Randy Green's Blog, page 446
June 1, 2013
Crockpots and Crackpots – Part 2
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves [2 Corinthians 4:7].
Yesterday we left you feeling let down. Paul’s answer as to why we still have our frail earthly bodies after salvation didn’t register? Well, you shouldn’t be befuddled, dear friends! Let me tell you why.
Our salvation is powerful. We have seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. We have at our disposal all the riches of the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. Whatever is bound on earth is bound in heaven because we are in Christ Jesus. This is awesome!
But beware. It is also dangerous because we frail humans are full of ourselves. We have a penchant for taking the bows when the power of God is manifested in our lives, as if we do great things rather than Jesus does them in and through us.
And there is the answer to my question about why I am not already in heaven with my resurrection body. The Lord leaves us on earth to be His body, the Church. He indwells us and conducts His ministry in and through us throughout the earth during the Church Age.
If we remained on the earth but had our resurrection bodies already, we would no longer be like unsaved humans. In order to demonstrate to them how Christ can change their lives and deliver them from enslavement to sin, we need to have the same frail earthen vessels they have—that would be those earthen vessels we had before being saved.
Ergo, the Lord leaves us in our earthen vessels, as weak as everyone who isn’t saved, as dependent on Him for victory as everyone else. In this way it is evident to all that we are not some sort of supermen, to whom others cannot relate. Rather, the unsaved folks as well as the saved folks can see that we are not capable in our own might of having the victories we experience.
In this way we are witnesses of the Lord Jesus because it is apparent that the surpassing greatness of the power is from God, not us. The Lord Jesus receives the glory. The unsaved flock to Him for their deliverance—a deliverance, I might add, which we are incapable of giving them.
Paul expressed this best when he made the observation, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” [2 Corinthians 12:10] Just as relevant is Jesus’ response to Paul for removal of his weakness. Jesus denied Paul’s request, noting, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” [2 Corinthians 12:9]
When I am doing well in life, I tend to think I am good and have less need of God’s grace. This is the reverse of spiritual maturity which says, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” When I am weak, then the power of God can work in and through me. This makes me strong. It is real strength, God’s power in me.
What say ye? Do you want your good things now? Do you want to be seen as Mr. Macho? Do you want folks to be allured by your mighty works and witty thoughts? The world is full of suchlike crackpots.
Or do prefer that the Lord be mighty and witty in you and through you to others? We have this surpassing power in earthen vessels—in crockpots if you would—for a godly purpose. We cannot improve on God’s plan, dear friends. Why not surrender to Him and allow Him to fulfill His plan in our earthen vessels?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Yesterday we left you feeling let down. Paul’s answer as to why we still have our frail earthly bodies after salvation didn’t register? Well, you shouldn’t be befuddled, dear friends! Let me tell you why.
Our salvation is powerful. We have seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. We have at our disposal all the riches of the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. Whatever is bound on earth is bound in heaven because we are in Christ Jesus. This is awesome!
But beware. It is also dangerous because we frail humans are full of ourselves. We have a penchant for taking the bows when the power of God is manifested in our lives, as if we do great things rather than Jesus does them in and through us.
And there is the answer to my question about why I am not already in heaven with my resurrection body. The Lord leaves us on earth to be His body, the Church. He indwells us and conducts His ministry in and through us throughout the earth during the Church Age.
If we remained on the earth but had our resurrection bodies already, we would no longer be like unsaved humans. In order to demonstrate to them how Christ can change their lives and deliver them from enslavement to sin, we need to have the same frail earthen vessels they have—that would be those earthen vessels we had before being saved.
Ergo, the Lord leaves us in our earthen vessels, as weak as everyone who isn’t saved, as dependent on Him for victory as everyone else. In this way it is evident to all that we are not some sort of supermen, to whom others cannot relate. Rather, the unsaved folks as well as the saved folks can see that we are not capable in our own might of having the victories we experience.
In this way we are witnesses of the Lord Jesus because it is apparent that the surpassing greatness of the power is from God, not us. The Lord Jesus receives the glory. The unsaved flock to Him for their deliverance—a deliverance, I might add, which we are incapable of giving them.
Paul expressed this best when he made the observation, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” [2 Corinthians 12:10] Just as relevant is Jesus’ response to Paul for removal of his weakness. Jesus denied Paul’s request, noting, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” [2 Corinthians 12:9]
When I am doing well in life, I tend to think I am good and have less need of God’s grace. This is the reverse of spiritual maturity which says, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” When I am weak, then the power of God can work in and through me. This makes me strong. It is real strength, God’s power in me.
What say ye? Do you want your good things now? Do you want to be seen as Mr. Macho? Do you want folks to be allured by your mighty works and witty thoughts? The world is full of suchlike crackpots.
Or do prefer that the Lord be mighty and witty in you and through you to others? We have this surpassing power in earthen vessels—in crockpots if you would—for a godly purpose. We cannot improve on God’s plan, dear friends. Why not surrender to Him and allow Him to fulfill His plan in our earthen vessels?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
May 31, 2013
Crockpots and Crackpots – Part 1
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves [2 Corinthians 4:7].
I’ve been thinking… No, I don’t mean to suggest that’s something new! It’s what I’ve been thinking about that’s the issue here. I’ve been thinking about why I’m not in heaven already. Why am I still stumbling and bumbling through life, ill-equipped to overcome sin and win the victories in spiritual warfare.
Oh, I know I’m not supposed to say such things. It’s not PC—not “politically correct” but “powerful Christian”, for you spiritual novices. We Christians are supposed to be spiritual macho men. We can conquer anybody and anything because Jesus can…yada yada ho hum. Fine sounding words, but I’ve yet to see the reality.
No Christian this side of eternity overcomes sin perfectly. The Apostle Paul didn’t, and he was a giant among Christians! Don’t believe me? Read Philippians 3:12-16 and 1 Timothy 1:15. I personally become suffused with a flushed face, at the mere suggestion that I am without sin.
No, dear friends. We Christians are not Jesus. Only He is without sin. Because He died for our sins, while having none of His own, He pays the penalty for our sins. This removes them from our account and leaves our balance at zero, paid-in-full, tetelestai!
