see if I ever used a gun, even if I shot Charlie Manson; it would come at a very grave price to my own conscience.  And not simply a thought that would bother me, I know myself well enough to say that there would be many tears; and thoughts of the loss of that human being to his own family (and for those that feel that Christianity promotes passivity – you are biblically wrong.  Again, please see the following post: “Judging – Church Discipline – Forgiveness &; Turning the Cheek  concerning Christianity and proper judgment” – and please use parentheses on both side within the search bar ~ I will reissue it soon). 

Thankfully, this has not ever taken place.  Though as a deterrent on many occasions having a firearm in my hands stopped a felon in his tracks, while also protecting myself and others.  What is my point; it is that things sometimes don’t appear as they really are.  And what does this have to do with a dog, burnt hands, and that cross; well it is an analogy, a metaphor for explaining a principle that is hard to comprehend.  Perhaps explaining the story of “a dog” would help you understand the story of the gun, and how it relates to burnt hands, and the cross.

A Dog
There was a lady who was quite dismayed that her husband had purchased a new puppy for their baby.  She was painfully aware that it was her that would feed this “urinating in the house,” “barking at night,” “whining for attention,” “flea carrying mongrel.”  She would be the one picking up the poop in and outside.  She would be the one preparing its meals.  She would be the one that would watch this 4 legged creature lick the face of her baby – she did not like having a dog.  However, something would change this opinion when her baby was 3 years old. 

You see although the baby was still a baby at 3 years old, the dog had grown into adulthood at 3 years; and as all dogs are faithful true and better than humans when it comes to loyalty and honor, this dog loved the little boy – with undying affection.  And while this baby was very beautiful, some saying he would grow up to be a model, Rex the dog was an ugly mix breed mutt. 

There wasn’t a day that went by that the woman did not display her disgust for Rex.  One day while the little boy was playing in the backyard, the mother heard the dog bark in an unusual manner.  Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a figure of a man in the backyard approaching the baby, with the dog in between the two.  As she turned to see what was going on, to her horror she could see that the individual was dressed in all black, with a mask on, and obviously attempting to abduct the baby.  And there was Rex, barking in a very aggressive manner, biting at the man and holding him off, until the perpetrator pulled out a knife and cut Rex repeatedly; but Rex did not retreat, he stood his ground and protected the little boy from the abductor. 

While running to the backyard the women dialed 911 and yelled help, dropping the phone as she ran, while yelling and screaming at the perpetrator, who then ran off.  When the woman approached Rex she thought he was dead though he didn’t stop lunging at the man until the man ran off, then Rex fell over, as though dead.  The woman grabbed her baby and Rex, and without thought drove to the animal hospital, calling the police on her way to give them the details of the situation.  Some dogs are beautiful in their appearance, long flowing hair, beautiful colors, profound in the stature of their breed, even exquisite physique; however Rex was none of these – he was an ugly mix breed mutt, who loved to roll around in mud, play in the water, and get into the trash. 

These are just a few of the reasons why the woman had such great disdain for this dog living in her immaculate house, which she worked very hard to keep that way in spite of this four-legged creature.  However, after the situation their relationship totally changed. 

Now Rex was a member of the house, treated with privileges even beyond his masters.  The woman fed Rex the best dog food, bought him treats and toys; but more importantly displayed love and affection for Rex that he had never known before from this woman.  This ugly mutt was now treated like a Prince due to the quality and honor that he displayed in loving this woman’s child – Rex now had meaning and importance in the eyes of the woman who she could never repay, though would spend the next 10 years attempting to do so until the day Rex died, which broke her heart. 

Now what does this have to do with the subject at hand, well let me use yet one last analogy to paint the picture, that of burnt hands.

Burnt Hands
There was a beautiful teenage girl who was dearly loved by her family and fostered in every pursuit that she would endeavor.  She was on the cheerleading squad, the debate squad, the high school newspaper, and on the student council.  She was outgoing and popular, and excelled at anything she attempted.  Much of this had to do with the adulation, love, acceptance, and encouragement of her mother. 

However, in spite of all that her mother had done in promoting her physical and emotional well-being; it was noticeable that the girl was ashamed of her mother; attempting to avoid her mother ever been seen in public with her.  Yet, this never detracted the mother from supporting her daughter in every manner she could. 

The girl was not a bad girl, yet due to her popularity and social stature she had become somewhat vain, and the problem with her mother was not her mother per se; but the fact that she had terribly scarred hands and arms which embarrassed the daughter when seen in public. 

Finally, a situation arose in which the daughter blatantly told the mother she didn’t want her to be seen in public because of her scares, and the embarrassment it brought to the daughter. 

A few days later, the mother walked into the daughter’s room late one night and while saying good night, her daughter asked how did her hands and arms get so horribly disfigured.  The mother hesitated, then sit down on the bed and said, “I’ve not wanted to share this story with you until you are old enough to understand, maybe now is the right time.  When you were a few months old and we lived in an old house on Jefferson Street, there was a terrible fire, and your nursery was on the second floor. 

I had put you down for your nap and went downstairs to do the laundry.  After some time I smelled what smelled like burnt rubber, and started to investigate.  As I started up the stairs I could smell smoke and see it coming out of the cracks of the door of your room.  As I ran to your room and opened the door, in horror I could see that the room was filled with smoke, and I saw flames in the corner were your crib was located.  I ran over to see my greatest fear; the outer frame of your crib was engulfed in flames.  As I went to reach for you in the crib, the railing, which was on fire was too high to reach you, so I had to reach into the flames to lower the railing, I then reached inside and grabbed you why the flames engulfed my arms and upper body.  You were not burned in any way, though you did have smoke inhalation. 

I spent months in the hospital, and spent years undergoing reconstructive surgery on my hands, arms, chest, and shoulders while you are still quite young.”  As the mother looked up from having her eyes fixed on the floor during the story, she could see the tears flowing from her daughter’s cheeks.  The daughter grabbed her mother’s burnt hands so tenderly and started kissing them. 

This changed the girl’s attitude and perspective as she understood that this terrible disfigurement was the ultimate display of her mother’s undying love 

The Cross
Now you understand why I love the cross of Jesus Christ.  The cross is a cruel instrument of death and shame; yet it was by my Lord’s willingness to die on the cross that He displayed His love for me in such an overwhelming manner.

Now maybe you understand the connection between a gun, a dog, burnt hands, and the cross. 

Sometimes the value of something is not readily apparent.

And sometimes things aren’t always as they seem.  Sometimes an instrument of death, such as a gun can save the life of a beloved family member, and becomes an instrument of life; sometimes an ugly old dog that appears to have no value can protect the thing that we love the most, and sometimes terrible scars are a visible reminder of sacrificial love – yet all of these are pale in comparison to the apparent barbarism of a Roman cross, a cross that exhibits what our Lord went through when He was nailed to it for our sins – a thing of pain, ridicule , and shame becomes a beautiful symbol of love.

“Whereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”  (1 John 3:16) 

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Is there a Difference between Jesus being Savior & Jesus being Lord?

                                                                                  

                   Yes, there is a vast difference if you try to seperate the two.

Primise
It has been said that there are three mindsets concerning presenting the Gospel to the unsaved:

1) those that demand too much,
2) those that demand too little; and
3) those that present the gospel correctly.

Concerning those that demand too much, there are some that would seek to set such legalistic standards to salvation, those that would “strain and a gnat and swallow a camel“ (Matthew 23:24); attempting to foster legalism when explaining salvation to the unregenerate (this will not be discussed in this post, but will be addressed in a later blog).  And then there are those that would attempt to paint such a pretty picture of the Christian walk, to make it attractive at the expense of the truth; that many false converts in our churches enter only leave once they find out that the true Christian walk demands everything we own, sometimes even our very lives.

Presenting Jesus as Savior only, not Lord
It is this second group, those that would present the gospel in such a milquetoast manner that they would not explain to the potential convert the full ramifications of following Jesus Christ (“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” ~ Luke 19:23). 

This is never to imply that one earns their salvation, or that they trade or barter for the same (“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” ~ Ephesians 2:8-9). 

However, if one attempts to present Christ as the Savior of mankind who has come to die for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2), without presenting Jesus as the Lord (John 13:13; Matthew 12:8) and King (John 18:37; Revelation 19:16) over the followers life, this is deceptive and unworthy of those that say they are His followers.  It is unfortunate that many supposed believers do not have enough faith in God that they would think that they must leave out the hard parts of the story in trying to sell Jesus Christ by presenting only a positive side of the issue.  Yet, there are many who take on the mindset of a salesman in presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ, and in the process emasculate the power of God, while denigrating His sovereignty.  The point is that there will be trials and tribulations of this world if follow (following Jesus Christ is a euphemism which is synonymous with becoming a believer, accepting the grace given to become a son of God, adopted into God’s family – there are those that attempt to delegate this word beyond its natural meaning as Jesus used it) Jesus Christ (“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” ~ John 16:33; and Mark 13:21).  However, this is nothing in comparison to what is gained in the next world, or the punishment for rejecting God’s Son in hell for all of eternity. 

The Great Caveat – Your Saved from Hell in Eternity, but you will Go through Tribulation Here.

Therefore, it is an imperative to witnessing concerning Jesus Christ that we fully explain what becoming a follower and believer in Jesus Christ mandates of our life.  Jesus doesn’t want only our Sundays and our money; He wants everything, all of us - we no longer own ourselves (“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own” ~ 1 Corinthians 6:19); we are that which He purchased with His own blood (“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” ~ 1 Corinthians 6:20; and 1 Cor. 7:23; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; 1 Pet. 2:9; 2 Pet. 2:1; Rev.5:9; Acts 20:28).  We must be completely frank about this in order to fully prepare the new convert with the mindset that trials (“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” ~ 1 Peter 4:12-13) and tribulations (Matthew 13:21) are a part of this walk, and to gloss over this point we lack preparing them for the reality they are about to enter, while also being dishonest in the process.

Witnessing
For the last century, attempting to present the gospel of Jesus Christ to the unsaved has been referred to as witnessing (“witness,” from the Greek: martus, which we get our English word “martyr;” in that to witness was synonymous with pledging your life concerning the trustworthiness of that which was stated - been willing to die rather than to recant – and willing to die if it was a lie - Acts 1:8), which is spoken of as leading to an individual to Jesus Christ.  Its main purpose has been a one time encounter to solicit a convert.  And while the idea of making converts is Biblical (Matt. 13:15; Matt. 18:3; Mark 4:12; Luke 22:32; Johe 12:40; Acts 3:19; Acts 28:27; James 5:19; James 5:20;), the idea of a one-time encounter is not.  Jesus instructions concerning converts is seen in Matthew 28:19-20, which states:

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

We need to notice a few aspects of Jesus instructions (time does not permit to take the verses in whole, which would take more than a few pages, we will take the first verbs of each verse), He says:

1) “Go,” Jesus doesn’t say to bring them into the church - make them come to you; but go to them.  We are to present the gospel in the world, to the potential convert where they are at.  The verb, “Go,” is in the aorist tense, which is characterized by its emphasis on punctiliar action (point action – occuring in time); that is, the concept of the verb is considered without regard for past, present, or future time.  It is a passive deponent voice which in almost all cases are translated as being in the passive voice, which is the voice that represents the subject as being the recipient of the action.  Hence, the subject; those that Jesus is speaking to, the hearers - us, we are to “Go.”   
2) “teaching,” Jesus doesn’t say convert them in the sense of present them with the gospel and leave – this is not a one-time encounter that Jesus is instructing us to do.  The verb, “teaching,” is in the perfect tense, meaning that it is an ongoing continuous action to does not stop.  It is in the active voice, meaning that the teaching is done by the individual that is witnessing.  The point is, a one-time encounter makes no great demand of the believer witnessing – it is superficial, and lacks no real commitment of time or effort.  Yet, the act of teaching; the idea of introducing someone to Jesus Christ and then to become a part of their life, wherein you teach them the Word of God – you disciple them, this is what Jesus is saying here.  You take them to church with you, break bread with them, and spend your life with them – sharing the gospel; this is “teaching.” This is much more of a commitment than simply a one-time presentation, which is what witnessing has  

Philosophy (Greek: Philosophia, ‘love of knowledge’)
Let me continue on by way of emphasizing an expression which is true and authentic to the human experience.  It has been well documented and replicated within management circles that the following expression that has proven itself time, and time again:

“Responsibility cannot be separated from authority.”

The point is that authority by its very nature represents more freedom, at least over those or that which is governed over; rather it’s an elected governmental official, an employer, or a parent.  However, freedom is never without restraints.  Freedom may be free, but it’s not cheap (freedom always costs someone something, perhaps not those down the road, but it did cost those that gained it).  Within the principles which God has created within the makeup of man’s soul, and heart (biblically speaking, the heart never refers to the emotions alone; but to the complete inward man which involves the 1) Mind, reasoning, 2) Emotions, and 3) the Will, where choice is made; discretion more predominantly – see the post:  ”The Heart and the Mind – What the Biblical word “Heart’ Means”); there are certain attributes of humanity which cannot be violated, without repercussions – reciprocity.  Such is the above expression.

Reciprocity
God has built reciprocity (“a mutual agreement to exchange privileges, dependence, or relationships,” also it is defined as: “when things are coupled together because of there very nature”) within His creation.  From such we get the idea of conditions on the one side, and consequences on the other.  This is where God has built within humanity the mandate for responsibility.  And within this moral or standard of responsibility, you never get something for nothing, even if what is gained is the consequence of an attitudinal change.  In one case it may be gratitude and thankfulness (Colossians 3:15), while in another it may be expectation and presumption (2 Peter 2:10).  The point is we live in a world where nothing is isolated unto itself.

Freedom
The myth of our current age is that one can be totally free and unaccountable to anyone or anything, and that this is achievable on some realm (personal note: by nature I hate restrictions, guidelines, and rules.  I naturally enjoy the easier softer way, and have a real hard time with self-discipline.  I am not proclaiming what is comfortable for me or what I like.  So please understand that these rants and raves are against my very soul, and not made in self-righteousness; judging others.  Every one of these negative qualities I wrestle with daily, so if you hear any self-righteousness, it is only your own perception).  However, freedom requires responsibility, in the same way that righteous authority demands accountability.  And if these principles, which are part of the framework of humanities disposition are missing or decline, then the attribute ceases or lessens.  These are principles of life, unchanged by our philosophy or religious bent.  Anarchy only works if there is only one person on a island, and even then, it still affects change in your attitude, and mindset, wherein if indulgence is completely given over to, inner peace and joy are the casualties. 

Christianity
In the same way, within the spiritual realm of Christianity there is responsibility which mandates adherents. Man cannot live within a vacuum, because God refuses to allow it to occur.  If you attempt to isolate God’s sovereignty in your life, then you make moot His salvation.  And while salvation is never solely an act of our will, and is a free gift of God, there are conditions of receiving that cannot be sidestepped, or else the gift has no value.

An Analogy
There is the old analogy that if someone wanted to give you $100, and extends their hand with the bill in your direction, stating: “I give this to you as a gift, it is free if you received it.”  To receive it, you would have to take the action of extending your hand and taking it from the giver.  Though the gift is totally free and unearned there are still conditions to receiving it, you still must take an action; as well as implying your reception of the gift. 

The point is while true that belief is the only necessary condition of receiving salvation, what is that which is to makeup the belief.  To receive the forgiveness of God implies that you believe that it is truly God who exist and does the forgiving; and is therefore sovereign. And in the process if it is God that has given you the salvation, and by the very definition of the word “God,” His sovereignty is implied; and how can a person not believe that they are to submit to that sovereignty within receiving the free gift.  Does one believe that you could receive salvation, then go down the road and completely disassociate yourself from the belief that God is truly sovereign in your life as well.  Salvation is based upon grace, and grace is received through faith; and faith by its very definition implies trust as the basis for a relationship, which when the relationship is with God implies submission to His will and rule of your life. 

Not Overdoing It – Baby Steps, Nevertheless Steps must be Made
I do not believe that when you are explaining the gospel to an unbeliever, that you should lay down the 613 requirements of the law found in Leviticus, If done so as requirements of accepting the free grace of Jesus Christ.  But one must share the law (10 Commandments) to show the sinner that he is indeed a sinner, and has violated God’s law (“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” ~ Romans 3:20); how else shall he repent from that which he has done, unless he knows it is wrong – sin.  Explaining the concept of repentance (“And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” ~ Mark 1:15“; “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out…” ~ Acts 3:19), which is not a singular act, but actually means to “change a person’s mind, which in turn changes the direction of their life – how they walk  (John 8:12; Romans 6:4; 8:1,4; 1 John 1:7; 2:6; 2 John 1:6; 3 John 1:4).  This understanding of repentance is completely necessary; and by its definition the law must be presented in some form, with the 10 Commandments being a good example. 

Or if all you did was explain the basis of faith as simply believing a story than a man lived 2000 years ago and died on a cross for your sins without informing them that faith is a relationship of trust wherein you rely upon God as your sovereign deity, and that as in the case of all sovereign you are obligated to obedience.  For how can you trust a deity if you refuse to do what He says.  Telling a potential convert anything less concerning accepting God’s free gift of salvation is intellectually dishonest, and many times is referred to as “cheap grace.” 

Repentance
Jesus displayed that there cannot be a separation between repentance and salvation, when the Scripture states:

 “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”¹ 

The Greek word for “repentance” is metanoeo, and involved a changing in direction or purpose in life.  It was never simply the motive, or resided in the emotive or cognitive realm; but transcended to change behavior.  It is to believe something so powerfully that it changes the way a person acts.  And used by Jesus, it  represents a redirection of behavior; that of a person normally heading towards sin, then turning completely around, and heading toward God, in His direction.

Obedience
If the conclusion of the definition of salvation is entering heaven, then according to Jesus obedience to do God’s Will is also required, as seen when he said:

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” ²

Discipleship
The Greek word “disciple” is mathetes, which means a student, pupil, or follower.³  The word Christian is similar in that it denotes a follower of Christ.  Therefore, if a person is not a disciple of Christ, he is not a Christian.  And if he is not a Christian, then he is not saved.  Being saved does not stand on its own, but is part and parcel of discipleship, and therefore mandates responsibility, as well as servitude.  Jesus said:

“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.  And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”⁴

Responsibility
Responsibility is built into salvation; it is not responsibility to pay for sin, but responsibility to meet the conditions that God has laid upon those that would choose to respond to God’s free gift of salvation – to follow Christ.  To do what Christ said to do, because of trusting in what He has said, this is faith. 

Faith
Faith is a synonym for “belief,” which is much more than believing that Jesus existed as a man 2000 years ago, it is even more them believing that Jesus existed as the Son of God to pay for the sins of the world.  Faith, because it is a relationship of trust, demands that obedience at some level is the goal.  To have faith in God, you must have faith in what He has said, and that if He says to do something, you do it out of obedience because you trust Him. We do not obey for the sake of obedience, but we obey because of faith. 

Obedience because of Faith – Not Obedience for the Sake of Obedience (taught by false religions)
If we obey ONLY because of obedience, we will be exchanging our behavior for salvation.  But because faith is a relationship, which produces repentance; which is a change in direction from the way that I want to go as a sinner, unto the way that God would have me go as a believer - where He loves me and only wants the best for me ( Romans 8:28 ), this is the reason I can have faith in what He says to do, and therefore obey because of that faith.  Obedience because of faith is what the Christian walk is meant to be.   You can’t earned salvation, but you must receive it, according to His condition, that of faith.

To reiterate,

The very definition of Christian faith involves a trust in God, and that He will reward those that diligently seek him⁵, therefore how can you separate a servitude to the God that you have imparted your trust in.  It is in your cooperation with His Will that benefits your soul.  It is in laying aside your own presuppositions, along with perceptions, that validate your faith in Him to begin with.

If you can trust God with your eternal salvation, why can you not trust Him to rule your earthly life.  This is not paradoxical, it is antithetical.  Unfortunately, there are those that call themselves Christians and attempt to preach this blasphemy.  They attempt to substitute their will for Gods.

It is impossible to separate God’s sovereignty as Lord of your life, from His application as Savior of your soul.

The Gospel ~ The Whole Word of God
Any Gospel (“good news”),that reports or implies, a softer easier way outside of complete submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, is a false gospel.  Salvation is much more than a few verses taken out of context.  This is why Paul stated, in defense of his ministry that he presented the complete volume of God’s Word when he stated in Acts 20:27-28:

“For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God [the whole will of God - His complete Word to man ~ which is contained in the gospel, that 13 letters Paul wrote; and the 10 others written by apostles]. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”

False Teachings
It is when false believers dissect God’s Word, leaving out what opposes their own false doctrine, utilizing Scripture out of context; that they attempt to make the Bible support their own false teachings. 

Be it the: “Manifolds Sons of God,” “Dominion Theology,” “Replacement Theology,” “Word Faith Movement,” “Seed Faith Movement”; or any other form of chicanery; if it attempts to replace, or subvert the Lordship of Jesus Christ in the life of the convert or believer: it is a damnable heresy that will lead people to hell.

Subtlety
The subtleness of the “doctrines of demons” has been attempting to work its way into mainline Christianity in United States for decades now.  It is very appealing to our desire (lust) to have a easier, better, softer, more successful life, as opposed to the type of Christian life Christ did spoke about ( Matthew 1023-24).  Some have called it “Christianity Light.”  It plays down our responsibilities to God, man, and our country; and appeals to the narcissism, which is the hallmark of our day. 

We even see it in those churches which we refer to as “Seeker Friendly,” or even those movements which are called evangelistic.  And there are a lot of good-hearted people behind these churches and organizations as they attempt to continue to evangelize the world, but at what cost? 

They attempt to make it as easy as possible for people to enter the Kingdom of God.  The services become a concert, where emotionalism, rather than worship is exhibited.  Where stories and presentations behind the pulpit are mere entertainment; and Scripture is used sparsely as props to rationalize a presupposition, or themes. 

Don’t get me wrong, while raised as a child with the old hymnals, my preference is with some the newer (40 years old) praise songs.  But many of the much newer songs just talk about us: they are the me and Jesus type of songs, rather than just worshiping Jesus alone.  And so many of the messages are about leading better lives, being better Christians, better parents, and better citizens.  while these things are good things, are these what should be this Sunday morning services to the congregation, about us – or should it be about Jesus.  There is so much self-help going on in the church, as seen in all the individual type of groups and classes; yet always at the expense of teaching the meat of the word – things that are hard to hear him take focus to understand.  It’s much more appealing to talk about ourselves rather than our God.  It becomes very attractive to use the tools of the world and modernity, to court the masses.  But at what price?

“Theopedia, An Encyclopedia of Biblical Christianity,” states:

Easy believism is the “popular slogan for the view that one simply has to believe in order to be saved and that there is no corresponding need for a committed life of Christian discipleship.”⁶ The result is that sanctification is divorced from justification, and discipleship is seen as a path that some Christians follow, but not others. The term carnal Christian is used to describe such a supposed Christian, who once made a “decision” but has not continued in discipleship. Names applied to this doctrine by opponents include no-lordship and cheap grace as it suggests that “accepting Jesus” does not involve any further commitments. Proponents of this view, on the other hand, prefer the term the “free grace” to describe their position. Easy-believism is also said to overemphasize the doctrine of assurance of salvation at the expense of personal authenticity.

Those who hold to the Free-grace position are generally Arminian in theology, although classical Arminianism does not adhere to this. By contrast, Reformed Christians generally hold to what is termed Lordship Salvation. However, among adherents of each view one will find there are differences of language and emphasis. According to Phillip Johnson:

“These days, support for the no-lordship gospel is mostly confined to a small but prolific group of speakers and writers. Dallas is still the geographical hub of their movement. The Grace Evangelical Society has published their journal since 1988. In fact, for the past 15 years or so, GES has almost singlehandedly kept the drumbeat alive for the no-lordship position.”⁷

Lest you misunderstand what this teachings by this orgination is really all about, the website for “Grace Evangelical Society” is: http://www.faithalone.org/about/affirmation1.html; and it states in their “About” section, under their “Affirmations of Beliefs”:

Salvation
The sole condition for receiving everlasting life is faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ, who died a substitutionary death on the cross for man’s sin and rose bodily from the dead (John 3:16-18; 6:47; Acts 16:31).

Faith is the conviction that something is true. To believe in Jesus (“he who believes in Me has everlasting life”) is to be convinced that He guarantees everlasting life to all who simply believe in Him for it (John 4:14; 5:24; 6:47; 11:26; 1 Tim 1:16).

No act of obedience, preceding or following faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, such as commitment to obey, sorrow for sin, turning from one’s sin, baptism or submission to the Lordship of Christ, may be added to, or considered part of, faith as a condition for receiving everlasting life (Rom 4:5; Gal 2:16; Titus 3:5). This saving transaction between God and the sinner is simply the giving and receiving of a free gift (Eph 2:8-9; John 4:10 ; Rev 22:17 ).

Cheap Grace
In this new style of worship service, that is progressive, spectator oriented, emotionally driven, and “Word of God” delinquent; where is the emphasis.  Where are the messages on repentance, sin, hell, suffering, sanctification, discipleship, sacrificial love, and dying to self.  And prior to making altar calls, why have we not followed Jesus’ admonition to “count the cost.” 

Why do we gloss over Jesus’ words so easily, when he said:

“And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?   Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.  Luke 14:27-33

It is this form of “Cheap Grace” (that also devalues the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, as well is encouraging the flesh), that impregnates our appeal to the masses to “accept Jesus.”  How more condescending could we be to the God of the universe – we must accept Him.  It is what we imply that holds as much weight is what we say.  It’s all been said many years ago, and was seen back then as a progression of carnality.   

 Dietrich Bonhoeffer said:

“Let the Christian rest content with his worldliness and with this renunciation of any higher standard than the world. He is living for the sake of the world rather than for the sake of grace. Let him be comforted and rest assured in his possession of this grace – for grace alone does everything. Instead of following Christ, let the Christian enjoy the consolations of his grace!

That is what we mean by cheap grace, the grace which amounts to the justification of sin without the justification of the repentant sinner who departs from sin and from whom sins departs.

Cheap grace is not the kind of forgiveness of sin which frees us from the toils of sin. Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession.

Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.

Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must the asked for, the door at which a man must knock.

Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “ye were bought at a price, and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us.” From: “Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.”  - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

 The Last Word
Jesus himself said in John 13:13:              “Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.”

 Endnotes

1. Matthew 4:17 – “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
2. Matthew 7:21 – “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

(1.)            Concerning the topic of obedience, Walter A. Elwell states: 

(2.)            Text:  The whole of biblical theology centers on the notion of divine revelation and the receptive response of man: God speaks his word, man hears and is required to obey. The connection between hearing and obeying is therefore essential. Hearing is always viewed as a process of the mind. When divine revelation is its subject, man must respond with obedience. This connection is borne out in particular by the language of obedience in the Bible. In the OT sama conveys the meaning of both “to hear” and “to obey.”Israelmust hear Yahweh’s voice and act in obedient response. In the Torah the theme of responsive obedience is underscored (Exod. 19:5, 8; 24:7; Deut. 28:1; 30:11-14). Abraham was blessed because he heard and obeyed the Lord’s voice (Gen. 22:18). This theme lies behind the prophetic injunction, “Thus says the Lord.” The prophetic word reveals both who God is and what he is callingIsraelto do. Disobedience, then, is any hearing which is not attentive, and this too is the story ofIsrael: “They have ears, but do not hear” (Ps. 115:6; cf. Jer. 3:13; Isa. 6:9-10).

(3.)            In the LXX sama is regularly translated by words in the akouein word group, and this again expresses the inner relation between hearing and response. Emphatic forms hypakouein and hypakoe (lit. “to hear beneath”) convey the meaning “obey/obedience” (in the NT the verb appears 21 times; the noun 15 times, esp. in Paul). The NT, to be sure, brings out this OT background in full when Jesus demands that he “who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 11:15; 13:9, 15-16; Mark 4:9, 23; 8:18; Luke 14:35). This kind of constructive response to divine revelation is illustrated well in the parable about the man who built his house on the rock. The story follows the exhortation of Christ: “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46-49). In Matthew this same parable concludes the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 7:21-27), clearly indicating the seriousness of personal response to Jesus’ ethical injunctions.

(4.)            Jesus stands in the OT prophetic tradition when he callsIsraelto a discipleship which essentially involves “doing, ethics. When a voice in the crowd praises Jesus’ mother, the Lord replies by saying, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it” (Luke 11:28; cf. John 10:16, 27; 15:5, 10). Bonhoeffer remarks: “The actual call of Jesus and the response of single-minded obedience have an irrevocable significance. It is only to this obedience that the promise of fellowship with Jesus is given.”

(5.)            Bultmann points out that Jesus’ call has radicalized an obedience already well known in Judaism. First century Judaism had emphasized cultic and ceremonial rules to such an extent (365 prohibitions, 278 positive commands) that any notion of virtue was almost unknown. Jesus presses beyond the casuistic rules and expects a true obedience, not blind obedience: “You tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith” (Matt. 23:23). Man, in effect, must exceed the demands of the law (Matt. 5:20) and perceive for himself what God commands. That is, single-minded obedience grasps the spirit of God’s intentions (cf. Mark 10:2-9 on how Jesus applies this to one law) and exceeds God’s desires, not with the measured efforts of a servant (Luke 17:7-10), but as people who enjoy a vital and responsive relationship with him. Bultmann sums up: “Radical obedience exists only when a man inwardly assents to what is required of him,… when the whole man stands behind what he does; or better, when the whole man is in what he does, when he is not doing something obediently, but is essentially obedient.”

(6.)            Paul regards obedience as being one of the consitituent parts of faith. Initially Christ stands as the model of obedience (Phil. 2:5-8), and through his obedience, which is contrasted with Adam’s disobedience, “many will be made righteous” (Rom. 5:19; cf. Heb. 5:8-9 for the parallel thought). Paul in fact views his task as bringing about the “obedience of faith” among the nations (Rom.1:5; 16:26). For him, every thought should be made “captive to obey Christ” so that the Christian’s obedience might be complete (II Cor. 10:5-6). This means that Paul too despairs of any faith that is either simply cognitive (a hellenistic weakness) or mechanistically legal (a Jewish fault). Obedience is of the essence of authentic saving faith and should provide evidence of a responsive relation the Christian shares with his God (cf. James 1:22-25; 2:14-20; I Pet. 1:22; I John 3:18).

(7.)            ELWELL’S EVANGELICAL DICTIONARY OF THEOLOGY 

(8.)            Evangelical Dictionary of Theology by Walter A. Elwell,

(9.)            (c) Copyright 1984, by Baker Book House Company.

(10.)        All Rights Reserved.

3. Concerning the description of what a Disciple is,Easton’s Bible Dictionary states: 

Text:  a scholar, sometimes applied to the followers of John the Baptist (Matt. 9:14), and of the Pharisees (22:16), but principally to the followers of Christ.  A disciple of Christ is one who:

(1.)            believes his doctrine,

(2.)            rests on his sacrifice,

(3.)            imbibes his spirit, and

(4.)            imitates his example (Matt. 10:24; Luke 14:26, 27, 33; John 6:69).

4. Luke 12:26, 27 – “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.  And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”
5. Hebrews 11:6 – “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”.
6. Donald K. Mckim, Westminster Dictionary of Theology terms, 85.
7. http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2006/10/aftmath.html

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The 23rd Psalm

 

 

• The Lord is my shepherd (that concerns relationship)

–        I shall not lack my Savior

• I shall not want (that concerns supply)

–        I shall not lack provision

• He maketh me to lie down in green pastures (that concerns rest)

–        I shall not lack necessity

• He Leadeth me beside the still waters (that concerns refreshment)

–        I shall not lack encouragement

• He restoreth my soul (that concerns healing)

–        I shall not lack strength

• He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness (that concerns guidance)

–        I shall not lack direction

• For His namesake (that concerns purpose)

–        I shall not lack ability

• Thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (that concerns training)

–        I shall not lack preparation

• I will fear no evil (that concerns protection)

–        I shall not lack courage

• For thou art with me (that concerns faithfulness)

–        I shall not lack peace

• Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me (that concerns confidence)

–        I shall not lack calm

• Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies
  (that concerns hope)

–        I shall not lack protection, preservation, honor

• Thou anointest my head with oil (that concerns consecration)

–        I shall not lack joy

• My cup runneth over (that concerns abundance)

–        I shall not lack fullness of blessing

• Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life
  (that concerns sonship)

–        I shall not lack Divine favor

• And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever (that concerns security)

–        I shall not lack a home in the presence of my Lord and God

• Forever (that concerns eternity)

–        I shall not lack an eternal destiny

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The Decline of a Democracy

When the thirteen colonies were still a part of England, while our country was seeking its independence; Professor Alexander Tyler wrote about the fall of the Athenian Republic over two thousand years previous to that time, he said:

 

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government.  It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasury.  From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship.

The average age of the world’s great civilizations has been two hundred years [the Old Roman Empire as a notable exception].  These nations have progressed through the following sequence:

From bondage to spiritual faith

From spiritual faith to great courage

From great courage to liberty

From liberty to abundance

From abundance to selfishness

From selfishness to complacency

From complacency to apathy

From apathy to dependency

From dependency back to bondage

 America has been a nation for over 235 years, a world power for around 100 years.  Some would say we are still in the selfish stage, while others might say we are in the stage of apathy, still others would even say we are entering the dependency stage.  If any of these are true, then the only place Christians should find themselves is on their knees, seeking God’s forgiveness, grace, and strength to face the trouble testing this nation is about to enter.  May we again say as a nation “In God We Trust.”     

 

Source

Black, Jim, “When Nations Die”, Tyndale House, Wheaton IL, 1994.

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A Reminder Concerning Brent’s Writing Style & Teaching Method

A Word of Explanation
My writing style and teaching method is unusual in that it seeks to teach many different subjects, in diverse areas, while presenting information on a singular topic.

It has been described as going down a road which has many rabbit trails during the course of the journey, taking many diversions before arriving at the destination.

  There is a thought within Christian philosophies of education, that the human mind is so ingeniously created, that it can learn many different things, while addressing a primary focus on a singular subject (this is not multitasking, which may be problematic for some; yet it is multi-subject oriented, which can seem confusing at times). This is the premise behind most of my presentations. Some people are put off by what seems to be a preoccupation with rabbit trails; however this is done on purpose; therefore, it may be helpful if the reader is mindful of the fact that these divergences are intentional and temporary, as I will return to the original topic.

This teaching style is not for everyone. And many times the subject matter I cover seems strange or abnormal; therefore, those that are more easily offended by this may find this ministry is not the best fit for them.

To indulge in controversies, folklore, curiosities, or other tantalizing subjects for the sake of enticing those with itching ears is wrong.  However, humans become far too comfortable when things are always uniform or standardized. God does not do things according to what we are comfortable with, and many of God’s dealings are beyond our comprehension, and in fact when examined closely they appear quite unusual.

How hard is it to explain God’s demand for Abraham to sacrifice his own son? We become dull of hearing, concerning this story, yet in reality if we put on a fresh perspective, this story becomes very uncomfortable. It was the pagan false religions that practiced child sacrifice, which God Himself abhorred and condemned. Was God being a hypocrite? The obvious answer is no, because He stopped Abraham from completing the act. God did this to test/exercise the faith of Abraham, which caused his faith to grow in the process. God does things according to His own choosing, as He interacts with man, and especially as He chooses how to test/exercise/grow man’s faith (Faith only grows when it is stretched by tribulation [which are: problems, hard times, difficulties, calamities, trials, and testing; they're all synonymous concerning the "trying of our faith"]. Faith can only grow incrementally, as more and more is demanded of it. This is because trust is a process contingent upon experience, as someone proves they are trustworthy situation after situation, we trust them more and more. In this way faith is analogous to a muscle which must be torn before growth can occur. Therefore, we must always realize and therefore understand that testing is not done simply as a process whereby God attempts to validate the existence of our faith, or its degree, which might appear cruel on the surface; these trials are necessary for faith to grow, and that without these trials, it is impossible for faith to mature ~ James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:7; 4:12).

God has a habit of not repeating Himself too often in the way He may do something, or the types of trials He places us in so that we do not become used to the form, style, system, or way that He does things. This would be synonymous with changing the test questions concerning a subject that is repetitively taught, in order to guarantee that the student really learns the lesson, and not just what the answers are on the test sheet. God seems to be doing the same thing concerning the types of trials He places us in so that we do not simply respond to Him according to that type of trial, but that we display that we truly do trust Him. It is also obvious that God has a tendency to not just change the type of trials He places us in, but has a propensity to change the way He does things within His own creation.

How often have churches or whole denominations become dead in their worship and ministry because their perception of God which places Him in a box, and have systemized their responses to what God would have them do, or go through, as opposed to trusting Him in faith.

There is an old story that concerned Jesus speaking to a man, and the man becoming healed, and those that witnessed this miracle started the “Speak and be Healed” ministry. Later, Jesus touched a man, and the man became healed, and those that witnessed that miracle started the “Touch and be Healed” ministry. And even later, Jesus spit upon some dirt, made mud and placed it on a man’s eyes, with the man becoming healed; and those that witnessed that last miracle started the “Spit and be Healed” ministry. The point is all three groups had witnessed miracles at the hand of Jesus and were correct in understanding that Jesus could use all three different methods in healing people, yet when they placed Jesus in the box by demanding that it was only the way that they had witnessed, that was appropriate for the healings, they deviated from the truth. This is a constant problem for believers, and may be one of the reasons there are so many denominations. The Potter has no responsibility to function according to what the clay considers to be orthodox.

Therefore, it is our willingness to color outside the lines (review and even overturn man’s traditions ~ Matthew 15:3,6; Mark 7:8-9), to consider the unusual, to go where the evidence takes us, and to see what God would say to us in spite of our own objections because the subject matter is uncomfortable. 

With this in mind, I teach on subjects which are even strange to me, in order to remind myself that God cannot be put into a box. Yet, I do so vigilantly. Because many have compromised the gospel of Jesus Christ and His Word by not validating scripture according to Scripture. The Bible is its own best commentary.  As has been wisely said: 

Because all of us are subject to the limitations imposed by the presuppositions we bring to a topic. It may be essential to step back out from time to time and reestablish a fresh perspective. 

The only certain barrier to truth is the presumption that we already have it. (Thank you Chuck Missler for this expression)

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PS: This last two weeks has been very busy, missing last week’s post; it will be posted in a day or so. 

The Church Gaps

Introduction

There are twenty-four references in the Bible to gaps (some call them parentheses, wherein according to Daniel’s 70 weeks [Dan. 9:24-27], there is a pause, a parentheses in the timeline where God’s dealing with Israel stops, at their rejection of Jesus and the Church starts the parentheses then when the Church is Raptured the parentheses stops, and God again deals with Israel as seen in Revelation chapter 4 on.  ~ For more info see: The Presentation of the Messiah ~ Prophecy Fulfilled) in time, where located between Scriptures (that are not identified as having breaks in the text), there are hidden spaces in which God hides valuable treasures.  They are hidden truths that God reveals to His own followers, in His own time.  They center on the Church, Christ’s Bride.  The Church was not spoke about in the Old Testament, it is an un-revealed surprise, a “Mystery,” (Greek, “Musterion,” something totally hidden, with no hint it existed) as Paul states in Ephesians 1:9-10 (V.22); 3:1-6; 3:8-9; 5:32.

An Example
An example can be found in the text of Isaiah chapter 61, between verse 1 and verse 2.  Jesus Christ quotes this passage when He begins His ministry, where He speaks about part of His mission, that of first coming and starting the Church. However, He only states part of the passage, then sits down and says that part is fulfilled.  The Jews never taught that the passage was spilt into two, having 2 different dates of completion, or were two different events, with a gap of time between then.  Luke 4:16-21, states,

“So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.’  Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’”

Jesus read this text, which has always been understood to be a prophecy of the Messiah.  It appeared to be a single event; however He revealed that in reality the passage was speaking about two separate events.  The Messiah did not have a singular undertaking on earth, but two completely distinct missions that were separated by over two thousands years, that of Christ’s first coming and His second coming, with the Church set between the two (again, the pause in Daniel’s 70 weeks, between week 69 and 70 ~ Dan. 9:24-27; with week 70 starting again with the Rapture of the Church and the Great Tribulation).  His first mission was proclaimed in verse one, and in the first sentence of verse two.¹  However, He stopped short of finishing the rest of the text and said that the verses He had read thus far were fulfilled that day.  What the rest of verse two said was, “and the day of vengeance of our God.”  This was referring to another, future event which has come to be commonly called Christ’s second coming, which is part of what is called the “Last Days,” beginning with the Rapture and Great Tribulation.  This is a good example of Christ’s dual missions:  first as Savior, Redeemer, head of His Church, and as an earth-born man who was really God.  Then in His second coming as Judge and second as punisher, coming down from heaven as God who was man.²   

This is one of many examples in God’s Word where God has created mysteries,³ in which He would guide His own followers to uncover concerning Christ’s Church and the “Last Days” that surround it.  It has been wisely said that, “if there appears to be a contradiction in the Bible it is a signpost the Holy Spirit is using to get our attention so as to indicate that the text has hidden or special importance.” 

The same is true about Biblical gaps, the Luke 4:18, 19 passage is a good example.  Because it reveals the misconceived notion that the Messiah of Israel was to come to earth only once as the conquering govern who would expel the usurpers.  Where as, when Jesus revealed the gap located in the Isaiah passage (also how the Messiah would fulfill the Isaiah chapter 52-53 concerning the Messiah as suffering servant who would die for the sins of the world, which is why He had to become a man, to redeem His kin, mankind), it then became known that the Messiah had to come to earth twice.  First, as the Lamb of God to die for the sins of mankind, and the second time as the conquering King to take possession of that which He paid for with His life.  If you study these 24 gaps, when you examine a passage, you will find that the particular gap in time that is being referred too is literally where the Church is present, and concerns Christ’s Church, of which He is the Groom, or the time surrounding the Church.  As is true with all studies in God’s Word, that the Holy Spirit would have us understand that the underlying theme is always about Jesus Christ, and in this instances it is about Jesus as the Head of His Body, the Church. 

The following are other gaps written into God’s Word:

                Psalms 34:12-16, Quoted in 1 Peter 3:10-12

                Psalms 118:22

                Isaiah 9:6

                Isaiah 53:10

                Isaiah 61:2, Quoted in Luke 4:18-20

                Lamentations 4:21,22

                Daniel 9:26

                Daniel 11:20,21

                Hosea 2:13,14

                Hosea 3:4,5

                Amos 9:10,11

                Micah 5:2,3

                Habakkuk 2:13,14

                Zephaniah 3:7,8

                Zephaniah 9:9,10

                Matthew 10:23

                Matthew 12:20

                Luke 1:1,32

                Luke 4:18-20, Quoting Isaiah 61:1,2

                Luke 21:24

                John 1:5,6

                1 Peter 1:11

                1 Peter 3:10-12, Quoting Psalms 34:12-16

                Revelation 12:5,6

Warning
We cannot cut up Scriptures, using what suits us and discarding what does not.  It is by thoroughly immersing ourselves in God’s Word, and availing ourselves completely to the Holy Spirit, that we can determine how to correctly divide God’s Word.  2 Timothy 2:15, says:

“Study to shew thyself [conduct yourself] approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 

We must use Scripture to interpret Scripture.  We must also remember,

“But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,” (II Peter 1:20, NKJV).

Correctly Studying God’s Word

Therefore, doctrinal error can be avoided by applying three foundational rules of exegesis (expository critiques of Scripture).

1. Scripture must be used to interpret Scripture, using the whole of God’s Word. 

2. Context, both immediate and that of all of Scripture is to be used in interpreting text. 

3. The mass of Scripture on any doctrine must be used to interpret that doctrine, not only a few select verses, but the majority of the Bibles teaching on that subject. 

Endnotes

1. The Scriptures were not created with chapters and verses, chapters were introduced in the twelfth century, and verses were added later in the fifteenth century.

2. Revelation 1:12;14:14.

3. Examples of mysteries hidden from mankind, to be reveled by God to His own, seven are listed here:

1. Mystery⁴ of the Kingdom (the Millenium Kingdom), Matthew chapter 13 had seven parables, which coincided with the seven church letters of Paul (he wrote 13 letters, 3 were continuations to the same churches, 3 were to individuals, and 7 were to churches), which coincided with the seven church letters Jesus dictated in Revelation (Matthew 13:11, Revelation 2 & 3)

2. Mystery of lawlessness.  (II Thessalonians 2)

3. Mystery Babylon.  (Revelation 17 & 18)

4. Mystery of the rapture.  (I Corinthians 15:51-53, I Thessalonians 4:16, Gk. harpazo, meaning: “caught up” or“snatched up”)

5. Mystery of Israel rejecting their Messiah.  (Romans 11:25)

6. Mystery of Christ and the church – which are these 24 gaps.  (Ephesians 3:3; Colossians 1:24-27)

7. Mystery of the will of God.  (Ephesians 1:9-3:1)

4. The Greek word used in the above passages that is translated into the English word “mystery” is musterion.  It is a derivative of muo (means: “to shut the mouth”).  Vines states, “In the NT it denotes, not the mysterious (as with the English word), but that which, being outside the range of unassisted natural apprehension, can be made known only by divine revelation, and is made known in a manner and at a time appointed by God, and to those only who are illumined by His Spirit. In the ordinary sense a “mystery” implies knowledge withheld; its Scriptural significance is truth revealed.   Hence the terms especially associated with the subject are “made known,” “manifested,” “revealed,” “preached,” “understand,” “dispensation.”

The definition given above may be best illustrated by the following passage: “the mystery which hath been hid from all ages and generations: but now hath it been manifested to His saints” (Col. 1:26, RV).

Thanks to Chuck Missler for adding to most to this insight, and providing all the information concerning the 7 Mysteries.

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Believing Your Saved, Then Finding out You’re Not?

A Terrifying Thought
A subject that I have considered many times in the past is that of the perception of false believers that they are saved, when in deed they are not. I mean can anything be more terrifying than to reach the end of one’s life having believed that you have avoided hell as you prepare to walk through its gates (please forgive the hyperbole).

There are certain verses that have terrified some to death, such as Matthew 7:21-23, which is where Jesus states:

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Eternal Security
This is something to consider, these individuals prophesied, cast out devils and did miracles, all “in thy name [which would be “in Jesus’ name,” hereafter referred to based upon the grammar],” yet they were false believers who were unsaved. Concerning the issue of Eternal Security, I take great comfort that Jesus states, “I never knew you,” putting to rest the idea that these individuals were once saved, then lost their salvation.  What this means is that these individuals were never saved to begin with, as He never knew them, He never had a relationship with them; they did not lose what they never had in the first place.

Evildoers
Yet further, He states that they “work iniquity,” as if this is their foundational point of identity – they didn’t work goodness, they didn’t do some good and some bad; they always habitually did evil.  We get this insight from the grammar wherein the word “work” is a verb that is in the present tense, middle or passive deponent voice, participle mood, normative case, plural number, and masculine gender.  The present tense means that the action being done never stops, it is continuous.  Middle/Passive Voice – as a deponent verb is almost always translated as being in the active voice, which means that the subject (person) that’s been spoken of is the one doing the action.  We see from the mood and the case that the evil spoken of is laborious actions which are habitual behaviors; they are not singular in nature, but repetitive.

These individuals are marked by their habitual behavior of doing evil.

This is further indicated and verified because of the preceding verses in Matthew 7:15-20 which addresses the issue of false prophets, and concludes with verse 20 stating: “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them,” which is the Segway to the passage at hand.

So the first sense of relief that we should experience as believers is that these false believers were readily recognizable according to their behavior. Therefore, you and I as believers have this anchor to secure our confidence concerning our own individual salvation, are we workers of iniquity to the extent that all we do is evil, never stopping, to the extent that it is the identifying trait concerning our destiny, or as Jesus states further down this chapter, do we do the things that Jesus says to do as seen in Matthew 7:24, which states:

“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock”

This seems to be the conclusion Jesus is aiming at, that wise men: “heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them.”

The Best Example of the Worst False Believers
Matthew 7:15 is the famous verse concerning the Pharisees which states:

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”

We see these professional fakers who on the outside appeared to be as a believers (sheep), yet inside were completely the opposite of their pretense – even worst yet they were predators (wolves), feeding off of others.

However, the pretense is unmasked when you look at the true nature of their behavior.

We need to understand that there is a recognizable difference between religious behavior (acting, not doing – faking, not behaving), and righteous behavior (doing what Christ said as a saved believer, walking in Jesus’ righteousness).  It is this sense of hypocrisy, this disconnect between what is said, and what is done that we need to examine within our own lives, yet not unto condemnation – if we are God’s child, but unto correction by the Holy Spirit.  Concerning this disconnect between what is said and what done, we see Jesus’ words as recorded in Matthew 23:1-4:

“Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.”

Here Jesus points out the difference between religious behavior and (Christian) righteous behavior.  Religious behavior, that of following a belief system other than Christianity is easily recognized in that it presents a formula, set of rules, and doctrines; are grievous to the participants.  Whereas (Christian) righteous behavior is based upon the following and doing what Jesus says, and what the Holy Spirit has communicated in the New Testament.  What we see from the above passage concerning the Pharisees (those religious teachers of the Torah), was that they were to teach the Torah, “the Law” of God; in a way which it would be a schoolmaster to bring man to the understanding of their sinfulness as stated in Galatians 3:24-25. The Law is a representation of God Himself, and is always good. Yet, the Pharisees took the Law of God and interpreted it into rules that appeared to solely deal with the outward behavior, while avoiding the inward nature of sin (Matthew 23:25).

Sin – An inside Job
However, the evil that lives within these men, the Pharisees displays itself in their behavior in how they would use the law for their own means.  They would interpret the Law in such a way that they thought they were hiding their sin, yet it was readily apparent that they were using the Law for their own means.

Let’s take one example.  Matthew 15:1-9, states:

“Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

Warren Wiersbe states concerning this:

“The Pharisees were blind to the true values of life. Their priorities were confused. They would take an oath and use some sacred object to substantiate that oath — the gold in the temple, for example, or the gift on the altar. But they would not swear by the temple itself or the altar. It was the temple that sanctified the gold and the altar that sanctified the gift. They were leaving God out of their priorities.”

Jesus knew that the Pharisees wanted both the gold and the gifts on the altar. This is why the Pharisees practiced “Corban” — anything dedicated to God could not be used for others (Matthew 15:1-9; Mark 7:10-13). These men were not seeking for the righteousness of God; they were greedy for gain. They worked out a “religious system” that permitted them to rob God and others and still maintain their reputations.

This practice referred to as “Corban” was the practice of taking one’s fortune, their money and saying it was dedicated to the temple so that if their parents who were destitute and needed financial help, they could avoid giving up any funds, even though the Torah demanded that they take care of their parents.  But they were the ones that decided how the money would be spent as it was dedicated to the temple, yet used for their own personal pleasure.  They found a way to use the Law and twist it according to their own sinful hearts.

This is why Jesus said concerning the observance of the written law to do what they stated concerning the law its self, yet NOT follow their works – their behaviors; because: “they say, and do not.”

Now Back to the Original Text
The individuals Jesus referred to as having prophesied, casting out devils, and doing many wonderful works; were never saved, yet we also must notice that Jesus did not correct them and state that they were lying, He does not dispute that they did the things that they claimed.  In fact if these individuals were lying, then to allow them to make the statements without correcting them would lead to a falsehood which Jesus would never do, therefore it would appear that what they stated was true; that they did make prophesies “in Jesus’ name,” (for those that missed the prior comment concerning to “in thy name,” what this is stating is that these individuals did those things “in Jesus’ name;” which would be hereafter referred to based upon the grammar) and did many wonderful works “in Jesus’ name,” and cast out devils “in Jesus’ name.”

In Jesus’ Name
Notice what it does not say.  It doesn’t say that they simply prophesied, but that they prophesied “in Jesus’ name.”  They didn’t do these things in the name of some other deity, or in the name of their church, or some occultic movement or any other contrivance; they did it the same way that true followers of Christ would do it, “in Jesus’ name.”  This is probably the reason why they appeared to be Christians, they acted like Christians would, using the same terms and expressions, and on top of that they did (appeared to do) miracles, or displayed what appeared to be Spiritual gifts.

False Advertising
There is one group of spiritual leader who does wonders “in Jesus’ name,” faith teachers, who claim to have the gift of healing. I am speaking about those false teachers that distort the doctrine of faith, falsely claim to heal individuals; when in reality it was the individual’s faith that was the reason that God healed them – it was because of their faith that God responded by healing them (and there are many schemes that these fraudulent wolves use to appear to do miracles, which are no miracle at all.  See Endnote #1).  These false teachers make merchandise (2 Pet. 2:1-3) of many people, all in the name of the Lord.

We’re told in second Corinthians 5:7:

“For we walk by faith, not by sight”

However, how many Christians are fooled by miracles.  Satan has power that God did not strip him of when God casted him to the earth.  The priest of Pharaoh during the Exodus performed the miracle of turning their staffs into snakes, replicating Moses miracle.  The text does not indicate that there was chicanery involved, but that there were real miracles (Exodus 7:12).  Or Jesus warning concerning the great signs and wonders that will be used by “false Christs” and “false prophets” (Matthew 24:24).  Or the miracles performed by the false prophet as stated in Revelation 13:11-14.

The point is, miracles are not a sign of piety, righteousness, or stamp of the acceptance of God.  Yet, within the church world how easily believers are deceived according to the sight of their eyes.

Healing From a Good Father
God is such a good Father that if a believer seeks a healing, God might still choose to heal that person even if a false prophet would claim credit for it – this is the behavior of a good Father who cares about the child more than how a false prophet appears – yet God also knows that in time He will repay. Miracles are not performed at the hand of the false faith teachers, or even an individual with a gift of healing, miracles are always done by God; not man.

Lord, Lord
There is one other observation I would like to make concerning this passage before we conclude.  Notice that when these individuals are addressing Jesus they state: “Lord, Lord.”  Now I am one of those individuals that believes that every word in the Bible is there for reason, so my question is why the double reference.

Why this emphasis by repeating Christ’s sovereign title “Lord,” was it an empty platitude, or was it from fear?  Because they either knew or thought that they might be in trouble, or that they had done something wrong.  Were they aware that they were manipulating God, misusing functions meant to be used for God’s glory, only for themselves and their own vainglory?  Was it that they were unsure, so they repeatedly displayed submission?

The reason I suggest these potential negative aspects of this repeated reference to Jesus as “Lord, Lord,” is that the few references of the use of this double platitude in the New Testament, there is a negative connotation concerning the persons speaking.  This expression is found five times in the gospels, which are:

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)

“Many will say to me in that day,  Lord, Lord, we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” (Matthew 7:22)

“Afterward came also the other virgins, saying,  Lord, Lord, open to us.” (Matthew 25:11)

“And why call ye me,  Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46)

“When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying,  Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:”  (Luke 13:25)

What is remarkable is that in each one of these 5 passages, which refers to 3 different situations, the first two concerning false believers claiming to be believers, the next one concerning the 5 unprepared virgins, the next concerning those that do not do what Jesus says, and the last one where Jesus speaks about those that don’t make it into His kingdom.

Submission without Obligation
In each one of these situations, the individuals using this term appear to show submission; yet, in reality they have offended the One they call Lord.  There are two words which never go together; no, and Lord.

To be honest with you, if I was standing before the Lord, I understand the desire to display submission; but disputing with the Lord, justifying myself.  If He is God and perfect; how can I ever disagree?  I would be on my face begging forgiveness – even if I knew it would not work, what else would a person who believes in God do.  Of course, a person that believes the things I do about God based upon His Word (see Endnote #2 concerning the authority of God’s Word, and the preeminence of Jesus as Lord), would not treat God the way these guys do, using God to gain credibility for them selves – a true believer loves, but also fears God too much to do the things that these false believers do.

In law enforcement when someone display overt submission like this, it is considered a “tell,” they overplay their role, they display too much submission to the one in authority because they know that they have been busted, and seek to win favor or trust.  So did these individuals display that they were REAL followers of Christ?  Did they not only hear His words, but do them?  Or if not, did their behavior display their knowledge that they were not true followers?

The Repeatables of God
One of the things I love about our heavenly Father, which is reflected in His Book; is that if there is danger, He doesn’t simply warn us once, demanding that we pay close attention in fear of coming so close to danger. No, He repeats those things that are important, and gives multiple warnings in different ways in order that we would have the utmost admonition.

What relieved my fears concerning the possibility of an individual believing their saved, while not; and that I might, or those that I love might fall into this type of folly; was going back to God’s Word and seeing what He has repetitiously stated.

It is the verse just prior to our proof text, Matthew 7:20 that help bring this relief.

“Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” 

Conclusion
In our proof text, Christ’s words concerning these false believers only capable of doing works which are evil, without stop – continuously; this identifies these individuals.  It is their choice to close their eyes, to choose to be deceived (2 Timothy 3:13).  And the five versus prior to this (Matthew 7:15-20) wherein Jesus paints a picture concerning the difference in good works and bad works, is as easily seen as the difference between thorns and grapes (Matthew 7:16).  As God has said in His Word:

“Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”  (1 John 5:1-5)

As I have stated before:

“Of the seven things that Jesus said from the cross, the last thing was “Tetélestai.”  And while the King James translates it “it is finished,” there is greater nuance to the word than this.  The fuller translation is “paid in full.”  And while many non-believers have said that Jesus finished His life, or finished His teaching, or finished His mission, or finished speaking; however, none of these are the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It was Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection (which is specifically defined in 1 Cor. 15:1-3); which was for the propitiation of our sins that is the Gospel.  And it was as Jesus was dying on the cross that He announced He had finished completely what God had given Him to do, by “paying in full”, that which was required. 

I did not earn my salvation, and you did not earn your salvation as well, not one little bit; you and I did not contribute anything to our own salvation, HE PAID ALL!  Therefore, we cannot lose our salvation.  Because, we cannot lose what we did not gain in the first place, any more than we can maintain what we have no power to grasp to as well.  I repeat - the point is Jesus did it all and we can do nothing to add to it, and therefore what can we do to lose what we did not purchase:  nothing!”

Therefore, in the final analysis it all comes down to a question of God’s integrity according to His promises and declarations as found in His Word. 

“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1 Peter 1:23)

Endnote
1. False Teachers - A few years ago the news show: “60 Minutes,” as well as some professionals in the field, investigated some of the common practices of supposed “Faith Healers” and exposed some of their deceptions. The most famous of these, Peter Popoff who while sanding on the stage stated that God was telling him information about a participant in the audience, while he was being given instructions through an earpiece from his wife who is stationed at a computer reading from a card that the attendee had filled out prior to the service. There was no mistaking the open deception that this charlatan was committing upon believers. Among many of the cons that were perpetrated by this and many other supposed “Faith Healers” were the following. Up until an hour before the event, ministry members would be stationed in front of the events center greeting individuals who would come early, filling out supposed prayer request which were actually tools to document information that would later be used as if the healing evangelist would hear this personal information from God Himself. The evangelist was aware that individuals that came early were susceptible to their cons, and they would utilize this vulnerability to their own ends. Ministry members would offer wheelchairs to those that had problems walking, then wheel them up to the very front of the auditorium in front of the seated congregation. The evangelist would go forward, have a word from the Lord, then approach one of these individuals and state, “rise and be healed,” at which point they would grab the individual in the wheelchair by the hand and coax them to stand up. What appeared to be a miracle to the audience was simply an elaborate sham, and due to the susceptibility of the individuals, they would never speak up and openly challenge the presentation. If anything else it would later be marked up to a misunderstanding. These types of “wolves in sheep’s clothing” feed off the vulnerabilities and susceptibilities of innocent believers and perpetrate their fraud within the Christian community.

2.  The Word of God – It’s Authority

Isaiah 55:10-11 – “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it”.

1 Corinthians 2:13 – “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”

1 Corinthians 14:37 – “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.”

2 Corinthians 5:19-20 – “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

1 Thessalonians 2:4 – “But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.”

1 Thessalonians 2:13 – “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”

2 Thessalonians 2:14-15 – “Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.”

1 Timothy 4:1 – “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.”

2 Timothy 3:16 – “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

1 Peter 1:25 – “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”

2 Peter 3:1-2 – “This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour”

2 Peter 3:15-16 – “And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.”

Jude 1:3 – “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”

Revelation 1:1-3 – “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent as and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”

Revelation 22:9-10 – “Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.  And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.”

Revelation 22:18 – “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:”

Word of God – Exhortations Concerning itself

Deuteronomy 4:2 – “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.”

Deuteronomy 11:18-20 – “Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.  And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates”

Psalms 119:11 – “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

Psalms 119:98-105 – “Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.  I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.  I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.  I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.  I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me.  How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!  Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.  Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Psalms 138:2 – “I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.”

Proverbs 25:2 – “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.”

Isaiah 28:10 – “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little”

Hosea 12:10 – “I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.”

Amos 3:7 – “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”

Matthew 15:6 – “…Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.”

Acts 20:27 – “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.”

Romans 15:4 – “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”

Hebrews 4:12-13 – “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”

1 Corinthians 1:20-21 – “Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”

1 Corinthians 9:22 – “To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”

2 Corinthians 4:5-7 -  “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.   But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

1 Thessalonians 2:4 – “But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.”

1 Timothy 6:20-21 – “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.”

2 Timothy 2:2 – “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”

2 Timothy 2:15 – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Titus 1:4 – “To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.”

1 Peter 1:23 – “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”

2 Peter 1:3-4 – “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

2 Peter 1:20 – “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.”

Jude 1:3 – “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”

Revelation 22:18-19 – “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

Word of God – Jesus’ Preeminence in the NT

Matthew 5:18 – “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” 

Luke 24:27 – “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” 

Luke 24:47-47 – “Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, “and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

John 5:39 – “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

Acts 8:35 – “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture [Isaiah 53:7], and preached unto him Jesus.” 

Acts 26:22-23 – “Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:  That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.” 

Acts 28:23 – “And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.” 

Romans 1:1-3 – “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” 

Hebrews 1:1-3 – “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.  After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” 

Hebrews 10:7 – “Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

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Legalism ~ PRIDE

How it Works

In examining legalism in the Bible we do not find the word “legalism”¹ used per se, but we see a good example of it in the Pharisees of Jesus’ day.²  They were a prime example of legalism in action.  In the Pharisees’³ particular way of life, who they were determined what they did, and that resulted in how they lived.  Legalism is a master by which all other things are judged and directed.

There are several things that legalism is not:

Legalism is not just one area of a person’s life or a sub-category of one’s existence.     

Legalism is not the Israelites following God’s mandated laws, which He set up for them, such as the Levitical system or the Torah.

Legalism is not following God’s direction as given in His Word, the Bible.

Legalism is not a company’s policies and procedures utilized for workplace safety, honesty, and uniformity.

Legalism is not a group’s designated rules to protect the group from internal or external abuses and to keep the group focused on its established mission.

Legalism is not the rules of a family or church that are meant to protect the members from others or even themselves.

Legalism is when an individual or group takes it upon themselves to determine what is right for others, and go beyond Biblical, just or right rules in an attempt to enforce they’re own standards or preferences, all in an attempt to control people.  Legalist can and do use the Bible to exert their rightness, but it is used as a tool, their true interest is being right or having control, and more often than not they don’t even realize that they are USING God’s Word is a means to a (their) end – they are abusing the Bible. 

The real issue is that of power and control through dominance, which is totally unlike Jesus and His way of leading.⁴  Legalism acts like it is concerned for others, but in reality this is only a false performance (fooling perhaps both the audience and the actor), to cover its own ego-centered power trip.  Legalists lead for the sake of power and control.  Legalism seems rational to the one wielding it, due to its apparent rightness.  The recipients of it do not view it the same.  Legalists do what is right in their own eyes,⁵ and can thus validate their actions and thus their behavior.  They can justify their legalism and be willfully blind⁶ to its presence at the same time.  They refuse to see how legalism affects others.  Legalism is damaging to others by its lack of love,⁷ lack of mercy,⁸ judging,⁹ and self-righteousness.¹⁰

Legalism strives to survive at any expense because it serves a greater cause.  The Legalist is usually unwilling to admit this motivation, or is willfully unaware of it.  The greater cause is to protect the first known sin of material existence,¹¹ the downfall of man ever since,  pride.¹²

Pride
The real purpose of Legalism’s existence is to protect its master, pride.  Pride’s base root is self-love, or putting self before all else.  As Russell Kelfer has so insightfully concluded, “Pride is preoccupation with self.”  Especially in the presence of others,¹³ we tend to either inflate ourselves, to gain other’s approval, or deflate ourselves in order to get others to reassure us we are not that bad.  Pride loves attention,¹³ and often will do anything to keep the attention on itself (the person), whether the attention is good or bad.  Pride is the most dangerous form of self-centeredness, because it can be so skillfully concealed.  This does not mean that some self-centeredness or narcissism won’t be apparent to all.  Self-love manifests itself in many ways and can seem very deceptive.  It can even be seen in what appears to be the love of a parent for their child, but in reality is the parent living through the child vicariously, in some cases only obvious on the child’s football field.  Unfortunately, the treatment of a child can reflect a parent’s pride of life,¹⁴ the same as:  affluence, possessions, career, and social position.

Pride rarely feels comfortable when it is seen for what it is.  It is also uncomfortable in the presence of humility, graciousness, true nobility (noble character, which mandates humility, other wise it is simply excellence or achievement) or committed believers.  One of pride’s most notable traits is that it must always be right.  Being right makes pride feel good about its self.  Somewhere deep inside, however, a person knows there is something wrong.  They put their own principles before all else,¹⁵ but in reality they just want to be right at any cost.  A majority of the time, these “principles” are only their own opinions, or their own individual interpretation of Scripture.¹⁶ If these principles conflict with their own will or actions, they can readily produce a rationale to excuse themselves.  However, they may believe in these principles so strongly that they can feel it is alright to lie,¹⁷ steal and kill,¹⁸ to protect them.  They demand the law be upheld on the smaller issues of life,¹⁹ but rationalize violating the much weightier matters.²⁰  This is a type of “the ends justify the means” kind of mentality.

This facade of righteousness (let us humbly remember, “that all our righteousness is as dirty rags,” Isaiah 64:6), when closely examined, will expose a lack of integrity.  Integrity is when a man’s actions align with his beliefs²¹ to make him a whole man, neither double minded²² or hypocritical in his behavior.²³ He not only does the right thing, he does it the right way.  Commonly, when a man is a legalist and therefore full of pride, he egotistically and arrogantly asserts his opinion.  That kind of legalist is easy to spot.  However, many times the strong, silent type may be just as legalistic, although perhaps more concerned with appearance and self disciplined, therefore more difficult to detect.

Legalism and pride, although perhaps well hidden, are always signs of the desire for control and power.  As many people in the world who perceive themselves to be enlightened would like to assert, self-centeredness (the ultimate form of pride) is simply a survival tool,²⁴ used to ensure that we take care of ourselves.  What those same individuals don’t say,²⁵ know,²⁶ or believe,²⁷ is that this “survival instinct” came because of man’s sin and rebellion against God.  We cannot and should not rationalize pride as far as God is concerned.²⁸ It has started more wars, killed more people, and brought more pain into the world than any other sin known to man.  The world may feel pride is right and good,²⁹ and that it is a noble cause (an example is, “The Few, The Proud, The Marines”), but the Church of Jesus Christ has been made of less effect by its presence.

The Church
Pride and legalism should not be accepted in the church of Jesus Christ, where God-centeredness³⁰ and putting others first should be the rule.³¹ Christians are not to be self-centered and proud.³²  We are to be Christ centered,³³ which leads to humility.³⁴ Humility is the opposite of pride.³⁵  Pride exists in the church today under many disguises.  One is controlling leadership.  It can be a “my way is the best way, follow me” kind of mentality, which is not Jesus’ type of serving.³⁶  Another disguise is pretending to be humble, hiding pride so the pretender maintains creditability and therefore power.  A very common disguise of pride is to draw attention to ourselves,³⁷ through performing “specials” during the worship service.  This puts proud individuals on a stage, to be observed by the congregation, which fixes the focus on them rather than Christ.³⁸ In the past, church members sitting in the pews were participating members of the congregation.³⁹  Now in a majority of churches they are the audience, watchers waiting to be entertained, with emotionally uplifting performances and carefully calculated services.  Exclusively positive songs are chosen for congregational singing, which is the only point of involvement for most of the members.  Positive messages, carefully stated which seem to validate the role of listeners⁴⁰ rather than the role as doers.⁴¹ 

The most damaging cloak of pride in our churches today is legalism.  Legalism drowns grace and makes a church and its members either less effective or ineffective in their outreach to a sinful and dying world.  Grace is the lack of pride.  It along with humility and forgiveness, gives life.  Legalism brings death.  It has been said that, “legalism butchers the sheep, but grace covers and protects them.”  As believers, we like to think we are gracious to people, but if we are legalists our grace is fraudulent.  Legalism and grace are opposites, and can’t live equally in the same person.  This is why Jesus came down so hard on the Pharisees.⁴² They were legalists and destroyed grace in men’s lives.⁴³ Pride and legalism divide churches, extinguishes the Spirit, and seeks to destroy the freedom for which Christ purchased us.⁴⁴ It keeps proud preachers in the pulpits, manipulative deacons on church boards, and controlling elders in power.  Pride and legalism have left an immensely devastating influence on individual members and their families.

Marriage
A married Christian man has a God-given resource for showing him his pride and helping him to deal with it, his wife.  She is closer to him than anyone else and can give him insight about his true nature.  She sees what no one else is allowed to see, and what her husband can’t or won’t see in himself.  If he asks for her insights with a sincere heart, she can help him to see where pride rules in his life.⁴⁵

In order for this resource to be helpful and not dangerous, a Christian husband will need to be sure that his wife is a believer, and mature enough to be unbiased.  If she does not have the discernment necessary for such a task, he should not seek her advice.  He must also be aware that the health and strength of their marriage must be strong in order to receive a completely honest response.  His wife may not want to hurt his feelings, or she may feel her husband is not really sincere in his question.  She may tell him what she thinks he wants to hear.  The husband must be totally ready for this kind of examination and to be able to hear and learn from his wife’s answers.  If he is not, he should not put her on the spot by asking her insights and then either discount her opinion or use it only to reassure himself that he’s okay.  This step should only be done after much prayer and soul-searching.

A Christian man’s wife can also be a great aid, due to her position as his mate, to give him the opportunity to put her before himself.  Ephesians 5:25 says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”  The husband is to put his wife first and give himself for her.  He must place her needs before his own.  Husbands should closely examine their hearts and actions in the light of God’s Word, and question their true motivations.  Every time that a Christian husband chooses to put his wife before himself, he gains a little more ground in the fight against his own self-centeredness, pride, and legalism.  He must be willing and ready to experience the pain he will feel as a result of the exposure and sacrifice that must precede growth.

Self Examination
An effective tool in detecting legalism and pride in our lives is an honest self-examination.  We must peel back the reasoning we use to rationalize our actions.  Legalism cannot stand close examination or critical questioning.  Pride hides in the corners of a person’s life and avoids the light of critical inspection.  To uproot legalism, it must be identified and confronted as the sin of pride that it is.

We are told by Paul in II Corinthians 13:5 to “Test ourselves to see if we be in the faith; examine yourselves” (NASB, also v.7).  In the New Testament, the Greek word for faith is used as a verb more than 80% of the time.  A verb is an action, or something we do.  When faith is real, it affects how we think and what we do.  Our actions change because of what we now believe.  If we actively believe something, it causes us to do things differently than we normally would.  Things that our carnal nature wouldn’t choose⁴⁶ to do on its own.  In the above Scripture, Paul does not use the verb form of faith.  He doesn’t tell us to test (examine) ourselves to see if we be in faith, but rather “… if we be in the faith”.  He uses the noun form of the word faith.  In this case, faith is a thing.  This is confirmed when Paul uses the adjective (the article), “the,” which indicates he is speaking about a thing or object.  The faith, which is a noun, can refer to the Christian Church as a movement or the beliefs that make it up.  Many times, Christ’s followers were referred to as adhering to the faith, being followers of The Way,⁹² or being Christians.⁹³  In this case, Paul is referring to the movement’s guiding principles, its teachings and beliefs.  Paul is asking if we are walking daily with and in Christ.  God through Paul directly commands (in the Greek, it is in the imperative, which is a command) that we should ask ourselves the same thing.

We ought to daily scrutinize our walk to see if it follows, what the Bible says about what a Christian should be and do.  We must constantly examine ourselves,⁴⁷ and be truly open to the Holy Spirit’s illumination of who and what we are.⁴⁸  When we stop the rationalization and excuses and honestly see our true motives and actions, it will be embarrassing and painful.  Embarrassment is a sign that pride is being attacked.  But we must ask hard, critical questions of ourselves.  Is it more important to be right, or to love others?⁴⁹  Is it more important to be right or to do what is right?  Our love for others must put them first and ourselves last.

Dying To Self
We all have pride fighting to control our lives.  We must do acts of putting others first to weaken pride and to destroy the hold legalism can have on us.  It is in the doing that we die to self.  If we do something long enough, we will become what we do.⁵⁰   If we keep doing things to protect pride, we will become proud.  If we keep being legalistic, we will become legalists.  However, if we daily⁵¹ crucify self,⁵² we will die to self,⁵³ through the Holy Spirit’s power.  The more we do this, the easier it becomes.  If we are actively trying to die to self, then we must understand that we are truly dead men.  We were dead in our sins⁵⁴ and now must be dead to our flesh.⁵⁵ Dead men have no rights.  We are to be dead to our own desires and wants.⁵⁶

Dying to self involves two parts: what we must stop doing and what we must start doing.⁵⁷ First we die, then we live.  Once we choose to die to self, we are then to renew our minds⁵⁸ and therefore live for Christ⁵⁹ (Additional information on renewing our minds can be found in our paper on “The Christian Mind.”)⁶⁰  When we are alive in Christ, He can use us for the good of others.  To put others first, we are to seek their good.  We will be sensitive to their needs, and care about their lives, not just ours.⁶¹ If, we must correct them, we do it in love.  They will be able to tell that we are on their side, caring for them.  Christ said, “if anyone wishes to come after Me, let [an imperative - a command] him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me,” (Luke 9:23).  A man’s cross is the instrument of his death.  It is a tool to kill self, and should be used daily.  We need to make a daily commitment to die to self by sacrificially giving to and for others.

Living Through God
One aid in dying to self is to stop trying to impose our will on others by demanding our own way and rights.  We must be more flexible with our time and resources, and seek to cause others to be blessed by God through their contact with us.  Putting others first causes us to utilize the maturity that God teaches us through life’s hard lessons,⁶² which are individually tailored for us.  In I Corinthians 10:13, the Greek describes, “a personally tailored way of escape.”  This indicates that God personalizes our means to victory while going through trials.  God also uses His Word⁶³ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.⁶⁴  It is He who gives us the ability to do what He has already commanded for us to do in His Word.  But we must choose to allow God to exercise His power in us.  We must choose to be patient,⁶⁵ and therefore longsuffering.⁶⁶  We must choose to respond with grace, humility and mercy, and not be easily angered or frustrated.⁶⁷  We are told to do these things.⁶⁸  If we are God’s children,⁶⁹ then the Holy Spirit dwells inside us.⁷⁰  He is willing and able to empower us to do what God has already commanded in His Word.⁷¹  We are commanded to give our time, our money, and ourselves.  We have the purest example of giving stated in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world He gave his only begotten son”.⁷²  We must daily give of ourselves to and for other people in a sacrificial way.⁷³ 

The Application; Pray, Study, See, Do
Therefore, we are to:

Pray  daily.  Seek God’s will, guidance, and power to overcome pride, legalism, and self-love.  Seek His strength to die to self.  Pray for God to do in us, what we cannot do ourselves.  Be willing to sacrifice our will for His good pleasure.⁷⁴

Study  the Word of God daily.  We are told (in the Greek study is in the imperative, which is a command⁹⁴) to study God’s Word, the Bible and not just read it.  We are to ingest it, and make it our standard of life.  It is the only map we have, and need to lead us to the treasures of eternal life, abundant living,⁷⁵ and to having contact with our Creator⁷⁶ and His Son.⁷⁷  The central point of all Scripture is God’s Son, Jesus Christ.⁷⁸ 

What the Bible says concerning itself:⁷⁹
(it is the last word on any subject, our rule of life, our instruction manual for living)

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3:16,17; NKJV).

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  (II Timothy 2:15; KJV).

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12; NASB).

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:16; NASB).

What the Bible says concerning Christ:
(It is Him that the Bible centers on, all preeminence is His, the Bible is only about Him)

Christ said: “You search the scriptures, because you think in them you have eternal life;[Which He doesn’t refute] and it is these that bear witness of Me” (John 5:39, NASB).

“And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself”  (Luke 24:27; NKJV).

Paul said speaking of Christ: “Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come, In the volume of the book it is written of Me, To do Your will, O God.” (Hebrews 10:7, Quoted from Psalms 40:7; NKJV).

“ For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.  All things were created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16).

See  ourselves honestly as we are.  The hardest part of dealing with pride and legalism in our lives is being open enough to see what the Holy Spirit would desire to show us about ourselves and the true motivations of our heart.  We need to start questioning our perception of those motivations.  We must critically question the reasons we give for our actions.  We are told, “all of a man’s ways are clean in his own eyes” (Proverbs 16:2; NASB).  We must also remember that “the heart is incurable and wicked, who can know it” (Jeremiah 17:9, NASB).

Do  what the Holy Spirit shows us we can do.  Do put off the old man.⁸⁰ Do forget what is behind and press on.⁸¹  Do be renewed in our minds.⁸²  Do fix our eyes and set our minds on Christ.⁸³  Do think on whatever is good.⁸⁴  Do put on the whole armor of God.⁸⁵  It is in the doing, (which simply means practice) that we develop the discernment, enabling the Holy Spirit to weed out the evil in our lives.  As Paul says: “But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14; NASB). 

We must understand that dying to self is choosing to allow God to empty us of our self-centeredness.  To renew our mind is to focus solely on God, His will, His ways, for His glory⁸⁶ - we do this by focusing on God’s Word.  Through doing these things, we will gain the mind of Christ (humility),⁸⁷ and are brought closer into His image.⁸⁸  If we do acts of mercy and love in obedience to God, then are we His servants, being used of Him and for Him.⁸⁹  We must always remember that,  we can only do anything, as a result of God’s empowerment.⁹⁰  Dying to self, uprooting legalism and pride out of our lives, and offing ourselves up for Christ’s service will cost us everything, and will be painful.  However, our reward will last an eternity.⁹¹

To conclude, there will be two types of sinners in hell, those who refused to believe and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and those who acted like they did (Matthew 7:21-27 ~ fakers vs. doers).  In both groups pride was a tool in their down fall, and in the latter group legalism was its unfortunate disguise.

