Is All the World a Stage on which We Each Play a Part?
Some people seem to think so. Some people believe that everything we do is predestinated to happen. That God has pre-set everything in our lives and we are just fulfilling those plans. Other people believe that man has a free will and chooses his own actions. I have heard both views preached from the pulpits, and both preached as fact. Those that preach predestination seem both deaf and blind to the verses of scripture that point to “man’s free will,” and those that point to man’s free will seem deaf and blind to the verses of scripture that point to predestination. In this study of the issue we will look at both concepts according to scripture and, although I thought it to be impossible, will come to a definite conclusion in which neither view is totally right nor wrong; as truth rests upon both.
I looked at the verses that mention predestination starting with Romans 8: 29-30;
“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
Also Ephesians 1: 3-5 and 10-11
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 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,That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:”
The above verses point to the predestination of men and are the foundation of that concept. But then there are other verses of scripture, too many in fact to include in one short writing, that pertain to predestined events in world history (also known as prophecy). Some of those events are: the dreams of Joseph that were to be fulfilled; the actions of a cruel Pharaoh that enslaved Israel; the life and actions of Moses; the rising and falling of kingdoms in the Old Testament; the coming of the Messsiah into the world; the betrayal of Jesus; the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that would lead God’s followers from within; the coming of false teachers and doctrines; the falling away of believers; the world becoming increasingly vile; and of course all the prophetic events foretold both in the old and new testaments pertaining to the end times. These events were foretold and they fulfill what God has purposed and God will bring those things to pass. It stands to reason then, that for those events to be accomplished, the people on earth directly involved in those events will be doing so either knowingly or unknowingling by predestined appointment. But will the individuals be predestined, or just the event?
Although certain people and events are predestined, man does have freewill.
He makes his own choices, and God watches over them to see what man will do. Doesn’t God know what man will choose? Bear with me for a brief moment. No, He doesn’t. Now, before I lose you, look at Genesis 2:19;
“And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.”
According to scripture, God did not know what Adam was going to name things… until he so named them. That’s why scripture says “and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them.”
When God led the people of Israel through the wilderness for forty years it was because the parents of those He eventually would bring to Jordan vowed to follow the Lord and when the time came to cross into the promised land they were fearful and would not follow. They were lip-service followers, and when the road become hard they rebelled. So God kept them in the wilderness for forty years, partly to punish the adults who chose not to follow and keep them from going into the promised land, and partly to teach the children of those adults to trust in Him. Thus, their lives being sustained miraculously in the desert for forty years should have taught them to trust. No more lip-service commitment, God kept them in the desert to ‘prove’ them, to test them, to know what was in their hearts. Did God know? No. If He did, He wouldn’t have kept them in the wilderness for forty years. Because man has choices.
Deuteronomy 8:2;
“And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.”
Our very creative God, works ‘around’ our choices on a daily basis. He might have ‘plan A’ for your life but if you do not choose wisely He has ‘plan B’… and ‘C’… and on and on. Yes, God ‘knows the end from the beginning’ because He has foretold it, and will bring it to pass, but those are the prophesied events and not each and every action of each and every Christian. God sees, after we exercise our freewill, what our choices are and acts accordingly. Look at the creation of man again. God created man to till the ground in Garden of Eden; to be the gardener. But that’s not all, man was created to be obedient to God and reverence Him. Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 12:13;
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
Adam had choices. And he chose wrong. He fell into sin and became the servant of Satan through obedience to Satan’s promptings. Later, still in the book of Genesis where the creation of man began, we find the whole world corrupted except for Noah. Look at Genesis 6: 5-8;
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
Read verse 6 again, “And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” God was sorry! This one is really easy to paraphrase; “I’m sorry I made man!” If God knew, much less predestined, the actions of Adam… then His creating man would make no sense at all. What would He have been thinking? “Hmmm, I think I will make man, then predestine him to sin, then be sorry for making him.”