But after being born again we still need to avail ourselves of His payment daily. We do this through confession of sin and repentance. God reckons our debt as paid-in-full because of what Jesus did on our behalf, not because we are without sin in our own right. Theology textbooks call this as justification.
Simultaneously though, we have to work out the salvation which God already worked in us. Theology textbooks call this sanctification. This side of eternity we Christians, every last one of us, stand before God justified; but our day-to-day state is that we are being sanctified. We aren’t there yet, but praise the Lord we are working on it!
In the Scripture quoted at the start of this study, the Apostle Paul noted that we have salvation “in earthen vessels”. Our frail earthly bodies come from the dust of the ground (cf., Genesis 1): they are “earthen vessels”. At the rapture these frail earthen vessels will be transformed in the twinkling of an eye into new resurrection bodies, just like the Lord Jesus has! But this side of eternity we are still weighed down by frail earthen vessels.
Which brings me back to where I began this study. Why am I not already in heaven? Why do I still have to carry around this body of sin, the frail earthen vessel? Why don’t I already have my resurrection body? Is God a sadist? I don’t mean that last question in a blasphemous way, dear friends. Logically the question follows, if we don’t know the truth of Scripture.
But not to fear. Paul afforded us the answer. We only need refer once more to the Scripture quoted at the start of this study. We still have our frail earthen vessels because…because…because… “so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves”.
Huh? What does that mean? You say you feel let down by the answer? I’m sorry. We’ll have to do something about that. But we can’t today because we are out of time! Tomorrow we will though. For now enjoy some time with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
I’ve been thinking… No, I don’t mean to suggest that’s something new! It’s what I’ve been thinking about that’s the issue here. I’ve been thinking about why I’m not in heaven already. Why am I still stumbling and bumbling through life, ill-equipped to overcome sin and win the victories in spiritual warfare.
Oh, I know I’m not supposed to say such things. It’s not PC—not “politically correct” but “powerful Christian”, for you spiritual novices. We Christians are supposed to be spiritual macho men. We can conquer anybody and anything because Jesus can…yada yada ho hum. Fine sounding words, but I’ve yet to see the reality.
No Christian this side of eternity overcomes sin perfectly. The Apostle Paul didn’t, and he was a giant among Christians! Don’t believe me? Read Philippians 3:12-16 and 1 Timothy 1:15. I personally become suffused with a flushed face, at the mere suggestion that I am without sin.
No, dear friends. We Christians are not Jesus. Only He is without sin. Because He died for our sins, while having none of His own, He pays the penalty for our sins. This removes them from our account and leaves our balance at zero, paid-in-full, tetelestai!
But after being born again we still need to avail ourselves of His payment daily. We do this through confession of sin and repentance. God reckons our debt as paid-in-full because of what Jesus did on our behalf, not because we are without sin in our own right. Theology textbooks call this as justification.
Simultaneously though, we have to work out the salvation which God already worked in us. Theology textbooks call this sanctification. This side of eternity we Christians, every last one of us, stand before God justified; but our day-to-day state is that we are being sanctified. We aren’t there yet, but praise the Lord we are working on it!
In the Scripture quoted at the start of this study, the Apostle Paul noted that we have salvation “in earthen vessels”. Our frail earthly bodies come from the dust of the ground (cf., Genesis 1): they are “earthen vessels”. At the rapture these frail earthen vessels will be transformed in the twinkling of an eye into new resurrection bodies, just like the Lord Jesus has! But this side of eternity we are still weighed down by frail earthen vessels.
Which brings me back to where I began this study. Why am I not already in heaven? Why do I still have to carry around this body of sin, the frail earthen vessel? Why don’t I already have my resurrection body? Is God a sadist? I don’t mean that last question in a blasphemous way, dear friends. Logically the question follows, if we don’t know the truth of Scripture.
But not to fear. Paul afforded us the answer. We only need refer once more to the Scripture quoted at the start of this study. We still have our frail earthen vessels because…because…because… “so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves”.
Huh? What does that mean? You say you feel let down by the answer? I’m sorry. We’ll have to do something about that. But we can’t today because we are out of time! Tomorrow we will though. For now enjoy some time with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
May 30, 2013
My Enemies Are Three – Part 3
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly 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 [Ephesians 2:1-3].
The first three verses of Ephesians 2 enumerated two types of Christians. There are those of Jewish ethnicity, and there are those of Gentile origins. By birth every Christian was a child of the devil. He had to be born again, born a second time, in order to die to the devil’s family and be adopted into God’s family.
As children of God we face three categories of enemies daily. These three were our one-time friends. While we ate and drank and partied with old Lucifer, we were the best of friends with these three rascals. But all that changed when we joined the family of God. Now the three rascals are our inveterate enemies.
So just who are these villains? Well, the usual epithets applied to them are,
1. the flesh
2. the world
3. the devil/Satan
Paul, you see, noted how the Christians consisted of both Jews and Gentiles by ethnicity. Simultaneously with this he identified the three enemies of Christians, thus making it evident that the three were enemies of all God’s children, whether Jew or Gentile.
You say you don’t see the flesh, the world, and the devil specified in verses 1-3 of Ephesians 2? I’m sorry. But they sure are there! Allow me to show them to you.
The first villain who Paul identified was the world. He wrote:
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world.
The Gentile Christians in the past used to conduct their lives according to who again? Answer: according to “this world”. They wallowed in the same sorts of sins as all unbelievers do. Only because they were born again did they cease engaging in such a lifestyle.
The second villain Paul identified was the devil. He wrote:
According to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
The prince in question is the spirit of disobedience. Friends, that would be none other than the devil, or Satan for short.
The third villain—well, the process of elimination leaves only the flesh, so the flesh it is! Paul wrote:
We too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh.
And that makes a grand total of three enemies, the flesh, the world, and the devil. The three are inveterate enemies of every child of God, but they are BFFs for every child of the devil.