Endnotes
1. A noun, defined as “strict or too strict adherence to a law; passionate, over zealous,”
2. Matthew 23;1-36; Mark 2:24; Luke 13:14; John 5:10; Acts 15:5.
3. How much alike are the Pharisees and the men of these last days, II Timothy 3:1-9.
4. Matthew 20:25-28;23:11,12; Mark 10:42-45; John 13:14-17; Luke 22:25-30; I Peter 5:2,3.
5. Proverbs 21:2; 16:2;12:15.
6. Matthew 15:12-1423:16,17.
7. Luke 11:42; (NASB).
8. Matthew 23:23.
9. Luke 18:11-13.
10. Matthew 23:28.
11. Isaiah 14:13; I Timothy 3:6.
12. Proverbs 16:18.
13. Matthew 23:5.
14. I John 2:16; James 4:16; (NASB).
15. Matthew 23:16-22; 15:3.
16. II Peter 1:20; (NASB).
17. Psalms 59:12.
18. James 4:1-3.
19. James 2:10; Galatians 3:10,11.
20. Luke 11:42; Matthew 23:24.
21. Matthew 23:3.
22. James 1:8.
23. Matthew 23:27,28.
24. Psalms 14:1-3; (NASB).
25. Romans 1:18; (NASB).
26. Obadiah 3; (KJV).
27. Psalms 10:4; (KJV).
28. Proverbs 16:5; (NASB).
29. Isaiah 13:11.
30. Mark 12:30; Revelation 4:11;5:11-13.
31. Mark 12:31; Leviticus 19:18; Galatians 6:9,10.
32. Proverbs 8:13.
33. Colossians 1:16-18; Ephesians 1:20-23; Revelation 5:11-13; Philippians 2:9-11.
34. Philippians 2:5-8; John 13:12-16.
35. Proverbs 11:2; Matthew 23:12; (NASB).
36. Matthew 20:25-28;23:11,12; Mark 10:42-45; John 13:14-17; Luke 22:25-30; I Peter 5:2,3.
37. Matthew 23:5-7,14; Mark 12:38-40.
38. Hebrews 3:1; 12:2; Colossians 3:1-4; Romans 8:5; Isaiah 26:3.
39. Romans 12:4-8.
40. Romans 2:13-16.
41. James 1:22.
42. Matthew 15:12-1423:16,17.
43. Matthew 23;1-36; Mark 2:24; Luke 13:14; John 5:10; Acts 15:5.
44. Galatians 5:1,13.
45. Proverbs 12:15.
46. I Corinthians 2:11-16; Jeremiah 17:9.
47. James 1:22-25.
48. I Corinthians 2:10-14.
49. Romans 12:9,10; (NASB).
50. Romans 6:16; (NASB).
51. Luke 9:23.
52. Romans 8:10-13.
53. Colossians 3:3,5,8.
54. Ephesians 2:1,5; Colossians 2:13.
55. Romans 6:11-13.49.
56. Ephesians 4:20-22; (NIV).
57. II Corinthians 5:17.
58. Colossians 3:10; Romans 12: 1,2; II Corinthians 4:16; Ephesians 4:23, 24; Titus 3:5; (NIV).
59. Ephesians 2:1-10; Colossians 3:1-5; II Timothy 2:11.
60. See statement below.
61. Philippians 2:3,4.
62. Romans 5:2-5; II Peter 1:4-8; Romans 8:28.
63. James 1:21; John 17:17.
64. John 14:17.
65. II Timothy 2:24; (NASB).
66. Ephesians 4:1,2.
67. James 1:19,20; Colossians 3:8.
68. I Timothy 6:11; II Corinthians 10:5; (NASB).
69. Ephesians 1:5; Romans 8:11-16.
70. Ephesians 1:13.
71. Romans 8:11-15.
72. Romans 5:8.
73. Romans 12:1.
74. Philippians 2:13; Luke 12:32; Ephesians 1:5,9; II Thessalonians 1:11.
75. John 10:10.
76. Ephesians 3:9.
77. Ephesians 3:11-19.
78. Hebrews 3:1; 12:2; Colossians 3:1-4; Romans 8:5; Isaiah 26:3.
79. I Corinthians 2:13,14:37; II Corinthians 2:17, 4:2; I Thessalonians 2:13; II Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; I Peter  1:25; II Peter 1:3-4, 19-21, 3:1-2, 15-16; Jude 3.
80. Colossians 3:5-9; Ephesians 4:22; Romans 6:11.
81. Philippians 3:13.
82. Colossians 3:10; Romans 12: 1,2; Ephesians 4:23, 24; (NIV).
83.  Hebrews 3:1; 12:2; Colossians 3:1-4; Romans 8:5; Isaiah 26:3.
84. Philippians 3:14; 4:8.
85. Ephesians 6:10-18.
86. Romans 11:36; Hebrews 13:21.
87. Philippians 2:5-8 ~ humility.
88. II Corinthians 3:18.
89. Romans 6:16-22; (NIV).
90. Philippians 2:13;4:13; (NASB).
91. John 14:1-3, 17:2.
92. Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22.
93. Acts 11:26
94. II Timothy 2:15

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Regarding the Greek & Hebrew Languages – A Reissued Essay

Both the Hebrew and the Greek have their own particular differences which are utilized by God, and which presents God’s message to man in a diversity of style and effectiveness that complement each other.

The Hebrew (Old Testament) language displays vividness, conciseness, simplicity and denseness, and is very poetic and therefore necessitates many more English words in its translation is due to its vagueness; and therefore its ability to utilize puns, and many other rhetorical devices; which add color and nuances to the language beautifully.

Whereas in comparison, the Koiné Greek language (New Testament) is beautiful, rich, and harmonious, a very specific language, technical, efficient and effective; an excellent tool for vigorous thought and religious devotion.

These are characteristics which make it an excellent language for debate, philosophy, logic, and science, due to its strength and vigor; a language of argument with a vocabulary and style that penetrate and clarify phenomena rather than simply describe verbiage.

It takes many more English words to translate a single Greek word into English, yet for a different reason than the Hebrew, because of its specificity and exactness. It is perhaps the most precise form of expression found in any language, far beyond the English, Latin, or Oriental languages. This is one of the closest to perfect languages in man’s existence, making it more than appropriate as God’s tool of communication to man.

Concerning the precision and methodical nature of Koiné (Greek: “common“) Greek; it should be understood that the Hebrew Old Testament Scriptures were translated into this “common“ (common dialect, as opposed to Attic dialect; Koiné Greek is an ancestor of modern Greek and the first supra-regional dialect in Greece, becoming the lingua franca for the Eastern Mediterranean and ancient Near East throughout the Roman period due to the conquest of  Alexander the Great [336 BC to 323 BC], and therefore became the common language of the known world ~ 300 BC to AD 300), Greek three centuries before the time of Christ, known as the Septuagint (meaning: “seventy,” [the abbreviation LXX is found in your Bible margins when referring to it, and come from the Roman alphabet symbolizing "70"] because seventy [72?] translators were used in its translation.  It took fifteen years to finish, from 285 to 270 B.C., and was commissioned and paid for by Ptolemy II Philadelphus [285-245 B.C.], his father was Ptolemy I, one of the four generals who slit up the kingdom of Alexander the Great after his death.  Ptolemy I and his son ruled the area of Egypt), and was what Christ and the disciples used as their Scripture in their day.

This is why many times there is an inconsistency between our New Testament quotations of Old Testament passages, and the Old Testament passages themselves.  The reason that the two Testaments are not exactly the same is that our Protestant Old Testament is based upon the Hebrew Masoretic Text (the Hebrew Old Testament that was not codified until the 8th century A.D.), and Jesus and the disciples were quoting from the Greek Septuagint translation of the (Hebrew) Old Testament Scriptures, which explains the differences seen between the two (many Christian translators believe that the 8th century Hebrew Jewish translators used variant Hebrew words in the Masoretic translation to attempt to distance their translation from the Christian Bible which at the time used the Septuagint Old Testament; they believed Christianity was an evil cult), translations.

The supernatural outcome of having a (Septuagint) Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament is the ability to specifically understand the Hebrew words used in the Old Testament, as they are laid next to the (specific) Greek - paralleled.  So as to define the Hebrew according to the Greek; thus setting aside the vagueness that was originally introduced, as well as gaining the ability to cross-reference each with each other, and have both of the Testaments comparable at the same time.  And in the process, acquiring greater insight into both; as seen in the New Testament quotes of the Old Testament which are made more precise and clear, and the Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in the New Testament with greater understanding.

It’s like God presented Himself in the Old Testament while still behind a veil to the Jews (“the Hebrews“), more mysterious and at arm’s length.  Yet, in the New Testament, Jesus revealed God in a more personal, detailed and intimate manner, in Himself (which is where we get the idea of: “having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour“).  We also have God presenting His written word in the specificity of the Greek language in the New Testament, and eventually (c. 280 BC)  presenting a more precisely regarding the Old Testament as seen in the Septuagint.  Jesus Christ is the revelation of God the Father that was never seen before in such specificity.  In the Old Testament we see the actions of God; in the New Testament we see this personality in the person of Jesus Christ. 

Both of these languages are dead languages, meaning that they are permanently set – they do not change (which is important to us, in that consistency and uniformity are assured), and are therefore excellent tools for translation purposes with set meanings; even though our English is a living language, which is fluid – always changing; and therefore mandates a greater deliberation in translation.

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“The difference between ‘involvement’ and ‘commitment’ is like an eggs-and-ham breakfast:
the chicken was ‘involved’ – the pig was ‘committed’.”

Taken from the “Resource Center” of: www.FaithBibleMinistries.com

 

Figures of Speech ~ A Brief Introduction

Introduction (Update)
Hermeneutics, the study of the methodological principles of Biblical interpretation, is vast in its scope and beyond the intent of this paper. However, due to the nature of this subject matter it is important to present a caveat by way of an insight into the author’s particular frame of reference in order to maintain integrity.

 

Disclaimer
The author believes in the inerrancy of the Bible, and also as important, the sufficiency of it. He believes, as has been said before, that the Holy Spirit has so intricately engineered God’s Word that a person could search it their whole life as a scholar and not plumb its depths, yet a child can understand it and be fed. The author believes in the1 literal interpretation of the Bible. That to avoid pretext, one must always maintain context. Scripture must be used to interpret Scripture, meaning the Bible is a singular document that is completely congruent and whole. It speaks about many diverse issues through out its pages and thus is necessary to cross reference passages to verify a complete and balanced (mature and perfect) perceptive.

The Holy Spirit has engineered the Scripture so that it always verifies itself; there are no inconsistencies in God’s Word. If there appears to be a contradiction, it is a signpost that the Holy Spirit employs to bring the reader’s attention to a passage that has deep importance when explored thoroughly. Having said all this, the author also believes that God has designed into the language of the Bible aids that give clarity and perception, without violating the literalness of the text. In addition, it is believed that God uses men’s lives as object lessons that “whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”2

Figures of Speech
God’s Word is made up of “words which the Holy Ghost teacheth“3 A “Figure of Speech” relates to the form in which the words are used. It consists in the fact that a word or words are used out of their ordinary sense, or place, or manner, for the purpose of attracting our attention to what is thus said. A Figure of Speech is a designed and legitimate departure from the laws of language, in order to emphasis what is said. Hence in such Figures we have the Holy Spirit’s own marking, so to speak, of His own words.

This peculiar form or unusual manner may not be true, or so true, to the literal meaning of the words (such as: Jesus is not a literal “Lamb,” He is Man and He is God; and the term “Lamb of God” is meant to give meaning and identity that Jesus is God’s design for the substitutionary atonement of man’s sin, thus: Jesus is God’s appointed Lamb ~ John 1:29), though never contrary to them; but it is more true to their real sense, and truer to truth in meaning.4

Figures are used for the sake of emphasis and clarity. They can never, therefore, be ignored. Ignorance of Figures of speech has led to the grossest errors, which have been caused either from taking literally what is meant to be figurative,5 or from making figurative what was literal.6

As an example of the needed understanding of figures of speech all one must do is turn to the book of Genesis, chapter three, verses fourteen and fifteen. By interpreting these figures literally as meaning “belly,” “dust,” “heel,” “head,” we lose the volumes of precious and mysterious truth which they convey and intensify. It is the truth that is literal, while the words employed are figurative. Without the understanding of the true meanings of these words, one would miss the prophetic references to Jesus Christ.

Another example of figures of speech can be seen in God using names and titles to identify and describe the Messiah, such as: The Seed of the woman,7 Shiloh,8 The Stone of Israel,9 The Peace Offering,10 The Captain of the host of the Lord,11 The Rock of my salvation,12 The Light of Men,13 My Shield,14 My Glory,15 The Lifter Up of mine head,16 My Fortress,17 My Shepard,18 A Stranger and an alien,19 God’s Firstborn,20 The Branch of the Lord,21 The Child,22 A Sanctuary,23 Wonderful,24 Counsellor,25 The Mighty God,26 The Prince of Peace,27 A Rod of the steam of Jesse,28 Shadow from the Heart,29 The Lamb of God,30 The Messiah,31 Savior,32 Bread of life,33 The Foundation,34 The Word of life,35 The Resurrection,36 The Holy One,37 The Alpha and Omega,38 The Way, The Truth and The Life.39 This is only 3340 of the [over?] 333 known allusions to Jesus Christ: His Person, His pre-existence, His Human Birth, His Life, His Teaching, His Mission, His Death, His Resurrection, His Return, His Rule on earth and in heaven, His Glory, His Preeminence, and His Deity.

The Greeks and Romans named hundreds of such figures. There are more than 217 separate types of figures listed in English by Dr. Bullinger in 1898, 28 are listed below with brief explanations.41

 Similes (or, Resemblance, A declaration that one thing resembles another).

Syncrisis (or, Repeated Simile, A repetition of a number of resemblances [Parathesis, Comparatio]).

Metaphors (or, Representation, A declaration that one thing is [or represents] another, Comparison by representation).

Hypocatastasis (or, Implication, A declaration that implies the resemblance or representation. Comparison by implication).

Allegory (or, Continued Metaphor and Hypocatastasis, Continued representation and implication).

Parabola (or, Parable: i.e., Continued Simile, Comparison by continued resemblance).

Apologue (or, Fable, A fictitious narrative used for illustration [Fabula]).

Parœmia (or, Proverb, A wayside saying in common use [Proverbium] There are 5 types).

Type (A figure or ensample [this is the 1880's spelling of "example"] of something future, called the antitype).

Symbol (A material subject substituted for a moral or spiritual truth).

Ænigma (or, Enigma: i.e., A Dark Saying, A truth expressed in obscure language).

Polyonymia (or, Many Names, An application of Enigma to the names of persons or places).

Gnome (or quotation, There are 3 groupings with a total of 11 subject types).

Amphibologia (or, Double Meaning, A word or phase susceptible of two interpretations).

Eironeia (or, Irony, The expression of thought in a form that conveys its opposite. There are 3 groupings and 5 types).

Oxymoron (or, Wise-folly, A wise saying that seems foolish [Acutifatuum]).

Idioma (or, Idiom, The peculiar usage of words and phrases [Idiotismos] There are 11 types).

Prosopopœia (or, Personification, things represented as persons [Personificatio, Personæ Fictio, Confornatio] There are 6 types).

Antiprosopopœia (or, Anti-Personification).

Anthropopatheia (or, Condescension, There are 3 groupings with a total of 12 types).

Antimetathesis (or, Dialogue, a transference of speakers [Polyprosopon]).

Association (or, Inclusion, When the writer or speaker associates himself with those whom he address).

Apostrophe (A turning aside from the direct subject-matter to address others [Prosphonesis, Aversio] There are 4 groupings with a total of 5 types).

Parecbasis (or, Digression, A turning aside from one subject to another [Digressio, Parabasis, Ecbolie, Aphodos).

Metabasis (or, Transition, a passing from subject to another [Transitio, Interfactio]).

Epanorthosis (or, Correction, A recalling what is said, in order to correct it as by an after-thought [Diorthosis, Epidorthosis, Metanœa, Correctio] There are 3 types).

Amphidiorthosis (or, Double Correction, A setting both hearer and speaker right by a correction which acts both ways).

Anachoresis (or, Regression, a return to the original subject after a digression [Regressio, Epanaclesis]).

Clarification
So that there may be no misunderstanding concerning what has been mistakenly called in the past allegorical or spiritual interpretation (in reality it is man-based manipulation which is subjective, mystical and has no basis for acceptance) and figures of speech, the following history has been included.

Allegorical Interpretation
Up front let me say that this author vehemently disagrees with “Allegorical Interpretation,” which was popularized and accepted through the work of the third century Alexandrian theologian, Origen (ca. 185-254). He was completely dedicated to the allegorical method of interpretation like his mentor, Clement of Alexandria. Origen spiritualized virtually every Christian doctrine. Under Origen’s influence, the blessed hope of the Christian apologists—belief in Christ’s imminent return to establish His kingdom—began to yield to the spiritual hermeneutics of Alexandria.

Origen maintained a theoretical threefold understanding of the meaning of Scripture: the literal, typological, and spiritual that supposedly corresponded to the threefold human nature—body, soul, and spirit. In practice, however, he most frequently made a distinction between the literal and the spiritual method of interpretation of Scripture(e.g., De princ. 1.3.3). The literal method, which Origen considered crude and unreliable, was allowed to the weak of intellect, the mass of Christians in general. The spiritual method, extolled by Origen, was reserved for a few like himself on whom the grace of the Holy Spirit is bestowed in the word of wisdom and knowledge (De princ. Preface, para. 8).

Origen’s method of exegesis (of defining; or literally exegesis means: “A critical explanation or interpretation of a text”) was so subjective that it allowed for an almost infinite number of symbolic meanings and interpretations of the Biblical text, most of which bore little resemblance to the plain meaning of the words. Mystical theological speculation was typical of Origen’s eschatology. For example, according to his doctrine of the apokatastasis (restoration of everything in the universe to its original, spiritual, primeval state), there will be no hell or eternal punishment. Rather, the Logos (Jesus’ eternal reference) will purify every living being, presumably even demons and Satan himself. Then Christ can return and raise all people, but in spiritual bodies only (De princ. 1.6.1-3; 3.4-6).

As for the meaning of the Second Coming, Origen explained away the gospel references to a literal, visible return of Christ and substituted a completely spiritualized interpretation (De princ. 2.11.2). In essence, Origen taught that Christ’s return signifies His disclosure of Himself and His deity to all humanity in such a way that all might partake of His glory to the degree that each individual’s actions warrant (Comm. On Matt. 12.30). In effect, Origen took the catalytic event of the prophetic calendar and reduced it to a kind of general, mystical encounter [that was only in the past, no future hope] with Christ.42

Origen’s allegorical interpretations, including his views on Bible prophecy, gained wide acceptance in the church of his day. His influence, followed by Constantine’s acceptance of Christianity and Augustine’s (a follower of Origen) teaching in the fourth century, are usually cited as the principal causes of premillennialism’s eventual replacement by Amillennial eschatology. Though he was broken by the persecution under Decius in 250 and died a few years later at the age of sixty-nine, Origen’s exegesis still colors prophetic expectation in modern times.43

Conclusion
When Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of Wittenberg Hall (which had already started to change due to Huss, Wycliffe, and Knox), the world became a different place. For a thousand years the Roman Catholic (world) church had so corrupted the public reading of God’s Word (by reiterating the Scripture in Latin to non-Latin or unlearned people’s, and taught the traditions of men [Catholic canon] as the law of God), that when the masses finally could read the Holy Scriptures for themselves, they also had to learn how to interpret their Bibles. The Catholic Church had so emasculated the Word of God; that learning to take God at His word was unheard of. Though Martin Luther was still an Amillennialist, He had changed from an Allegorical interpretation to a literal one. He believed that the Bible was not only inerrant; but that God met what He said. For the first 350 years of the Church, the Bible was only interpreted literally, unless the text left obvious hints that figures of speech were present. Now as Christ draws near His Church is again coming to have a full understanding of the endless treasure the Holy Spirit has engineered into God’s glorious Word.

Endnotes
1. “The,” is used, rather than “a,” because “a” implies that there are other forms of Biblical interpretation that are valid.
2. Romans 15:4.
3. I Cor. 2:13; I Thes. 2:13; II Tim. 3:16; II Pet. 1:21.
4. Though this may be a departure from the usual manmade composition of language and correct grammar, yet it is God who makes laws, which He is far above, and steps outside of to show Himself, prove Himself, and do of His good will, He is exempt. A good example of is the law of primogeniture (the right of the first-born to inherit the blessing of the family). Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and Joseph, were not the first-born. Yet, God in showing His sovereignty and in creating a typology chose them above the firstborn, to show His hand in the affairs of men, and to exhibit His sovereign Lordship.
5. A rationale for killing Muslims during the dark ages was Christ’ teaching concerning cut off body parts it they cause one to sin in a way that would send them to hell for eternity. The forgone conjecture was that killing unbelievers was sending them to purgatory where salvation was available as compared to allowing them to multiple in number and in spreading their Satanic religion, it was thought (sure?) to be more merciful.
6. Such as: salvation by grace through faith alone, the completed work of Christ’s death on the cross, the existence of hell as an eternal place. Amillennialism and therefore the complete distortion of many of the teachings and whole books of the Bible, like the books of Revelation, Daniel, I and II Thessalonians, parts of the Gospels, Gods future dealings with Israel (The church has not taken Israel’s blessings or place in history yet future), and much of the major and some of the minor prophets, and many other important issues.
7. Gen. 3:15.
8. Gen. 49:10.
9. Gen. 49:27.
10. Lev. 3:1.
11. Josh. 5:14.
12. II Sam. 22:47.
13. John 1:4.
14. Psa. 3:3.
15. Psa. 3:3.
16. Psa. 3:3.
17. Psa. 18:2.
18. Psa. 23:1.
19. Psa. 69:8.
20. Psa. 89:27.
21. Isa. 4:2.
22. Isa. 7:16.
23. Isa. 8:14.
24. Isa. 9:6.
25. Isa. 9:6.
26. Isa. 9:6.
27. Isa. 9:6.
28. Isa. 11:1.
29. Isa. 25:4.
30. John 1:29.
31. John 4:25.
32. I John 4:14.
33. John 6:35.
34. I Cor. 3:11.
35. I John 1:1.
36. I John 11:25.
37. Mark 1:24.
38. Rev. 1:8.
39. John 14:6.
40. T. C. Horton & Charles E. Hurlburt, Names Of Christ, Moody Press, Chicago, 1994.
41. E.W. Bullinger, D. D., Figures Of SPEECH USED IN THE BIBLE, Baker Book House, First printed in 1899, Twenty-second printing 1999.

42.In addition, Origen misguided application of Matthew 19:12 to himself and emasculated himself, which he later regretted. This may help in understanding why he was so against literally interpreting the Bible. Later, as a prolific writer based in Caesarea, his De Principiis, systematically laid out Christian doctrine in terms of Hellenic thinking and set the most subsequent theological thought for many years. His numerous sermons and commentaries, however, tragically also established an extreme pattern of allegorizing Scripture, which was to strongly influenced Augustine in subsequent years.
43. Larry V. Crutchfield, Dictionary of PREMILLENNIAL THEOLOGY, Mal Couch General Editor, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI, 1996, page 289.

The Enemy & His Weapons

Introduction – The Enemy
The devil is a high angelic creature that before the creation of the human race; rebelled against the Creator and became the chief antagonist of God and man.   We know this from passages in Isaiah, chapter 14 and Ezekiel, chapter 28.  

 

Many liberal theologians, to a large extent have refused to apply the far-reaching prophecies of Isa. 14:12-14 and Ezek. 28:12-15 to Satan under the contention that they were addressed solely to the king of Babylon in the first instance and to the king of Tyre in the second.

Others contend that this interpretation is unwarranted for two reasons. First, it fails to take into account the fact that these prophecies far transcend any earthly ruler and, second, it ignores the close connection Satan has in Scripture with the government of the satanic world system (Dan. 10:13; Eph. 6:12) of which both ancient Babylon and Tyre were an inseparable part.

Many times in God’s Word, He lays down passages which have dual applications in referring to more than one person or subjects – thus the use of “Figures of Speech,” come into play.  Therefore in these passages God speaks concern a earthly man, yet a celestial being as well.  

In their full scope these passages paint Satan’s past career as “Lucifer” and as “the Anointed Cherub” in his pre-fallen splendor. They portray as well his apostasy in drawing with him a great multitude of lesser celestial creatures (Rev. 12:4), making him “the Evil One” or “the Tempter.” These fallen angels roam the heavenlies with their prince-leader Satan (Matt. 12:24), and as his emissaries are so numerous as to make Satan’s power practically ubiquitous.

Satan helped cause the fall of the human race as “the Serpent” (Gen. 3). His judgment was predicted in Eden (vs. 15), and this was accomplished at the cross (John 12:13-33). As created, his power was second only to God (Ezek. 28:11-16). He is nevertheless only a creature, limited, and created with power by divine omnipotence and omniscience.

Satan’s present work is widespread and destructive. God permits his evil activity for the time being. Fallen Angels and Demons do Satan’s bidding.

The unsaved are largely under Satan’s authority, and he rules them through the evil world system over which he is head and of which the unregenerate are a part (Isa. 14:12-17; II Cor. 4:3-4; Eph. 2:2; Col. 1:13).

As far as the saved are concerned, Satan has continued in conflict with them (Eph. 6:11-18), tempts them, and seeks to corrupt and destroy their testimony, and even their physical life (I Cor. 5:5; I John 5:16).¹

The Enemy’s Weapons - His Tools – His Tactics
 To best understand Satan’s tactics, it seems wise to start at the beginning, where he first attacked man and view his strategy, a strategy he still employs today.

Genesis, Chapter Three, Verse 1 reads:

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, `You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” (2) And the woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; (3) but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, `You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.” (4) And the serpent said to the woman, “You surely shall not die! (5) “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6. When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

The Attack of Satan
In verse one, Satan attempts to create doubt (the opposite of faith in the mind of the person), by indirectly questioning what God has said.

In the second part of verse one, Satan attempts to distort by misquoting what God has said. Genesis 2:16, says: “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.” Yet Satan only recites the first part of God said, leaving off the (deadly) Exception to the rule.

Finally, In verse 4, Satan states that God is a liar, then Satan states the logical reason why God would lie, He is afraid, and therefore God is unjust because he does not want man to be like Him.

There is Satan’s (“A liar and the father of lies,” John 8:44) subtle attack.

1. He indirectly questions,
2. distorts by misquoting, then
3. he openly says God is a liar, and
4. uses logic about fear to prove his case.

God’s Word is More Important than His Name
Psalms 138:2 says concerning God, “…for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” The simple reason for this is, if you cannot trust what God says, His name means nothing anyway. The first sin was more than just proud, self-centered arrogance. It was more than Satan declaring himself to be god, it was a lack of faith in who God is and what He has said. When man fell, it was an open choice, woman may have been treated into it, but not man, he freely choose to not trust in what God said or God’s ability to take care of Eve’s fall. Adam did not have faith in God. God’s name was impugned, His character was challenged, and therefore his creditability was questioned.

It’s all About Faith, Without it you Cannot Please God
The most important ingredient to any and every relationship is trust. There may be times when a man and wife do not feel the emotional response of love or even simple like, but when the ultimate betrayal of sexual infidelity (Infidelity means a breach of trust) occurs, the relationship is never the same. Faith is what Adam (Man) did not give God and it crested a lack of relationship, therefore to have a relationship with God men must excise faith. The error was a refusal to trust that God could do what He said and handle anything that occurred (Rather than Adam thinking he could take care of the situation by sinning along with Eve to stay with her); therefore it is trust alone in God’s ability to save a man that the man must excise. God’s choice of salvation was that the penalty for sin was to be paid, and God’s Son was the only One who had what it takes to do so, His sacrificial death after having become a man to do what Adam did not – trust God (“the author and perfector of faith,” ~ Heb. 12:2) was the formula God chose.

The Wiles of the Devil
Satan is the great deceiver (John 8:44). He does not start by openly attacking, he does not strike the castle by a frontal assault on the drawbridge, he deceives a well-meaning a guard into believing he is opening the gate to let in a helpless poor stranger who has been robbed on the road, who in turn overthrows the naive (“Be gentile as droves, subtle as serpent.” ~ Matthew 10:16) guard and then lower the drawbridges for the emery forces to overtake the castle and destroy the kingdom.

It has been said the enemy of the best is not the worst, but the good (which is the 2nd best).

The idea is that if you are attacking (addressing) the most important defenses (issue) in a battle (situation) and are winning, your opponent (Satan) must get you focused on something else, he must redirect your efforts to another area where he less vulnerable. He must redirect your focus, your attention, your effectiveness.

The Three Areas of Attack
In Christian terms, if your Church, Ministry, or life is effecting people to grow in their faith in God, Satan will try many diverse kinds of attacks to stop you, or at lest slow you down until he can stop you. He may openly tempt you to sin, as he did Christ by addressing your natural needs (The “lust [desire] of the flesh,” ~ I John 2:16) for food, and if that does not work he may try to trick you into tempting God by proving up God by spiritual pride (The “pride of life,” ~ I John 2:16), such as by throw your medications away, not trusting God for your illness, even though God has already set you up with a Doctor that He is controlling to help bring healing to you. Finally, Satan may offer you power (The “lust [desire] of the eyes,” ~ I John 2:16), even power to do God’s will, when God may not want to use power, but weakness to show His strength. Satan offered Christ the kingdoms of the world, which Jesus will come back to take in the future and rule the kingdoms of the world with a rod of iron (Rev. 2:27). But God’s way was a painful death and separation from God the Father, and it would not be immediate, but involved waiting for God’s timing.

Getting Off Track
“Don’t let the tyranny of the urgent preempt what is most important, the priority.”

The urgent always draws attention to itself, it is digging bells and fleshing lights. Where the priorities quietly wait in stillness. The urgent takes up your day, where the priorities get missed, and you fill like you did not get anything really accomplished. The urgent is driving 80 miles an hour to get to a meeting, the priority is driving the speed limit and arriving in your car not in an ambulance. The urgent gets us to running fast, thinking less, it is a response or reaction, rather than an action. The urgent makes us it’s salve, where the priority gives control. Satan loves to use the urgent to get Christians running like a chicken with it’s head cut off, getting less and less done for God; less effectively. Where do we ever see Jesus rushing off urgently to do anything or to be wherever.

Sins Progression
Lastly, as Satan may use sin in the subtlest of ways, like a frog in the pot, turning up the heat ever so slowly, so that we don’t realize what he is doing. We don’t conceive of the bondage of sin until the chains are so heavy and locked on to us so tight that we are of little use to God or man.

Sin progresses, it: preempts – preoccupies – predominates.

As the old analogy goes, 1,000,000th of an inch is a very small measurement, but if you are laying out a train track and you start off a 1,000,000th inch off parallel between the tracks, after few hundred miles, your tracks will be so far apart, the train will not be able to function. If Satan can get us a little off the mark, if he can get us focused on other things rather than what God wants us focused on. Maybe caught up with the urgent, only putting out fire after fire, never fully completing what God desires for us, then we lose the victory that God would have us achieve. Satan tries to preempt (Pre=before) what we should be doing, which easily evolves into preoccupying us, which turns into us being predominated by things that are not what God would have for us.

Endnotes
1. ELWELL’S EVANGELICAL DICTIONARY OF THEOLOGY, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology by Walter A. Elwell, (c) Copyright 1984, by Baker Book House Company.

The Rapture, Compare & Contrast

Introduction

In examining the doctrine of the rapture of the church, perhaps most convincing is when one takes the Bible and compares and contrasts events which according to opponents of the Rapture say could only be the second coming of Christ.  The reason why is because if there is no rapture of the church then the 2nd coming is a singular event, however, if according to contrast and comparison their 2 events; then the only conclusion is that the rapture does occur, rather pre-trib, or mid-trib.

The inconsistencies concerning a single event are staggering, therefore, by necessity must be that there are two separate events, with the only answer been the Rapture as one, and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ as the other.  One of the arguments of the opponents to the idea of the Rapture is that Jesus Christ comes to earth twice, not 3 times or 2.5 times.  However, this ignores the fact, that according to the Rapture point of view, Christ only comes to earth twice, once for His First Coming, in which he died for the sins of mankind, and the second time to take possession of that which he died for the first time.  Yet, between these two events, Jesus comes not to the earth, but “in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thess 4:17), that the Lord may receive those that are His – the church. 

It is in considering the whole plan of God that salvation came from the Jew, yet they refused their Messiah, and according to Romans 11:25 were temporarily placed in the penalty box, while God (which knowing Israel would reject Christ) took the gospel to the whole world, which is known as the church.  The church, is a parentheses in time of God’s dealings with Israel, and when Israel’s blindness stops with them regaining their site concerning God, the clock starts up again.  This book fills Daniel’s prophecy concerning the 70 weeks of time dealing with Israel, where in there is a pause between the 69th and 70th week which has lasted now 2000 years between the time of Jesus presenting himself as the Messiah (the triumphal entry), and our current time. 

This parenthesis has no prophecies concerning its length, yet we know that when the blindness of Israel stops, it is referred to as the fullness of the Gentiles.  This is not to be confused with Nebuchadnezzar’s time of the Gentiles.  The fullness of the Gentiles according to the Greek word used for fullness, has to do with the completion of a mathematical term.  This is when the last person enters the church, the church is completed and the time of the Gentiles (which is what the church is) is complete and Israel regains their site concerning their Messiah.  This is when the clock of God’s timepiece concerning Israel starts up again, the 70th week starting at this point.  This 70th week, this 70th seven-year period is commonly referred to as the tribulation which Jesus referred to in Matthew chapter 24: is a reference to Daniel’s prophecy is recorded in Daniel 9:24-27.

We must always remember that the church was a mystery hidden from the Old Testament believers according to Ephesians 1:9-13, and Ephesians 3:1-6.

The following are examples of inconsistencies concerning the Second Coming of Christ only, and therefore by contrast support the view of a Rapture of the church:

 

Rapture                                                                      Second Coming

Translation of believers                                         No translation

Translated saints go to heaven                           Translated Saints return to earth     

Earth is not judged                                                   Earth judged

Eminent – any moment                                          Follows defined predicted signs

Sign-less                                                                        Signs

Not in the Old Testament                                       Predicted in the Old Testament

Affects believers only                                             Affects all men

Before the day of wrath                                          Concludes the day of wrath

No reference to Satan                                             Satan bound

Jesus comes for his own                                        Jesus comes with his own

Jesus comes in the air (Clouds)                          Jesus comes to earth (Mount of Olives)

Jesus comes to claim his bride                           Jesus comes with his bride

Only His own see him*                                           Every eye shall see him

Great tribulation begins                                        Millennium begins

Church believers only                                            Old Testament saved raised later

 

The following Scriptures display the differences between the Rapture & the Second Coming:

 

The Rapture                                                              The Second Coming

John 14:1-3                                                                                          Daniel 2:44-45

Romans 8:19                                                                                       Daniel 7:9-14

1 Cor 1:7-8                                                                                           Daniel 12:1-3

1 Cor 15:1-53                                                                                       Zech 14:1-15

1 Cor 16:22                                                                                          Matt 13:41

Phil 3:20-21                                                                                          Matt 24:15-31

Col3:4                                                                                                   Matt 26:64

1 Thess 1:10                                                                                         Mark 13:14-27

1 Thess 2:19                                                                                         Mark 14:62

1 Thess 4:13-18                                                                                   Luke 21:25-28

1 Thess 5:9                                                                                           Acts 1:9-11

1 Thess 5:23                                                                                         Acts 3:19-21

2 Thess 2:1, (3?)                                                                                  1 Thess 3:13

1 Tim 6:14                                                                                            2 Thess 1:6-10

2 Tim 4:1                                                                                              2 Thess 2:8

Titus 2:13                                                                                              2 Peter 3:1-14

Heb 9:28                                                                                               Jude 14-15

James 5:7-9                                                                                          Rev 1:7

1 Peter 1:7, 13                                                                                      Rev 19:11-20:6

1 John 2:28-3:2                                                                                   Rev 22:7, 12, 20

Jude 21                                 

Rev 2:25                                              

Rev 3:10                              

 

*After Jesus’ resurrection He is only seen by loving eyes, and touched by the loving hands.  The next time that Jesus is seen by unsaved men, He is a man of war, bringing judgment upon the earth against those that seek to destroy Israel.

Source ?  – Missler, Pink; Steadman?   

Eternal Security – Why is it Important?

 

Introduction

(completely updated and revised from an earlier production)

There is an old extra-biblical expression: “”In essentials, unity; in doubtful questions, liberty, however, in all things: charity.”  The author of this expression was none other than Augustine who wrote the classic “City of God.”  What is unfortunate is that even a cursory search of his life indicates that he seldom followed his own admonition in this particular area as he was a teacher of Rhetoric, which we would refer to as a professional debater, and was known for his scurrilous and inflammatory assaults upon those that did not agree with him.  He followed this ungodly behavior until the last days of his life.

This goes to show that God uses broken vessels to sometimes produce insights which are far beyond their own ability to practice these insights themselves.  And whereas this expression appears to be a wise insight concerning division within the body of Christ, we must safeguard those things which we might consider nonessential, understanding that everything in God’s Word is essential, if God wanted it communicated to man. My point is there are areas that we need to NOT allow cause division within the ministry of the Lords church, yet we must be very careful what we would say is nonessential.  Many have went so far is to state that the issue of  “Eternal Security,” or the doctrine of “once saved, always saved” is one of these non-essentials.  This displays a lack of insight concerning what the real issue is concerning this particular teaching.

Some would say concerning this doctrine, “the issue is righteousness, if a Christian lives a life of outright sin, it would not be righteous that God would continue to provide salvation with such abuse.” On the human plane it does not seem right that if I as a Christian deny myself sin to live right before God, and another Christian lives a life of sin, sowing to his flesh, that we would share the same reward.  We know that God is not mocked, for as the Scripture says: “be not deserved, God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap“ (Galatians 6:7).   However, do you see what this Scripture does NOT say, it says nothing concerning salvation; and to say it does is reading into the text what it does not say.   I know some Believers who spend too much time sinning and paying a price for it, reaping of the flesh.  David* is a good example of this when he spent a whole year running from God, living in sin (see below).  All of us have done this, and those things sown to the flesh, will of the flesh we shall reap – but if God was talking about salvation in Galatians chapter 6, He would have said so.   

First, this passage in Galatians 6:7 specifically addresses supporting the ministry, though this principle is a Biblical and true principle according to verse 8 (I bring this out because we need to be very careful about pulling Scriptures out of context, separating a Scripture from its intended subject matter, and using it for something totally different.  This is only allowable if the Scripture sets forth a principle that is a Biblical principle that can be used across all of God’s Word and humanity.  Although in this case it is correct to do so – we must always hold God’s Word in this kind of respect, especially in our day and age where so many play so lose with God’s Word).  And for him that lives life totally sold out to Jesus, Jesus will reward him righteously for that service (see Endnote #6).  And for him who lives life more for his flesh, yet is a Christian, God is still the Master who saves even a Christian who produces “wood, hay, and stubble“ (“Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” ~ 1 Cor. 3:12-15), yet is still saved because of the power of God’s salvation, in spite of man’s sin.  

The Real Issue
The reason eternal security is so important is not what most Christians think.  It has more to do with God’s integrity than our security.  Salvation is based not only on God’s desire to save us, but upon His ability to do so.  If salvation is so fragile, so easily lost, what does that say about God and His ability to keep what He purchased with the blood of His own Son.

The first problem many hold concerning this doctrine is the idea that when a person becomes saved that they can become sinless.  While one of the marks of spiritual maturity is that the believer sins less, he will never become sinless; in fact this teaching is anathema to the concept that Christ had to die for our sins because this was the only way to separate us from the penalty of sin.   To carry the idea to its logical conclusion, if becoming a Believer means that as a Believer the person can stop sinning, then why do they still encounter physical death, it is because as Paul speaks about in Romans chapter 7:14-25, which states:

“For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that [it is] good.  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not.  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”   

And to those that would say Paul was speaking of his past life, the grammar absolutely says the opposite.  The verbs he uses are in the present tense ONLY, meaning that: of that which he speaks is current!

However, this is not to excuse a willful desire to live in sin as a Believer. 

And if this ability to stop living in sin, meant a Believer lost their salvation if they did so, how do we address the fact that David*, “a man after His [God's] own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22), after having become saved according to his faith in God (that God would provide a Redeemer that would purge him from the penalty of sin – this is Biblical faith unto salvation in the Old Testament); David spent a whole year backslidden, running from God after he had illegally and ill-morally taken Bathsheba, arranged for the murder of her husband, and lived unrepentant until God sent Nathan to confront him a year later (2 Sam. 12:1-13).  You can’t become much more of a backslidden Believer, deserving to loss your salvation than to live in sexual sin, commit murder, run away from God for a whole year; than what David did.  The point is God is not mocked, this sin produce terrible consequences for David, his offspring; and the nation of Israel (2 Sam. 12:8-24); yet it did not cost him his salvation(or his life ~ 2 Sam. 12:13 – “ The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.”) – because he didn’t get himself saved in the first place, he could not keep himself saved; therefore he could not lose what he did not get, it is all a gift from God.  

There are many believers that maintain a humanistic mindset by demanding that we walk deserving of our salvation, however, as I said this is anathema to Christ, who died for our sins; in that the dire consequences of sin are so overbearing and unfathomable; for men to escape, the only way of redemption was by God providing His very own Son to take our place, and died for the sins of all of humanity. 

The issue is not our ability to maintain our salvation, or our inability to hold onto our salvation. The issue is God’s integrity in fulfilling His Word where He has proclaimed that He will keep us, that none shall be lost.  Jesus’ word should be the last statement we need to make concerning the issue of eternal security (but we shall go much further in to God’s Word to make the case), as he stated in John 10:28:

“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” 

The Greek is very plain here, to those that Jesus gave eternal life, they shall never, ever, ever perish.  The word “man” is in italics in the KJB because it is not in the original, what the Greek says is that: “neither shall any… pluck them out of my hand.”  This is stating that there is nothing in existence, not a single thing including another human, or even the human themselves that have this salvation…; there is nothing what so ever in all of existence that can pluck a man out of Jesus’ hand.  There is no way around this, if Jesus gives someone eternal life; there is no way that they can lose it not even by their own acts. 

The only question that really is pertinent is if the person is saved in the first place, and yes there are many that believe their saved, and are not.  This is why the Scripture says that the false teachers are blind leaders of the blind (“Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” ~ Matt. 15:14), because the un-saved are blind to begin with – which includes those who think that they are saved, but have not lived in Biblical faith unto salvation; as found in God’s Word.  This is why Jesus speaks about the comparison of believers with unbelievers utilizing the analogy of wheat and chaff (tares).  A chaff looks just like a grain of wheat, with the two identical until one event, when they are both put through tribulation, taken to the thrashing floor, it is only then that the difference is noted because of the lack of substance within the chaff, that as it is thrashed with tribulation it displays that it has weight and is blown away.  It is when we come into trials that we display our faith if we are Believers, or the lack of it if we are un-saved.  So the question should not be “can I believer lose his salvation,” but “is the person a true believer in Jesus Christ.”  To this question Jesus stated in Matthew 7:15-24, concerning false leaders: 

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:”

While we’re never to judge anyone unto condemnation (which is a different Greek word than judging to discern – we are told to judge/discern, see: “Church Discipline – Forgiveness & Turning the Cheek” in the search bar), we are to evaluate our leaders, as well as brothers in the faith, otherwise how do we know who to witness to, who to fellowship with, who to follow, who to not trust, and who to pray for (see: Hebrews 5:14; 1 Cor. Chapter 5 & 6).  

The Issue at Hand
Perhaps the best way to address the question of eternal security is to first address those Scriptures which APPEAR to oppose the concept of “Once saved, always saved,” then address those passages which support the doctrine of “Eternal Security” (this is a question which raises complicated issues, in which the answers are neither brief, [14 pages] nor simple, where multiple citations are required in order to do justice to the topic).

Apparent Support against the Concept of Eternal Security

There are four pivotal passages which APPEAR on the surface to support the opposition to Eternal Security which will be addressed first, with the pertinent text underlined.  They are:  

• Matthew 7:21, 22    Addresses those that look like Christians, yet are not 
• Matthew 12:30-35 Addresses the unforgivable sin, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit 
• Hebrews 6:4-6,9     Addresses those that once were enlightened, falling away 
• Hebrews 10:26-27 Addresses those that willingly sin after having received the truth

The Book of Matthew
Matthew 7:21-22, says:

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Two pertinent points should be made concerning the above passage:

1)      Jesus does not answer their assertion that they in deed truly prophesied, or cast out devils, or did wonderful works (as  though God needs to justify Himself, or answer man’s assertions);  and in the case of casting out devils or wonderful works, whether the miracle were done in response to the recipients faith (just because a wolf in sheep clothing is leading a service, this does not stop God from answering the prayer of a true Christian in the audience – even if some mistakenly think the wonderful work was done by the false teacher, God will heal who He wishes), or even if the wonderful work could be a false sign.
2)      The real question is not if they knew about Jesus, but if He knew them.

Question one, can a non-saved person prophesy, cast out devils, or do wonderful works in Jesus name.  I know of no text that says that they cannot.  In fact, when Moses threw down Aaron’s rod, which turned into a snake, the pharaoh’s priest threw down their rods which also turned into snakes, therefore duplicating the same miracle.  The priest’s snakes were not fake snakes, or allusions, simply snakes that did not have the power that Moses snake had.  The point is, that there was an exhibition of Spiritual power: that of God and that of Satan’s.  And we know that though God cast Satan upon the earth with his fall, God did not strip Satan of all of his power.  In the last days the Antichrist will do false miracles, these are real miracles which occur.  However, the falseness concerns who he really is, and the credibility that these miracles give him based upon false assertions.  A Satanic miracle may appear be a genuine God-orchestrated miracle to the recipient, as in the case of a healing, yet the purpose is not to do good, but to give credibility to the performer, who is a fraud in his representation.

Question two, the main key point of this text is that Jesus did not know them.  An example of this can be seen in the fact that you may know who President Obama is.  You have seen him on TV, you have heard his speeches, and perhaps even voted for him, yet he does not know who you are, and therefore you do not have entrance into the White House.  There are many people who know of Jesus; and many that distort His Word, do false acts of kindness in his name, and perhaps appear to do miracles at “miracle healing crusades,” which in fact is God responding to the faith of the recipients, yet it might appear that the miracles are done by false prophets, teachers; both of which a merely performers in whom Christ does not hold an intimate relationship with, whom Jesus does not know.  And as the passage states it is not the person who claims that Jesus is their Lord emphatically (“Lord, Lord”- said twice for emphasis), but him who does the will of the Father, which is to exercise faith (not belief, which is merely cognitive, but faith which is life changing) in the atoning work of Jesus Christ - ”this is the work of God, that thy believe on him whom he hath sent” (John 6:29).

Matthew 12:30-35, says:

“He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.  And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.  Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.  O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.  A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.”

Starting with Matthew 12:10, we see that the Pharisee’s plan to entrap Jesus.  Jesus “went into their (notice the emphasis that the Holy Spirit places on identifying the synagogue as “their synagogue,” as opposed to “God’s synagogue,” or even simply “the synagogue” ~ Matt. 12:9) synagogue“ on the Sabbath, and having a man with a withered hand presented to Him (“behold” – the Greek grammar is more precise), the Pharisees asked Jesus if it was legal to heal on the Sabbath.  Jesus answered them, and then healed the man, and later a man possessed by a demon was brought to Jesus who was blind and dumb.  Jesus also healed him and in response to this situation, as seen in verse 23, the people said, “is this the ‘Son of David’?”, which is a Messianic title.  When the Pharisees heard the people asking if Jesus was the Messiah, they retorted that Jesus cast out a devil by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of the devils.

Jesus responded to their accusations, as well as their thoughts, stating that a house divided falls, and then used an illustration that it is God who is more powerful than Satan, and therefore has empowered Jesus to do this miracle.  Next we have verse 30, where Jesus says that He that is not for me is against me (notice that there are only two positions, and no mention of going back and forth between them – consider this in reviewing the bold paragraph below regarding verses 34 and 35).  And it is in response to the accusation that he is empowered by the devil that Jesus goes on to respond to them in verse 31.  And Jesus states: “All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men”.  Jesus states that everything is forgivable except for blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, which is exactly what these Pharisees had just done. 

First, we must define what blasphemy is, according to Elwell’s Evangelical Dictionary of Theology:

Topics: Blasphemy
Text:  In general the word means simply slander or insult and includes any action (e.g., a gesture) as well as any word that devalues another person or being, living or dead.  This general secular idea was made more specific in religious contexts, where blasphemy means to insult, mock, or doubt the power of God.¹

There must be a deliberate and calculated determination to slander, it cannot be accidental, but must be premeditated.

Therefore, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is to speak evil of, or slander of the Holy Spirit with the deliberate intent of doing so, this cannot be accidentally committed; it must be a conscious and calculated determination to slander with full intent. 

An example of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit WITHOUT intent can be seen in the actions of Paul who unintentionally did so according to 1 Timothy 1:12-13, which states:

 ”And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.”

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit cannot be a mere slip of the tongue, but must be a deliberate and thought-out accusation against the Holy Spirit (this answers the question of those that fear that they can accidentally commit this most grievous sin of all sins), by knowingly attributing to the power of the Holy Spirit as having come from Satan, not God. 

One other point that must be understood is that the blasphemy must be against the Holy Spirit as opposed to God the Father, or Jesus Christ the Son; apparently both of these forms of slander are forgivable; but why. The answer is that the Holy Spirit is the power of God that functions upon the earth, it isn’t some kind of superstitious or mystical function. 

When God moves supernaturally upon the face of the earth He does so through the orchestration of the Holy Spirit.  Even when Christ was incarnate on the Earth He did not function within His own power as deity, He did so when the power of the Holy Spirit came upon Him from upon high.  This is why He did no miracles until after He was baptized in the Holy Spirit.  This is why He said He could do nothing in Himself, and that He truly became a man (Phil. 2:7-8).  Therefore, to slander the Holy Spirit is to slander the display of God’s power – When the Holy Spirit moves it is a visual exhibit of God and to slander Him is to slander God fully knowing you are slandering the true God of the universe, the real God, without acceptation. 

Your NOT slandering some idea of god, some religious system, some maybe something - you are slandering the real deal because you see the miracle, the wonders, the power.

YOU CANNOT DO THIS BY ACCIDENT, WITHOUT INTENT, IT IS GOD YOU ARE SLANDERING AND YOU KNOW IT BECAUSE THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE PROOF OF GOD RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.   YOU ARE CALLING WHAT YOU KNOW IS DIVINE, EVIL.  THAT IS WHY IT IS UNFORGIVABLE, BECAUSE YOU KNOW 100% WHAT YOU ARE DOING, NO MISTAKE; YOU ARE TELLING GOD HE IS EVIL AND YOU WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH HIM.  WHEN A PERSON DOES THIS HE IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE HIS MIND – IT IS DONE!!!   

Personal Note:
I have been approached by many people on this subject, those that had been fearful that they had accidentally blasphemed the Holy Spirit, which according to the above example cannot be accidentally done.  We must take the Scripture at face value without presumptions, and if the only example we have of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is when the Pharisees attribute a miracle of God through Jesus and state that He’s doing it in the power of the devil, we cannot extend it beyond that.

I hold a singular view (and have found only one another person to agree with me concerning this understanding of “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit,” Dr. Ron Rhodes) concerning blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.

I believe that the only way to commit blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (which only has one example in Scripture); is to knowingly accuse Jesus Christ, during His “First Coming” of committing a miracle in the power of Satan, rather than the power of God in the Holy Spirit; when it is biblically obvious according to the prophecies concerning the Messiah, as well as clearly opposed to the biblical teaching that God is more powerful than Satan.  I view this Scripture the same as Hebrews 6:4-6, in that it could only be fulfilled during a certain time in history, and under certain conditions; which are now past and not possible.

I see no place in Scripture that further addresses “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit” by name, and to expand it beyond the scriptural reference made by Jesus, so as to extend a definition beyond Jesus’ words would be presumptuous upon the Scripture.  And the language does not appear to extend it beyond its local application.

And obviously, 1 John 5:16 is not a reference to blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, in that it is not named, nor referred too.  We also note in the next verse (17) that John seems to note that the sin as being nonspecific.  We know there are sins unto death such as disrespecting the manner that you take the Lord’s supper as seen in 1 Corinthians 11:29-30, as well as Ananias and Sapphira example as seen in Acts 5:1-11. 

God does nothing unfair, if there is a sin that you and I can commit that is not forgivable, would our loving Father not be sure to warn us in such a way that we would not accidentally commit it?  To read into 1 John 5:16 that the reference is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is to extend to this passage meaning beyond its  intended meaning by the writer, and is therefore incorrect and unbiblical. 

There is a principle within the Bible of repetition (some have called it the “principle of repetition”), wherein God repeats Himself to assure that He’s not misunderstood.  The Torah is riddled with examples of this, to the place of exhaustion.  This principle can be found all through the Scripture.  If God states something only once, there is a specific reason for it, which is manifested when the passage is understood.  However, when it comes to danger and warnings, God is always repetitive, as any good parent would be, so since the issue of the so-called “unforgivable sin,” or better stated “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit” would be one of these dangerous examples and God has not went into more Scripture to warn us, it makes no sense that it is something that is so easily done.

Concerning this view, Dr. Ron Rhodes states:

The backdrop of this passage is that the Jews who had just witnessed a mighty miracle of Christ should have recognized that Jesus performed this miracle in the power of the Holy Spirit.  After all, the Hebrew Scriptures, with which the Jews were all familiar, prophesied that when the Messiah came He would perform many mighty miracles in the power of the spirit (See Isaiah 35:5, 6).  Instead, these Jewish leaders claim that Christ did this and other miracles in the power of the devil, the unholy spirit.  This was a sin against the Holy Spirit.  This shows that these Jewish leaders had hardened themselves against the things of God.  I believe that Matthew 12 describes a unique situation among the Jews, and that the actual committing of this sin requires the presence of the Messiah on the earth doing his messianic miracles.  In view of this, I don’t think this sin can be duplicated today exactly as described in Matthew 12.  I think it’s also important to realize that a human being can repent of his or her personal sins (whatever they are) and turn to God as long is there is breath still left in his or her lungs.  Until the moment of death, every human being has the opportunity to turn to God to receive the free gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:8,9).²

 What is also in view here is that if someone denies that Jesus did His miracles according to the power of God in the Holy Spirit, then they equate Him with sin as well for lying, which also calls into question the deity of Jesus Christ.  Therefore, they cannot place faith in Christ as the Son of the living God, the sinless propitiation for sin.  This would also mandate a predetermined mindset, which could not be an accidental sin of omission or commission.  And this would circumvent any opportunity for repentance having thought through the position and concluded that Jesus was not the Messiah. 

Jesus Himself spoke about the necessity for changing one’s mind, which is repentance³ (A changing of mindset and life pursuits from carnality to God’s Will), and any refusal to accept God’s only propitiation for sin necessitated damnation, and therefore was unforgivable.

Easton‘s Bible Dictionary states:

Topics: Blasphemy
Text:  In the sense of speaking evil of God this word is found in Ps. 74: 18; Isa. 52:5; Rom. 2:24; Rev. 13:1, 6; 16:9, 11, 21. It denotes also any kind of calumny, or evil-speaking, or abuse (1 Kings 21:10; Acts 13:45; 18:6, etc.). Our Lord was accused of blasphemy when he claimed to be the Son of God (Matt. 26:65; comp. Matt. 9:3; Mark 2:7). They who deny his Messiahship blaspheme Jesus (Luke 22:65; John 10:36). Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost (Matt. 12:31, 32; Mark 3:28, 29; Luke 12:10) is regarded by some as a continued and obstinate rejection of the gospel, and hence is an unpardonable sin, simply because as long as a sinner remains in unbelief he voluntarily excludes himself from pardon. Others regard the expression as designating the sin of attributing to the power of Satan those miracles which Christ performed, or generally those works which are the result of the Spirit’s agency.⁴

Verse 33 says:

“Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.”

There is an absoluteness concerning this verse, and what is not seen is a changing from good fruit to bad fruit.  Nor is there seen a changing from bad fruit, to good fruit, back to bad fruit.  The idea is either something made good, or something is made corrupt.  This example supports the idea that something either is or is not, but there is no presentation that something changes back and forth, therefore either a man is predestined from the foundation of the earth to be the elect, according to the foreknowledge of God; or according to his rejection of God, predestination (by his own choice) for hell.

Verse 34 & 35 says:

“O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.   A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.”

Again stating that either something is good or something is bad, and that a tree will display its fruit in the same way that a man will eventually display by his words his true essence.  Again this opposes the idea that one could achieve salvation yet to lose it, or express a transformation from one state to another.

In the same way that a youth born in the Jewish house was considered a slave until he became an adult and was therefore adopted as the heir (See Endnote #⁵), so is the Christian prior to the point of conversion.  He is of the household, yet holds no rights nor privileges; yet awaits the time that he becomes a full heir(in this application, a full “partaker”, or partner with the Holy Spirit in his salvation, not a limited partner as seen in Hebrews 6:4, see below) in the household.  The same is true of the believer prior to his conversion.  God in his foreknowledge has predestined those that He knew would respond according to His free gift of salvation based upon faith in Jesus Christ, and those that would yet respond in time, are still His; it is time that must progress to fulfill reality.  The above Scripture in no way supports an idea of going back and forth, between good and bad, between saved and unsaved.  The Holy Spirit watches over the convert prior to their conversion in time.  There are no surprises in God’s kingdom; He is either Lord and King and God of all, or nothing.  His children are safe and secure until that point that they become heirs of the kingdom.

The Book of Hebrews
The book of Hebrews is written to Jewish Christians concerning those issues which affected them, as opposed to Gentile believer’s issues.  Among the many issues central to the Hebrews was that of converting from Judaism to Christianity, and the fact that to the Jews this was anathema (“Damned of God”), as a heresy.

Prior to Jesus, individuals were saved based upon their faith in God and Him providing a substitute for their sins, which they knew would be the Messiah.  And that upon death they would go to a place we know as paradise, referred to as “Abraham’s Bosom” where the believers were held temporarily until the promised Messiah.

By way of example, many times Jesus would tell a story, and state “that there was a man”, or use some other reference which indicated that the story he was telling was a contrived allusion that was utilized to impart a deeper truth.  However, if Jesus ever named an individual in the story, the story would have to be true or else Jesus would be lying. 

As such, when Jesus speaks about Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31), we know that this is a factual account, and not a fictional illustration.  In this particular story, we have two individuals die, one goes to Hades (simply called “the rich man,” no name mentioned, thus done to show that there was no relationship between God and him), and the other (“Lazarus,” he was named to show a personal aspect, a relationship with God.  Some have misstated that being poor got him in with God, untrue – being recognized by God, which displayed a relationship in contrast to not naming the rich man, this relationship is only possible by him living in faith ~ Heb. 11:6; 10:22-23), to Abraham’s Bosom. 

From this story were made aware that prior to Jesus purchasing salvation and therefore opening up the kingdom of God to man at the cross, that those that were deemed as saved due to their faith in God (Heb. 11:32-40 – “39“), upon death were held in a temporary holding place which the Jew referred to as Abraham’s bosom (due to Abraham being the father of the faith, and therefore their greatest example of faith), until the Messiah would come and make a way unto God possible, as Jesus would by dying in the cross.

Therefore, when Jesus came, this complicated the issue – in a good was, in that NOW heaven was opened up to those that lived in faith.  Because now the Messiah was manifest and salvation, which was in the Old Testament was general in its prior focus, now became specific concerning who that focus was to be upon – Jesus, he was the Messiah who would fulfill Isaiah 52:6 – 53:12 – with Christ fulfilling the rest when he returns ha.  Whereas in the past saving faith was based upon an absolute trust in God, and God’s Will in an individual’s life, and that God would provide salvation; now salvation was specific concerning the route of how salvation was achieved.  From this point on no more temporary holding place, when a Christian.

(SIDENOTE: I shouldn’t have to say this as it should be self apparent, but rather than simply assume, I will make the following statement.  In any posts on this blog site, or within our teaching website; whenever I will refer to a Christian, it is a reference to the literal grammar of the word, meaning: “a follower of Christ.”  This is an individual who follows Christ by following the words of Christ, wherein he is a doer and not a hearer only, therefore this is a saved individual.  A synonym that I will also use is “Believer,” as it is a verb form of the same word for “faith” in the Greek, and again it is faith that saves us, not the vernacular.  If I refer to an individual who calls himself a Christian, yet is not a true born-again believer in Jesus Christ, the distinction will be made.  Simply because a person attends church, is a member, follows all the precepts of the church; does not make them a Christian, just a church person.) 

This is why years later Paul would write in 2 Corinthians 5:8:

“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

We 21^st-century Gentiles have no capacity to understand what this meant to the Jew in Jesus’ day.  For the Jew, the Temple in Jerusalem or the synagogue in outlying areas was the reference point of their daily lives.  The trade guilds that journeymen belong to were run by the synagogues, the markets which provided food were run by the synagogues.  The place of meeting, the place of marriage, and the place of family was the synagogues.  Therefore, to become a Christian meant to completely change one’s life, and at some point; completely lose one’s identity, ability to make money, provide the necessities of life, and even congregate with one’s family.

So when we see the book of Hebrews, where Jews are addressed concerning becoming Christians, the predominant issue at hand is conversation; and the singular sin is that of “drawing back to Judaism.” This is the paramount issue this book addresses, that of forsaking the truth concerning Christianity, and returning to Judaism, which is to “crucify Christ afresh”, by returning to the Levitical system.  How unusual, that a few years before Christ, the Levitical system was God’s tool, which now became a hindrance.  And for the Hebrew who is a new convert to Christianity, not established in their faith, at that place of determining their commitment to Christ, how detrimental is this choice.

Hebrews 6:4-6, says:

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”

And though it would appear that the individuals in question are fully believers, the text says otherwise.  Hebrews 6:4, uses the term “partakers of the Holy Ghost”, with the word “partakers” being the same exact word translated “partners” in Luke 5:7, which states:

“And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.”

The point is that this word refers to limited partners, they were not full partners, they did not share in the full experience in the same way in the same ship, but as limited partners in another ship.  In the same way that the Holy Spirit brings a person to the place of conversion, there is a process which takes place in completing the terms of their conversion. 

And though we can refer to the date and time that most of us accepted Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit had been moving us to that point for quite some time (in fact, we are really “chosen” since the “foundation of the world” ~ Ephesians 1:3-5). 

Many people have made confessions of faith, yet according to John have proven that they are not true believers because they did not stay within the fold, as recorded in 1 John 2:19, which states:

“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.”

Kenneth S. Wuest, says concerning this the book of Hebrews:

“There is but one sin spoken of in the book of Hebrews, namely, the act of a first century Jew who has left Judaism and has identified himself with the visible Christian church, who having made a profession of Christ now was in danger under stress of persecution, of renouncing that faith in going back to the abrogated ritual of the Levitical system.

It is described in chapter 2:1 as a “slipping away from the New Testament truth,” a “hardening of the heart against the Holy Spirit” (3:7,8), a “falling away,” and a “crucifying the son of God afresh” (6:6), a “willful sin” [10:26] consisting of three-fold sin against the Triune God, “treading underfoot the son of God,” [10:29] a sin against the father who sent the son, “counting Jesus’ blood as common blood,” a sin against the Son who shed his blood, and “doing despite to the Holy Ghost,” a sin against the Holy Ghost who led them to the place of repentance (10:26, 29).

The words “falling away” are from a Greek word which literally means “to fall beside a person or thing, to slip away, to deviate from the right path, or to turn aside.”  From early manuscripts we have two illustration of its use: “if the terms of the contract be broken,” and where it is used of a person who falls back to his earlier interpretation.

These two uses fit exactly into the historical background of the book, and the context in which the word is found.  Here is the case of Jews who professed faith in Christ, who going along with the Holy Spirit in his pre-salvation work, had been brought in to the place of repentance, to the very threshold of salvation.  They had made a contract so to speak with the spirit, willingly been led along by him.  Now, should they refuse the proffered faith and return to Judaism, they would be breaking their contract which they had made with the Spirit.

Again, at one time they had adhered to the sacrificial system of the First Testament.  Then they had left it to embrace the New Testament truth.  Now, should they return to the Temple sacrifices, they would be reverting to their former opinion regarding the same.

These words “falling away,” could only refer to the one sense spoken of in this book.  It could only be committed in the first century and by a Jew, or a Gentile proselyte to Judaism, and for the reason that conditions since A.D. 70 have been made such as to make in possible the committing of that sin.  The Temple at Jerusalem was destroyed on that date.  There are no Jewish sacrifices to leave nor to return to.  This was apostasy, a most serious sin.  These Jews had been made partakers, limited “partners,” see Luke 5:7,  same Greek word, of the Holy Ghost, going along with him in his pre-salvation work.  Now to reject his further ministrations, was a most serious thing from which act there was no recovery.”

Hebrews 6:6-8, says:

“For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.”

In remembering the rule of “Expositional Constancy,” wherein the Holy Spirit uses types and models in expressing spiritual attributes, ideas, and realities – these are idioms, metaphor, allegories, and other figurative devices to help explain something.  The Holy Spirit does not change these types, meaning he does not use the same symbol for different expressions/reality.  There may be one or more types of a true or reality; yet, they always follow the same typology through out Scripture.  An example may be that the Holy Spirit is represented as oil, fire, cloud, dove, and living water; however the symbols are not used to represent anything else but the Holy Spirit or functions of the Holy Spirit, such as the anointing of oil concerning a function of being accepted and led by the spirit, or the “water of the word”, which is a function of God’s Word being utilized by the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.  Even when fire is used concerning judgment, it is the Holy Spirit that God is using in the process.  Another example is Silver, which is always reminiscent of blood in connection with redemption, gold is synonymous with deity, thorns are a type of sin, brass is a type of judgment of sin, water is reminiscent of God’s Word, and the list goes on and on.  The point is everything in God’s Word has meaning, beyond the superficial; which is never seen so clearly as in the teachings of Jesus. 

In the following examples you’ll see that Earth is pictorial of man (see Genesis 2:7, which is a word-play as man comes from Earth – there’s always a connection), and the seeds are pictorial of God’s Word – “the gospel” (see Genesis 3:15, which is a reference to Christ, and it is the words of Christ which brings salvation as found in the Bible), and the fowls are pictorial of Satan’s agents.  

Matthew 13:3-9, says:

“And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;  And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.  And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.  Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” 

Matthew 13:18-23, says:

“Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.  When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.  But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.  He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.  But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Now according to typology, the seed is the Gospel (word of the kingdom), and the soil represents man – his heart (which both in the Hebrew and Greek languages do not mean the emotions singularly, but means the total inward make of a man; 1) his mind, 2) his emotions, and 3) his “seat of the will,” were discretion lives – volition/choice), the birds represent the “wicked one” or his emissaries, the stony places represent those that heard the Word with gladness, yet because of the stones (“the things of the world), the seed did not have the ability to grow within the soul, and when tribulation came there was no root (the issue is that the person was so obsessed with the things of the earth that they didn’t have time to grow in God’s Word, and therefore did not grow spirituality so that they could handle tribulation when it does eventually come.  If you become obsessed with the things of the world, you cannot be obsessed with God’s Word – you cannot serve 2 masters ~ Matt. 6:24), they did not grow, and by analogy were not saved.  The place where thorns (thorns came to this Earth because of sin [Gen. 3:18], and are a direct outgrowth of sin - seldom do we think of thorns in relation to the “cares of this world,” however, because of sin, thorns made the cares of this world far more dominant in our lives as it was no longer easy to receive 100% yield on your crop’s, thorns led to us working by the sweat of our brow [Gen. 3:19].  There is a connection between thorns and the cares of this world, or making a living; which very easily leads to becoming obsessed with riches in the process) grew were those that heard the Word, but because of the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, did not produce fruit, and by analogy also were not saved.  However, the good ground that heard the Word, understood it, and that bore fruit, and is synonymous with the redeemed of God, the Believer.

The Holy Spirit is consistent with Christ’s parable in Matthew, and it is the same Holy Spirit speaking through the author of the book of Hebrews - and He does not change, therefore, the typology doesn’t change as well.  With the thorns representing the cares of the world, those things used by the devil to quench out the Gospel from growing in the soil of a man’s heart, and Hebrews 4: 6-8 stating  that the water falls upon the earth and that which is “herbs meet for them whom is it dressed” which is a reference to the good seed, are therefore the saved individuals; “but that which bear a fourth thorns and briars is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing [ready to be cursed] whose end is to be burned”, is those individuals, that due to the cares of the world did not produce any fruit and therefore were not saved.  The analogy is pretty straightforward.

Hebrews 6:9-11, says:

“But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.  And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end”

And here Paul says that he is persuaded that they have not fallen away.  This word for “persuaded”, means convinced.  Therefore, Paul is convinced that the Hebrews had not fallen back into Judaism, and away from the salvation which was yet secured in them by their producing of fruit, which he refers too.

Again, why was Paul convinced that they had not fallen away?  He says “for God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister,” which for Paul makes the point within his thinking, that because they had produced fruit, they are secure in Christ, and therefore warranted him being convinced of: “better things of them”.

Just as the seed that was sown in Matthew was not established until the fruit was produced, so here in Hebrews Paul believes that they are established because they produced fruit, and in the same way today, and until the new “partner” (yet limited partner with the Holy Spirit), displays fruit, we do not truly know if they are a true believer (God knows – but with us as with Paul, our warnings and preaching to others are based upon our own limited perception).  The fact is, if a person is saved, then they will produce fruit, which will prove up their salvation, which was determined before the foundation of the earth (Ephesians 1:3-5). 

Hebrews 10:25, 27, says:

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.  For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.”

Again this Scripture does not state that you can lose your salvation, “if we willfully sin after we have received the knowledge of the truth.”  The term, “received the knowledge of the truth,” is not a reference to a person that is saved, as salvation is based upon faith.  And faith is more than mental assent; it becomes a life-changing adherence to a belief that produces changed behavior and therefore fruit.  Belief is a cognitive response only, it is a mental process, but does not necessitate a changed behavior due to a full conviction of the presuppositions.  To receive the “knowledge of the truth” will not save you, it is those that do the Will of God the father that are saved, not those that receive the KNOWLEDGE – hearers, but those that do the will of God (Rom. 2:13; James 1:22).

Scripture must always be taken in context.  There is only one sin addressed in the book of Hebrews, it is to the Jew Only (it is only the Jew who can return back to keeping the law and the sacrificial system), it is apostasy back to Judaism, for those that are yet established as believers.  The temptation for these individuals that were yet concretionized in their faith in Jesus Christ, who were feeling the tribulation of this new commitment, was to stop assembling with other believers, which would mark them as apostates to Judaism, and return again to the sacrificial system of the law. 

This is the one main Scripture utilized by many preachers to state that church attendance is mandatory biblically speaking.  However, in the original language, the statement, “as ye see the day approaching,” is better translated “as ye see the day of trouble approaching,” and fits the context much better.  The main point of this text is addressed to new Jewish converts who were to continue to meet together, especially during the times of troubles that they going through as Jews that had started to meet with Christians, and to continue to meet together with the church, especially as the days of trouble were coming on them in the form of Jewish persecution and to not willfully turn back to Judaism after having “received knowledge of the truth,” and therefore stay the course, and that there remained no more sacrifice for sin if they tried to return to Judaism – because the way of salvation for the Jew was to move on to Christianity based upon the foundation of the knowledge of the law.  Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, yet only those individuals that place saving faith in that act appropriate salvation. 

And if these new limited partners, not yet full partners with the Holy Spirit, turn back to Judaism, there are no more sacrifices that can be made beyond Jesus blood. 

Support for the Concept of Eternal Security

Producing Fruit
Scripture is void of the concept that one can be a believer, and then become a nonbeliever; any more than a person could be a fruit producer, and then be someone who has never produced fruit.  There are many different analogies utilized in God’s Word that indicates that either a person is saved, or they are not saved, and that there is not a progression from one to the other, from unsaved to saved, from goats to the sheep, from children of the devil to children of God. 

It is not at the time of a Believer’s altar call that is the fulcrum of one’s spiritual life.  Within our own dimensionality we have a hard time understanding how God could predestine a person before the foundation of the earth to be his child (regarding the issue of election, the biblical teaching that individuals were chosen before the foundations of the earth please see: Rev. 17:8; 2 Thess. 2:13-14; John 15:16; Rom. 3:10-11; Luke 19:10; John 6:37.  For those that would argue that this is a reference to the calling of “all” those that were “in” Christ as a group rather than an individual, the grammar disputes.  And for those that would say this is a reference to the Jews and Gentiles being called concerning the religious beginning of the Hebrew, again the words “before,” “beginning,” and “foundation;” are all references to prior to the creation of the world, therefore this can not be a reference to a group calling of a man to Judaism or Christianity which occurred much later.  These verses hold no value whatsoever if they are not speaking about the individual who is written in the “book of life,” as stated in Revelation 17:8; or the personal pronoun “you,” as used in 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; or in Jesus words, “I have chosen you,” if He was not speaking to the individual for which the pronoun demands; or Paul’s proclamation that “there is none that seeketh after God” as found in Romans 3:11; or Jesus words that He came to “seek” out His followers as found in Luke 19:10;  or Jesus words that the Father is the one that “giveth” individual believers to Jesus as found in John 6:37.  None of these verses hold any significance for the individual if salvation is obtained through the group.  Scholars such as Clark, Wesley, or the writers: Jamison, Fossett, and Brown; support this un-biblical doctrine, yet it is God’s Word in the original languages that we need to rely upon not man’s rationality. Election seems so unfair to the human mind, and if God chooses who would be saved the next assertion is that God chooses who is damned, however, it must be remembered that this is an assertion only in that God’s Word does not teach this doctrine.  Election is an issue that is beyond our own capability to fully understand any more than it is capable for us to understand the incarnation or the Trinity, or many other doctrines and issues found in God’s Word which would mandate that we would be God ourselves to fully conceptualize the full dealings of God.  This is the definition of a true paradox, and all we can do at this point is to accept what God has stated in His Word and quit trying to make God look fair according to human distinctions.  Have we forgotten the lesson of the Potter and the clay as seen in Romans 9:21.  God is God, because of his power, not because His righteousness seems to equate with man’s sense of fairness.  God is the boss, He owes no excuse to any man; especially those that demand He fulfill human requirements of fairness) . All we need to know at this point is that the proof in the pudding is the tasting.  And that for the individual who makes a confession of Christ, from the vantage point of our perception, it is the fruit that is unto God that proves up their salvation on our earthly plane.  Yet it is God, and God alone, that knows these details. 

Born Again
The idiomatic language that the Holy Spirit uses is for a purpose.  When Christ says that we are “born again,” it is for a purpose, and is meant as a description.  We have nothing to do with our physical birth, and it is impossible to undo it.  It either happens or it doesn’t happen, but either way it is beyond our control.  Again, once you are born it is impossible to be unborn, and if you say this is just misuse of the word, then you imply that the Holy Spirit misuses the vernacular.

The Word “Saved”
In Ephesians 2:8, the word “saved” is in the perfect tense, meaning it started in the past, continues on into the future, and is completed permanently, never to be stopped.  Easily defined, we could say that our salvation started before the foundation of the earth, was paid for at the cross of Jesus, is being played out daily in our lives in the form of sanctification, and comes to full fruition at the “Bema Seat” of Christ.  The word “saved” does not reflect a singular, one time experience, solely completed in the present.  You don’t just get it now, lose it tomorrow, and get it back.  Either you have it or you don’t have it, the grammar does not allow for achieving and losing it; it does display a progression in its process to a full completeness that cannot be stopped.  This word never implies fragility.  And for those that are false believers, they will eventually show their true identity, either here or at the “Bema Seat.”

The Words, “Access,” and “Wherein we Stand”
In Romans 5:2, the Word “access” is in the perfect tense, meaning it started in the past, continues on into the future and is completed permanently, never to be stopped.  The expression “wherein we stand,” is one Greek Word and it is in the Greek present tense, meaning that it takes place now and continues on indefinitely.  Which means that this grace in which we stand is also permanent; working within our lives on a daily basis?  According to this Scripture there is no way that once salvation is gained it can be lost, otherwise these verbs would not be in the perfect, and present tense.  The point that these specific words that Paul used according to the direction of the Holy Spirit do not allow in any way, shape, or form, for the discontinuance of salvation once it has been gained.  The grammar does not allow for gaining access by faith unto God’s grace and then losing it, it is a permanent situation.

Salvation Is Not Man’s Job, Not Even Part of It
Of the seven things that Jesus said from the cross, the last thing was “Tetélestai.”  And while the King James translates it “it is finished,” there is greater nuance to the word than this.  The fuller translation is “paid in full.”  And while many non-believers have said that Jesus finished His life, or finished His teaching, or finished His mission, or finished speaking; however, none of these are the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It was Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection (which is specifically defined in 1 Cor. 15:1-3); which was for the propitiation of our sins that is the Gospel.  And it was as Jesus was dying on the cross that He announced He had finished completely what God had given Him to do, by “paying in full”, that which was required. 

I did not earn my salvation, and you did not earn your salvation as well, not one little bit; you and I did not contribute anything to our own salvation, HE PAID ALL!  Therefore, we cannot lose our salvation.  Because, we cannot lose what we did not gain in the first place, any more than we can maintain what we have no power to grasp to as well.  I repeat - the point is Jesus did it all and we can do nothing to add to it, and therefore what can we do to lose what we did not purchase:  nothing!

Romans 8:35-39, says:

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Salvation Secured By Jesus Christ, Not By Man
The following passage says “who shall separate us from the love of Christ…”, and concludes by stating that “… nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”.  The person that is saved is a “who”, as well as a “creature”.

The point is that we are kept eternal in the love of God and that even we cannot take our own selves out of it; and separates ourselves from it.  Some have said, “Yes, that is the love of Christ, but it does not say that the man’s own love cannot fail.”  The answer to that is that man is not saved by his love of God; in fact Scripture states that man does not love God, nor is he saved by loving God.  He is saved by faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The point is, that it was the nails that held Him to that tree, it was the love of Christ that held Him on that cross, and this passage in Romans declares that nothing shall separate us from Christ.  It does not state that nothing shall separate us once we die, and are made permanent in Christ.  And the point of this text is not our responsibility, but our security in God and His ability.  Once we are in Christ Jesus, once we are His, once we are saved: we cannot be lost it because it is Him who saved us; and Him who holds onto us, not allowing anything to get between us, and therefore separating us.