Like I stated, man has freewill, and God acts accordingly to man’s choices. The same holds true for God ordaining (appointing) that Saul should be king over Israel. In fact, God did not want the Israelites to have a king at all because He wanted to be their king! Against His better judgment, because of the will of the people, He warned them against a human king then allowed them to have one. Talk about the Israelites not living by the concept of ‘thy will be done!’ Then God gave them a king; He appointed Saul. God wants what is best for us, but like Israel, if we fuss and moan and groan and gripe and complain and grumble and nag… He sometimes gives us what we want. Maybe that’s why it says in Philippians 2:14 – “Do all things without murmurings.” Sometimes we just need to learn to trust Him and shut-up. This story is told in 1 Samuel chapter 8. Or you can skip down to my next (wide-margined) paragraph.
“And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. 3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. 4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, 5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. 7
And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. 8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. 9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. 10 And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. 11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. 13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. 16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. 18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.
19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; 20 That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. 21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD. 22 And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king.
1 Sam 9:15-17
“ Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, 16 To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me. 17 And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people.”
Not long after God had Saul appointed as king of Israel, God once again repented (was sorry) about making him king, and appointed David to be king. Once again, if God had forseen that He would have been sorry about doing something… that He would not have done it to begin with.
1 Samuel 15:11; “It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And
it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.”
Aside from special events that have been prophesied, we make choices and are rewarded or punished accordingly. Individually, our choices affect our relationship with God and are not predestined.
God would not waste His time asking us ‘to choose’ if the outcome was predetermined. As the above verses point out, from Adam’s choices, to Noah, to ‘proving the children of Israel to see if they would obey God or not’, down through history to King Saul… God waits to see what our choices will be.
Deuteronomy 30:19 - I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
Joshua 24:15 - And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Proverbs 1:29 - For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
I would have to ask those who believe, beyond major events in history,
that everything an individual does is somehow predestinated. Who predestinated all things? God? Certainly only God has that much power.
But if so, that would make God responsible for all the evil in the world!
From the rebellion of Satan and a third of all the angels of heaven, to
Adam, to murder on the streets of New York. It totally makes void the personal responsibility of man for his own actions, and blames it all on God for having preordained all things to be so!
If Total Predestination Be So…
Why would Jesus have told us in Luke 13:24 to “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” It would be pointless, if the outcome were already determined.
We are told to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14) – “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” But why, if it does not matter?
Why would Jesus have us to pray, “Thy will be done” (Matthew 6:10) if it is already done (or was done from the beginning) and finalized?
We have always heard that prayer changes things, and even scripture says the “Fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16), but why pray at all if the outcome is already set?
Why would Paul advise us to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12-13) if personal salvation were already settled? Paul said,
“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye 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.”
Why fight the good fight… if it’s already done? 1 Timothy 6:12; “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”
If God Predesitnated Everything According to His Will…
If God predestinated everything according to His will, and since it’s not God’s will “that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9), then why are there only going to “few” that find eternal life? (Matthew 7:14). Obviously, if ‘predestination’ were correct, then he must’ve predestinated only a few to eternal life contrary to His own will that all be saved? Does that make sense?
Why pray intercession at all? And why seek a peaceable life if whatever is going to happen will happen?
In 1 Timothy 2:1-4 Paul writes;
“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”
And Paul continues:
3” For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
All men already saved because it says “who will have all men to be saved”? What about the great ‘falling away’ in the latter days? Since it was God’s will that all should have salvation, were it not for free choice, He could have just simply predestinated everyone and therefore accomplish that will. But He did not.
Was Credit Given to Predestination?
Paul was going to visit the church at Thessalonica but couldn’t. Why?
1 Thessalonians 2:18; “Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.” It wasn’t predestination that stood in his way… it was Satan, according to Paul.
Daniel, through faith, stopped the mouths of lions. Hebrews 11:33 says; “Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.” There was no mention here of predestination being what stopped the mouths of lions; it was faith.
Does Paul, below, attribute those that are lost to being predestined to be lost? No, 2 Thessalonians 2:10 says;
“And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
The lost will be lost because they made wrong choices, receiving not the love of the truth.
If Predestination of All Things Were True…
If predestination of all things were true then it is unalterable, being predestined. Could a person be predestined for salvation… then alter that predestination? If so, then the first predestination wasn’t really predestination and the whole concept is faulty. Yet that is exactly what Romans 11: 17-24 mentions (grafted in, broken off, grafted in again);
17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; 18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. 19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. 20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. 22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. 23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.