Oh, I almost forgot. Paul also made specific reference to the children of the devil in our three verses. Listen:
• the sons of disobedience
• children of wrath
I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God. Aren’t you? I sure don’t look back with longing on my life of disobedience and wrath. Once escape from the grasp of sin by God’s grace, and we no longer find pleasure in such filth as we once did. Praise the Lord! Thank you, Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The first three verses of Ephesians 2 enumerated two types of Christians. There are those of Jewish ethnicity, and there are those of Gentile origins. By birth every Christian was a child of the devil. He had to be born again, born a second time, in order to die to the devil’s family and be adopted into God’s family.
As children of God we face three categories of enemies daily. These three were our one-time friends. While we ate and drank and partied with old Lucifer, we were the best of friends with these three rascals. But all that changed when we joined the family of God. Now the three rascals are our inveterate enemies.
So just who are these villains? Well, the usual epithets applied to them are,
1. the flesh
2. the world
3. the devil/Satan
Paul, you see, noted how the Christians consisted of both Jews and Gentiles by ethnicity. Simultaneously with this he identified the three enemies of Christians, thus making it evident that the three were enemies of all God’s children, whether Jew or Gentile.
You say you don’t see the flesh, the world, and the devil specified in verses 1-3 of Ephesians 2? I’m sorry. But they sure are there! Allow me to show them to you.
The first villain who Paul identified was the world. He wrote:
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world.
The Gentile Christians in the past used to conduct their lives according to who again? Answer: according to “this world”. They wallowed in the same sorts of sins as all unbelievers do. Only because they were born again did they cease engaging in such a lifestyle.
The second villain Paul identified was the devil. He wrote:
According to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
The prince in question is the spirit of disobedience. Friends, that would be none other than the devil, or Satan for short.
The third villain—well, the process of elimination leaves only the flesh, so the flesh it is! Paul wrote:
We too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh.
And that makes a grand total of three enemies, the flesh, the world, and the devil. The three are inveterate enemies of every child of God, but they are BFFs for every child of the devil.
Oh, I almost forgot. Paul also made specific reference to the children of the devil in our three verses. Listen:
• the sons of disobedience
• children of wrath
I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God. Aren’t you? I sure don’t look back with longing on my life of disobedience and wrath. Once escape from the grasp of sin by God’s grace, and we no longer find pleasure in such filth as we once did. Praise the Lord! Thank you, Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
May 29, 2013
My Enemies Are Three – Part 2
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly 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 [Ephesians 2:1-3].
The children of God are daily confronted with three categories of enemies. The first three verses of Ephesians 2 reveal them. Let’s dissect these verses and see for ourselves. But before identifying the enemies, let’s not overlook the two categories which comprise the children of God.
The first two verses depict one type, while verse 3 portrays the other. We recognize the first type by the words “you were dead in your trespasses and sins”. The other type is revealed by the words “we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh”. Do you see the significant difference? I’ll give you a hint. Notice the two pronouns “you” and “we”.
We know both of these categories of persons belong to God’s family because of the concomitant descriptions. The “you” folks are described this way:
• you were dead in trespasses and sins
• you formerly walked
Those words depict children of the devil, yes. But notice the words no longer applied to those whom Paul was addressing. The verbs are past tense. Those qualities once were true of these people, but no more. They were no longer children of the devil, though they once were. This means they were born again into the family of God.
The “we” folk are described this way:
• we too all formerly lived
• we were by nature children of wrath
You will observe how the same applied to the “we” folks as applied to the “you” folks. They once upon a time were children of the devil, but no more. The verbs are past tense. Now they belonged to God’s family.
So then, who were the “you” folks and who were the “we” ones? Well, Paul did the writing, so the language means he was one of the “we” folks. Paul was writing to the Christians in the city of Ephesus, so they were the “you” folks. So what distinguished Paul from the Ephesian Christians?
It’s really quite simple, dear friends. Paul was a Jew by ethnicity, the Ephesian Christians predominantly Gentiles. The first two verses of Ephesians 2 note how the Gentile Ephesian Christians used to belong to the devil’s family. In the third verse Paul added that the Jewish Christians were in the same boat. They too once belonged to the devil’s family, even though they had the Law and the Temple.
In fine, Paul lumped all mankind, Jew and Gentile alike, into the same lump of clay. Every person, regardless of ethnicity or any other distinction, is conceived in sin and born in iniquity. Every person is born dead to God and by nature a child of the devil. Every person must be born again, if he would see the Kingdom of God.
We will conclude this analysis in our next study. For now we have plenty on our plate on which to feed.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The children of God are daily confronted with three categories of enemies. The first three verses of Ephesians 2 reveal them. Let’s dissect these verses and see for ourselves. But before identifying the enemies, let’s not overlook the two categories which comprise the children of God.
The first two verses depict one type, while verse 3 portrays the other. We recognize the first type by the words “you were dead in your trespasses and sins”. The other type is revealed by the words “we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh”. Do you see the significant difference? I’ll give you a hint. Notice the two pronouns “you” and “we”.
We know both of these categories of persons belong to God’s family because of the concomitant descriptions. The “you” folks are described this way:
• you were dead in trespasses and sins
• you formerly walked
Those words depict children of the devil, yes. But notice the words no longer applied to those whom Paul was addressing. The verbs are past tense. Those qualities once were true of these people, but no more. They were no longer children of the devil, though they once were. This means they were born again into the family of God.
The “we” folk are described this way:
• we too all formerly lived
• we were by nature children of wrath
You will observe how the same applied to the “we” folks as applied to the “you” folks. They once upon a time were children of the devil, but no more. The verbs are past tense. Now they belonged to God’s family.
So then, who were the “you” folks and who were the “we” ones? Well, Paul did the writing, so the language means he was one of the “we” folks. Paul was writing to the Christians in the city of Ephesus, so they were the “you” folks. So what distinguished Paul from the Ephesian Christians?
It’s really quite simple, dear friends. Paul was a Jew by ethnicity, the Ephesian Christians predominantly Gentiles. The first two verses of Ephesians 2 note how the Gentile Ephesian Christians used to belong to the devil’s family. In the third verse Paul added that the Jewish Christians were in the same boat. They too once belonged to the devil’s family, even though they had the Law and the Temple.