Ephesians 1:4-6, says:

“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”

Two issues arise concerning this passage, that of being chosen “before the foundation of the world” (one last issue concerning this phrase), and “Adoption” by God.  There are those that state that this passage refers to Christians being adopted as believers in general, or a person being adopted into the group of saved individuals.  And whereas Paul’s introduction is to “the saints that are at Ephesus,” he goes on to state, “Grace be to you”, indicating a personalization of the application.  This letter was read to the church as a whole, but its application was to the individual.  Paul did not expect the group to only obey in general, alleviating the responsibility of the individual to their individual responsibilities.  The application was specific, therefore being “chosen before the foundation of the world” was specific, and having being “predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Christ Jesus to himself” is specific as well.

And if a general application is to be implied concerning being “chosen” then there is no specific understanding of this text, and how to apply it to one’s life individually.  You cannot depersonalize this text, without depersonalizing the application as well.  A specific time is spoken about, “before the foundations of the world”, not general.

The application is specific to the individual; otherwise there would be no responsibility to fulfill any mandates, or to apply any aspects personally.  To state that God chose Christians, a group of people called by the name of Christ to be saved before the foundation of the world, does violence to the text, and neuters any meaning of its application.  To generalize these statements is to contradict the personal application that Paul alludes to.

And concerning the word “adoption,” there is no general understanding of applying it to a group of people.  Adoption was always singular, dealing with one person, it was personal, and it was immediate in its relevance.

The idea of adoption was that of a youth reaching a point of identification and recognition as the heir of the family.  Adoption was a legally binding procedure and could not be undone.  Once you are adopted into a family, your rights and privileges are the same as any blood family member who would hold the same standing.  For God to say that He adopts us, by use of this word, reveals a personal relationship that is permanent and binding, in which He cannot even undo himself.  This is what’s understood by this word for adoption which Paul utilized.

Ephesians 1:13, says:

“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise”

The word for “sealed” here comes from the word for the signet (usually on a ring) of a King used to seal documents; and once sealed, not even the King himself could unseal it.  The point is once we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, we cannot be unsealed, not even by God the Father.  References to this can be seen in Esther 8:8, where the King could not unseal the order to have the Jews killed, and in Daniel 6:15, where the King could not have Daniel avoid the lions’ den.

All Scripture verses listed, unless otherwise noted, refer to the King James Version.

Endnotes
1. ELWELL’S EVANGELICAL DICTIONARY OF THEOLOGY, Walter A. Elwell, Baker Book House Company, 1984, Software Edition.
2. THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BIBLE ANSWERS, ANSWERING THE TOUGH QUESTIONS, Ron Rhodes, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene Oregon 1997, page 81.
3. Matthew 4:17 – “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. 
4. EASTON’S BIBLE DICTIONARY AND BOOK SYNOPSIS, Ellis Enterprises, Inc., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1988-2000, Software Edition.
5. Galatians 4:1-7 – “Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
6. The Crowns Given to Believers:

Crown of Life: For Suffering for Christ.  (see James 1:12; Revelation 2:10)
“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” (1 Peter 5:10)

Crown of Righteousness: For the Love of His Appearing.  (see II Timothy 4:8)
“Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.”  (Malachi 3:16)

Crown of Glory: For Feeding His Sheep.  (see I Peter 5: 2-4)
“So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest [agapao = "highest regard"] thou me more than these?  He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love [phileo = "affection"] thee.  He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.  He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest [agapao = "highest regard"] thou me?  He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love [phileo = "affection"] thee.  He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.  He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest [phileis/phileo = "affection"] thou me?  Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest [phileo = "affection"] thou me?  And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love [phileo = "affection"] thee.  Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.” (John 21:15-17).  Feeding sheep refers to leading & teaching disciples / the local church, even if the pastor is lacking.

Crown Incorruptible: For Those That Press On Steadfastly.  (see I Corinthians 9: 24-25)
“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.  And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.”  (2 Timothy 2:3-5)

Crown of Rejoicing: For Winning Souls.  (see I Thessalonians 2:19)
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.  How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?  And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?  And how shall they hear without a preacher?  And how shall they preach, except they be sent?  as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”  (Romans 10:13-15)

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Trials – Part 1 ~ Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh

To start with, concerning Paul’s thorn in the flesh, 

our key text is 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, which says:

 

 

“It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.  And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.  Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.  For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

Personally, I have always believed that this thorn in the flesh may have been related to an eye problem when he was knocked off the horse and blinded for three days (Acts 9:9), which may or may not be the case.

The term “Thorn in the flesh” literally means a “stake for the flesh;” which could also mean the idea of restraining someone, and in context can come to mean that there may have been a fallen Angel that was assigned to restrain his every move, which would be supported by references he made in the previous chapter of 2 Corinthians; 11:23-27. 

The verb translated “buffet” always refers to ill-treatment from another person or being (as seen in Matthew 26:67; Mark 14:65; I Corinthians 4:11; I Peter 2:20).

The Greek word for “messenger,” utilized in 2 Corinthians 12:7, is aggelos, and is translated “angel“ over a 179 times and “messenger” over 7 times.  There is never an example of this word translated to reflect a disease or a physical infirmity.  When utilized with the word “Satan,” such as the “Angel of Satan,” it has always referred to a Spirit Being which fell with Satan and serves him.

The Greek word for “infirmities,” is astheneia which literally means “want of strength”, also “weakness;” “infirmity;” which means a moral, mental, or physical weakness or flaw.

Central to this text is the idea that Paul was humbled by this thorn in the flesh.  And while no doubt an affliction would be a humbling experience; going through the tribulations he underwent, the rejection, having to sneak around and hide, running for his life, along with all the other suffering he underwent; all of which would be very humbling.  If our modern-day of televangelist who wear much gold, and brag about how God is glorified by his servants becoming rich, had to undergo just a little bit of the treatment that Paul had to endure, I think their pride would be alleviated, and their humility might have the opportunity to transform them into real ministers of Jesus Christ.  (However, unfortunately, if they ever listened to their own messages the conclusion would have to be that they have a lack of faith, and might as well curse God and die).

One of the supporting text, concerning the hypotheses that Paul’s thorn in the flesh had to do with a physical problem, specifically an eye problem is found in Galatians 6:11, which says:

“Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand”. 

The book of Galatians is not that large in volume compared to some of his other books, however the emphasis is that he wrote with his own hand rather than using one of the scribes that he would normally use.  The Greek word for “letter” utilized here is, Gramma, refers to that which was written, letters, or the alphabet.  However, if he wished to express that he utilized larger specific letters, there are other Greek combination of words that would have expressed idea more effectively.  And he does not say that he is used larger letters, plural, but larger letter, singular.  So the common reading of this text does not support the idea that he is attempting to communicate that he was using larger letters in his writings because he had a hard time seeing them, due to him having bad eye sight.

There is a text which is much stronger that would seem to support the idea that he had a problem with his eyes as found in Galatians 4:15, where Paul in stating the Galatians love for him was so great that they would have “plucked out your own eyes and given them to me” (Gal. 4:15).  This statement makes no sense if he did not have an eye problem – other wise a statement that would make better sense would have been that would have given their very lives for him (and to some of us death is less severe than being blind). 

The More Important Issue
Why did God choose not to heal Paul?  And could this be something that we might have to endure as well?  This is an area that I feel is much more fruitful to explore than what the particular infirmity was.  Because one way or another there was a trial or tribulation involved, which caused suffering for Paul. 

And to us living in an age when suffering is not a subject heard much from the pulpit these days (because of narcissism?), I believe that it is part of the reason this message is so important today – because some day WE may have to suffer.  And if we misunderstand that suffering is meant to cause growth, we may not respond in faith, but in rejection or a lack of faith(see the next post, part 2 of this issue of trails: ”The Reasons for Trials in the Life of Believers”).

We forget Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 3:12, which are:

“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” 

Therefore, if we are not suffering persecution then are we truly living godly in Christ Jesus? 

We don’t want to address the idea that believers may have to suffer persecutions, or trials and tribulations; in fact the only way to grow in maturity and in faith is to go through those situations holding on to God and His Word. 

We want to be delivered from the Valley of the shadow of death, rather than to have Christ walked through it with us (Psa. 23:4).  We do the greatest disservice to ourselves when we avoid speaking about these painful subjects, because in the same way that a muscle will not grow without tearing, a believer will not grow without suffering.

Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.“^1. 

As will be alluded too, believers go through three types of difficult situations in their Christian walk, persecutions, trials, and temptations. 

Persecutions² come because we are Christians, they are attacks from the enemy of our soul, the Devil, his fallen angels and his world system, in which he is the prince of the power of the air.³ 

Trials are difficult situations all humans go through, for the Christian, they are tests to help us grow,⁴ not test to fail us, but test to prove us and strengthen us. The Greek word dokimion (G1383) is translated into the English words: “trial,” or “trying,” and is found twice in the New Testament.  This word is found in James 1:3, which says:

“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” and in 1 Peter 1:7, which states:

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ“

Spiros Zodhiates states:

“This Greek word for trial means: ‘approved,’ or ‘tired.” This refers to “The means of proving, a criterion or test by which anything is proved or tried, as faith by afflictions (James 1:3). In 1 Peter 1:7 the meaning is slightly different. Here it reflects an adjectival sense which means genuine or approved. In NT times it was used of metals that were without alloy [plure]. Peter uses the word as a subst. referring to the genuineness of faith.”¹⁴ 

The idea is NOT that of; not (sorry for the use of the double negative, which is common in Greek) trusting something and therefore putting it through a trail to make it prove its self, but that the trial proves what was there all along.  The root of the word trial was first used concerning the trying of iron with the idea that the ironsmith knew that the metal was without out alloy – was pure, but used the trying to display the reality of what he already knew.  And in the process the iron grew in strength (All analogies break down at some point, the idea here is that all metal has some form of defect in the same way that all humans don’t hold a perfect faith or trust in God, otherwise man would be perfect and not a fallen creature.  But as the iron is purged in the furnace, that process draws out infirmities making the iron more pure with each trial; such it is with the believer.  No believer has perfect faith, yet faith is not and end result as some preach, it is a lifelong process of growth wherein the believer moves “from faith to faith” [Romans 1:17]; which is a synonym for exercising faith action unto another faith action.  It is living from faith deed to faith deed as Romans 1:17 declares when it states: “the just shall live by faith.” ).  God has given us His Holy Spirit to dwell within us, and God knows what we are made of, even those times when we will fail.  Yet, as our faith is strengthened by going through trials, our faith is displayed for God’s glory, not our own.  And if the metal is weak, the trying will address that. 

WE ARE NOT ON TRIAL AS IN THE US COURT SYSTEM WAY WHERE WE MAY BE CALLED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY – BUT MUST STILL MUST DEFEND OURSELVES – NO WE ARE IN THE FIRE OF LIFE’S FURNACE GROWING IN FAITH, BEING PURIFIED IN FAITH, BEING MADE PROFITABLE IN THE LOVING HANDS OF OUR SMITH, WHO IS ALSO OUR ADOPTED FATHER, NOT TO TORTURE US; BUT TO GROW US INTO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON – TO GROW US IN FAITH.     

Temptations can come on their own (James 1:2), or can come when we are in a trial and the Devil is using our own desires trying to cause us to fall (James 1:14).

Instead of following God and doing His will (1 Cor. 10:13), we fall back (backslide) into distrust of God and His provision.  This lack of faith is a sinful response to a trying temptation type of situation.  At this point Satan uses our own carnal nature to tempt us into further sin⁵.

All of these situations can lead to sin. 

In persecutions, we don’t stay the course God has us on or we forsake trusting Him, while under attack from the devil. 

In trials, we can find ourselves in sin when we stop having faith in God, which turns into temptation because of our sinful desires.

Temptation can take us out of the trial, soothe us, preoccupy us, or just make us feel better, or so we rationalize. 

Let us look at these more closely.

Warren W. Wiersbe has stated that concerning suffering and attitude:

“Perhaps you have seen the bumper sticker that reads: ‘When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade!’  It is easier to smile at that statement than to practice it, but the basic philosophy is sound.  In fact, it is Biblical.  Throughout the Bible are people who turned defeat into victory and trial into triumph.  Instead of becoming victims they become victors.  James tells us we can have this same experience today.  No matter what the trials may be on the outside (James 1:1-12) or the temptations on the inside (James 1:13-27), through faith in Christ we can experience victory.  The result of this victory is spiritual maturity.”⁸

Persecutions
Persecutions are outside evil forces bringing negative pressures on someone in direct connection to and in an effort to stop the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Mark 4:17 say’s concerning the Word of God being a seed to give life to the unsaved, that, “they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.”  II Timothy 3:12 states, “and indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” (NASB).

Trials
Trials are tests or negative events that occur on the outside, to the outer man.  James 1:1-12 (NASB), address’ trials that come from the outside    “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance”⁶  Some trials come simply because we are human; sickness, accidents, disappointments, even unseemly tragedies.  Other trials come because we are Christians.  Peter emphasizes this in his first letter: ‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.’⁷  Satan fights us, the world opposes us, and this makes for a life of battle. 

Warren also states: 

“If we are going to turn trials into triumphs, we must obey 4 imperatives: Count (James 1:2), Know (James 1:3), Let (James 1:4, 9-11), and Ask (James 1:5-8), (KJV).”⁸

Count: A joyful attitude.  Outlook determines outcome, and attitude determines action.  God tells us to expect trials.  It is not ‘if you fall into various testings’, but ‘when you fall into various testings.’  Jesus warned His disciples, ‘In the world you shall have tribulation’ (John 16:33).  The key word is count.  It is a financial term, and means to evaluate.  Paul used it several times in Philippians 3.  When Paul became a Christian, he evaluated his life and set new goals and priorities.  Things that were once important to him became as dung⁹ to him in the light of his experience with Christ.  When we face the trials of life, we must evaluate them in the light of what God is doing for us.  This explains why the dedicated Christian can have joy in the midst of trials: he lives for the things that matter most.  Evan our Lord was able to endure the cross because of ‘the joy that was set before Him,’¹⁰  the joy of returning to heaven and one day sharing His glory with His church.

Know: An understanding mind.  What do Christians know that makes it easier to face trials and benefit from them?  Faith is always tested.  God always test us to bring out the best; Satan tempts us to bring out the worst.  The testing of our faith proves that we are born again.  The word trying ⁶  can be translated ‘approval.’  Again Peter helps us understand it better:  ‘That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perisheth’¹¹   A gold prospector brings his ore sample into the assayer’s office to be tested.  The sample itself may not be worth more than a few dollars, but the approval-the official statement about the ore-is worth millions!  God’s approval of our faith is precious, because it assures us that our faith is genuine.

Let: A surrendered will.  God cannot build character without our cooperation.  If we resist Him, then He chastens us into submission.  But if we submit to Him, then He can accomplish His work.  He is not satisfied with a halfway job.  God wants a perfect work; He wants a finished product that is mature and complete.  God’s goal for our lives is maturity.  But God cannot work in us without our consent.  There must be a surrendered will.  The mature person does not argue with God’s will: instead, he accepts it willingly and obeys it joyfully.  ‘Doing the will of God from the heart’¹²   If we try to go through trials without surrendered wills, we will end up more like immature children than mature adults.

Ask: A believing heart.  The people to whom James wrote had problems with their praying (James 4:1-3; 5:13-18).  When we are going through God-ordained difficulties, what should we pray about?  James gives the answer: ask God for wisdom.¹³  Why do we need wisdom when we are going through trials?  Why not ask for strength, or grace, or even deliverance?  For this reason: we need wisdom so we will not waste the opportunities God is giving us to mature.  Wisdom helps us understand how to use these circumstances for our good and God’s glory.  James not only explained what to ask for (wisdom), but he also described how to ask.  We are to ask in faith.  We do not have to be afraid, for God is anxious to answer, and He will never scold us!  ‘He giveth more grace,’ (James 4:6).”⁸

Temptations
Temptations take place on the inside of man due to his lust, (desires).  James 1:13-15 say’s, “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.  But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.  Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”  (NASB). 

I Corinthians 10:13 say’s, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”  Temptation is not a tool of God, but a device of the Devil.  He uses it in connection with our own carnal nature, which give it its power.  Temptation starts in our heart in response our desires or to a trial we are in, when we fail the trial (doing God’s will), then our lust kicks in to turn the trial into a temptation and if not stopped it leads to sin.  We must examine temptations by examining its connection to trials, and in light of the purpose of trials, which is to help us mature.

Endnotes
1. John 16:33, (NASB).
2. Mark 4:17; Acts 8:1, 11:19, 13:50; Romans 8:35; II Thessalonians 1:4.
3. Ephesians 2:2.
4. I Peter 1:7; Romans 5:3-5; James 1:3,4.
5. James 1:13-15.
6. James 1:1,2; (NASB).
7. I Peter 4:12.
8. “The Bible Exposition Commentary,” by Warren W. Wiersbe, Volume 2, pages 337-344, 1989 (sentence order changed and reworked for conciseness).
9. Philippians 3:8.
10. Hebrews 12:2.
11. I peter 1:7.
12. Ephesians 6:6.
13. James 1:5.
14. “The Complete WordStudy Dictionary,” by Spiros Zodhiates, 1992.  

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Trials – Part 2 ~ The Reasons for Trials in the Life of Believers

Trials In the Life of Believers

 Faith only grows when it is stretched by　tribulations (problems,　hard times, difficulties,　calamities, trials, and testing; they’re all　synonymous　concerning the “trying of our faith”). Faith　can only grow incrementally,　as more and more is demanded of it.　 This is because trust is a process contingent upon experience,　as someone proves they are trustworthy　situation after situation,　we trust them more and more.　In this way faith is analogous to a muscle which must be torn before growth can occur. Therefore, we must always realize and therefore understand that testing is not done simply as　a process whereby God　attempts to validate　the existence　of our faith, or　its degree, which might appear cruel on the surface; but that　these trials are necessary for faith to grow, and　that　without these trials,　it is impossible for faith to mature.  Thanks to Chuck Missler for much of the following.

 1. To glorify God The most important for us (Dan_3:16-18, Dan_3:24-25)

 

 2. To build faith. The most important to us (1Pe_1:6-7; Jas_1:2-4)

 

 3. To cause growth (Rom_5:3-5)

 

 4. To prove the reality of Christ in us (2Co_4:7-11)

 

 5. To testify to Angels (Job_1:8;Eph_3:8-11; 1Pe_1:12)

 

 6. To equip us to comfort others (2Co_1:3-4)

 

 7. To prevent us from falling into sin (1Pe_4:1-2)

 

 8. To keep us from pride. Paul’s thorn (2Co_12:7)

 

 9. To teach obedience & discipline (Act_9:15-16; Php_4:11-13)

 

10. To Discipline for known sin (Heb_12:5-11; Jas_4:17; Rom_14:23; 1Jn_1:9)

 

Two Possible Errors Concerning Trials

(synonymous with temptation and tribulation):

1) Not anticipating trials

2) Holding a morbid fear of trials

We Need a Divine Perspective

Remember Job, & his 3 friends
Remember Paul, and his “Thorn in the flesh” & how he measured “success” (2Co_4:7-18; 2Co_11:21-28)

 

 

Trying of your Faith

 

“… count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations…” (James 1:2)

“…the trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold…” (1 Peter 1:7)

“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you…” (1 Peter 4:12) 

“… giving all diligence, add to your faith…” (2 Peter 1:5-7)

“…be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope…”  (1 Peter 3:15)

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”  (Romans 8:35) 

 

 

Romans 8:35 suggest “7 Difficulties” for the believer (all Paul experienced – 2 Cor. 11:23-28)

 

Tribulation  (thipsis): “pressure or distress” (Paul used frequently in 2 Cor)

Distress (stenochoria): “narrowness,” as in being “pressed in,” “Hemmed in,” “crowded.”

Persecution (diogmos): “chased or pursued” (10x in NT, always about Gospel)

Famine (limos) (12x in NT, the God of Elijah looks after His own)

Nakedness (gunnotes) 1Cor. 4:11

Peril (kindunos): “in jeopardy or danger“(8x in one verse = 2 Cor. 11:26) (1x  1 Cor. 15:30)

Sword – The world hates the Saints, and this is the easiest way to eradicate them.

 

All Things to All Men…

Introduction (update)
When Paul spoke about “…being all things to all men…, ¹” he was not saying to use the world’s contrivances or trappings, or any of the things that are popular in the world to attract people. Paul was not endorsing marketing techniques which rely upon emotional manipulation and attempt to utilize the frailties of humanity to bring about change.

What Paul Was Not Saying
Paul was not speaking about drawing people with gimmicks that would accomplish desired goals, even good ones such as witnessing to the un-saved, nor was he saying we should use complementary images to get them to listen our message. He was not talking about getting down and dirty with the masses or of learning what makes the world tick. He was not even talking about using rock-n-roll music to get kids to listen to the Gospel or giving away a meal or a bed for a night in exchange (a hook) for listing to a hell and damnation message.

What he was talking about was speaking to people in languages and terminologies that they understood. When speaking to fishermen about Jesus, using terms that fisherman related too and that they easily comprehended. When Paul addressed Sheppard’s, he used terms and analogies that aided them in understanding Spiritual truth. When talking to children, he used words that they would be familiar with.

The point being that the Gospel was to be taken to all people, in all places with all types of different backgrounds and cultures. It was to be made plain when necessary, deep when appropriate, and always clear as possible to the hearer. Rather than using big sounding, religious terms just to impress people, the message was what was important, not the verbiage used. This is not to say that big sounding words don’t have a purpose, they do.

By teaching the meaning of these religious words the teacher could spend less time repeatedly explaining more complicated subjects, and more time teaching a wider array of subject manner in greater detail. If the meaning of redemption, or salvation had to be habitually explained, much time is wasted. And even worst is when the teacher assumes that the hearer understands words that they don’t, or there is an assumption that the hearer has that they understand a word which is limited or incorrect. Teachers are to lift the student, to explain meanings, they are to make sure they comprehend the Gospel in all its glory.

Jesus
Teachers are not to dumb down the Gospel. Most, if not every time Jesus taught, a majority of the hearers did not (fully) understand His message. According to Him, this was to fulfill the prophecy concerning Himself and His relationship with the Jews of His day, “that hearing, they would not hear; and seeing they would not see.”2 

Jesus taught, knowing that it was the Holy Spirit that would give understanding to the hearer many of the enigmas Jesus presented. Yet, at the same time, much of what He had to say in essence was so simple and common that anyone could understand, yet the presupposition of the people, that they could fully comprehend without effort what Jesus taught was wrong. Many times what will we see is that due to the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit people at a later point understood Jesus prior messages. And sometimes, He explained to His followers the meaning of a teaching.

What we really need to understand about Jesus and His teaching was that He in His role as the Messiah was His primary function was Him dying on the cross for the sin of mankind, and His teachings being the foundation of the church that would follow. This is why after the situation between him and the Pharisees in Matthew chapter 13, Jesus states that He will only utilize parables in communicating to the masses. He goes on to define that parables were meant to create enigmas; not clarity. How common it is to hear preachers misrepresent what New Testament parables were meant for (in the Old Testament the purpose of parables was purely to openly teach, yet in the New Testament, after Matthew 13; Jesus changed the purpose of parables to fulfill Scriptures), they were mysterious sayings that the Holy Spirit would unravel to the hearer, they were not teaching tools to bring clarity to every one that heard them.

Jesus tells us this purpose in fulfillment of Isaiah 6:9,10; with the specific purpose of those which heard them would not understand their meaning. This is not to be confused with the stories that Jesus spoke about, which were meant to aid in teaching by being easier to remember. You can make a statement about something which can be easily forgotten, if you wrap the statement within a story, it is much easier to remember the story and therefore the purpose that it contains. Yet, we must always remember that Jesus’ mission was specific concerning what God had called Him to do, to die as the Lamb of God for the sins of the world (John 3:16). Many times we forget this to our own demise.

Many people talk about Jesus being passive and loving and caring, and act like He is defined by these qualities; yet Jesus said that He came to bring a sword – a division even within families (Matt. 10:34), and that on two occasions (John 2:15 records the first time in the beginning of His ministry, and Matt. 21:12 records the second time at the end of His ministry – see Warren Wiersbe Commentary) , Jesus overturned the money changers tables at the Temple and used a whip on the people.

The point is that we must use discernment in understanding the Bible, and misusing something that Jesus says in cross-reference to Paul when the subjects are not related is un-Biblical. Paul’s mission was to make clear the mysteries that Jesus had presented, and that the Holy Spirit had revealed to him, wherein sometimes Jesus said something to the masses which they would understand, but He would explain to the disciples later.

Paul’s Specific Meaning
In reading the following passage we must realize what it does not say, and what it does not mean, and therefore, realize that the subject matter does not relate that Paul ever compromised the Gospel, but that he compromised his own pride in presenting the Gospel. I Corinthians 9:18-23, states:

“For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;. To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.” (KJV)

What Paul says, is: “unto the Jews, I became ‘as’ a Jew,” and “to them under the law, ‘as’ under the law,” and “to the weak became I “as” weak.”

The word “as” is used to indicate his form of communication to them, how he talked to them in the vernacular that they understood, both in terminology and examples. In our vernacular, we would say he spoke about the fish to fishermen, and used fishing words and analogies to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The word “as” indicates a figurative usage.

Paul did not become legalistic to those under the law, if he did, this would violate the grace of Jesus Christ.

He did not become weak and violate his own conscience to preach to those that were weak, this would have violated the Gospel concerning Christ’s statement that those that would love Him would keep his Commandments.

This Scripture in no way states that we are to approach the world utilizing worldly techniques or behaviors. We are in the world, but not of the world.

A simple Greek literal reading of the text, which is quite straightforward, would say:

“What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel. For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became [related] as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, [I related] as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, [I related] as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became [related] as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.” (I Corinthians 9:18-23)

Misusing this Concept
The problem of many current churches is that they misuse Paul’s teaching and indulge in employing the trappings of the world to attract the masses. They become user-friendly in their messages, seeker friendly in their outreach, and non-offensive altogether. They are salt without savor, candles without light, and are driven by the newest trend of the day. They are compromised and impotent. They do not realize that they have stopped increasing Christ’s Church, and have started growing their own congregations. They have become lukewarm, thinking they are hot. Naked, not seeing their nakedness. Poor, not perceiving that the massive structures, ministries, books, are reflections of their own egos and presuppositions concerning what success is; as opposed to dying to self by daily picking up their own cross and following Christ (Luke 9:23), doing His Will rather than their own.

They’ve replaced quality with quantity. And unfortunately the compromise of the church has been the indulgence of self-centeredness. As the seeker friendly focus of many large churches, utilizes such tools as: “Being Purpose Driven” (which focuses on the believer rather than Christ, even if for a supposed good cause) rather than being Christ driven. Mistaking excellence for “what ever you do, do with all your heart,”3 making winning the goal rather than dying.

Never coming to understand or address the fact that, God may want us to lose in certain arenas, wherein humility, and seeking God becomes the center of attention rather than the self-centeredness of “ME.” We forget one of the major examples of Jesus was that of dying to self, not serving self.

Pragmatic Allure
Besides the narcissism and materialism that are inherent to many of these presuppositions, one of the inherent problems is that of addressing issues in a pragmatic nature, which elevates success rather than accomplishing the goals that God had set out for His church.

We now have modern dance in our churches. The rationality is that individuals can communicate their worship to God by using their bodies, yet wearing non-modest attire, and displaying a lack of respect in a calm demeanor were displaying our own worship is not something to be watched, but something to be done in private as Jesus spoke about in Matthew 6.

The rationality that has been used for this type of behavior, has been that it gets young girls involved in the church, and in studying scriptures that they will act out. The problem becomes the self-centeredness that it exploits. Teaching young girls to draw attention to themselves, making worship into a form of entertainment rather than self-expression (Matt. 6:1-8). The church, in following the culture has become a place of entertainment, and where the activity of being a spectator has been legitimized.

The point is pragmatism; that of having a logical way of approaching things to achieve a logical successful / goal (which is completely goal oriented), doesn’t always work in Christianity. The reason why is human presuppositions are not Biblical, and humans can never separate themselves of their presuppositions. This is why many of the egregious atrocities of man have been done using the Scripture as justification, and yes, the Scripture was taken out of context either in the immediate passage, or concerning the whole of a biblical principles, and was twisted out of shape from what it was intended; however, when we do this for a supposed small thing in the church we open the door for the same to be done on a grander scale.

But the point is humans can mess up anything and everything; especially inside of the church of Jesus Christ. The Jews refused to acknowledge this (ability to warp things) and therefore became victims to it. The law that was meant to be a schoolteacher, they transformed into an accomplishment that merited salvation. This is why the Hebrews took the brazen snake on a staff, and started to worship it, rather than realizing it was a typological instrument that symbolized something that God wanted to communicate to them (according to Jesus in chapter 3:14), they utilized it pragmatically speaking, and centered their worship towards it. It was to be a reflection to be understood, not an object to be worshiped.

There are some things that cannot be combined with the Gospel without violating the integrity of the Gospel. You can’t witness by being a whore, no there’s no such thing as alcoholic ministry, that of being drunk and witnessing to drunks. You can’t be a criminal, violate the laws, as well as God’s Word, and then attempt to witness to criminals.

More and more churches are propagating the same message. Just look at the Seeker Friendly Churches, Rick Warren, the Emergent church, and the Name It and Claim It heresy, and you will see that the Pragmatic – success oriented – American culture is climbing into the church more each day.

It is knowing when to apply certain biblical principles in certain situations that the Holy Spirit living inside of us gives directions; but always according to God’s Word. Being all things to all men is not meant that you turn the Gospel into something that the world is comfortable with. It is communicating the Gospel to a lost and dying world that by its very nature is opposed to that message, but that people need to relate too and understand in their own vernacular; especially considering how offense that it’s message is to our proud human self-centered nature.

Endnotes
1. I Corinthians 9:22 ~ “To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”
2. Isaiah 6:9,10 ~ ”And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.”
3. Colossians 3:22-25 ~ “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.”

bb

Why Four Gospels – A Personal Statement & Introduction – Part 1

Introduction (Updated 9/5/11 ~ Please forgive the past typos - what I added may help)

The following are some of my personal considerations concerning presenting the four different purposes and functions of the four different Gospels.  First, let me say why I think it’s important to examine this teaching.  This ministry is very concerned with presenting true Biblical faith (SIDENOTE: we also do not present true Biblical faith as a tool, such as how it is abused in the supposedly named “Word Faith” movement.  Faith is far more important than being a mere tool that is used to achieve a purpose; to get something.  Faith/trust is a foundational prerequisite to every healthily relationship we could and would ever have.  We are created in God’s image, with this particular value or character trait (“faith”) as a fundamental requirement for intimacy and binding a healthily/mature relationship.  Without faith in someone, you will never hold an intimate secure relationship with them.  Such is the reason for God’s mandate that man exercise faith in God in reestablishing a relationship with Him.  This is clearly seen in Adam’s choice of not trusting God, which is sin.  Sin is anything that is opposed to God’s Will, and as such when God’s declares something as sin and we exercise a lack of trust in God’s Will and violate that sin, the relationship changes – on some level like human relationships change when someone violates the trust of another.  Yet, when Adam choose to not trust God and introduced sin into God’s creation, it changed everything – including our environment.   Many in the “Faith” movement treat faith like a noun – a tool, rather than like a verb [which is more accurate concerning the word "faith," even as seen in the Gospel of John, which in the English translation translated the verb form of faith into "believe," which is cognitive/mental as opposed to an action, something not just thought about, but a behavior/action.  The Greek words for "faith," are: pistis, a noun; and pisteuo and pistho which are verbs; however, rather the form is a verb, verbal noun; or a noun {which is in case is a behavior, but functions like a verb}, all these words are actions, not a thing to be used as though it has power in it's self, like a tool; but a continuous behavior] which is a repetitive action – a way of life {“…from faith to faith…” ~ Rom. 1:17, which is saying: “from faith action to faith action;” it is a daily walk ~ 2 Cor 5:7}, a relationship with God.  Faith is far more than believing God will give us what we ask for – faith is trusting that everything that God does for us is good [even when it hurts; see Job, Joseph, and more perfectly Jesus], even when it makes no sense – this is the true meaning of Romans 10:28), and understanding that faith is not to be based solely, nor mainly upon our own personal experiences.  But, as God’s Word says as recorded in Romans 10:17;

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

What this passage says directly and much more clearly in the Greek is that faith – Biblical faith – God’s type of faith, is meant to be produced when God’s we read His communication to man, God’s Word, and as a result of this examination; faith is produced.

Now what does this have to do with this teaching concerning the diversity of the first four books of the New Testament, which we commonly referred to as the Gospel (which in the Greek means: “the good news“).

When I accepted Jesus Christ; many years before I ran across this teaching, I had spent so many years trying to prove up the consistency of God’s Word in the face of what appeared to be glaring inconsistencies concerning the chronological order recorded in the four Gospels.

I spent so much time studying the “synoptic Gospels,” in order to prove that God Word was correct and not inconsistent.  The word synoptic comes from the idea of what is “synonymous,” and is a reference to first three Gospels, which are presented in a chronological timeline; though there are many of what appear to be consistencies.

The synoptic presentations would attempt to cross reference these three Gospels; Matthew, Mark, and Luke, in such a way that would explain away any apparent inconsistencies in the chronological presentation between these three in incorrect – that they are really presenting the same information – exactly (and the book of John, which was never considered part of the synoptic Gospels; cannot be explained with any finality concerning why this record is presented in such a non-chronological, nonlinear manner; making no since as compared to the others). 

What was so unfortunate about the vain attempt to do a parallel presentation of all three of the first three Gospels was that many times the text had to be tortured in order to attempt to explain in one book as being the same event in another.  The problem is, it is apparent that many of the obvious events are not the same events presented in another Gospel, better appear similar. And therefore a synoptic presentation of trying to fit things together would sometimes create more problems than it would solve.

My first Bible college class was on the subject of the Synoptic Gospels, and it took more faith to believe this presentation than it did to simply trust God that there were more event’s that were individual to each gospel, rather than a retelling of the same ones over and over again.

Many of the similarities between events are only similarities dealing with different events on different occasions.

Yet, for years this kind of inconsistency, or I should better say “apparent inconsistency;” did not build faith, but it made faith a hurdle.

It was when I ran into this teaching that everything finally made sense.

That there weren’t any inconsistencies in God’s Word, that these three Gospels were never meant to tell the same story over and over again – that not all of the events were the same events across all three books; and that the presentations were meant to be diverse according to the particular book.

Because what God was doing in the presentation of these four diverse Gospels was never meant to be synonymous.  They all had different purposes and highlighted different things.  And that there were more than one or two situations that seem similar, that we didn’t need to try to push it all together and say they were all saying the exact same thing. 

In all of this was because the Holy Spirit desired to present different facets of Christ and His mission, and would intentionally omit certain things in one book; yet also introduced new things which seem similar to other events in other.

What a faith builder this became.  I no longer had to try to push them altogether to explain what some saw as an inconsistency.  I just explained it was a different event, or in a different location because it was a different event; but I didn’t have to defend God’s Word anymore.

Therefore, the reason for this presentation is to build faith in God’s Word.  We don’t have to explain why the first three Gospels are diverse one from another, because they’re supposed to be.  We don’t have to explain why they focus on different titles, different functions of Christ ministry, at different places, being written to a different audience, explaining things that are different one from another. It was because God designed them that way. 

If we spend all of our time trying to defend that which seems inconsistent; besides wasting our time, inadvertently we disrespect the God who designed them to be this way in the first place.  It is what it is – it is God in His Word displaying four different perspectives of Jesus Christ.

And if anyone ask where this “new” teaching came from, you can tell them this question is quite incorrect, because it is not new.  If you ask any of the Orthodox church members, who are committed to their denominational teachings, they will advise you that they have been aware of this teaching for many centuries.  It has only been forgotten in the last few hundred years within Pentecostal denominations (not quite two centuries old it’s self), fundamentalist denominations (somewhat the same), and the newer outshoots, as well as newer movements.  However, if you spend anytime with Lutherans, Episcopalians, Methodists, or other Orthodox denominations, their literature is filled with this information.

This is not New Age teaching, nor anything recently understood; just like the plaque that is presented below during the introduction, the awareness that all four Gospels have intended diversity in their presentation of Christ has been taught since the beginning of the church for 2000 years.

Brent

(PERSONAL NOTE: after reading the below essay, my wife had reminded me that it was while she was attending one of my Bible classes and heard this message that she first fell in love with me, believing I was some blessed insightful Bible teacher.  When in reality I was simply presenting what other more godly men had presented centuries before.  Isn’t it amazing how the Holy Spirit so blesses us in understanding God’s Word, yet many times were not cognizant that this blessing has been going on since the beginning, and we simply are rediscovering old truth)

Why Four Gospels – The Reasons they are Different – Part 2

Introduction (Newest Update ~ 09/06/11) 
Unfortunately, I realized after posting the prior blog: “The Four Ensigns – The Gospels,” that I should’ve posted this blog first explaining the differences and similarities between the Gospels; and that the reason there is diversity between the 4 is because the Gospels were never meant to be repetitious, following the same order, and espousing the same information.  They all have different purposes. 

The Gospels are meant to be a multifaceted perspective of the Messiah of Israel - who would suffer and die for the iniquity of man as the deliverer of mankind, as the perfect man – sinless and without blemish as the only acceptable sacrifice to God; who was God incarnate; divine in His Majesty.  These are the 4 perspectives as seen in the diversity of the 4 different Gospels.  These are meant to display particular facets of who Jesus is, and what He came to do (the plaque on the left is of the 4 figures of the 4 books of the Gospel; the Lion, the Ox, the man, and the Eagle, with the Lamb of God in the middle –  from the 7th century AD).

 God’s Word is meant to be taken literally.  Hence, in John 5:39, which records Jesus words, He literally meant what He said:

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

We must understand that the Bible’s main focus is not the redemption of man; but the glorification of God as seen in Isaiah 43:7, which states:

“Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.”

God’s Word is about God, not man.  Yet, we are blessed in that man is addressed as God’s creation, originally (Adam was made in God’s Image, not us – fallen man.  We still carry some of the imageness of God, but corrupted by sin.  We pollute our imageness of God), formed in His Image, made to be His children, based upon a relationship established in faith.  This is what Adam violated, yet Christ corrected (1^st Corinthians 15:22, 45).  Therefore, we understand that the words of Jesus as recorded in John 5:39 our literal; that the complete Word of God speaks about Him, not only in direct terminology, but as we note in the book of Hebrews; God utilizes types and shadows (Hebrews 8:5; 9:5; 10:1; also Col. 2:16-17), with many other types of object lessons. 

This is why there are over 300 different titles given to Christ in the Old Testament for Christ.  All meant to paint a picture so we would recognize Him when He shows up on the scene of time.  And this we see as well in the 4 Gospels.  They present four different perspectives of Christ’s role in His 1st coming.  Yet, we must also understand that these roles that He fulfilled are not to be confused with His personage. 

Because the next time that Jesus comes, He will not come as the Lamb of the world to die for man’s sin.  He will come as the conquering King, the kinsmen-redeemer of Israel, who wages war upon the “earth dwellers” that came against the nation of Israel. The blood at His vengeance (Rev. 19:2) is so vast that it is said to be up to the bridle of a horse (Rev. 14:14,20).  This will not be the Christmas baby that has been neutered by the world with no power.  This will be Christ in His glorification coming to take that for which He paid for at the cross.  Not only to redeem mankind, but the land in mass of the world which He created in purity, that has become corrupted by sin (Rom. 8:21-23), as well. 

We must never mix up the personage of Jesus with the roles that He has, and will play within history.  As such please consider the following.  After the endnotes below, I have attached a word documents form of the below table so anyone can copy and paste this information – it also adds other insights as well and is worth reading.

 

Gospels:	Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
Jesus as He is related to the Tabernacle and Israel encamped around it
Symbol of the 12 tribes, also representative of the 4 Gospels:	Lion	Ox	Man	Eagle
Ensign of the Tribes: a	Judah	Ephraim	Reuben	Dan
Camped around Tabernacle:	East (faced the opening)b	West	South	North
	Levites centered around Tabernacle on all four sides (Prior to the atonement man must go through priest to come before God)
Jesus as He is related in the Gospels through four diverse vantage points
Symbols of  4 Gospels: a	Lion	Ox	Man	Eagle
Jesus Presented as:	Messiah	Suffering Servant	Son of Man	Son of God
Genealogy:	Royal/Legal	None	Bloodline	God Incarnate
Genealogy Starts With:(See Last Endnote – F)	Abraham to Jesus, From the Father of the nation to the King & redeemer of the nation	None, servants don’t have pedigrees or genealogies, they have no need of one, due to no citizenship, inheritance or rights	Jesus To Adam, From the perfect man to the fallen man	The Eternal Preexistent One (“in the beginning the word …”)
GenealogyThrough:	Abraham to David, David to Joseph, (Through Step-Father)	None, (Slave/Servants have no pedigrees or genealogies)	Jesus To (Paternal Grandfathere) Heli, (Mary’s Father) Heli to King David,  King David to Adam	Eternity past as God (with God)
Referred To AS:	Son Of David, Son Of Abraham	Son Of God	Son Of Joseph (“as was supposed”),  Son Of Heli	The Word
Written To:	Jews (From Jerusalem?)	Romans (From Rome?)	Greeks (on the road with Paul?)	Church (From Ephesus?)
Written By:	Matthew, a Jewish tax collector	John Mark (?), a Jewish companion of Peter (Barnabus & Paul)	Luke, a gentile physician, companion of Paul	John, son of Zebedee (a sufficiently prosperous Galilean), brother of James, Jesus’ cousin (?), a Jewish fishermen
Language:	Hebrew, to Israel	Greek To the Ruling Empire (Many terms borrowed from Latin)	Greek, to the world culture	Greek, to the gentile world
Differences:	Assumes the reader understands Jewish customs (because they are Jewish)	Assumes reader does not understand Jewish custom and explains them in detail & translates Aramaic expressions into Greek		No Parables
What Jesus:	Said (His teachings)	Did (An action Book)	Felt	Was
Jesus:	151X	13x	88X	247X
Key Word:	“Fulfilled” (38X)	“Immediately” (“Eutheos”) (42X)	“It came to pass” (40X)	“Verily, Verily” (“truly, truly“) (24X)
Key Verses:	2:2, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” AND 27:37, “And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”	10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”	Luke stressed the universal redemption available to all through Christ.  To Samaritans (9:51-6; 10:30-37; 17:11-19) as well as pagan Gentiles (2:32; 3:6,38; 4:25-27; 7:9; 10:1, 47).  To Publicans, sinners, and outcasts (3:12; 5:27-32; 7:37-50; 19:2-10; 23:43) are welcome as well as Jews (1:33; 2:10) and respectable people (7:36; 11:37; 14:1).  Both the poor  (1:53; 2:7; 6:20; 7:22) and rich (19:2; 23:50) can have redemption.c	20:31, “but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”
Style Types:	Elegant Groupings	Simple Snapshots	Logical Narrative	Mystical
Thoughts:	28:18-20, Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’’  Amen.	A theme of persecution dominates the Book, (See Mark 10:30); compare with Matthew 19:29 and Luke 18:29.  Roman Christians would be encouraged knowing that Jesus anticipated that “everyone shall be salted with fire” (9: 49; see 13:9-13)c	The book of Acts is considered part II of Luke, both were written to “most excellent Theophilus” (1:3 & Acts 1:1), and may be Paul’s court documents, which by Roman law had to proceed him to Roman. Seems to be written to Roman officials because Romans, Centurions, Pilate, Agrippa, Festus, are either good or innocent, (23:4,14, 22.  Acts 13:4-12; 16:35-40; 18:12-17; 19:31; 26:32), and Paul was proud of his Roman citizenship (Acts 22:28).	There are seven miracles, followed by seven discourses, and seven “I AM” statements
First Miracle:	Leper cleansed(Jew = sin)	Demon expelled (Man saved from sin)	Demon expelled (Man saved from sin)	Water to Wine (Flesh to the Spirit)
Size of Book:	Second	Shortest	Longest	Third
focuses on:	Jesus as the “Son of God” (23 Times).   Galilean ministry   In Chronological order	Galilean ministry  In Chronological order	Galilean ministry   In Chronological order	Judea ministry.  Not in chrono-logical order, groups events together by topic and priority. It covers 3 years, but focuses mainly on last week of Jesus’ Life
Ends With:	Resurrection	Ascension	Promise of the Spirit (A Bridge to the book of Acts)	Promise of His Return (A Bridge to the book of Revelation)
Congruence’s:	Synoptic Gospel  (meaning “synonymous”)	Synoptic Gospel	Synoptic Gospel	Reveals hidden things not in other Gospels
Commonality:	“And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’” (3:17)	“And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”  (1:11)	“And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.”  (3:22)
	and “While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, Hear Him!’” (17:5)

This teaching was originated over a 100 years ago and was made available to the masses.  However, it is the work of Chuck Missler that I first started with, and have attempted to add too.  It is he that has been foundational concerning the above insights (unfortunately I’m having a problem with this processor, please forgive any formatting problems). 

This is a work in progress, if anyone would like to add anything please let me know.

bb   

Endnotes
a. Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 1:10; 10:14; Revelation 4:7.  (Some feel seraphim in Isaiah 6 are the same.)
b. “Salvation comes through the Jew,” John 4:22; Romans 1:16.  Redemption comes from Jesus the Messiah of Israel, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah; it is through Him alone that man now has (full) access to God,
c. Holman Bible Dictionary, Holman Bible Publishers,Nashville,Tennessee, 1991, Page 900, 920.
d. Numbers 2
e. The term in Luke 3:23 is nomizo in Greek: meaning: “reckoned as by law.”  Joseph was adopted by Heli, Mary’s father in accordance with the Torah for inheritance through brother-less sisters given to Zelophehad (Numbers 27:1-11; Joshua 17:3-6; Ezra 2:61; cf. Nehemiah 7:63; Numbers 32:41; I Chronicles 2:21-23, 34-35).

The following is a word document presentation (with some added insights).

The Gospels ~ Four Perspectives of Christ

Have you ever wondered why the Bible contains four accounts of the life of Christ? Each of the four Gospels presents Jesus Christ from a different point of view, with variations which sometimes seem to contradict each other.　Atheist and nonbelievers　attempt to make the point that the Bible is man-made by pointing out these apparent discrepancies. However,　the Gospels don’t　really contradict　each other;　they merely present distinct emphasis, or different aspects, or even diverse perspectives of the personage and Mission　of　Jesus Christ.

Matthew
Matthew presented “the Messiah the King, “symbolized by the lion of the tribe of Judah (the King of Israel, the Lord God of mankind).

Matthew, being a Levite, emphasizes Jesus as the Messiah, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Each of the subtleties of his design supports this primary theme. His genealogy begins with the “first Jew,” Abraham, and continues through David and the royal line to the legal father of Jesus, Joseph (according to Hebrews Law, in the same way that a step father was a legal guardian and father). Matthew’s emphasis is on the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Tanach, the Old Testament.

As a customs official, Matthew was skilled in shorthand, an essential asset in a culture that did not have the advantages of printing, copiers, and the like. Matthew focuses on what Jesus said, and includes the extensive discourses, which he probably was able to take down verbatim. Matthew’s first miracle is the cleansing of a leper, a Jewish metaphor for sin itself. Matthew concludes with the resurrection, also a distinctive Jewish preoccupation.

Mark
Mark presented the “Suffering Servant,” symbolized by the ox (oxen　were examples of extreme servitude, which exemplifies Jesus complete humility and servitude of the father as well as Him　serving man by dying for him,　though He was King. Thus fulfilling Isaiah 52 & 53　as　the servant of God, who laid down His life, and became poor that we would become rich).

Each one of these for symbols (lion, ox [sometimes mistranslated "calf" ~　Revelation 4:7], man, and　eagle) were the ensigns that the twelve tribes of Israel　stationed themselves around the temple during the time of the Exodus.　This same　symbolization　is　seen　concerning the “Living Creatures,” the Cherubim, and the Seraphim　(Isaiah 6 [some　believe that the Seraphim are the same thing as the cherubim]; Ezekiel 1; Revelation 4:7)　of God which oversee God’s throne room.　

Each one of these symbols represents the mission and personage of Jesus Christ (we must remember that the central point of the Bible is　the person and mission　of Jesus Christ;　the central theme of the Bible　is not Man or his　salvation, but the glory of God [Isaiah 43:7]),　His　preeminence in creation　(see John 5:39,　Hebrews 10:7 [Psalms 40:7]; Colossians 1:16; Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27; Luke 24:44-47; John 1:45; John 12:16; John 15:25; Acts 1:16; Acts 8:35 [Isaiah 53:7]; Acts 10:43; John 1:1; John 1:14; John 1:29; John 5:46-47; John 14:6; John 17:7; Acts 2:16-36; Acts 3:18; Acts 13:27-37; Acts 26:22-23; Acts 28:23; Romans 1:1-3; Hebrews 1:1-8; Hebrews 4:14; Hebrews 10:7,　for but a few references), and has been hailed as pictorials of　Jesus since His　time until now, as is seen in many Orthodox churches (Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, etc.), though not as　widely　taught as　previously before.

Mark　was the amanuensis (secretary) for Peter, and he emphasizes Jesus as the obedient Servant of YHWH. His is the only Gospel with no　pedigree or genealogy; because slaves don’t have genealogies. Genealogies are meant to display pedigree concerning a royal line in order to continue the lineage of a King by establishing a record of his children and descendents. Slaves never had genealogies. Mark focuses on what Jesus did; it deals in graphic images, almost like a movie or video shooting script. Mark concludes with the final visual appearance, the Ascension.

Luke
Luke presented the “Son of Man,” the perfect man (a sinless man, the same as Adam, man as he was meant to be). 

Luke was a Gentile and a doctor, and his Gospel reflects a very distinctive point of view, emphasizing Jesus as the Son of Man. His genealogy begins with Adam, the first man. From Abraham to David, his list is identical to that of Matthew. However, when he gets to David, he doesn’t track through Solomon (the first surviving son of Bathsheba) but through a different son, Nathan (the second surviving son of Bathsheba). He continues through to Heli, the father of Mary (Joseph is the son-in-law of Heli).

The term used in Luke 3:23 concerning Jesus is: “being (“as was supposed” in the Greek) the son of Joseph,“　which is nomizo in the Greek, which is literally translated: “reckoned as by law.” this indicates a legal adoption of Jesus by Joseph which is part of the rule of inheritance concerning the Hebrews.　In the Hebrew society the intended heir of the household received the household inheritance by the legal act of adoption which separated him from his siblings.　

The heir received the whole estate with his siblings receiving only what he might　decide to　hand down to them. This is what is being referred to here; Joseph legally adopted Jesus as his heir;　which validated Jesus legal claim in this bloodline.

But what is glossed over is that this genealogy is　not the genealogy of Joseph, but is the genealogy of Mary through her father, Heli　to Jesus (Matthew is the genealogy of Joseph who had legally adopted Jesus concerning the royal bloodline of Judah through David)　establishing　Jesus’　genealogy back to Adam the first man, which is what this book emphasizes.　Luke 3:38 states that Adam was the “son of God” (God established the pattern of using the expression, “son of…”　in referring to anything that flows out of the original source, or that was created by the source, therefore the angels are referred to as “sons of God” [Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7]　as God created them in the same way that Adam is referred to as a “son of God,” because God created him as well [Luke 3:38],　and as Jesus had called　the scribes and Pharisees “sons　of　 the devil” [John 8:44],　because they flowed　from their father Satan and their actions betrayed this.　 Yet, this is different from Sonship according to essence, which is what Jesus Christ is,　a literal “Son of God,” not figurative.) and in this genealogy concerning the humanity of Christ it confirms Jesus as the second Adam (1　Corinthians 15:45), the true son of God in every sense　in Luke 3:23, in the original language, the definite article (tou) is in the genitive form and　appears before every name in the genealogy except one, that one name is Joseph. This singular exception strongly suggests that Joseph was included only because of his marriage to Mary.

The Greek word for “son,” is　uihos, [G5207] and was used primarily to signify the relationship of offspring to the parents in a literal sense, yet it was also used in a figurative sense concerning a full range of relationships or descriptions.

Heli,　Mary’s father, having no sons, only daughters,　would normally have his lineage stopped at his death.　However,　in preparation for this very event, that of the birth of God’s Son,　incarnate, the Logos (“the Word” ~　John 1:1) of God (Jesus) becoming a Man,　in which the necessity to establish not only His bloodline of Kingship (Matthew’s genealogy), but also His bloodline concerning his humanity (Luke’s genealogy), God instituted a situation back during the Exodus　that would　validate Jesus　concerning both issues,　in　the situation concerning the daughters of Zelophehad. Where Moses went to God, and God declared that the blessing of the bloodline could flow through the adoption of son-in-law’s in order to maintain the blessing of blood through genealogy　when there were no sons to do so.　Therefore,　we understand that Joseph was adopted by Heli in accordance to this exception　created in the Torah for inheritance　(Numbers 27:1-11; Joshua 17:3-6; Ezra 2:61; cf. Nehemiah 7:63; Numbers 32:41; 1 Chronicles 2:21-23, 34-35).

As a Gentile, Luke’s emphasis is different. His emphasis is Christ’s humanity; he focuses on what Jesus felt. His first miracle is the expulsion　of a demon, a very human concern. Luke concludes with the promise of the giving of the Holy Spirit, which is a natural bridge to Luke’s　subsequent volume, The Book of Acts.

John
John presented the “Son of God,”　God incarnate, God indwelling　flesh, Divine; in symbolized by the Eagle (the Eternal Son of God, the Logos, God’s Communication of Himself through His Son).

John had a very distinctive view, emphasizing Jesus as the Son of God. It　focuses on who Jesus is. His “genealogy” is that of the Preexistent One, constituting John’s　opening verses: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”　This is a genealogy of the　Divine Son of God, who has no　beginning　and no ending, who was never created yet created all things. John’s Gospel is organized around seven miracles, seven discourses, and seven “I AM” statements.

John’s first miracle involves the use of the water of purification being changed to wine at Cana (a pictorial　of the church), a private demonstration to the disciples that Jesus was preeminent even over the Levitical priesthood. John concludes with the promise of Jesus’ return, and becomes the appropriate prequel to John’s final writing, The Revelation.

In Summation
Matthew wrote to the Jew,　God’s chosen people; Mark wrote to the Romans;　representing the power of world government　(from Rome), Luke wrote to the Greeks;　representing the cultural masses, And John wrote to the church,　those adopted into God’s kingdom.

Matthew was written by a Jewish tax collector, Mark was written by a　Jewish companion of Peter, Luke was written by a Gentile physician, a companion of Paul, and John was written by a Jewish fisherman.

Matthew concentrated on what Jesus said, His teachings (“said” ~ 151 times),　Mark concentrated on what Jesus did (with Jesus’ actions　most prominent),　Luke concentrated on what Jesus’ felt (88 times),　and John concentrated on who Jesus was　(247 times).

A key word in the book of Matthew is “fulfilled” (38　times ~　concerning the Messiah of Israel),　a keyword in the book of Mark is “immediately” (42 times ~　 concerning the actions of Jesus), a keyword word in the book of Luke is a “came to pass” (42 times ~　concerning the transition of God becoming man), and the key phrase　in the book of John is “verily verily“ (meaning:　”truly,” 25 times ~　concerning how God is Truth,　nothing more encapsulates the identity of God than His inability to be false　or a lie, God is either righteous, just　and therefore Divine; or false,　sinful, and a lie which mandates that he would be a　concept of man.　

(SIDENOTE: An interesting fact is that Jesus gave us clues in His terminology concerning the weight that He　placed on that which he stated　in the form of the preceding comment he made concerning any subject.　
When Jesus wanted His hearers to take note of what He was about to　say,　He would say:　”I say unto you,“　which is recorded over a 122　times in the Gospels.
When He　wished to add weight to His comment He would say: “verily,”　this　is recorded over　53 times in the Gospels.
And when He　wanted to place the greatest significance on His statement He would say: “verily,　verily,” which is recorded 25　times,　and only in the book of John, which again is the book that establishes Jesus as God, He who cannot lie ~ “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19).

Even the styles of each book are diverse, with　Matthew utilizing elegant groupings, Mark　providing simple snapshots, Luke presenting a logical narrative and John　writing　in a very mystical　style (representing God’s mysterious Majesty).

It must be kept in mind that when　dealing with the subject of the diversity between the Gospels,　3　of the gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke)　seem to present the last three years of Jesus life, chronologically, and in a similar order (yet not precise, with differing timelines and events) and are therefore referred to as the Synoptic (Greek syn: meaning “together” ~ or technically: displaying conditions as they exist simultaneously over a broad area) Gospels.　

Many writers　attempt to　produce　a “Harmony of the Gospels,”　by　fitting　the three Gospels together into one　chronological timeline.　　However, doing so introduces more problems than　can be answered,　in that it is obvious that this was not the intent of the Holy Spirit. Because　there may be two very similar events in two or more of the Gospels that vary in the details　for a very good reason, they were totally different events that just appeared very similar (i.e. the feeding of the multitudes).　

Also, concerning the diversity between John and the other three Gospels, there is the issue of multiple events as　seen in　Jesus clearing of the Temple which is referred to as taking place at the first of His ministry on one account (John 2:13-16), and then at the end of this ministry at another (Matthew 21:12).

Each gospel needs to stand on its own,　with us understanding that the Holy Spirit might choose sometimes to omit certain details in order that other aspects of an　event are　made　clearer in order to create a certain emphasis.　 Yet, in other situations the Holy Spirit might bring out other details in order to create yet another emphasis　in a separate account; or they may be completely different accounts.　

The point is God engineered four different accounts of the last three years of Jesus life because He wanted us to have four different perspectives, diverse from each other and never to be mixed, and to　twist the text so as to fit together a puzzle never met to be arranged this way is　unwise at best, and un-Biblical at worst　(yet there is a benefit from fitting together timelines in a loose manner in order to cross reference situations and to glean different aspects of the same event, yet this must be done very carefully and loosely; never forcing any issues or changing any events in order to have them fit together in a particular chronological order).

One last　consideration　that needs to be addressed is that of　the diversity of acceptable writing styles of　the Hebrews (the Hebrews and Jews of two thousand　years ago or more) as compared to modern English today.　To us in America, we are very linear in the way that we think and process information. When we present events in someone’s life we start with a timeline from the left to the right, which is chronological concerning the events as they occur one after the other.　

According to Western train of thought this makes complete sense to you and I, yet, it is not the same concerning the Hebrews of thousands of years ago.　To the Hebrew, the most important thing was the priority　of what was being communicated, rather than the sequence of events.　What they focused in on was the important issues first, with the chronology of　the timeline a servant to what was more important.

This doesn’t become a problem as most of time the Old Testament follows a linear chronological order which does not do violence to the priority of what is being communicated. However, whenever we read John’s Gospel, the mysterious Gospel which presents “The Son of God,” Deity (perhaps the greatest mystery to man ["a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside　an enigma"]　and　far　beyond　his　ability to comprehend is,　God; and even within this yet further more unfathomable conception is God in　man in the person of Jesus Christ); we need to understand it’s presented according to the mindset of the Hebrew.　

The Gospel of John presents groupings of situations according to the importance of what is trying to be communicated, as opposed to any chronological logical presentation.　The outline of the book of John is not chronological, but　is organized around seven miracles,　which　 lead to seven discourses, and then seven “I AM” statements;　all in order to establish the profound insight that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, Divine, beyond human compare,　Preeminent among all of creation.

Thank you Chuck Missler for so much of this information; much noted by wise men of the last few centuries commented to God and His Word. 

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Why Four Gospels – The Four Ensigns – Part 3

Introduction (Updated: 9/5/11)
Do the four Gospels demonstrate any symbolic or metaphorical relationships with the four ensigns (a flag, banner, or standard that a company rallies behind) mustering the Camp of Israel around the Tabernacle?

Yes they do, with amazing consistency within each metaphorical type.

 

But Why –  to Display the Preeminence of Jesus Christ

But this baits the question, why these symbols of metaphors.  God, in displaying his Majesty, as well as communicating on many different levels, displaying his complexity, yet intricacy of design, in how He has mapped out all of history in advance, in anticipation of man’s free will, and the designs of Satan, is still all powerful.

These object lessons, which we refer to as types and shadows (in that when you see a shadow of something coming before the substance, you can recognize the substance when it arrives), are tools that God uses, to declare Himself, His will, and His ways.  All of which leads to the preeminence that Jesus Christ hold’s within humanity.  This is the answer to the question why, the answer is Jesus Christ, and His glory as the only begotten Son of the Father.

The Tabernacle

To understand the connection between the four Gospels and the four ensigns concerning the camp of Israel, you need to first understand why the four ensigns hold any value to us today.

It is because of their relationship to the tabernacle, and how that the tabernacle is a representation of Jesus Christ, and that every detail of the tabernacle holds importance in this representation.

This subject of the tabernacle is quite intense and beyond the scope of this post.  At a later date I will address the details of the tabernacle, and provide specific Scripture references, but for now allow me to lay out a very brief overview.

The Tabernacle was a temporary dwelling where God met with man (which is what and who Jesus is).  John 1:14, says “And the Word became flesh and dwelt [“did tabernacle”] among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”  When Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, he also received detailed specifications and instructions for the building of a portable sanctuary, the Tabernacle, also referred to as the tent of Meeting.¹  And concerning the tabernacle; every part, piece, and type of material used represents Jesus Christ, as well as the seven pieces of furniture within the tabernacle and its courtyard.

And even the structure of how the camp was to move across the land, was a symbolic representation of what the relationship was to be between Israel and its Messiah.

The tabernacle, representing Christ was situated in the center of the 12 tribes, displaying His preeminence among his creation, with the tribe of Judah stationed in front of the only doorway to the tabernacle courtyard, representing that through Judah, the Messiah would enter.  And always to the east of the tabernacle entryway, which faced east, implying that Judah was between the opening to the tabernacle and eastward, towards Jerusalem (God’s city, representative of heaven and God’s throne room).

The Layout of the Tribes

The 12 tribes of Judah were stationed around the tabernacle, in four directions.  The Levites encompass the tabernacle on all four sides, as a display of man’s need for a priest between him and God, due to man’s sin, which in time Christ would be fulfill, as our High Priest.  The 12 tribes were lined up with three tribes on each of one of the four sides of the tabernacle.  The way that they organized themselves as they marched and camped; is that one of the three tribes on each side, was a rallying point, with another tribe falling behind them, and the final tribe behind them.  This way they can stay organized, holding the same configuration as they crossed the desert.

Due to necessity (as well as God’s design), it could not be one giant block moving across the desert, but needed separation between the tribes, therefore the corners were vacant, otherwise everybody would just mixed together and it would be one giant melting pot of confusion.  Therefore, God gave Moses this design to keep uniformity, but also to play out a multiplicity of representations.  Each tribe had its own ensign, which was a standard, and was a rallying point.  These standards were giant flags on polls that when held up could be seen for quite some distance and a tribe knew at what point to organize themselves.  The four tribes closest to the tabernacle, were the vanguard rallying points.  This way there were points that each tribe could affix itself to.

The Vanguard Ensigns

The four vanguard ensigns mirrored the four perspectives presented in the four different Gospels of Jesus Christ.  The book of Matthew (the largest book), which highlights the Jewishness of Christ as the Messiah of Israel, compares to the ensign of the tribe of Judah (the largest tribe, from where the Messiah would come) which is the lion.  The book of Mark (the smallest book), which highlights the servant-hood of Jesus, in that he would be the suffering servant for the sins of the world, compares to the ensign of the tribe of Ephraim (the smallest tribe) which is an ox.  The book of Luke, which highlights the humanity of Christ, as the perfect man, compares to the ensign of the tribe of Reuben, which is the figure of a man.  And the book of John, which highlights Christ divinity, as God of the universe, compares to the ensign the tribe of Dan, which is an Eagle(When used figuratively speaking in the Bible, represents heaven, due to its ability to fly higher than any other bird, in the same way that blue represents heaven is symbolized by the sky above.  God also utilizes that Eagle in referring to himself enigmatically.  A cautionary note: many times the word translated into the English word “Eagle,” is not what is in the original language for Eagle.).

Who Cares?

The answer will be self-evident.  This is one of the many areas that Chuck has uncovered a jewel out of God’s Word.  We know that the Levites centered around the four sides of the tabernacle, and  were the Kohathites, which were 8600; the Gershonites, which were 7500; the Merarites, which were 6200.   Without having to get into the cense  concerning all 12 of the tribes, which can be found in the book of Numbers, chapter two, if we total of each of the three tribes on all four sides, it displays a very interesting feature concerning their movement across the desert.

We know that the largest section, of these three tribe sections, organized under the ensign of Judah consisted of 186,100 people.  And that completely opposite to them, on the other side of the tabernacle, was the smallest section, of these three tribes sections, organized under the ensign of Ephraim, which consisted of 108,100 people.  To the South and North of Judah, these two sections were very similar in size.  To the South of Judah, this section of three tribes was organized under the ensign of Rubin, and consisted of 151,450 people.  And to the North of Judah, this section consisting of three tribes that was organized under the ensign of Dan, consisted of 157,600 people.  Now keeping in remembrance, that the four corners of this group of people was vacant, so that on each side of their elongated sections there was open space, as you would look down upon this group of people (as Balaam did in Numbers 24:2), you would notice a striking representation.  What Balaam saw was the form of a giant cross moving across the desert (The following slides were taken from Chuck Missler’s DVD “Learn the Bible in 24 hours,” session 5 – click on them to enlarge).
    

 

The Throne Room of God

Each time we encounter the “super-angels” (variously called cherubim or seraphim) that surround the Throne of God, we note that there are four “faces” involved: a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle^{2   (do you see a consistency here)}

Why would God, manufacture that the ensigns of the vanguard tribes that surround the tabernacle look the same, and therefore represent the cherubs which surround the throne room of heaven, and all so, appear to represent the perspectives presented in the four Gospels of the Redeemer of mankind, Jesus Christ.  One of the possible answers, could be that as Israel was moving from Egypt, a type of the world or fallen man; to the promise land, a type of God’s will or redeemed man, that this conveyance was made possible because of the Messiah, the Redeemer of mankind, represented by the tabernacle, which was in the midst, and therefore indwelling God’s chosen people, while representing God’s throne room in heaven, where Jesus and God now sit, until the day in which God’s will is completed concerning mankind.  Maybe?

One of My Own Insights – May or May Not Hold up to Scrutiny

What’s interesting that along with the comparisons within this typology, there is a specific contrast which  displays intricate design as well.  Where the tribe of Judah (Matthew), with the ensign of the lion, represents Jesus Messiahship; on the complete opposite side of the tabernacle, was the tribe of Ephraim (Mark), whose ensign was the ox, and represented Christ servitude, which displays polar opposites.  On Judas left side, which would be South, the tribe of Reuben (Luke), with the ensign of the man, which represented Christ humanity; which is directly opposite of the tribe of Dan, with the ensign of the Eagle (John), indicating Christ’s divinity.

So these four perspectives, are not only representative of the four aspects of the Messiah, but in that they cover the complete spectrum of who Christ was to represent; in that on one side he represents a King (represented by the largest book of the gospel and the largest tribe) and on the other side, in complete contrast he represents the slave (represented by the smallest book of the gospel and the smallest tribe); and therefore anybody in between as well.  On another side He represents the man, and yet on the other  side in complete contrast, he represents God (and therefore anybody in between, morally speaking). 

What a perfect representation of every man by using the polar opposites.  Where truly the example of; from slave to King, and therefore anybody in between would seem to represent all of humanity.  Yet beyond our titles and stations in life, which these two  symbols represent; God uses the polar opposites of humanity and deity, so as to address the essence of our own creation.  That Christ also died for the worst of sinners (morally speaking), yet the greatest of Saints (morally speaking), and anyone between.  Within the human realm, Christ can represent every man, yet at the same time represent God, showing that Christ was all in all.  What an enigma.

 Thanks to Chuck Missler for the above insight and slides.

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Endnotes

1.       Exodus 25:9, 40; 36:1 (Chapters 25-27; 36-38; and 40).
2.       Ezekiel 1:10; 10:14; Revelation 4:7  

Consider Jesus’ words as found in John 5:39:

 

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

  

Why Four Gospels – The Preeminence of Christ – Part 4

The Preeminence of Christ
For the Christian, the first and primary rule of Biblical interpretation (“hermeneutics”) centers on the relationship of “THE Word of God” (the Bible), to Jesus Christ, referred to as the preeminence (meaning: “above and beyond everything else in importance” – pre ["before"], eminent ["importance"]) of Jesus Christ (Heb. 2:10), in both the Old and New Testaments, as Creator (Col. 1:16) and Lord (Phil. 2:9-11); that He far and above fulfills the Will of the Father (Joh. 8:28); and deserves to be preeminent in our lives.  This is the purpose of the Gospel Books. 

Jesus Said of Himself
Found in John 5:39,

“you search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they that speak of me.”

Hebrews 10:7, which quotes Psalms 40:7, which is a Messianic passage, states:

“Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me.”

It is these, among many other Scriptures that instruct us that the Scripture centers on the person of Jesus Christ, as the only begotten Son of the Father (2 Pet. 1:17).  It is in understanding His preeminence (Rom. 11:36) in fulfilling the Will of the Father, that allows the salvation of all of mankind (Acts 5:31), yet concerning salvation man is not the focus of attention, God is (1 Pet. 4:11; man is created for God’s glory ~ Isa. 43:7); and it is Jesus Christ in which God reveals Himself to man (Joh. 14:9), and Christ Jesus by whom God the Father is glorified (Col. 3:17). 

Specifically Concerning Christ’s Preeminence
Colossians 1:16, states:

“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him“ 

Ephesians 1:20-23, states:

“Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”

Concerning Christ and the Law
Matthew 5:18, states:

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”

Concerning Jesus’ Place in the Old Testament Scriptures
Luke 24:27, Jesus states concerning Himself:

“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” 

And Again, Luke 24:44-47, when it states:

“And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.  And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, “and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem“

Another example of this is seen in John 1:45, which states:

“Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

As well as John 12:16, states:

“His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.”

And John 15:25, states:

“But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, `They hated Me without a cause.”

Acts 1:16, states:

“Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.”

Acts 8:35, states:

“Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture [which was Isa. 53:7], and preached unto him Jesus.”

Acts 10:43, states:

“To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”

Acts 13:27-37, states:

“For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him. And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death. Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead. He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people. And we declare to you glad tidings that promise which was made to the fathers. God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: `You are My Son, today I have begotten You.’ And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus: `I will give you the sure mercies of David.’ Therefore He also says in another Psalm: `You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption.’ For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; but He whom God raised up saw no corruption.”

Acts 26:22-23, states:

“Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.”

Acts 28:23, states:

“And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening“

Romans 1:1-3, states:

“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. “

Hebrews 1:1-3, states:

“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

Other notable scriptures concerning Christ’s preeminence are: John 1:1, 14, 29; 5:46, 47; Acts 2:16-36; 3:18; John 14:6 with 17:7; and Hebrews 4:13.

Place Jesus in the Middle of It    
It has been wisely said that if any passage appears to be mysterious or difficult to comprehend, simply place Jesus in the middle of the passage; and according to the blessing of the Holy Spirit, relevance will be unearthed leading to the understanding of the passage.  God uses many different forms of object lessons to convey meaning,  Such as: types (“the lamb of God,” ”the lion of the tribe of Judah“), shadows (the Tabernacle, Feast Days), numbers (6 the number of man, 7 the number of completeness), and symbolism as seen in colors ( blue, purple, red), raw building material (gold, bronze, wood, hay and stubble); “Figures of Speech,” which are readily employed, which are normal words used in a abnormal manner in order to render meaning and emphasis.  

Therefore, there are passages in God’s Word that use these different forms of object lessons, yet always in some manner pointing to Jesus Christ as He is the center of all creation.  Hence, God uses literally everything in His Word to display Jesus Christ (Joh. 5:39); even such as things as Jesus’ two appearances on Earth which are pictorials which display His role of Redeemer (Job 19:25), of Israel, who has two main functions:

1) That of the Kinsman-Redeemer (Num. 5:6-8; Ruth 3:12-13, 4:1, 4:6, 4:8) who purchases his fellow Kinsman (Heb. 2:17) out of slavery with His own blood (Rev. 1:5;  Heb. 9:28; 13:12), and is also able to keep us (Jud. 1:24), as typified by Jesus’ first coming; and His second role as:

 

 

2) The Goal, the “Revenger in Blood,” (Num. 35:2; Deut. 19:6) who would revenge when a kinsmen was murdered (such as when man was murdered by the scheme of the Devil, which is continued by his followers, which Christ referred to as his children ~ Joh. 8:44), seeking justice in delivering punishment (Jud. 1:15; Joh. 5:22, 27; Acts 17:31), as typified by Jesus’ second coming.  It is in understanding that everything in the Bible is meant to symbolize and identify the Messiah, His mission, and destiny; which is seen in everything that God has communicated to man.  From all the articles of the Tabernacle, to the 7 Feasts of Israel, to even the place names, and personal name of individuals who played out God’s message in the drama of their own lives.

 

Jesus Christ was the “burning bush” to Moses (Exo. 3:2), as He was also the “Captain of the Lord’s Host” to Joshua (using the same type of expression: “Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy” to  Joshua as recorded in Josh. 5:15; as God also said to Moses as recorded in Exodus 3:5 ~  using the same expression with Joshua as a point of identification as  Joshua was fully aware of Moses’ encounter with God), and when Jesus (as recorded in the 8th chapter of John) said the famous “I AM” statement – the Jews understood this renowned Hebrew expression as it is found in Exodus 3:14 (Hebrew: hayah asher hayah and in the Greek: ego eimi). 

 

Jesus, making sure that there was no confusion concerning His statement, stated that He is eternal, as seen in Him claiming to be older than Abraham, as recorded in John 8:58 (Jesus used the “I’ am” statement 7 times concerning His mission as the Messiah, the Redeemer of mankind as seen in: Joh. 6:35, 8:12, 10:7, 10:11, 11:25, 14:6, 15:1).  Jesus was well understood to be claiming deity, that He was the voice that came out of the burning bush, which they all understood to be God, which is why the Jews took up stones to stone Him.

 

NOTE: It should be noted that the Pharisees always drew attention to when Christ claimed to be divine, because they would pick up stones to stone Jesus for blasphemy, which was according to the law (Lev. 24:16); which included the blasphemy of claiming to be divine.

 

Jesus was symbolized as THE brazen serpent held up in the desert (Joh. 3:14), THE rock not made with hands (Dan. 2:45 ~ Rom. 9:33), THE rock that gave forth water (1 Cor. 10:4), THE Lamb of God to die for the sins of the world (Joh. 1:29, 36), and many more symbols and typologies (both addressed later).  It is in understanding that Jesus Christ is the center of God’s creation (Rom. 11:36; Eph. 1:20-22; Col. 1:16); everything in God’s Word points to Him, holding Him preeminent in all things.

It has been mistakenly said that God’s Word is a book about salvation, which implies that man is the main focus as the recipient of that salvation.  And whereas salvation is a underlying theme, it is not what is to be preeminent, Jesus Christ is.  It has also been taught that man’s purpose is to be fulfilled in his life, which is synonymous with man living to satisfy himself⁵, or even have a good life, or even to provide fellowship for God (which is a side benefit to both). 

 

However, man’s purpose is to glorify God as recorded in Isaiah 43:7, which states:”Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.”It is the preeminence of Jesus

 

Christ that is the theme and reason for God’s Word, as well as all of creation.

 

Taken from www.faithbibleministries.com; “Something to Think About.”   bb     

When Was Jesus Born?

Introduction (Updated)
The following introduction is my work, with the formula concerning Christ death and resurrection under the heading of “My Conclusion,” which is a very brief summation of the work originally produced by Sir Robert Anderson over 100 years ago. However, there has been scholarship before and after that come to the same consideration.

What follows after that is a short article by Chuck Missler, which utilizes some of the same original work but presented in a brief outline. 

It is unfortunate that the church at large seems to miss these important issues because of their superficiality in handling God’s Word.  However, in these last days, it is individuals such as Sir Robert Anderson and many others that have increased our knowledge based upon the guidance of the Holy Spirit, wherein for the last hundred years this teaching has been available, yet, sometimes hard to find. 

His original work, “The Coming Prince” was originally published in the 1890s until sometime after World War II.  A few decades ago it was republished again displaying insights and considerations which far surpass our current prior insights. 

What makes the following information so important is that it not only relies on God’s Word, but recorded secular history which cannot be manipulated by religious interest.  If we would simply take God’s Word as fact rather than fiction, utilizing the inspiration and direction of the Holy Spirit as we approach world history, there would be many more mysterious biblical questions answered. 

What’s so unusual is that when you read through the following information it becomes so obvious, that one wonders how the church went these many centuries asking ”when was Jesus born,” when the answer is so obvious (in Luke 3:1) if one is a student of God’s Word, who would also search out world history to find where it coincides with God’s Word

One of the important reasons why the birth date of Christ is important is in understanding Daniel 9:24-27, which predicts the very day that the Messiah would present Himself to Israel, which we refer to as the “Triumphant Entry”(please see my essay entitled: “The Most Amazing Prophecy in God’s Word,” if you do not know what I’m talking about).  

It is quite understandable why the church has seemingly forgotten Jesus’ birth date.  The reason why is that while the birth of Christ (Christ being a title, rather than a name; meaning: “anointed of the Lord,” to the unlearned unbeliever this title may not have any special connotations, perhaps referring to any King.  However,  when used with the particular article, “the,” indicating that it is a singular reference to an individual, that to the Jew is more than a man, more than a deliverer, and more than a governor) is important, it becomes important to a secular world because a prophet, a wise man; yet a mere man was born. 

However, to the believer, the focus of attention is not on the birth of an individual that the world considers a man, but in the resurrection of a man who was God incarnate.  To the world He was a man, to the believer He is divine. 

This is why the church has always focused on the resurrection, rather than the birth of Christ. 