24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree? 25
If the concept of everything being predestinated were true and we are all just
‘living out’ what is already ‘finished,’ then when Jesus was foretelling an event concerning the future (which events truly are predestinated), he would have no reason to forewarn us to ‘endure.’ In Matthew Mt 24:12-13 Jesus forewarns,
“…because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
“He that shall endure to the end,” does not speak of being predestinated; it speaks of persevering for the purpose of achieving a goal. Jesus was cautioning us to be in the right ‘group’ of humanity at the Day of the Lord. Endure… denotes action and responsibility on the part of the believer. We are advised by just the word ‘endure’ itself 18 times in the new testament to ‘endure.’ Reading the new testament, there are hundreds, yes hundreds, of verses that pertain to remaining steadfast, to be watchful, to be strong, to actively live in obedience to God. None of which would be necessary if all things were already set in stone.
Paul was a born again spirit filled Christian, writing to other spirit-filled believers (not the ‘world’) and even Paul said “not as though I had already attained” (no mention here of Paul thinking his eternity was pre-set, but that he was actively pursuing… ). In Philippians 3: 10-14 Paul writes;
“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Salvation, and our acts here on earth predestined? Look at what Paul wrote to the Christian brethren of the Hebrews, warning them not to ‘depart’
(and you can’t depart from what you don’t have, this is how we know they were born again Christians). Hebrews 3:12-14 says;
“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end.”
Again, there is certainly no mention of anybody being predestined to any eternal destination, in the above, or many other of the verses of scripture.
Part 2
Getting Back to Predestination
Events are foretold in scripture beginning with the fall of Adam and Eve.
All the events foretold have either happened, will happen, or are currently happening as history continues to unfold. In order for prophecy to be fulfilled, those things prophesied have to be directed. Politics, the actions of nations, religious leaders, are all falling into their perspective roles (even unknowingly) and will bring to pass the world events as scheduled. These are major events, milestones that must occur, and it stands to reason that for purpose of fulfillment, certain people are preordained to come on the world scene for specific purposes. People such as Jacob, Esau, Moses, Samson, Isaiah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, Jesus, the apostles and others. These all came on the scene for a specific purpose to perform the accomplishment
of prophecy. This does not mean that every life upon the earth is somehow
Pre-ordained or predestinated, for that would take away man’s freewill and his ability to choose.
Look at the letter Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, and let us remember that this era in time was a very special era in which the prophecy of the Messiah, his death, resurrection, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the beginning of His church and the salvation of the Gentiles was being fulfilled. Who was he writing to? Not to everyone, but to the firstfruits. Not only were the apostles predestinated, but so were the members of the first church. These were the ‘first fruits’ of God’s promise, those sealed with the Holy Spirit. Paul’s letter, first of all, proclaimed that they were all ‘chosen’ and ‘predestinated.’ And why? To fulfill His ‘purpose,’ His will. God predestinates His foretold events and causes them to happen. The things that were happening at that time in history were happening by divine appointment, to the ‘first fruits,’ those who first came to Christ. Paul included them all as being predestinated, and predestination was for only those first called, and that being so, to fulfill His prophetic will in the earth. His specific purpose.
Ephesians 1:1-14
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 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: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13 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, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
The first fruits were predestined, but others were to be called later, (that’s us), but not be predestined. If we are to understand the difference between predestination and free will, then we must understand the differences between the fulfillment of prophecy through predestination of ‘the first fruits’ and our lives today. The predestinated prophecy having been fulfilled then, (which brought salvation through repentance and infilling of the Holy Ghost), and our ability to chose our own destiny now by the choices we make to accept or reject God’s plan. Jesus said if He be lifted up (crucified on the cross) that He would draw all men unto Himself, but we know most will not respond to Him… hence, freewill. He wills that ‘none should perish’ but also tells us many shall seek but few will find.
Paul also wrote to the Roman church in Romans 8:28-30 (again, being the first fruits, and therefore called, to fulfill His Purpose) ;
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
Does God Predestinate Some to Sin in Order to Fulfill Prophecy?