In fine, Paul lumped all mankind, Jew and Gentile alike, into the same lump of clay. Every person, regardless of ethnicity or any other distinction, is conceived in sin and born in iniquity. Every person is born dead to God and by nature a child of the devil. Every person must be born again, if he would see the Kingdom of God.
We will conclude this analysis in our next study. For now we have plenty on our plate on which to feed.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
May 28, 2013
My Enemies Are Three – Part 1
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly 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 [Ephesians 2:1-3].
In 1 Kings 21 the story is told of evil King Ahab of Israel and his wicked wife Jezebel. King Ahab wanted an Israelite named Naboth to sell his vineyard to the king. Trouble was, the Law of Moses interdicted the sale because ownership of tribal land had to remain within the tribe. If Naboth sold the vineyard to King Ahab, the land would pass from Naboth’s tribe to Ahab’s tribe.
Being the mighty king he was, Ahab went home and moped about it. Wicked Jezebel crooned him into telling her the tale, and was she irked! So she hired some wretched lowlifes to falsely accuse Naboth of cursing God. Here was Naboth upholding the Law, and there was Ahab/Jezebel perverting it. Naboth paid with his life, as did his entire family. Ahab went in and took over the vineyard.
The Lord was none to pleased with this state of affairs. All authority is established by God. He established it to represent Him. Ahab blasphemed God’s character by his crime, and he was the king of Israel! So the Lord took action against Ahab. He sent the prophet Elijah to confront Ahab and pronounce the Lord’s verdict on him and his family.
Elijah went to Jezreel, the city where Naboth’s vineyard was situated. When Ahab saw Elijah, he knew his crime was exposed. He knew the Lord dispatched Elijah to pronounce judgment against him because he had a predilection for sinning and had experienced the Lord’s pronouncements many times already. Let’s read verse 20 of 1 Kings 21 and hear what Ahab had to say to Elijah.
Ahab said to Elijah, “ Have you found me, O my enemy?”
Elijah was the Lord’s prophet, not his own person. What Elijah had to say to Ahab or anyone else was the Word of God, not the words of Elijah. Accordingly, if Elijah was Ahab’s enemy, then the Lord was Ahab’s enemy first. If the Lord was Ahab’s enemy, then Ahab was sinning and not repenting of his sins. These are the straightforward facts of spiritual life, dear people.
Well, I’ll leave the rest of the story to your imagination. Better yet, go to your Bible and read the story. It’s better and safer that way, rather than depending on the imagination.
What I want us to take from the story is how Ahab recognized Elijah as his enemy. Ahab was a child of the devil, Elijah a child of God. So Ahab rightly discerned this truth about Elijah.
I thought of this connection when I began reading the second chapter of Ephesians. God has His enemies and His family shares these enemies with God. There are three broad categories of enemies generally associated with the Lord and His people.
Oh, but time demands we cease our investigation. We will continue it on the morrow. Jesus summons us into His presence for personal time with Him now. Don’t keep Him waiting!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
In 1 Kings 21 the story is told of evil King Ahab of Israel and his wicked wife Jezebel. King Ahab wanted an Israelite named Naboth to sell his vineyard to the king. Trouble was, the Law of Moses interdicted the sale because ownership of tribal land had to remain within the tribe. If Naboth sold the vineyard to King Ahab, the land would pass from Naboth’s tribe to Ahab’s tribe.
Being the mighty king he was, Ahab went home and moped about it. Wicked Jezebel crooned him into telling her the tale, and was she irked! So she hired some wretched lowlifes to falsely accuse Naboth of cursing God. Here was Naboth upholding the Law, and there was Ahab/Jezebel perverting it. Naboth paid with his life, as did his entire family. Ahab went in and took over the vineyard.
The Lord was none to pleased with this state of affairs. All authority is established by God. He established it to represent Him. Ahab blasphemed God’s character by his crime, and he was the king of Israel! So the Lord took action against Ahab. He sent the prophet Elijah to confront Ahab and pronounce the Lord’s verdict on him and his family.
Elijah went to Jezreel, the city where Naboth’s vineyard was situated. When Ahab saw Elijah, he knew his crime was exposed. He knew the Lord dispatched Elijah to pronounce judgment against him because he had a predilection for sinning and had experienced the Lord’s pronouncements many times already. Let’s read verse 20 of 1 Kings 21 and hear what Ahab had to say to Elijah.
Ahab said to Elijah, “ Have you found me, O my enemy?”
Elijah was the Lord’s prophet, not his own person. What Elijah had to say to Ahab or anyone else was the Word of God, not the words of Elijah. Accordingly, if Elijah was Ahab’s enemy, then the Lord was Ahab’s enemy first. If the Lord was Ahab’s enemy, then Ahab was sinning and not repenting of his sins. These are the straightforward facts of spiritual life, dear people.
Well, I’ll leave the rest of the story to your imagination. Better yet, go to your Bible and read the story. It’s better and safer that way, rather than depending on the imagination.
What I want us to take from the story is how Ahab recognized Elijah as his enemy. Ahab was a child of the devil, Elijah a child of God. So Ahab rightly discerned this truth about Elijah.
I thought of this connection when I began reading the second chapter of Ephesians. God has His enemies and His family shares these enemies with God. There are three broad categories of enemies generally associated with the Lord and His people.
Oh, but time demands we cease our investigation. We will continue it on the morrow. Jesus summons us into His presence for personal time with Him now. Don’t keep Him waiting!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
May 27, 2013
Familial Ties – Part 3
For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation [Galatians 6:15].
The circumcision had the job of representing the one true God to the uncircumcision. Alas, but the circumcision wound up mimicking the uncircumcision, leaving the one true God without His witness in the world . The devil was the only god anyone recognized!
So circa 30 A.D. the Lord decided to temporarily set aside His chosen people, the Israelites (aka the circumcision), and create a whole new people of His own to fulfill the ministry the Israelites failed to accomplish. The Messiah Jesus died on the cross for mankind’s sins and rose out of death for mankind’s justification. This was circa 30 A.D. He ascended into heaven forty days later.