It seems like the Holy Spirit engineered it this way in order to keep the churches primary focus on what was most important, the resurrection (remembering that there are no coincidences within God’s kingdom, either God is in control of everything, and therefore “God,” or He’s in control of nothing.  If something can happen outside of His Own Will, how can you trust anything He says, because it may be one of those things that is beyond His own will to do, maybe because we live in a sinful world?  NO! This is God’s kingdom, it is His creation; even though it has become sinful because of man, God is still the Boss.  This is the basis that man has as a foundation for faith, that nothing can happen to man outside of God’s will.  And for those that would say that God simply allows His creation to run it’s own course – they do not pay attention to God’s Word which declares otherwise.  In which God’s Word displays prophecy after prophecy wherein God has, and will manipulate time to come out as He would choose; even within a sinful world.  This is why you and I can trust Him, not just that He has the will to do what is good, but just as importantly; that He has the ability to do what He says). 

As Paul says, if the resurrection is a lie; everything that the believer believes is a lie as well (1 Cor. 15:14,17), because as stated in Romans 1:3-4:

“Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”

Everything hinges on the resurrection.  There has never been a man who has prophesied his own death, and then resurrection; which would validate his teachings, as Christ has done.  The resurrection is a display of the power of God validating Christ’s ministry and words. 

Yet, there is also prophetic considerations concerning Christ’s birth, where in time prophecies will come into play; which would be another reason why God would hide in plain sight this knowledge, so that the creation would not always know what the Creator was doing in advance. 

Lucifer is another good example why God would do this.  He knows the Bible probably better than any human, so how does God fulfill His Will, as told in advance, when His enemy has His playbook in his hand.  It is God displaying His divinity, as also through His intelligence that He hides in plain sight those things that He wishes to reveal in time, yet at His own good pleasure. 

And as previously stated, using prophecy God hides in plain sight His plans, which give reasons to have faith in God; one of the two major Biblical prophets, Daniel (the Old Testament great prophet, and one of the New Testament great prophets, John; wherein there was a special notation that they are both ”loved” of God ~ Daniel 9:23 and John 13:23.  Both of which have special prophecies concerning the End Days, more than any others; it is Daniel who speaks about when the Messiah would be revealed on the stage of time.  This is why so many understood that it was in the days of Jesus, that the Messiah would soon appear), tells us that in the last days God will increase knowledge.  Knowledge that man will use to his own ends; however, knowledge that God uses to inform His followers in understanding God’s Word as never before. 

It is Daniel, that in the last chapter of his book (we understand that the Bible was not created with chapter and verses, which were created in the 12th and 15th century – but that in the last part of Daniel’s writing which we would refer to as the 12th chapter), speaks about the “Last Days,” where God says through this prophet:

“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”  (Daniel 12:4)

Many have interpreted this Scripture to indicate that knowledge in general, and therefore technology in particular would increase in the last days, which is true. 

If we read this Scripture from the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament, the Greek translation that was used primarily by Jesus (except while reading the Hebrew text in the synagogue or temple, or certain quotations ~ however, most of the time Jesus quotes the Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament, therefore validating it – which also explains why many times a New Testament quotation of the Old Testament sounds different than its original Old Testament wording.  In the New Testament, Jesus and the apostles were quoting from the Septuagint Greek Old Testament, while you and I turn back the pages of our English translation of the Bible, and we read the narrative according to the Hebrew Masoretic text – therefore the to sound different, because the translations are different), the word here for “knowledge” is the Greek word gnosis (G1108), and means ”knowledge,” “science,” which would be a reference to our general increase in knowledge, which would include technology. 

Yet, the word has a dual meaning which also implies “to know,” or “to perceive,” which would represent an understanding of a particular nature – singular in its meaning, which according to the context, would be God’s Word.  Therefore, this expression very easily refers to both knowledge which is general (conntatively), and knowledge which is specific (denotatively) ; as the Greek grammar allows. 

The word “increased“ is the Greek word plēthúnō; from plethos (G4128), which means “make multitude, “to make full,” hence, “to multiply.”  Indicating that the increase is not minimal, not even great; but is to the extent that it is almost complete – to multiply and make full.

The reason this passage become so important concerning prophecy in the “Last Days” (End Times); is that during the last two hundred years or so, more has become known about God’s Word than at any other time in history.  Due to archeological digs over the last few centuries; we have discovered many manuscripts of the Bible which are also cross-referenced in other languages, giving us a much more in-depth knowledge concerning the Hebrew and Greek words used in the Word of God. 

You and I have a greater ability to open our Bible, word studies, Bible dictionaries, Bible commentaries, and Greek New Testament’s, Greek Old Testament, and Hebrew Old Testament (all three in their original language ~ I’m referring to Byzantine manuscripts which make up the “Textus Receptus,” as well as the “Majority Text” manuscripts; not the “Alexandrian Codices” [sometimes referred to as the "Eclectic" manuscripts] which are defiled, and introduce many errors – I know this is controversial.   I used to be a follower of James White and Bruce Metzger, yet through thorough original research over many decades have come to see the error of these translations that have been found since the early 18th century.  If anybody is interested in the subject of Bible translation, rather “Lower Criticism” [the original form of Bible study concerning translation, where the focus was on "what" God's Word had to say] or “Higher Criticism” [which came after the Enlightenment from the German translators who did not believe in the inspiration of the Scripture, or the deity of Jesus Christ.  Those that introduced a different type of Bible examination, following after Tischendorf, then later Westcott & Hort, then Eberhard & his son Erwin Nestle, and now  today Bruce Metzger; wherein the focus is on "who" wrote the individual books - which mandated that the Scriptures were not inspired of God, but written by man]; please let me know.  And I am more than willing to publish these well-documented essays.  And I’m not referring to the King James ONLY extremist that abuse integrity stating that the English translation is the only inspired book of God, and that the Greek manuscripts from which they came, are not.) and learn more about what God’s Word truly means, that any other time in man’s history.  

In fact we are so inundated with knowledge that the old adage, “familiarity breeds contempt” has unfortunately come into play, with many Christians not utilizing the vast knowledge concerning God and His Word that are free to any that would have an Internet connection; unlike our forefathers, who starved for this knowledge of God and His Word. 

One of the reflections of a lack of individual stewardship concerning studying God’s Word is seen in the question that is repeated in the churches, ”when was Christ born.” 

For over 150 years this question is been answered, yet few are aware.  I personally became aware of this subject over 30 years ago; please check it out for yourself.  Look up the Scriptures and the secular history; because prophecy in “Last Days,” and especially the faith that can be gained by coming to understand Daniel 9:24-27, are immense. 

My Conclusion
Before I present Chuck’s article which is very thorough concerning secular history, let me give the simplest proof I know of based upon Luke 3:1, which can help determine when Christ was crucified.  If we know when Jesus was crucified, and we understand that He was 33 and half years old when this occurred, we can determine when He was born by counting backwards 33 1/2 years.  This is the basis for Sir Robert Anderson’s book “The Coming Prince,” published in the 1890s.

Luke 3:1, which dates the start of Jesus ministry, when he was 30 years old (Luke 3:23, “about” - He was 30 1/2) at Passover, in April;   

“Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene.

Luke 3:22, is where Jesus enters the scene, at the same time. 

..  Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.”

To summarize, Sir Robert Anderson’s work; according to Luke 3:1, Jesus started his Ministry during (in) the 15th year of Tiberius.  Tiberias was appointed during the year 14 AD (Augustus died August 19, 14 AD), therefore Jesus started his public Ministry in the year 29 AD.  We know that according to scripture Jesus was crucified on the fourth Passover after starting his public Ministry by utilizing the four Gospels, 3 are which are synoptic (Matthew, Mark, Luke) and can be aligned chronologically.  Therefore Jesus was crucified on Passover, the 14th of Nisan (Hebrew calendar) in the year 32, which would’ve been April 10 in the year 32 AD on the Gregorian calendar.  Jesus being 33 1/2 years old on this date, counting backwards would mean that He was born 1 BC in the autumn,  around the first of the Hebrew month, “Tishri,” at the last of the month September on the Gregorian calendar, right around the “Feast of Trumpets.  This paragraph is probably one of the most insightful determinations to affect the Christian world, if one also consider Sir Robert Anderson’s of valuation of Daniel 9:24-27; which presents the day that the Messiah would declare himself on the 10th of Nisan in the year 32, which again validates the above determination. 

“Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17)   

It was but a few decades ago that I ran across the work of Sir Robert Anderson, and came to understand the meaning of Daniel chapter 9:24-27, and how it mashed with the above understanding of when our Lord was crucified, yet also when He was born.  It was these considerations of God’s Word that transformed my faith in ways that I cannot communicate.  The stark reality of these prophecies that were fulfilled by our Messiah are beyond human dispute, and therefore have grown my faith based upon God’s Word, that time can never diminish.

bb

 

 

The following was written by Koinonia House

Introduction

Each year at Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. After the New Year, we struggle to remember to add a year as we date our checks, which should remind us that the entire Western World reckons its calendar from the birth of the One who changed the world more than any other before or since. Yet, it is disturbing to discover that much of what we have been taught about the Christmas season seems to be more tradition than truth.

Most serious Bible students realize that Jesus was probably not born on December 25th. The shepherds had their flocks in open fields, which implies a date prior to October. Furthermore, no competent Roman administrator would require registration involving travel during the season when Judea was generally impassable.

If Jesus wasn’t born on December 25, just when was he born? Although the Bible doesn’t explicitly identify the birthday of our Lord, many scholars have developed diverse opinions as to the likely birthday of Jesus.

The early Christian church did not celebrate Jesus’ birth, and therefore the exact date was not preserved in festivals. The first recorded mention of December 25th is in the Calendar of Philocalus (AD 354), which assumed Jesus’ birth to be Friday, December 25th, AD 1.

This was subsequent to Constantine’s Edict of Toleration in AD 313, which officially ended the government-sanctioned persecution of the Christians.

The date of December 25th, which was officially proclaimed by the church fathers in AD 440, was actually a vestige of the Roman holiday of Saturnalia, observed near the winter solstice, which itself was among the many pagan traditions inherited from the earlier Babylonian priesthood.

The year of Jesus’ birth is broadly accepted as 4 BC, primarily from erroneous conclusions derived from Josephus’ recording of an eclipse, assumed to be on March 13, 4 BC, “shortly before Herod died.” There are a number of problems with this in addition to the fact that it was more likely the eclipse occurred on December 29, 1 B.C. Considerable time elapsed between Jesus’ birth and Herod’s death since the family fled to Egypt to escape Herod’s edict and they didn’t return until after Herod’s death. Furthermore, Herod died on January 14, 1 BC.

Tertullian (born about 160 AD) stated that Augustus began to rule 41 years before the birth of Jesus and died 15 years after that event. Augustus died on August 19, 14 AD, placing Jesus’ birth at 2 BC. Tertullian also notes that Jesus was born 28 years after the death of Cleopatra in 30 BC, which is consistent with a date of 2 BC.  Irenaeus, born about a century after Jesus, also notes that the Lord was born in the 41st year of the reign of Augustus. Since Augustus began his reign in the autumn of 43 BC, this also appears to substantiate the birth in 2 BC.

Eusebius (264-340 AD), the “Father of Church History,” ascribes it to the 42nd year of the reign of Augustus and the 28th from the subjection of Egypt on the death of Anthony and Cleopatra. The 42nd year of Augustus ran from the autumn of 2 BC to the autumn of 1 BC. The subjugation of Egypt into the Roman Empire occurred in the autumn of 30 BC. The 28th year extended from the autumn of 3 BC to the autumn of 2 BC. The only date that would meet both of these constraints would be the autumn of 2 BC.

Another approach in determining the date of Jesus’ birth is from information about John the Baptist. Elisabeth, John’s mother, was a cousin of Mary and the wife of a priest named Zacharias who was of the “course” of Abijah (Priests were divided into 24 courses and each course officiated in the Temple for one week, from Sabbath to Sabbath).

When the Temple was destroyed by Titus on August 5, 70 AD, the first course of priests had just taken office. Since the course of Abijah was the eighth course, we can track backwards and determine that Zacharias would have ended his duties on July 13, 3 BC.

If the birth of John took place 280 days later, it would have been on April 19-20, 2 BC (precisely on Passover of that year).

John began his ministry in the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar. The minimum age for the ministry was 30. As Augustus died on August 19, 14 AD, that was the accession year for Tiberius.

If John was born on April 19-20, 2 BC, his 30th birthday would have been April 19-20, 29 AD, or the 15th year of Tiberius. This seems to confirm the 2 BC date and, since John was five months older, this also confirms the autumn birth date for Jesus.

Elisabeth hid herself for five months and then the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary both Elisabeth’s condition and that Mary also would bear a son who would be called Jesus. Mary went “with haste” to visit Elisabeth, who was then in the first week of her sixth month, or the fourth week of December, 3 BC.

If Jesus was born 280 days later it would place the date of his birth on September 29, 2 BC. If Jesus was born on September 29, 2 BC, it is interesting to note that it was also the First of Tishri, the day of the Feast of Trumpets.

Written by: KOINONIA HOUSE, Founder: Chuck Missler, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83816, USA, 2008, eNews, electronic media.

Something to think about.

Question – What do you think about this Statement?

An unfortunate reality of 21^st century life in first world nations is that knowledge and thus technology grows much faster than the wisdom is gained to employ them correctly and rightly. 

This is because whereas knowledge grows (and can be easily abused) by probing and experimentation; wisdom (which must be earned) is gained by the application of experience (the former can be fed by immediate gratification, where the latter cannot) and righteousness (which is regulated outside of man, by a Superior Being – God).  And when God is separated from either or both, the result in doomed to degradation.

Wisdom is the correct application of knowledge - yet always according to God’s Word.     

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:17)

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”  (John 14:6)

bb

Self-Esteem & The Total Depravity of Man

Introduction

The following excerpt is from John MacArthur’s book, Introduction To Biblical Counseling.  If it were lacking anything in presenting the Doctrine of the Total Depravity of man and how it relates to the self-esteem movement, we would have written our own paper, however it does not.  It is probably one of the best written treaties, in layman’s terms on the sinfulness of humanity and how twenty-first century man tries to avoid facing it through attempting to build self-esteem as apposed to Christ esteem.     

Counseling and the Sinfulness of Humanity¹

No concept is more important to the gurus of modern psychology than self-esteem.  According to the self-esteem credo, there are no bad people-only people who think badly of themselves.  For years, educational experts, psychologists, and a growing number of Christian leaders have championed self-esteem as a panacea for all sorts of human miseries.  According to the purveyors of this doctrine, if people feel good about themselves, they will behave better, have fewer emotional problems, and achieve more.  People with high self-esteem, we are told, are less likely to commit crimes, act immorally, fail academically, or have problems in their relationships with others.

The Blind Faith of Self-Esteem

Advocates of self-esteem have been remarkably successful in convincing people that self-esteem is the solution to whatever ails anyone.  One survey revealed that a majority of people view self-esteem as the single most important motivator for hard work and success.  In fact, self-esteem ranked several points higher than a sense of responsibility or fear of failure.²

However, does self-esteem really work?  Does it, for example, promote higher achievement?  There is plenty of evidence to suggest it does not.  In a recent study, a standardized math test was given to teenagers from six different nations.  Besides the math questions, the test asked the youngsters to respond yes or no to the question, “I am good at mathematics.”  American students scored lowest on the math questions, far behind Korean students, who had the top scores.  Ironically, more than three-fourths of the Korean students had answered no to the “I am good at math” question.  In stark contrast, however, 68 percent of the American students believed their math skills were just fine.³  Our kids may be failing math, but they obviously feel pretty good about how they are doing.  Morally, our culture is in precisely the same boat.  Empirical evidence strongly suggests that society is at an all-time moral low.  We might expect people’s self-esteem to be suffering as well.  However, statistics show that Americans are feeling better about themselves than ever.  In a survey conducted in 1940, 11 percent of women and 20 percent of men agreed with the statement, “I am an important person.”  In the 1990s, those figures jumped to 66 percent of women and 62 percent of men.⁴  Ninety percent of people surveyed in a recent Gallup Poll say their own sense of self-esteem is robust and healthy.⁵  Incredibly, while the moral fabric of society is unraveling, self-esteem is thriving.  All the positive thinking about ourselves seems not to be doing anything to elevate the culture or motivate people to live better lives.

Can it really be that low self-esteem is what is wrong with people today?  Does anyone seriously believe that making people feel better about themselves has helped the problems of crime, moral decay, divorce, child abuse, juvenile delinquency, drug addiction, and all the other evils that have dragged society down?  Could so much still be wrong in our culture if the assumptions of self-esteem theory were true?  Do we really imagine that more self-esteem will finally solve society’s problems?  Is there even a shred of evidence that would support such a belief? 

Absolutely none.  A report in Newsweek suggested that “the case for self-esteem … is a matter less of scientific pedagogy than of faith—faith that positive thoughts can make manifest the inherent goodness in any one.”⁶  In other words, the notion that self-esteem makes people better is simply a matter of blind religious faith.  Not only that, it is a religion that, is antithetical to Christianity, because it is predicated on the unbiblical presupposition that people are basically good and need to recognize their, own goodness.

The Church And The Self-Esteem Cult

Nevertheless, the most persuasive proponents of self-esteem religion have always included clergymen.  Norman Vincent Peale’s “positive thinking” doctrine, which was popular a generation ago, was simply an early self-esteem model.  Peale wrote The Power of Positive Thinking in 1952.⁷  The book opened with these words: “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities!”  In the introduction, Peale called the book a “personal-improvement manual . . . written with the sole objective of helping the reader achieve a happy, satisfying, and worthwhile life.”⁸  The book was marketed as motivational therapy, not theology.  But in Peale’s estimation the whole system was merely “applied Christianity; a simple yet scientific system of practical techniques of successful living that works.”⁹

Evangelicals, for the most part, were slow to embrace a system that called people to faith in themselves rather than faith in Jesus Christ.  Self-esteem as Norman Vincent Peale outlined it was the offspring of theological liberalism married to neo-orthodoxy.  Time has evidently worn away evangelicals’ resistance to such doctrine.  Now many of the hottest-selling books in evangelical bookstores promote self-esteem and positive thinking.  Even Newsweek has commented on the trend.  Noting that self-esteem is considered “religiously correct” nowadays, the magazine observed:

The notion [of self-esteem] may put off anyone old enough to remember when “Christian” as an adjective was often followed by “humility.”  But American churches, which once did not shrink from calling their congregants wretches, have moved toward a more congenial view of human nature … Chastising sinners is considered counterproductive: it makes them feel worse about themselves.¹⁰

Psychology and self-esteem theology have fed one another.  In addition, as evangelicals become more and more accepting of psychological counseling they become more and more vulnerable to the dangers posed by self-esteem teaching.  As even the Newsweek article suggests, those who are concerned primarily with self-esteem are hardly in a position to deal with human transgressions as sin against God or to inform people already comfortable in self-love and self-righteousness that they are actually sinners in need of spiritual salvation.

Here one’s theology becomes intensely practical.  These are questions that must be settled in the heart before the counselor can offer truly biblical counsel: Does God really want all people to feel good about themselves?  Alternatively, does He first call sinners to recognize the utter helplessness of their own estate?  Of course, the answer is obvious to those who let Scripture speak for itself.

Understanding the Doctrine of Total Depravity

Scripture, of course, teaches from beginning to end that all humanity totally depraved.  Paul says unredeemed people are “dead in … trespasses in sins” (Eph. 2:1).  Apart from salvation, all people walk in worldliness and disobedience (v. 2).  We who know and love the Lord once “lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest” (v. 3).  We were “separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in world” (v. 12). 

In those passages, Paul describes the state of unbelievers as estrangement from God.  It is that they hate God, not that they are intimidated by Him.  In fact, Paul says, “There is no fear of God” in the unregenerate person (Rom. 3:18).  Before our salvation, we were actually God’s enemies (Rom. 5:8, 10).  We were “alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds” (Col. 1:21).  Sinful passions, inflamed by our hatred of God’s law, motivated all our living (Rom. 7:5).  We were tainted by sin in every part of our being.  We were corrupt, evil, and thoroughly sinful.

Theologians refer to this doctrine as total depravity.  It does not mean that unbelieving sinners are always as bad as they could be (cf. Luke 6:33; Rom. 2:14).  It does not mean that the expression of sinful human nature is always lived out to the fullest.  It does not mean that unbelievers are incapable of acts of kindness, benevolence, goodwill, or human altruism.  It certainly does not mean that non-Christians cannot appreciate goodness, beauty, honesty, decency, or excellence.  It does mean that none of this has any merit with God. 

Depravity also means that evil has contaminated every aspect of our humanity-our heart, mind, personality, emotions, conscience, motives, and will (cf. Jer.17:9; John 8:44).  Unredeemed sinners are therefore incapable of doing anything to please God (Isa.64:6).  They are incapable of truly loving the God who reveals Himself in Scripture.  They are incapable of obedience from the heart, with righteous motives.  They are incapable of understanding spiritual truth.  They are incapable of genuine faith.  And that means they are incapable of pleasing God or truly seeking Him (Heb. 11:1). 

Total depravity means sinners have no ability to do spiritual good or to work for their own salvation from sin.  They are so completely disinclined to love righteousness, so thoroughly dead in sin, that they are not able to save themselves or even to fit themselves for God’s salvation.  Unbelieving humanity has no capacity to desire, understand, believe, or apply spiritual truth:

“A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1 Cor. 2:14). 

In spite of all this, people are proud of themselves!  Lack of self-esteem is not the issue.   

Because of Adam’s sin, this state of spiritual death called total depravity has passed to all mankind.  Another term for this is original sin.  Scripture explains it this way:

“Through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned (Rom. 5:12).  When, as head of the human race, Adam sinned, the whole race was corrupted.  “Through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners” (Rom 5:19). 

How such a thing could happen has been the subject of much theological discussion for centuries.  For our purposes, however, it is sufficient to affirm that Scripture clearly teaches that Adam’s sin brought guilt upon the entire race.  We were “in Adam” when he sinned, and therefore the guilt of sin and the sentence of death passed upon all of us: “In Adam all die” (1 Cor. 15:22). 

We might be tempted to think, if I’m sinful by birth and never had a morally neutral nature, how can I be held responsible for being a sinner?  However, our corrupt nature is precisely why our guilt is such a serious matter.  Sin flows from the very soul of our being.  It is because of our sinful nature that commits sinful acts:

“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness.  All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man” (mark 7:21-23).  We are “by nature children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3). 

Original sin—including all the corrupt tendencies and sinful passions of the soul—is as deserving of punishment as all our voluntary acts of sin.  What is sin, after all, but anomia—“lawlessness” (I John 3:4)?  Or as the Westminster Shorter Catechism says, “Sin is any want of conformity to, or transgression of, the law of God” (q. 14).  Far from being an excuse, original sin if is at the heart of why we are guilty.  Moreover, original sin itself is sufficient grounds for our condemnation before God.

Moreover, original sin with its resulting depravity is the reason we commit voluntary acts of sin.  D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote,

Why is it that man ever chooses to sin?  The answer is that man has fallen away from God, and as a result, his whole nature has become perverted and sinful.  Man’s whole bias is away from God.  By nature, he hates God and feels that God is opposed to him.  His god is himself, his own abilities and powers, his own desires.  He objects to the whole idea of God and the demands, which God makes upon him.  …Furthermore, man likes and covets the things that God prohibits, and dislikes the things and the kind of life to which God calls him.  These are no mere dogmatic statements.  They are facts … They alone explain the moral muddle and the ugliness that characterize life to such an extent today.¹¹

Salvation from original sin is only through the cross of Christ: “As though the one man’s disobedience [Adam's sin] the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One [Jesus Christ] the many be made righteous” (Rom. 5:19).  We are born in sin (Ps. 51:5), and if we are to become children of God and enter God’s kingdom, we must be born again by God’s Spirit (John 3:3-8).

In other words, contrary to what most people think—contrary to the presuppositions of self-esteem doctrine-men and women are not naturally good.  Just the opposite is true.  We are by nature enemies of God, sinners, lovers of ourselves, and in bondage to our own sin.  We are blind, deaf, and dead to spiritual matters, unable even to believe apart from God’s gracious intervention.  Yet, we are relentlessly proud!  In fact, nothing is more illustrative of human wickedness than the desire for self-esteem.  In addition, the first step to a proper self-image is recognition that these things are true. 

That is why Jesus commended the tax-gatherer-rather than rebuking him for his low self-esteem-when the man pounded his chest and pleaded, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” (Luke 18:13).  The man had finally come to the point where he saw himself for what he was, and he was so overcome that his emotion released in acts of self-condemnation.  The truth is, his self-image had never been more sound than at that moment.  Rid of pride and pretense, he now saw there was nothing he could ever do to earn God’s favor.  Instead, he pleaded with God for mercy.  Therefore he “went down to his house justified“—exalted by God because he had humbled himself (v. 14).  For the first time ever he was in a position to realize true joy, peace with God, and a new sense of self-worth that is granted by God’s grace to those He adopts as His children (Rom. 8:15).

All Have Sinned and Fall Short

Deep in our hearts, we all know something is desperately wrong with us.  Our conscience constantly confronts us with our own sinfulness.  Try as we might to blame others or seek psychological explanations for how we feel, we cannot escape reality.  We cannot ultimately deny our own consciences.  We all feel our guilt, and we all know the horrible truth about who we are on the inside. 

We feel guilty because we are guilty.  Only the cross of Christ can answer sin in a way that frees us from our own shame.  Psychology might mask some of the pain of our guilt.  Self-esteem might sweep it under the rug for a time.  Other things—such as seeking comfort in relationships, or blaming our problems on someone else-might make us feel better, but the relief is only superficial.  In addition, it is dangerous.  In fact, it often intensifies the guilt, because it adds dishonesty and pride to the sin that originally wounded the conscience.

True guilt has only one cause, and that is sin.  Until sin is dealt with, the conscience will fight to accuse.  In addition, sin—not low self-esteem—is the very thing the gospel is given to conquer.  That is why the apostle Paul began his presentation of the gospel to the Romans with a lengthy discourse about sin.  Total depravity is the first gospel truth he introduced, and he spent nearly three full chapters on the subject.  Romans 1:18-32 demonstrates the guilt of the pagans.  Romans 2:1-16 proves guilt of the moralist, who violates the very standard by which he judges others.  And Romans 2:17-3:8 establishes the guilt of the Jews, who had access to all the benefits of divine grace but as a whole rejected God’s righteousness nonetheless.

 Since Romans 1 Paul has argued eloquently, citing evidence from nature, history, sound reason, and conscience to prove the utter sinfulness of all humanity.  In addition, in verses 9-20 of chapter 3, he sums it all up.  Paul reasons like an attorney giving his final summation.  He reviews his arguments like a prosecutor who has made an ironclad case against all humanity.  It is a powerful and compelling presentation, replete with a charge, convincing proof, and the inescapable verdict.

The Charge

 
“What then?  Are we better than they?  Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin” (Rom. 3:9). 

Paul’s indictment thus begins with two questions: What then? or, “Is there any of further testimony?” In addition, are we better than they? or, “Can anyone honestly claim to live above the level of human nature I have been describing?”

 “Not at all,” he answers.  Everyone from the most degenerate, perverted sinner (Rom. 1:28-32) to the most rigidly legalistic Jew falls into the same category of total depravity.  In other words, the entire human race, without exception, is arraigned in the divine courtroom and charged with being “under sin“—wholly subjugated to the power of sin.  All unredeemed people, Paul is saying, are subservient to sin, in thrall to it, taken captive to sin’s authority.

Paul’s Jewish readers would have found this truth every bit as shocking and unbelievable as it must be to those weaned on modern self-esteem doctrine.  They believed they were acceptable to God by birth and that only Gentiles were sinners by nature.  Jews were, after all, God’s chosen people.  The idea that all Jews were sinners was contrary to the beliefs of the Pharisees.  They taught that only derelicts, beggars, and Gentiles born in sin (cf. John 9:34).  However, Scripture clearly pronounces otherwise.  Even David said, “I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me” (Ps. 51:5).  “The whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (I John 5:19).  Modern humanity, weaned on self-esteem psychology, also finds it shocking to learn that all of us are by nature sinful and unworthy creatures.

 The Proof

Paul, continuing his courtroom summation, goes on to prove from the Old Testament Scriptures the universality of human depravity:

As it is written,

“There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.  Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they keep deceiving, the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of peace have they not known” (Rom. 3:10-17).

 Notice how Paul underscores the universality of sin.  In those few verses, he says “none” or “not even one” six times.  No person escapes the accusation.  “The Scripture has shut up all men under sin” (Gal. 3:22).  Paul’s argument is constructed in three parts.  First he shows how sin corrupts the character: “There is none righteous … there is none who does good, there is not even one” (Rom. 3:10-12).  Here Paul makes six charges.  He says that because of their innate depravity, people are universally evil (“none righteous”); spiritually ignorant (“none who understands“), rebellious (“none who seeks for God“), wayward (“all have turned aside”), spiritually useless (“together they have become useless“), and morally corrupt (“there is none who does good“).

The verse Paul is quoting is Psalm 14:1: “The fool has said in his heart, there is no God.”  They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; there is no one who does good.”  The words at the end of Romans 3:12, “not even one,” are an editorial comment from Paul, added to make the truth inescapable for someone who might otherwise think of himself as an exception to the rule—as is the common attitude of self-Justifying sinners.

Notice, Paul does not suggest that some sinners might be prone to think worse of themselves than they ought to.  The very opposite is true: “I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think” (Rom. 12:3).  Undue pride is the typical and expected response of sinners.  Self-esteem teaching is the expression of that very pride.  Making a savage feel good about himself only increases his deadliness.

Again, the utter depravity Paul is describing certainly does not mean that all people play out the expression of their sin to the ultimate degree.  There are certainly some people who are good in a relative sense.  They may have characteristics of compassion, generosity, kindness, integrity, decency, thoughtfulness, and so on.  However, even those characteristics are imperfect and sullied with human sin and weakness.  No one—”not even one“—comes close to true righteousness.  God’s standard, after all, is absolute perfection: “You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48).  In other words, no one who falls short of the touchstone of perfection is acceptable to God!  What does that do to self-esteem theology?  How does one feel good about oneself when God Himself declares us worthy of wrath?

There is an answer to the dilemma, of course.  God justifies the ungodly by faith (Rom. 4:5).  Christ’s own perfect righteousness is imputed to our account, so by faith we can stand before God clothed in a perfect righteousness that is not our own (Phil. 3:9).  This does not speak of external works that we do.  It is a superior righteousness, the totality of Christ’s own righteousness, credited to our account.  Christ, on our behalf, has already fulfilled the requirement of being as perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.  His virtue is assigned to our account, so God regards us as fully righteous. 

However, we are jumping ahead of the apostle’s carefully arranged evidence.  He adds a paraphrase also from Psalm 14:

“The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God” (v. 2; cf. 53:3). 

 Ignorance and depravity go hand in hand.  But people are not sinful and enemies of God because of their spiritual ignorance; rather they are spiritually ignorant because of their sinfulness and their adversarial disposition toward God.  They are “darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart” (Eph. 4:18, underlined emphasis added).  In other words, because of their hatred of God and their love for their own sin, they reject the witness of God in creation and the testimony of their conscience (Rom. 1:19-20).  This hardens the heart and darkens the mind. 

The hard heart and darkened mind refuse to seek for God: “There is none who seeks for God.”  That again echoes Psalm 14:2.  God invites the seeker and promises that those who seek Him with all their hearts will find Him (Jer. 29:13).  Jesus also promised that everyone who seeks Him will find Him (Matt. 7:8).  However, the sinful heart is inclined away from God and does not seek Him.  Without God’s gracious, sovereign intervention, seeking, and drawing sinners to Himself first, no one would seek and be saved.  Jesus Himself said, “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him … (John 6:44).

Rather than seeking God, sinners inevitably go their own way.  Still using Psalm 14, Paul cites verse 3: “They have all turned aside“—or as Romans 3:12 has it, “All have turned aside.“  This is reminiscent of Isaiah 53:6: “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.”  Sinners are naturally wayward.  Inherent in human depravity is an inescapable drift away from truth and righteousness.  Sinners always lose their way:

“There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Prov. 14:12).

The taint of sin further renders the sinner “useless” (v. 12)—translating a Greek word used to describe spoiled milk or contaminated food to be thrown out.  Unredeemed people are unfit for any spiritual good, useless for righteousness, fit only to be thrown into the fire and burned (John 15:6).  Their great need is not self-esteem or positive thinking, but redemption from their prideful sin. 

In the next few verses Paul describes how sin defiles the conversation: “Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they keep deceiving, the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness” (3:13-14).  One’s true character inevitably becomes apparent in conversation.  Scripture is filled with affirmation of this truth:

 …  “The mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.  The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil” (Matt. 12:34-35).

 …  “The things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart…” (Matt. 15:18).

 …  “The mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom, but the perverted tongue will be cut out.  The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverted” (Prov. 10:31-32).

 …  “The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, but the mouth of fools spouts folly. …The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things” (Prov. 15:2,28).

 …  “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear.  For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken falsehood, your tongue mutters wickedness” (Isa. 59:2-3).

 …  “They bend their tongue like their bow; lies and not truth prevail in the land. …Every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.  And everyone deceives his neighbor, and does not speak the truth, they have taught their tongue to speak lies … (Jer. 9:3-5).

 Paul chooses more passages from the psalms to underscore the point:

 …  “Poison of a viper is under their lips” (Ps. 140:3).

 …  “There is nothing reliable in what they say; their inward part is destruction itself; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue” (Ps. 5:9).

 …  “His mouth is full of curses and deceit and oppression; under his tongue is mischief and wickedness” (Ps. 10:7).

Those verses, all written to condemn “the wicked,” Paul applies to everyone.  He is making the point that human depravity is universal.  All are wicked.  Everyone is guilty. No one can claim exemption from the charges Paul levels.

 Moreover, he is illustrating how thoroughly sin pervades and permeates every aspect of our humanity.  Note how completely sin contaminates the conversation: it defiles the “throat,” corrupts the “tongue,” poisons the “lips,” and pollutes the “mouth.”  Evil speech, an expression of the wickedness of the heart, thus defiles every organ it touches as it “proceeds out of the mouth,” defiling the whole person (Matt. 15:11).

Third, Paul quotes several verses to show how sin perverts the conduct: “Their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of peace have they not known” (Rom. 3:15-17).  Here Paul is quoting a passage from Isaiah.  This is significant, because in these verses Isaiah was excoriating Israel for their sins against Jehovah.  This was no denunciation of wicked pagans, but an indictment of religious people who believed in God: “Their feet run to evil, and they hasten to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; devastation and destruction are in their highways.  They do not know the way of peace, and there is no justice in their tracks; they have made their paths crooked, whoever treads on them does not know peace” (Isa. 59:7-8).

The phrase “their feet are swift to shed blood” describes sinful humanity’s penchant for murder.  Remember, Jesus taught that hatred is the moral equivalent of murder (Matt. 5:21-22).  The seed of hatred ripens and matures, and the fruit it bears is the shedding of blood.  Sinners are naturally attracted to hatred and its violent offspring.  People are “swift” in their advance toward such acts.  We see this very clearly in our own society.  An article in Newsweek, for example, recently reported that “a 12-year-old boy turn[ed] without a word and [shot] dead a 7-Year-old girl because she ‘dis’ed’ him by standing on his shadow.”¹²

In some of our larger cities as many as two hundred murders will occur during a typical week.  Drive-by shootings, drunken brawls, gang violence, family strife, and other crimes all contribute to the body count.  If lack of self-esteem is the problem of the human heart, why, we must ask, is the murder rate on the rise so dramatically in a society where self-esteem is also growing?  The answer is that low self-esteem is not the problem.  On the contrary, pride itself is the very problem that leads to all sin, including hate, hostility, and killing.  A love for bloodshed festers in the heart of sinful humanity.  Remove the moral restraints from society, and the inevitable result will be an escalation of murder and violence—no matter how good people feel about themselves.

“Destruction and misery” further characterize the tendencies of depraved humanity.  Again, no one familiar with the trends of modern society can deny the truth of Scripture on this point.  The lid is off, and we can see clearly the true nature of the human heart.  What else could explain our culture-where people are robbed, beaten, raped, or murdered for no reason other than sheer enjoyment?  Wanton destruction is so much a part of society that we have become inured to much of it.

“Gangsta rap”—music that glorifies murder, rape, and drug use—now accounts for many of the hottest-selling albums on the record charts.  The lyrics of most gangsta rap are indescribably vile.  They mix violence, sexual imagery, and unimaginable profanity in a way that is repulsive and purposely offensive.  Worse, they openly incite young people to join gangs, kill policemen, rape women, riot, and commit other acts of wanton destruction.  Gangsta rap is big business.  These recordings are not sold secretly out of the back of some hoodlum’s car, but marketed openly in retail stores everywhere—with slick ad campaigns designed by executives in companies like Capitol Records.  Moreover, the prime targets for such products are kids younger than eighteen.  A whole generation is being indoctrinated with these vices.  Destruction and misery are in their path.  And woe to those unfortunate enough to cross their path!  In recent months several nationally—known rap artists have been charged with violent crimes, including murder and gang rape.

Why is it that misery and despair are so characteristic of this modern age, even though humanity has made such remarkable advances in technology, psychology, and medicine?  It is because depravity is at the very heart of the human soul.  All these problems are so bound up in the human heart that no amount of learning and no measure of self-esteem will ever erase them.  As science advances, people only become more sophisticated in their use of evil means.  The destruction and misery wrought by human sin does not diminish; it accelerates.  The history of this century, filled with world wars, holocausts, serial killers, escalating crime, and bloody revolutions, is graphic proof of that.  Depravity is bound up in the human heart.

In other words, “the path of peace” is unknown to sinful humanity (Rom. 3:17).  Though we hear much talk these days of “peace, peace,” there is no peace (cf. Jer. 6:14).

Paul sums up the evidence for human depravity: “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Rom. 3:18).  There he returns to the psalms for a final quotation.  Psalm 36:1 says, “Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes.”  Human sinfulness is a defect of the human heart itself.  Evil commands the heart of man.  People’s hearts are naturally attuned to wickedness.  They have no native fear of God.

Fear of the Lord, of course, is the primary prerequisite to spiritual wisdom (Prov. 9:10).  Moses commanded Israel, “You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him, and swear by His name” (Deut. 6:13).  In fact, as Moses summed up the responsibilities of the Israelites, this is what he said: “And now, Israel, what does the LORD God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the LORD’S commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good” (Deut. 10:12-13, underlined emphasis added). We in the New Testament era are likewise commanded to “cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1).  We are to “honor all men; love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king” (1 Pet. 2:17, underlined emphasis added, cf. Rev. 14:7).

 “The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom” (Prov. 15:33).  “By the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil” (Prov. 16:6). 

“The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death” (Prov. 14:27).

 We do not hear much about fearing God these days.  Even many Christians seem to feel the language of fear is somehow too harsh or too negative.  How much easier it is to speak of God’s love and infinite mercy.  However, longsuffering, kindness, and such attributes are not the truths that are missing from most people’s concept of God.  The problem is that most people do not think of God as someone to be feared.  They do not realize that He hates the proud and punishes evildoers.  They presume on His grace.  They fear what people think more than they care what God thinks.  They seek their own pleasure, unmindful of God’s displeasure.  Their conscience is defiled and in danger of vanishing.  “There is no fear of God fore their eyes.”

The fear of God, by the way, is a concept diametrically opposed to the doctrine of self-esteem.  How can we encourage fear of the Lord in people and at the same time be obsessed with boosting their self-esteem?  Which is the more biblical pursuit?  The Scriptures speak for themselves.

 The Verdict       

Having presented a convincing case for total depravity, Paul makes the verdict clear: “Now we know that what things so ever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Rom. 3:19, KJV, underlined emphasis added).

 Here Paul blasted the assumption of the Jews who believed that merely having the law of God somehow made the Jews morally superior to pagan Gentiles.  The law carried its own condemnation against those who did not keep it perfectly: “Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them” (Deut. 27:26; cf. Gal. 3:10).  “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all” (James 2:10).  Merely having the law did not make the Jews any better than the rest of humanity.

 The Gentiles, on the other hand, were accountable to the law written on their own consciences (Rom. 2:11-15).  Both groups are proven in violation of the law they possess.  The prosecution rests.  There can be no defense.  Every mouth must be stopped.  The case is closed.  Unredeemed humanity is guilty of all charges.  There are no grounds for acquittal.  The whole world stands guilty before God.

 Self-esteem is no solution to human depravity.  It aggravates it!  The problems of our culture—especially the anguish that wracks individual human hearts—will not be solved by the deception of getting people to think better of themselves.  People really are sinful to the core.  The guilt and shame we all feel as sinners is legitimate, natural, and even appropriate.  It has the beneficial purpose of letting us know the depth of our own sinfulness.  We dare not whisk it aside for the faulty teachings of humanistic self-esteem.  I recently read an unusually clear—sighted article dealing with the myth of human goodness from a non-Christian perspective. 

The following author, a Jewish social critic, writes,

 To believe that people are basically good after Auschwitz, the Gulag and the other horrors of our century, is a statement of irrational faith, as irrational as any [fanatical] religious belief.  Whenever I meet people-especially Jews, Victims of the most concentrated evil in history—who persist is believing in the essential goodness of people, I know that I have met people for whom evidence is irrelevant.  How many evils would human beings have to commit in order to shake a Jew’s faith in humanity?  How many more people that are innocent have to be murdered and tortured?  How many more women need to be raped?¹³

 This article lists five consequences of the people—are—basically—good myth.  Notice how they all contribute to the destruction of the conscience:

The first such consequence is, quite logically, the attribution of all evil to causes outside of people.  Since people are basically good, some external force must cause the bad that they do.  Depending on who is doing the blaming, that outside force could be the social environment, economic circumstances, parents, schools, television Violence, handguns, racism, the devil, government cutbacks, or even corrupt politicians (as expressed by this frequently heard foolishness: “How can we expect our children to be honest when the government isn’t?”).  People are therefore not responsible for the evil they commit.  It’s not my fault that I mug old women, or that I cheat much of the time—something (chosen from the previous list) made me do it.

A second terrible consequence is the denial of evil.  If good is natural, then bad must be unnatural, or “sick.”  Moral categories have been replaced by psychological ones.  There is no longer good and evil, only “normal” and “sick.”

Third, neither parents nor schools take the need to teach children goodness seriously—why teach what comes naturally?  Only those who recognize that people are not basically good recognize the need to teach goodness.

Fourth, since much of society believes that evil comes from outside of people, it has ceased trying to change people’s values and concentrates instead on changing outside forces.  People commit crimes?  It is not values and character development that we need to be concerned with; we need to change the socioeconomic environment that “produces” rapists and murderers.  Irresponsible men impregnate irresponsible women?  It is not better values they need, but better sex education and better access to condoms and abortions.

Fifth, and most destructive of all, those who believe that people are basically good conclude that people do not need to feel accountable of their behavior to God and to a religion, only to themselves.¹⁴

The author, oddly enough, denies human depravity as well as human goodness.  He believes people are neither good nor bad but choose their way in life.  (At the outset of his article, however, he quotes Genesis 8:21: “The intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth.”)

 Despite this inconsistency in the author’s position, the article shows clearly the dangers of the myth of human goodness.

 The Church must safeguard sound doctrine by recovering the doctrine of human depravity.  As J.C. Ryle wrote nearly a century ago,

A scriptural view of sin is one of the best antidotes to that vague, dim, misty, hazy kind of theology, which is so painfully current in the present age.  It is vain to shut our eyes to the fact that there is a vast quantity of so-called Christianity nowadays which you cannot declare positively unsound, but which, nevertheless, is not full measure, good weight and sixteen ounces to the pound.  It is a Christianity in which there is undeniably “something about Christ and something about grace and something about faith and something about repentance and something about holiness,” but it is not the real “thing as it is” in the Bible.  Things are out of place and out of proportion.  As old Latimer would have said, it is a kind of “mingle-mangle,” and does no good.  It neither exercises influence on daily conduct, nor comforts in life, nor gives peace in death; and those who hold it often wake too late to find that they have got nothing solid under their feet.  Now I believe that the likeliest way to cure and mend this defective kind of religion is to bring forward more prominently the old scriptural truth about the sinfulness of sin.¹⁵

 You may be asking, on the other hand, does God want us to wallow in shame and self-condemnation permanently?  Not at all.  God offers freedom from sin and shame through faith in Jesus Christ.  If we are willing to acknowledge our sinfulness and seek His grace, He will wonderfully deliver us from our sin and all its effects.  “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death” (Rom. 8:1-2).  Christ’s liberation from sin is the only basis on which we can really feel good about ourselves.¹⁶

 Conclusion

Many say, even in the church, that a lack of self-love is at the root of the problem, but according to Paul, we already love ourselves “For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; … ”¹⁷  Self-esteem is the same as self-worth, it is not based on self-love, but self- acceptance; which is established upon being right with God according to what Christ has done on the cross and according to what God’s Word says.

 Endnotes

  1. Adapted and abridged from The Vanishing Conscience, Word Publishing, Dallas, 1994.

  2. Jeny Adler et al., “Hey I’m Terrific,” Newsweek, 17 February 1992: 50.

  3. Charles Krauthammer, Education: Doing Bad and Feeling Good, Time, 5 February 1990: 70.

  4. Cheryl Russell, Predictions for the Baby Boom, The Boomer Report 15, September 1993: 4.

  5. Adler, et al., “Terrific,” 50.

  6. Adler, et al., “Terrific,” 50.

  7. Norman Vincent Peale, The Power of Positive Thinking,Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1952.

  8. Ibid., viii.

  9. Ibid., ix.

10. Adler et al., “Terrific,” 50.

11. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Plight of Man and the Power of God, Grand Rapids, 1945: 87.

12. George F. Will, “A Trickle-Down Culture,” Newsweek 13 December 1993:84.

13. Dennis Prager, The Belief that People Are Basically Good, Ultimate Issues, January-March 

      1990: 15.

14. Prager, People Are Basically Good, 15.

15. J. C. Ryle, Holiness (1879; reprint, Durham, England: Evangelical Press, 1991), 10.

16. Introduction To Biblical Counseling, John F. Macarthur, Jr., Wayne A. Mack and the Masters 

      College Faculty.  1994, W Publishing Group. 

17. Ephesians 5:29, also see Romans 13:9 which takes for granted that man loves himself, it

      does not rationalize it.

 

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This was taken from an essay by:

Biblical Counseling is an ongoing topical series that deals with the problems of life.  It comes from a purely God centered, thus Biblical perspective; as compared with a man centered psychological one.  The field of psychology has always begun with certain presuppositions; rather stated, hided, or even known by some of its current practitioners.  There are many types of psychology; consequently, there are many different groupings of these presuppositions.  A random listing might consist of: Determinism, Experimentalism, Reductionism, Naturalism, and Relativism.  Others might also add Materialism, Evolution, Empiricism, Humanism, and even Occultism.  Biblical Counseling is based on two presuppositions.  First, Jesus Christ is the Son of God; He is Savior, Redeemer, Lord, and Divine.  He is the central focus of all creation, the Bible, a believer’s life, and the Will of the Father.  Secondly, the Bible is God’s communication, and more importantly, His words to men.  It is inspired, inerrant, and most notably for the believer, it is sufficient to address man’s needs.  Therefore, psychological endeavors which are humanistic in nature are not sufficient to meet the needs of man, only God’s Holy Word is.  Our main focus is always on Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  Biblical Counseling is an outreach ministry of Faith Bible Ministries, a division of Faith Video Minsitries Inc.  You may contact us at our e-mail address: blb@faithbibleministries.com           

The Titles of God

Introduction

In the Bible, God’s wisdom is manifested in that He not only used language to communicate with man; He repeatedly utilized teaching tools such as: object lessons, types, shadows, parables, similes, metaphors, allegories, oxymorons, and other types of figures of speech (there are 217 “Figure of Speech” in the Greek language – see E. W. Bullinger’s famous book so named).

Object lessons are teaching aids that reinforce lessons and insights God is teaching by utilizing such techniques as using the drama of people’s lives, events, situations, relationships, names, place names, titles, and other real life understandings.  This type of teaching tool creates depth and can make the lesson easier to understand and remember than conventional teaching tools.  When God created physical existence, He ordered creation in such a way that it resembles (types, shadows, allusions) things in the spiritual (heavenly) realm (diminution).¹  

God habitually uses object lessons by orchestrating men’s lives to play out and illustrate His message; hence, they are living lessons. 

Living object lessons go beyond words, beyond language, beyond perception, beyond culture, beyond time, beyond the limitations of audio-visual experience; to impact people in a deeply spiritual manner. Examples of this can be seen in the life of Joseph were there are over 100 examples of Joseph being the type of the Redeemer (in redeeming Israel out of Egypt, a type of the world, and Pharaoh as a type of the antichrist), a foreshadowing of what was yet to come in the person of Jesus Christ.  This can also be seen in the sacrifice of Isaac, and as the Kinsman Redeemer and Boaz in the book of Ruth.

Jesus often used stories to emphasize His point, as well as creating a tool of remembrance.

However, many of His stories are mislabeled as parables.  We understand from a Matthew 13:34-35; that parables were used to hide truth from the unbeliever, and Jesus used them in fulfilling Isaiah 6:9-10, according to His own words.

In the Old Testament a concept God used to communicate Himself and His relationship to Israel was the titles that He used for Himself.  These titles reflect insights into God’s personage and character and are extremely insightful to the believer.

Yet it should be understood that the following titles are simply that, titles, simply meant to be points of identification in understanding as compared to names which are personal and intimate recognition’s of existence.

In Exodus 3:15, God² announces his name, YHWH, which is a word of only 4 letters, all consonants with no vowel in order to facilitate pronunciation. In the English transliteration of the Hebrew in order to facilitate pronunciation many times it is spelt Yahweh, however this is just a guess, as we do not know what or if there were any vowels originally presented in the name.

It is believed that the vowels were taken out by the translators in order to preserve the Majesty of God’s name; to righteous for man to pronounce. And that the true name of God has been hidden away, in such a way to display respect so that God’s personal name was never stated arbitrarily. It is further believed that God’s personal name was pronounced only once a year by the High Priest on Yom Kippur when the Temple was standing in Jerusalem. This 4 letter name is referred to as the Tetragrammaton, which in the Greek means: “a word having four letters.”  This name occurs over 6800 times in the Old Testament.

However, in order to present Himself in the form of a living object lesson, God uses different titles to display diverse aspect of His character and Being.  It is these titles that should teach us something about who God wants us to relate to concerning Himself, they are:

 

 †  Jehovah (LORD) Shamma (Is Here and Ever-present) ~ Hebrews 13:15

 

†  Jehovah (LORD) Rophe (My Healer) ~ Exodus 15:36        

 

†  Jehovah (LORD) M’ Kaddesh (My Holiness) ~ Hebrews 12:14

 

†  Jehovah (LORD) Rohi (My Shepard) ~ Psalms 23:1

 

†  Jehovah (LORD) Jireh (My Provider) ~ Genesis 22:14

 

†  Jehovah (LORD) Nissi (My Banner) ~ Exodus 17:35

 

†  Jehovah (LORD) Tsidkenee (My Righteousness) ~ Jeremiah 23:6

 

†  Jehovah (LORD) Shalom (My Peace) ~ Judges6:24

 Endnotes
1. General examples are: fathers and sons as an insight into the relationship of God the Father and Jesus.  Kings, servants, and slaves are representatives of God, believers, and fallen man’s natural state.  Sin and the entropy laws.  Reciprocity and sowing and reaping.  Specific Examples: Christ and the church’s relationship as typified by husbands and wives, and the human body as well.  In addition, we see in the book of Ruth, the relationship between Boaz and Ruth; Christ as the Kinsman-Redeemer, Boaz and the church as the redeemed, Ruth.  There are many other examples ranging from the feasts of Israel to the dreams of Daniel to the symbols of gold, silver, brass, blood, wine, water, fire, thorns, and much more.
2. God is a descriptor of deity, not a name; the same as man is a descriptor of humanity and not a name like, John.  

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Daily Picking up Your Cross

Introduction
In the last 37 years of being a Christian, I have heard many descriptions of what being a Christian is - sometimes from personal opinions, sometimes from Biblical references. What I want to briefly speak about is not what a Christian is, but what a Christian does.

Key Text

Luke 9:23:

“And He said to them all, If any man wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

Notice what it does not say, it does not say to pick up Jesus’ cross — No one could do that. It says to pick up our own cross.

What cross was Jesus speaking about?

A cross is an instrument of death; it is only used to kill.

Acorss is a devise to kill the flesh; it is something that we can use to put to death our self-centered, self-dependant, and self-ruling life.

The Grammar

“let him deny himself, and [ho] take up his cross daily…“

In Koiné Greek, when two nouns are connected with the conjunctive, “and” (Greek: kia), and one having the definite article, “the,”  (Greek: ho [G3588]) which of the following case is translated: “some,” (in most cases the definite article is translated “the,” “this,” “that,” “his,” but also: “some,” “one,” “he,” “she” “it”) and the other does not have the definite article; then both nouns are the same in essence, and are equal, synonymous.  And if these conditions are not met exactly, then the two subjects are not the same in essence, and are not synonymous (an example is found in Eph_4:11; and Luk_9:23; and not in: Rom_8:17, Act_6:8, ). Another example is found in Luke 19:23 which states: “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and  (Greek: ho [G3588]) take up his cross daily, and follow me.”  What is found in the original TR Greek [non-interlinear, transliterated], but absent in the English is the definite article (Greek: ho [G3588]) just prior to “take up his cross daily,” meaning that “let him deny himself,” and “take up his cross daily” refer to the same action.  Therefore, to take up your cross daily is to deny yourself, as they are synonyms of the same action.  An example can be seen in: Ephesians 4:11 ~ “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some  (Greek: ho [G3588]), pastors and teachers.“  Therefore, some pastors and teachers referred to here is speaking about the same person who is responsible for both functions. This grammatical principle is called the “Granville Sharpe Rule of Greek Grammar.”  

This verse indicates that picking up our cross is done by denying ourselves (see Endnote 1). 

Your cross will aid in helping you “to die to self“
However, this is a description of what is done – what is the conclusion of the effort. It is not a description on how it is to be done; so in a pragmatic approach, our first question is “what is our cross?”

As we previously addressed in the essay “the leaven of the Pharisee,” that foundational sin of Lucifer was that of pride, and therefore every sin has its root in pride.  As we discussed, you cannot sin without pride being the foundation that the sin was motivated by.  And pride is not simply wanting to look good, it actually has to do with the focus of attention.

This explains why pride can be seen in both self grandiosity, “seeing me, how great I am,” as well as self loathing, “see me, how sick I am;” the point of both of these types of behavior is the focus of attention, which must be on self.  Pride, seeking to have the attention I feel I deserve is the most prominent spiritual sin committed within the clergy, which again explains why Christ referred to it as the “doctrine of the Pharisee“ (Matt. 16:12).  He also spoke about following their instructions when they spoke out of the Torah, yet not following their behaviors which were examples of pride, being puffed up with self, which Jesus referred to as their “doctrine.” 

So if self-centeredness, which is self-obsession, is at the root of every sin, then it is pride that must be killed by “daily picking up our cross.” 

When it comes to fighting against self, against pride; what tools are there – I only know of one way to kill my pride, to pick up my cross daily and die to self – it is by first exercising humility. 

This is a characteristic of Jesus Christ.  And it is Christ who we are to emulate, it is Christ we are to follow, and it is Christ we are to serve.  Christ example of humility may be best seen in Philippians 2:5-8, which states:  

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

I believe that this is the instrument of death that we are to utilize daily, that this is the cross that we are to bear in dying to self, humility. 

It has been wisely said: “pride cannot grow where humility has already been planted.”

And in case we need any reassurance about how God feels about pride, what is it that James 4:6 states:

“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

Christ, who is our example, as well as our Lord; did not come on a King’s steed; He came on a lonely colt, and as Matthew 20:28 states:

“just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

When Jesus spoke about leadership within the church, of how his followers were to treat their followers, what did he say as recorded in Luke 22:25-27:

“And He said to them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called benefactors. But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.”

Another passage which directs where we should put our focus, as opposed to on self; is Philippians 2:4, which states:

“Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

This is not stating that we are not to take care of our own interest, but that we are also to care about that which is a priority to others.  It is about asking people about their lives not just talking about our own.  It is about seeking to help others, not only to get them to help us.  It is the working out of humility on a daily basis.

Understanding that Jesus is our only true example, as He is divine and righteous, our Savior, but most importantly our God; yet when I look to men, I always consider Paul.

Paul was a very human man, he displayed his sin, as seen openly within his many letters – he was not pretentious, he did not try to hide his humanity.  He was a man that could act out in pride or arrogance, yet would admit those sins just as freely.  You see humility does not mean that a person does not have pride in their life.  Humility is what they do to fight the pride in their life.  It’s when pride goes unchecked, without restraint that sin runs rampant. 

It is when we humble ourselves that we stand any chance of holding pride in check.  It’s by taking ownership of our sins and wrongs that pride is resisted by humility.  It is not falling down in pride, as much it is how many times we get up in humility. 

And if we choose not to humble ourselves, if we are God’s child, He is then forced to humiliate us.  And it is far easier when we humble ourselves and grow in character, then when God humiliates us in front of all, and we stumble yet one more time.  However, even then if we take ownership of our sin, confessing our faults, He is faithful and just to forgive us.

Concerning Paul, one of his repetitive introductions and epitaphs was his reference to himself as a ”bond salve” of Jesus Christ.  Unfortunately, our English translations of the Bible many times translate this term into “servant,” however; the Greek word utilized by Paul has much more meaning than our simple English term.  It is the Greek word: Dulos and meant “A bond salve by choice,” indebted for life to serve humbly.  It is understanding the history of this word that we gain a much clearer view of the humility which Paul exhibited.

Bond Salve
I find it really ironic when ever black liberation theology proponents, and those that refer to themselves as Christian liberals desecrate the Bible based upon what they suggest is God’s sanction of slavery, that they displays who their father really is.  It only takes a simple reading of their doctrine in understanding that these are Christian cults, which have nothing to do with the true gospel of Jesus Christ.  Yet, it is their suggestion that Christianity has been shanghaied by white Caucasians who have attempted to use the Bible in an effort to conquer the known world under the guise of capitalism, which is so sad.  Let me now set the story straight concerning this erroneous teaching.

To equate what the Bible refers to as being a “bond slave,” or selling oneself into slavery; with projections concerning 18th-century American slavery which was part of the basis for the American Civil War is completely false.  In the Old Testament slavery was an option allowed for an individual that had become destitute or due to calamity lost his entire livelihood and possessions in order to save his life and or his families. 

The idea was this.  If a man lost everything and had no grain to feed his animals, he could sell himself to another man to become his servant, which we commonly referred to as employment, but the Bible refers as becoming a servant.  Many of these individuals were referred to as “field hands,” and slept in their own homes at night and worked for their master’s during the day.  There were other situations where individuals would become totally destitute and have no food for their family whatsoever.  In these cases they could indeed sell themselves as a slave for a set period of time in order to feed their family, while paying off that debt that they had incurred. 

Whereas without the Biblical guidelines they could be forced into a form of slavery which the nations around Israel participated in which was barbaric.  It was not that God was rationalizing slavery; it was that God was allowing this form of servitude so that someone was not sold into slavery such as Joseph was concerning the Egyptians.  According to God’s law, a man would work 7 years to pay off his debt no matter what size the debt was.  There was also a celebration called Jubilee which was held the year after the 49th year (7 times 7), and redemption was again given within Israel. 

The point was, if you owed a non-Hebrew individual money and you didn’t pay they would come and take you and your family; and you would spend the rest of your life as slaves, where the treatment was normally horrible. 

But under God’s law you could go to a family member, especially a “kinsman-redeemer,” and seek to have him pay off your debt, and you could go work as a servant for him under conditions which were much better working conditions, again somewhat synonymous with today’s type of employment.  Now to the definition of a “bond slave.”

A bond slave was an individual who had worked off their debt, and had obtained their freedom.  Yet, during the course of their servitude they had married another servant and had offspring.  According to the Torah, the father could sell himself gladly back to the family to purchase and redeem his other family members.  This was an honored position, and treated much differently than normal servants or salves; because it was servitude by choice – we get the concept of a trustee from this situation. 

There was a ceremonial act that would take place where the husband who is purchasing his family would stand at the front door of the house, leaning his ear against the doorframe, and have his ear nailed to the door with awl, placing a part of their skin within the door frame, a symbol of the strength of the house.  

Then the nail would be pulled out, and he would wear an earring in the hole in his ear as a symbol that he was a bond salve, which was a sign of superiority indicating he had become one with the home for life.  Therefore, he was admired and respected by the other slaves for having sacrificially placed his family before himself.  And because this was a lifelong commitment, and was only done by individuals with integrity; bond slaves were always supervisors in the household, not doing hard labor, but taking care of and managing the master’s estate in good stead.  This is what Paul meant when he meant he was a bond slave of Jesus Christ. 

This is also what Jesus did when He was bonded to the cross for all of humanity. 

This is why God set up the scenario in the first place to be an object lesson that we would recognize the Messiah.  In fact all of the 7 feasts, all the requirements, directions, and ceremonies of the Old Testament were meant to be object lessons that would point to Jesus Christ. 

This is why Jesus said in John 5:39:

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

Because everything in the Scripture is to point to Jesus Christ.  This is how Abraham knew the gospel.  This is the reason why typology is so important in God’s Word, not that it is mysterious and interesting; but because every typology points to either a role, function, description, or aspect of Jesus Christ as the Messiah of Israel, the deliverer world.

Final Conclusion

So now when you read Luke 9:23, which states:

“And He said to them all, If any man wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

You should understand what this means:

1. it starts with the question, “If“
2. and it is addressed to “any man” that
3. desires to “come after,” Christ; not before
4. “let“ (is passive in the English grammar- but) , but is a command in the Greek grammar (“he must”)
5. “deny himself” by putting God first, and then others second
6. “and take up his cross daily“ wherein he is  dying to self  by humbling himself as Jesus did
7. “and follow” Christ by following His Word 

This is our daily charge as believers and followers of Jesus Christ. 

It is what a Christian does

Endnote
1. In this term “to deny ourselves,” we can also see the idea of putting others before ourselves; primarily God: then others.  This is further seen when Jesus was asked which was the great Commandment, what was His response, as found in Matthew 22:37-39, which states:

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

A common understanding of the principle of “denying oneself” was seen in the teaching of putting God first then others second, which was a literal display of ”dying to self” during the 17th and 18th century in America; a teaching that is rarely heard these days. Currently, the messages from many pulpits have to do about becoming better spouses, more loving parents, better citizens, and more righteous Christians.  However, many times these themes merely use God’s word is a prop to legitimize the stories or sermons presented.  The constant theme seems to be “self,” as opposed to God.  In messages concerning “denying ourselves,” “dying to self” and “crucifying the flesh;” are not heard as a were once preached so famously.   

It would not be popular in many of the seeker friendly churches of today where the focus of attention is on self; where much teaching time is spent on how to make a self better, and how that self could live better; yet in reality the Bible talks about how self is to die.

SIDENOTE: This sense of the elevating self is seen even in the format of services that we attend today, and how they’ve changed over the last few hundred years.  If we examined the physical makeup of the church in the way that a service was conducted two hundred years ago we would be amazed at its simplicity, even thinking it was dull.  The preacher did not stand on a stage in front of the congregation.  In larger, more affluent churches, he might stand within a device that was off to the side of the congregation, a lectern; but noticeably not meant to be the center of attention.  On the front wall in front of the congregation was simply a wooden cross, or two tables of the 10 Commandments. 

In smaller churches, the orchestration of the seating may be more oval, with a small pulpit either center or to one wall.  And whereas many of the congregation would directly face the pastor, who even on occasions would stand on a box to be seen; still the idea was the focus on God and His Word, as opposed to another form of entertainment.  In fact the whole idea of having an elevated stage was never utilized in the church originally.  It was the great sawdust revivals of the 1st part of the 17th century where individuals took the idea of a lifted up stage from vaudeville, an arena of entertainment, where performers were lifted up as the center of attention in front of the audience, that this idea of stages came to be utilized in American churches. 

For churches that had musical instruments, they were always either at the back of the church in the case of small congregations, or up in the balcony back behind the congregation, never to be seen; only to be heard.  And any instrumentalist or singers were never to be seen out in front of the congregation to be the focus of attention, but out of sight in a display of humility.  

The closest that we see of this in history was the Greeks, where they would lift up the audience up around the stage such as Coliseums, again another point of entertainment.  In the case of the Jews, in the Sanhedrin the better seats were those that were lifted up (Mark 12:39a. This was not the same when they were eating, it was a completely different layout) that looked down upon the speaking floor. In fact within the Jewish culture when ever a dignitary or a king was speaking or holding court he would be seated which would display his authority (John 19:13), while everyone else was standing (Matthew 13:2), the closest example we have would be in a Kings court during mid-evil times. 

Within a Temple or Jewish synagogue, the exception was when ever an individual was reading from God’s Word (Luke 4:20), he would stand up displaying his humility and respect for God’s Word, wherein the respect was not to be given to him in the seated position.  This is why when Jesus had completed his assignment on earth he was seated within God’s throne (Mark 16:19).

One of the few exceptions to this is seen in Acts 7:36; where Stephen is giving his history story of the Old Testament and declaration of Jesus Christ, and the Council were getting ready to stone him, by laying hands upon him and taking him outside the city proper and killing him.  Stephen stated, while being full of the Holy Ghost; that he looked steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus Christ standing at the right hand of God – the reason why Jesus was standing, is that when ever a King wished to display acceptance and respect for one of his ambassadors as they entered his throne room, the greatest act of respect that the King could do would be to stand up while his servant entered the room. 

This is what Jesus was doing when he stood up signaling that he was ready to receive Stephen, as Stephen was the 1st individual to die for the kingdom of Jesus Christ.  How amazing it is that when we look at the format of our church services, that the intention is always placed on man in front of the congregation, upon singers in front of an audience of spectators; as opposed to having Christ as a center of attention, in front of God.

 

Something Different ~ Aphorisms – Update

Aphorisms are sayings or adages of a truth or opinion. They originated from various sources including the Bible, periods of history, and everyday life.

UPDATE: Please see the conclusion at the end of this essay of why reading it serves any purpose.

The following aphorisms had their origin in the 1500s.

Don’t Throw the Baby out with the Bathwater

People took their yearly baths in May in a bathtub that was filled with hot water. The man of the house bathed in the clean water. The sons took baths next, then the women, children, and last of all, the babies. By that time the baby was washed, the water was so dirty you could actually lose them in it.

The idea behind this expression was that when a suggestion was made, or a subject was been decided upon, that simply because one part was not working, that it did not mean that other parts within it were worth discounting as well.

It’s Raining Cats and Dogs

During this time, houses had thatched roofs. They were made of thick straw piled high with no would underneath. Many times there would be two stories with patios on the second floor as a place to retreat during the hot summer days. Also, the patios were used many times by household pets as sleeping quarters. It was not uncommon during hard rains to see through the house window, a dog or a cat falling, as they would venture onto the straw of the thatched roof, which became very slippery they would slide off and fall to the ground.

The idea behind this expression was that the rain fall was very hard.

Dirt Poor

During this time only rich homeowners could afford wooden or slate floors, with the poorer residents having only dirt as their floor.

The idea behind this expression was that the individual was very poor.

Threshold

In the winter, slate floors of wealthy homeowners would get slippery when they got wet. So, they started to spread thatch on the floor to keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they would keep adding it until; when the door was opened it would start falling outside. Then, they put a piece of wood on the entry that was called a threshold.

The idea behind this expression was that the area underneath the front doorway was given the name threshold.

Peas Porridge Hot, Peas Porridge Cold, Peas Porridge in the Pot Nine Days Old

In many homes, there was a big kettle that hung over the fire, and every day, the fire was lit, and food (mostly vegetables, and occasionally meet) was added to the pot. People would eat the stew for dinner and then leave the leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight, and then start all over again the next day. Sometimes, the pot would have food in it that had been in there for a month.

Bring Home the Bacon

Poverty, having been prominent, many families could only afford leftover pieces of a pig, and the ham roast or bacon was very costly, therefore a man that made enough money to be able to bring bacon home displayed that he made a good income.

The idea behind this expression was that being able to afford bacon was a sign of wealth.

Chew the Fat

While entertaining guests, it was common to cut off bits of pork to share with the guest in chew on during conversation.

The idea behind this expression was that of sharing conversation with a guest.

Trench Mouth

If people had money, there plates were made of pewter. However, most people didn’t have pewter plates, but had trenchers. These were pieces of wood with the middle scooped out like bowls. The wooden pieces weren’t worst very often, and subsequently would get worms in the wood. After eating off the trenchers with worms, people would get trench mouth.

Upper Crust

In a large household with servants, the bread was divided according to status in the home. The workers would get the burnt bottom of the low, the family would get the middle, and guest would get the top or the upper crust as a sign of generosity. In rich families, the family members only ate the upper crust, as it was the most desired cut of the bread.

The idea behind this expression was that the affluent and persons of privilege deserved the upper crust and were so named after.

Wake, Graveyard Shift, Saved by the Bell, and Dead Ringer

People drank out of lead cups, and when they drink ale or whiskey, the combination would sometimes produce an intoxicant that would render them unconscious, creating shallow breathing, and a light heartbeat. A Midwest town relocated a cemetery, and in the process a casket broke open with the inhabitant displaying a look of absolute terror on his face, with her hands outstretched, and the inside of the lid of the coffin with scratch marks. The townspeople, fearful of ever been buried alive, developed a routine to safeguard them against this possibility.

First the dead body of a family member would be placed on the kitchen table for a couple of days, family members gathered around and ate and waited to see if the person would wake up. That’s where the custom of the “Wake” came from. Also, a hole was cut in the coffin with a string placed around the wrist of the deceased, and run up through the ground and connected to a bell on a pivot, so that if an individual woke up in a coffin, they could ring the bell and alert people that they were alive. This is where we got the term “Saved by the Bell” and if a person looked just like the deceased, they were called a “Dead Ringer,” indicating that they actually were the person who had been thought to be deceased, and had apparently woken up and rung the bell to save their life. One other precaution taken by the townspeople was to place someone in the graveyard to stay awake all night and listen for any bell bells ringing. The individual hired for this would be said to work the “Graveyard Shift.”

Sleep Tight

In the past, nice beds were made of a wooden frame with leather strands running back and forth in order to cradle the sleeper while still having the ability to afford movement. However, after time leather strands were apt to pull apart allowing for the individual to fall through the floor below.

The thought behind this expression was that of wishing someone a good night’s sleep without interruption.

Conclusion Added 
The question has been posed, besides that of entertainment; what’s the reason for engaging in reading post which have to do with old expressions such as these are?

The answer is that as rational creatures created by our God to function in a logical manner wherein communication is much more than simple primal communication concerning survival (such as when animals communicate danger, or location for mating, or other such raw forms of basic information sharing for the survival of the specie); where communication transcends thought and contemplation, where ideas and aspirations concerning the future, as well as the past; it is important to understand that words are important, that they have meaning; and even when men make up words, it is important, reflecting rationality and meaning.  That even Aphorisms written over 500 years ago still affect us todayand how we communicate with each other.  Words are life-and-death; no matter how much the evil on tries todevalue their meaning. 

This is one of the most successful schemes of the devil in dumbing down our society and cultureby disenfranchising words from meanings.  If he can dumb downthe culture at large, or the societyas a whole; it will eventually affect the church.  And when words have no meaning, the words written in ” God’s word,” have no meaningas well; or a leastthose words have lost some of theirpower. 

God chose to communicate to man through words (whereas in some religions, the deity primarily uses numbers), words recorded in an instrument which I refer to as the “Word of God,” whereas many refer to as “The Bible;” words are more important than life or death.

(SIDENOTE: The reason I refer to holy Scripture as “The Word of God,” more often than “The Bible,” is because there is no ambguity in this term, no vagueness.  It is in your face, either arrogant if not true; or humbling if it is.  On the other hand the term “the Bible,” has become so neutered and impotent in our current vernacular, wherein many times it does not SEEM to hold the force and power of the expression, “The Word of God.”  It is not that the term “The Bible” has changed, it’s not.  Let me ask you this, how times how you’ve heard it referred to as: “The Holy Bible,” giving greater attentions to its sacred nature as a book that is consecrated unto God, by God – much more rare is it to hear these days – isn’t it.  There are many churches across America, especially within orthodoxy; where the Bible has become a man made book of suggestions; as opposed to what it is: the living breathing – alive “Word of God.”  I use that term to make man’s ears cringe every time they hear it, because of the force it demands, the choice that it demands of the hearer – is it truly God’s Word – to you?  It’s like using the name of “Jesus” in public.  How much easier is it to use the term “God,” which is the generic title which holds no specific meaning to the individual hearer, because it is a subjective term that can referred to many different false religion’s deity.  Yet, when you say that personal name: “JESUS,” every time, I still cringe after almost 40 years of being a believer.  Even now when I say that word, as it rolls off my tone; tears flow – because of Who He is, and what He means to me.  How the church has sold its birthright as children of God because of political correctness, or; as I believe it to be most of the time outright fear – fear of rejection of men.  As for me, I serve and worship “JESUS the CHRIST,” the Son of the Living God; and my life is ordered by His Communication to me – “The Word of God.”)  

(SIDENOTE: What is the difference between these two expressions, “The Bible,” and “The Word of God”?  The term “Bible” comes from the Latin [biblia] and means: “book,” and became used for the Holy Scripture in the form of: ”The Book” [ta biblia], and is a term which displays the preeminence of this book in that it uses the definite article “the,” indicating that it is a reference to a particular book, as diverse from all others.  And when referred to as: “The Holy Bible,” with the word “Holy” [Latin: sacra meaning "sacred" or "consecrated; the Greek word for "holy" is: hagios which simply means "separated unto," in reference to God - meaning something or some person separated unto God's purpose and possession; rather than the more more traditional understanding of separated from sin.  While thed "Holy" does not denotatively mean to separate from sin, though it would be implied, this is a secondary meaning in that it is separated from sin only because it has already been separated unto God - it is a positive reference - "unto," much more than it is a negative reference, "from"], added; this term has become a standard phrase of recognition for this book for a few centuries.  The phrase the “Word of God” has been utilized since its very inception, and is what it refers to in reference to God’s Verbal Word [1 Sam. 9:27; Kings 12:22], as well as His Written Word [1 Thess. 2:13; 1 Cor. 14:37]; as seen in both Testaments; and is even a termed used of Jesus [Rev. 19:13], Who is the living “Word of God.”)  

Therefore, since the Word of God is written using words; we should never forget the power that words hold.  The expression, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words shall never harm me,” is overused, and misused far too often. 

It is meant to convey the idea that if someone uses words against you, it is much different than using physical force, and within the arena wherein it was originally termed, that of dealing with children; this makes a lot of sense.  If little Johnny says words that hurt Little Bobby, Little Bobby doesn’t have the right to physically attack little Johnny.  However, in our grown-up world far too often this type of thinking creates more problems than it addresses.  

Words are perhaps the most deadliest tools we have to work with as intelligent, rational beings.  Consider the following scenarios: the word “guilty,” uttered by a judge to a defendant; the words “I love you,” spoken by a child to their parent; the words “I want a divorce,” spoken by one mate to another; the words ” you have terminal cancer,” spoken by a doctor to his patient; the words “go to hell,” spoken by God to one of His creatures.

You see, it’s not that words don’t have power, they do; the problem is when ever words are meant to be coupled with actions, and the actions are withheld, that the words become impotent; and without power concerning what they proclaim.  It’s when there is an incongruence – an inconsistency between the words spoken and reality, that words can no longer be trusted.  however, this is not the fault of the words, it is the problem of the speaker. 

This is one of the many, many outcomes of the fallen nature.  Lying was never meant to be a part of humanity, it is a result of sin.  Lying, deception, fraud, and manipulation; are some of Satan’s greatest tools.  Hence, Jesus’ words as recorded in John 8:44, which states:

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

Therefore, to conclude.  Words should always be coupled with the actions that they are meant to convey, at least if they are honest, positive, or righteous in their inference or direction.  And even expresstions such as those listed above are based upon intellect, reason and logic; and therefore held great meaning to those that commonly used them, even if today they mean very little to us.    

We should remember Proverbs 18:21, which states:

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” 

Something to think about.

bb

The Leaven of the Pharisees?

Introduction (Updated ~ 07/21/2011)
Before we address the leaven of the Pharisees and the spiritual insights that can be achieved, wherein faith is grown; the following introduction, while somewhat long is necessary in order to gain a fruitful insight concerning one of the many ways that God’s Word validates itself, thus literally fulfilling Romans 10:17, which states:

“Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God“

What this verse is saying is that Biblical faith is achieved by examining Gods Word, and finding within it’s text, internal proofs which validate that it was orchestrated and inspired by God; while penned by 40 different scribes; it is a singular volume created by God.  And as such is worthy of our sole attention concerning what God would say to man, and demand of him in return.

Faith vs. Belief
As is stated ad nausea within this blog site, website, and teaching essays; faith is much different than mere belief.  If you look up the word “belief” in a dictionary it would state that it refers to a mental or cognitive process – it takes place with in our brain.  Originally the word belief was more aligned with the word faith, which is NOW much different.

(NOTE: When the King James Bible was translated, the English grammar of the sixteenth century was different than now, including the meaning of many words, such as the words “faith” and “believe.”  The English verb form of the word “faith” [Greek: pisteuo] is solely used in the book of John – it is translated into the English word “believe.”  The English verb form of the word for faith was “fayth,” which fell out of usage just prior to the creation of the King James Bible, which is why they used the word believe rather than fayth.  With the word faith no longer having a verb form [an action form] at the time of the writing of the King James Bible, the verb “believe” was utilized in translating the Greek New Testament [see Holman Bible Dictionary, under "Faith"].  At the time the two words, faith and believe were very similar, but now the word “believe” [and "belief"], has changed its meaning, now it means something different – a cognitive pursuit ONLY, whereas faith has always meant a mindset that created an action – not mere mental belief.  This becomes important because as James states, “the devils also believe” [Jam. 2:19], yet this belief does not translate into saving faith for them.  Faith starts out with belief, a mental process as a beginning; yet it must be integrated with confidence, which is a repetitive awareness of truth because of a pattern of trust, which then becomes Biblical faith, which always creates action – a behavior based upon a changed mindset.  Faith is more than mere belief; it is a change in a person’s belief system that reconfigures the direction of their life.  This is the idea of repentance.  Repentance is more than changing one’s mind.  It’s changing one’s mind which in turn changes the direction of one’s life.  This is why Jesus told His disciples to “walk,” His way by “following” him [Matt. 4:19; 8:22; 9:9; 16:24; 19:21 ~ The use of the phrase "follow me" by Jesus was a Figure of Speech which went beyond that of simply going where Jesus went; but encapsulated a change in lifestyle where a person stopped going there own way, and started going Jesus' way].  Man must change his own direction in life, turning around 180°, and start to follow God, going God’s way.  This is what faith is, it is life changing, and permanent, it is never temporal and cognitive only.)