Ten days after ascending into heaven—which was fifty days after He rose out of death—Messiah Jesus (aka Christ Jesus) sent the Holy Spirit to fill His disciples and indwell them eternally. This took place in Jerusalem during the Jewish holiday Shavuot (aka Pentecost). The event marked the birth of the Church.
The Church is the Body of Christ Jesus on earth. The Church is the “new creation” we have referenced several times already. Jesus no longer walks the earth in His physical body as God in a human body. Jesus created a new people, the Church, to indwell on the earth. The Church has the ministry to represent the Lord Jesus to all of mankind, including both Jews and Gentiles (aka circumcision and uncircumcision).
The time from the birth of the Church on Pentecost circa 30 A.D., until the Lord Jesus sounds the trumpet to call the Christians to meet Him in the clouds (aka the Rapture), is known as the Church Age. During this time the circumcision is temporarily set aside as a nation, not serving the Lord as His witness to the Gentiles.
But this is only a temporary situation. At a time of the Lord's choosing, the Church Age will come to a close. The Lord Jesus will descend from heaven in the clouds, sound the trumpet call to His new creation (aka the Church), and the Christians (both Jews and Gentiles) will rise to meet Him in the clouds. We will return to heaven with our blessed Lord to celebrate the marriage supper of the Lamb.
The next seven years on earth will be the time of Jacob’s trouble (aka the Tribulation Period). The Lord will allow the antichrist to persecute His chosen people Israel, sifting them and purifying them in preparation for His return to earth. At the end of the seven-year Tribulation Period, the Lord will descend from heaven.
When Messiah Jesus returns in the clouds, the Jews will look upon Him and recognize their Messiah whom they rejected circa 30 A.D. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son. The nation of Israel (aka the circumcision) as a nation will then receive their Messiah. The Lord will take the nation up again as His chosen people to be His witness to the Gentiles on the earth. This ministry will last for a thousand years (aka the Millennium).
Thus during the Church Age the circumcision is not God’s family. The new creation (aka Christians/the Church) is. The circumcision was, and the circumcision will once again be, God’s family. But for now the Church represents God on the earth. The Church includes both Jewish individuals and Gentile individuals—but neither the nation of Israel nor any other nation or ethnic group comprises God’s family during the Church Age.
I trust this dissipates the fog and brings in the bright morning sunlight, as it relates to Paul’s three classifications of human beings during the Church Age. Allow me to list them one more time in closing:
1. circumcision
2. uncircumcision
3. new creation
Oh, I am sorry for being so careless. I almost forgot to ask, “To which classification do you belong?”
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The circumcision had the job of representing the one true God to the uncircumcision. Alas, but the circumcision wound up mimicking the uncircumcision, leaving the one true God without His witness in the world . The devil was the only god anyone recognized!
So circa 30 A.D. the Lord decided to temporarily set aside His chosen people, the Israelites (aka the circumcision), and create a whole new people of His own to fulfill the ministry the Israelites failed to accomplish. The Messiah Jesus died on the cross for mankind’s sins and rose out of death for mankind’s justification. This was circa 30 A.D. He ascended into heaven forty days later.
Ten days after ascending into heaven—which was fifty days after He rose out of death—Messiah Jesus (aka Christ Jesus) sent the Holy Spirit to fill His disciples and indwell them eternally. This took place in Jerusalem during the Jewish holiday Shavuot (aka Pentecost). The event marked the birth of the Church.
The Church is the Body of Christ Jesus on earth. The Church is the “new creation” we have referenced several times already. Jesus no longer walks the earth in His physical body as God in a human body. Jesus created a new people, the Church, to indwell on the earth. The Church has the ministry to represent the Lord Jesus to all of mankind, including both Jews and Gentiles (aka circumcision and uncircumcision).
The time from the birth of the Church on Pentecost circa 30 A.D., until the Lord Jesus sounds the trumpet to call the Christians to meet Him in the clouds (aka the Rapture), is known as the Church Age. During this time the circumcision is temporarily set aside as a nation, not serving the Lord as His witness to the Gentiles.
But this is only a temporary situation. At a time of the Lord's choosing, the Church Age will come to a close. The Lord Jesus will descend from heaven in the clouds, sound the trumpet call to His new creation (aka the Church), and the Christians (both Jews and Gentiles) will rise to meet Him in the clouds. We will return to heaven with our blessed Lord to celebrate the marriage supper of the Lamb.
The next seven years on earth will be the time of Jacob’s trouble (aka the Tribulation Period). The Lord will allow the antichrist to persecute His chosen people Israel, sifting them and purifying them in preparation for His return to earth. At the end of the seven-year Tribulation Period, the Lord will descend from heaven.
When Messiah Jesus returns in the clouds, the Jews will look upon Him and recognize their Messiah whom they rejected circa 30 A.D. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son. The nation of Israel (aka the circumcision) as a nation will then receive their Messiah. The Lord will take the nation up again as His chosen people to be His witness to the Gentiles on the earth. This ministry will last for a thousand years (aka the Millennium).
Thus during the Church Age the circumcision is not God’s family. The new creation (aka Christians/the Church) is. The circumcision was, and the circumcision will once again be, God’s family. But for now the Church represents God on the earth. The Church includes both Jewish individuals and Gentile individuals—but neither the nation of Israel nor any other nation or ethnic group comprises God’s family during the Church Age.
I trust this dissipates the fog and brings in the bright morning sunlight, as it relates to Paul’s three classifications of human beings during the Church Age. Allow me to list them one more time in closing:
1. circumcision
2. uncircumcision
3. new creation
Oh, I am sorry for being so careless. I almost forgot to ask, “To which classification do you belong?”
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
May 26, 2013
Familial Ties – Part 2
For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation [Galatians 6:15].
We paused our last study with three questions:
1. What is a “new creation”?
2. What happened circa 30 A.D. to give birth to a “new creation”?
3. Does a “new creation” belong to God’s family or Satan’s?
Let’s tackle those questions now, shall we? In doing so we will begin with the third question, “Does a new creation belong to God’s family or Satan’s?”
In answer to the question, the new creation belongs to God’s family. There. I said it. The suspense is over! Now you can relax. The new creation belongs to God’s family, not Satan’s by any stretch of the imagination.