Faith is when confidence is added to belief to the extent that actions and behaviors are changed.  A person could believe something all day long without that belief demanding any commitment or action in its furtherance.

The old analogy that you could observationally perceive a chair and notice its stoutness, it’s rigid structure; and come to the conclusion that it would hold your weight – this is a belief that you hold.  However, if all you did was walk around it and come to this mental observation, while this may be your belief; you will only place faith in that belief when you sit in the chair.  This is why James says that the Devils (a synonym he uses for evil spirits) believe in God, yet are doomed.

Confidence is achieved when repetition takes place, and an observed track record of success is contained.  Confidence is achieved through habituation, a repetitive act of fidelity; we gain confidence through reading God’s word and repetitively observing that it displays mannerisms beyond human contrivance.  As Romans 10:17 states, we read God’s word and see time after time that the things it says are always – always true.

This is part of the problem of current Christianity.  Because of the superficiality for which many people handle Gods Word, in the English translation; never checking the original language that God chose for His Word to be written in, apparent inconsistencies appear.  However, these inconsistencies fall-away when we diligently seek God’s Word in its original language. 

It is the work of Marvin R. Vincent, W.E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, William White, Maurice A. Robinson, William G. Pierpont, E. W. Bullinger, Albert Barnes, Spiros Zodhiates, Warren W. Wiersbe, Chuck Missler, Wayne Barber, and many others that have devoted themselves in studying the Greek and Hebrew text, with the specific intent of proving up God’s consistency, to those that read the Bible in its English translation.

(NOTE: Greek and Hebrew are both dead languages, meaning that they are set and unchanging.  The words mean the same thing today than they did when they were penned.  However, English is a living language that changes day by day; and therefore adds inconsistency in the translating process.  The rules of English grammar are inconsistent as well.  Whereas, the language and grammar of Greek are very precise, guaranteeing that the Greek New Testament is a very precise and accurate translation because of the language and grammar it self.)

Therefore, to add confidence to your belief, there must be a repetitious conclusion that what is believed in, is true; and that the source can be trusted.  It is by examining God’s Word, and seeing a repeated pattern wherein God validates what He has said in His Word, that faith is produced according to the above passage.

So to conclude this part of the introduction, Biblical faith is achieved by repeatedly finding things in God’s Word wherein belief moves from a cognitive state to a faith state / an action state – because of the repetitive internal proofs found in God’s Word.

Figure of Speech
Within every language known to man there are what are referred to as “Figure(s) of Speech.”  Over 100 years ago, Dr. E. W. Bullinger identified 217 of these figures within the Greek language, all of which are utilized in the New Testament Greek manuscripts, as well as the Old Testament Greek translation, the Septuagint (as well as in the Hebrew language of the Old Testament Hebrew manuscripts).

Figures of Speech are rhetorical devices (adjective: the type of mode of speech, verbal communication) that are utilized within speech to aid in communicating ideas, thoughts, and concepts.  We all use Figures of Speech constantly in our communication with each other.  Common types of Figures of Speech are: allegory, metaphor, contrast, comparison, and analogy; but to mention a few.

Figures of speech are when a common word is used in an uncommon manner, indicating that it means something beyond the normal usage.  They are used for emphasis as well as presenting picture ideas.  If I stated: “get off my back,” and you are not physically on my back; you would understand that I was using these words in an unusual manner, figuratively, not literally.  And we all understand that this expression does not mean that a person is literally on our backs, but that they are irritating us, by calling something into question which presents us with an aggravation.

This is one simple form of a Figure of Speech; another would be the use of the expression: “you are just mixing apples and oranges.”  Again we understand that these common words are used in an uncommon manner in not meaning that we are mixing different kinds of fruits together, but that it does mean that were mixing things that are diverse, as opposed to things that are equal with each other.

Proof Text
Jesus used “Figures of Speech” all the time; one such example is found in the following text, and as such is also one of the internal proofs wherein God’s Word displays a spiritual insight, which is a depth of insight not commonly seen wherein faith grows because we are further convinced, yet one more time; that this book that is referred to as the Bible, is so ingenious, that it truly was authored by the God of the universe.

Matthew 16:1-12, states:

“The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed. And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”

In addressing the issue of the leaven of the Pharisees, we first need a short lesson concerning the subject of sin, wherein we will start with the first sin ever committed.

Sin ~ It’s First Occurrence

“Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.”  (Eze. 28:17)

We understand this passage is speaking about Lucifer and his sin – the first sin recorded. 

Sin ~ Thy Heart was Lifted Up – Pride
This sin of Lucifer (Lucifer means: “The morning star,” an epithet of the planet Venus, who God renamed Satan which means: “Adversary,” from the verb sa’Tan, “to lie in wait” ~ Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7), and the Devil which means: “slanderer“, as in the “accuser of the brethren” ~ Revelation 12:10), led to his fall (Eze. 28:12-19 ~ which uses a word play between Lucifer and the King of Tyrus), (also see: Isa. 14:12-20) and Rev. 12:1-17); and this sin – the first sin ever (prior to man’s sin as recorded in Genesis, therefore known as the first sin ever committed) – was the sin of pride – wherein “thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty“ (Eze. 28:17), which is an observational description of what pride is, that of being lifted up in one’s heart – “heart,” not meaning the emotions only, but the total inner being of a person (See our essay entitled: “The Heart and the Mind – What the Biblical word ‘Heart’ means”), the mind, emotions and the will. 

Lucifer was lifted up above the place of God in his own eyes (a corrupted perception), he put himself first, above all else – this is what pride does it focuses on self as the object of its own affection, more important and greater than any other; even God.

Pride ~ It’s Corruption
It was this pride that “corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness,” brightness being another word for “splendor” or figuratively of “beauty.“  Pride always warps the perspective of its holder; it corrupts the ability to be wise.

(NOTE: pride corrupts wisdom by distorting a person’s sense of reality – they’re perception, thus mandating that discretion cannot be wise, but is warped.  This is why individuals filled with pride can do things that are apparent to everyone but themselves as insane or stupid, yet to them seems so logical and correct – this is the warping of wisdom.  Pharaoh is a great example.  You would think after the ninth miracle – plague, he could come to the commonsense conclusion that Moses was representing God and he better stop messing around – this is where the Scripture talks about him “hardening his heart” – wherein eventually, God solidifies and hardens Pharaoh’s own pride even further.  This is the insanity of pride in that it corrupts wisdom.)

Pride ~ Is Foundational
Lucifer’s first sin was pride which led to his corrupted wisdom wherein he thought he could be greater than God and made the five “I will” statements (Isa. 14:13-14) within his heart to usurp the authority of God – but what we must notice that the foundational sin that all other sin preceded from – was and will always be, pride.  As the first foundational sin, pride laid the foundation wherein all the other sins would be rooted with in a universe inhabited by sin.

The reason that pride is foundational to all other sins is that pride is about self-centeredness, and sin is always about self-centeredness.  There is not a single sin committed wherein self is not what is focused in on, and put first.  No matter how much a person tries to paint good intentions on their sin, if you dig deep enough you will find where self is put first – where self is made god.  Therefore, every sin – which is a sin of self-centeredness, is based upon the focus of attention being on self, and self being placed first above everyone else, including God – hence pride is active and foundational to every sin!

Pride ~ It’s About Focus
In defining what pride is observationally speaking, it can be best stated that pride is “preoccupation with self,” rather in grandiosity, or self loathing; the point is pride wants to keep the focus on self.  Pride has to do with focus.  Lucifer could not be content with the peripheral (“to the edge,” as opposed to the center) – meaning, he had to be the focus - the primary.  Yet, we know that the primary – the preeminence always is to be on God – Christ.  This is why one of Lucifer’s premier strategies is not to fight the best with the worst, but to have the second best usurp the best, taking the focus from the best and placing it upon itself.  Therefore, it is when second best preempts the best, that Lucifer subtly, and without obvious attention and notice of those that maintain a superficial grasp of spiritual reality, give way to his control.

Pride ~ Confuses the Issue
Lucifer will attempt to cloud the issues which are most important, with those secondary things which are not.  A good example of this is seen in Lucifer’s first interaction with humans wherein he tricks the woman by distorting God’s Word as stated in Genesis 1:3,

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

Lucifer first questions what God has said, however notice he starts it in the affirmative by saying “yes,” or in the Hebrew vernacular, “yea.”  What a subtle beginning by starting with a positive – Yes.

How often Satan or his agent starts off with a positive.  The world gives great credence to what some refer to as “good intentions.”  Yet, upon further examination, many times that which seems to be positive and “good,” is in reality the opposite (“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”~ Isa. 5:20). 

Next Satan openly questions what God has stated as recorded in Genesis 2:16-17.

However, Satan does not accurately re-state, or even indicate what God has stated, because God starts off the commandment by saying: “of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: BUT of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eat is there of thou shalt surely die.” 

God, as any good Father starts off by stating the rule, the warning of danger – the negative, yet as Satan attempted to present himself as an ambassador of light (2 Cor. 11:14), as a good guy by starting off with a positive.  How often his deceptions appear to be so good, yet reality only hide the danger wherein God starts with a “thou shall not.”

Pride ~ It’s Subtlety
Though Satan starts with the affirmative, with “yes,” he then goes on to question what God is said, restating only part of God’s commandment; he does this same thing in the temptation of Jesus (Matt. 4-6, where Satan misquotes Psa. 91:11-12). 

It is one of Satan’s oldest tricks to confuse the primary with the secondary, to interject confusion about the question at hand, to use Scripture out of context – incomplete.  His subtlety begins with our willingness to entertain a conversation with him wherein he clouds the issues, many times causing us to focus on the progress at the expense of the preeminent. 

Satan is not afraid to have men act religiously, as long as they don’t act Christ-like.  He has always attempted to change our focus from Jesus Christ to himself through subtlety and confusion; yet always laying accusation concerning God’s Word. 

Satan will even lead us to religious worship (this is not worship at all, at least not of God.  It usually involves storytelling concerning morals, and may center around making us better persons, parents, or citizens – but takes the focus off of Jesus Christ as preeminent), praise music (as opposed to true Christ worship – not this “ME and Jesus” substitute which brings me back into focus – as seen in many congregations these days), and acts of kindness (as opposed to presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ, or in-death Bible teaching – they do “good works” instead God’s works); as long as they take the attention off of Jesus Christ and place them back on ourselves – because in the long run what happens is WE become preeminent, Gods Word collects dust on the shelf, and we become ineffective, unavailable, and self-absorbed in the process; adding nothing to the “Kingdom of God” or the “Kingdom of Heaven” (yes, there is a difference between the two, some day, if someone requests, perhaps we shall talk about).

Pride ~ The Biblical Allegory
On 2 occasions, found in 4 passages, Jesus (Matt. 16:11-12, Mark 8:15 & Luke 12:1, Luke 13:21), warned about the leaven of the Pharisees, which He refers to as “the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.“  We know that the word “doctrine” simply means “teachings.”  So Jesus was warning his audience to not practice the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees – so what were these teachings?

Pride ~ The Doctrine of the Pharisees
Jesus describes what the doctrine of the Pharisees is in Matthew 23:1-12, which states:

“Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries*, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”

(*NOTE: This is a reference to the hem of their garments, wherein the Israelites would use tassels that were symbols representing different things stitched into the hem of their garment.  This practice became common after the Babylonian captivity in an effort to mimic God’s direction concerning the garb of the priest of the temple.  This would be analogous to the stripes the soldier wears on his lapel or sleeves.  Pomegranates [Exo. 28:33] were utilized concerning spirituality, righteousness, and strength; the greater the hem, meaning that the robe had many folds to accommodate a larger amount of hem lining at the bottom; represented greater righteousness.  The Pharisees were noted for having great hem lines with these pomegranate tassels declaring to the world their superiority in righteousness and spirituality.)

Verse 5 states: “But all their works they do to be seen of men,” which is what the Pharisees demanded the focus on – themselves.  This was there teaching by example, their behavioral doctrine, according to Jesus, this was there necessity – to be the focus of attention – there leaven, their sin, was pride; the root of all sin.  This is what they practiced, this is what they did.  This is why Jesus in verse 3, states that “whatsoever they bid you observe;” in referring to when they taught out of the Torah, Gods Word. 

But He went on to say: “but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.“  Jesus is simply stating that when they teach the Word of God, it should not be penalized though their actions are antithetical to their teaching.  It was the same actions that Jesus referred to in the famous “Mount of Olives” teaching in Matthew chapter 6, where Jesus talks about all their behaviors being done “…to be seen of them.”

Pride ~ Paul’s Teachings
Paul referred to leaven as sin on two occasions (1Cor. 5:6-8; Gal. 5:9).  If you remember the situation in Corinth concerning the member that was committing open fortification, Paul states in this first passage  that “a little leaven leavenrth the whole lump,” indicating that a little bit of open sin left unchecked within the church, corrupted the whole church.  And Paul uses this same statement to the Church of Galatia concerning their legalism regarding circumcision.

According to these 6 passages, which refer to 4 different events, both Jesus and Paul exhibit the symbolism of leaven as sin.  Also, among the Feasts of Israel, leaven was not allowed except for the middle Feast of Israel, and was always held in a negative light, and even concerning the Feast of Pentecost, there is something out of place concerning its mention.  A Rabbinical priest will point out that leaven in the Old Testament was typological of sin because of this, and is carried on in the New Testament with the same consideration, but why?

Pride ~ Leaven Symbolizes…
Leaven corrodes (brings decay and death - the same as pride) from the inside of whatever it possesses (it works from the inside, out; hidden – not readily observed working on the inside - the same as pride), completely changing it (having once made its change, can never be undone – it is impossible to take leaven out of the loaf - the same as pride), and filling it with air (in the Bible, the word “vanity” was synonymous with “air” – simply meaning void of substance - the same as pride.  It also heats up in the process, hence we get our expression “filled with hot air,”), making it void, or vain, the same as pride.

It distorts the appearance of whatever it impregnates, by causing it to fill up with air making it appear much bigger than it is in reality – it is an illusion – a false illusion. It takes very little to affect a substance that is much larger. And it cannot be taken out once it has infected its host.  In the process is solely foundational upon the concept of corruption and death in order to produce what appears to be bigger than life, but in reality is much less significant – the same as pride.

For these reasons leaven was understood by the Hebrews to be symbolic of sin and you will notice that it symbolizes pride better than any other idiom.  To the Hebrew, pride was synonymous with sin – it was the ultimate sin.  Pride is at the heart of every sin, because self is what is being magnified and served.

Pride ~ Leaven in the NT Church
The reason why leaven is utilized in the middle Feast of Israel, the Feast of Pentecost, the day that church was created, is that according to the six parables of Matthew 13, wherein Jesus was describing the “Kingdom of Heaven,” understood to be the pending church, wherein leaven is recognized as being within His church, therefore allotted too in the churches beginning – the day of Pentecost.  Sin is in the church because man is in the church; yet, even in spite of this the Holy Spirit will still achieve God’s Will within a church that is riddled with sin.

Pride ~ Leaven in the OT Assembly
Concerning the 10 tribes (the Nation) of Israel and the 7 feasts of Israel, ceremonially; leaven was specifically never allowed, in fact; there was great emphasis made on determining during the Passover that there was no leaven in the house.  The doctrine of “Biblical Expositional Consistency” demands that every idiom, analogy or metaphor utilized in the Bible is constant in both the old and New Testament, meaning that a idiom can never represent two different subjects (at least if the Bible had only One Author who inspired the whole document – it would consistent).

This doctrine, the doctrine of “Biblical Expositional Consistency” demands that concerning the idiom of leaven, wherein in the New Testament writings leaven is representative of sin connotatively (generally) speaking, and pride denotatively (specifically) speaking; must hold the same understanding in the Old Testament as well.  Hence, the traditions regarding the mandate that leaven is not allowed within any of the 7 feasts ofIsrael, with the exception of Pentecost which is representative of the New Testament church.  This begs the question why is it allowed, figuratively and in the NT and not in the OT.

Pride ~ Why is Leaven Treated Different Between the Two
The answer is very simple. Israelis declared to be God’s people, and therefore His representative; they are given the law which is a representation of the righteousness of God.  And as God’s representative declaring His righteousness, sin is never allowed.  The law is sinless, and is actually the antecedent to sin (Rom. 7:7).

According to the law, sin is judged to be punished without mercy allowed.  Therefore, sin is condemned with man reaping his just reward in the process.  This is representative of the law wherein Paul speaks at great lengths in the book of Romans.  And Galatians 2:16, which declares:

“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law…”

It is the grace of God where He and mercy is allowed because Jesus Christ paid the price that is demanded of the law (Rom. 5:17-20).  This is referred to as the atonement (the “covering” of Jesus over our sins, by paying Himself for them); this is where grace is allowed according to the gospel, the “Good News” of salvation offered to men.  This is the mission of God’s church on earth, wherein sinful man is saved; therefore leaven being present would also be mandatory, because sin was present, the sin of men that Christ died for.  The same as it is not allowed in the Old Testament which represented the law of God – His righteousness.  So, again we see that the idiom holds true, and displays the consistency necessary concerning “Figure of Speech.”

Conclusion
The “Figure of Speech” (wherein the allegory, which is an extended metaphor; which could also be called in idiom) concerning leaven is completely consistent between the two Testaments, and fulfills Romans 10:17 in regards to building faith, in that the reader comes to understand that every word used in God’s Word has a literal fulfillment which has deeper meaning beyond human contrivance.

That different people, at different times could use an idiom that was consistent throughout the book we refer to the Bible, is yet another display that it was written by the God of this universe.

And when we consider how leaven is not only used to represent sin in general, and pride in particular; we also see how the choice to use leaven for this idiom fits on so many different levels.  That as you examine what leaven is, and how it works, there is a comparison that fits pride, yet also all of sin which pride represents.  How unique is the Bible that even the very idioms fit not only on a superficial apparent level, but deeper down the more one examines it, the idiom in itself displays the characteristics for which it was chosen.

The subject of “Biblical Expositional Consistency,” wherein thousands of idioms are utilized in God’s Word, are but one more area wherein as we study each one these idioms, it is amazing to find the depth of understanding with each one.

(NOTE: Regarding the subject of “Figure of Speech” [used in the singular concerning the group], a search on Wikipedia will explain this subject which few are aware of, but many have taught about.  Every language has thousands of figures that are utilized in day-to-day conversations, yet it is the dumbing down of America wherein Satan seeks to hide these insights and knowledge that man has been aware of for thousands of years, wherein figures of speech are unheard of in our current day.)

The more that we examine God’s Word, the more we find internal proofs that it’s complexity and intricacy are so profound that it is beyond human creation; leading to the undeniable conclusion that the Bible’s sole authorship is that of the God of this universe.

It is been wisely said:

“The Bible is such a book, as man could not write if he would,
& would not write if he could.”

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Why God Gave Me Grandkids

God gave me grandkids to turn my frowns into grins, and smile at them when they aren’t looking. To watch ice cream drip from their nose and chin, and listen to their endless chatter to imaginary friends. To hear them say “I love you” as they cup your cheeks, and smile into your eyes with theirs. For constant companions when others leave, their interest in you never wavers. I am the most interesting person in their world, and the best cook they know and when I smile at them it simply means, c’mon gramma its time to go. When mommy says, “no more chocolate, it’s time for bed”, She sneaks away and turns her head…a whisper falls into my ear, Gramma just one piece? please?” as I hug her near. A precious gift, one I hold dear, she has grown up quick, eleven this year. The still small voice will echo through time, as my memory calls “Gramma, I love you… I always will.”

Awesome

I went for a walk this morning, and the sun was just rising....what an awesome Lord we have.

I cannot imagine a day without a painted sky. I cannot imagine a day that does not include You my Lord. For You are my strength and my salvation and I will rejoice in You always.

Does James Contradict Paul

Introduction
Unfortunately, due to the fact that many of us do not understand koiné Greek we are  unaware of many grammatical principles which alter the understanding of some verses when translated into the English vernacular.

In Koiné Greek, verbs ending in “oo” indicate that what is already on the inside is then displayed on the outside (which is not the same as asserting that what is seen on the outside creates what is on the inside, in fact it is antithetical to this).  Due to not being aware of this Greek grammatical principle divisions have been created within the English speaking church, to the extent that denominations have been severed concerning such teaching as “works as a part of faith,” as opposed to “faith alone” regarding salvation, as well as the Christian walk.

One of the main texts that have been used to assert that works are necessarily a part of faith is taken from James 2:21, which would appear to indicate that Abraham was saved not by faith alone, but when works were added, as seen in:

James 2:21 ~ “Was not Abraham our father justified [Greek: dikaioo] by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar”

James is not saying that Abraham’s works made him justified before God, but that Abraham’s works were the outside manifestation of what had already taken place on the inside, Abraham was already justified by God prior to this event.

In this passage, James is referring to Abraham’s offering of Isaac as proof of his faith which is referred to in Genesis chapter 22, when Abraham was over 125 years old, perhaps even 130 years old (making Isaac at least thirty years old, and as far as some topologists are concerned, Isaac would’ve had to been thirty-three years old to fit the typology of Christ’s crucifixion).  Yet, we understand that Abraham’s saving faith in which God counted it “for righteousness” occurred over at least forty years prior to this as recorded in:

Genesis 15:6 ~ “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”

Therefore, it is impossible for James to be stating that Abraham was saved by faith when he offered up Isaac more than forty years after Genesis 15:6, which is when he displayed saving faith (in which God counted it as righteousness) by believing God’s promise concerning becoming a mighty nation, by first having a physical son of his own.  What is easily understood especially in light of the Greek grammatical principle concerning Greek verbs ending in “oo”, is that James is stating that what was already on the inside of Abraham, saving faith in God, was fully displayed in the act of him being prepared to take the life of his son according to God’s direction.

This also clears up the misunderstanding that somehow presupposes that James teaching on faith is opposed to Paul’s teaching on faith.  By example, Paul states in:

Romans 4:3-5 ~ “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth [Greek: dikaioo] the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”

Here, Paul is quoting from Genesis 15:6, when Abraham was around 85 years old, and is being justified according to his faith by God.  Paul uses the same Greek verb for justifieth, indicating that he then was exercising that faith that had already dwelt on the inside concern in God and his promises.  We must remember that it was God that ten years before had instructed Abram to leave his home and relatives to go to a new land that God would later show him.  Abram delayed his departure until his father had died (according to Stephen ~ Acts 7:4), then disobeyed God by taking his nephew Lot with him.  So though Abraham had faith in God, it had not matured to the place of confidence that would mandate obedience.  Yet, the scripture is quick to tell us that it was his belief in God’s promise, not Abrams works wherein God saw his heart and imputed righteousness to him.

We understand that justification is God’s declaration that a person be treated as if he is innocent of the charges made against them.  It is a declaration of immunity, being acquitted, not a pronouncement based upon evidence, but in spite of it.  In reference to justification, Paul declares in:

Romans 4:1-8 ~ “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that  justifieth [Greek: dikaioo] the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”

Therefore, what James says in James 2:21; agrees with Paul says in Romans 4:1-8 (as well as Ephesians 2:8-9); whereas James states that Abraham displayed (what was on the inside was exhibited on the outside) his saving faith by his work (deed), of trusting God when he was preparing to present his son as a sacrifice, this was 40-50 years after he was already saved by his faith in God as recorded in Genesis 15:6 (Paul states in Romans 4:3; 4:9; Galatians 3:6, that Abraham received his salvation when he first exercised faith back at Genesis 15:6), and Paul stated Abraham it was this same faith that was counted for righteousness unto salvation. 

James says the act displayed what was already on the inside, and Paul that the inside created the act that was displayed on the outside.  

Other Examples of this Type of Verb

Another example concerning Greek verbs ending in “oo” (which indicate that what is already on the inside is then displayed on the outside) can be found concerning the Transfiguration of Christ as recorded in:

 

Matthew 17:2, regarding the Transfiguration of Christ, where the word: “transfigure“ (Greek: metamorphoo), means to change the appearance or form, yet it does not denote the change of the substance of that thing, but simply its appearance (with the use of this word, transfigure, we are forced to focus on Christ’s physical appearance). And with the verb utilizing the “oo,” ending we further understand that the change referred to here is to display the radiance of his glory physically, exhibiting what is already on the inside, to the outside, which is Christ’s Divinity in visible form.

 

John 1:14, which speaks about Jesus incarnation, states that he “tabernacled“ (Greek: skennoo), also translated: “dwelt among us.” As seen from above, with this Greek verb (such as tabernacled) ending in “oo“, it indicates that “what is on the inside is displayed on the outside.” The verb is used here concerns Jesus being made flesh, in regards to Him displaying in His behavior (on the outside ~ in regards to the use of the word tabernacled among men, we are forced to focus Christ’s behavior), that which had already existed in His essence, His Holiness as the only begotten Son of God, the “Word (Greek: Logos: “the literal communication”) of God, Personified.”

 

Ephesians 3:16, concerning the word: strengthened (Greek: krataioo), concerning the believers who have been strengthened on the inside by the Holy Spirit which should be exhibited on the outside. What we must also understand concerning this word, strengthened (noticed that it is past tense in the English), is that in the Greek grammar, it is in the passive voice, meaning that the person receives the power from another, not from themselves; and that it is in the aorist tense, meaning that the action occurred in the past (it occurred “Once & for all.” The action occurred or was made possible when Jesus died on the cross, giving the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to indwell the believers according to salvation as adopted sons of God) and it is in the indicative mood, meaning that it is a complete certainty (A reality ~ it is a done deal, completed).

 

Back to our texts – therefore, with this in mind, what these verses (James 2:21 and Romans 4:1-8) indicate is that by becoming a believer and therefore having the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, there is power available to the believer which indwells on the inside and should be displayed on the outside.

 

(This is what true witnessing is all about; this is what 1 Peter 3:15 also alludes to as well.)

 

These types of passages which use Greek verbs ending in “oo” are simply stating the fact that the outside is showing what is already going on the inside (they are not saying that there is only an exterior application, but that there is an interior meaning that is expressed in the exterior as well).

 

Endnote
If you use a Greek Parallel Interlinear New Testament, you will notice that the spelling for the verbs referenced above (justification, transfigured, dwelt, and strengthened) in the Greek language do not display two “oo,” just one. This is because in a Greek Parallel Interlinear New Testament, the Greek words are combined into cognates and not distinguished individually.  However, if you utilize a Bible Dictionary on Greek (Such as: Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words; Expository Dictionary of Bible Words, Larry Richards;  Jamieson, Fausset, Brown; Word Studies in the Greek New Testament, Kenneth S. Wuest; Word Meanings in the New Testament, Ralph Earl; Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible & Word Studies, Spiros Zodhiates), as well as any of the current computer dictionary programs; the spelling of the individual words will be with the double “oo” ending.  Thayer’s Greek Dictionary is used concerning the above translation (This may not apply to certain deviant Alexandrian Codex utilized in a few of the modern translations; these text also modify passages concerning the Deity of Christ, and other Orthodox doctrines, yet they are unable to delete all scriptural basis for these doctrines, as even these deviant translations cannot completely change the Greek wording.  If any of your current Bible translations omit the double “oo“, please forward this to me, and I will personally give you background information for greater clarity, and also I am doing ongoing research concerning these deviant Alexandrian Codices, as well as any Word Studies or Dictionaries which utilize them for their source material New Testament translations).

 

Concerning grammatical reference to the utilization of “oo” in Greek verbs wherein its usage “indicates that what is already present on the inside is then displayed on the outside;” Dr. Wayne A. Barber’s book, “The Surrendered Walk,” page 28 gives reference, as well as other books and manuals which teach Koiné Greek.

 

Republished from: 12/15/2010

 

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“The difference between ‘involvement’ and ‘commitment’ is like an eggs-and-ham breakfast:

the chicken was ‘involved’ – the pig was ‘committed’.”

 

Taken from the “Resource Center” of: www.FaithBibleMinistries.com

 

Today……

Today…I file for divorce…after 3.5 years in counseling and alot of prayer, tears and turmoil, I file for divorce. Its been a hard road. One that has involved many lives, hurt many people and will still hurt my family. I ask for your prayers for them as I travel this road alone. I do not have their blessings nor do I have their support. I really am alone in this situation, and have no where to go, and no one to turn to. Life sometimes makes you do things for reasons others do not understand. I can not continue to become a bitter woman to all around me because of my unhappiness, my desire is to leave this marriage with some sembalance of friendship and my children and grand daughters love. Perhaps in time. I am stepping out on faith.I would ask that you pray for my family, those I love dearly, and for me. Pray that they will heal. Pray that they can forgive me. I honestly do not know what I am going to do. I thought I did, but now I do not. I just know this, for my own sanity, my own peace, I can no longer endure this. It will continue to destroy me should I stay. Lord forgive this child I pray, and see through her most sincere tears that her heart is hurting for those she holds most dear. Thank you dear friends…

No greater friend does one have, than one that will pray for you.
Blessings~ Nonni

Peace

<<<< dropped in to say Hi…with a hug inserted.

 

Let thy words be few. — Ecclesiastes 5:2

Cities of Refuge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The LORD also spake unto Joshua, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses:”

In this passage we have the LORD commanding Joshua to fulfill that which He spoke to Moses – to establish the “Cities of Refuge.”  The purpose of the Cities of “Refuge“ (Hebrew: miqlat, meaning “to contract” or “receive”) was to provide a shelter for any who “killeth any person unawares and unwittingly.”

The Old Testament makes a clear distinction between premeditated murder and unintentional manslaughter (Num 35:16-18; Deut 19:5).

When a premeditated murder was committed, the penalty must be paid – death. The family “Revenger of Blood” (“Revenger” in the Hebrew is: gaal or goel hadam) was a literal term and function, the person who held this position was the head of the family in most instances. 

The Hebrew word “Revenger” literally means ”redeemer” who bought back the honor of the family by slaying the murderer (Deut 19:12).  He had two main functions; he could redeem a family member in debt, such as Ruth (Ruth 3:12-13); or he was the “Revenger of Blood,” seeking justice when a family member was murdered (Numbers 35:18-19). 

He who took the life of another accidentally, would present himself at the gate of one of the six cities of refuge (the gate to a city was where all legal business was transacted – Ruth 4:1; II Sam 15:2) and plead his cause to the elders of the city and thus would find shelter in the city. Later, he had to stand trial before the congregation of the town nearest the scene of the slaying. If found innocent, he was returned to the shelter of the city of refuge until the death of the current high priest (presumably enough time for the wrath of the family of the slain to be abated).

For the sinner, to be found in the city of refuge was to be found in the only place of salvation.

The similarity between these cities of refuge, and the LORD Jesus is striking.

In Philippians 3:4-6,9; Paul after telling of his many privileges and his schooling, says that he has counted them all but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus and the joy to “…be found in him…” 

Also Hebrews 6:18, tells us that it was impossible for God to lie, “we have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:”

The sinner can flee to Christ and find eternal refuge and safety. Jesus calls to all and says in Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

It is difficult sometimes to understand the crucifixion of Christ – were those who crucified Him – were they guilty of premeditated murder, or was it manslaughter?

The Sanhedrin definitely planned to have Jesus crucified; however, at the same time, God had planned this by His pre-determinant council(Acts 2:23 ~ “Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:”), yet did they do it in knowledge, did they mean to execute an innocent man - no, they did not believe He is the Son of God, therefore the Law saws He committed blasphemy and deserved death. 

You and I as well, what are we guilty of?

Did not Jesus go to that cross for you and for me, because of our sins? Did you and I not drive those nails pertaining to our sin, into His feet and hands?

I certainly plead guilty to manslaughter, as I think we all must. Our Precious, Loving, and Forgiving Lord, our High Priest, said at the Cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”  Therefore, we as they are guilty of manslaughter. 

Therefore, Jesus is our city of refuge.

We are secured against the Avenger of Blood as long as we are abiding in Him as our City of Refuge.

Jesus, our High Priest in whom we are completely secure, died at the Cross for you and for me; therefore, the Avenger of Blood cannot touch us!

Thank you Chuck Missler for this insight.

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The Most Amazing Prophecy in God’s Word

Introduction
I wish to thank those who made comments concerning the 06/08/2011 post entitled: “If my people who are called by my name.”  Believe it or not, I take great joy when I feel inspired to write short, precise posts that are easily understood. 

Faith, and it’s Source
However, I’ve come to understand that my calling is not explaining what is easy to understand, wherein teaching is simple – but to tackle those issues more complicated, that yield faith more abundantly, wherein examining God’s Word exhibits internal as well as external proofs that this book was not penned by mortal man, but by the God of the universe, the only One knowing the ending from the beginning (Isaiah 41:4; 46:10). 

Because the growth of real Biblical faith is achieved by and through God’s Word and its examination.   

And concerning that which is simply; for those of you that study your Bible, and have been a Christian for some time let me ask you this question.  How often do you listen to a sermon where you actually learn something new, something that gives you greater insight into God or His Word; and in the process becomes a tool for building faith in accordance with Romans 10:17, which states:

“faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God“

Embarking Upon Deep Investigation in God’s Word 
At the expense of sounding proud or arrogant let me personally answer this question myself by stating very rarely do I hear anything new – and you must understand that I have spent 2 years visiting over 100 churches, and a wide range of churches at that.  Being especially pulled towards those that stated they were Bible teaching churches. 

My point is this; one of the Devil’s most effective tools is the dumbing down of believers, and mainly doing so by encouraging believes to stay out of the weeds, avoiding embarking upon deep investigation in God’s Word – keeping it simply.  And he’s been working on it on a secular basis for the last 200 years to where our children are failing as supported by statistics that came out just this week.  And their failure is at a completely phenomenal rate.  If a people stops learning, if they become uneducated in how to research or even think through complicated issues, will this not effect how they handle God’s Word.  

And things such as critical thinking, which were commonly taught 100 years ago falls by the wayside to pragmatic pursuits, such as sex education, acceptance and tolerance of homosexuality; all fitting an agenda where the next generation become nothing more than dumb sheep following a liberal progressive ideology based upon emotions, rather than rational logic, upon secularism rather than Christianity, and upon humanism as opposed to the pursuit of godliness.  

The devil has helped orchestrate that the population at large have become spectators, have become hearers rather than doers – and this has infiltrated the church as a segment of the culture wherein the church no longer delves into doctrine and those deeper things of God’s Word which lead to maturity and understanding, but now pulpits become prognosticators of itching ears type of storytelling at its worst, and superficiality at its best.

I would like to reiterate one of those passages from that prior post that others commented on before we attempt to delve into something that demands deep consideration.

 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”  (Romans 12:1-2)

This passage speaks about our responsibilities as God’s children and servants, to put Him first, to go the extra mile, to present our bodies as living sacrifices willing to do the hard work that God would demand of us.  And not be patterned after this world that does things that are comfortable, easy, and less commanding. 

This passage goes on to speak about the transforming process brought about by the ”renewing of your mind” that effects believer; in order to demonstrate and prove God’s righteousness and justice concerning “His Will.”  The renewing of the mind of the believer is a course of action that necessitates thoroughly studying the Word of God, which is God’s communication of “His Will” to man – you cannot separate God from His Word. 

Believing is Seeing!
The following teaching presentation has been one of the most faith building presentations that I have ever witnessed concerning God’s validation of His Word.  It is NOT what brought me to faith in Jesus Christ, though with some it has had that effect. 

We must understand that the rule is normally one of examining God’s Word in order to achieve faith, with God proving His existence in the believer’s life AFTER they have committed their lives to Him.  

By way of example, Gideon’s fleece was not a testing to find out if God existed, which is self evident in that Gideon did not run away and refuse to respond to God’s voice – or ignore God’s voice, or say I don’t believe in you; you must be a psychological phenomena. 

His fleece was seeking confirmation on God’s Will for his life – we must remember that at this point Gideon did not have God’s Word in his hand to direct him, so God winked at Gideon’s indiscretion and answered his petition – giving Gideon direction.

Seeing is Believing?
God will not stoop down and attempt to prove Himself to man, any more than the Potter submits to the clay (Romans 9:21).  God will not answer the world’s demand to prove Himself, as seen in the adage: ”seeing is believing,” as witnessed in Matthew 12:38-39, where Jesus responds to the religious leaders demand for proof, which states:

“Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.”

Therefore, it is in understanding that God, while refusing to prove Himself to man, has within His Word presented validations for those that would diligently dig-in and laboriously seek God’s truth, Daniel 9:24-27 is one such passage of Scripture. 

God’s Unbelievable Prophecy – Beyond Dispute 
Daniel 9:24-27 gives the exact day that the Messiah would OPENLY PRESENT Himself to the nation of Israel as the Messiah of Israel, utilizing a dating system in numbers which are exact and beyond human manipulation.

Sir Robert Anderson – At The Beginning
Over a 100 years ago (it was republished in 1957, and in is currant publication and can be purchased at any Christian book store), Sir Robert Anderson wrote the book: “The Coming Prince.” Sir Robert Anderson was the chief of criminal investigations for Scotland Yard, and was knighted by Queen Victoria for his service to the crown.

However, it is this book, among others which we as believers are indebted to this man for his diligence in approaching God’s Word. Sir Robert Anderson took God literally concerning what is in His word as seen in regard to Daniel chapter 9, which is probably the most faith building prophecy explained to this date.  Just one of the issues covered in this chapter are verses 24 through 27 which concerns a few topics, one is the very day that the Messiah would present himself.  Verses 24 to 27 state:

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” (Daniel 9:24-27)

Sir Robert Anderson in his studies understood that the term in the English translation of the Bible, “weeks” did not simply means 7 days as we currently understand it, but was a term that God utilized concerning 7 weeks, 7 months, and 7 years; indicating that the true interpretation of this work was the word “seven” as opposed to our English understanding of 7 days only.

(SIDENOTE: Because a picture can be worth a 1000 words, the following diagrams were created by Chuck Missler of Koinonia House, and are presented here in order to more easily present this complicated subject.)

YOU MAY ENLARGE ANY OF THE DIAGRAMS BY CLICKING ON THEM TO GAIN MORE CLARITY

In his research, Sir Robert Anderson also found where the Bible referred to a year as 360 days long in its cycle as found in Genesis 7:24; 8:3,4; and Revelation 11:2, 3; 13:5, as opposed to our current 365 and a quarter day cycle. 

I was always to bugged by the idea that God who never created junk; created the earth with a wobble, and inconsistent in its orbit in which currently we utilize a leap year every 4 years to correct for the one fourth of the day, yet the math never seem to really work out. 

God Don’t Make Junk
And since we know that God always creates perfection, but yet by the introduction of sin things become imperfect; I was always curious what caused the Earth to rotate on its access to a tilt, throwing it into a wobble wherein there was inconsistency in our calendar system.  It also amazes me that the Jews originally had a calendar system of 30 days per month, and 12 months per year; which comes out to 360 days a year – the perfect number of a circle; and completion as seen in 360 degrees of a circle – with in Hebrew there is also a pun concerning the word “circle” and the Earth wherein there is a direct connection between 360 degrees and the Earth – yet how did we get 5 and a quarter days off, as well as a wobble (At some future date we will address the long day of Joshua ~ Joshua 10:12,13; the year 701 BC near pass-by of Mars), and why North is no longer North?

Sir Robert Anderson began a diligent study after uncovering these Scriptures and attempting to answer some of these questions wherein he discovered and documented that there are 18 separate calendars from independent cultures and races which also validated a 360 day year which was prior to 700 BC.

 

Understanding this, and the fact that the term “weeks” meant 7; he started on a quest to take literal Daniel’s prophecy concerning these verses.   These 4 passages prophesying not only when the Messiah would present himself, but when He would be “cut off” (which is a term in the Hebrew which means to be executed for a capital offense), as well as the destruction of Jerusalem, and what we refer to as the tribulation in regards to Israel in eschatology.  For the sake of time we are only going to take the segment which deals with the presentation of the Messiah.

Daniel 9:25, states:

“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.”

The Benchmark
The benchmark / starting point for the beginning of this prophecy is when the “command to restore and to build Jerusalem.”

Now we understand that there were 3 foreign Kings that gave dictates to rebuild part of Jerusalem, yet the last of these 3 kings, Artaxerxes gave not one, but two degrees to rebuild Jerusalem, and it is this last degree which actually was an order to rebuild the streets and the walls, which is an order that precisely meets the prophecy in rebuilding the city proper, which is what the Hebrew indicates.

So now we have a starting point of this prophecy.

The Math
verse 25 states: “… commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks,” concerning the time table in order to figure out the map this prophecy.  This phrasing: “unto the Messiah” is saying unto the presentation as Messiah – it would be similar to using the word “manifestation” of the Messiah.  

We know that a score is 20, hence 3 score is 60, and 7 weeks and addition to 2 more weeks adds up to 69 weeks.  There is a reason for the numbering to be broken down as it is, this would coincide with the rebuilding of the Temple (but this is an issue for another post regarding the Temple and all the prophecies referring to it in regard to Israel).  So the question at this point is how long are these weeks (or sevens); are they 7 days, 7 weeks, 7 months, or 7 year periods of time. 

If they are years (which logically would make sense concerning to all the other prophecies in Daniel, the weeks referred to are years, and not 7 day weeks, or 7 months of months); this would be 69 x 7 year periods; which would total 490 years. 

And if it is true that God, according to Genesis and Revelation; marks time in the same way that He originally marked time in the creation of the earth (when it was perfect), according to 360 days per year; the easiest way to determine how long these 490 years would be according to God’s math of 360-day years, would be to multiply 69 times 7 years, times 360 day years, which would be 173,880 days from when the order to rebuild the city Jerusalem until the presentation of the Messiah. 

Isn’t it amazing that God uses numbers, which cannot be manipulated the same as words can sometimes; and whereas numbers can be used to figure a calculation in working out an exact conclusion in time in order to figure out when the Messiah would be revealed. 

It would be one thing to say that God created the earth without a wobble, with 360 days in its rotation; hence a 360 day year; but because of sin the rotation changed, and therefore the calculations would have to be according to the current rotation of 365 days because sin has changed things. 

However, the point of this prophecy is that God makes the rules, He defines what calendar system He uses as seen in His use of the same 360 day year in the book of Revelation, as well as in the beginning – in the book of Genesis.  This prophecy is from God’s perceptive, not our sinful one; but His perfect one.  And God in His foresight made sure to record in the book of Revelation that He continues to determine time on earth at 360 day per year - though sin has changed time for man, it has not changed it according to God and His prophecy to man. 

173,880 Days!
Therefore, 173,880 is the number of days of when the Messiah would declare himself, so by adding 173,880 days from when the order was given to rebuild Jerusalem (not just the Temple, as in the other decrees from the other 3 kings; but the city proper), the complete city which occurred and was recorded according to secular history (this is a historical fact which cannot be disputed according to secular history – how amazing that God would use a benchmark that cannot be disputed, but is actually validated by unbelieving man in his record of history ) on March 14, in the year 445 BC – this would come to the 10^th of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar (April 6^th), in the year 32 A.D. 

But now we have a new problem, because we don’t know exactly when Jesus was born; and therefore do not know when He was crucified, and how it might coincide with this date of April 6th in the year 32 AD; and when did Jesus declare Himself – make Himself manifest – we don’t know for sure when any of this occurred, or do we. 

Boy, I love how God is always thoroughly complete, anticipating anything that we might run into in order to address it in advance in His Word – so hold onto your seats for the following teaching, which is actually been around for over 100 years.

When Was Jesus Born and When Did He Die
This has been one of the most pertinent questions for the last 2000 years.  Over 20 years I had this question answered for me from God’s Word.  

(SIDENOTE: And I pose a question yet again, how many of you have heard this teaching before.  The reason I keep making the point that some of these teachings which were previously unknown to you can be explained from God’s Word, is because someone put in the arduous and laborious work to address complicated issues in order to commit themselves to the understanding and teaching of God’s Word.  And this is what the church is all about  first and most – training of the saints [Ephesians 4:11-12] to do the work of the ministry – this is done by teaching the Word of God as its primary function.   When the church first began, its power and potency was because of this, as seen in Acts 6:1-2 - which displays the mindset of the leadership when it came to dealing with pragmatic problems – the Word of God was always first, not the needs of the people.  God will take care of the people, but the people need to put God first by putting His word first as this text communicates. 

“And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.”  (Acts 6:1-2)

“KISS” ["keep it simple stupid"], is not the catch phrase for a Christian – “KIITW” ["keep it in the Word"] is.

When was Jesus born – according to Scripture it was 1 BC – Say what?  Let us start off with Luke 3:1, which states:

“Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.”  (Luke 3:1-2)

Verse 32 of Luke chapter 3, is where Jesus starts His ministry.  Verse 33 states He was 30 years old, which is in accordance with the Torah in that a man had to be 30 years old to be a priest and begin his fulltime public service to God. 

(SIDENOTE: the reason I listed verse 2, when verse 1 is the only verse we will address, is because there are 9 people listed that can be cross-referenced in order to better pinpoint the time when this verse occurred – and this would be a good study all on its own.  The reason why the Scripture states that Annas and Caiaphas [either one serving as the deputy - The "cohen mishneh" or "sagan cohanim"] were “High Priests,” indicating two high priests when according to the Torah there was only one high priest at a time, is because when the Romans took over authority of the temple, Annas was the high priest.  But the Romans understanding that he would not submit to Rome, took him out of office, and placed his son-in-law Caiaphas as high priest because he was less of a threat.  So when the Sanhedrin met, though Caiaphas was considered the high priest according to secular authority, Annas stood next to him giving him Levitical sanction [as he was the prior anointed priest] – wherein both were considered the high priests by the people.  This becomes important because it was documented due to its irregularity in secular history which would help date Christ’s birth.  Also, this passage indicates when the father of John the Baptist, Zacharias [who was a priest of the order of "Abia"]; was serving one of the 24 times of service as a Levite within the Temple.  David had orchestrated that there were 24 times of service, two-week periods of time that members of the different tribes of Levites would serve in the Temple.  This further indicates when Jesus was born, as these times of service were recorded and according to the prophecies given to Zacharias, and when he completed his service, in light of the birth of John the Baptist as it relates to the birth of Jesus, there is yet further proof of Christ birth date.  Within these 2 verses, 9 men’s names are referenced, which can all be cross-referenced and help to validate the birth of Christ.  However, the simplest way to do it is utilizing Verse 1 concerning the rule of Tiberius Caesar – which I will list below.  I’m not can it get too far into the weeds concerning this, anyone desiring further information please e-mail me.  There are many proofs concerning the Time of Christ birth, such as the shepherds tending their sheep in the country side – this only occurred in September to October, due to the temperature, ext. ) 

Tiberius Caesar
We know from secular history that Tiberius took the throne in the year 14 A.D., at the end of August after the death of Augustus.  Therefore, since Tiberius came to the throne in the year 14 A.D. and this passage occurred (during) 15 years later, we now understand that Jesus ministry which this passage records in verse 32; started in the fall of the year 28 A.D. 

We know from the Gospels that Jesus was crucified on the fourth Passover after this date; which would mean that Jesus was crucified on April 10, in the year 32.  And since Jesus was crucified when He was 33 and half years old, He would’ve been born in the year 1 BC. 

However, what is important concerning this prophecy is not when Jesus was born, but how His life relates to the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy indicating when the Messiah would declare himself on April. 

 

Now, back to the prophecy of Daniel in the calculations.  If you added 173,880 days to March 14, in the year 445 BC – this would come to 10^th of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar (April 6^th), in the year 32 A.D. – what happened on this date in history.  

The Triumphal Entry
On the 10^th of Nisan (April 6^th) on the Hebrew calendar; Jesus did something that He had never done before, He accepted worship – no, He orchestrated to be worshipped.¹   This was the one and only day that the Jesus presented Himself to Israel by fulfilling prophecy (such as riding an un-ridden colt ~ Zech. 9:9), this is when Jesus declared Himself openly to all of Israel, including the leaders, not just to individuals or small groups, but to the nation as the Messiah. 

On many occasions, Jesus declared Himself to be “the son of man” (a synonym with prophetic meaning ~ John 3:14.  Matt. 8:20; 9:6; 10:23; 11:19; 12:8,32,40; to name a few), as well as “the Son God” (Matt. 27:43; Luke 22:70; John 3:18; 5:25; 9:35; 10:36; 11:4), yet concerning His anointing as the Messiah of God concerning the nation of Israel, wherein did He openly declare this to the world – nowhere until this day - this is the one and only day that He did so, openly. 

You see Jesus entered Jerusalem 4 days before Passover, at the very time that the Israelites were mandated to present a lamb for the sacrifice of the sins of their own family – what a coincidence, “The lamb of God” as John the Baptist referred to in presenting Jesus (John 1:29, 36) - Now presented to the religious leaders, as well as the population at large.  There were more people in Jerusalem on this date than any other time during the year because of the 7 feast of Israel, 3 were  mandated to be attended, with this being the holiest day of the year – where all required to attend.  

Jesus entered on the very road that was prophesied that the Messiah would enter on, the people were singing the “Hallel” Psalm (Psalm 118), the very psalm that the people would sing as the Messiah was entering the city, which is why the religious leaders told Jesus to have the people stop singing this song (Luke 19:39), they understood that the people were declaring Jesus to be the Messiah by singing this song concerning Jesus as He entered the city of Jerusalem.  And what was Jesus response, that if the people did not declare Him to be the Messiah; that the rocks that God Himself made would spring forth to make this declaration.  

The people were fulfilling the requirement to lay out palm branches for the King, another literal fulfillment concerning the Messiah as he entered Jerusalem on the day of His dedication to the world. 

I used to read with great curiosity all the times that Jesus refused to declare Himself openly, of when the people would attempt to force Him to present himself as the King, where He would sneak away – now I know why, His time was not come. 

And speaking of this, remember the comment that Jesus made to Mary when He first started His ministry, at the first miracle that He conducted at the marriage feast in Cana; where his mother asked Him to do something (supernatural) concerning the lack of wine (John 2:3-4), and Jesus response was: “Mine has not come” – this passage always struck me as funny, when teachers would explain that Jesus was referring to His death and resurrection; yet it makes more sense if you understand that what He was stating was “I am not making a public announcement concerning my anointing,” by doing a public miracle, yet He does so discreetly; displaying honor to His mother, while also fulfilling prophecy of His first miracle – yet not done so openly as to be understood to be a divine miracle performed by the hands of Jesus as the Messiah.  

There are so many things that Jesus did that made no sense until you understand that Jesus could not present Himself as the Messiah until the very day that the lamb was to be presented to the priest for Passover, 4 days before His death as a “Lamb of God,” who would die for the sins of the world. 

What’s funny, is that when Jesus tells his disciples to go get the colt at a certain location, what is not obvious in the English, but is in the Greek is that He tells them to use a particular phrase wherein the inhabitants would understand its meaning.  They just didn’t go down some street and pick up some animal, this was pre-arranged by Jesus himself.  We must understand that: “one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled”², was literal in every sense of the statement. 

With Responsibility Comes Accountability
One of the passages that never made sense to me, now make sense – Luke 19:42 &44 (19:35-44 is presented to maintain context)

“And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.”

What is not obvious in the English, but is in the Greek is that the phrase: “If thou hadst known,” which is NOT a reference to something NOT known before, but something that was unacknowledged, but was apparent – something that was refused to be acknowledged. 

And this phrase: “at least in this thy day,” is a reference to a particular day as noted by the use of the article, which concerned this people in particular.  In the expression: “the things which belong unto thy peace,” is better translated “the thing that would grant you peace;” which did not occur because they were held accountable for not acknowledging their Messiah on this very day. 

38 years later Jerusalem would be destroyed, and they would be scattered among the nation for 2000 years because of them refusing to acknowledge their Messiah on this particular day – would a righteous God hold these people accountable for what they could not see, or rather what they refused to admit (the church fathers record that the Holy Spirit, through prophecy had forewarned the Christians prior to the Roman General Titus encamping around the city, and that not one Christian was among those that starved to death, killed, or were taken prisoner – the believer’s understood the day of their visitation and they were not under the wrath of God, only the Jews who refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah.  We must understand that when Anna and Simeon; perceived that it was time for the Messiah this was a common perception then.  Even Harrod’s religious leaders were aware that the Messiah should come at any time – how were they aware of this?  Sir Robert Anderson did not discover this originally, he only rediscovered it – the Jews knew this long ago – as the Jews at Jesus time understood it was the time that their Messiah would come soon.  This is why when Jesus was a young boy, age 7, the Romans, who had already captured Judea in 63 BC, took away the ability to self rule of the Jews by taking away the ability to perform capital punishment [which is why the Romans had to crucify Jesus, rather than the Jews following the mandate of "The Law" by stoning Jesus]; Rabbinical leaders put on sackcloth and ashes, walking through the city of Jerusalem wailing and saying: ”God’s Word had been broken,” because the Messiah had not come forth – that Genesis 49:10 “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be,” had been broken – that the “sceptre” – which is the right to rule was taken away and “Shiloh” had not come.  “Shiloh” was another term for the Messiah – however, they did not know that there was a young boy in a carpenter’s shop, Jesus who was on the scene, that He was “Shiloh” ~ alive in Israel – that He had fulfilled Genesis 49:10 by “until Shiloh come“- that He had been given the right to rule Israel by God at His birth – the “sceptre” belonged to Jesus, the Romans were not the rulers of Israel – God was in control - He, God would take the life of His Son   [Jesus laid down His life ~ John 10:17-18; but also the Father gave His Son ~ John 3:16; Romans 5:8 - God was always in control, which is why we can trust Him - have faith in Him because He has the ability to control everything, and does His good Will] who would literally fulfill the prophecy of the Messiah, presenting Himself to Israel openly when He did so while entering Jerusalem 21 years later). 

Jesus holds them – the Jews accountable to have known that this was their day, the day that the prophets had spoke of, the day the Messiah would come forth - present Himself – that would have brought them peace, forever.  Instead they rejected and killed Him, only to have three legions from the Roman army destroy the Temple and the city thirty 38 years later as Christ had foretold in Matthew 24. 

The passage states,

“… His disciples came to Him to show Him the buildings of the temple.  And Jesus said to them, Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” (Matthew 24:1-2) 

Titus, the Roman General gave orders to not destroy the Temple, so as to save the gold.  However, a solider inadvertently caught the Temple on fire, with all the gold melting into the cracks in the floor.  Titus had every stone of the Temple un-dug to retrieve the gold, thus totally fulfilling Christ prophecy.  

Why would someone go to all expense and labor to tear up every stone of the Temple, not leaving one upon another – this prophecy of Jesus’ seemed ridiculous?  Yet, in understanding that in order to retrieve the melted gold this was necessary, it all makes sense.  This is one of the ways God’s Word proves itself, in making sense out of nonsense – thus building faith in the process. 

You see this is why the prophecy in Daniel is so important – is because God always makes sense of nonsense, He makes clear what seems uncertain and unclear.  He goes so far as to even tell us the very day that His Deliverer, His only begotten Son, the Anointed “Goel” – “Kinsman-Redeemer,” would come forth and present Himself to the world.  That even though His own would reject Him, this would open the door so that God could bring redemption to the whole world, yet through the Jew.    

To conclude, I will present the last 3 verses of Daniel with bracketed inserts for the sake of clarity.  I have merely addressed only a portion of this prophecy which dealt primarily with the presentation of the Messiah, however there is so much more here. I will also attach a few different diagrams for further consideration. 

These are meant to be a starting point for doing your own investigation, yet anyone seeking more information need to simply e-mail me with your questions or requests.

bb    

A break down of Daniel 9:24-27:

Daniel 9:24-27 states:

Verse 24, “Seventy weeks are determined for your people [Jews] and for your holy city [Jerusalem], to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy [Jesus’ second coming].” 

Verse 25, “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem [445 B.C., the third command which was to rebuild the city and its walls] until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks [of years] and sixty-two weeks  [69 weeks of years = 173,880 days]; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.” 

Verse 26, “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off  [Cutoff = “killed for a capital offense”], but not for Himself [For the sins of the world]; and the people [Romans] of the prince [Antichrist] who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.  The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.” 

Verse 27, “Then he [little he, the Antichrist] shall confirm a covenant with many for one week [Seven years]; but in the middle of the week [three and a half years] He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering [The rebuilt Temple].  And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate [“Abomination to make desolate” was done already once in 170 B.C. by sacrificing a pig on the Alter and will done by the Antichrist half way during his peace treaty], even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.”

The following diagram may help concerning this last verse above regarding the last days timeline.

Endnotes
1. Luke 19:29
2. Matthew 5:18
3. Luke 19:39-42
Diagrams created by Koinonia Ministries.

 

 

 

THE FOLLOWING IS EXTRA INFORMATION

YOU MAY ENLARGE ANY OF THE DIAGRAMS BY CLICKING ON THEM TO GAIN MORE CLARITY

What must be understood about the 70 weeks of Daniel is that 69 of the weeks are completed  with the death of the Messiah, and that there is a gap of time wherein the church, which was not spoke about in the Old Testament, which was a special revelation given to Paul according to Ephesians 3:2-6; is a parenthesis in time, and that the seventieth week, or last 7 years commonly referred to as the tribulation will deal solely with Israel. 

 

This parentheses referred to as the “church,” is a mystery unspoken before Paul’s revelation, and will last for an disclosed  amount of time(until “the times of the Gentiles is fulfilled” – which is who makes up the church, the Gentiles ~ Romans 11:25) until Jesus will return in the air to reclaim Hid church, by being “caught up” (1 Thess. 4:17 ~ “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”), and God will again deal with Israel; and fulfill the rest of His prophecies concerning the remnant that will come back to Him. 

We must realize that on 24 occasions there are what is referred to as “gaps (below I listed the Scriptures concerning these gaps),” spans of time where God does not openly show us what occurs, but where He hides the future.  He is under no requirement to explain everything to us.  This is why you see Jesus in Luke chapter 4 read out of Isaiah 61, but stops halfway through the prophecy declaring that He has fulfilled the first half of the passage, with part of the passage unfulfilled - the reason why is He will fulfill the rest of the passage during His “Second Coming,” when He will complete “the day of vengeance of our God…”

Luke 4:17-22, (Jesus’ is reading Isaiah 61:1-3) States:

“And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son“ 

Isaiah 61:1-3, States:

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, [Jesus stops here - because He has only been assigned to do this first half of the prophecy at this point, He will finish the rest of this prophecy at His second coming - His first coming is to be that "Lamb of God" who dies for the sins of the world, at His second coming, He will be the warrior that Israel was always looking for the first time, to bring vengeance against Israel's enemies.] and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.”

 

THE MULTIPLE GAP THEORY ~ (24)

 Introduction
There are twenty-four gaps in the Bible.  These gaps of time are located between Scriptures that are not identified as having breaks in the text, in which God hides valuable treasures.  They are hidden truths that God reveals to His own, in His own time.  They center on the Church, Christ’s Bride.  The Church was not spoke about in the Old Testament, it is an unrevealed surprise, a “Mystery,” (Greek, “Musterion,” something totally hidden, with no hint it existed) as Paul states in Ephesians 1:9-10 (V.22); 3:1-6; 3:8-9; 5:32.

An Example
An example can be found in the text of Isaiah 61:1, 2.  Jesus Christ quotes this passage when He begins His ministry, where He speaks about part of His mission, that of first coming and starting the Church. 

Luke 4:16-21, states,

“So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.’  Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’” 

Jesus read this text, which has always been understood to be a prophecy of the Messiah.  It appeared to be a single event; however He revealed that in reality the passage was speaking about two separate events.  The Messiah did not have a singular undertaking, but two completely distinct missions that were separated by over two thousands years, that of Christ’s first coming and His second coming, with the Church set between the two.  His first mission was proclaimed in verse one, and in the first sentence of verse two.¹  However, He stopped short of finishing the rest of the text and said that the verses He had read thus far were fulfilled that day.  What the rest of verse two said was, “and the day of vengeance of our God.”  This was referring to another, future event which has come to be commonly called Christ’s second coming.  This is a good example of Christ’s dual missions:  first as Savior, Redeemer, head of His Church, and as an earth-born man who was really God.  Then in His second coming as Judge and punisher, coming down from heaven as God who was also a man.²

This is one of many examples in God’s Word where God has created mysteries,³ in which He would guide His own to uncover concerning Christ’s Church and the last days that surround it.  It has been wisely said that, “if there appears to be a contradiction in the Bible it is a signpost the Holy Spirit is using to get our attention so as to indicate that the text has hidden or special importance.”  The same is true about Biblical gaps, the Luke 4:18, 19 passage is a good example.  Because it reveals the misconceived notion that the Messiah of Israel was to come to earth only once as the conquering govern who would expel the usurpers.  Where as, when Jesus revealed the gap located in the Isaiah passage, it became known that the Messiah had to come to earth twice.  First, as the Lamb of God to die for the sins of mankind, and the second time as the conquering King to take possession of that which He paid for with His life.  If you study these 24 gaps, when you examine a passage, you will find that the particular gap in time that is being referred too is literally where the Church is present, and concerns Christ’s Church, of which He is the Groom, or the time surrounding the Church.  As is true with all studies in God’s Word, that the Holy Spirit would have us understand that the underlying theme is always Jesus Christ, and in this instance Jesus as the Head of the Church.

The following are other gaps written into God’s Word:

 

            Psalms 34:12-16, Quoted in 1 Peter 3:10-12

            Psalms 118:22

            Isaiah 9:6

            Isaiah 53:10

            Isaiah 61:2, Quoted in Luke 4:18-20

            Lamentations 4:21,22

            Daniel 9:26

            Daniel 11:20,21

            Hosea 2:13,14

            Hosea 3:4,5

            Amos 9:10,11

            Micah 5:2,3

            Habakkuk 2:13,14

            Zephaniah 3:7,8

            Zephaniah 9:9,10

            Matthew 10:23

            Matthew 12:20

            Luke 1:1,32

            Luke 4:18-20, Quoting Isaiah 61:1,2

            Luke 21:24

            John 1:5,6

            1 Peter 1:11

            1 Peter 3:10-12, Quoting Psalms 34:12-16

            Revelation 12:5,6

 Warning
We cannot cut up Scriptures, using what suits us and discarding what does not.  It is by thoroughly immersing ourselves in God’s Word, and availing ourselves completely to the Holy Spirit, that we can determine how to correctly divide God’s Word. 

2 Timothy 2:15, says:

“Study [give diligense] to shew thyself [conduct yourself] approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  We must use Scripture to interpret Scripture.  We must also remember, “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,” (II Peter 1:20, NKJV)

Correctly Studying God’s Word
Doctrinal error can be avoided by applying three foundational rules of exegeses (expository critiques of Scripture).

 1. Scripture must be used to interpret Scripture, using the whole of God’s Word. 

2. Context, both immediate and that of all of Scripture is to be used in interpreting text. 

3. The mass of Scripture on any doctrine must be used to interpret that doctrine, not only a few select verses, but the majority of the Bibles teaching on that subject.

Endnotes
1. The Scriptures were not created with chapters and verses, chapters were introduced in the twelfth century, and verses were added later in the fifteenth century.
2. Revelations 1:12; 14:14.
3. Examples of mysteries hidden from mankind, to be reveled by God to His own:

1. Mystery⁴ of the Kingdom (the church), Matthew chapter 13 had seven parables, which coincided  with the seven churches of Paul’s letters (he wrote 13 letters, 3 were continuations to the same churches, 3 were to individuals, and 7 were to churches), which coincided with the seven church letters Jesus dictated in Revelation (Matthew 13:11, Revelation 2 & 3).
2. Mystery of lawlessness.  (II Thessalonians 2)
3. Mystery Babylon.  (Revelation 17 & 18)
4. Mystery of the rapture.  (I Corinthians 15:51-53, I Thessalonians 4:16, Gk. harpazo, “caught up” of “snatched up”)
5. Mystery of Israel rejecting their Messiah.  (Romans 11:25)
6. Mystery of Christ and the church.  (Ephesians 3:3; Colossians 1:24-27)
7. Mystery of the will of God.  (Ephesians 1:9-3:1)

4. The Greek word used in the above passages that is translated into the English word “mystery” is musterion.  It is a derivative of muo (to shut the mouth).  Vines states, “In the NT it denotes, not the mysterious (as with the Eng. word), but that which, being outside the range of unassisted natural apprehension, can be made known only by divine revelation, and is made known in a manner and at a time appointed by God, and to those only who are illumined by His Spirit. In the ordinary sense a “mystery” implies knowledge withheld; its Scriptual significance is truth revealed.   Hence the terms especially associated with the subject are “made known,” “manifested,” “revealed,” “preached,” “understand,” “dispensation.” The definition given above may be best illustrated by the following passage: “the mystery which hath been hid from all ages and generations: but now hath it been manifested to His saints” (Col. 1:26, RV).

 

 

 

The Difference Between “The Time of the Gentiles” & “The Fullness of the Gentiles”

Introduction
Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to explain to a mechanic an intermittent problem you are having if you have no training or understanding of the dynamics of the automobile.  Yet, if you approach the same problem after having taken a class in automotive repair, while perhaps not capable of understanding every potential problem you are have based upon the symptoms your car is displaying, it is easier to communicate with the mechanic because you have a common vocabulary concerning the subject matter. 

I guess what I’m attempting this communicate is that life is not simple, it is by nature complicated.  And while attempting to simplify matters is what teachers attempt to do by use of figures of speech, such as analogies or metaphors; there must be at least a common language that can be utilized before the student can comprehend the complexity of any subject.

The human nature, at least my nature is to make it is easy as possible.  I enjoy the comfortable lifestyle.  In spite of the fact that if someone was to evaluate me according to my essays they might come to the conclusion that I am a perfectionist, or at least complicated in the way I perceive life, this does not take into account how I am by nature – it is an examination of the attributes or behaviors that I display, yet does not take into consideration who I am in my essence.

I, like us all prefer it simple, easy, and comfortable.  However, life is complicated and demands that if we are to tackle any question we must commit ourselves to address the complexity of that subject matter.  I guess what I’m saying is, as much as I do enjoy the simplicity of essays, such as my last posting; it is getting back to the rigors of getting into more complicated presentations that as a teacher I am required in my accountability to the work at hand in general, and to God in particular.

If what I’m saying is not correct, then explain to me why we need 66 books, thousands of pages; for God to communicate His message to man – because it’s complicated.  And what I found in my experience is that those that would seek to stay within a greater simplicity, at least as far as they’re concerned; to confine their teachings to the New Testament, they miss so much because the New Testament is based upon the premises and teachings of the Old Testament.

When we try to simplify God’s message too much, we discredit it due to a lack of clarity and comprehension that God wishes to present.

What we need to do is speak to a baby in terms that it would understand, talk to a adolescent in a manner they can comprehend, communicate a teenager in a way that they can apply application, and we need to teach adults according to their ability to fully understand and to see the whole picture; not just small pieces or parts – it is in seeing the whole that faith, based upon God’s Word truly grows.

It is always attempting to aid the person in growing, in stretching, in extending their grasp; that a teacher is called.

Teachers, by the virtue of their vocation are meant to tackle the complicated aspects of their subject matter in order that what is misunderstood or unknown becomes profitable by becoming comprehendible.

And many times the subject matter, at least according to the title or heading may appear to hold no value to the reader.

However, it is when we come to understand that there is a reason to continue on, that we end up unearthing a treasure; which at least concerning God’s Word, according to the blessing of the Holy Spirit, becomes a faith producing insight.

Part of the problem of attempting to keep things simple regarding God’s Word is that many times something appears inconsistent when compared to other things in God’s Word.  The following presentation is a good example of how two terms that seem to refer to the same thing, do not; and due to the confusion have caused many problems for the last 2000 years; sidetracking major doctrines, while even creating division within the Body of Christ. 

Time of the Gentiles

We get this term “times of the Gentiles,” from Jesus.  He is the only one that refers to this time by this particular terminology which is found in Luke 21:24, which says:

“And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

It is obvious from the context that Jesus is speaking about the destruction of Jerusalem which would occur 38 years later under Roman general Titus, and that Jerusalem would continue to be trodden underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles was fulfilled.

From Jesus reference, we know that this times of the Gentiles had already started, as Jerusalem had been under the rule at that time of the Romans, and before that the Parthians, and before that yet Romans again, and prior to that the Greeks, and prior to that the Persians, and prior to that there original captors were the Babylonians.  Therefore, since Jesus was speaking about the time period when Jerusalem would be controlled by other nations, (“nations” is synonymous with Gentile), and we know that this has been the case since their bondage under Nebuchadnezzar; we understand that when ever this time is fulfilled, it is yet future. 

This term has to do with their slavery, so obviously this is a negative situation.

This is a reference to a time clock which according to Daniel 2:29-49, started with the Babylonian captivity were the Jews were conquered, and will be completed when Jesus comes back to rescue the remnant of Israel.  It is a political term which refers to the dominance of the Gentiles over Israel. 

According to Dr. Kenneth Wuest:

The ‘times of the Gentiles’ began with the captivity of Judah under Nebuchadnezzar 2 Chronicles 36:1-21, since which time Jerusalem has been under Gentile overlordship.” (Also see Scofield Bible, p. 1106).¹

According to Wilmington’s guide of the Bible:

The fullness of the Gentiles, Romans 11:11-25, should be distinguished from the times of the Gentiles mentioned by Christ in Luke 21:24.

The “times” of the Gentiles is political in nature and refers to that period from the Babylonian captivity until the end of the Tribulation. (See Deuteronomy 28: 28-68; II Chronicles 36:1-21; Daniel 9 no:24-27.)²

The Fullness of the Gentiles

The term of “the fullness of the Gentiles,” as is used by Paul in Romans 11:25, which states:

“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that hardening in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”

This is a reference to the churchof Jesus Christ; it is connected with Ephesians 3:4-8, which states:

“And by referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ.³“ 

This term, “The fullness of the Gentiles,” addresses the idea that salvation, which God extended to the Jews⁴, via the blessings of Abraham their father, that would be yet extended to the Gentiles⁵ as well.  The word for fullness here is a Greek word that is mathematical and nature. 

What we do not see in the English but is an apparent in the Greek is that when it speaks of the “fullness of the Gentiles” it means the last number of the Gentiles.  We understand that this text indicates when the last individual enters the church is what this refers to. 

Our vernacular would be when the last person that is predestination to be saved is saved and that number is hit, then we have entered the completeness of all those Gentiles which make up the church of Jesus Christ.  It is a term that is used in harmony with our idea of the rapture (SIDENOTE: see Endnote #7 for a timeline concerning last days – very soon we will present an essay concerning the presentation of the subject matter: “The Rapture”).  And while English word “rapture,” which is not in our English translation of the Bible, because this word comes from the Latin Vulgate translation.  We find this word used in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, which states:

“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up [Greek: harpazo] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 

The literal English translation of the word phrase “caught up“ [Greek: harpazo] is the “Snatching away,” which is what Paul uses concerning this end-time event.  We must understand that as the church (salvation to Jews and Gentiles alike, combined) was a secret completely hidden in the Old Testament (see Endnote #6), and therefore its inception (Acts 2) must be a secret as well, this would mandate that it’s retraction (1 Thess. 4:16) would be a secret as well. 

Therefore, the “Fullness of the Gentiles” – that last person to be saved that trips the number counter that God has determined will make up the church, trips what we’ve referred to as the rapture or snatching away.

The fact that these two terms sound so closely alike in the English adds to the confusion.  However, the Greek as found in the New Testament concerning Luke 21:24, Romans 11:25; are clear that the phrases are very different, and hopefully these references will be able to help you to see with greater clarity what God has revealed to us, His children through His Word.

The following diagram was created by Chuck Missler, and gives a visual insight into how the “Fullness of the Gentiles” and the “Time of the Gentiles” interact within the stage of history.

 

                                   

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO EXPAND IT

 

 

Endnotes

1.  WORD STUDIES IN THE GREEK NEW TESTAMENT, Dr. Kenneth S. Wuest, Wm. B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI 49502, USA, 1990, Electronic Media.
2.  WILLMINGTON’S GUIDE OF THE BIBLE, Dr. H. L. Willmington, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60187, USA, 2008, Electronic media.  Also see: Romans 16:25,26; Ephesians 1:9-12; Ephesians 3:1-6; and Colossians 1:25-27.
3.  John 4:22, “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.” 
4.  Gentile:  (Heb., usually in plural, goyim), meaning in general all nations except the Jews. In course of time, as the Jews began more and more to pride themselves on their peculiar privileges, it acquired unpleasant associations, and was used as a term of contempt. In the New Testament the Greek word Hellenes, meaning literally Greek (as in Acts 16:1, 3; 18:17; Rom. 1:14), generally denotes any non-Jewish nation (EASTON’S BIBLE DICTIONARY AND BOOK SYNOPSIS, M.G. Easton, Ellis Enterprises Inc. Oklahoma City, OK 73120, USA, 1988-1999, Electronic Media.)
5. EASTON‘S BIBLE DICTIONARY AND BOOK SYNOPSIS, M.G.Easton, Ellis Enterprises Inc. Oklahoma City, OK 73120, USA, 1988-1999, Electronic Media.)
6.  “If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:” (Ephesians 3:2-6)
7.  Eschatological Timeline

1. The Rapture (1Th_4:17)
2. The Judgment Seat (“Bema Seat”) of Christ (Rom_14:10; 2Co_5:10)
3. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev_19:7)
4. The Second Coming of Christ (Luk_17:30)
5. The Judgment of the Nations – Sheep & Goats (Mat_25:31-46)
6. Satan Bound for 1000 Years (Rev_20:3)
7. The Final Judgment – White Throne (Rev_20:11)
8. The New Jerusalem (Rev_21:2)

Biblical Insights of Israel is an ongoing topical series that examines Israel in the last days, the Messiah, and prophecy.  We believe that Israel is the indicator of God’s timeline, and that by watching God’s dealings with them, that the church can witness His unfolding plan for mankind.  According to Christ, “salvation is from the Jews.”  They through Abraham have unconditional promises that God will still perform.  This ministry has a special love for our Israeli brothers and sisters, and prays that the United States will always be their ally and therefore receive God’s blessing.  Our main focus is always on Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of the world, God incarnate, He alone deserves preeminence in God’s Word.  God’s Word, the Holy Bible stands alone as our source of guidance and direction, and is our singular foundation for and of faith.  Biblical Insights of Israel is an outreach ministry of Faith Bible Ministries, a division of Faith Video Ministries Inc. You may contact us at our e-mail address: bb@faithbibleministries.com

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“If my people which are called by my name…”

Introduction
There are passages in the Bible in which God has constructed in such a simple way, whereas by breaking down the particular elements in a rudimentary manner, laying one upon another, a simple progression is obvious, wherein understanding God’s Will concerning the statements is easy to grasp.  The following is a good example of this blessing.

2 Chronicles 7:14

“if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

A. Who; those who are “called by my name” = Christ-ian (-ian = “follower of”), if they:

1.      Humble yourself
2.      Pray
3.      Seek God’s face
4.      Turn from sinful patterns, then

B. God will respond by blessing the survival of those who are “called by His name” if they follow these 4 steps.

Concerning God’s expectation of his followers, those which have committed faith in Him according to His leadership, wherein God holds the rule over their lives, their behavior should reflect this servitude.  The following Scriptures display God’s desires for the conduct of His children.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Micah 6:8

“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God“

A. “What is good” and “required” by God of His people (this passage is to God’s people) is to:

 1.      do (the behavior of) justice
2.      love kindness (which is to continually seek after mercy, grace, & loyalty)
3.      Live a humble life
4.      With God by following His direction, as opposed to our own.

Hebrews 12:1

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

1. According to, and in response to the lives and behaviors (examples) of faith of prior believers:

A.      Stop the pattern of habitual sin, whereby with usage becomes more powerful, gaining control,

B.      Consistently, maintain the Christian walk of obedience through suffering based upon faith, as Christ did, being our example suffered short-term loss(immediate gratification), for the consideration of long-term spiritual gains (that of the honor God would show him for his obedience).  

(Christ lived in faith, the Greek words for “author” and “finisher” means that He – Jesus is the original one to have successfully done it, and did it completely.  The word “our,” is not in the original text, it was only assumed by the interpreters – incorrectly ~ Christ displayed what He demanded of us, pouring Himself out and becoming a man, divine in His essence, human in His attributes.  Faith only has an opportunity when there is need, Christ lived in faith because He became in “all points a man” ~ Hebrews 4:15.  Please see the essay page on the website entitled “Faith?” “Part 2″,  which gives proof text and other references in validation for this teaching)

Romans 12:1-2

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.   And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

A.Paul states that in consideration of the mercies that he had presented in the 1st 11 chapters of this epistle, that the believer should:

1.      Separate (sanctify unto God) themselves, giving themselves wholly to God, which is
2.      Their reasonable (rational thinking ~ displaying “worth-ship”) duty as servants of God, and 
3.      Are to maintain a separate (sanctified from the world) life apart from this sinful world, and
4.      Become changed according to the rethinking (regeneration) taking place according to the
            indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and by dwelling upon God’s engrafted Word (Jam. 1:21), and
5.      Thereby display, a separated life where good is present to witness to all, which is
6.      God’s reasonable demand upon our life in fulfilling his will.

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A Culture of Spectators ~ Something to Think About

There are a few expressions that I would like to repeat:

“Christianity began as a company of lay witnesses, that has became a professional troop of performers,
financed by lay spectators.” (author unknown)

“Christian idolatry can be seen when believers: worship their work, work at their play,
and play at their worship.” (author unknown)

“Christianity began in Judea as a community, was taught in Greece as a philosophy, was conducted in Rome as an institution, permeated Europe as a culture, in America became a lifestyle, which today has turned into a business.” (Brent Bolin)

Introduction
In 21^st century America we have become a society of spectators.  We practice watching people live, which can only be done when we momentarily stop living ourselves.  We watch television, we watch theater movies, we watch rented videos and DVD’s, we watch plays, we watch musicals, we watch music videos, we watch music concerts, we watch lounge acts, we watch standup comedians, we watch casino shows, we watch basketball, we watch baseball, we watch football, we watch soccer, we watch golf, we watch billiards tournaments, we watch the Olympics, we watch dog shows, we watch rodeos, we watch dancing, we watch auto racing, we watch dirt bike racing, we watch fishing, we watch hunting, we watch TV Evangelist, we watch choirs, we watch Teachers, we watch Preachers, we watch as others live life, and worst of all we watch each other, caring too much what others think, rather than doing what God has told us to do.