“Whoa, Nellie!” I just heard a flustered fellow fret. “I thought the ‘seed of the woman’ and then the ‘circumcision’ was God’s family. How then is the ‘new creation’ God’s family? I don’t get it.”
Chill, brother. You’ll have a stroke if you keep up the agitation. Take it down a notch and I’ll explain it to you. The answer to your question is to be found in the answers to the first and second questions about the “new creation”. So let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work answering those two questions. Bet you’ll have the answer to your question then.
The devil’s family was known as the ‘seed of the serpent’, and then as the ‘uncircumcision’ after the Abrahamic Covenant came into play. God’s family, in distinction, was known as the ‘seed of the woman’, and then as the ‘circumcision’.
Trouble was, the circumcision (i.e., the Israelites) didn’t do their job—or more correctly, they didn’t do the Lord’s job. The job (aka ministry) which the Lord called the Israelites (aka the circumcision) to do was to be His witness to the rest of the world (aka the Gentiles). To do the job effectively, the Israelites needed to learn and obey the Law of Moses. In that way they would reflect the truth of the one true God to the Gentiles, who were seduced by idolatry.
Alas, but the Israelites lost interest in the Lord and His Word, and they went to shacking up with the false gods of the Gentiles. This was anything but being the Lord’s witness to the Gentiles. Rather, they were being the Gentiles’ witness to the Lord!
What to do? The Lord wanted to call mankind back into relationship with Himself, but they were steeped in idolatry and living for the devil. And even His own people, the Israelites, His supposed witness to the Gentiles, were reflecting lies about God instead of the truth.
Circa 30 A.D. God decided it was time to temporarily set aside His chosen people, the Israelites, as His witness to the world. Instead of one solitary nation, one ethnic people with their own laws and their own country, to serve as His witness—instead of this approach, the Lord decided to create a new people comprised of individuals from every tribe and nation and people and tongue throughout the world.
We will finish our analysis of the “new creation” on the morrow. For today let’s relish the opportunity to spend time alone with the Lord Jesus, and allow Him to minister to our hearts and minds.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We paused our last study with three questions:
1. What is a “new creation”?
2. What happened circa 30 A.D. to give birth to a “new creation”?
3. Does a “new creation” belong to God’s family or Satan’s?
Let’s tackle those questions now, shall we? In doing so we will begin with the third question, “Does a new creation belong to God’s family or Satan’s?”
In answer to the question, the new creation belongs to God’s family. There. I said it. The suspense is over! Now you can relax. The new creation belongs to God’s family, not Satan’s by any stretch of the imagination.
“Whoa, Nellie!” I just heard a flustered fellow fret. “I thought the ‘seed of the woman’ and then the ‘circumcision’ was God’s family. How then is the ‘new creation’ God’s family? I don’t get it.”
Chill, brother. You’ll have a stroke if you keep up the agitation. Take it down a notch and I’ll explain it to you. The answer to your question is to be found in the answers to the first and second questions about the “new creation”. So let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work answering those two questions. Bet you’ll have the answer to your question then.
The devil’s family was known as the ‘seed of the serpent’, and then as the ‘uncircumcision’ after the Abrahamic Covenant came into play. God’s family, in distinction, was known as the ‘seed of the woman’, and then as the ‘circumcision’.
Trouble was, the circumcision (i.e., the Israelites) didn’t do their job—or more correctly, they didn’t do the Lord’s job. The job (aka ministry) which the Lord called the Israelites (aka the circumcision) to do was to be His witness to the rest of the world (aka the Gentiles). To do the job effectively, the Israelites needed to learn and obey the Law of Moses. In that way they would reflect the truth of the one true God to the Gentiles, who were seduced by idolatry.
Alas, but the Israelites lost interest in the Lord and His Word, and they went to shacking up with the false gods of the Gentiles. This was anything but being the Lord’s witness to the Gentiles. Rather, they were being the Gentiles’ witness to the Lord!
What to do? The Lord wanted to call mankind back into relationship with Himself, but they were steeped in idolatry and living for the devil. And even His own people, the Israelites, His supposed witness to the Gentiles, were reflecting lies about God instead of the truth.
Circa 30 A.D. God decided it was time to temporarily set aside His chosen people, the Israelites, as His witness to the world. Instead of one solitary nation, one ethnic people with their own laws and their own country, to serve as His witness—instead of this approach, the Lord decided to create a new people comprised of individuals from every tribe and nation and people and tongue throughout the world.
We will finish our analysis of the “new creation” on the morrow. For today let’s relish the opportunity to spend time alone with the Lord Jesus, and allow Him to minister to our hearts and minds.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
May 25, 2013
Familial Ties – Part 1
For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation [Galatians 6:15].
At the beginning of time God created man and woman. We know them as Adam and Eve. They once upon a time lived in this garden somewhere in the east.
Anyway, they were the original two humans. Every other human being is descended from Mr. & Mrs. Adam. In this sense all humans are the same. We have the same flesh and blood because we are related.
In the idyllic garden all mankind—all two of them!—comprised one family, the family of God. The Lord came to the garden to visit with them. Their relationship was great. Ah, all mankind as the one family of God. Talk about sharing irenic relationships with everyone.
One not so sunny afternoon a sinister snake in the grass slithered into Mr. & Mrs. Adam’s garden, and everything changed. Suddenly there were two families of mankind. There was the seed of the serpent and there was the seed of the woman.
From that day until circa 30 A.D.—a few millennia of time—those two families comprised all mankind. The seed of the serpent consisted of everyone who listened to the serpent’s idea, while the seed of the woman was composed of those who thought rather to heed the words of the Lord.
In time the Lord chose this fellow named Abram and made a covenant with him. The Lord later renamed him to Abraham. Anyway, from the time of Abe’s call until circa 30 A.D., the seed of the woman passed through Abe’s lineage. As the sign of His covenant with Abe, the Lord required that every male in His family be circumcised at 8 days of age. This is known as the Abrahamic Covenant.
The distinction between the two families of mankind came to be expressed by the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant. In our text for today which is quoted at the start of this study, the Apostle Paul identifies three families of mankind. They are,
1. circumcision
2. uncircumcision
3. new creation
From the time of the garden of Eden until the Abrahamic Covenant, the two families of mankind were known as “seed of the woman” and “seed of the serpent”. From the time of the Abrahamic Covenant until circa 30 A.D. the two families of mankind were known as “circumcision” and “uncircumcision”. This explains points #1 and #2 in our numbered list.
But looky there at point #3. What is a “new creation”? What happened circa 30 A.D. to give birth to a new family of human beings? And lastly, if “circumcision” refers to the seed of the woman and “uncircumcision” refers to the seed of the serpent, to which seed does “new creation” belong?
Those are excellent questions. The answers are easy enough to come by, so we needn’t fret. We will tackle the questions in our next study. Meditate on today’s study while sitting at the feet of Jesus. You will be glad you did. See you tomorrow!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
At the beginning of time God created man and woman. We know them as Adam and Eve. They once upon a time lived in this garden somewhere in the east.
Anyway, they were the original two humans. Every other human being is descended from Mr. & Mrs. Adam. In this sense all humans are the same. We have the same flesh and blood because we are related.
In the idyllic garden all mankind—all two of them!—comprised one family, the family of God. The Lord came to the garden to visit with them. Their relationship was great. Ah, all mankind as the one family of God. Talk about sharing irenic relationships with everyone.
One not so sunny afternoon a sinister snake in the grass slithered into Mr. & Mrs. Adam’s garden, and everything changed. Suddenly there were two families of mankind. There was the seed of the serpent and there was the seed of the woman.
From that day until circa 30 A.D.—a few millennia of time—those two families comprised all mankind. The seed of the serpent consisted of everyone who listened to the serpent’s idea, while the seed of the woman was composed of those who thought rather to heed the words of the Lord.
In time the Lord chose this fellow named Abram and made a covenant with him. The Lord later renamed him to Abraham. Anyway, from the time of Abe’s call until circa 30 A.D., the seed of the woman passed through Abe’s lineage. As the sign of His covenant with Abe, the Lord required that every male in His family be circumcised at 8 days of age. This is known as the Abrahamic Covenant.
The distinction between the two families of mankind came to be expressed by the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant. In our text for today which is quoted at the start of this study, the Apostle Paul identifies three families of mankind. They are,
1. circumcision
2. uncircumcision
3. new creation
From the time of the garden of Eden until the Abrahamic Covenant, the two families of mankind were known as “seed of the woman” and “seed of the serpent”. From the time of the Abrahamic Covenant until circa 30 A.D. the two families of mankind were known as “circumcision” and “uncircumcision”. This explains points #1 and #2 in our numbered list.
But looky there at point #3. What is a “new creation”? What happened circa 30 A.D. to give birth to a new family of human beings? And lastly, if “circumcision” refers to the seed of the woman and “uncircumcision” refers to the seed of the serpent, to which seed does “new creation” belong?
Those are excellent questions. The answers are easy enough to come by, so we needn’t fret. We will tackle the questions in our next study. Meditate on today’s study while sitting at the feet of Jesus. You will be glad you did. See you tomorrow!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
May 24, 2013
Philosophy Class at the Ball Park – Part 3
Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called [Ephesians 4:1].
The first half of Paul’s letter to the Ephesian Christians follows the Gentile approach. The second half moves out of the classroom and off to the ball park, presenting the Hebrew approach. In the first half Paul taught abstractions like “grace”, “faith”, “salvation”, “covenant”—abstractions in that the concepts are really from eternity and not from time and space. The Book of Hebrews sheds light on this issue.
But then suddenly at chapter 4 and verse 1, Paul came back down to earth and put wear and tear on his sandals. Paul’s message in the second half (chapters 4-6) goes something like this:
You guys are Christians. You didn’t use to be Christians, but now you are. We Jews were the people of God and you weren’t. Now some of us are Christians and some of you Gentiles are too. We’re in the same boat, you see. It’s called the Church, the Body of Christ. I explained all about this in chapters 1-3, remember?
Now that we understand who we are, let me tell you how it translates into daily living. Because we are children of God, this is how we are to live…
Paul then wrote chapters 4-6 to teach various specifics of practical Christianity, Christian living while on this earth.
In terms of James and the practical Hebrew approach, chapters 4-6 are right up the same alley. In terms of the theoretical Gentile approach, chapters 1-3 hit the nail on the head. Paul, you see, employed both approaches in his letter to the Ephesian Christians. Yea, he followed this form in pretty much all his letters.
Notice the phrase in the quoted text which began this study: “Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.” Two concepts are involved in those words,
1. the calling with which you have been called
2. walk in a manner worthy
Ephesians 1-3 are all about Point #1. Ephesians 4-6 are about Point #2. Having expatiated on the Christian’s calling from God—a call to come out of the darkness and into the kingdom of light—Paul proceeded to explain how this calling looked in shoe leather.
We would do well to grow in our knowledge of the Lord Jesus and in our understanding of salvation. But if we keep it in our heads, we will rightly receive James’ rebuke: faith without works is dead. James employed the word “faith” to depict intellectual knowledge, as contrasted with truth which enters the head and transforms the heart into a new creation.
Do we enjoy being rebuked? We needn’t find out. Let’s learn Ephesians 1-3, and then let us put it into practice as per Ephesians 4-6. Works for me. How about for you?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The first half of Paul’s letter to the Ephesian Christians follows the Gentile approach. The second half moves out of the classroom and off to the ball park, presenting the Hebrew approach. In the first half Paul taught abstractions like “grace”, “faith”, “salvation”, “covenant”—abstractions in that the concepts are really from eternity and not from time and space. The Book of Hebrews sheds light on this issue.
But then suddenly at chapter 4 and verse 1, Paul came back down to earth and put wear and tear on his sandals. Paul’s message in the second half (chapters 4-6) goes something like this:
You guys are Christians. You didn’t use to be Christians, but now you are. We Jews were the people of God and you weren’t. Now some of us are Christians and some of you Gentiles are too. We’re in the same boat, you see. It’s called the Church, the Body of Christ. I explained all about this in chapters 1-3, remember?