However, we are told to be doers, and not hearers only.¹  In fact we are told:

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” 

What the Holy Spirit is saying through James is that IF you are a hearer only, you are deceiving yourself.  The text goes on to say,

“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.”²  

This allegory illustrates that if all you do is hear in regards to the Word of God, and don’t do what it says, its like briefly looking at your reflection, but forget it as soon as you leave the mirror - you go live life and forget what the Word says – practice keeps the Word of God alive in your life.

A final expression to think about is found on a cathedral in Lubeck, Germany, which states:

Thus speaketh Christ our Lord to us:
Ye call Me Master and obey Me not.
Ye call Me Light and see Me not.
Ye call Me Way and walk Me not.
Ye call Me Life and choose Me not.
Ye call Me Wise and follow Me not.
Ye call Me Fair and love Me not.
Ye call Me Rich and ask Me not.
Ye call Me Eternal and seek Me not.
Ye call Me Noble and serve Me not.
Ye call Me Gracious and trust Me not.
Ye call Me Might and honor Me not.
Ye call Me Just and fear Me not.
If I condemn you, blame Me not.

Endnotes
1. James 1:22
2. James 1:23-24

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The Heart and the Mind – What the Biblical word “Heart’ Means

I thought I had posted this before, but did not.  This is for Karen.

Introduction

In both the Old Testament (OT) and the New Testament (NT) the word “heart” is used to refer to the whole of the innermost part of the human.  However, in the twenty-first century English the word “heart” is used to express the emotions as an individual compartment of the inner part of the human.  It is common for Americans to divide humans into the physical and the metaphysical.  While this is a widespread insight, the way most Americans compartmentalize the internal (metaphysical) aspect of humans is diverse from many other cultures.  We tend to see people as having three sperate parts:

 1. A mental (rational, reasoning) component

2. An emotional (feeling, instinctual) component

3. The seat of the will (discretionary, volitional, decision making) component 

However, the Bible does not divide man so easily – it focuses on all three making up the whole of a being – Biblically called the “heart.”  When both the Old and New Testaments speak about the heart, it never means simply (merely) the emotions. 

The mental process is always part of the equation.  The following excerpts, though thorough, are by no means exhaustive. 

 

Ed Bulkley

According to Ed Bulkley, in his book, Why Christians Can’t Trust Psychology, the Scriptures use at least four terms to describe the immaterial part of man: the heart, soul, spirit, and mind.  The descriptions and functions of these aspects of man seem to overlap.

Bulkley states:
The biblical term heart (lawbab or lebab in Hebrew; kardia in Greek) is the clearest summary of the innermost center of the human being.  Perhaps the closest psychological term to the heart is the ego, the Latin word for “I,” borrowed by Freud to denote the “self.”  Peter describes the inner man as “the hidden man of the heart” (I Peter 3:4 KJV), or the “inner self” (I Peter 3:4 NIV).  It is the center of one’s being (Proverbs 4:23), where he believes and exercises faith (Luke 24:25; Romans 10:9,10).  It is the location of the human deliberation, where wisdom is employed.  Understanding is said to be the function of the mind (Job 38:36), yet the connection to the heart is undeniable.  The heart is where a person discerns the difference between right and wrong (I Kings 3:9).

Finally, Bulkley says, the heart is the center of courage, emotions, and will. 

“Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). 

The heart is the center of man’s character – who he really is (Matthew 15:18). 

“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.  For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).¹     

Strong’s Dictionary

According to Strong’s, the Hebrew word lebab (3824) is rendered: “heart” (as the most interior organ); “being, think in themselves,” “breast,” “comfortably,” “courage,” “midst,” “mind,” “unawares,” and “understanding.”  Strong’s Greek Dictionary, states that the Greek word kardia (2588) is rendered: “heart,” i.e. (figuratively), the thoughts or feelings (mind); also (by analogy) the middle.²

 

Vine’s Old Testament Dictionary

According to Vine’s:
The Hebrew word Lebab (3824), rendered “heart” is the seat of desire, inclination, or will and can be the seat of the emotions.  The “heart” could be regarded as the seat of knowledge and wisdom and as a synonym of “mind.”  This meaning often occurs when ‘heart” appears with the verb “to know,” “Thus you are to know in your heart…” (Deut. 8:5, NASB); and “Yet the Lord hath not given you a heart to perceive [know]…” (Deut. 29:4, KJV; RSV, “mind”).  Solomon prayed, “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad…” (1 Kings 3:9; cf. 4:29).  Memory is the activity of the “heart,” as in Job 22:22: “…lay up his [God's] words in thine heart.”  The “heart” may be the seat of conscience and moral character.  How does one respond to the revelation of God and of the world around him?  Job answers: “…my heart shall not reproach me as long as I live” (27:6).  On the contrary, “David’s heart smote him…” (2 Sam. 24:10).  The “heart” is the fountain of man’s deeds: “…in the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this” (Gen. 20:5; cf. V. 6).  David walked “in uprightness of heart” (1 Kings 3:6) and Hezekiah “with a perfect heart” (Isa. 38:3) before God.  Only the man with “clean hands, and a pure heart” (Ps. 24:4) can stand in God’s presence.³

Vine’s New Testament Dictionary

According to Vine’s:
The Greek word kardia (2588), rendered “heart” (English, “cardiac,”), is the chief organ of physical life (“for the life of the flesh is in the blood,” Lev. 17:11), occupies the most important place in the human system.  By an easy transition, the word came to stand for man’s entire mental and moral activity, both the rational and the emotional elements. 

In other words, the heart is used figuratively for the hidden springs of the personal life.  The Bible describes human depravity as in the “heart”, because sin is a principle which has its seat in the center of man’s inward life, and then ‘defiles’ the whole circuit of his action, Matt. 15:19, 20.  On the other hand, Scripture regards the heart as the sphere of Divine influence, Rom. 2:15; Acts 15:9…. 

The heart, as lying deep within, contains “the hidden man,” 1 Pet. 3:4, the real man.  It represents the true character but conceals it (J. Laidlaw, in Hastings’ Bible Dic.).  As to its usage in the NT it denotes (a) the seat of physical life, Acts 14:17; Jas. 5:5; (b) the seat of moral nature and spiritual life, the seat of grief, John 14:1; Rom. 9:2; 2 Cor. 2:4; joy, John 16:22; Eph. 5:19; the desires, Matt. 5:28; 2 Pet. 2:14; the affections, Luke 24:32; Acts 21:13; the perceptions, John 12:40; Eph. 4:18; the thoughts, Matt. 9:4; Heb. 4:12; the understanding, Matt. 13:15; Rom. 1:21; the reasoning powers, Mark 2:6; Luke 24:38; the imagination, Luke 1:51; conscience, Acts 2:37; 1 John 3:20; the intentions, Heb. 4:12, (cf.) 1 Pet. 4:1; purpose, Acts 11:23; 2 Cor. 9:7; the will, Rom. 6:17; Col. 3:15; faith, Mark 11:23; Rom. 10:10; Heb. 3:12.  The heart, in its moral significance in the OT, includes the emotions, the reason, and the will.³

 

Holman Bible Dictionary

Holman gives the most thorough explanation concerning the definition of the English word “heart,” when it states:

The heart is the center of the physical, mental, and spiritual life of humans.  This contrasts to the normal use of kardia (“heart”) in Greek literature outside the Scriptures. The New Testament follows the Old Testament usage when referring to the human heart in that it gives kardia a wider range of meaning than it was generally accustomed to have.

First, the word heart refers to the physical organ and is considered to be the center of the physical life. Eating and drinking are spoken of as strengthening the heart (Gen. 18:5; Judg. 19:5; Acts 14:17). As the center of physical life, the heart came to stand for the person as a whole.

The heart became the focus for all the vital functions of the body; including both intellectual and spiritual life. The heart and the intellect are closely connected, the heart being the seat of intelligence: “For this people’s heart is waxed gross … lest at any time they should … understand with their heart, and should be converted” (Matt. 13:15). The heart is connected with thinking: As a person “thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7). To ponder something in one’s heart means to consider it carefully (Luke 1:66; 2:19). “To set one’s heart on” is the literal Hebrew that means to give attention to something, to worry about it (1 Sam. 9:20). To call to heart (mind) something means to remember something (Isa. 46:8). All of these are functions of the mind, but are connected with the heart in biblical language.

Closely related to the mind are acts of the will, acts resulting from a conscious or even a deliberate decision. Thus, 2 Corinthians 9:7: “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give.”  Ananias contrived his deed of lying to the Holy Spirit in his heart (Acts 5:4). The conscious decision is made in the heart (Rom. 6:17). Connected to the will are human wishes and desires. Romans 1:24 describes how God gave them up “through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies.”  David was a man after God’s “own heart” because he would “fulfill all” of God’s will (Acts 13:22).

Not only is the heart associated with the activities of the mind and the will, but it is also closely connected to the feelings and affections of a person. Emotions such as joy originate in the heart (Ps. 4:7; Isa 65:14). Other emotions are ascribed to the heart, especially in the Old Testament.  Nabal’s fear is described by the phrase: “his heart died within him” (1 Sam. 25:37; compare Ps. 143:4). Discouragement or despair is described by the phrase “heaviness in the heart” which makes it stoop (Prov. 12:25). Again, Ecclesiastes 2:20 says, “Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labor which I took under the sun.” Another emotion connected with the heart is sorrow. John 16:6 says, “because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.” Proverbs 25:20, describes sorrow as having “an heavy heart.” The heart is also the seat of the affection of love and its opposite, hate. In the Old Testament, for example, Israel is commanded: “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason with your neighbor, lest you bear sin because of him” (Lev. 19:17 RSV). A similar attitude, bitter jealousy, is described in James 3:14 as coming from the heart. On the other hand, love is based in the heart. The believer is commanded to love God “with all your heart” (Mark 12:30; compare Deut. 6:5). Paul taught that the purpose of God’s command is love which comes from a “pure heart” (1 Tim. 1:5).

Finally, the heart is spoken of in Scripture as the center of the moral and spiritual life. The conscience, for instance, is associated with the heart. In fact, the Hebrew language had no word for conscience, so the word heart was often used to express this concept: “my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live” (Job 27:6). The Revised Standard Version translates the word for “heart” as “conscience” in 1 Samuel 25:31 (RSV). In the New Testament the heart is spoken of also as that which condemns us (1 John 3:19-21). All moral conditions from the highest to the lowest are said to center in the heart. Sometimes the heart is used to represent a person’s true nature or character.  Samson told Delilah “all his heart” (Judg. 16:17). This true nature is contrasted with the outward appearance: “man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7RSV).

On the negative side, depravity is said to issue from the heart: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9). Jesus said that out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness,  slander (Matt. 15:19). In other words, defilement comes from within rather than from without.

Because the heart is at the root of the problem, this is the place where God does His work in the individual. For instance, the work of the law is “written in their hearts,” and conscience is the proof of this (Rom. 2:15). The heart is the field where seed (the Word of God) is sown (Matt. 13:19; Luke 8:15). In addition to being the place where the natural laws of God are written, the heart is the place of renewal. Before Saul became king, God gave him a new heart (1 Sam. 10:9). God promised Israel that He would give them a new spirit within, take away their “stony heart” and give them a “heart of flesh” (Ezek. 11:19). Paul said that a person must believe in the heart to be saved, “for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness” (Rom. 10:10). (See also Mark 11:23; Heb. 3:12.)

Finally, the heart is the dwelling place of God. Two persons of the Trinity are said to reside in the heart of the believer. God has given us the “ernest of the Spirit in our hearts” (2 Cor. 1:22). Ephesians 3:17 expresses the desire that “Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.” The love of God “is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Rom. 5:5).⁴

 

Easton’s Bible Dictionary

Easton’s states:
According to the Bible, the heart is the center not only of spiritual activity, but also of all the operations of human life.  “Heart” and “soul” are often used interchangeably (Deut. 6:5; 26:16; compare with Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:30, 33), but this is not generally the case.  The heart is the “home of the personal life,” and hence a man is designated, according to his heart, wise (1 Kings 3:12, etc.), pure (Ps. 24:4; Matt. 5:8, etc.), upright and righteous (Gen. 20:5, 6; Ps. 11:2; 78:72), pious and good (Luke 8:15), etc.  In these and such passages the word “soul” could not be substituted for “heart.”

Easton’s goes on to say, the heart is also the seat of the conscience (Rom. 2:15).  It is naturally wicked (Gen. 8:21), and hence it contaminates the whole life and character (Matt. 12:34; 15: 18; compare Eccl. 8:11; Ps. 73:7).  Hence, the heart must be changed, regenerated (Ezek. 36:26; 11:19; Ps. 51:10-14), before a man can willingly obey God.  The process of salvation begins in the heart by the believing reception of the testimony of God, while the rejection of that testimony hardens the heart (Ps. 95:8; Prov. 28:14; 2 Chr. 36:13).⁵

 

Elwell’s Theological Dictionary

Elwell’s states:
The Hebrew and Christian views on the nature of man were developed in a religious setting: there is no systematized or scientific psychology in the Bible.  Nevertheless, certain fundamental conceptions are worthy of note:

1. In the OT there is no very marked emphasis on individuality but, rather, on what is frequently now termed corporate personality.  Yet

2. A. R. Johnson has shown that a fundamental characteristic of OT anthropology is the awareness of totality.  Man is not a body plus a soul, but a living unit of vital power, a psychophysical organism.

3. The Hebrews thought of man as influenced from without, by evil spirits, the devil, or the Spirit of God, whereas in modern psychology the emphasis has tended to be placed on dynamic factors operating from within (though at the present time, fresh interest is being evoked in the study of environmental forces as factors influencing human behavior).

4. The study of particular words in the OT and NT affords a comprehensive view of the underlying Hebrew and Christian conceptions of man.

The OT English versions of the Bible, several Hebrew expressions are translated “heart,” the main words being leb and lebab.  In a general sense, heart means the midst, the innermost or hidden part of anything.  Thus, the midst (or heart) of the sea (Ps. 46:2); of heaven (Deut. 4:11); of the oak (II Sam. 14:18).  In the physiological sense, heart is the central bodily organ, the seat of physical life.  Thus, Jacob’s heart “fainted” (Gen. 45:26); Eli’s heart “trembled” (I Sam. 4:13).  However, like other anthropological terms in the OT, heart is also used very frequently in a psychological sense, as the center or focus of man’s inner personal life.  The heart is the source, or spring, of motives; the seat of the passions; the center of the thought processes; the spring of conscience.  Heart, in fact, is associated with what is now meant by the cognitive, affective, and volitional elements of personal life.

The book of Proverbs is illuminating here: The heart is the seat of wisdom (2:10; etc.); of trust (or confidence) (3:5); diligence (4:23); perverseness (6:14); wicked imaginations (6:18); lust (6:25); subtlety (7:10); understanding (8:5); deceit (12:20); folly (12:23); heaviness (12:25); bitterness (14:10); sorrow (14:13); backsliding (14:14); cheerfulness (15:13); knowledge (15:14); joy (15:30); pride (16:5); haughtiness (18:12); prudence (18:15); fretfulness (19:3); envy (23:17).

The NT word for heart is kardia.  It, too, has a wide psychological and spiritual connotation.  Our Lord emphasized the importance of right states of heart.  It is the pure in heart who see God (Matt. 5:8); sin is first committed in the heart (Matt. 5:28); out of the heart proceed evil thoughts and acts (Matt. 15:19); forgiveness must come from the heart (Matt. 18:35); men must love God with all their heart (Matt. 22:37); the word of God is sown, and must come to fruition, in the heart (Luke 8:11-15).

Paul’s use of Kardia is on similar lines.  According to H. W. Robinson, in his book “The Christian Doctrine of Man,” in fifteen cases heart denotes personality, or the inner life, in general (e.g., I Cor. 14:25); in thirteen cases, it is the seat of emotional states of consciousness (e.g., Rom. 9:2); in eleven cases, it is the seat of intellectual activities (e.g., Rom. 1:21); in thirteen cases, it is the seat of the volition (e.g., Rom. 2:5).  Paul uses other expressions, such as mind, soul, and spirit, to augment the conception of man; but, on the whole, it may be said that the NT word Kardia reproduces and expands the ideas included in the OT words leb and lebab.⁶

 

Harris’s Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament

Harris’s states:
lebab is rendered heart, understanding, and mind (also used in idioms such as “to set the heart upon” meaning “to think about” or “to want”).  Concrete meanings of leb referred to the internal organ and to analogous physical locations.  However, in its abstract meanings, “heart” became the richest biblical term for the totality of man’s inner or immaterial nature.  In biblical literature, it is the most frequently used term for man’s immaterial personality functions as well as the most inclusive term for them since, in the Bible; virtually every immaterial function of man is attributed to the “heart.”

By far the majority of the usages of leb refer either to the inner or immaterial nature in general or to one of the three traditional personality functions of man; emotion, thought, or will.  Thought functions may be attributed to the heart.  In such cases it is likely to be translated as “mind” or “understanding.”  To “set the heart to” may mean to “pay attention to” (Ex 7:23) or to “consider important” (II Sam 18:32).  Creative thought is a heart function.  Wicked devices originate in the heart (Gen 6:5).  The RSV translates “which came upon Solomon’s heart” as “all that Solomon had planned” (II Chr 7:11).

Wisdom and understanding are seated in the heart.  The “wise heart” (I Kgs. 3:12; RSV, “wise mind”) and “wise of heart” (Prov 16:23) are mentioned.  This idiom can be so strongly felt that “heart” virtually becomes a synonym for such ideas as “mind” (II Chr 9:23; RSV) or ‘sense” (Prov 11:12; RSV).  The heart functions in perception and awareness as when Elisha’s heart (i.e. Elisha’s perceptive nature; RSV “spirit”) went with Gehazi (II Kgs 5:26).

As the seat of thought and intellect, the heart can be deluded (Isa 44:20; RSV “mind”).  The heart is the seat of the will.  A decision may be described as “setting” the heart (II Chr 12:14).  “Not of my heart” expresses “not of my will” (Num 16:28).  The “hearts” of the Shechemites inclined to follow Abimelech (Jud 9:3).  Removal of the decision-making capacity is described as hardening the heart (Ex 10:1; Josh 11:20).  Closely connected to the preceding is the heart as the seat of moral responsibility.  Righteousness is “integrity of heart” (Gen 20:5).⁷

 

The New Testament Word Psyche 

According to Vine’s the NT word psuche (5590), which can be translated “soul,” or “life,” is rendered “heart” in Eph. 6:6, “doing the will of God from the heart.”  In Col. 3:23, a form of the word psuche preceded by ek, literally, “from (the) soul,” is rendered “heartily.” 

See the following (RV) Scriptures: Col. 3:12 (NASB, NJ); Philem. 7, 12, 20 (NKJV, NASB); 2 Cor. 3:3 (KJV, NKJV, NASB, RS, AS); Eph. 1:18 (AS, RS, NASB); Heb. 8:10, 10:16 (RS, AS, KJV, NKJV, NASB); Luke 21:26 (KJV, NKJV); 2 Cor. 7:2 (KJV, NKJV, RS, AS, NASB).³

 

Rabbinical Insight

Dan Stolebarger, Executive Director of Koinonia House, has reiterated the biblical rabbinical sages interpretation of the word “heart” to be a metaphor as the seat of craving and aspiration.⁸  However, this may be a mark of Judaism which is unbiblical and definitely not Christian.  And while it can be said that the heart is a place that intensifies thought or reason, or even emotions concerning that which the heart is fixated upon; it can never be separated from the intellectual component of thought and reason, with the emotions always subservient to the intellect is essences.

 

Conclusion

Hopefully from the plethora of references cited, it is beyond dispute that when the Bible refers to the heart it is not referring to the emotions solely.  While the emotions are a blessing of God, that lend exuberance and passion, both in the negative and positive aspects of sensation; they are never meant as the sole device of discretion.  This is the place of the seat of the will, but always according to the intellect in response to what God has said.  And while we should consider the emotions in any decisions we make, this is always in a subservient role, never taking preeminence.

There is an abundance of references to the heart as having the lead role in decision-making.  Both the Old and New Testaments present the word “heart” as always used to include the mental process (rational and reason), and the will (volition), as well as the emotions.

 

Final Definition

Personally, I believe the best definition of heart, is the focus of the mind.

The Bible never instructs us to be lead by our emotions, but rather by our minds.  It is with our minds that we focus our attention and choose to obey God, and it is those actions that first are decided with our mind in consideration of what we focus on, that God holds us accountable. 

Biblically speaking, we are to focus on God’s Word and His Will, as our will determines the direction that we take.  We must always remember, what God says about the human heart,  that it: “… is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked,”⁹but it is also with our hearts that we exercise faith unto salvation.

 

bb

All Scripture verses listed, unless otherwise noted, refer to the King James Version.

 Endnotes  

1. WHY CHRISTIANS CAN’T TRUST PSYCHOLOGY, Ed Bulkley, PH. D., Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR 97402, 1993, Page 335, 336.  

2. STRONG’S EXHAUSTIVE CONCORDANCE TOGETHER WITH DICTIONARIES OF HEBREW AND GREEK WORDS, James Strong, Baker Book House Company, Grand Rapids, MI 49546, USA, 1981, electronic media.

3. VINE’S EXPOSITORY DICTIONARY OF OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT WORDS, W.E. Vine, Ellis Enterprises Inc., Oklahoma City, OK 73120, USA, 1988, electronic media.

4. HOLMAN BIBLE DICTIONARY, General Editor: Trent C. Butler, PH. D., Gerald Cowen, Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, TE 37234, USA, electronic media. 

5. EASTON’S BIBLE DICTIONARY AND BOOK SYNOPSIS, Easton, M.G.,  Ellis Enterprises Inc., Oklahoma City, OK 73120, USA, 1988-1999, electronic media.

6. ELWELL’S EVANGELICAL DICTIONARY OF THEOLOGY, Walter A. Elwell, Baker Book House Company, Grand Rapids, MI 49546, USA, 1984, electronic media.

7. HARRIS’S THEOLOGICAL WORDBOOK OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, Harris, R. Laid, Moody Press, Chicago, IL 60610, USA, 1980.

8. KOINONIA HOUSE, Founder: Dr. Chuck Missler, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83816, USA, 2008,  electronic media found @ khouse.org.

9. Jeremiah 17:9.

 

Biblical Counseling is an ongoing topical series that deals with the problems of life.  It comes from a purely God centered, thus Biblical perspective; as compared with a man centered psychological one.  The field of psychology has always begun with certain presuppositions; rather stated, hided, or even known by some of its current practitioners.  There are many types of psychology; consequently, there are many different groupings of these presuppositions.  A random listing might consist of: Determinism, Experimentalism, Reductionism, Naturalism, and Relativism.  Others might also add Materialism, Evolution, Empiricism, Humanism, and even Occultism.  Biblical Counseling is based on two presuppositions.  First, Jesus Christ is the Son of God; He is Savior, Redeemer, Lord, and Divine.  He is the central focus of all creation, the Bible, a believer’s life, and the Will of the Father.  Secondly, the Bible is God’s communication, and more importantly, His words to men.  It is inspired, inerrant, and most notably for the believer, it is sufficient to address man’s needs.  Therefore, psychological endeavors which are humanistic in nature are not sufficient to meet the needs of man, only God’s Holy Word is.  Our main focus is always on Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  Biblical Counseling is an outreach ministry of Faith Video Ministries Inc.  You may contact us at our e-mail address: blb@faithvideoministries.com

 

God & Irony – “You will become like what you worship”

Introduction
One of the things I love about God, that can be seen in His Word; is that He has a sense of humor, sometimes displayed in irony, or even what we would refer to as sarcasm.  On a personal level, I hate sarcasm; when used by humans. 

Most of time when people utilize sarcasm is because they do not have a defense for their own position, and therefore in attacking another’s position they use sarcasm to emphasize, or more often; to emotionalize the argument.  This is common in politics.  Make the argument an emotional in an attempt to win whenever you lack rational evidence.

However, when it comes to God, sarcasm is different.  It comes in the form of condescension, wherein an eternal divine entity points out the realities of difference between Himself and the creation He has made; when the creation considers himself greater or at least equal to his maker.

A good example of this is found in Psalms chapter 2.  I believe it was E. W. Bullinger that first pointed out the fact that this Psalm appears to be a conversation that is held between God the Father, and God the Son; otherwise it sounds confusing and unclear.  Yet, this is probably one of the best examples of God’s form of sarcasm concerning His view in regards to His creation, when His creation thinks too much of itself.  It reads:

“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”  (Psalms 2:1-12)

My point is that God many times, in dealing with man uses irony because He relates to man at man’s own level; displaying how myopic and powerless man really is compared to God’s power; according to God’s perspective.  One of God’s ironies is that in time you will become like what you worship (the word “worship” is a cognate – two words put together: “worth” = to show value; and the suffix “ship,” in this case means = something displaying; therefore “worship” is any act display the worth of something, not necessarily religious in nature), – the last paragraph addresses this in particular.

There are some of us that believe that when God judges the unbeliever, while the main violation will be their refusal to accept God’s provision for their sin, the atoning death of Jesus Christ (which means they will to pay for their sin, themselves), God may also judge them according to their own standard (which is a subject for another day) – which would be the ultimate irony.

Perhaps one of the best examples of this type of irony is seen in the freeing of Israel from Egypt.  Chuck Missler wrote the following essay, which is highly informative concerning God using man’s own belief system against him in displaying the fertility of fighting against God.

The following is written by Koinonia House

The Plaques of Egypt

Introduction

The feast of Passover is a celebration, a time when Jews remember how God used Moses to free Israel from bondage and slavery in Egypt. There have been few dramas that can equal the story of the Exodus. Yet, while most Christians are familiar with the events of Passover, few of us are probably aware of the significance behind the other nine plagues.  Each of the nine plagues targeted specific ancient Egyptian gods, they were part of an invisible cosmic war against the demons of darkness. The plagues were a powerful and dramatic demonstration of the supremacy of the true and living God of Abraham and Moses.

Waters Turned to Blood

The first of the judgments was upon the waters of Egypt. The Nile was the highway of this ancient land, as it still is today. Not only was the Nile turned to blood, but the other waters of the land were as well, even the water that was drawn for use in the houses in wooden and stone jars. For seven days the whole land was in horror, with dead fish and a stench from the river.

To better appreciate what was going on, we must examine the numerous gods of the river: Osiris, one of the chief gods of Egypt, was first of all the gods of the Nile. He, with his companion, the mother god, Isis, and their child, Horus, were human-headed gods (in contrast to the many that had heads of birds, beasts, and reptiles).  There were other gods of the Nile, too: Hapimon in the north, and Tauret at Thebes, and the hippopotamus goddess of the river. There was also Nu, the god of life in the Nile. The supernatural pollution of the waters of the land were a humiliation to the gods the Egyptians worshiped.

The Frogs

The second of the wonders further proved the powerlessness of the gods of Egypt. The land was covered with a plague of frogs in such abundance that they infested the Egyptians’ houses and beds. One of the principal goddesses of the land was Hekt, the wife of the creator of the world, who was always shown with the head and the body of a frog. The frogs came out of the sacred Nile and Egypt’s devotion to them prevented them from dealing with them: they soon had decaying carcasses throughout the land, resulting in a stinking horror. (It is interesting that the climactic war against God in Revelation is assembled by three frog-like spirits.)

The Sand Flies

The third of the judgments on Egypt came out of the soil in Egypt. The Hebrew word ken, is translated “lice” in our English translation, with “sand flies” or “fleas” in some marginal notes. The Hebrew word comes from a root meaning to dig; it is probable that the insect was one which digs under the skin of men. This was an embarrassment to their great god of the earth, Geb, to whom they gave offerings for the bounty of the soil. Also the presence of the fleas or lice were a barrier to their officiating in their priestly duties!

The Scarabs

The fourth of the plagues were “swarms” (“of flies” is not in the original). The word is `arob, a swarm, possibly suggesting incessant motion. The deification of the scarab beetle is still conspicuous – even today – in the jewelry and artifacts celebrating ancient Egypt. Amon-Ra, the king of the gods, had the head of a beetle. Some of the giant scarabs were even accorded the honor of mummification and entombment with the Pharaohs.

This is particularly bizarre since the scarab is actually a dung beetle. The insect is about the size of a nickel and feeds on dung in the fields or the side of the road. When animals defecate, these insects swarm from their holes in the ground and collect their provender for future meals by forming it into round balls about the size of golf balls, which they roll across the ground to their underground dwellings. Since they seemed to “come from nowhere,” and perhaps because these perfectly round balls were possibly associated with the sun, these beetles became associated with creation.

The plague of swarms of scarabs, with mandibles that could saw through wood, and destructive qualities worse than termites, must have caused extreme consternation since they were so venerated and thus were not to be interfered with! Pharaoh called Moses, pleaded for a cessation, hinted at the possibility of compromise, and even asked to be prayed for. But God doesn’t compromise; the judgments continued.

The Animals

The fifth plague was against the domestic animals of Egypt, and thus Apis, the bull god, and the cow-headed Hathor, goddess of the deserts. These were so widespread that even the children of Israel had become tainted by their worship, which led to the fiasco of the golden calf in the image of Apis.

The plague was a “murrain,” a contagious disease among the cattle, and even the sacred bulls in the temple died. Other domestic animals were sacred also, and their images adorned many of the idols, such as Bubastis, the cat goddess of love, feminine matters and fashion, etc. (The veneration of cows still creates a sight in India, when cows appear on the streets and even in stores and shops.) The cattle of the Hebrews, of course, were not touched.

Ashes

The sixth wonder was manifested against the bodies of men. The plague of shechiyn, translated “boils”, may hide something more terrible. The root means “burning,” and the same word can be translated as leprosy, and as the Egyptian botch, which was declared to be incurable.

Among the gods to which cures would have been ascribed were Thoth, the ibis-headed god of intelligence and medical learning, and Apis, Serapis and Imhotep. Here even the magicians did not escape and could not carry on their priestly functions. It was their custom to take the ashes of human sacrifices and cast them into the air. Borne by the wind over the milling populace, they were viewed as a blessing. (It is inferred by some that this heathen custom was the source of the practice of putting ashes on the forehead on the first day of Lent.) Moses launched this plague with a parody of this practice, and may even have had access to the very furnaces used in the sacred precincts of the royal temple.

Fiery Hail

Egypt is a sunny land with virtually no rain. The seventh wonder was a tempest of hail and fire. Where was Shu, the wind god? And Nut, the sky goddess? Where was Horus, the hawk-headed sky god of upper Egypt? When Pharaoh confessed his sin and the sin of his people, he even used the Hebrew names for God:

“I have sinned this time: the Lord [Hebrew: YHWH] is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Intreat the Lord [Hebrew: YHWH] that there be no more mighty thunderings [Hebrew: "voices of Elohim"]” (Exodus 9:27,28).

(The French have a phrase for one who speaks with spiritual language but whose heart is far from God: “le patois de Canaan,” which means: “the dialect of Canaan“.)

Locusts

Some of the earlier plagues may have been separated by extended intervals, but the eighth plague followed immediately on the heels of the seventh: locusts came upon the land. Every twig and leaf that had somehow escaped the hail and fire was now taken by the locusts. Where was Nepri, the grain god? Where was Ermutet, goddess of childbirth and crops? Where was Anubis , the jackal-headed guardian of the fields? And where was Osiris, great head of their senior trinity who was also their agricultural god? Having lost faith in their gods, rebellion was now in the air.

Thick Darkness

The ninth wonder was a darkness that could be felt!  Josephus writes:

“But when Moses said that what he [Pharaoh] desired was unjust, since they were obliged to offer sacrifices to God of those cattle, and the time being prolonged on this account, a thick darkness, without the least light, spread itself over the Egyptians, whereby their sight being obstructed, and their breathing hindered by the thickness of the air, they were under terror lest they be swallowed up by the thick cloud. This darkness, after three days and as many nights was dissipated.”

Where was Ra, god of the sun? In the school of On, or Heliopolis, city of the sun, the worship of Ra was virtually almost monotheistic. He and Aten, the sun’s disc, were worshiped with the ankh, symbol of life from the sun, as almost a sort of trinity. Where was Horus, the god of the sunrise? Or Tem, the god of the sunset? Or Shu , the god of light? Or the deities of the moon and planets?

The Firstborn

And, of course, the well-known tenth and final plague was the death of the firstborn – on those homes not covered by the lamb’s blood on the doorposts or lintels. We all know the story of the Passover in Egypt, remembered by the Jews to this day. And, of course, Jesus is our Passover: John the Baptist introduced Him twice as “The Lamb of God.”

Lessons for Today

The invisible war goes on. These same demons are worshiped today. The Scriptures tell us that we become like the gods we worship (Psalms 115:4-8*; 135: 15-18). Visit Egypt today and when you leave Cairo you will see villages living on dung hills. And this is not a typical “third world” country: it once ruled the known world! Are idols of stone cold, unresponsive, and immovable? If you worship idols of stone, you, too, will become cold, unresponsive, and immovable. Is the world materialistic? Harsh? Unforgiving? If you worship the world, you, too, will become materialistic, harsh, and unforgiving.

You will become like the gods you worship. But if you worship Jesus Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us, you will become more like Him.

“The Plaques of Egypt,” was written by: KOINONIA HOUSE, Founder: Chuck Missler, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83816, USA, April 15, 2008, eNews, electronic media.

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Endnote
* Psalms 115:4-8 ~ “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.”

WE ARE NOW AN “OPEN BLOG SITE”

As of this date, this teaching blog site is an open blog site, where all are welcome. 

The only caveat is we will not indulge those that are militant atheistic in their presupposition, as well as false brethren, who’s interactions appear to display a desire to only cause division within the church of God, wherein we all as individuals that make up the corporate body of Christ. 

Originally, this blog site was set up as an invitation only blog site.  The reason for this was that some of our members were participants at “BigChurch” blog site, and we did not desire to have certain false brethren from that site become involved in this new outreach ministry. 

By nature, this is a teaching blog site meant for the edification of the believer.  Where believers can interact with each other, wherein we desire that all would become members of wordpress.com (which is free – see the above link at the top of the site: ”How To Blog & More…”), and post blogs.   

The thing that has changed from our inception is that there is now quite a bit of material that has been presented in order to facilitate the foundation of this outreach ministry.  Therefore, we would ask that anyone that attends here fill free to invite anyone they desire; no matter what their theological background or beliefs are.  

It is our desire to always act civil  towards each other, in a Christlike manner; yet in the final analysis where agreement cannot be reached, agreeing to disagree concerning certain biblical issues will have to suffice. 

The final determination concerning the posting of any blogs has to do with protection of the sheep, and the edification of the individual believer – if this is breached, we will deal with it openly and justly, according to God’s Word.

I predict……

…The world will end May 22 or at some point after that…..

Sorry Harold

Twilight Zone – Episode 1 – “The Grand Simulation”

This post is subjective than most, yet I hope it serves its purpose concerning the subject of perception and reality.

Introduction
As a Christian that is fast approaching his fourth decade as a believer, it is the human desire to stay within my own area of comfort that shackles me as a believer concerning the vastness of God in His Word, and what He desires to say to me as an individual through it, yet also as a teacher to comprehend it in a way that I can associate it to others so that they can more readily metabolize it.

I know the following analogy concerning the calling of teaching the Word of God, while unseemly to some, I find myself mentally coming back to time after time.  It is the analogy of a mother bird feeding her young.  It is the responsibility of each fledgling to eat food that is nutritious for it’s growth and maturing.

However, the fledgling must seek this nutrition from a more mature bird (Romans 10:15) who nurtures them by chewing up the food first, so that the larger parts are made smaller and more edible for the fledging to then digest on their own.

I know this sounds sick, the idea of chewing up worms and spinning them in another’s mouth, however the parallels between this and teaching the Word of God, especially in the position of a pastor, seem to apply.  We see this over and over again especially in the New Testament concerning Paul speaking about others being his sons in the Lord (1 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4). 

No I don’t see my role as pastoring concerning the essays I write, or the public teaching and preaching him that I do; and as we know every analogy breaks down at some point.  Yet, it is in understanding that teaching the Word of God necessitates the breaking down of God’s Word into smaller pieces (see Endnote 1 as an example), especially breaking down the Greek or the Hebrew languages.

Communicating Biblical truth is very difficult in that it is intellectual by its nature, yet it is spiritual in its essence.

My point is this, there’s only so much that you can think yourself into understanding, there is a place where experience must come in for the information or knowledge to be truly comprehended.

This is why we have so many self-proclaimed Christian teachers that talk a good talk – but don’t walk the walk.

One of my teachers used to say, “If you don’t add shoe leather to your faith – keep your mouth shut.”

His point was there’s a lot of people that have knowledge, that attempt to impress people by either regurgitating what they have read that was written by wise scholars who did the source work, who experienced what they were speaking about, which gave great power to what the original scholars stated.

When Jesus explained the qualities and roles of the Holy Spirit, he spoke about Him being a guide, as seen in John 16:13; yet it is Jesus reference to the Holy Spirit as “another¹ comforter” as found in John 14:16, that displays that the Holy Spirit does far more than enlighten and teach.

The word translated into the English “comforter,” is the Greek word parakletos, which meant an intercessor, abdicate, counselor, as well as a comforter.  It was a Greek legal term that was used concerning a legal advisor, leader, proxy, or abdicated; for someone else who would “come forward in behalf of and as a representative of the other person.”

The Holy Spirit is to continue being God’s representative on earth in Christ’s place fulfilling God’s Will.  But doing so in a particular way which was different than that of Christ mission.  The Holy Spirit is to indwell the believer; this is more than a believer possessing head knowledge.

In John 14:17, Jesus explained that at that time, while Jesus was still present on the Earth, the Holy Spirit was with them, but once Jesus left the Holy Spirit would live within the believer, this also explains Jesus words as found in John 16:7:

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you”

The point is a person is not a believer who has intellectual knowledge about God or His Word.

A person becomes a believer when ever a relationship is established with God by them exercising faith in God, wherein God adopts them as sons into his family.  It’s not head knowledge that gain salvation.

Now back to the point at hand.

You have to experience an experience to experience it.  I know this sounds redundant.  But you cannot fully apprehend something that someone else has experienced it, without experiencing it yourself.

This is why simulations become so important in our everyday life.  Simulations are scenarios that are set up to train us how to live through an event without experiencing the event itself.  They are meant as training without actually going through the event itself in order to gain inside of what to do when the event actually happens.

If you think about a flight simulator you understand what I mean.  Your enclosed in this machine that has all the lights, buttons, dials, and controls of a cockpit.  You’re looking out windows as if you were really flying a plane.  But the windows are merely screens that project visual representations of a scenario that they will set up in order to train you how to react in the cockpit in order to learn how to fly the plane without actually climb into a plane itself.  It has been proven that many lives have been saved by training pilots this way.

It is much safer to make a mistake in the simulator were no deaths occur, no planes are lost; and the pilot learns a very valuable lesson.

Now, let me present a simulation, a grand simulation if you will.

Let’s say one night you are awakened from sleep by an extraterrestrial being.  His appearance is overwhelming; and there is no mistaking the fact that this being is not from this earth.  You understand that in any instant he could destroy you, and there is no one or thing that could stop him from doing whatever it wanted to with you.

Rather it’s the color or light that would shine from him, the fire from it’s eyes, or the voice that sounds like a 1000 thunders; or the change in the atmosphere around you, the pressure expanding; the air getting thin.  Everything within you, all of your senses communicated the reality of what you were experiencing – your life had changed forever at this moment.

Now let’s say that this creature told you that since the day that you were born, everything that you believe to be real was simply a simulation – a soundstage in which you were the actor.

He would go on to say that the people that you interacted with, were simply props; in order to conduct this experiment – this simulation.  Where you lived, how you lived, all was produced for you and you alone in order to test you, to setup a scenario to evaluate you in many different situations; yet all came to a final evaluation that was conducted the evening before this creature arrived to conclude the simulation.

Tell me the fear that you would feel if you were this individual. 

You see here is the paradigm shift – you are the individual.

Yet God in  his power has placed every one of us within this simulation we call life, all interacting with each other; yet all of us drawing the sole attention to our behaviors as we are being evaluated.  This is the reality that encompasses the world we live in.

And the big question to you would be “did I pass the test,”

The thing I have learned in engaging in any enterprise is to define what success is, what it looks like.  Because once we understand what must be done we can design goals, wherein objectives are determined in order to achieve the success desired.

There are many individuals that call themselves Christians that have set as their goal in life as being less of a sinner. And as such, are going to hell having failed the goal, and missed success.  Life for them becomes like the old TV series: “Twilight Zone,” where simulation were mistaken for reality, and reality became horrifying.

Having less sin in our lives, can make us better Christians; but it can also make us better Hindus, or better Buddhist, or better Mormons; but this is not what God defines as success.

Biblical success is that of pleasing God (1 Thessalonians 4:1).  And we please God by acting in faith (Hebrews 11:6), which is the goal that is set before us (1 Peter 1:7).  And the objectives that help us meet the goal of living a life of faith are called trials.  It’s weird to think of trials as objectives, but that’s what they are.

This is what Peter was talking about in 1 Peter 1:7, which states:

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ”

Within this physical simulation is a spiritual dimension.  We are experiencing everything necessary to enable us to navigate this physical simulation, where experience is gained, immaturity can be achieved; and where a fair and just God will evaluate if we are successful or not.

How often we find ourselves behaving in such a manner because others are observing us, yet the reality of our lives within this physical simulation is that there is only one BEING in the audience – there is only one Critic at the play – there is only one opinion that is important, and it is God’s.

Endnote 

1. The word here “another” is quite amazing and should be examined – as follows:

In Koiné Greek, there are 2 different words translated into the English word for “another”.

1). Another, of the same of the same kind.
2). Another,of the same of a different kind.

1). Whereas the Greek word (allos) [G243], translated “another” in the English means: another of the same type.
2).The Greek word (het’eros) [G2087], translated into the English word “another,” actually means: another of a different type.

An example of this is seen when comparing Joh_14:16, and Act_7:18. The John 14:16 passages states:

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another (allos) Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever”

And Act_7:18, which states:

“Till another (het’eros) king arose, which knew not Joseph.”

In the first example, the word for “Another” as in Joh_14:16 means: the same of the same kind, in connecting Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit as being of the same essence.

However, the second example of the word “Another”, as in Act_7:18 is an example of: the same of a different kind.  Here, Stephen in giving the Old Testament Bible study, declares that the Pharaoh of the Exodus was not Egyptian (we learn from Isa. 52:4, that he was an Assyrian); he was “another king,” but of a different race.  When Moses speaks about this Pharaoh, it does not give any details as to there being any difference (though the Septuagint and the Talmud state the difference).  Moses simply states in Exo_1:8:

“there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph“  

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God’s Essence & Attributes

Now to get back to teaching – this first section is introduction to the teaching below…

Attributes

A common problem that I see in the church today is confusing attributes and essence.  The essence of something is what it is in its makeup, where as the attributes are behaviors (which can be seen and therefore identified, which is not true of essence), which are simply displays that radiate from, and are distinct from the essence that created them.  It is very common for people to mistake attributes for essence, and falling short in their understanding many times they misinterpret the essence of something because the attributes or behaviors may vary in diverse situations.

Roles 

This may seem like a rationality for hypocrisy, however different situations mandate different responses, this is more readily seen because different roles maintain different responsibilities and therefore mandate different responses.  An example of this can be seen in human relationships.  A man may be the King of his castle at home, yet a servant while at work.  He may be a father to his son and therefore hold that prominent place of respect, yet when he is in the presence of his own father, he is to be the one displaying respect.  He is the same person, yet functions differently in different roles.  He may be a kind and loving father to his daughter, yet a stringent judge in the courtroom.  He may be the loving husband to his wife, yet the aggressive defender in his home taking the life of an intruder.  The person is the same, the essence of him has not changed, yet his roles and responsibilities are diverse in different situations, and therefore he displays different attributes.

Distinction between Attributes and Roles

In examining anyone we must always be aware of the role that the individual is playing at the time in order to evaluate the correctness of those attributes.  It is in examining those attributes, or behaviors that discretion must be seen according to the mandates of the situation.  It is rightly said that we should not judge one another as referred to in Matthew 7:1 (for the sake of this argument let us temporarily set aside the different Greek words for “judgment,” which can vary from unrighteous condemnation to righteous condemnation to evaluation for edification sake.  Whereas certain judgment is demanded in certain situations, such as: I Corinthians 5:12, 13; 6:2-5; 11:31;14:29; I Thessalonians 5:21 as compared to that which is condemned in other situations, such as: Matthew 7:1; Colossians 2:16; James 2:4;4:11,12), yet only of few verses later, Christ commanded that we judge concerning false prophets in Matthew 7:15-20.  What is the main difference in these two situations, it is the role of the one being evaluated, because they are a leader and therefore affect people in a different way than normal members of a group.  Wherein a false student may lead one or two astray, a good teacher will ferret them out; however, a false prophet (remember that the word “Prophet” means one who speaks for another, and may not have anything to do with telling the future, such as the case of John the Baptist), especially in the role as a teacher, can do an immense amount of damage to many individuals; therefore because of their roles, and the responsibility that it entails, we are to evaluate or judge teachers because of this.  The role makes the difference, and as such, there should be different attributes that also follow.  Roles many times define attributes, or behaviors. 

 The Roles of God  

The reason this discussion is necessary is to distinguish those attributes that God displays during certain roles He performs at certain times in history, as compared to other roles at diverse times.  This is why individuals have made the mistake of stating that the God of the Old Testament is a warring God that kills and judges; and the God of the New Testament is a loving and forgiving God, as seen in Jesus.  God the Father is the same, and so is Jesus in both Testaments, yet it is in the roles that they play at certain times wherein the confusion lies.  It is when men do not take the whole counsel of God¹ into consideration; by using the justification of the local context only, isolating it from the rest of Scripture in an attempt to make their own point.  Scriptural context is more than its local application; it is in its application to the Bible as a whole that it must be utilized. 

When God the Father instructed the Israelites to kill every man, woman, and child of certain tribes and nations in the promised land, He did so as a father that is protecting His own child from those that would later seek out to destroy that child by either destruction or genetic contamination.  God the Father’s role was that of a protecting father.  Yet,  how could one question the love of God the Father in that He would nail His own Son to the cross for His enemies, which He would then adopt. 

 It is in misunderstanding the roles of Jesus Christ that many liberals rationalize pacifism.  They concentrate on Jesus in His First Coming and interpret Jesus’ essence according to those attributes of that particular role that He displays on this occasion. This is why it is so helpful to understand that the four Gospels display four views of Jesus in His First Coming: that of the Matthew as the Messiah, the lion of the tribe of Judah; that of Mark as the suffering servant; that of Luke as the perfect man; and that of John as the Son of God. 

 Without the benefit of this perspective many concentrate only on Jesus as the suffering servant, and therefore only see him as demanding that everyone always turn the cheek.  While Jesus instructed the 70 disciples not take a sword with them on their first Ministry training outreach, they forget that Jesus later speaking concerning His upcoming departure instructed them to carry a sword.  When they speak about His kindness, they do so by isolating Him from the contempt He showed to the Pharisees, or the intolerance he displayed to the opportunist when He turned over their money tables in the Temple courtyard. 

And most importantly they separate Him from the role He will play at His Second Coming, that of a warring conqueror claiming His prize.  They allegorize fire coming from His mouth, and the fact that He will kill millions of people.  His role at this time is defending Israel, and vanquishing the earth dwellers. 

They also seem to have a hard time with the Christophanies of the Old Testament, the fact that Joshua was confronted by Him at night wearing a soldier’s uniform, a sword drawn in his hand, and announcing that he is the captain of the Lord’s Host, meaning that he is the very highest ranking warrior leader of God’s armies.

The world either wants to keep Jesus as a baby at Christmas who has no power; or as a pacifist unwilling to display power; either way, they can avoid his sovereignty to their own demise.

 Caveat

Understanding that God displays different attributes according to the role He is fulfilling at that time, we must still understand the deficiency in defining God according to those, or any attributes; because attributes are not a definition of essence.  And whenever we attempt to define God according to His attributes we in essence attempt to minimize and compartmentalize Him.  We attempt to bring Him down to our capacity to understand.  How can the finite define the infinite?  It can’t, and any attempt to do so is condescending. 

Yet at the same time, we are intellectual creatures, created with logic and rationality’s, and have a need to understand anything and everything.  And by necessity, we must attempt to understand or define God, while at the same time; regarding the task with great reverence.  We can never rap our arms or minds around God, and to think we can to any large extent is blasphemous.  Yet, how do we know which God is really God.  God is a title and not a personal name or descriptor.  So which deity is truly deity?  This can only be accomplished by the mere act of attempting to understand, and therefore define that deity, but to do so in reverence and awe.

Technical Definition
Elwell’s Evangelical Dictionary of Theology says, concerning the attributes of God:

God is an invisible, personal, and living Spirit, distinguished from all other spirits by several kinds of attributes: metaphysically God is self-existent, eternal, and unchanging; intellectually God is omniscient, faithful, and wise; ethically God is just, merciful, and loving; emotionally God detests evil, is long-suffering, and is compassionate; existentially God is free, authentic, and omnipotent; relationally God is transcendent in being immanent universally in providential activity, and immanent with his people in redemptive activity.²

 Answer to the Question

Of those attributes which are observable concerning God, if I had to name one that was most appealing to me, it would be that attribute for which my whole existence hinges that of God’s mercy.  We know that mercy is not receiving that negative reward we deserve, and that grace is receiving that benefit we do not deserve.  Therefore, it is difficult at best to separate grace from mercy. 

What is most amazing is that God in His infinite wisdom could display both attributes of justice as well as mercy, because they are mutually exclusive.  To display mercy mandates the restraint of justice; to display justice mandates lacking the ability to display mercy.  Yet God, as only God could; devised a means to maintain both of these attributes; while also maintaining an attribute just as necessary, that of integrity. 

In comparison, how unfortunate for those deceived by the false religion of Islam.  The non-existent god of Islam, lacks mercy as well as integrity.  This imaginary god is as inconsistent, as he is cruel. 

By contrast, we as Christians have a heavenly Father, who in His role as Father, is invincible; we have a Savior, who in His role as Savior is the perfect perpetuation for sin.  Their mercy and grace unwavering, and their integrity unceasing.

Endnote

1.  Acts 20:27 – “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.”
2. ELWELL’S EVANGELICAL DICTIONARY OF THEOLOGY, Walter A. Elwell, Baker Book House Company,Grand Rapids,MI49546,USA, 1984, electronic media.

Teaching

The following post is an example (taken from an earlier post) concerning the difference between the internal essences (sometimes called the make-up) and external attributes (as also seen in the roles we play); and should help in understanding this subject a bit more.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that many of us do not understand koiné Greek we are  unaware of many grammatical principles which alter the understanding of some verses when translated into the English vernacular.

In Koiné Greek, verbs ending in “oo” indicate that what is already on the inside is then displayed on the outside (which is not the same as asserting that what is seen on the outside creates what is on the inside, in fact it is antithetical to this).  Due to not being aware of this Greek grammatical principle divisions have been created within the English speaking church, to the extent that denominations have been severed concerning such teaching as “works as a part of faith,” as opposed to “faith alone” regarding salvation, as well as the Christian walk.

One of the main texts that have been used to assert that works are necessarily a part of faith is taken from James 2:21, which would appear to indicate that Abraham was saved not by faith alone, but when works were added, as seen in:

James 2:21 ~ “Was not Abraham our father justified [Greek: dikaioo] by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar” James is not saying that Abraham’s works made him justified before God, but that Abraham’s works were the outside manifestation of what had already taken place on the inside, Abraham was already justified by God prior to this event.

In this passage, James is referring to Abraham’s offering of Isaac as proof of his faith which is referred to in Genesis chapter 22, when Abraham was over 125 years old, perhaps even 130 years old (making Isaac at least thirty years old, and as far as some topologists are concerned, Isaac would’ve had to been thirty-three years old to fit the typology of Christ’s crucifixion).  Yet, we understand that Abraham’s saving faith in which God counted it “for righteousness” occurred over at least forty years prior to this as recorded in:

Genesis 15:6 ~ “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”

Therefore, it is impossible for James to be stating that Abraham was saved by faith when he offered up Isaac more than forty years after Genesis 15:6, which is when he displayed saving faith (in which God counted it as righteousness) by believing God’s promise concerning becoming a mighty nation, by first having a physical son of his own.  What is easily understood especially in light of the Greek grammatical principle concerning Greek verbs ending in “oo”, is that James is stating that what was already on the inside of Abraham, saving faith in God, was fully displayed in the act of him being prepared to take the life of his son according to God’s direction.

This also clears up the misunderstanding that somehow presupposes that James teaching on faith is opposed to Paul’s teaching on faith.  By example, Paul states in:

Romans 4:3-5 ~ “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth [Greek: dikaioo] the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”

Here, Paul is quoting from Genesis 15:6, when Abraham was around 85 years old, and is being justified according to his faith by God.  Paul uses the same Greek verb for justifieth, indicating that he then was exercising that faith that had already dwelt on the inside concern in God and his promises.  We must remember that it was God that ten years before had instructed Abram to leave his home and relatives to go to a new land that God would later show him.  Abram delayed his departure until his father had died (according to Stephen ~ Acts 7:4), then disobeyed God by taking his nephew Lot with him.  So though Abraham had faith in God, it had not matured to the place of confidence that would mandate obedience.  Yet, the scripture is quick to tell us that it was his belief in God’s promise, not Abrams works wherein God saw his heart and imputed righteousness to him.

We understand that justification is God’s declaration that a person be treated as if he is innocent of the charges made against them.  It is a declaration of immunity, being acquitted, not a pronouncement based upon evidence, but in spite of it.  In reference to justification, Paul declares in:

Romans 4:1-8 ~ “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”

Therefore, what James says in James 2:21 & James 2:21; agrees with Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-9; whereas James states that Abraham displayed (what was on the inside was exhibited on the outside) his saving faith by his work (Deed), of trusting God when he was preparing to present his son as a sacrifice, this was 40-50 years after he was already saved by his faith in God as recorded in Genesis 15:6 (Paul states in Romans 4:3; 4:9; Galatians 3:6, that Abraham received his salvation when he first exercised faith back at Genesis 15:6).

Other Examples of this Type of Verb

Another example concerning Greek verbs ending in “oo” (which indicate that what is already on the inside is then displayed on the outside) can be found concerning the Transfiguration of Christ as recorded in:

 

Matthew 17:2, regarding the Transfiguration of Christ, where the word: transfigure (Greek: metamorphoo), means to change the appearance or form, yet it does not denote the change of the substance of that thing, but simply its appearance (with the use of this word, transfigure, we are forced to focus on Christ’s physical appearance). And with the verb utilizing the “oo,” ending we further understand that the change referred to here is to display the radiance of his glory physically, exhibiting what is already on the inside, to the outside, which is Christ’s Divinity in visible form.

 

John 1:14, which speaks about Jesus incarnation, states that he tabernacled (Greek: skennoo), also translated: “dwelt among us.” As seen from above, with this Greek verb (such as tabernacled) ending in “oo“, it indicates that “what is on the inside is displayed on the outside.”  The verb is used here concerns Jesus being made flesh, in regards to Him displaying in His behavior (on the outside ~ in regards to the use of the word tabernacled among men, we are forced to focus Christ’s behavior), that which had already existed in His essence, His Holiness as the only begotten Son of God, the “Word (Greek: Logos: “the literal communication”) of God, Personified.”

 

Ephesians 3:16, concerning the word: strengthened (Greek: krataioo), concerning the believers who have been strengthed on the inside by the Holy Spirit which should be exhibited on the outside. What we must also understand concerning this word, strengthened (noticed that it is past tense in the English), is that in the Greek grammar, it is in the passive voice, meaning that the person receives the power from another, not from themselves; and that it is in the aorist tense, meaning that the action occurred in the past (it occurred “Once & for all.” The action occurred or was made possible when Jesus died on the cross, giving the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to indwell the believers according to salvation as adopted sons of God) and it is in the indicative mood, meaning that it is a complete certainty (A reality ~ it is a done deal, completed). Therefore, with this in mind, what this verse indicates is that by becoming a believer and therefore having the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, there is power available to the believer which indwells on the inside and should be displayed on the outside. This is what true witnessing is all about; this is what 1 Peter 3:15 also alludes to.

 

It is not saying that there is only an exterior application, but that there is an interior meaning that is expressed in the exterior as well.

 

It is simply stating the fact that the outside is showing what’s going already on the inside.

 

Endnote
If you use a Greek Parallel Interlinear New Testament, you will notice that the spelling for the verbs referenced above (justification, transfigured, dwelt, and strengthened) in the Greek language do not display two “oo,” just one. This is because in a Greek Parallel Interlinear New Testament, the Greek words are combined into cognates and not distinguished individually.  However, if you utilize a Bible Dictionary on Greek (Such as: Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words; Expository Dictionary of Bible Words, Larry Richards;  Jamieson, Fausset, Brown; Word Studies in the Greek New Testament, Kenneth S. Wuest; Word Meanings in the New Testament, Ralph Earl; Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible & Word Studies, Spiros Zodhiates), as well as any of the current computer dictionary programs; the spelling of the individual words will be with the double “0o” ending.  Thayer’s Greek Dictionary is used concerning the above translation.

 

Concerning grammatical reference to the utilization of “oo” in Greek verbs wherein its usage “indicates that what is already present on the inside is then displayed on the outside:” Dr. Wayne A. Barber’s book, “The Surrendered Walk,” page 28 gives reference, as well as other books and manuals which teach Koiné Greek.

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Everyone Did What Was Right in their Own Eyes

(UPDATED 05/19/11 ~ IN BURGUNDY)

The following post is more subjective than I normally write (only using 7 Scriptures), coming more from the counseling side as a professional, while a Christian; then from a Biblical teaching frame.

Introduction
What harm is there in this statement -”Everyone did what was right in their own eyes”? Are there any similarities in today’s world with this statement?

On a personal level:

• There are the emotional implications,
• There are problematic reasoning consequences, and most importantly
• There are the spiritual ramifications

On a social level:
Everything becomes that much more exponentially exhaustive as each person affects another, which affects another, which affects yet another.

The Emotive and Cognitive Implications
As a counselor, as well as a Christian; I have never ran across an individual that is “comfortable” with being wrong, or even admitting so. Human beings by their very nature must feel justified in their behavior and in their thinking.

Even whenever humans commit obvious criminal behaviors, they must have a justification of why it was done for the right reason.  And these rationalizations become patterns of thinking which are entrenched, and very difficult for people to break.

It is this inability to be comfortable with being wrong (many times unknown even to ourselves), that drives just about everything that we as humans do. This form of “rightness” may be seen in a number of different ways; such as by being good parents, good businessmen, good cops, or just good human beings – it is an innate drive.

We can confess we “were” wrong a while ago, but only because we are “now” right. “A few minutes ago I was wrong, but now I’ve got it right.” Yes, they may confess to the crime, and while they may have got caught, and know what they did was wrong and feel remorse (really contrition – many times its the penalty of the consequences that drive a lot of their displayed remorse, not the guilt or shame of it), rather stated or merely thought, they have a reason for their behavior.

In my practice, I am aware that it is a positive sign, when people gain the ability to ADMIT they are wrong, and become more ”comfortable” in taking ownership in it. And not just intellectualizing the idea that sometimes I may be wrong (and commit false humility in doing s0), and disconnect from those feeling by using a false mental self-statement; but by coming to an understanding that I am wrong and must do something about it – if not today, then soon (it is better to be honest about our sin, even if we refuse to correct in the present, than to down play the law, lowering its power by defending wrong actions and belittling the rules – those that God “SET IN STONE“); this is not to say it is ok to keep on sinning, just that we shoul never attempt to change the law, or say our wrong is really is right.     

This is why whenever we are witnessing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to someone, they must first understand they are sinners, in need of saving before anything else can transpire. We all must come to grips first with the sin nature, and the fact that we are all dead in our trespasses and sin, and unable to save ourselves. We are guilty, end of statement. It is at this very healthy point, and only here; that saving faith is a possibility.

It is this denial that is the first sin that we must deal with in order to address what falls afterwards. Because, it is the sin that hides all the rest the other sins.

In the field of counseling there is a thing called “Thinking Errors.” These are habitual patterns of rationalization that we all as human beings use in order to make our wrongs sound right. The drug addict and criminal use them; but so do the judge, the counselor, and the minister. It’s only to what degree, and how serious the violations, and the frequency, that make the difference.

There are different lists of these “Thinking Errors,” anywhere from 20 to 70 different types, depending on which list you refer too. And known or unknown to ourselves we all exhibit one or more of these patterns of rationality, the excuses that we call reasons for doing what we do. It’s sort of like driving an automobile, national statistics advise that once every 30 seconds a motorist violates the law at least once. It seems to be our nature to sin, but also to have a reason for doing so.

An Example
That’s why when you get pulled over for violating a traffic law, and the police officer ask you why, most of the time he’ll write you a ticket if you answer that question with an excuse or reason, no matter how good it sounds to you. Because what you stated, and what he would imply by giving you a warning, is that there would be a reason that would justify violating the law.

Usually the only time you’ll get a warning is when you say that you made a mistake, and it was unintentional, at least if the officer is any good at what he does. Because the worst thing you can do as a law-enforcement officer is to say or imply that some laws are worth keeping, and others are not, or that the officer can arbitrarily choose which laws to enforce, because at this point he stops being a representative of the law, and start becoming a law unto himself.

The point is simple, how can man come to the place of even knowing what is right, in order to perform it, when our sin nature is so diabolical, that it hides itself, from itself.

Because, the main presupposition that is behind the thought of “doing what is right in your own eyes”, is the belief that you can determine what is correct to begin with.¹ Because without this presupposition, that a person’s perception is inerrant, you cannot make a determination of right or wrong to even start with. And if you can come to the conclusion that your perception is always correct, who needs a Bible or a God to correctly interpret or evaluate life, because the man himself is his own best ruler to judge all things.

(SIDENOTE:  I also believe that this drive: “to be right” is something that God placed within man to keep him from destroying itself.  When you really think about it, if man could be comfortable with being wrong, without the necessity of a rationality for sinful behavior, how much worse with this world be.  If man could kill women and children without a thought of moral correctness, or the mandate to rationalize such behavior; we would’ve killed ourselves off thousands of years ago as a specie.  No, it is for mankind’s protection that there is within him this innate necessity to do or be right – this also reflects the image is in of God concerning righteousness.  That as man is made to see To righteousness and justice; though this drive is contaminated by sin, the drive is still alive within us all.)

By way of contrast, when a man is convoluted into believing that his own perception is perfect, then what chance is there for him to reevaluate and make any corrections – none. We don’t fix what’s not broken. Therefore, he never changes, he never grows, learns from his mistakes, or behaves himself as a better human being.

In this case, the only thing that grows is selfishness, and man’s ability to hide it. Selfishness is seen in every false religion, along with every humanitarian and philanthropic pursuit ever conceived.²

Because if I give away everything I own, feed the poor, return love for hate, do nothing but good all the days of my life, it’s still based upon selfishness, because it was done to either gain the esteem of others, or to make myself feel good about myself. Anything done outside of God’s Will is sin, because it is done without God.

“There has never been a positive behavior ever witnessed by man that does not profit the person that does it, rather its how others perceive him, or how they perceive themselves, the motive is always to achieve something positive concerning self,”  There is no such thing as a completely pure motive, not within a fallen man.

Spiritual Implications
The foremost problem that I see in “every man doing what is right in his own eyes” is there must be a rejection of God, because the person becomes their own God. And the title, “god”, by its very definition (and in spite of polytheism, which becomes rationally problematic in addressing this question), invokes the idea of one that has power over another (as seen in its usage in the Old Testament, and even Jesus ~ John 10:34-35 / Psa. 82:6 in reference to earthly judges). Therefore, doing what’s right in one’s own eyes is making oneself “god,” and antithetical to Christianity. So spiritually speaking, you can’t be a Christian and live by this epic.

To be a Christian means to be a follower of Christ. Jesus Christ displayed submission to God’s Will³, and what God knew to be right in every detail of His human life. Jesus was void of selfishness, because He was void of sin. And when we see Him at the most crucial point of His human existence, having the power to avoid the most terrifying thing that He could ever experience, that of being separated from God the Father, His response was: “not my will but thine be done,” the polar opposite to the fallen man’s response to discomfort, pain, and in Christ case total trepidation.

Yes, Jesus knew that the Father would resurrect Him, but don’t allow this to take from the fact of what He went through something that you and I could never understand in all of our eternal existence, that of being separated from God the Father, as only the Son could understand it.

We have no capacity whatsoever to be able to understand the depth of pain that He went through for us by being separated from God the Father. There is no sympathy, there is no empathy⁴, and to say or imply otherwise is condescending, and irreverent (In fact it displays a heretical mindset).

Therefore, for a Christian to make the statement that he “would do what right in his own eyes” is an anathema to Christianity, and proves he is not a true believer in Jesus Christ.

Second question – Are There Any Similarities in Today’s World with This Statement?
I would say the similarities are uncanny. In fact, this credo probably better defines the mindset in the 21st century, than it did back then.

Caveat
These views might seem to be cynical concerning humanity. First and foremost, they are biblical views. And secondly, it’s an emotionally healthy point of view, in that, within this point of view, there are no great expectations when it comes to how humans behave. You’ve heard it say that one of the greatest causes of depression is unmet expectations, there is no doubt that broken expectations cause a lot of pain and turmoil.

Therefore, expecting less of out people, will always reduce stress.  And there are those times that we will be filled with joy when we see people move out of their comfort zones, and set aside their natural selfishness and put someone else first. The definition of God’s type of love for us to mimic is His “sacrificial putting of someone else first”, and it is a beautiful thing to behold. However, we are also told to be “wise as serpent gentle as doves”.⁵

During the 21st century, and especially here in America (with it starting to impregnate the whole world), there are certain presuppositions that display this utter selfishness. They have become vanguards - using mantras of success.

And as Christians, it should not be hard to understand why they are unbiblical (therefore, I will not take the time to run through the Scriptures concerning them).⁶

These expressions are: 

• “If It Feels Good, Do It” *
• “Anything That Feels this Good, Can’t Be Bad” *
• “More Is Better Than Less”
• “Bigger Is Better Than Smaller”
• “Newer Is Better Than Older”
• “Winning Is The Only Thing That Matters”
• “Win At Any Cost”
• “I Want It, Now” (Based Upon Instant Gratification)
• “Sometimes You Have To Do The Wrong Thing, To Get Justice”
• “It’s Okay To Do The Wrong Thing If You Do It For The Right Reason”
• “The Most Important Thing Is The Greater Good”
• “The Ends Justify The Means”

These rationalities are but a few examples of what man can come up with when he lives by the philosophy of “doing what is right in his own eyes.”

The Body of Christ
What is unfortunate is that the church has become the new breeding ground for indoctrination into these presuppositions.*  Where are seeker friendly environments, with messages which are centered around people, and addressing their problems, rather than teaching about God. Self-help is becoming the buzzword of many churches, where Mega-church ministers don’t preach about hell, and sin, and subjects which are uncomfortable to the congregation.⁷  And believers are doing what is right in there own eyes.

The church is becoming impotent due to the pollution of selfishness that is overtaking it. The masses have never got it right, but on a daily basis, we are to live out an understanding that it is God, and God’s Word alone that is our directive for living life. And that it is Jesus, and Jesus alone that should be the center of our services, as well as our daily walk.

We are moving closer and closer to the dictates of man, rather than the direction of the Spirit in our assemblies.

When the Bible (both Old and New Testaments) uses the word “heart”, it is never means solely the emotions. It is the whole inward of the man, including 1) man’s reason (mind), and his 2) emotions, and his 3) will; which encapsulates the word “heart.”  Man is never to walk according to his emotions, but according to the intellect (the mind – the Mind of Christ, better stated) that God has man in the understanding God’s Word.

Unfortunately, the devil is using our own emotions to drive us to fellowships that make us feel good, yet don’t feed us the Word of God. And believers are doing what is right in there own eyes.

And many believers are confusing their sensual experience of feelings, with the expression of God’s Holy Spirit. They speak about walking into a church service and feeling God’s Spirit, which displays their lack of understanding of God’s Word, in light of Jesus teaching concerning the Holy Spirit (as also seen in the Elijah experience)⁸   The Holy Spirit is not anything that can be felt, and when we mix up our emotions with what we think is Spirituality, and we pay less attention to the preaching of God’s Word, that is when we stop truly worshiping God by a sanctified life unto Him.

It is easy to focus on the world and follow the pursuits of our own ambitions, and therefore heed the advice of their own corrupt hearts. Yet, it is God that has always held His people responsible for adhering and listening to His Word, and follow His direction, and doing what He says is right – and not what is right in our own eyes.

Endnotes

1. Proverbs 12:15 – “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.”
2. Romans 3:10-12 – “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
3. John 5:30 – “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.”
4. When we feel sympathy for someone we feel sorry for their pain, not having felt that particular pain ourselves. However, when we feel empathy for someone’s pain, we can empathize with them because we too have been through a similar situation as well.Sympathy is “imagining someone’s pain” and empathy is “feeling someone’s pain.” In both cases, you are relating to someone else, but the words are not actual synonyms! Sympathy is a much more common feeling because we are not as likely to have experienced the same difficult situation as someone else. For instance, I have never gone through chemotherapy, sent a loved one to war, etc., but I definitely feel sympathy for those who have. That’s why “sympathy cards” exist and not “empathy cards”.
   
5. Matthew 10:16 – “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”
6. Anyone that wishes any further insight into this area, or proof text please e-mail me.
7. Rick Warren, just to name one; teaches at Pastoral conferences and seminars, that sermons should not deal with the subjects, such as hell, damnation, suffering, dying to self, sacrifice, and stay with other native subjects from the Bible, because uncomfortable subjects will drive away potential parishioners.
8. John 3:8 – “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” I Kings 19:11-13 – “And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
   
9. John 16:13 – “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”

Concluionary Statement Concerning Psychology
Whenever I speak utilizing what may be considered psychological tools (such as: “Thinking Errors“) or approaches – I always need to make the following statement. 

Personal Note:
As a licensed and certified counselor who specializes in substance abuse, as it is related to interpersonal relationships, dual diagnosis, personality and mood disorders; who has been classically trained in many different psychological modalities; I find none of them correct in themselves to deal with the problem of the soul and spirit of man.  

ADDED
Having studied almost every psychological modality, I can unequivocally state that everyone is a man centered pursuit, and therefore doomed to ultimate failure as it not only neglects God; but in almost every case is antithetical to God.  There is an old proverb used by a parent to a child which states: “show me your friends, and I will show you your destiny.”  The point is, though it is our own actions which we are held accountable for, it is observationally true that there is a definite connection between those that we associate with and our own character, or lack of it.  Those that feel the necessity to be identified in the field of psychology display a presupposition, a vulnerability to be accepted within those ranks, and as such; display a lack of preeminence of God in their lives. 

This may be a display of spiritual blindness for those that are believers, or at the least call themselves so; or simply a bad choice (when an believer spends years in college studying psychology, they are highly invested; it is this investment that corrupts their discretion concerning God in His Word – life always comes down to choices).  Christ said it well (Matt. 6:24; Luke 16:13), “no man can serve two masters...”  And for those that believe that man-made psychology has the answers to life; by necessity cannot believe that the Bible has the sole answer to the human condition.  I’ve met many professed believers who have convinced themselves that psychology is neutral; neither good, nor evil.  This choice to be blind towards psychologies antithetical nature concerning that which is biblical - does not invalidate the condemnation that they will receive for such beliefs. 

There are those of us that attempt to play the role of Daniel, that of working within a corrupt system in order to fulfill God’s Will, without being corrupted ourselves.  However, this can only be done when one acknowledges that the system is corrupt to begin with, because it is opposed to God.  It was Daniel and his three friends who stated that the dietary requirements of the King were wrong (because it violated God’s direction from His Word), and that God’s Word was superior.  They were braving, even breaching the subject that the current system could be incorrect, but they stood their ground for God; which is witnessed when ever they were persecuted at later points for refusing idol worship, and violating God’s Word. 

And for those that attempt to mix psychology and the Bible, all you have to do is listen to their teachings in order to understand that they follow Roger’s presupposition of being “Client Centered” (which every popular modality incorporates), as opposed to being “God centered,” wherein they violate the Bible and biblical teachings at every juncture.  It has, and will always be the analogy of ”oil and water,” and as these individuals become more and more enamored in psychology, they harden their heart against God in the process; by hardening their heart against His Word. 

Having spent hundreds of hours, mandated by my licensure; as well as certification, to study many different forms of therapeutic approaches, along with their underlying tools; I can wholeheartedly say that they are man centered, man created, and unbiblical; even those calling themselves Christian psychology, and or Christian counseling.  I have always maintained a 4.0 grade average, while always on the Dean’s list.  Yet, to do so I have learned what to do, concerning test and assignments – I answer their questions according to what they have taught both in the classroom and text, not giving them my belief concerning their statements, but answering their statements according to their own presuppositions and understandings. 

Yet, in the classroom or otherwise, I never compromised my belief system; sharing with all that I disagreed with the psychological approaches, yet displaying that I understood what they had taught, though I disagreed with it.  Those professors that adamantly disagreed with me were always held captive by the premise that higher education is to provide information that the student is to fully and completely understand, yet when it comes to his own practice he is to utilize what he chooses to be the most efficient and effective forms of counseling.  They essentially made it so I could never be penalized for my antithetical views to their own presuppositions. 

Psychology:
This is not to say that certain observations and tools used within psychology are not effective, and efficient – they are, worldly speaking  (in achieving humanistic ungodly goals – which in the end contaminate the soul).  Yet, if the observations are correct, it is not because they come out of psychology, but because psychology has observed human nature, and attempted to take credit for what was part of the development and workings of interpersonal relationships.  Let me give you an example. 

Psychology gains its credibility based upon its observations (which are to be separated from their tools / treatment and conclusions), yet this does not mean that it is successful, but that it simply appears to be correct wholly based upon its observations, as compared to the end goal of helping an individual deal with problems.  The first problem in this statement is that who defines what the problem is, and how to deal with it, and what is the correct answer. 

Psychology is man based and therefore man makes all these determinations.  Yet, one of these determinations is that the concept of God is a sign of emotional or cognitive sickness.  (However, the believer must seek all these answers in God’s Word according to God’s Will, which is always antithetical to man’s will and presuppositions, though man was created in God’s image; after his creation, through the act of willful disobedience and not trusting God in faith, man became a fallen creature that is corrupted through and through.  As they say, you cannot use a sick mind to cure a sick mind.) 

It is these observations that give psychology the credibility with the masses, who are biblically illiterate as a whole. 

Let me give you an example concerning its observations. 

Anyone could observe a dog.  How they eat, how they sleep, how they bark, how they interact with other dogs and other animals; their ability to think through complicated situations, and what they need to survive both human world and animal kingdom.  Anyone that has spent any amount of time documenting and studying their behavior would in time be able to predict certain conclusions based upon patterns. 

This is where psychology has gained its credibility, such individuals as Kevin Leland, who came up with the observation of personality traits according to birth order, who merely studied humanity until patterns emerged – anyone could do it.  Time after time certain observations made in psychology gain credit merely because patterns are identified and understood concerning conclusions. 

This is where the credibility of psychology comes in, wherein the patients listening to the practitioner is amazed; yet, these observations have been present for all of humanity, studied in what was formerly referred to as philosophy (Greek: for the “love of knowledge”), which has always dealt with the makeup of man and his relationship to his Creator and environment.  Yet, psychology (Greek: for the “study of the soul”), which is still in the infancy of it’s development (less than 200 years old), merely utilizes tools of previous philosophers and scholars concerning the observation of man and his behaviors in order to come to conclusions. 

Yet the problem is, utilizing the allegory of the dog, is that by those observations one could make predictions of behavior; yet these predictions would never explain the origin of the dog, the true inner makeup of the dog, the dog’s future, nor evaluate the correctness of its behavior. 

The first problem is psychology begins with the premise that man is an animal, and for those Christians that try to mix psychology and Christianity do so while corrupting the presuppositions that are innate to all forms of psychology (there are over 250 modalities, types of psychology), by defying foundational presuppositions, and the Bible as well. 

One such example is the common denominator within a majority of those psychological modalities which are currently popular, is what is referred to as “client centered” (man centered) in their approach.  However, the Christian must be God centered in his belief system.  Man centered psychology believes that all the problems that man may have are answered from within them (each person has their correctness inside), and that the counselor strives to help them find those answers within themselves, only as facilitators; yet always guiding the client towards ungodly presuppositions, claiming that their services are benign; wherein reality they have eternal consequences.  

The field of psychology has always begun with certain presuppositions; rather stated, hided, or even known by some of its current practitioners.  There are many types of psychology; consequently, there are many different groupings of these presuppositions.  A random listing might consist of: Determinism, Experimentalism, Reductionism, Naturalism, and Relativism.  Others might also add Materialism, Evolution, Empiricism, Humanism, and even Occultism. 

Therefore, it is only according to the guiding principle and foundation of the Bible that anything in psychology can be loosely handled – such as, what is referred to the observation of “Thinking Errors,” which are simply patterns of excuse making and rationality, in order that a person can rationalize negative behavior which we as Christians call sin. 

ADDED
These observations may be correct – and as such dealing with them on their own basis is as far as one should go; going any further concerning the simple observations, that of utilizing psychological remedies or treatment, do so by violating Biblical principles in the pursuit. 

Recognizing these observations, these patterns; can become beneficial only in pointing out these deficiencies, which biblically speaking are acts of sin; to the individual so as to confront their sense of denial. 

It is in confronting denial that these tools hold any validity, yet from this point it is the Bible and only the Bible that has the answers.  The Bible is full of Scriptures which speak about the confrontation of denial, especially noted whenever you find the phrase “… did what was right in his own eyes.”

 The Following is a short Essay on “Thinking Errors”:

The following was used with a inmate population – a written handout – and is meant to serve as an example only.

 

THINKING ERRORS

Introduction
Inborn to all humans is the desire to think we are right.  The thief will always rationalize his larceny, the liar his fabrication, and the adulterer his indiscretion.  As the forgoing illustrates, we even devise new words that sound less offensive and attempt to soften our wrong doings.  Even if our pride compels us to admit we are wrong because we are caught red handed, and we supposedly assume responsibility for our actions, internally we still justify why our wrong actions were really legitimate.  Some examples of those internal justifications are, “well that’s just the way I am,” or “everybody knows I have a bad temper, it just gets the best of me,” or “that was what I was taught,” “everyone has a bad day every so often,” or even, “well my heart was in the right place.”  However, these excuses are just that, excuses; and with repeated use seem to affect their consciousness out of existence.

Conscious
A person can rationalize many bad behaviors with their mind but their feelings are not convinced, in spite of the fact that they drown their emotions and refuse to listen to their guilt or shame.  After repeatedly refusing to listen to their emotions (Guilt, shame, remorse, conviction, values, principles, or beliefs), their conscious becomes hard, rigid, scarred and non-pliable.  They misuse and abuse their conscious to the point that they can not live with themselves if they allow themselves to own up to the wrong that they repeatedly do and plan to keep doing.  To do otherwise, they would be incongruent, inconsistent, and fake with a double standard in the way they live their lives.  The rationale they use to live with themselves is called denial.

Denial
Denial is the defense mechanism that we use to protect something that is wrong.  It is the way we excuse negative behavior and wrong thinking.  It will either, present a reason that our wrong actions or thinking was really right or divert attention from the real issue at hand, which is, we are wrong.  When humans find themselves in a difficult place of trying to hide or excuse wrong behavior, denial is the prefect tool with many forms that empower it.

With use, denial becomes automatic and we are not even aware of it or how it has tainted our thinking.  Some have given denial an acronym that spells out denial.  Don’t Even kNow I Am Lying.  Denial not only hinds and protects our bad behavior, but it hinds itself.  It is the worst wrong of all wrongs, because it’s job is to hind all other wrongs covertly.  Denial goes beyond being just a tool, to become a technique and a life style.  The reason for this is because of the habituation that becomes apart of our defensive rationale, which in turn corrupts our thinking process.

Denial assumes many faces, which when habitually practiced becomes ways of thinking, they are called, “Thinking Errors.”

Thinking Errors
It has been wisely said that negative thought processes can perpetuate problematic behavior and result in the generation of negative consequences rather than assisting in our problem solving and the creation of alternative solutions to our daily dilemmas.  Some common thinking errors are:

˜       Anger  Is usually a secondary emotion that hides or is a reaction to a primary emotion: fear, jealousy, or envy.  It can also be a mental reaction to: rejection, resentment, greed, self-centeredness or other negative thoughts or events. 

˜       Assuming  Thinking I know what others need, want, expect, or think, without asking them if I am correct.  Usually leads to anger. 

• Catastrophizing  Assuming the worsthas or is going to happen. 
• Generalizing  Making assumptions about people based on limited Information. 

˜       Blaming  Making others somehow responsible for my behavior.  Usually used in conjunction with Victim Stance. 

˜       Closed Channel  A strong, single focus of thought that wipes out other options for action.  I do not hear or see the things that might change my mind. 

• Cut off & Corrosion  A strong, single focus of thought that sets itself up as the only choice to a pending decision.  We find reasons to do what we wanted to do all along by discrediting all other options.  This is a legalistic rationalization designed to have only one answer to a question, ours. 

˜       Excuse Making  The habit of finding reasons why we did not do something we should have done or said we would do. 

˜       Euphoric Recall  Thinking of only the past “good old days,” without remembering the bad that followed.  We don’t focus on the outcome of negative behavior and consequently don’t deal with or thinking about possible negative consequences that occurred, and can occur again. 

˜       Isolation  The belief that it is irresponsible or wrong to ask for help or support.  We think that people are either in control or are controlled by others and we try to manipulate rather than ask for what we need.

˜       Justifying   The habit of finding reasons for what we do.  Why our behavior is logical and correct. 

˜       Lack of time perspective  The desire for Instant Gratification.  An unreal expectation of how long something should take in light of our desire to have it prematurely. 

˜       Lying  A habitual behavior for some, lying is used as a defense to confuse, distort or take the focus away from the liar’s behavior. 

• Commission  Making up things that aren’t true. 
• Omission  Leaving things out…only speaking part of the truth. 
• Assent  Pretending to agree to stop an argument or something incomputable or to look good. 

˜       Minimizing  Trying to make negative actions, events or behavior appear small and trivial. 

˜       Power Thrust  Using loud or aggressive behavior or emotional manipulation to get our way.  Often there is a threat of violence of some type. 

˜       Perfectionism  Expecting everything to be done our way or else it is wrong.  Generally our expectations are extremely high. 

˜       Rationalization  Any and every attempt to say what I am doing is ok, because…. 

˜       Shifting Focus  Directing attention away from our behavior or ourselves, onto a different person or situation. 

˜       Suggestibility  Going along with someone else’s idea when we know it might not be right.  We do this to look good or be liked; it also gives us someone else to blame if it goes bad.

˜       Super-Optimism  Refusing to entertain the possibility of any negative outcome to our ideas, plans, or actions.  Other people get caught in or suffer the consequences… not us.

˜       Uniqueness  Feeling that we are different from everyone else.  We are special, entitled to whatever we want or rationalize we deserve.  We don’t deserve the same negative consequences as others do.

˜       Victim Stance  We believe that bad things always happen to us and that we are always the victims, we always lose.  Our behavior seems to beg for the help of others, but we find reasons that the help that is offered will not work.  Because we are the victim we are not responsible for what happens and we always avoid the responsibility for anything. 

˜       Zero State  A state of mind where all options for positive change are unavailable.  We are helpless, hopeless and can see nothing that can save us. 

The Problem
Thinking errors concretionize (go from something fluid, flexible, and deliberate; to something rigid, petrified, and automatic) with use, and so corrupt our thinking process, that our belief system is polluted.  We become what we think.  If we lie all the time, we must rationalize it, and therefore we keep lying about being a liar (because, a liar is one who practices lying) to ourselves as well as everyone else.

Therefore, since it took practice to become a liar, it takes practice to un-become a liar.  The same is true about thinking errors.  As it took habituation for thinking errors to become embedded in our lives, it will take the habituation of stopping the thinking errors, for us to start to think more healthily (honest and true).  Consequently, the first step is to identify thinking errors.  The list above is for this purpose, to help you find and acknowledge thinking errors in your life.  The following tool should help accomplish this in a effective, user-friendly, and thorough manner.

Correcting a Thinking Process so as to Change a Belief System

RIP is an acronym that stands for Realize-Identify-Practice.  RIP is used to aid in burying your old (untruthful and therefore, self-defeating) thinking errors, which corrupt your belief system (worldview), and help in creating a new (truthful and therefore, self-affirming) belief system. 

The Solution

Realize.  It has been said that realizing something is wrong is 50% of solving the problem, at this point, you see there is a problem; it is at this painful point that you choice to have eyes to see. 

Identify.  From here, you must recognize how the problem is manifesting itself, what particular way is it showing itself, what exactly are you doing?  At this point you must focus your eyes so as to identify the precise thinking (or behavior), so you can correct it from happening again.  

Practice.  Finally, you must choice to prepare for not doing it again by practicing in your mind what is wrong, and what is right and committing to it: 

1. Telling yourself it was wrong thinking; because you can see what it was denial.

2. Identifying the exact type of denial. 

3. Exposing to yourself what it was and that you choice to not let it continue. 

4. Concretionize (make real and solid) your commitment to correct this thinking error by putting it to paper, and thereby examining and dissecting it, piece by piece.  This is the stage of change, where you tell yourself that you will not continue in this thinking error because you can see it is a lie (use a Think Error sheet to dissect and understand your denial).  

5. At this point, you must confess to someone that you have been lying to yourself and others; you told a lie now tell the truth.  Back yourself into a corner, by confessing you are choosing not to continue to use this lie to rationalize your behavior.   

Conclusion
Change is not easy, especially in your thinking, but it is possible.  How many times have you changed your mind about something, hopefully a lot, otherwise you must be perfect, and it is this kind of thinking that must be changed the most, pride.  We must humble ourselves enough to allow ourselves to become people of change.  For it is people who are constantly changing for the better that are becoming better people.  If you want to keep on living in denial, being the only one who really believes the lies you keep telling others and yourself, looking like a fool to the world, not growing as a person, being self-centered, serving only your own purposes, staying a child; then go ahead, there are prisons, jails, halfway houses, hospitals, mental wards, and homeless shelters, that you can spend the rest of your life (all of these places are good and necessary, but they are only meant to be temporary, not permanent) in.

This is not to say you won’t or can’t be rich and live in a palace, and have all the things money can buy, and maybe you won’t be alone, but you will be miserable, because things don’t buy true joy.  You may have happiness.  Happiness is due to good things that happen (which is the root of the word “happiness”) to us, but it is temporary at best and always fleeting.  What makes life full, and brings contentment (the feeling of satisfaction)is joy.  Joy is an inward feeling, a peace based upon how we feel about our God and ourselves, and the relationship between the two (which explains why a true believer can lack joy when he is out of fellowship with God, even though he is still a believer, and destined for heaven. We can rob ourselves of joy by disobeying and not trusting God in faith).  Joy  is expressed outwardly by peace, and you don’t get it by being self-centered and always thinking you are right, and in always demanding to have your own way.  You don’t get it by acting like there is no God, except yourself (little god), and expecting your will to be done on earth.  You will never achieve the peace of joy, if you continue to keep lying to others, to prove how you are right, or that your wrong is not wrong. 

UPDATED
You cannot achieve the true peace of joy in your life as long as you keep lying to yourself – and don’t be fooled, you must lie to yourself first before you lie to others. 

If all that you do is use this handout to address “Thinking Errors,” and never go on the conclusion which is most important in life, concerning who God is and who you are, and that He is worthy of your trust and faith; you will have a better life on this earth, but it is the eternity to come you will face the greatest regret ever conceived (this is wholly inadequate – hell is beyond our own conception).   Think about it….

 bb  

Some More Words of Wisdom I Did Not Come up With

There are five things that you cannot recover in life:

 

(1)      The Stone……………after it’s thrown

 

(2)      The Word……………after it’s said

 

(3)      The Occasion………after it’s missed

 

(4)      The Time……………after it’s gone

 

(5)      A person……………after they die  

 Author unknown

Let’s Build An Ark (or blow up a Levee)

Although Noah was smart enough to listen to God and build the Ark, many of the farmers in the midwest haven’t the choice to do so. Government intervenes instead. A few nights ago, the Corps of Engineers blew the levee that would save the town of Cairo, Ill. Or so they thought. Our rivers and lakes and streams are beyond their capability and the water has nowhere to go. Farmers that have lived on this land all of their lives are watching their homes and that of their heritage disappear.  Their cattle and horses are running scared and are difficult to round-up. In many cases impossible, and farmers are not only loosing homes but livestock as well which translates to livelihood.  All of this, and the small town of Cairo, Ill still floods. Thousands of acres of farmland flooded and people weep, families devasataed as the Levee at Bird’s Point was blown a little after 10 p.m. Monday evening.   Destroying 90 farms to save a small town of about 2,800.  The blast blew a hole in the levee about two miles wide with more blast yet to come. The Army Corp of Engineers says the water will not be off of the farmlands until late summer which means the farmers will lose an entire growing season. Governor Jay Nixon comments that  this is some of the most productive farmland in the US. and fought the destruction of the levee to no avail. The thunderous boom and blinding flash of light against the night sky turned 130,000 acres of prime farmland into a muddy a muddy lake and lowered the Mississippi River by three to four feet. Yet it still rises and will crest in days. 

Can we gather them two by two? Is God telling us something and perhaps our ear is not to the grindstone? Is man supposed to leave well enough alone, after all this is God’s design of rivers flowing and perhaps WE got in HIS way.

Be still and listen….Can you hear Him? Lord Jesus my heart weeps for these people, some I do not know, some I know only through family and friends. I pray that you will keep them safe and let there be a home to return to. I pray that you will give them your peace and let them feel your presence.

God watches our backs

Obviously there are 2 different God’s, the angry vengeful God described in the Old Testament and the syrupy sweet God of love described in the New, ever hear that? I think a common misconception is simply to misunderstand the dispensational nature of God. To think that God’s nature somehow changed is truly a lack of being a Berean and searching out scripture for ones self, reaching conclusions before first taking the time to examine all the information.

Consider this verse made by the vengeful God of the Old Covenant….

“You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord” Leviticus 19:18

Sound familiar?

So am I saying that God has always been about love, that the message to man has always been one centered upon love, Yes! And He has always promised to protect that which is His own, suggesting that He would watch the backs of those that are His own.

“Do not say, “I will recompense evil”, Wait for the Lord, and He will save you” Prov 20:22

Now if I wished to make a post so lengthy no one would read it we could bounce back and forth putting into context the “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” references and why it was essential in it’s application but that’s not the point nor would I wish to debate it as indeed it was a valid instruction as well. However the intention of this posting is about how I react to others when they’ve treated me in less than a pleasant manner.

“Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath: for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry feed him; if he is thirsty; give him drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”. Rom 12:17-21

We all have feelings, I know I do, and they are vulnerable to being bent outta sorts, and it probably hurts worse and is harder to deal with when the hurt comes from within those closest to you, your own family. Whether we like it or not if you be a believer as I am a believer you and I are therefore family, an eternal one, that’s right you may have to put up with me for a very long time…hey I don’t write the news just report it haha.

Truly I understand the compulsion to defend myself, to right an injustice, to correct an error, to protect myself from someone who is treating me unfairly and with contempt. It’s at that moment I am tempted, heck let’s be honest here, more than tempted to respond back in like manner, harshly and directly after all they started it, so easy to tell myself “would I not be justified in so doing”?

Well I’ve done it that way, I admit it. But ya know it never accomplished anything other than antagonizing the matter, turning an ember into a raging fire, don’t ya know there are those among us that want nothing more than to rob others of their peace. For whatever reasons, be it spiritual pride, or perhaps a poor soul so miserable inside that they cannot bear to see someone else appear to be happy and content in their midst, so hopelessly self centered that the only way in which the feel they can achieve any solace is to pull everyone else down into their pit of despair, is pretty sad.

But Love does not desire nor does it breed misery! Love wishes to multiply itself by way of imparting itself upon others, how did Paul put it, “Love never fails”! And the funny part of it is it’s a choice, that’s right we must choose it. And ya know I haveta admit sometimes that’s much easier to say than to do, but I can also say it get’s easier to do after each application and the result of the actions are clearly seen.

God watches our backs when we do things His way, He truly does, seen it time and time again, if we choose to try it in our own strength, our own way He will allow it, I know I’ve taken Him up on that liberty many times, but through those times He allowed His point to be made manifest, He really has this stuff figured out.

And our Father loves us, cares for us, and does watch our backs.

Gonna share a quick little story as I’m thinking this is probably getting pretty long, sorry about that. This is one of the instances that God used a long time back to show me He was fully aware of my every situation and would always watch my back if I waited on Him….

I was part of an on site maintenance crew at a large apartment complex and one morning I walked out to my car and seen a huge dent in the door, someone had backed into it but good. Now not just someone but a neighbor, I couldn’t help but notice traces of the color of my paint on their back bumper. There was no note on my car or any attempt whatsoever on this persons part to do the right thing in taking responsibility. It was one of those times I was really working on fine tuning my walk with the Lord and haveta admit I was very tempted to go jump in the guys face, call the law, kick his car, heck anything, but 2 guys from my crew were with me and aware of the situation, 2 guys I had been witnessing the power of God in my life to, so how ya gonna react here Rock? Now this was a long time ago and I’m trying to be accurate as possible but if I remember correctly in this incident I just took a breath and walked away.

Now of coarse they thought I was out of my mind and honestly I can’t remember why I handled it this way other than to allow God an opportunity to prove Himself to me, it may not have been as much about them actually, at least not in my mind. Well however be the actual intentions involved in the situation let me share how it worked out and I’ve never forgotten it, I’m betting these 2 co workers haven’t either.

It was sometime later, not long a few weeks maybe, we were making our usual rounds and wow, this guy had taken his car in for a brand new paint job and it looked really nice. A few comments were made by them about how unfair it was his car looked so good and mine had a dent etc which I admit I did feel that sense of unfairness but still I didn’t say much, God’s in control I assured myself.

It couldn’t have been a day or two later we are making our pass doing our grounds inspection as we did every morning and one of them said “look at his car”! Someone had obviously ran into his car, with that brand new paint job and had done 3 times the damage to his car than what was ever done to mine. They looked at me for my response and I’m like “Aww that’s a shame” adding something along the lines, “God watches my back” and I felt such a peace for not retaliating and allowing God to show me, and more importantly my 2 co workers, God is in control and doesn’t miss a thing, He protects His children and no one gets away with doing them wrongly. I know I shared many words about the Lord to them but I’m thinking nothing impacted the reality of what I was trying to say to them as that one instance by way of example.

Late…off to bed

Shalom

Wise Words That I Wish I Had Said

I am a thrice-Baptist. I’m not saying I am a Baptist, I’m saying I’m 3 times more than a Baptist. This is not a reference to the current denomination; this is a reference to having been baptized 3 times in my life.

My mother was Catholic and I was christened as a newborn in the Catholic Church.  I was raised as a Protestant within a Bible-based Pentecostal church where I was baptized at age 8.

 

I excepted Christ receiving me as His Child; according to the grace He afforded me in the perception of reality, through the enabling of spiritual sight wherein I choose, and do choose to exercise faith in the most logical consideration given human being – that of being a Christian (I hate the expression of “accepting Christ,” it sounds so presumptuous and arrogant, when in reality it is only a fool that turns down such a great gift from the King – especially if the gift is the life of His own Son to take my place for the punishment I deserve – it is in humility that we should address our own salvation, having less to do with our own insights and understanding, and more to do with God’s “Amazing Grace” in choosing such flawed and sinful creatures as we are all). I made this God inspired profound transformation at the age of 18, becoming born again; and baptized for the third and last time into the church of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

While I believe that anyone that exercises Biblical faith in Jesus Christ can be saved; there are some Christian churches, organizations, and movements which I believe handicap its parishioners concerning salvation, as well as living a life of faith. And some of these so-called Christian movements which aren’t Christian at all.

Concerning Catholicism, I have met a few Catholics I look forward to spending eternity with (as well as some self proclaimed Protestants, which I do not), yet I must also say that if YOU completely follow the ordinance of the church, I fear you will not be one of them.

I say all that to say I find great delight when I find a leader with in the Catholic Church that speaks wise Biblical words that I find I agree with, and even greater delight when I hear a Catholic leader say words which are so wise, that I am envious that I did not think of the myself, the following words such as these. (In spite of how arrogant this paragraph sounds, there is no way of presenting how much I admire the following words, especially the last paragraph.)

“God beholds you individually, whoever you are. He calls you by your name. He sees you and understands you, as He made you. He knows what is in you, all your own peculiar feelings and thoughts, your dispositions and likings, your strength, your weakness.

He views you in your day of rejoicing, and your day of sorrow. He sympathizes in your hopes and your temptations. He interests Himself in all your anxieties and remembrances, all the rising and failings of your spirit. He has numbered the very hairs of your head and the height of your stature.

He compasses you round and bears you in His arms; He takes you up and sets you down. He notes your very countenance, whether smiling or in tears, whether healthful or sickly. He looks tenderly upon your hands and your feet; He hears your voice, the beating of your heart, and your very breathing.

You do not love yourself better than He loves you. You cannot shrink from pain more than He dislikes your bearing it; and if He puts it on you, it is as you would put it on yourself, if you would be wise, for a greater good afterwards….

God has created you to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to you which He has not committed to another. You have your mission — you may never know it in this life but you shall be told it in the next.

You are a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created you for naught. You shall do good, you shall do His work. You shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in your own place while not intending it if you do but keep His commandments.

Therefore I will trust Him. Whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me — still He knows what He is about.”

John Henry Newman, Catholic Cardinal
(02/21/1801 to08/11/1890)

And yes the above picture is of Cardinal John Henry himself just before his death.

bb

 

Signs of a Christian Cult

Introduction
Recently I was involved in any situation concerning a very close family member that had joined an organization that according to many Internet sources was a cult.  It was due to the love I have for this person that I invested a small amount of time into defining what the warning signs of a Christian cult were which also involved defining characteristics of a dysfunctional church.  The difference between the two is that the Christian cults, rather directly acknowledged or known by its leadership are Satanic; yet concerning a dysfunctional church, spiritual maturity may be the main problem; however if left unaddressed the dysfunctional church will evolve into a heretical cult.

It is amazing to me how many of what some once thought to be Orthodox organizations, movements, and denominations which 20 or 30 years ago I was aware were sliding down this road as unchristian at the least, and Antichrist at its worst; which today prove up those prior insights were correct.  It is the casualty of the track layer whose 1 percent off, where the frog and the boiling water syndrome, and a lack of in-depth biblical teaching leaves from what once appeared to be a Christian movement, to what is now recognized as a Christian cult.  A cult, which is correctly termed as a Christian cult; is an organization that claims to be Christian, yet does not teach Orthodox doctrine leading unto salvation, and accepted Biblical exegesis (the term occult refers to a openly anti-Christian satanic / daemonic organization).  In the simpler days the main groups of Christian cults were: Mormons, Jehovah’s Witness, and Church of Scientology; however currently it is unfortunate that the list has expanded way beyond the scope and time necessary to list them in this short essay.

The following list is what I came up with off the top of my head.

If anyone can think of any others signs or characteristics of a Christian cult, please leave them in the comments section.

It is unfortunate that this is an area that we must all stay up to-date on and aware of concerning our loved ones as Satan attempts through any and every opportunity to either divert the believer who is young or immature into ineffectiveness, sabotage the believer who is growing, or derail the older believer who is not well grounded in doctrine.

Warning Signs of Dysfunctional or Cultic Christian Groups
(If you must hide this from other members or leaders of the group – you are probably in one)

Structure
Progressive Isolation – Rather Direct or Indirect – the “We Are the Only Ones” Attitude is Displayed.

Communal Structure in Order to Control Individuals – Communal Living is Not Taught in the Bible.

A Lack of Individualism – Group Centered Is the Mantra – Though Person Centered is the Structure.

The Value of the Individual is Only Found in the Group – Self-Loathing is Emphasized, Directly or Indirectly.

Guilt and Shame are Reinforced – Shame of Who the Person is – Guilt for Fill in the Shame.

A Lack Autonomy – Not Free to Leave the Group – Everyone Else is Wrong.

Communal Sharing – Support Leadership Financially Either Directly or Indirectly.

Attempt to Isolate from Others – Rather Directly or Indirectly Especially Family or Friends.

 

Leadership
These Groups Are Only Leader Based – Leader Centered – Not Christ Centered.

Authority Seated in the Leader – As Opposed to Jesus Christ or the Word of God.

Leaders May Be Paranoid, Angry, Dictatorial, and Rigid (Though Not Necessary as Manipulation Takes Many Forms).

Patriarchal or Matriarchal – Centered on a Person (the Maypole Experience), Rather Than Centered on the person of Jesus Christ (watch how they use His name, is Jesus simply a prop to support what they say).

Dominant Dictatorial Leadership is Practiced – As Opposed to Jesus Type of Servitude.

The Leader is the Father and Knows Best – and is Not to be Questioned – Leadership is Abused.

Leaders Can Justify Their Own Behaviors – Those Same Behaviors Are Condemned in Others.

Rigid Structure – A pyramid structure to leadership – where the leader is the capstone.

Questions Are Considered a Lack of Faith – Blind Obedience is Viewed as Loyalty.

 

Doctrine
The Bible is Not the Rule or standard – The Interpretation of the Leader is the Basis for Teaching.

Minimal Listing of Scriptures Reference – The Teachings Are More like Talks than Expositional Presentations.

Vagueness concerning Doctrine – a Lack of Specificity concerning Orthodox Christian Doctrines.

God and the Bible never function in accordance with words such as: almost, nearly, sometimes, roughly, just about, occasionally.  When the Bible speaks of prophecy, it is exact; when God speaks His Will, it is specific; when man is given directions, they are precise.  False teachers need room to move around in order to distort the Word of God to say what they wanted it to say, this mandates hazy terminology and ambiguity.

 The normal understanding of Biblical words are distorted or changed; or a special spiritual translation is implied directly or indirectly.  It is paramount to Satan’s deception to change the meaning of words.  This also includes false teachers stating that what God’s Word says is figurative – not literal.  There are “Figures of Speech” (which are specific terms and expressions readily identified) wherein the text identifies one of the 218 different figures that are being used for emphasis sake.  “Figures of Speech” never disavow the literal meaning, and are only used to give precision to the literal, never making what is literal – figurative.  “Figures of Speech” are always used for emphasis and clarity, never to change the meaning of a word to the opposite of what it is used (please see our essay on: “Rhetorical Figures of Speech ”).

 

God
The Term God, Which is Simply a Title for Deity is Mainly Used – As Opposed to the Name of Jesus Christ.

The Name Jesus is Spoken Minimally – Used As a Mantra – His Words Are Not Taught in Depth.

Ritualistic Worship is Practiced – Repetitive Chanting, Which Lacks Scriptural Basis or Reference.

The Bible is Simply a Tool Where Versus are References for Talks, Rather Than Biblical Teaching with Multiple Versus used to link together biblical doctrines.

God and the Bible Are used as Props – Rather Than the Center of Attention.

Your insights are appreciated.  bb

 

Pet Shop Puppy

Today I’m posting something that isn’t a theological issue nor doctrine by any means although it is an issue regarding good and bad ethics in our treatment of animals, a very important issue to Buddy ( my dawg ). Not sure what the glitch was that prevented it from posting earlier so when I got back from rehearsal just posted it again, a great read but ya may wanna keep a tissue handy.

Pet Shop Puppy

I don’t remember much from the place I was born, it was cramped and dark and we were never played with by the humans. I remember Mom and her soft fur, but she was often sick and very thin. She hardly had any milk for me and my brothers and sisters. I remember many of them dying, I missed them so.

I do remember the day I was taken from Mom. I was so sad and scared, my milk teeth had only just come in, and I really should have been with Mom still but they wanted money and were sick of the “mess” that me a my sister made. So we were crated up and taken to a strange place just the two of us. We huddled together and were scared, still no human hands came to pet or love us.

So many sights and sounds, and smells! We are in a store where there are many different animals! Some that squawk! Some that meow! Some that Peep! My sister and I are jammed into a small cage and I hear other puppies here. I see humans look at me, I like the ‘little humans’, the kids. They look so sweet and fun, like they would play with me! All day we stay in the small cage, sometimes mean people will hit the glass and frighten us, every once in a while we are taken out to be held or shown to humans. Some are gentle, some hurt us, we always hear “Aw they are so cute! I want one!” but we never get to go with any.

My sister died last night when the store was dark. I lay my head on her soft fur and felt the life leave her small thin body. I had heard them say she was sick, and that I should be sold at a “discount price” so that I would quickly leave the store. I think my soft whine was the only one that mourned for her as her body was taken out of the cage in the morning and dumped.

Today a family came and bought me! Oh happy day! They are a nice family, they really, really wanted me! They had bought a dish and food and the little girl held me so tenderly in her arms. I love her so much! The mom and dad say what a sweet and good puppy I am! I am named Angel. I love to lick my new humans!

The family takes such good care of me, they are loving and tender

and sweet. They gently teach me right and wrong and give me good food, and lots of love! I want only to please these wonderful people! I love the little girl and I enjoy running and playing with her.

Today I went to the veterinarian, it was a strange place and I was frightened. I got some shots but my best friend the little girl held me softly and said it would be ok, so I relaxed. The Vet must have said sad words to my beloved family because they looked awfully sad. I heard severe hip dysplasia and something about my heart… I heard the vet say something about back yard breeders and my parents not being tested. I know not what any of that means, just that it hurts me to see my family so sad. But they still love me and I still love them very much!

I am 6 months old now. Where most other puppies are robust and rowdy it hurts me terribly just to move, the pain never lets up. It hurts to run and play with my beloved little girl and I find it hard to breath. I keep trying my best to be the strong pup I know I am supposed to be but it is just getting so hard. It breaks my heart to see the little girl so sad, and to hear the mom and dad talk about “it might now be the time”. Several times I have gone to that veterinarians place, the news is never good, they always talk about congenital problems. I just want to feel the warm sunshine and run and play and nuzzle with my family.

Last night was the worst, pain has been my constant companion now, it hurts even to get up and get a drink. I try to get up but can only whine in pain. I am taken in the car one last time. Everyone is so sad and I don’t know why. Have I been bad? I try to be good and loving, what have I done wrong? Oh if only this pain would be gone. If only I could soothe the tears of the little girl. I reach out my muzzle to lick her hand but can only whine in pain.

The veterinarian’s table is so cold, I am so frightened. The humans all hug and love me as they cry into my soft fur. I can feel their love and sadness, I manage to lick softly their hands. Even the vet doesn’t seem so scary today. He is gentle and I sense some kind of relief for my pain. The little girl holds me softly and I thank her for giving me all her love. I feel a soft pinch in my foreleg. The pain is beginning to lift, I am beginning to feel a peace descend upon me, I can now softly lick her hand. My vision is becoming dreamlike now and I see my Mother and my brothers and sister in a far off green place. They tell me there is no pain there only peace and happiness. I tell the family good-bye in the only way I know how, a soft wag of my tail and a nuzzle of my nose.

I had hope to spend many, many moons with them, but it was not meant to be. “You see,” said the veterinarian, “Pet shop puppies do not come from ethical breeders.” The pain ends now, and I know it will be many years until I see my beloved family again. If only things could have been different ….author unknown….……….”A righteous man regards the life of his animal…” Prov 12:10

The Post – Regeneration or Faith

Regeneration vs. Faith – Which Came First?

As I stated in last week’s preamble to this particular post, I have found what to me seems to be a trilogy concerning 3 biblical subjects; that of:

Judgment
Forgiveness
Regeneration.

Regeneration, is a theological term referred to as the act or process which propagates salvation; and salvation is achieved through grace, yet according to the exercise of man’s faith.

As many theological terms seem to be opportunities to display spiritual arrogance, in reality they present shortcuts when talking about something without having to further explain the intricacies of what that subject entails. 

It’s like the biblical word, “atonement.”

Many of us were mistakenly told in Sunday school class that this liturgical word meant: “at-one-ment, with…” which is completely wrong.  The Hebrew words used for “atonement,” kaphar, hata, and racah; meant “to cover,” hence expiate, conceal, or placate; to offer or receive a sin offering; hence make atonement, appiece, propittiate; make reconciliation.

The Greek word, katallage, translated atonement; is actually used in Romans 5:11, but really means “reconciliation;” with the word reconciliation used in Romans 11:15, and 2 Corinthians 5:18-19; yet all 3 passages uses same Greek word katallage as listed above.

It is in defining the words translated to the word atonement, that we come to understand that God did not simply forgive and forget the sin of man; but that there was a covering of man’s sin that was necessary to restore the relationship, that reconciliation was made necessary by the legal act of someone else paying for that sin.  God is a just and righteous God, and where there is violationthere must be recompense.  Where there is sin, there must be punishment; to do otherwise is unrighteous.

The word atonement, for the Christian cannot be separated from the name of Jesus as our Savior. It is by Jesus that we are reconciled to God by His death on the cross; which Paul further elaborated on in the 5th chapter of Romans.

Atonement is an important word. There are cults which avoid the subject of atonement, which set up different criteria for receiving salvation, based upon deceit, wherein the participants follow an un-biblical charter in order to become saved. Yet it is in understanding that Christ’s death on the cross, His atoning work on the cross as it is theologically referred to; is the only means of salvation, not by works; but by the simple act of faith in Christ atoning death, wherein Christ took my place – paid for my sins, and all that would exercise faith in that act, this is what the word atonement means.

And by simply using the word atonement to all those understand everything just stated alleviate said me of having to reexplain something that appears to be more difficult than it really is.

Hence theological terms are necessary for communication concerning the deeper truths of God’s Word in order to avoid confusion and save time.

Regeneration is one of these words. It is what the Holy Spirit does within the believer which brings life to a dead soul. One misunderstanding within the church is that all human beings have a spirit per se, such as referred the same as the Spirit of a believer.

This is not true. Every person born has a soul, it is the essence of life which makes them what they are – a human being – a living soul (Gen. 2:7). The soul upon death will either go to heaven or hell. The unbeliever is spiritually dead, they do not maintain the Spirit which is referred to as indwelling believers.

Where generically speaking they are said to be spiritual beings in reference to their eternal life, this is a nomenclature rather than a reality concerning the use of the word Spirit by the Christian. It is the child of God that is the dwelling place of the Spirit of God, hence the New Testament reference to the believer as the Temple of God (John 2:21;1 Corinthians 3:16,17; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:21).

In its most simplistic term regeneration is used many times to be synonymous with “born again,” as both referred to the act of becoming a Spiritual child of God, to live for eternity with God; as compared to an un-regenerated unbeliever destined for the second death. Unfortunately, we Americans miss-use the word “death” as meaning something that extinguishes life - a halting, or stopping of something.

Yet Biblically speaking, both in the Hebrew and Greek, death always has to do with transition. And where the Bible refers to the unbeliever as going through the second death, this is a reference not to the lack of existence, but of an existence outside of the presence of God; formally understood to be in hell. Regeneration is understood to be the work of the Holy Spirit within the believer. Perhaps, one of the simplest yet adequate explanation is found in Easton’s Bible dictionary, which states:

Regeneration
Only found in Mat_19:28 and Tit_3:5. This word literally means a “new birth.” The Greek word so rendered (palingenesia) is used by classical writers with reference to the changes produced by the return of spring. In Mat_19:28 the word is equivalent to the “restitution of all things” (Act_3:21). In Tit_3:5 it denotes that change of heart elsewhere spoken of as a passing from death to life (1Jo_3:14); becoming a new creature in Christ Jesus (2Co_5:17); being born again (Joh_3:5); a renewal of the mind (Rom_12:2); a resurrection from the dead (Eph_2:6); a being quickened (Eph_2:1, Eph_2:5).

This change is ascribed to the Holy Spirit. It originates not with man but with God (Joh_1:12, Joh_1:13; 1Jo_2:29; 1Jo_5:1, 1Jo_5:4). As to the nature of the change, it consists in the implanting of a new principle or disposition in the soul; the impartation of spiritual life to those who are by nature “dead in trespasses and sins.” The necessity of such a change is emphatically affirmed in Scripture (Joh_3:3; Rom_7:18; Rom_8:7-9; 1Co_2:14; Eph_2:1; Eph_4:21-24).

The text that I always refer to concerning regeneration is Titus 3:5, which states:

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost“

Now to the question at hand
While listening to a radio Bible teaching class, the following question was posted, “which comes first, faith or regeneration.” Being a good faith zealot that I am, my response would be: “faith of course, which gave opportunity for the Holy Spirit to initiate the regeneration process.”

The reply that I heard, according to R.C. Sproul is the reason that I am presenting this post.

Before answering this question, Dr. Sproul read John 3:1-19, which states:

“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven,even the Son of man which is in heaven.And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” (John 3:1-21)

Dr. Sproul went on to present the Reform Theology position that according to Jesus words, w are use must first be “born again” or regenerated in order to believe.

In my mind I found myself arguing that verse 3 stated that a man must be born again before he can “see the kingdom of God,” that being born again was in reference to where one would spend eternity as compared to the exact point that they received salvation, where they became a child of God.

I would further go on to state that in verse 14 Jesus uses the story of Moses lifting up the serpent, which was a typology of Christ being lifted up on the cross – that it was indeed faith (or the verb form of faith – “believeth“) used here in the book of John – that “believeth“ came first, before the healing of the snake wounds, the same that as faith occured before the regeneration, which created the Spirit within the person, who became saved.

Yet, Dr. Sproul went on to state Jesus words as seen in verses 20 and 21, which present a different arrangement in the time sequence. He pointed out that everyone “that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light.”

Dr. Sproul went on to state that every man born is born in sin, without exception. And that according to these previous words does not come to the light, which is also validated in John 6:44, which states:

“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

As well as Romans 3:11, which states:

“There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” (Which is also seen in Psalms 5:9; 140:3; 10:7; 36:1; Isaiah 59:7-8)

Dr. Sproul reiterated that whereas Ephesians 2:8 in reference to salvation being a “gift” of God, could not be a reference to “faith” according to the grammar, that the above teaches that even this faith that man exercises can only be exercised after regeneration, after having a spiritual discernment in order to choose to do right, to choose to walk into the light.

His point was that regeneration had to occur prior to the choice to exercise faith. That man simply doesn’t decide to follow God and believe, in fact he is incapable as a fallen creature of doing so on his own. Therefore faith could not proceed the regeneration, as the regeneration was necessary to obtain the sight wherein one could exercise faith.

Now I still hold to my belief that faith is exercised first, yet I do agree that faith cannot be conceived of unless the Holy Spirit opens our eyes. And whereas this may be a play on semantics, and in essence we would agree, I still am more comfortable believing that the saving act of faith, which is only made possible according to the Holy Spirit, occurs first to allow for the regeneration to proceed – yet, the foolishness may be an us separating things according to our understanding of time, wherein the act of faith may be synonymous as far as time goes with the regeneration of the Holy Spirit.

The thing that this episode brought home to me was the fact that we must all be willing to reconsider those things that we hold on to so dearly. I have spent time expressing the price that I pay in teaching and making presentations. While I may act like a peacock in doing so, the main purpose is for you to understand as a reader that a price is being paid for what is presented, that is not merely an opinion based upon a conjecture or  is an uneducated opinion. I am so tired of dealing with individuals who have no commitment, and make rash statements based upon their feelings (emotions – I hate when politicians do it, in fact you will notice whenever an individual cannot win an argument based upon logic or reason, they will revert to an emotional based attack upon the messenger of the message, using rigorous inflammatory terminology to paint the other side is evil – have you been watching our president lately, his last speech; as well as many others are a perfect example of this type of immature emotional based tripe, sorry – just saying…); as compared to Gods Word. We must all dig deep into God’s Word and study it – not simply read it. Yet we must always be willing to hold on loosely to anything that the Holy Spirit may want to challenge us concerning.

Therefore, whereas in the past I have, for the sake of simplicity stated that according to Ephesians 2 8, “the gift” referred to could apply to faith as well as it does salvation; I openly confess that this is been wrong. It is the dumbing down of the gospel, wherein we try to do things more simply so that people will understand, that we do a disservice to God in His Word. Please forgive me for having done so.

It is so hard to try to use words to describe things that are spiritual, hence part of the problem in defining these theological terms and expressions.

What I do know, and what I do believe is this.

Salvation is a gift of God, an expression of God’s mercy in not receiving the punishment I deserve; an expression of God’s grace in being made a son of God; yet all made possible through the exercise of faith according to God’s grace, yet even this precious faith is a blessing of the Holy Spirit, and that nothing in this flesh is good or righteous.

Endnote
The following versus may be helpful for any ongoing studyon the subject of regeneration. 

“Regeneration” – General references
Deu_30:6; Deu_29:4; 1Ki_8:58; Psa_36:9; Psa_51:2; Psa_51:7; Psa_51:10; Psa_65:3; Psa_68:18; Psa_87:4; Psa_87:6; Psa_110:3; Pro_4:23; Pro_12:28; Pro_14:27; Pro_16:1; Isa_1:16-17; Isa_1:25; Isa_4:4; Isa_12:3; Isa_26:12; Isa_29:23; Isa_32:3-4; Isa_32:15; Isa_32:17; Isa_35:5-6; Isa_42:16; Isa_43:7; Isa_44:3-5; Isa_49:9; Isa_55:1-3; Jer_13:23; Jer_17:13-14; Jer_24:7; Jer_31:3; Jer_31:33-34; Heb_8:10-11; Jer_32:38-40; Jer_33:6; Eze_11:19-20; Eze_16:9; Eze_18:31; Eze_36:26-27; Eze_36:29; Eze_37:1-14; Eze_44:7; Eze_44:9; Zec_12:10; Mat_12:33-35; Mat_12:43-44; Mat_13:23; Mat_13:33; Mar_4:20; Luk_13:21; Mat_18:3; Mar_10:15; Luk_18:17; Mar_4:26-29; Luk_1:16-17; Luk_8:35; Luk_8:38-39; Mar_5:19-20; Joh_1:4; Joh_1:13; Joh_1:16; Joh_3:3-8; Joh_4:10; Joh_4:14; Joh_5:24; Joh_6:44-45; Joh_6:47; Joh_6:50-51; Joh_6:57; Joh_8:12; Joh_8:32; Joh_8:36; Joh_10:9-10; Joh_13:8; Joh_15:1; Joh_15:3; Joh_17:2; Act_2:38; Act_2:47; Act_3:26; Act_11:17; Act_11:21; Act_15:9; Act_16:14; Act_21:19; Act_26:18; Rom_2:28-29; Rom 6:3-23; Rom_7:6; Rom_7:24-25; Rom_8:2-6; Rom_8:9; Rom_8:13-16; Rom_12:2; Rom_15:16; 1Co_1:9; 1Co_1:24; 1Co_1:30; 1Co_2:12; 1Co_2:14-16; 1Co_3:6-7; 1Co_3:9; 1Co_6:11; 1Co_12:6; 1Co_12:13; 1Co_15:10; 2Co_1:21-22; 2Co_3:3; 2Co_3:18; 2Co_4:6; 2Co_5:5; 2Co_5:17; Gal_2:20; Gal_4:29; Gal_6:15; Eph_2:1; Eph_2:5-6; Eph_2:8; Eph_2:10; Eph_4:7-8; Eph_4:16; Eph_4:21-24; Eph_5:14; Phi_1:6; Col_2:11-13; Col_3:9-10; 2Th_2:13; Tit_3:5-6; Heb_4:1-12; Heb_10:16-17; Heb_10:22-23; Jam_1:18; Jam_5:19-20; 1Pe_1:2-3; 1Pe_1:22-23; 1Pe_2:3; 1Pe_2:9; 2Pe_1:3-4; 1Jo_2:27; 1Jo_2:29; 1Jo_3:9; 1Jo_3:14; 1Jo_4:7; 1Jo_5:1; 1Jo_5:4-5; 1Jo_5:11-12; 1Jo_5:18.  See Atonement; Reconciliation; Redemption; Sanctification; Sin, Forgiveness of Instances of: Jacob – Gen_32:29; Saul – 1Sa_10:9; and Saul of Tarsus – Acts 9:3-18.  (Naves Topical Bible)

Till next week (lately I’ve taken on other ministerial responsibilities which have cut into my time, I hope to be back here writing more frequently in the near future – at least if I see any comments indicating a desire for more presentations by me – or if any others would consider posting, that would be great too), bb

“To most Christians, the Bible is like a software license. Nobody actually reads it.
They just scroll to the bottom and click ‘I agree.’”

 

A Preamble to Next Week’s Post

Preamble (Boy, what a mess this was, I was trying to get done too fast – sorry for the typos, and the lack of clarity – please reread, it may make sense now ~ Undated 04/10/2011)

The following is a preamble to a blog that will posted by the middle to the end of next week.

On March 25 I posted an open question for the readers to respond to.  Laughingly, in jest a friend referred to it as a “trick question.”  After others had commented, I responded with my own opinion to that question on April 3.

Even though it wasn’t my intention to present any subterfuge, I am now coming to the conclusion that there was a scheme taking place, even though I was unaware of it.

The scheme being that I was unwittingly presenting a trilogy in the forms of two previous posts, with a third yet written.  If there was an intelligent design behind this, that of being orchestrated by the Holy Spirit; I can clam innocence in the scheme as a willing, but unknowing participant.

To explain, the subject matter concerning my question of March 25, and my subsequent answer; was that of “forgiveness.”  As I presented, part of the tie-in concerning the Gospels and Jesus using the word “forgiveness” in regards to healings He was doing; was the subject of faith.  A few days before introducing the post concerning forgiveness, I had delivered a long essay entitled: “Judging, Church Discipline, and Forgiveness.”  I had originally spent months on this essay when presented on the teaching website; then spent a week fine-tuning it to fit within the blog site.  Now, to add to these two previous posts I have been motivated to present the next essay concerning the subject of “Faith, Salvation, and Regeneration”(I know very few believers will be interested in this subject matter, as it seems boring and dry; but it in not for readers that a write – it is for Him who is the only One in the audience, pragmatism be dammed, it is for the King that we do, not for the masses, or the numbers – it is for Him and Him alone we serve), while coming to see how the three posts tie together - unseen until this last post is written. 

Now back the explanation of a possible scheme.  What is amazing is if you would read all 3 of these long essays, you would find a consistency between these subjects which build one upon another, which I was unaware of, nor intended at the time – that of:

1. Judgment,
2. Forgiveness,
3. Faith, Salvation, and Regeneration

Introduction
I started my last post addressing the importance of re-examining doctrines that we have already come to conclusions concerning, and know very well.  I ended by quoting Chuck Missler with the following statement:

“All of us are subject to the limitations imposed by the presumptions we bring to a topic, and it may be essential to step back from time to time and reestablish a fresh perspective.”  Because:

“The only sure barrier to truth is a presumption that we already have it.”

I have taken this expression to heart concerning this next post.

Presentation
In spite of the above statement of being willing to openly set a side my beliefs, I am aware that within my presentation style I appear to maintain a great level of authority in what I teach.  In all actuality, the authority that is perceived, and that I therefore admit to conveying is not seated in myself, but in what I believe the Word of God states.  Some good friends have argued that while I believe this to be true, what I am actually doing is asserting my opinion.  And there is no getting around the fact that anything that anyone says is based upon their own of opinion, unless what they’re saying is verbatim from another source, in this case the Bible, where they are just restating what has already been presented.

Such as, presenting the 10 Commandments.  The only way that one could present the 10 Commandments and avoid being accused of presenting their own opinion, would be to read aloud the Biblical text without commentary or even saying another word about them.

I have taught extensively concerning the subject of presupposition, which is based upon a person’s frame of reference, bias, prejudice; all of which make their worldview.  It is impossible for a human being to not have an opinion about everything.  They may insist that they don’t hold an opinion concerning something, yet upon further examination this is found to be incorrect, yet to them the subject matter is simply not very important, or confusing.

Opinions
Example: My favorite colors are forest green and burgundy.  In my opinion these are very attractive colors, and while I may wish to insist that I have no opinion about other colors, in reality that is incorrect.  I do not own an orange car, nor have I ever.  I’ve never painted the inside of my house orange.  I’ve never chosen the color orange on anything that I’ve custom ordered.  Therefore, it is easy to deduce that I am prejudiced against the color of orange, while biased towards forest green and burgundy.

There may be things that I don’t wish to voice my opinion about, but there is nothing in existence were I hold no opinion, perhaps a less noncommittal of an opinion; showing a lack of deliberation based upon a limited frame of reference, or a lack of concern; yet even in this you will find an opinion somewhere – even if the opinion is the subject matter is too confusing or complicated for me to understand – this too is an opinion.

The point I’m getting to in all this, is that when I teach, there is no doubt that my opinion is involved in everything that I present.  But for those that would seek to argue against what I present by inserting that it is “only my opinion,” need to consider the following.

Uneducated Opinions
Many people form an opinion which is not based upon knowledge, studious examination, or experience.  Their “opinions are uneducated,” as the expression goes.  Many do not want to put the effort or time to be educated about a subject, it is sometimes much more fun to speak about that which we don’t know, yet that which we have an opinion.  And there are many individuals that in examining something truly don’t do so in order to uncover truth, they are simply obtaining information to prove that their opinion is right.  I find this to be true with almost everyone, including myself (though I do try to fight it – at least sometimes); and openly admit how hard it is to critically examine our own held beliefs.

Educated Opinions
I have spent years working on this subject.  The motivation wherein I have attempted to find holes in what I was presenting came from my work as an investigator.  I very rarely ever lost cases in litigation.  The reason why is I screened my clients very well, even utilizing polygraph examination in certain types of criminal, as well as civil cases (for my use only, never to be used in the investigation itself – and don’t believe the lie that polygraphs can be fooled, it’s all contingent upon the reader, you cannot fool a good reader – unless you are a total sociopath, and there are actually very few sociopaths alive, there are a lot of individuals that look like a sociopath, but they engage in the use of “Thinking Errors” to combat their own sense of morality; which may be much less than ours, but does still exist.  A true sociopath has no social morals what so ever; and therefore feels no guilt or shame.  Every criminal I’ve ever worked with has rationalized his criminality – which proves he is not a sociopath – simply a human being).

Part of the reason, in fact a large part of the reason why I was successful in my investigations concerning litigation; concerned one specific tool that I utilized constantly.  I would take a premise which was positive to the case, and then fight as hard as I could against it.  And as you can see from my writing, I am a tenacious person to begin with.  I have long determined that I’d much rather go through a thorough examination and determine I was incorrect up front, rather than look like a fool later, and worst yet, find out that I was fighting for the wrong side (there is nothing so terrible as to determine in retrospect than you were working for the perpetrator, and as such re-victimized the victim yet a again in litigation, or a criminal case), and feel guilt for having done so (I had one big case when I first started where this was the case – it was a good teacher).   Therefore, it’s always been profitable for me to fight against what I believe in order to attempt to comprehend if it is true or a lie.

Biblical Application
Because of that type of mindset which I have maintained since my early investigative training over 30 years ago, I have utilized it when it comes to the Bible as well (actually everything – Yet, to know me, you would know how much I admit I mesh up still, in spite of all the effort otherwise).  I was raised in a church that was pre-trib; yet my first professor of theology, Walter Martin, was post-trib; hence I became post-trip.  There came a point where due to examination I came to the conclusion that I was wrong (many had used a “Straw-Man” type of defense/attack), after having dug into the Greek language.

Willingness to Change
In fact, this has been the case that I have changed my belief concerning many of the major doctrines (at least for the first twenty years), such as: Soteriology (the study of  doctrine of salvation), Predestination (the teaching that God predetermines who will become a believer, as compared to the doctrine of the “Free-Will” of the person to become a believer), and the “Security of the Believer” (“Eternal Security” or “Once Saved, Always Saved” – The first problem is in referring to this question as Calvinism vs. Arminianism – which is named based upon two men, these two individuals came up with formulae (s) which are man-made conjectures; neither one is fully correct, nor fully wrong – it is the Bible that needs to be taught, not man’s philosophy, so please don’t allow yourself to be grouped according to either one of these individuals, because your opponents have already set up the “Straw-Man” approaches to argue against you – seek God and His Word – only), eschatology (Greek: “last things,” Pre-Millennial, Amillennial, Post-Millennial; or pre-trip, mid-trip, or post-trip), and the Pentecostal teaching concerning the Baptism of the Holy; but to mention a few.

Finding Truth
Therefore, if I study a subject, and mystically find Scripture connected with Scripture, especially when I ascertain things that I was not taught it by anyone else, finding treasures in the Greek or Hebrew concerning meaning, this I can only conclude is a leading of the Holy Spirit.

It is very common for me to wake up in the middle of night with some biblical conclusion that baffles me, and then within moments; have a Scripture come to mind which seems to explain it.  I then must get up and start reading the Word, studying, and then writing.

Commitment
I’ve often heard that:

“It is not ability that God is looking for; it is availability”

Tenacity is what God needs in His children.  Tenacity will drive you to discipline, and scholarship.  Tenacity will fortify commitment and drive.  However, tenacity is not enough alone, you must be right – we must always do the right thing, yet always the right way.  When all is said and done; we fight for what is right, for what God desires, and we never, ever, ever, give up.

Self
One of the frequent casualties of the current narcissism in our culture is the self-centeredness which leads to a lack of tenacity.  The church is allowing more sin and corruption within its doors than any time in history.  These days it’s not only the mega churches with dozens of programs to make us better husbands, better wives, wiser children, emotionally more competent, arrest addictions, have fun, and attract more and more crowds; it is now a majority of churches that follow what appears to be good (that that having programs in themselves are not bad, read a little further please).

One of the underpinnings of almost all major denominations, as well as many small time congregations; is church growth.  Tell me where it is in the Bible we are not told to overtly grow the church, that our concern is enlarging our congregations – it is not (in spite of our cultural mindset, bigger is not better / more is not better – “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” ~ Matthew 7:23-24, nor is newer better than older – “Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle” – 2 Thess. 2:15; 2 Tim. 3:14-17).  It is not the churches place to add to its number, it is the Holy Spirit; He will do it (“Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” ~ Acts 2:47).  We are told to make “disciples“, according to the literal Greek (Greek: matheteuo, same as “students”) of men (Matt. 28:19-20), not converts or members. 

Believers produce believers (sheep make sheep, pastors don’t – Jesus told Peter to “feed my sheep“ ~ John 21:16, which means to teach them the Word of God), the church is not for the conversion of the lost, it’s for the training of the believer to do the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:11-15).  And while all these different subjects which become groups or classes may be good, they all focus back on self, rather than God.

The Enemy of the Best
The most successful enemy of the best is not the worst; it is when the second best takes the attention from the best, that it becomes most successful enemy of the best.  This is why we must spend our time studying about God and His will for us.  Spending studying text which talks about being better people, better husbands and better wives will take place as we go through God’s Word, but when the theme of the class are these things, they have moved God over one space from the center where He alone belongs.  Self help is not what the church is to be focused on.  Tables needed to be waited upon (meaning the poor needed to be fed by the church), but is was not to be done by pastors, nor to be the first calling – taking the focus from reading, and studying; and teach the Word of God (Acts 6:2-4), so that the sheep would grow.   

Training, Not Mending
The church has never been meant, nor designed to be a hospital, where believers get patched up from the toil of the previous 6 days.

The church has always been regarded and designed as a military facility, where believers are taught the Word of God in order to do “the work of the ministry” (Eph. 4:12).  Notice all the military terminology which is used throughout the Bible, not just Paul, or David; but almost every writer utilizes it, even Jesus (Luke 14:31).

Why - we are to have the mindset of a warrior fighting for our God, as opposed to a victim (which our culture reinforces upon society) seeking self healing.  There is always healing in the church, but if you train the soldier right, he will not get hurt as easily.  Yet, if a soldier ever does get wounded, he goes to a hospital, he then returns to the battle.  While not in battle he lives on base, not the hospital – hospitals are temporary.  A soldier never trains inside a hospital.

Now, allow me to get off my soap box to conclude this preamble.  I have said all this in preparation for the essay which many believers seek to avoid, that of regeneration as it pertains to salvation and faith.

This subject seems dry, and hard to get into, yet the profit is faith that is strengthen – this is where faith grows, in and from God’s Word (Rom. 10:17).

Finally, I will pose a question to consider concerning the upcoming post – “Which comes first, regeneration or faith?” (it is not as easy as it seems, this study is changing my mind concerning a long held belief – I hate when God does that, but; those who put in the time, reap the benefit).

Part 3 – “Regeneration, Salvation, and Faith” will come out, hopefully by the middle of next week.

bb

Thanks for Your Insights – My Thoughts

First off, let me thank everyone for their insights and opinions concerning the subject of forgiveness.

Introduction
The old expression that familiarity breeds contempt is a good reason to post questions like this.  Sometimes the most dangerous topics within Christianity are those we all know so very well, and therefore end up studying rarely having developed an understanding of the subject, especially if they seem simple.  It is in asking these types of questions that should drive us to open the pages of our Bible and research yet again, allowing the Holy Spirit to connect Scripture with Scripture concerning a question which seems so very unusual because we all know it so well.

This also contributes to one of the greatest discriminations within theology in general, and Christianity in particular, that of the use of common Biblical words without having an absolute understanding of what they truly mean.  It is when we have heard words or teachings so many times that are mind stops thinking, stops processing, stops considering anything new; but in that we simply jump to an established conclusion.  Those conclusions, long recognized; serve to stop creative thinking, by following regulated interpretation.

It is concerning these types of issues, where we in the church start to interpret doctrine ourselves, that Jesus stated in Matthew 15:3 (& Matthew 15:6; Mark 7:8-9,13)

“Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition“

The literal Greek is:  “Ye make void the Word of God by your religious traditions”

In light of these statements, Chuck Missler has so wisely said:

”All of us are subject to the limitations imposed by the presumptions we bring to a topic, and it may be essential to step back from time to time and reestablish a fresh perspective.”
 
“Because the only certain barrier to truth is the presumption that you already have it.” 

Therefore, let us take a fresh look at forgiveness.

Generally Speaking: Concerning the Subject of Forgiveness
A) Biblically speaking, there is no disputing the fact that forgiveness is mandated by the Lord.  This is easily seen in Matthew 6:14-15, which states:

“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

The idea behind this is very simple in that a comparison is laid out to present a correct context.  This passage presents the idea of: “How dare we refuse to forgive a sin done to us where in comparison to the sin that we have done against God is much bigger (in that paying the price for our sin cost God the life of His Son).  We must keep in mind the justice of God wherein it is a fact that forgiveness is not to forget or to leave the trespass unpaid; forgiveness can only be provided when justice is served by the balance of punishment paid, and the person punished must be innocent, not deserving the punishment himself.  This disqualifies every human since Adam, leaving only God Himself as the only One without sin. 

This also mandates that the completely righteous person paying the sin for other humans must be a human himself – kind for kind (this is a principle with God that everything must produce after its same kind as seen in Gen. 1:11,12,21,24,25;6:20;7:14; Lev. 11:14,15,16,19,22,29;19:19; Due. 14:13,14,15,18.  This principle includes repayment of lose, and retribution as well, and extends much further); which made it mandatory for the redeemer, God in the form of His Son, Jesus (God as any king stays in His fortress – heaven and sends out His Son and the Holy Spirit to do His Will outside of His throne room – heaven ~ Eph. 4:9 “Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?”) to become a human, “a little lower than the angels” (Heb. 2:7 ~ “Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands” & Heb. 2:9 “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”); this is just part of the view of what paying for our sins meant in order for God to forgive us.  FORGIVENESS MAY BE FREE, BUT IT IS NOT CHEAP.

And in the case of a Christian when God demands for us to forgive another man’s sin against us, He is demanding that we suffer and pay the pain of not receiving justice – now.  In not seeking retribution which would in fact be justice according to God (how noble are the pacifist that say crime without punishment is morally superior, that sin without penalty is godly – Psa. 2:1-12).

You see God is demanding in the above passage that we forgo justice at this time, allowing for God to repay any justice that may be necessitated at a future time.  We give up our right for justice concerning the immediate, and in faith trusting God will do what is right.  Hence the reason for the use of the word “repay,” in the parable of the “Good Samaritan” (Luke 10:35); as well as directly stated in Romans 12:19, which states:

“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”

Therefore, the first issue at hand when it comes to forgiveness is that it is not the same as forgetting the violation was committed, that there is a price to be paid; rather addressed later by God himself.  And also our own willingness to suffer at the hands of others, and do good unto them as seen in the rest of chapter of Romans 12, in verses 20 through 21 which state:

“therefore if I enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.  Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good “

These two verses are quoted from Proverbs 25:21-22 (which coincides with what Nonni referred to in Matthew, the last part of chapter 5) which states:

“If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.”

SIDETRIP: This expression: “heap coals of fire upon his head,” sounds very strange to us, yet in the Semitic area of the East this expression is more commonly understood, as is explained by Vines Word Studies, which states:

Coals of fire: Many explain: The memory of the wrong awakened in your enemy by your kindness, shall sting him with penitence. This, however, might be open to the objection that the enemy’s pain might gratify the instinct of revenge. Perhaps it is better to take it, that kindness is as effectual as coals of fire. Among the Arabs and Hebrews the figure of “coals of fire” is common as a symbol of divine punishment (Psa_18:13). “The Arabians call things which cause very acute mental pain, burning coals of the heart and fire in the liver” (Thayer, “Lexicon”). Thomas De Quincey, referring to an author who calls this “a fiendish idea,” says: “I acknowledge that to myself, in one part of my boyhood, it did seem a refinement of malice. My subtilizing habits, however, even in those days, soon suggested to me that this aggravation of guilt in the object of our forgiveness was not held out as the motive to the forgiveness, but as the result of it; secondly, that perhaps no aggravation of his guilt was the point contemplated, but the salutary stinging into life of his remorse hitherto sleeping” (“Essays on the Poets”).

B) So to conclude this first point, forgiveness is not synonymous with devaluing or invalidating the offense committed.  Forgiving is never forgetting, and someone always ends up paying a price (as seen in the use of the word “debt” [Greek: opheilema] rather than the use of the word “sin” ~ see Matthew 6:12; 18:27, 30, 32; Luke 7:41; 11:4; 16:5).  As in the case of the Christian, being willing to suffer the loss of justice, while at the same time perhaps losing the appearance of integrity is the standard.  God is the ultimate repay-er, and Judge of the universe.

What we sometimes don’t see is that the act of forgiveness, is a true act of love (which is not done to be seen of man, a true act of charity ~ Matt. 6); not based on emotions, but based on sacrificially putting someone else before our self – suffering for them, paying the price for them as Christ paid the price for us on a much grander scale.

Now setting the obvious aside let us get into the meat of the issue, wherein I posed the following questions, which are: 

1. To forgive others, must they ask for forgiveness first?
2. Must they admit that they have wronged us?
3. Must they repent (change their mind) of having wronged us?

In consideration of what was said prior these questions seems somewhat ridiculous, yet what we must understand is that concerning the subject of forgiveness there’s actually 3 different considerations that must be made.  Therefore in attempting to address these questions, I will do this by addressing forgiveness concerning 3 different types of application.

There is the application of forgiveness concerning:

1) God
2) Individual Believers
3) The Body of Christ

Please bear with me and I will explain.

1) Concerning: God and Forgiveness
Below is listed every New Testament passage utilizing the word “forgive.”  A majority of times it is used in the Gospels concerning Christ physically healing an individual and drawing a connection with that and the connections to forgiveness of sins – many have stumbled over this connection, either teaching that since forgiveness of sins is offered to all, so is healing.

It is in understanding that sickness is a result of sin which was introduced into the world by man’s choice not to trust or have faith in God.  And that when someone made the effort to come to Jesus for healing, or was brought to Jesus by others, this effort is an effort based upon faith.  The connection between forgiveness and healing is not that obvious, yet simple.  When people would come to Jesus to receive healing for sicknesses, which were introduced by sin; it was an act of fact, which is the opposite of the first sin, the thing that separated us from God – a lack of faith.  The connection between these two is faith, not healing in of it’s self.

If the connection was healing, meaning we were guaranteed healing, the same as we are guaranteed salvation by the act of faith, by God’s grace, then we would not ever die – death comes because of sin in the body, as it is dieing from the day we are born, and if God was going to heal us the same as He save us, would it not be complete.  The point being made here is that in majority of gospel passages which utilize the word “forgive” connote the healing of physical disease, with the healing of spiritual disease; both asserting to faith.  The tie-in concerning forgiveness here is faith.

First things First
One of the misnomers I commonly hear is that we are saved by faith.  While seemingly (connotatively -generally speaking), this appears true; in reality it is incorrect (denotatively).  We are not saved by or through faith; we are saved by, or through grace.  Grace has been defined as meaning:

“God’s unmerited favor”

Whereas mercy is defined as:

“Not receiving punishment that is deserved”

Grace and mercy are not synonymous (see Warren Wiersbe: “Wiersbe Expository Outline”, notes on Ephesians 2:8), yet are necessary for salvation.  The mercy of God is seen in the grace of God, and that when a person becomes a child of God their sins are forgiven them; having been paid for them by someone else – being placed upon Jesus who paid for them in the believer’s place (1 John 3:5; even becoming sin unto the Father ~ 2 Cor. 5:21).  This is mercy in that the believer does not pay for the sins himself, yet it is also grace in that he becomes a child of God (Gal. 4:5), which is why God applies His mercy.  It is biblically correct to say that man is saved by grace – Gods unmerited favor (favor cannot be given to a criminal, the criminal must first be given mercy in order to receive the grace – he receive mercy to have his sentence expunged and be released from prison before he can live in freedom to experience grace to live in liberty – we receive the favor because God has applied the mercy to His children).

I know I’ve gone out into the weeds, but what must be understood is not getting hung up in the idea that grace implies mercy (it does), or that mercy can be applied without grace (it can).  What must be remembered is that were saved not because we trade faith for salvation, which is bartering; no we receive salvation because of God’s grace (Rom. 4:16 ~ “by grace”), yet the application to that grace – the way to get to the grace – the way to enter into the grace, is mandated by faith (Rom. 1:17).  We must trust God that the grace that He’s given us is sufficient for salvation.

We must also trust what God has said concerning salvation (as well as everything else He has said), which would include that we are sinners incapable of saving ourselves; as well as the idea of repentance (which is more than this simplistic idea of a one time act, or the feeling of sorrow, remorse, regret, or contrition); which according to the Greek is changing our mind, yet changing our mind in such a way that it also changes the direction we are traveling.  We cannot have faith that God will save us from our sins, and not trust Him after that (Rom. 1:17 ~ the expression: “from faith to faith” means to live by faith, exercising active faith, after active faith – “shall live by” is a verb in the perfect tense, meaning it “never stops”).  Faith is the basis of a relationship, not a singular act.  Faith is God’s requirement in order for us access to His grace – God’s unmerited favor is salvation, and it is completely a gift.

Ephesians 2:8 is the great passage concerning salvation, grace, and faith, yet we need to read the previous 7 verses to fully understand the connection between mercy and grace as well, which states:

“And you hath he quickened, [“made alive”] who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation [“lifestyle”] in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened [“made alive”] us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God (“grace” is the gift here, not “faith.”  Grace has the article ~ this reference concerning “the gift” is addressed directly to the “grace,” as is seen in the fact that the word “that” is in the neuter gender, and the word “faith” is in the feminine [it has the whole sentence that goes before for its antecedent – thus “grace”] - therefore it cannot refer to the word “faith,” but must be applied to the word “grace” [see Warren Wiersbe - above reference] “salvation is a gift, not a reward.”  However, concerning faith, there are other passages that refer to the ability to exercise saving faith as an enablement of the Holy Spirit [John 6:44 ~ “And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father”.] – given from God [“unto you it is given” “not only to believe on him” ~ Phil. 1:29]; and as is also seen in Romans 8:30 in regards to the word “called;” which is a reference to the Holy Spirit enabling us to perceive and comprehend spiritual matters, wherein faith is obtainable.  It is concerning faith, that the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to see, yet it is our responsibility to continue to act in faith / to live by faith / to exercise faith by trusting according to spiritual sight, not physical sight – 2 Cor. 5:7 – it is a lifelong endeavor because of the mindset wherein confidence is added to belief – the confidence is a reference to God and His Word as is referred in Romans 10:17): Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”  (Ephesians 2:1-10)

To conclude concerning forgiveness and God.  God cannot forgive man unless he exercises faith, rather it was when Jesus walked on the earth and healed men, or when He died on the cross for their sins.  Neither Jesus, nor God the Father have ever displayed in God’s Word the ability to forgive men without men asking for that forgiveness as seen in their behaviors by acts of faith.

Sin is the problem, grace is the solution, faith provides access to the solution.

When it comes to forgiveness and God, the sinner must seek that forgiveness, period.

2) Concerning: Individual Believers and Forgiveness
The above first paragraph answered this question.  It should be obvious that this question can only be concerning believers, not unbelievers; as the Bible is not the standard of living for nonbelievers.  The Bible is God’s pronouncement of death upon all who are sinners that refuse to respond in faith to God’s gift of grace found in salvation.  Goats are goats, sheep are sheep; and expecting a goat to be a sheep is as ridiculous as expecting the nonbeliever to comprehend or be held to the same standards as a believer. 

The unbelievers will be judged by God’s Word, according to all that it says concerning them in their behaviors.  Yet, concerning the believer, Gods Word gives life.  And though God’s standard, the law; should be followed by ALL in reference to a more civilized world, you can’t expect unbelievers to do so anymore than expecting a dog to fly, it is not who they are, it’s not what they were made for – birds fly, dogs walk (I know it’s a stupid analogy, I’m getting tired).  Therefore, it is believers, and believers alone that are indwelt by the Holy Spirit given supernatural abilities to perceive truth, and exercise righteousness; and therefore exercise Biblical forgiveness.

This question was addressed in a general way in the first paragraph, yet I will more specifically address it now.

In my original post where I laid out the 3 questions I ended by asking the reader to consider two passages of Scripture which appear to address the subject of forgiveness and the believer.

The first passage of Scripture was Matthew 5:23-26, which states:

“Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.”

Concerning the believer and forgiveness, this passage was taken from the “Sermon on the Mount,” and though it was given to the population at large, it is apparent that Jesus was referring to the behavior of a believer as compared to a nonbeliever.  And we know that even though Christ, at this time had not died on the cross, individuals were saved in the Old Testament as they were in the New Testament, by faith.  In the New Testament by faith in Christ as a sacrificial lamb of God.  In the Old Testament by faith that God was presenting a Messiah, a deliver that would deliver the people from their sin and their enemies. 

Though many at the time of the Old Testament seem to misunderstood the means that this forgiveness would be provided, the Old Testament is full of teaching concerning the sacrificial death of the suffering servant (Isaiah chapter 53) as seen in the Messiah, not just a great leader on a horse of war that would rescue Israel from their enemies (Zechariah 9:9-10).  It is obvious from a simple reading of the Psalms and Proverbs; that God has taught his people that they’re sin brought death, and it was God that would bring salvation according to faith in Him.  It takes only a simple reading of Hebrews Chapter 11 to examine how faith in the Old Testament as well, as a New Testament has always, and only been the way of salvation. It is a miss-teaching of the church, and heretical to propose the idea that salvation was different in the Old Testament as it is in the new (I will not take on this subject now as this post would be many more pages long – if anyone desires for me to teach on faith and the Old Testament, please say so when I will – this is a subject that will be eventually covered).

Therefore, it is obvious that Christ’s words here are meant for the believer concerning the text at hand, as the individual pictured here is someone that is bringing an offering, referred to as a “gift,” to the Temple.

The subject matter of this section of text is anger as stated in the previous verses and afterwards, yet the principle is that of reconciliation – and reconciliation is the application of forgiveness (which Paul also addresses concerning your vision within the body ~ 1 Cor.11).  The idea here is the individual taking his gift has offended someone else, and Christ instructions are that before we do exterior acts of worship, address the interior violations of having wrong someone else. 

Christ goes on to explain the secular reasoning behind this concerning avoiding litigation and temporal judgment.  Yet, we understand that this passage is instructing us as believers to take ownership of our wrong behavior.  The application does not support the idea that the individual that Christ is speaking about is innocent of the charge, quite the opposite.  For to imply something that is not in the text would not be like Christ, and would be tenement to deception.

So to conclude, concerning an individual that is a believer; if we have injured someone else we are to go to them to seek forgiveness, to provide for reconciliation.  And if it is our fault we are to ask forgiveness, if there has been an misconception it is our responsibility to straighten it out, we are never asked to lie, to ask forgiveness when we have not done anything wrong.  Yet, humility is always the mindset we should possess.  And concerning the forgiveness of others, Luke 17:4 teaches us to repeatedly forgive those have that have wronged us. 

However, this does not mean that we make ourselves vulnerable to individuals who had displayed a propensity to harm us, that is not forgiveness that is stupidity.  It is wisdom that we are called to exercise.  I believe by examining the below listed Scriptures concerning forgiveness it is obvious that forgiveness is more than the simple act of forgiving an individual a singular wrong; I believe it is a mindset willing to forgive individuals; because God has forgiven us such a great wrong that we have committed.

3) Concerning: The Body of Christ and Forgiveness
The expression, “The Body of Christ,” as first coined by Paul in Romans 7:4; is more than a simple description of the church of Jesus Christ, according to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  Indeed it is a synonym in presenting clarity into how the assembly of believers is not only to function concerning itself, but also the outside world.  Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4; are good places to start an investigation concerning the church as the body of Christ.

What must be understood is that the church is to function as a whole – differently than individual believers in certain matters.  This is the reason I presented the second passage in the original question which was taken from Matthew 18:15-20, which states:

“Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

This passage is the single most complete description of how to handle church discipline found within the Gospels, and therefore is pertinent to our question concerning forgiveness.

What we see is that when a believer is victimized by another believer they don’t just simply forgive the person and let it go, they don’t act like it didn’t happen, they deal with it because if the other person has sinned against them and they function within the body of Christ and are not dealt with, there is no deterrent to keep them from committing the same sin against another member of the body of Christ. 

The point is that the church is to function differently as the individual.  Where as individuals we are never to hold grudges, and I believe it is Christ-like to forgive individuals without asking; yet within the church, if somebody has victimized us we don’t have the individual option to do as we choose according to this passage.  The reason why it would be synonymous to a rape victim not bringing charges against their perpetrator; which in turn would allow the perpetrator to keep raping others.

Within the church sin is always to be dealt with, which would mandate a confession of that sin and therefore and asking up forgiveness.

If we follow this passage we understand that when the sin is first committed we go alone to address it with that brother.  What this means is we don’t gossip, and tell others about the situation, the idea here is to keep this private.  However if the individual does not repent, then we are to bring one or 2 other members of the body in the hope that between the multiplicity of witness they could convince the perpetrator of his error.  Yet, also the reason for bringing others is to serve as a witness concerning the situation in case the perpetrator does not repent; you take your witnesses to the church as a whole.

Then the church as a whole will address the perpetrator, and if he will not repent he is to be excommunicated, kicked out of the body.  The idea is we are not to allow sin to run rapid in the church.  We see this in 1 Corinthians chapter 5 where the church refused to deal with sexual immorality within the body.  Then in the next chapter Paul goes on to rebuke them that they cannot judge matters within the church, and therefore individuals go to civil authorities to address problems when they should have went to the church first.

You see the answer isn’t as simple as one would think.  So we understand that we are to maintain an attitude of forgiveness according to Christ words, yet when it comes to wrongs committed within the church we hold people accountable and they must ask for forgiveness.

This doesn’t have to be a drawn out process, complicated by procedural guidelines; yet sin does have to be dealt with within the body of Christ.  In the evidence of what happens when this doesn’t occur can be seen in a majority of churches across America.

I said before that narcissism or self-centeredness is a hallmark of the current church as a whole, wherein a lack of doctrinal teaching abounds.  It is because of this self-centeredness coupled with incorrect teaching that church discipline does not take place; that the church of Jesus Christ is as a whole lacks the power that it had as seen in the first century.  Yet, none of this is a surprise to God and is seen as prophesied in God’s Word.

Congratulations to any that have completed this post; I would spur you on to now examine the post on “Judgment,” which is connected with this subject as well.

SIDETRIP: I have been told many years ago by a good friend that due to the complexity and exhaustive nature of my essays and teachings; few people would fully take advantage of what I had to present.  What is amazing is that prior to this the Holy Spirit had communicated to me this very message – very directly, advising me to continue on preaching the word, that few believers would pay attention and display the discipline necessary to take advantage of the depth of biblical insights that I was presented with.  Yet, this was the way I learned what I learned, and what it meant was that when I ran into individuals that were the same, the value was so immense that I disciplined myself to follow their example. 

Therefore, if you find yourself tiring of my exhaustive presentations, you’re not alone.  Yet, to the very few that spend their time reading these presentations, I pray that your grasp of Biblical faith and God’s Word will be blessed according to the discipline that you exercise.  The benefit I can promise you is this.  You may not seem (appearance wise) more sinless (as some see sin in their self-righteousness, and are self-deluded), you won’t have less tribulation, maybe even more; but you come to a place where no matter what happens you always trust in God’s control of your life, especially when it makes no sense.

This is not a boast, anyone that sees reality enough can take no credit for seeing what is obvious to anyone making the observation – Once our eyes have been opened by the Holy Spirit, and we follow God’s Word to seek faith through sending time in God’s Word, I believe it is only natural, spiritually speaking to have complete trust in God.  May not life what comes into my life, and many times done; but I trust God, His track record in His Word and in my life can only create faith.

 

Listed below is every passage in the New Testament which utilizes the word “forgive” and any of its derivatives:

I And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  (Matthew 6:12)

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:  (Matthew 6:14)

But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:15)

And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. (Matthew 9:2)

For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? (Matthew 9:5)

But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. (Matthew 9:6)

Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. (Matthew 12:31)

And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. (Matthew 12:32)

Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? (Matthew 18:21)

So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. (Matthew 18:35)

When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. (Mark 2:5)

Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? (Mark 2:7)

Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? (Mark 2:9)

But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) (Mark 2:10)

Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: (Mark 3:28)

But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: (Mark 3:29)

That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. (Mark 4:12)

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. (Mark 11:25)

But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. (Mark 11:26)

And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. (Luke 5:20)

And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? (Luke 5:21)

Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? (Luke 5:23)

But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. (Luke 5:24)

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: (Luke 6:37)

Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. (Luke 7:47)

And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. (Luke 7:48)

And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? (Luke 7:49)

And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. (Luke 11:4)

And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven. (Luke 12:10)

Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. (Luke 17:3)

And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. (Luke 17:4)

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. (Luke 23:34)

Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. (Acts 5:31)

Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. (Acts 8:22)

Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: (Acts 13:38)

To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. (Acts 26:18)

Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. (Romans 4:7)

So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. (2 Corinthians 2:7)

To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; (2 Corinthians 2:10)

For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? forgive me this wrong. (2 Corinthians 12:13)

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Ephesians 1:7)

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32)

In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: (Colossians 1:14)

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; (Colossians 2:13)

And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. (James 5:15)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. (1 John 2:12)

Thanks all, bb

“To most Christians, the Bible is like a software license. Nobody actually reads it.
They just scroll to the bottom and click ‘I agree.’”

The Devil has Children?

“And I will put enmity, between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” Gen 3:15

I often reference this particular verse in connection to several foundational doctrinal issues, the virgin birth for example ( i/e “her seed” ) hmmm a woman with the “seed”? Now I always thought she had the egg right? Anyway in serving the subject of this posting may I direct our attention to the “your seed” portion of the text where God is proclaiming to the serpent ( Lucifer ) that there will be a hostility ( enmity ) between the womans seed and his own. As very tempting as it may be to go off in a number of directions with this I’m hoping to leave it more as an interactive subject where others may impart their thoughts vs. simply imparting lots of my own.

However I will add a few verses made by Jesus to the Pharisees, does anyone suppose they may somehow connect to the statement God made to the serpent in Genesis 3:15?…may prove to be interesting…

“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” John 8:44 NKJV

“But when He saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to His baptism, He said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” Matt 3:7 NKJV

( KJ renders as “generation of vipers” )

So….he has kids?

 

Here is a Question to Ponder – Your Help is Appreciated

The Subject Matter Has To Do with Forgiveness.

The question is:

1. To forgive others, must they ask for forgiveness first?
2. Must they admit that they have wronged us?
3. Must they repent (change their mind) of having wronged us?