Now that we understand who we are, let me tell you how it translates into daily living. Because we are children of God, this is how we are to live…
Paul then wrote chapters 4-6 to teach various specifics of practical Christianity, Christian living while on this earth.
In terms of James and the practical Hebrew approach, chapters 4-6 are right up the same alley. In terms of the theoretical Gentile approach, chapters 1-3 hit the nail on the head. Paul, you see, employed both approaches in his letter to the Ephesian Christians. Yea, he followed this form in pretty much all his letters.
Notice the phrase in the quoted text which began this study: “Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.” Two concepts are involved in those words,
1. the calling with which you have been called
2. walk in a manner worthy
Ephesians 1-3 are all about Point #1. Ephesians 4-6 are about Point #2. Having expatiated on the Christian’s calling from God—a call to come out of the darkness and into the kingdom of light—Paul proceeded to explain how this calling looked in shoe leather.
We would do well to grow in our knowledge of the Lord Jesus and in our understanding of salvation. But if we keep it in our heads, we will rightly receive James’ rebuke: faith without works is dead. James employed the word “faith” to depict intellectual knowledge, as contrasted with truth which enters the head and transforms the heart into a new creation.
Do we enjoy being rebuked? We needn’t find out. Let’s learn Ephesians 1-3, and then let us put it into practice as per Ephesians 4-6. Works for me. How about for you?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
May 23, 2013
Philosophy Class at the Ball Park – Part 2
Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called [Ephesians 4:1].
Paul insisted on grace, James on works. Are the two mutually exclusive? Let’s continue this analysis now.
Theologically, grace is a free gift, while works demands a paycheck earned. The two are mutually exclusive theologically.
Now consider the matter in practical terms of day-to-day living. If I plant some corn in the ground, what can I expect to happen? Would you believe a corn stalk should grow out of the ground and ears of corn then grow on the corn stalk? If nothing grows, what can we conclude? We conclude that the corn seed is dead. It is sterile.
It is simple practical reasoning, is it not? James—as well as the Hebrews in general—took such an approach. Should someone claim to know the Lord Jesus and be born again, yet they lived like the pagans, James challenged them, “Faith without works is dead.” And you know, he was right on. The fellow who made claims to salvation was all talk and no walk. He begged the question of his salvation.
Paul had a different approach, a Gentile approach, as I phrased it earlier. Paul noted how life comes from God. The corn can only grow if God gives it life. Man can only cooperate with God, as he attempts to live in God’s world. When God blesses man, it is His grace at work, not His obligation to pay man for his works.
In the case of the corn, God wasn’t obligated to make the corn grow. Man planted it, so did God owed him a living? Not so. Fact of the matter is, when the corn did grow, man owed God his gratitude for God’s gift to Him. Every good and perfect gift is from God. It’s not so practical, is it? No, it’s not. It is theoretical, abstract, theological.
Given this hypothetical example of the corn and James’ analysis as contrasted with Paul’s, we note how the two apostles talked apples and oranges. They didn’t speak on the same subject. It only appears like it.
James talked about how to live as a Christian, while Paul talked about how to become a Christian. Paul said, “Saved by grace through faith apart from the works of the Law.” James said, “Faith without works is dead.”
The two apostles weren’t arguing with each other. James talked Hebrew practicality: if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck… Paul talked Gentile abstraction: God’s unfathomable love, His mysterious dealings with man, and life as it exists in eternity.
Even after expounding on this distinction, however, we still miss out on the fullness of Paul’s letters. We began this study by quoting Ephesians 4:1. The verse is significant to our purposes in this study, in that it cuts Paul’s letter in half. I don’t mean in terms of size alone, with the first half comprising 50% and the second half the other 50%.
Oops! Out of time again. Not to worry. A little time with the Lord Jesus now, and tomorrow we will finish this topic. See you then!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Paul insisted on grace, James on works. Are the two mutually exclusive? Let’s continue this analysis now.
Theologically, grace is a free gift, while works demands a paycheck earned. The two are mutually exclusive theologically.
Now consider the matter in practical terms of day-to-day living. If I plant some corn in the ground, what can I expect to happen? Would you believe a corn stalk should grow out of the ground and ears of corn then grow on the corn stalk? If nothing grows, what can we conclude? We conclude that the corn seed is dead. It is sterile.
It is simple practical reasoning, is it not? James—as well as the Hebrews in general—took such an approach. Should someone claim to know the Lord Jesus and be born again, yet they lived like the pagans, James challenged them, “Faith without works is dead.” And you know, he was right on. The fellow who made claims to salvation was all talk and no walk. He begged the question of his salvation.
Paul had a different approach, a Gentile approach, as I phrased it earlier. Paul noted how life comes from God. The corn can only grow if God gives it life. Man can only cooperate with God, as he attempts to live in God’s world. When God blesses man, it is His grace at work, not His obligation to pay man for his works.
In the case of the corn, God wasn’t obligated to make the corn grow. Man planted it, so did God owed him a living? Not so. Fact of the matter is, when the corn did grow, man owed God his gratitude for God’s gift to Him. Every good and perfect gift is from God. It’s not so practical, is it? No, it’s not. It is theoretical, abstract, theological.
Given this hypothetical example of the corn and James’ analysis as contrasted with Paul’s, we note how the two apostles talked apples and oranges. They didn’t speak on the same subject. It only appears like it.
James talked about how to live as a Christian, while Paul talked about how to become a Christian. Paul said, “Saved by grace through faith apart from the works of the Law.” James said, “Faith without works is dead.”
The two apostles weren’t arguing with each other. James talked Hebrew practicality: if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck… Paul talked Gentile abstraction: God’s unfathomable love, His mysterious dealings with man, and life as it exists in eternity.
Even after expounding on this distinction, however, we still miss out on the fullness of Paul’s letters. We began this study by quoting Ephesians 4:1. The verse is significant to our purposes in this study, in that it cuts Paul’s letter in half. I don’t mean in terms of size alone, with the first half comprising 50% and the second half the other 50%.
Oops! Out of time again. Not to worry. A little time with the Lord Jesus now, and tomorrow we will finish this topic. See you then!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