This is not a trick question, and no I don’t think I have the complete answer.  In fact, I could go either way, yet as always, according to Scripture.

So I pose this question in humility, admitting upfront that I really want other believer’s insight to help me address this subject.

Before you answer, please consider the following statement.

God’s example of forgiveness is ultimately exhibited in His free gift of salvation, which is offered by grace (Grace is the mechanism), through faith (Faith is the condition that gives us access to the mechanism.  Its like having access to a house, however to have access to a house does not mean I own the house, nor have paid for it, I have not – God has).  The gift is free, but not without a condition – the condition is “faith.”  However, within the condition of faith is the awareness of our sinfulness; and us confessing our sinfulness and asking for forgiveness.

Then, this being the case, to follow God’s example as is set before us, how can we forgive someone unless they ask forgiveness first.

If this is not the case, would God ask us to do something He Himself would not do.

 

Your Help

1) Please leave your opinions concerning this question.
2) If you have the time, please list any Scriptures which you feel address this subject.
3) And if you have the time, please explain how the following 2 Scripture fit into the subject matter.

Please consider Matthew 5:23-26, which states:

“Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.”

Also, what about Matthew 18:15-22, which states:

“Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Thank you very much for your help in this. Thanks, Brent

 

A Gun, a Dog, Burnt Hands, and the Cross; and How they’re All Connected.

This is dedicated to Nonni, as I promised that I would write a ”real” blog. 

What an unusual title for a post, you might be thinking; and you would be absolutely correct.  Let us see if I can make sense of this enigma in the form of a title.

Teaching Style
My teaching style is somewhat unusual, and has been stated to resemble a rabbit trail type of teaching.  The way it works is: as I attempt to teach on a singular topic, I will make many deviations to other subjects, hence referred to as rabbit trails, in order to teach a myriad information; while yet covering a single topic. 

To me it’s like a crazy man that literally teaches “laying precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little,” (Isa. 28:10) yet doing so in an unusual manner.  This particular style of teaching is very strange as witnessed on our ministry website, yet there is an underlying premise which is very important to the author. 

It is like teaching a subject by using a telescope, as well as a microscope.  It has long been my premise that as we approach God’s Word we must always keep in mind the big view, keeping perspective of the overall picture that God is laying out, which is somewhat analogous to looking at stars through a telescope, attempting to see how they all fit together in purpose – like examining a mosaic from a distance in order to appreciate the complete picture. Yet, at the same time honing into the specificity of the Scripture, examining the preciseness of what God has said as there is an exact meaning to every Scripture, analogous to utilizing a microscope – like examining a single piece of the mosaic to understand it’s intricacy. 

The overall purpose of this style of teaching is that it will advance the student much faster in understanding the subject as a whole, yet also in its precision as well.  It is a much more holistic presentation style wherein information is garnered, yet also trust concerning the subject matter can be generated at the same time; both of which are areas important concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ.  For it is in understanding how the whole picture fits together concerning the exact specificity of its parts that normally takes many years for a believer to understand and comprehend overall, yet is sped up in this particular teaching style.  The following is an example of this style of teaching.

Prelude
I am a second amendment advocate.  No, I not only believe in the constitutional right to bear arms as an individual (which also meant to be organized with a group of my fellow citizens – a militia, which was a generic term used at the writing of the Constitution which did not include a formal regiment or standing army.  The word militia has changed in its meaning, yet it is the meaning of the writers that is most important – this is why I am considered a constitutionalist, a purist concerning the document), I believe in the biblical mandate concerning self-defense and the protection of one’s family as well (please see my next post concerning: “Judgment,” which also addresses turning the cheek and Christian pacifism). 

I’m not speaking about revenge on a personal basis, nor am I addressing justice on a secular basis; but God’s directive to protect myself as His vessel (unless God has directed otherwise, or the situation is better served by dying for the cause, such as the persecution of Christians who were martyred for their belief – and died for the gospel of Jesus Christ), as well as those under my roof.  Now what does this have to do with a dog, burnt hands, and the cross; I hope the following will explain. 

A Gun
Having been a police officer and an investigator; I was privileged to have the ability to carry a firearm to protect myself and others.  Many have called me a gun nut, at least those that lean more to the left – however, I would take issue with that type of description as being bigoted and inappropriate at least concerning myself.  To know my heart, is to know that the use of a gun has never been my desire, yet the ability to use a gun always has – it is this deterrent factor that has saved my life on more than a few occasions. 

You see I have been firearm trained through 2.5 police academies (don’t ask about the .5); and had to re-qualify every year for over a dozen years, spending 24 hours each year going over the laws, as well as the technical proficiency of firearms handling and discharge.  In that training; and in my law enforcement career I had mentally prepared myself to take a life in the protection of saving a life.  Because the only reason to use a gun is to stop somebody else from taking your life or someone else’s life, and in that action you never shoot to wound because that does not stop the assailant’s behavior immediately, you shoot to kill – this is what stops the other person from killing someone else.  So to me the gun was a tool to save life, not take it. 

Yes, this was accomplished by taking the life of the perpetrator (and it was the perpetrators choice to put himself in a position where his life would be taken by cold heartedly attempting to take another persons life, whereas the victim had not chosen such an evil behavior) who is attempting to kill someone else, yet it was the only full proof way of immediately stopping someone from murder, hence it is referred to as self-defense; and while it is killing – it is not murder.  Murder, or attempted murder is when someone attempts to unlawfully take the life of another, and the only lawful way to take the life of another was in protecting yourself or another person from murder.  Not too complicated when you really think about it, yet not quite what the liberal anti-gun proponents might attempt to present. 

I’ve always understood that you don’t hesitate in an emergency situation, you don’t second-guess yourself when someone’s life is on the line; you pull your firearm and shoot mid body mass – the heart, in order to defend someone else’s life.  This sounds gruesome, but I have always felt that it is one of the noblest of all acts of man, that of saving someone else’s life.  The reason I find nobility in this type of killing; is in understanding my own mindset of what it would cost me to do so. 

I am painfully aware that due to my sensitive conscience, if I ever had to take a human life it would bother me every day that I lived afterwards.  Yet, what I could not live with is the thought of my in-action costing an innocent person their life.  You see if I ever used a gun, even if I shot Charlie Manson; it would come at a very grave price to my own conscience.  And not simply a thought that would bother me, I know myself well enough to say that there would be many tears; and thoughts of the loss of that human being to his own family (and for those that feel that Christianity promotes passivity – you are biblically wrong.  Again, please see the following post concerning Christianity and proper judgment). 

Thankfully, this has not ever taken place.  Though as a deterrent on many occasions having a firearm in my hands stopped a felon in his tracks, while also protecting myself and others.  What is my point; it is that things sometimes don’t appear as they really are.  And what does this have to do with a dog, burnt hands, and that cross; well it is an analogy, a metaphor for explaining a principle that is hard to comprehend.  Perhaps explaining the story of “a dog” would help you understand the story of the gun, and how it relates to burnt hands, and the cross.

A Dog
There was a lady who was quite dismayed that her husband had purchased a new puppy for their baby.  She was painfully aware that it was her that would feed this “urinating in the house,” “barking at night,” “whining for attention,” “flea carrying mongrel.”  She would be the one picking up the poop in and outside.  She would be the one preparing its meals.  She would be the one that would watch this 4 legged creature lick the face of her baby – she did not like having a dog.  However, something would change this opinion when her baby was 3 years old. 

You see although the baby was still a baby at 3 years old, the dog had grown into adulthood at 3 years; and as all dogs are faithful true and better than humans when it comes to loyalty and honor, this dog loved the little boy – with undying affection.  And while this baby was very beautiful, some saying he would grow up to be a model, Rex the dog was an ugly mix breed mutt. 

There wasn’t a day that went by that the woman did not display her disgust for Rex.  One day while the little boy was playing in the backyard, the mother heard the dog bark in an unusual manner.  Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a figure of a man in the backyard approaching the baby, with the dog in between the two.  As she turned to see what was going on, to her horror she could see that the individual was dressed in all black, with a mask on, and obviously attempting to abduct the baby.  And there was Rex, barking in a very aggressive manner, biting at the man and holding him off, until the perpetrator pulled out a knife and cut Rex repeatedly; but Rex did not retreat, he stood his ground and protected the little boy from the abductors. 

While running to the backyard the women dialed 911 and yelled help, dropping the phone as she ran, while yelling and screaming at the perpetrator, who then ran off.  When the woman approached Rex she thought he was dead though he didn’t stop lunging at the man until the man ran off, then Rex fell over, as though dead.  The woman grabbed her baby and Rex, and without thought drove to the animal hospital, calling the police on her way to give them the details of the situation.  Some dogs are beautiful in their appearance, long flowing hair, beautiful colors, profound in the stature of their breed, even exquisite physique; however Rex was none of these – he was an ugly mix breed mutt, who loved to roll around in mud, play in the water, and get into the trash. 

These are just a few of the reasons why the woman had such great disdain for this dog living in her immaculate house, which she worked very hard to keep that way in spite of this four-legged creature.  However, after the situation their relationship totally changed. 

Now Rex was a member of the house, treated with privileges even beyond his masters.  The woman fed Rex the best dog food, bought him treats and toys; but more importantly displayed love and affection for Rex that he had never known before from this woman.  This ugly mutt was now treated like a Prince due to the quality and honor that he displayed in loving this woman’s child – Rex now had meaning and importance in the eyes of the woman who she could never repay, though would spend the next 10 years attempting to do so until the day Rex died, which broke her heart. 

Now what does this have to do with the subject at hand, well let me use yet one last analogy to paint the picture, that of burnt hands.

Burnt Hands
There was a beautiful teenage girl who was dearly loved by her family and fostered in every pursuit that she would endeavor.  She was on the cheerleading squad, the debate squad, the high school newspaper, and on the student council.  She was outgoing and popular, and excelled at anything she attempted.  Much of this had to do with the adulation, love, acceptance, and encouragement of her mother. 

However, in spite of all that her mother had done in promoting her physical and emotional well-being; it was noticeable that the girl was ashamed of her mother; attempting to avoid her mother ever been seen in public with her.  Yet, this never detracted the mother from supporting her daughter in every manner she could. 

The girl was not a bad girl, yet due to her popularity and social stature she had become somewhat vain, and the problem with her mother was not her mother per se; but the fact that she had terribly scarred hands and arms which embarrassed the daughter when seen in public. 

Finally, a situation arose in which the daughter blatantly told the mother she didn’t want her to be seen in public because of her scares, and the embarrassment it brought to the daughter. 

A few days later, the mother walked into the daughter’s room late one night and while saying good night, her daughter asked how did her hands and arms get so horribly disfigured.  The mother hesitated, then sit down on the bed and said, “I’ve not wanted to share this story with you until you are old enough to understand, maybe now is the right time.  When you were a few months old and we lived in an old house on Jefferson Street, there was a terrible fire, and your nursery was on the second floor. 

I had put you down for your nap and went downstairs to do the laundry.  After some time I smelled what smelled like burnt rubber, and started to investigate.  As I started up the stairs I could smell smoke and see it coming out of the cracks of the door of your room.  As I ran to your room and opened the door, in horror I could see that the room was filled with smoke, and I saw flames in the corner were your crib was located.  I ran over to see my greatest fear; the outer frame of your crib was engulfed in flames.  As I went to reach for you in the crib, the railing, which was on fire was too high to reach you, so I had to reach into the flames to lower the railing, I then reached inside and grabbed you why the flames engulfed my arms and upper body.  You were not burned in any way, though you did have smoke inhalation. 

I spent months in the hospital, and spent years undergoing reconstructive surgery on my hands, arms, chest, and shoulders while you are still quite young.”  As the mother looked up from having her eyes fixed on the floor during the story, she could see the tears flowing from her daughter’s cheeks.  The daughter grabbed her mother’s burnt hands so tenderly and started kissing them. 

This changed the girl’s attitude and perspective as she understood that this terrible disfigurement was the ultimate display of her mother’s undying love 

The Cross
Now you understand why I love the cross of Jesus Christ.  The cross is a cruel instrument of death and shame; yet it was by my Lord’s willingness to die on the cross that He displayed His love for me in such an overwhelming manner.

Now maybe you understand the connection between a gun, a dog, burnt hands, and the cross. 

Sometimes the value of something is not readily apparent.

And sometimes things aren’t always as they seem.  Sometimes an instrument of death, such as a gun can save the life of a beloved family member, and becomes an instrument of life; sometimes an ugly old dog that appears to have no value can protect the thing that we love the most, and sometimes terrible scars are a visible reminder of sacrificial love – yet all of these are pale in comparison to the apparent barbarism of a Roman cross, a cross that exhibits what our Lord went through when He was nailed to it for our sins – a thing of pain, ridicule , and shame becomes a beautiful symbol of love.

“Whereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”  (1 John 3:16) 

bb

Judging – Church Discipline – Forgiveness & Turning the Cheek

Judging

Introduction
It is common in Christian circles to hear believers state that “we should not judge other people,” and while we are never to condemn (Greek: kataÌkrima, to render “condemnation” ~ Romans 5:16, 18; 8:1) another person, as this is God’s role and not ours; this statement is not completely true, in fact sometimes it is completely false because we are commanded to judge others¹.

  

 

 

Correct Application
We are to “keep” God’s Word (Deuteronomy 11:8, 18-22; Psalm 19:13), which mandates that we watch (Greek: gregoreuo: “which means to give strict attention to”; “to exercise judgment and discretion in the most serious sense of readiness and awareness”) how others interpret it (Acts 17:11), and teach it (Acts 20:28-32; Romans 16:17-18), which will lead to identifying those false prophets and teachers that distort the Word of God (2 Corinthians 11:12-15; Galatians 1:6-10; Ephesians 5:6-11; Colossians 2:4,8; 18-19), for without watching and staying aware (1 Thessalonians 5:6; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4), the ability to be productive workman for the kingdom is made null and void (2 Timothy 2:15).

 

We are to judge when believers sin against other believers, such as defrauding each other financially (1 Corinthians 6:1-4), though this is normally referred to as church discipline (Matthew 18:15-20²), it is the discernment of the individual members of the church that is necessary, not just the pastor (1 Corinthians 6:5).

We are also to judge other believer’s behaviors within the church which are sinful (1 Corinthians 5:1-12; 6:2-6).

We are to judge the actions of our leaders as well (Matthew 7:15-23), determining by their behavior, referred to as their “fruit”, if it lines up with sound Biblical doctrine, displaying what good spiritual leadership should entail, or if their behaviors can identify them as false leaders or prophets (2 Peter 2:1-3).

Fallen Human Nature & Judging
At the worldly, secular level it is common to observe a lack of desire to judge or be judged, which becomes understandable in light of the natural (fallen nature) human rejection of authority in general (Proverbs 12:15; 16:2; 21:2), and the authority of God in particular (Psalms 107:8-11; 10:4). Added to this is the observation that the display of judgment lends itself to the manifestation of condescension, aggression, a lack of sensitivity or being unsympathetic, and of being inconsiderate, callous, unkind, or harsh.

What is unfortunate is that those in the church are following this example, many times in the name of tolerance, diversity, acceptance, and what it refers to as love.

However, without the ability to discern, there is no ability to rightly choose, and without the ability to choose correctly [only made possible by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit] we are cursed to follow the sin nature, which is opposed to the Word of God.

The Source of Godly Discernment
Perhaps the most elegant passage that addresses the application of judgment, also referred to as discernment is found in Hebrews 5:11-14, which states:

“Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

  

First, we should note that the writer states that in spite of his desire to press on and teach the weightier issues of God’s Word, he cannot because they are dull of hearing. He goes on to state that in spite of the amount of time that they have been believers, in which they should be teachers by now, they haven’t even began to understand the elementary principles and doctrines of God’s Word, which he refers to as milk, that they are unable to metabolize whole food, the more deeper issues presented in God’s Word.

 

Discernment & Spiritual Growth
What a pathetic picture the author draws, that of believers who should be spiritual adults, yet spiritually immature believers unable to dig deeper into God’s Word; not because they have not heard the teachings, not because there’s not been a teacher to explain it, not because there is a lack of ability to perceive what is stated cognitively; but because of their lack of exercising proper judgment concerning what is good and evil. In the same way that faith is like a muscle and must be stretched and used in order to grow, the same principle is true concerning Spirituality, wherein the muscle that must be stretched is that of judgment and discernment. There must be an application of God’s Word concerning what is right or wrong in order to create the condition for yet further growth.

 

It’s like a baby that does not practice crawling, can never achieve the muscle necessary for standing. What is unfortunate is that the lack of ability to judge is formulated because of a lack of desire to use it.

Discernment, which is simply a politically correct way of saying judgment, must be used or it will be lost. And when there is a lack of judgment there is a lack of ability to spiritually perceive reality, and see what the Holy Spirit wishes to teach the believer from God’s Word.

The Connection
There is a connection between spiritual perception, the understanding of God’s Word,
spiritual growth, the ability to discern good and evil

                                                  and

The repetitive and habitual use of Biblical judgment.

 Correctly Dividing God’s Word Regarding Judgment
As was stated in the introduction, many times we hear well-meaning Christians state we are not to judge one another, citing Matthew 7:1, or Luke 6:37, or Romans 2:1.

 

Summary
What this means is that there are many believers who cannot perceive deeper spiritual truths in God’s Word, which are necessary for spiritual growth, because of their refusal to exercise discernment according to God’s Word; and are therefore lacking spiritual perception concerning what is good and what is evil.

 

Matthew 7:1
However, concerning these three passages (which appear to be abused more than most), we need to exercise grammatical and contextual integrity in examining them. Matthew 7:1-5, states:

 

“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”

 

In verse one, the Greek word for judge (krino)³ is a verb wherein the word can mean judgment but it can also mean condemnation, depending on the grammar, and condemnation is not about evaluating something, but it is about damning the person.

 

Concerning the grammar concerning the above Greek word “judgment” used in this verse, it is a verb, the tense is present, the voice is active, the mood is imperative, and the person is second, and the number is plural.⁴ What this means is that the judgment was a continuous action, never stopping, not contingent upon the situation but upon the person who continually judged. The judgment came from the person and was not a reflection on God’s Word but their own opinion. The mood displays it was a command of continual commitment to judge. This command from our Lord applied to His local audience as well as you and I, and it pertains to everyone.

 

Defined & Applied
What this means is that the intention of the word was condemnation, not simple discernment or judgment, but putting oneself in a place of superiority in condemning another person, and doing so in hypocrisy. This is seen in contrast to the correct application of judgment where discernment and judgment are rendered rather than condemnation, and where the person doing the judgment does so not in hypocrisy, but yet in humility in accordance with God’s Word. The point is, this is not about a subjective opinion, this is about application of God’s determination of right and wrong. It is applying God’s Word to a situation where judgment is necessary in order to bring correction, as opposed to condemnation and self-righteousness which is never correct.

 

Robertson states that concerning the word “judgment” used here that it was:
“The habit of censoriousness, sharp, unjust criticism. Our word ‘critic’ is from this very word. It means to separate, distinguish, discriminate, that is necessary. But prejudice (which is prejudgment) is unfair, and captious criticism.”⁵

 

Barnes states concerning this passage in the word “judgment”:

“Judge not … - This command refers to rash, censorious, and unjust judgment. See Romans 2:1. Luke 6:37 explains it in the sense of “condemning.” Christ does not condemn judging as a magistrate, for that, when according to justice, is lawful and necessary. Nor does he condemn our “forming an opinion” of the conduct of others, for it is impossible “not” to form an opinion of conduct that we know to be evil. But what he refers to is a habit of forming a judgment hastily, harshly, and without an allowance for every palliating circumstance, and a habit of “expressing” such an opinion harshly and unnecessarily when formed. It rather refers to private judgment than “judicial,” and perhaps primarily to the customs of the scribes and Pharisees.”⁶

  

 What we need to see about this particular use of the word judgment was that the focus was not on the judgment, but upon condemnation, as well as inappropriate hypocrisy when judgment was merited. What Jesus is honing in on is the attitude of the person, who did not have genuine concern for the person they observed as having a mote in their eye, and was the observer in a position to where they had clarity to truly discern the situation, by not having a mote and their own eye. This passage deals with pride, arrogance, and condemnation, along with hypocrisy, and spiritual immaturity; it is not condemning discernment or evaluation in judging, but the use of judging others in an immature ungodly manner.

 

The Real Issue
It is by noticing that verse 5 goes on to instruct the hypocrite that once he has corrected his own error, to go on and address the error of his brother, in support of helping a brother by the exercise of judgment that needs to be focused in on concerning the subject of judgment.

 

What should also be noted is that a few sentences later, at verse 15 and 16, Jesus commands (Jesus states: “beware” ~ Greek: prosecho ~ which is in the imperative in the Greek, meaning it is a command not an option) the people to become fruit inspectors, meaning that they were to judge the behaviors of their leaders to discern if they were teachers according to God and His Will, or false teachers.

 

Without proper judgment, without proper discernment; the believer is not properly using God’s Word or following His guidance.  Judgment is not only a privilege (1 Corinthians 6:2-3) but a necessity as far as God is concerned (1 Corinthians 6:5).

 

Acting ~ Hypocrisy
One other aspect concerning hypocrisy is seen in the Greek word for “hypocrite” which is based upon one of its derivatives combined with the Greek word for “to cover,” meaning: “a person that judges from behind a mask.“  This word was used of actors. The Greek plays, which were symbolized by two masks, one laughing and the other crying (this icon has been used ever since movies originated), goes back to this idea. Hypocrites are not those that say one thing, and do another, they are individuals that hide behind a mask and judge and mock those in front of them. This is what the actors had the ability to do because of the cover of the mask while they were wearing (these masks were not worn on the face, but held in front of the face with stick which was held by the actor, in order to disguise who they were, but also what they were really feeling. This was a valuable tool concerning sarcasm, condescension, and mockery. Sometimes the actor presented according to their words sympathy while behind the mask truly feeling sarcasm or contempt) them on stage.

 

Luke 6:37
This passage appears to be a reintegration of the sermon of the Mount as was in the above Matthew passage.

 

Romans 2:1
Concerning the context of the Romans 2:1 passage, it would be best to consider as much of it as possible to gain the full context, at least through verse 11, which states:

 

“Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.”

 

Proper Outline

First, it must be understood that this passage is to the unbeliever, not the believer. The unbeliever has no ability to discern or judge anything due to their spiritual deadness, which in turn mandates spiritual blindness. This essay, concerning discernment only applies to born-again believers, and only applies to those that by studying God’s Word, and exercising what God has said concerning good and evil, have gained the ability to correctly judge the world they live in, as always only according to and by God’s Word. In no way is this essay meant to separate Biblical discernment from God’s Word, Biblical discernment cannot be separated from God’s Word. It is when the believer has hid God’s Word in his heart⁷, has studied God’s Word and taken it as his own, when he has incorporated God’s views and judgments; that the believer can thus exercise discernment.

 

When reading the above passage in Romans in context, it is clear that God is contrasting the arrogant, presumptuous, evil type of judgment of fallen man (nonbelievers) in relation to God’s own judgment and that God speaks against those that condemn according to their own blindness. This passage has nothing to do with the judgment which comes according to the Holy Spirit as seen in God’s Word, meant for reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness, as stated in 2 Timothy 3:16, which states:

 

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine [teaching ~ “what is right”], for reproof [correcting wrong doctrine ~ “what's wrong”], for correction [correcting wrong behavior ~ “how to get it right”], for instruction [teaching right living ~ “how to stay right”] in righteousness“

 

The reason for all of this is explained why in the next verse, which tells us:

 

“That the man of God may be perfect [Greek: artios: "complete, sufficient, qualified"]³, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

 

Correct Application
What we must understand is that there are many different aspects (over 12 words in the Hebrew and Greek, with more diverse renderings according to the grammar) to the root word for “judgment” (such as: judge, judging, judged, judgment, discern, separate, select, choose, to determine, to examine, investigate, question, to separate throughout, discriminate, to decide, to judge, to pronounce judgment, to condemn⁴).

 

A few examples taken from the Word of God concerning the word judgment in regards to diverse applications are:

 

1) Execution of Judgment ~ Only God’s prerogative ~ 2 Thess. 2:12; Acts 7:7.
2) Making the Judgment of Condemnation ~ Man’s wrong assumption ~ Rom. 2:1.
3) Exercising the Role of a Judge ~ Rulers ~ Matt. 5:25; 7:1; John 3:17 (Noun).
4) The Process of being under Judgment ~ A trial ~ John 3:18; 16:11; 18:31; Jas. 2:12.
5) Judgment Rendered ~ A sentence or verdict ~ Acts 15:19; 16:4; 21:25.
6) Legislative Judgment ~ Plaintiff ~ Matt. 5:40; 1 Cor. 6:1; Defendant ~ Acts 23:6.
7) Governmental Judgment ~ To administer affairs, to govern ~ Matt. 19:28; cf. Judg. 3:10.
8) Figurative Judgment ~ To make a resolve ~ Acts 3:13; 20:16; 1 Cor. 2:2.
9) Discerning Judgment ~ To form an opinion ~ Luke 7:43; John 7:24; Acts 4:19; Rom. 14:5; I Cor. 6:5, 11:31; Heb. 11:11.
10) Believers to Exercise ~ Judgment according the truthfulness of what is said (fulfilled prophecy, which is speaking for another, speaking for God, rather future tense or not) ~ Deut. 13:1-5; 2 John 7.
11) Believers to Exercise ~ Judgment according to the Biblical doctrine of the divinity of Christ ~ 1 John 4:1-3; and Jude 1:3.
12) Believers are commanded by Christ judge the fruit (behavior) of spiritual leaders in determining that they are not false prophets ~ Matthew 7:15.
13) Believers to Exercise ~ Judgment according to doctrine / God’s Word ~ Acts 20:28-32; Rom. 16:17-18; Gal. 1:9; Eph. 5:6-11; Colo. 2:8; 1 Thess. 5:6, 21; 2 Thess. 2:1-4; 2 Pet. 1:20 to 2:3.
14) Believers to Exercise ~ Judgment according to the prompting of the Holy Spirit within ~ Eph. 5:10; 1 John 4:1-3 ~ 1 Tim. 4:1.
15) Believers to Exercise ~ Judgment concerning the behavior of believers in the church ~ 1 Cor. 5:12-13, 6:2-5.
16) Believers to Exercise ~ Self-Examination/ Judgment ~ Mark 4:22-25; 1 Cor. 11:31.
17) Spiritual Leaders to Exercise ~ Guarding Their Doctrine ~ 1 Tim. 4:16; 2 Tim. 4:3; Tit. 1:9 to 2:1.
18) Spiritual Leaders to Exercise ~ Guarding Their Congregation ~ 1 Tim. 6:20-21; 2 Tim. 2:23-25.

A Good Example
It is in understanding the diversity of a word that we gain clarity concerning what the Scriptures expect of us in exercising discretion, as compared to the act of condemnation. A good example can be found in I Corinthians 11:31, which states:

“For if we would judge [Greek: diakrino] ourselves, we should not be judged [Greek: krino].”

The literal Greek rendering is: “if we discern for ourselves, then we will not be eternally condemned” (according to the full context of the chapter which centers around the Lord’s Supper; what is implied is that if a person discerns according to Gospel, faith unto salvation, they will not be eternally judged, the discernment here is unto life.  Those in verse 29 are unbelievers, which is displayed because they could not see the value of Christ’s death, and indulged in the Lord’s Support focusing on themselves, not on Jesus’ as the only acceptable sacrifice for their sins.  In verse 32 it states literally in the Greek: “when we perceive we are condemned as sinners, this perception by faith leads to God’s training/teaching [by and through His Word] wherein we are saved apart from the world that is condemned to pay the price for that condemnation”).  The first word for judge, diakrino, means to separate thoroughly, to withdraw from, to discriminate, or decide; depending on the grammatical breakdown.  The second word for judge, krino according to its grammar means to condemn.

Therefore, we understand that this is stating that, “if we would discern ourselves; with the implied intent of change, we would not be subject to ultimate condemnation.” This is what is to take place within the life of the believer according to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Lack of Discernment
In these last days, one of the most predominant features within the church is this lack of discernment which allows carnality to run rampant, even disguising itself as spirituality.

Some have said the greatest trick the devil ever performed was to convince the world that he was nonexistent.  Yet, I believe the greatest trick Satan has performed within the church of Jesus Christ is to convince us that the application of discernment and judgment has no place within Christendom, and that therefore tolerance and acceptance are true signs of Christian love.

It is when we lower the standards of God’s Word, either due to a lack of application, judgment; that we open ourselves to all kinds of worldly pursuits.

Corinth, a Church for 21st-century America
The church of Corinth displayed such poor judgment that it had allowed incest to be accepted openly, as well as believers defrauding other believers financially, their preoccupation with mysticism, along with signs and wonders in place of gifts of the Spirit, where the supper of the Lord was abused in drunkenness and gluttony, while others went hungry. Where selfishness became the norm to the extent that Paul worked a full-time job to support himself as well as the Ministry (which he later regretted because it added to their spiritual immaturity) no doubt exhibiting their lack of financial support in spite of the fact that they were very affluent. Yet, in a close examination it becomes apparent that all of this existed because of their lack of and refusal to exercise proper judgment according to the mind of Christ. They were a very worldly church that refused to judge and intervene according to the church discipline (Matthew 18:15-17).  Unfortunately for us, of all the New Testament churches we most resemble them today.

We in America are affluent and prosperous, we suffer no persecution; and yet we are also arrogant, self-centered, and morally bankrupt as a society. The buzzwords of the day which display that which is politically correct (concerning a lack of judgment) are: tolerance, broadmindedness, open-mindedness, forbearance, patience, acceptance, conformity, understanding, and respect.  As well as (concerning the selfish, me-first, “refusal to die to self,” egocentric mindset which is becoming predominant within the church) such politically correct buzzwords as: success oriented, victorious, expedience, pragmatic, and purpose driven; all words which display our narcissism, and underpin a mindset that is contingent upon a lack of judgment in what is good and what is evil concerning God’s perspective as reflected in His Word.  It is the idolatry found within Christianity today which explains why America is becoming more and more ungodly in spite of its Biblical roots.  Christian idolatry can be seen when believers:

“Worship Their Work, Work at Their Play, and Play at Their Worship.”

 

Deception – Warning
Without judgment we have no ability to perceive danger when it is present. This is why Jesus spoke so often about deception.  The only protection against deception is God’s Word and its application as seen in proper Biblical judgment.

Jesus repetitively warned: “Take heed that no man deceive you,” and “be not deceived,” as recorded in Matthew 24:4; Mark 13:5; Luke 21:8.

Paul and others also warned us concerning deception as recorded in: John 7:24; Acts 20:28; Romans 16:18; I Corinthians 3:18; 5:1-13; 6:9; 15:33; Galatians 1:6-9; 6:3,7; Ephesians 4:14; 5:6; 5:11; II Thessalonians 2:3,10; 3:6; 3:14-15; Titus 1:10-16; II Timothy 2:15; 3:5-7; Hebrews 5:14, James 1:22,26; II Peter 2:14; I John 1:5, 8; 3:7; 4:1; II John 1:6-9; as well as the seven times that the word deceive is used concerning the Devil in the book of Revelation.

What we must keep in mind is that these references are exclusively to believers, it is the believers that can be deceived when they refuse to stand firmly on God’s Word and judge according to what God has said.

An Example from the book of Revelation
One of the common denominators within the seven letters to the seven churches as recorded in the book of Revelation, chapters 2 and 3; is their inability to perceive their true spiritual state. It is their lack of discernment, their lack of judgment that stands out so predominantly concerning their condition, and was why they could not see the remedy to their problems.

Defending God’s Word
We, as the church of Jesus Christ have been granted the privilege of holding God’s Word in written form in our hands. And with privilege comes responsibility, which cannot be separated from accountability. This is why Peter said in I Peter 4:17: 

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?”

Judgment Commanded

It is in realizing that many times judgment is demanded in God’s Word concerning the ability to “Watch, “or “Guard,” or in warnings such as: Be not deceived;” the point is that the Bible is filled with admonitions to judge as seen in the following examples: Mark 4:24; Acts 20:28-30; Romans 16:17-18; Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 2:4; 2:8; 2:18-19; I Corinthians 5:12,13; 6:2-5; 11:31;14:29; I Thessalonians 5:6; 5:21; II Thessalonians 2:1-4; I Timothy 4:16; 6:20-21; II Timothy 2:23-25; Titus 1:9; I John 4:1-3; and Jude 1:3.  Judgment is even demanded many times in the Bible as seen in Christ’s command (“beware” in the Greek is in the imperative, which is a command) to believers to judge the behaviors (idiomatically referred to as fruit) of their spiritual leaders to affirm that they are not false prophets, as seen in Matthew 7:15-23. Jesus also commanded judgment in John 7:24, yet “righteous judgment,” which Biblically speaking is always according to God’s Word.  The largest amount of text concerning judgment is the Biblical admonition and/or command to judge which in comparison to those passages which speak against judging because it is either condemnation or condescension; is minimal, as seen in James 2:4; 4:11, 12. Or where conditions are required, such as: Matthew 7:1; or areas where judgment is not allowed due to an incorrect application (their interpretation of fulfilling the laws of Moses), such as: Mark 2:16-28; Romans 14:1-17; Colossians 2:16.

 

Church Discipline

Matthew 18:15-20 ~ “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”

A few insights concerning Church Discipline according to Jesus:
1. We, the reading audience are not who Jesus is directing addressing here as He is speaking to the second person (“thee,” or “you”), He does this to communicate that we have all been guilty of offending someone else, and within the church this is something that should be dwelt with rather than allowing it to fester.

2. We can assume that the person accused (whether the accusation is verbalized, or simply felt by the other) is innocent of the accusation, otherwise the Lord would have instructed him to apologize, make amends, openly confess his sin, and thereby be restored to their brother, the accuser.

3. Therefore, if a brother (Church Member) has something against you, you are not to wait for him to approach you; you are to go to him. Be assertive, not aggressive; be gentle, not forceful.

4. When you go, go alone (the first time), keep it private – don’t attempt to use others to make you feel justified, the one who is right.

5. You are not to go to other brothers and attempt to enlist them as a jury where you present your side, and win approval.

6. You are to show honor by keeping the privacy of your disagreement between yourselves, to go tell others in order to receive reassurance is actually gossip, and brings division to the church, setting people into groups, and against each other.

7. If you cannot convince your brother that you are right and an agreement cannot be reached between the two of you, then meet with him again and this time bring 2 or 3 other brothers as witnesses, but also to attempt to convince of him of his error.

8. If he refuses to concede, next you are to take the issue before the whole church as an assembly to judge.

9. This is not a jury situation where opinions are rendered, where discretion is allowed. Either you are vindicated according to the Bible or your brother is. This judgment is not about what others think; only who lines up with God’s Word, and who does not. It is black and white; there are no gray areas in the Bible. When there appear to be contradictory passages, clarity is obtained according to the priority as it is set in the Bible, yet always according to God’s Word.

10. What should be noted here is that there is no specific reference to the pastor or leader of the church being involved. No doubt that Jesus left out the Pastor so that there would be no intention of trying to draw him in and make it about the Pastor and the two of you. Church discipline involves the whole church, yet without voting. What is inferred by this is that it would be obvious to all according to their knowledge of God’s Word who is innocent and who was guilty, it is not propagating a democracy. God’s Word and the Torah are not subjective, but the idea is that the whole church was involved in the process so that if a person was excommunicated, the whole church would shun the person, and not associate with transgressor.

11. If the person refuses to repent (Change his mind and ways) and obey the judgment of the church, he is to be excommunicated, and treated as a heathen, not as a brother in Christ. There is not the option to show forgiveness without consequences, because the priority here is the purity of the church, without the option of mercy to individuals. Forgiveness cannot he granted without repentance, and a turning from the sin, making amends and setting it right.

We like to paint Jesus as a loving individual that showed mercy to all, without exception. Yet, this is an un-Biblical picture of Jesus, as repentance (changing direction ~ Acts 20:21) was mandatory (Matthew 9:13; Mark 1:4), as well as sorrow for wrongs committed (2 Corinthians 7:9, 10). The wrongdoer had to admit that they were wrong (Mark 2:17), seek for forgiveness, and be willing to make amends (Matthew 3:8; Luke 3:8; Acts 26:20). It is un-Biblical to allow sin to persist within the church, corrupting others; in the name of mercy, grace, and love; and allowing sin to go unanswered, which in reality has nothing to do with any of these 3 virtues.

It’s like allowing your oldest child to habitually violate your rules with no repercussions, while their younger siblings watch and learn from this pattern of rebellion. Excommunication is demanded in this situation, it is not an option. The motive was always to correct, to drive the brother to repentance, in order to receive him back (2 Corinthians 2:6-10). It must also be seen that when a brother was excommunicated, there was no Biblical defense against litigation. 1 Corinthians 6:1, forbids a brother from taking another brother to court, yet when a believer has been maltreated, or mistreated by a nonbeliever, they have the right as a citizen (Matthew 5:40 ~ presupposes involvement in the judicial system) to utilize the legal system which was meant as a defense against evil being allowed to permeate, and grow, perverting the community, and contaminating every one.

 

What About Forgiveness as in: “turning the cheek”

Matthew 5:38-41 ~“Ye have heard that it hath been said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the left also. And if any man will sue the act the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.”

An eye for an eye
The problem that we have in understanding this passage is our lack of awareness that it had become common during that period of time, that if a Jew (wealthy & powerful prominent individuals) had felt that he had been wronged and suffered loss at the hands of another, rather than following Gods ordained system of law (Deuteronomy 19:18-21) which dictated that a local magistrate would investigate the situation and render justice in the form of any prescribed punishment according to the law of God, the Jews would revenge themselves, which meant that it was no longer a system of justice, but of vengeance.

What Christ is NOT saying here is to disregard the law, which contained a criminal justice system concerning the punishment of criminal behavior (Matthew 7:12; Romans 3:31). What Christ is saying here is that believers are not to revenge themselves upon perpetrators, but being willing to forgo what had become the standard of the day, which was to retaliate when one was wrong. Christ is indicating that we should forgive those that offend us.

Resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other
It had become common that if a Jew felt humiliated or shamed by another, in return they would strike a person upon the cheek which in itself was viewed as a humiliation. This was usually done with an audience, in front of others as a display of shame and ridicule. The physical pain was minimal and not meant to address or correct negative behavior, but it was the humiliation of the act that was the point of the offense.

The very act of slapping another person on the face was an act of condescension, displaying pride and arrogance, and therefore considered evil in its self.  The Greek phrase used here (me antistenai toi poneroi), would be more literally translated: “resist not him that is evil,” which concerning the grammar is in the infinitive (second aorist active), an indirect command; which could place the emphasis either on “the evil man,” or “the evil deed,” but either way this plays the assumption of the definite article (“THE“) in the English, which indicates not that Christ is saying to allow evil to permeate our society, without resisting it according to God’s law (1 Timothy 1:8).  But that on any individual basis, when a believer is minimally assaulted physically, and (to the real issue at hand) is humiliated or shamed, which is evil or done by an evil person; don’t retaliate, or defend yourself physically. We must keep in view that the issue here is not so much the physical contact, but the humiliation and shame intended. This also doesn’t say that we don’t question or defend ourselves verbally. Jesus displayed this Himself when He was slapped (as a sign of humiliation and ridicule) by one of the Temple officer’s while being questioned by the High Priest (John 18:19-23), and Jesus responded by verbally defending himself and saying, “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?”

The point is that Jesus is not presenting a pacifist doctrine here. As believers we are always to fight against evil, and those that promote it, otherwise we would violate the very law which God had given to man as a reference concerning what was good, which always mandated fighting and punishing what was evil. Jesus was not contradicting the law, He did not come to change the law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:44) by dying for the sins of the world (2 Corinthians 5:21). The point was not that we are all forgiven, but that our punishment was paid by Jesus, but the point is there had to be punishment (1 John 2:2; Romans 3:25; 1 John 4:10) that the justice of God would be upheld (Romans 3:25).

What Christ is saying is that if a (small) offense is committed against you, such as being shamed by another (to reiterate, which is what being stricken on the cheek meant to the Jews, striking on the cheek was considered a non-punishable offense, one of questioning another’s integrity by publicly shaming them), take the offense and don’t revenge yourself, show honor and character in the face of humiliation.

If any man will sue thee at the law
First, and most importantly, what Jesus indicates here is that you are guilty in this litigation, and that your accuser wins against you, according to the legal conclusion against you in that the court determines to: “take away thy coat.” The law was very specific concerning the loss of personal property, especially if it was the essentials, such as a personal wardrobe (which are many consisted of the clothes on their back).

Jesus is here referring to a common occurrence of his day, wherein an individual would utilize their (tunic) inner garment as collateral for a purchase, and after being found guilty of not having fulfilled your part of the bargain, be prepared to surrender your outer garment as well. Because of the essential nature of the need of clothing, such as the tunic, in Hebrew law, the only way that your adversary could seize your tunic was because you used it as collateral for a loan and default on the loan. It was common that if an individual conducted a street transaction (bartering) and did not have the items with them (which in a case where coinage was not used or available, bartering by using animals or other intrinsic articles was common), they would leave as collateral something of greater value with the person, such as their interior coat / tunic. This is seen when Judah doesn’t have the price of bartering (“a kid of the flock”) to pay Tamar, but uses as collateral (pledge) his signet, both bracelets and his staff.

Therefore what Christ is saying is if you lose litigation, indicating that you are wrong, be prepared to pay not just your obligation but even more in recompense, which in this case would be to allow the claimant to have your outer cloak as well, which was more expensive.

Whoever shall compel thee to go a mile
The expression “shall compel” was a specific terminology of Persian origin (a Figure of Speech, a current American cultural expression would be like saying “the few, the proud, …”, which would set the stage for the understanding that the reference was a expression concerning “…the Marines”), and was utilized concerning a royal standing command that was as a Royal law of the kingdom, throughout the conquered lands of Persia (from which the Jews had many times been under, such as Cyrus), and was understood that one of the officers of the King’s court could demand that a local citizen would personally escort them during their journey for a distance of up to 1 mile in aiding them during their travels. This principle was used by the Romans, and known as the law of Angaria.  Whereas verbal instructions concerning directions could be misunderstood (“go straight for 1 mile, then turn right at where Farmer Joe’s barn used to be”), having a local citizen personally take you to your destination became necessary.

The point that Christ is making is that when it comes to our civil commitments (whether they seem righteous or not), we should be willing to not only fulfill the requirement of the law, but sacrifice even more than required. Believers, as citizens are not only to meet their requirements, but to exceed them.

A final thought
It is amazing to consider that due to a lack of understanding concerning cultural issues of the (Biblical) times, that when believers do not study (studying is far more than simply reading, it is using credible Biblical dictionaries, encyclopedias, commentaries, word studies, and being fed by Spirit and guided Bible teachers; and more. If we love God with our whole being [Mark 20:30], why would we do less) God’s Word, that what they perceive superficially ends up being much different than the reality that is presented.

Summary
Concerning Matthew 5:38-41, these 3 short verses hold tremendous insights and immense meaning.

First, do not revenge yourself, but allow the Powers that God has ordained (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17) to administer justice. ~ Be a forgiving person

Second, if someone shames, humiliates, or ridicules you; do not revenge yourself, but show honor and character by not reiterating the same back. ~ Be a humble person

Thirdly, if you have been found legally guilty, and rightly so, be prepared to suffer for your wrongs into pay back even more than what seems fair. ~ Be a righteous person

Fourthly, concerning your civil commitments; be willing to not simply meet your requirements, but to exceed them as well. ~ Be a good neighbor and good citizen, therefore be a good example

  

Endnote

1. See section: “Judgment Commanded.”
2. See section: “Church Discipline.” 
3. Thayer’s Greek Definitions, Parsons Technology Inc., Cedar Rapids, IA 52404.
4. Robinson’s  Morphological Analysis Codes, eSword, Ver. 9, Rick Myers, esword.org.
5. Robertson’s Word Pictures In The New Testament, Vol. IV, A.T. Robertson, Broadman Press Inc., Nashville, TN 37234.
6. Albert Barne’s Notes On The Bilbe, William McDonald, Thomas Nelson Pub., Nashville , TN.
7. Psalms 119:11 ~ “Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

Taken from the endnotes of the “Faith” webpage of www.faithbibleministries.com

Replacement Theology

I have never been afforded the opportunity to tour Israel yet somehow I have an overwhelming love for the Jewish people and am in awe of the remarkable history of their nation. I’m certain that is in part due to the Holy Spirit as well as so many of my hero’s being either Jews themselves or among the early forefathers of the Jewish people. So often we ( the Church ) seem to lose sight of the fact that we worship a Jewish Messiah and are ourselves disciples and followers of a Jewish Rabbi. There are many schools of thought who are teaching that God is finished with Israel and all the promises made to them by God have been forfeited and now belong to the Church, according to the apostle Paul this is bad theology…

“I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. Rom 11:1 NKJV

…he goes on to say “God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew…..”Rom 11:2 NKJV

Paul makes the point that he himself is a Jew yet God is still dealing with him. If we survey the subject with a proper exegesis it’s obvious that God is dealing with everyone in like manner be they Jew or Gentile, by way of faith in His Son Jesus Christ. But still God has made numerous promises and covenants with Israel and many of them are unconditional, i/e has nothing to do with Israel’s obedience or disobedience ).

Here is one example of a promise God made to Issac concerning the nation of Israel before it had ever existed….

“And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said “I am the God of your father Abraham: do not fear for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for my servant Abraham’s sake.” Gen 26:24

Notice there is no “if Issac nor Israel is faithful and does this or that in God’s promise to him, He said it and He will do it, to suggest otherwise would be calling God a promise breaker. There are numerous promises made to Israel by God which have absolutely nothing to do with them, it simply serves God’s sovereign purpose.

Israel has an ultimate destiny. Due to their failure to know their own scriptures and recognize their own Messiah which was prophesied to come ( see Daniel 9 for a great example ) God has now blinded them but this is only for a season, that season is the age of the Church in which we now reside. The Church is a peculiar entity ( bride of Christ ) which has it’s own purpose and destiny apart from that of Israel. You can Believe God will finish up business with Israel and fulfill all that He has promised, in fact the coming tribulation period is centered around them ( i/e the time of Jacob’s trouble ). Jesus will return to Israel and reign from Jerusalem and at that time the surviving remnant will then recognize and welcome their Messiah….

“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

“The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins”. Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.” Rom 11:25-28

I wonder what part of “irrevocable” is so hard for some to understand? Bottom line we either believe God will do all He has said He will do or we don’t, and if we don’t we are not only in error, we have called Him a liar. Throughout it’s history the enemy has made numerous attempts to destroy this nation ( Pharaoh to Hitler) and indeed will give it one great go on the near horizon, in the meantime he even attempts to convince the Church of his anti semitic lies, as such is the error of replacement theology.

 

Faith – The A, B, C’s

Humility Is the Only Correct Presupposition
It goes without saying that faith is necessity for salvation, yet faith does not create salvation.  Faith, according to God’s grace is how we obtain salvation in response to God’s Word and all that it says, yet it is a gift of God.  However, we must constantly remember that everything we have access to in life is a gift of God, from the air that we breath, moment by moment, to the food that sustains life for our body, to the clothes we wear, to the houses we live in, to the enjoyment that revitalizes our soul; everything is a gift from God.  Ecclesiastics 3:13, states:

 “And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.”

 And James 1:17, states:

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

It is with this in mind that we approach God in an attitude of gratitude concerning all the gifts given to us in our lives.  Paul instructs us in Colossians 3:15 that due to trusting in God (living in faith) we can allow peace to rule our hearts (in unity) and be thankful.

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”

 Therefore, gratitude based on thankfulness produces humility, and humility is the only correct mindset for the child of God, in respect to how God chooses to supervise the affairs of men, and therefore orchestrate our lives.  While faith is the activating behavior that is necessary for us to maintain a relationship with God, is our responsibility; yet it is in humility that we understand that we do not barter with God, trading faith for salvation or anything else that God gives us.  It is in the humble understanding that even this faith that we are to exercise, is yet a gift of God, because it is the Holy Spirit that opens our eyes that we can see according to God’s Will as opposed to the fallen nature which focuses on unbelief (the man centered preoccupation of self-delusion and self-reliance referred to as pride, which is antithetical to humility).  This is what Paul states in Ephesians 2:8-9, when he says:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

This is why humility is such an essential ingredient in our Christian walk as we exercise faith in God.  Yet the basis of our faith is the knowledge that God is supreme and in control of everything in our life, not just the things that we recognize as good.  If God does not have ultimate and complete authority in power over the Earth, how can we trust Him.  This is why those that believe and attempt to define God according to his perfect will and permissive will; in their attempt to rationalize why bad things happen over a university good God rules, is really quite incorrect, in that it is an humanistic attempt to justify how God could use ungodly man.

The reason there is sin in the universe is because of love.  It is due to gods love that he does not destroy sin, which would mandate that he destroys all of humanity; even those that are identified as believers.  For even the believer after conversion still commit sin, rather it is referred to as small, or insignificant; all sin is “missing the mark,” which is the literally meaning of the word Hamartia(G266), which is the Greek word translated into the English word: “sin” (see: Romans 3:9; 5:12, 13, 20; 6:1, 2; 7:7).  Which is why Paul says in Romans 3:10:

“There is none righteous, no, not one”

In the Greek this phrase makes it absolutely clear that there is not a single exception concerning anyone in humanity; rather in the fallen state or even believers that are righteous and without sin.  Which again is another reason to draw us to God in gratitude and humility understanding his sovereign power, and choice to allow us to exist, even though we are all sinners.  As the analogy states, he is the potter we are the clay (Romans 9:21).

A Fresh Look
The old adage “familiarity (frequency) breeds contempt,” is especially dangerous for the Christian in many ways, but perhaps the greatest harm comes in addressing this issue of faith.  We hear this word so often that are ears become dull, and we think that we have mastered this most simplistic of all doctrines of the Bible, however, humility mandates we periodically examine our perspective in validating its alignment in accordance with God’s Word.

It is in re-examining faith; in reaffirming the nuts and bolts, the makeup, and complexion, the elementary composition of what faith is that we need to constantly pursue, so as to ensure that we use faith wisely and correctly.

The lesson of the wise surveyor laying railroad tracks must be kept in mind.  In laying down railroad tracks the prudent surveyor must constantly take readings of where he is, where he wants to go; yet he must also maintain his equipment, guaranteeing that his line of sight (perspective) is correct according to the design of the equipment in order to lay the rails correctly, perfectly parallel.  Because it only takes an error of one degree to eventually inhibit his ability to go forward.

It is our responsibility as believers, to periodically scrutinize our perception, especially concerning the issue of faith and affirm that it is in accordance with God’s Word, and therefore determine that we see according to God’s perspective, and therein assure that we utilize this tool according to His design, laying our assumptions aside, and validating the lessons of our teachers according to God’s Word.  What we undertake is so important that we must do it thoroughly.

Seeking God
Therefore, the first issue is the necessity or requirement of faith – our need of it, and the correct direction it is to take.  Hebrews 11:6, states:

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” 

 This verse just doesn’t merely say that you have to use faith to believe that God is there, but that He rewards those that diligently seek Him, mandating that there must be a seeking of Him – yet diligently, and trust that He will reward that seeking – however, are believed that this reward is material is misplaced, our reward is spiritual. 

How many people just assume that God is there, and they tell you the when you’re going through something bad, its okay; God will take care of it and bring a positive outcome, not allowing for devastation or tribulation.  Yet, this is an assumption, they presume upon God those conclusions they believe are in their own best interest.  However, whereas sometimes the best outcome is the training that is obtained in trials and tribulation – the same as the correction that a child receives in order to learn responsibility, and gain the ability to connect negative behaviors with negative conclusions.

Many times it can be noticed that when these same people are in trials, their perspective is different.  This is where mercy and love needs to be displayed to those in trials.  This is where humility comes into view.  God understands and even expects that we are going to be stressed during the trial, this is normal and human.

He even understands the questions that we entertain in our in our thoughts while going through situations that make no sense to us.  Look at Job, we see a man that is righteous, and faithful to God, yet he undergoes terrible calamity.  He knows that God is righteous even though it doesn’t make sense that he’s going through this terrible testing.  Yet, even in the midst of this terrible trial he trusted in God.  Job 1:22, states:

“In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.”

 How unfortunate that many of the “name it and claim it” heretics attempt to find some sin that Job did in order to rationalize why evil things occurred to him.  Job contradicts their heresy that God only wants you to go through good things; therefore they must libel him in some way.  Howevr, even when ever those around Him open the door for criticism of God, as seen in Job 2:10, what does he say:

“But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.”

 What we see here is a man that God had blessed in many ways, yet he displays an attitude of humility and gratitude which is even displayed in His acceptance of the most tragic of losses.  Job trusted God; he exercised a living faith in God.  This is the earmark of a man that diligently seeks God.

Faith is a mindset of diligently seeks God; and believing that God rewards those that diligently seek Him.  Hebrews 11:16 is less clear in the English translation, but what it is not saying, is that those that diligently seek God receive a rewarded for doing so.  Seeking a reward, for the sake of the reward is the mindset of the “name it and claim it” abusers, and not the intention of this verse.  The idea here is that the individual understands that seeking God diligently, attempting to please Him in one’s behavior creates a relationship with God that is beneficial and rewarding.

Yet, when many people read this passage, what they focus in on it is the idea of “reward,” with the reward being primary, and God secondary.  What they see is the idea of an exchange, they exchange faith that God will give them what they ask for, for the thing they desire.  It becomes bartering, rather than trusting.  Yet, this is not what faith is.  Faith is believing and trusting in God to the point that if God takes everything away, it is because God has something better in mind.  Look at the faith statement of Job as recorded in Job 15:13:

“Though he slay me, yet will I put my trust in Him…”

 You see faith isn’t about the reward, faith is about trusting God that anything He does in our lives is meant for good on some level, even if that good is received on the other side of death’s door, even when God has taken the very last thing that any man owns, His own life.

This is what faith is, accepting God’s sovereign Will, no matter how painful it may be.  Many believers have lived very agonizing lives, never receiving the things they sought on Earth; yet rewarded in heaven with eternal life, and an inheritance based upon the diligence of their faith in Him.  How much greater is their faith, not having received the results of it here on Earth, as is stated in Hebrews 11:39:

“And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise”

 This counter’s the claim of the “name it and claim it” heretics.  It is in this unseen nature of the thing desired, that faith exists.  And whereas we have petition before God, and may exercise faith that God will grant our request, our faith ultimately is in God’s choice rather than give it or not.

Faith must always be contingent upon what is not seen; the needs we have on the Earth (in general); yet in particular the security of our eternal salvation.  We always look at faith in the immediate, the things that we need on Earth; and while there is this aspect to faith, it is minimal at best.

Faith ultimately addresses the hope that we have in God concerning our eternal souls, and God’s ability to keep that which we have given to Him, as Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:12:

“For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”

 On this earthly plane it is in understanding that faith is contingent upon something that does not exist at the time, something unseen.  And once we receive the answer (if it is yes) for what was desired, then faith is gone concerning that situation.  Faith concerning anything petitioned can only be exercised while the thing is absent, and still hoped for, as Hebrews 11:1, states:

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen“

 Need
Therefore, exercising faith concerning what is immediate; consists of longing for something that is not presently in view and that we do not have.  This necessitates need, or want.  We don’t need faith to pay our bills if we are a millionaire, we don’t need faith for healing if we are healthy.  Yet, to further clarify this issue, we only need look at what David said and Psalm 56:3:

“What time I am afraid I will trust in the Lord”

What we see here is urgency, not just need, but extreme need.  In spite of the heresy of the “name it and claim it” abusers, we don’t need Cadillac’s, or bigger houses.  This displays how easy it is to get off track when we leave the elementary understanding of what faith is.

Fear is not the opposite of faith; faith is what you do when you have fear.

Fear is the opportunity to express faith – yet what you focus on during a time of extreme fear, is fear’s opposite, which is love.  Therefore, when we are in our greatest fear we should dwell upon the love of God for us as His children, which will produce faith (This is why the biblical perspective concerning eternal security is so important to the believer).

Faith is not a tool to get what we want, it is trusting God for what He has already given us, and will give us.  Faith necessitates a need, and usually an urgent one.  Also, what you will notice that in spite of what others have unbiblicaly stated, faith is not the opposite of fear.

Fear is not a sin; in fact fear is the perfect atmosphere to indulge in faith.  However, this does not mean that we allow fear to destroy our faith, or are witness, or to become controlling.  We go on in spite of the fear, we maintain faith in response to fear.  As Psalms 23:4, says, we go through the valleys…

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear [anxiety that controls] no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

We don’t camp out in the valleys (pity parties), we go through them.  Psalms 84:5-6, says:

“Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart [diligently seeks God] are the ways of them.  Who passing through the valley of Baca [Hebrew that means: "weeping"] make it a well [they turn the trial into a blessing by trusting God in faith]; the rain also filleth the pools [God adds blessings to their faith].

The ABC‘s
Now that we know what faith is, how do we use it?  Many years ago the acronym of the ABC‘s of faith was created, and has been used and reused to the benefit of many believers, it stands for the fact that faith is:

 

Action based upon Belief, sustained by Confidence.

Faith is an Action

Faith is always a behavior, something displayed, something that is done – an action; different than mere belief.  Belief is a cognitive function only, meaning that belief is a mental process that does not demand action, therefore it is impossible to exercise faith without action.

In the New Testament the Greek word for faith can be found 241 times in the noun form (Greek: pístis), which we translate into the English word “faith”; and 240 times in the verb form (Greek: peítho), which we translate into the English word “believe,” and believe is a synonym for belief which again is mere mental assent, a process of the mind.  However, this word believe is also used as a synonym for the word faith though they are not exactly the same – why this apparent contradiction.

In the King James Bible (KJB), this occurs mainly in the book of John.  The reason why the word believe is utilized in the book of John as the verb form of faith, is that in the late fifteenth century, just prior to the production of the KJB, there was a verb form of the word faith, known as faithe, which fell out of usage in the English.

Why the Word Believe Then
Therefore, the word believe was substituted for the verb form of faith, yet the English word “believe” changed in its meaning to depict a word which only describes a mental process and not a behavior.  With the root word for believe changing from its meaning which paralleled faith, to a completely different word, and no verb form of faith available, the understanding of faith has suffered, with the two words being used interchangeably.  Yet, it is in understanding that belief alone is not enough (“even the Devils [demons] also believe” ~ James 2:19).  Biblical belief is in or on Christ, NOT merely believing that Jesus lived, died, or even did miracles.

A Noun That Functions like a Verb
It is also in understanding that the noun (we remember from school that a noun is a person place or thing, whereas a verb is always an action – which is why faith must always be a verb, or act like one) form of faith, almost exclusively displays a pattern of behavior or repetitive actions.  There are many words in the English which are nouns that also function the same as a verb, being an action, such as:

Ache, Act, Answer, attack, Back, Blame, Bomb, Bother, Break, Burn, Call, Care, Cause, Challenge, Change, Check, Charge, Comb, Copy, Damage, Dress, Full, Guess, Heat, Last, Laugh, Look, Mistake, Number, Park, Pay, Play, Practice, Promise, Reason, Rent, Reply, Rule, Saw, Season, Shop, Show, Smell, Study, Talk, Taste, Wish; but to name of view.

And of the few occurrences where the word faith is utilized as a noun and not representative of a behavior or action; it is used with the definite article the, such as a reference to the faith, concerning the system of Christian theology, or the Christian movement as a whole.  People might ask if you kept the faith, after a time of the persecution.  Or they would refer to the Christian faith, in reference to a religious movement.

Movement
Whether the verb form of faith, or the noun form of faith is utilized; almost exclusively it refers to an action, a behavior, and is always indicative of movement.  Faith either moves towards the object that it places its trust in, or away from it (Greek: “apisits“ ~ in Greek, an “a” in front of a word means, means the word is the opposite of its normal use – apisits means non-faith, becoming more non-faith, becoming less and less), yet is never stagnant.

The Law of First Mention and Repetition
According to “The Law of First Mention,” the word faith was first used in symbolizing a man leaning on a staff, placing all of his weight on the staff during a time of need, due to sickness or weakness.  It was also used concerning baby chicks running to the protection of the mother hen during a time of trouble, such as during a storm.

It is also in comparing all of the diverse passages which utilize the word faith that greater understanding is achieved in understanding all the shades of nuance which represent this word, perhaps the most important word in the life of a believer.  If a concordance is utilized to look up all the different applications concerning the word faith, the above concepts are further validated and greater understanding is gained.

Faith is a Relationship
Faith is primarily indicative of a relationship, a relationship of trust.  We attempt to utilize faith concerning individual desires (connotatively), yet biblical faith is more specifically seated in relationships (denotatively).

Faith can never be separated from the object of which trust is placed, due to its nature which mandates the development of a relationship.  This is why faith, or to use a word more appropriate to our current vernacular, the word trust; this is why trust is the most important element of any relationship.

For example, within a marriage, there are times that the feeling of love is missing, there are times that affection and fondness are absent, there are times when communication is nonexistent; yet these can all be re-energized or repaired.

Trust Violated
However, when trust is violated, the relationship suffers in ways that are more long lasting than most other violations.  The most extreme example is when sexual infidelity takes place in a marriage (all things are possible in God, and relationships can recover), there are very few that survive, and usually never the same.  Normally, when sexual infidelity occurs the relationship is changed forever because it is the ultimate betrayal.

This is why God in the Old Testament commonly refers to the betrayal of Israel in their idolatry as adultery, and whoredom; because the betrayal of violating faith is this severe.

Faith is Believing

Faith is believing, and believing is a cognitive function of the mind.  Faith cannot take place in the emotions.  This is why Romans 10:17, states:

“faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”

Faith mandates the ability to think and process information.  Faith is never blind, faith is based upon reasoning and intellect, and that reasoning, and intellect is founded in God’s Word.  Faith is achieved when God’s Word is read and understood, and makes sense and is logical and is therefore believed.

Misunderstanding Faith
Modern science states that faith is superstitious, or based upon feelings; this displays their lack of understanding of God’s Word.  Yet, unfortunately, because so many people misunderstand faith and abuse what they call faith (is not, because it is based on feelings, not God’s Word), they foster this misrepresentation of biblical faith.  Faith is always to be based upon logical sequential conclusions, conclusions that what God has said is true, and that He is to be trusted.

God’s Type of Rationality
This is logical, not superstitious.  For example, we read the story of the Exodus from Egypt, and we learn that of the 10 plagues, each plague was an assault upon a false god of the Egyptians and this builds faith because God makes sense, because He connects the violation with the punishment.

God is a logical God, yet His logic is so much above ours, that if we try to define Him according to what we call logic, we get into trouble.  God’s logic is trusting in Him, in what He has said in His Word, God’s logic is based upon God’s Will.  This is not the same as human logic which is based upon our perception of rationality, when we as fallen creatures have no ability to connect with God’s logic.

Faith is Sustained by Confidence

Whereas belief is a cognitive function, confidence is the accumulated beliefs according to the repetition that the source is deemed credible and trustworthy.  When someone or something habitually does the same thing, then confidence is the outcome.

Confidence must be based upon God and His Word, which includes the history of what He has done, a portrayal of who He is, and what He has to say; all based upon His Word.  Confidence is gained because we see God’s ingenious interweaving within His Word, where time after time He reveals Himself, sometimes hidden, sometimes not; yet always consistent in who He is, and how He behaves.

We must realize that faith without God’s Word; is faith without confidence.

And actions based upon faith without confidence is superstition, and not biblical faith.

This is why the Bible very plainly tells us what is to be our source concerning faith, it is God’s Word; as opposed to the human assumption that experience alone is the basis of faith.  Experience is the basis of faith, but experience based upon God’s Word, and not human experience as related to the outside world.

This is why Paul says in Romans 10:17, states:

“faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”

Faith is to be based upon what God has said in His Word, as opposed to solely our own experience, which many times can simply be superstition.  It is when our experience lines up with what God has said in His Word that our experiential experience builds faith.  It is when what God has said in spite of the circumstances is what we observed in our day by day life, that we exercise and gain greater faith in God.

Faith Abused
Many times believers take God’s Word out of context and attempt to build their faith on those misperceptions.  An example can be seen in the “name it and claim it movement,” where individuals claim a physical healings that God has not promised in His Word.  They will take Scriptures like, 3 John 1:2, which states:

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”

Those that abuse faith by using this passage to state that it is God’s Will that believers be in good health, insisting upon physical healing; display a reckless abandoned that even the English grammar defies.  First, this is a pastor writing a personal letter to a personal friend, Gaius; using personal pronouns to an individual, indicating it is his wish, his desire; literally in the Greek it is his prayer to God, that this friend who had went through many trials and tribulations might at last prosper and be in good health; even as Gaius, who had been through terrible tribulation had prospered spiritually having trusted God in spite of the circumstance.  This is not a statement from God, it is a desire presented to God whereof the passive request is seen in the use of the word “mayest,” even though the verbs are active, and a reality.

The verbs are a reflection of the author’s desire, not a declaration concerning what is desired becoming a reality.  John would never display the type of arrogance to presume to make a judgment or declaration in the place of God, declaring that someone would become prosperous – John never displays this type of arrogance or presumption anywhere in his writings.  The historical record is set concerning this individual and the conditions surrounding this letter to him.  This actually makes the reverse case concerning the assumption of healing wherein this passage is distorted.

For those that would take passages like this out of context, isolating them from prior passages, as well as latter passages concerning their exact meaning in context, one has to only turn to 1 John 5:14, for a simple rebuttal to this heresy.

“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:”

This passage plainly states that we have confidence that God will hear us concerning our petitions if it is according to His Will – this is the end of the subject – period – you cannot state that using passages such as 3 John 1:2, that it is God’s will that we all be healed in prosper and be in good health.  God will not be manipulated according to his word to do man’s will, that’s not what biblical faith is all about.

Faith is not about getting what we asked for; faith is about trusting that God is in control of what we get.

Consistency
As we read through the Scripture we see a repetition, that even though there are 40 different authors (scribes), from all different types of occupations, backgrounds, and locations; writing over hundreds of years (over 1600); there is a consistency that is remarkable, and beyond the capability of human design.  A consistency concerning who God is and the way God deals with men; He can be trusted.

Confidence is the normal fruit that is born when what is experienced is deemed to be truth, and the truth of God’s Word is what the believer is to unearth as he reads page after page of the Bible.  There are over 333 different titles given to the Messiah which present a description that is beyond human ability to fulfill.  These prophecies, written hundreds if not thousands of years before the birth of Jesus Christ, box God into a corner concern what he has said about who Jesus would be as seen in prophecy.  The statistical probability of Jesus fulfilling just 8 of those prophecies is 1:10²⁸.  This number is so large that it is hard to comprehend.

The old the example of how large this number is can be found if you take enough silver dollars to fill up the state of Texas, 2 feet high; then take 1 silver dollar and paint one side of it and place it anywhere you desired within the state, which was 2 feet high and silver dollars.  This is the code once and then she would have to have to fulfill only 8 of over 300 prophecies specifically made concerning the Messiah, hundreds of years before Jesus birth.  We are not to merely read God’s Word, we are to study it; to examine it; and therein will we gain faith according to God’s word.  Confidence is built according to a track record, and they track record that the believer has 2 built confidence in God, is God’s Word, the Bible.  Faith is never to be blind, or superstitious; but be based upon logical and rational tanking process in handling Gods Word.

Follow God, Not Human Reason
God expects man to approach him using his intelligence, not in spite of it.  It is in processing him permission that we come to faith, it is by thinking upon God’s word and approaching it rationally that faith grows.  God is not haphazard or illogical, yet there are times that He expects man to follow Him in spike of man’s own relevant logic.  The point is, God has given us a rational mind, to follow a rational God, yet this same God at times works outside or beyond human rationality.  But if we follow long enough, we see that a track record of trust is built because of the consistency and trustworthiness of God and where He leads, and what he has said in His Word.

Confidence is the Logical Conclusion of Reading God’s Word. God utilizes logic, even though God expects man to defy his own preconceived reason and follow God’s logic as opposed to his own.  Christianity is not ill-logical, or nonsensical.

Yet, Walk by Faith
God has declared that we are to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), yet this was stated to believers, those that had already placed their faith in God.  This was not concerning their initial salvation which said are ready received, this was concerning their lifestyle after conversion.

It was their sight, or to be more accurate, their sense of hearing (Romans 10:17) needed to be utilized so that faith could be gained, initiating a relationship of trust.

Therefore, having become believers because of faith in God, Paul is telling them (and us), that they should proceed in faith according to God’s Word, and no longer according to their own perception (based upon their senses) in how they live their lives.

Walking was synonymous with one’s lifestyle, and it is in our daily lives that we are to walk according to faith, and not of the logic of the world, or even based upon our own intellect.

Logically speaking, having had the Holy Spirit open our eyes, have you noticed how ridiculous the world appears as they exercise their own form of logic, with their evil hearts of disbelief, guiding them deeper into self-centeredness and debauchery.

The world says “seeing, I will believe,” where the Bible says, “believe, that you shall see” (John 3:3;11:40), yet this faith is always built upon the presupposition of God’s Word, which is according to God’s track record (recorded in His Word), and not a blind reckless emotional presumption.

Conclusion
It is impossible to separate action from faith, it is impossible to separate confidence from faith, because faith is based upon these prerequisites.

From the observation of the world, we see a man’s action, which betrays a belief system that determines His worldview, and therefore we define the essence of that man’s heart.

This is what faith is, it is when a person believes something so much that it changes the course of their life (this is the definition of the word “repentance,” that of changing a person’s mind, wherein their actions are changed, where the direction of their life goes in the opposite direction of humanity.  Repentance is turning from our way to God’s way, which is a synonym for faith), this is what faith is.  Faith is a way of walking in life, not simply a religious experience.  This is what’s behind Peter’s statement, as recorded in 1 Peter 3:15:

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear”

This is true witnessing (Greek: “martus or martur ” translated into the English word: “martyr.” Which to us should be ” dying to self, and living for Christ”), it’s not going door to door, it’s not handing out tracts, it’s not preaching on street corners (these are easy and need little commitment); it’s living your life in such a way that others approach you and want to know the reason you have hope (now this is hard!).  And to answer their questions in meekness (“Power under Control”) and fear (“Holy Reverence”) for God, displaying the humility that you have, based upon your trust in Him, and the appreciation for what He has done for you. 

Faith is a way of living.

By bb

 

 

 

Murmuring, no big deal; Right?

Introduction

Contextual analysis is the science of studying biblical words according to the context in which they exist within God’s Word as opposed to our current usage of them.  One of the benefits of recognizing all the different applications of a particular word is gained in understanding the nuances and peculiarities that that word may contain.  It is when we take the time to look through God’s Word and note the singular uses of a specific word that we come to understand it more fully.  However, it is in understanding that meanings change according to diverse spellings which effect the inflections of verbs and nouns and other tools of grammar.  Therefore, it is in recognizing specific spellings that one must take note in determining the definition of any given word.  Understanding this, after the main statement next, Scriptures utilizing the word murmuring are listed for examination. 

God’s Perspective

One of the unfortunate casualties of the way that we humans process information is our habitual tendency of encapsulating ideas and principles into standards and beliefs which are incapable of change.  This is commonly referred to as “our perspective,” and is merely the way that we develop to look at certain things, which makes it easy for us to understand the world around us.  This is a survival tool that God has built within this, yet it is our ability to step out of our own perspectives that we have an opportunity to grow spiritually concerning God, and eternally concerning the subject of faith.

I say all this to say, “we need to get some outside of our own way of looking at things and attempt to look at things from God’s point of view in order to understand what is truth concerning us and the world around us.”

One example of the diversity between our perception and God’s perception can be seen in the term that is used concerning the bread that God provided for the Israelites as they were crossing the desert.  God refers to the substance as: “heavens bread” (Exodus 16:4; Nehemiah 9:15), yet due to the Israelites getting sick of eating the same thing, they referred to it as “Manna,” which is in the Hebrew is a derogatory term literally meaning: “what is it” (Exodus 16:15).  This is not a question according to the phraseology, but is a disparaging title.

Another example of the difference between perceptions can be seen the dream that was given to King Nebuchadnezzar, God used an idiom that Nebuchadnezzar could understand according to his human mentality; that of a human being made up of different substances (Daniel 2:31-36).  Yet, later when you see how God presents it to Daniel, these kingdoms are made up of ferocious beast, which displays how God looks at these kingdoms of man (Daniel 7:2-7).

The reason this becomes important is in consideration concerning the subject of murmuring, and how it might appear as such a small sin, as compared to adultery, murder, or even blasphemy.  However, according to God’s perspective it is one of the worst behaviors that a believer can do, as it displays a total lack of trust in God, His Will, His ability, and His judgment.  Murmuring is an outward expression of a lack of faith from within, yet be on this display of a lack of trust is a behavior that becomes repetitious when practiced openly by others as a lack of faith breeds a lack of faith when dire situations are encountered.  Perhaps the worst thing a believer can ever do is to maintain a murmuring heart (mindset) which produces a outward manifestation of murmuring among believers.

Old Testament

(Exodus 15:24)  And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?

(Exodus 16:2)  And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:

(Exodus 16:7)  And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that he heareth your murmurings against the LORD: and what are we, that ye murmur against us?

(Exodus 16:8)  And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.

(Exodus 16:9)  And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the LORD: for he hath heard your murmurings.

(Exodus 16:12)  I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God.

(Exodus 17:3)  And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

(Numbers 14:2)  And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!

(Numbers 14:27)  How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.

(Numbers 14:29)  Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,

(Numbers 14:36)  And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land,

(Numbers 16:11)  For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?

(Numbers 16:41)  But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD.

(Numbers 17:5)  And it shall come to pass, that the man’s rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.

(Numbers 17:10)  And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron’s rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.

(Deuteronomy 1:27)  And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.

(Joshua 9:18)  And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes.

(Psalms 106:25)  But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD.

(Isaiah 29:24)  They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.

New Testament

(Matthew 20:11)  And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,

(Mark 14:5)  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.

(Luke 5:30)  But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?

(Luke 15:2)  And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

(Luke 19:7)  And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

(John 6:41)  The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.

(John 6:43)  Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.

(John 6:61)  When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?

(John 7:12)  And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people.

(John 7:32)  The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him.

(Acts 6:1)  And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

(1 Corinthians 10:10)  Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

(Philippians 2:14)  Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

(Jude 1:16)  These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.

 

God, where are you?

Normally, I write Biblically technical messages concerning God’s Word.  Some are essays that I’ve written in the past, some are written in the present, yet all have taken many hours to compose, or recompose to be fit within this blog.  These are not off the top of my head; per se they involve research work which is very meticulous and time-consuming, forcing me to spend untold hours in God’s Word – for which in return I am greatly fed.

Today, I want to do something a little different – I’m going to turn to the dark side, where emotions can display the pain life can bring.

The following is a letter I found in my files, it is sad and uncomfortable, yet something that others may relate too.

“God where are you.  Where were you when my immature mother left me behind at age 3, and my alcoholic drug abusing father left at age 10.  Where were you when I was at school, the poor white trash little boy with wholly jeans, and could not afford a school lunch.

Where were you when no one ever noticed me, except to ridicule and pick on.  Where were you when the silence was deafening in a world that was such a hostile place.

Where were you when the lies of liberals who said that man was basically good, prove themselves to be ridiculous claims of narcissism and deception.

Where were you when the system that said that all that man needed was rules and regulations, and systems to bring out the best of humanity; when all I saw was the worst without civility.

Where were you when everyone left me alone, despised rejected, crying out for help; finding acceptance only in the dregs of society, where the only way of survival was to medicate myself into oblivion.  To get drunk or wasted, smoking pot 24 7 only to be numb enough to deal with the pain of being hated and despised without cause.  Where were you when I just wanted someone to say ‘I love you’.”                  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                        Signed: Brent Bolin  (12/01/1974)

Yes, I wrote these words, yet it was only a few weeks later that God answered my question. 

After moving back to Southern California with no money in my pockets, I took a job where I could live on-site in the back of my truck, with no money for 2 weeks until my first paycheck.

No food to eat, not even enough gas to drive 30 miles to get help from a family who had rejected me because of my drug abuse, yet would have fed me.  Alone, enough cigarettes and dope to keep me going, yet no food; sleeping in a sleeping bag in the back of an open-bed pickup, with a 13″ B&W TV in the winter in Southern California, God answered my question.

The answer did not come from the beautiful cathedrals, with stained-glass, padded pews, and lush surroundings The answer did not come from a televangelist, making claims of prosperity.  The answer did not come from a missionary providing food and the Bible.  No, the answer did not come from a goodhearted Christian witnessing to the lost.  The answer did not even come through spoken words.

The answer came in the form of a sacrificial gift by a mean old drunk I worked with.  My fellow employees could not help but know my plight, yet after 14 days without food, the meanest oldest drunk employee, who I had never spoke too, nor anyone else for that matter, without saying a word came up to me and gave me half of his sandwich and a miniature Three Musketeers bar, and simply said, “here.”

This man that was despised and rejected by everyone, he didn’t seem to care what anyone thought of him; yet, was moved with compassion for someone that was less fortunate than himself.

You see God did not use beautiful words from lovely people, that wouldn’t of done the trick in my case.  You know I found out that everything is corruptible, even generous acts of giving can be done so that the giver feels good about themselves.  This is why Jesus said when we give our gifts of love to do it so that no one knows, using the illustration of not letting the left hand know what the right hand is doing.

No, Gods words to me were much more precious than the potentially self-serving gestures of a goodhearted Christian, even when done in sincerity.  God used an instrument that I knew that He alone had motivated to reflect His love; an old drunk that everybody hated, and hated everyone else.

You see most people would never have understood this type of language, but I did – God was speaking to me.

For one that knows the depravity of humanity, the rejection of all; the potential self-serving of any apparent righteous deed, for one that has been abused in every manner, by some people who appeared to be good, while others were obviously not; the language that God used was clear and apparent.

It was this act of kindness by an unkind man that was God’s witness of God’s love for me – to me.  You see I was raised in the church and understood the gospel – that Jesus died for me, for my sin.

What I hadn’t understood is that God was God because He was all powerful and controlled everything that occurred on this Earth, and that because of this, I could place my trust in Him – my faith in Him because He had the power to do what He said He would do.  He could even use an old drunk to carry His message to a wayward son.

That night I saw the mercy and grace of God through the hands of an unsaved wretch.  I understood the difference between mercy