NO! There are times in scripture when it mentions that God brought ‘evil’ to men. But the word evil doesn’t always mean ‘sin’. Many times in scripture the word evil translates as ‘hardship’, such as sickness or other afflictions as a means of chastisement for wrong doing, but God never ‘causes’ man to sin.
James 1:13-15 says; Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Man fell to sin, and the sin nature, in the Garden of Eden and became the
servant of Satan through obedience to Satan. God does not corrupt man to do His will; but man, because of his fall in the Garden of Eden is already corrupted and follows Satan. Paul told Timothy in 2 Tim 2:25-26 to preach to the lost
“In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”
Who’s will? Not God’s will at all but satan’s. God corrupts no man. It is only through grace that He draws some away from Satan. So it is not that God causes some to sin, for the doing of His will… but that, for the doing of His will He does not extend to some the same grace as others. Most of us know the story of Moses and how that each time Moses went before the Pharaoh that God ‘hardened Pharaoh’s heart’ and sent Moses away… and then God sent a plague to punish Pharaoh. This happened repeatedly. So is God to blame? No! Why? Because Pharaoh was already evil! Pharaoh, through fear of the Israelites, was already doing them great evil. God didn’t create evil in Pharaoh, but rather than extend grace to Pharaoh, for the purpose of fulfilling His will, God ‘hardened’
the evil that was already ‘in’ Pharaoh. You cannot take a bowl and harden butter in it, if there isn’t any butter there to begin with.
In the new testament dispensation of grace, God says He will draw all men
unto Himself, but we know most will not receive His calling. Does God predestinate that? No! 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 explains why they wouldn’t respond to His call;
“ …with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
God does not predestinate man to sin or to be eternally lost, but He gives man a free will to choose. God, in His mercy and grace says that He will draw all men and give them the opportunity to exit the kingdom of darkness and to serve Him in His kingdom. God certainly does not ‘save some and damn others’ in order to bring about the world events leading to destruction. In Romans 1:28-32, God did not predestinate ‘good people’ to be eternally lost, but rather, because of their own freewill to choose evil over good, gave them over to their
heart’s desire to follow evil.
28 “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”
God Preordained Everything? Let’s Not Forget about Satan!
Those that believe ‘everything’ is an act of God, predestinated or not,
are overlooking a major ‘player’ in both world events as well as individual lives: Satan. There are those that preach “Satan can’t do anything that God does not allow” which once again ultimately blames God for all the evil in the world.
True, God allowed Satan to test Job, an extremely righteous man who reverenced the Lord to the utmost. For all of Job’s obedience and dedication
God fulfilled in Job all the blessings found in Deuteronomy chapter 28 and put a hedge of protection around Job. But that was Job, a special servant. For the majority of the world Satan does whatever he wants to, without restraint and without permission from God, because until man comes to God for redemption, they are all in Satan’s kingdom of darkness to begin with. So let’s not blame God for Satan’s actions. Matthew the thirteenth chapter speaks of God sowing good seed upon the earth and God’s enemy (Satan) coming in right behind him sowing bad seed (weeds), to which God replies, “the enemy has done this!” Not all things done are the will of God! Remember there are two kingdoms, and these kingdoms are at war. As skirmishes go on until the final battle there will be victories and losses during the conflict even though God will win the war. This is why we are warned to put on the whole armor of God; but those that think everything is God’s will and ordained by Him see no need for armor. We know that God desires that all come to repentance and be saved, yet 2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us that Satan, “…the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” That certainly is not God’s will, but is contrary to it. The woman spoken of in Luke 13:16 who had an infirmity for eighteen years was not an act of God either but Jesus put responsibility to whom it was due when He said, “And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?” There are many stories in the new testament, pointing the finger of blame to where it is due: Satan. The bible says the Lord is the author of salvation… not the author of evil.
For the fulfillment of predestinated events, some people will be used to perform an evil role. Unlike the Apostles who were chosen for service by the Lord, these people will be used to fulfill prophetic events to perform the evil that will result in God’s performing of what He has foretold, to manifest His glory and power.
But God does not take people that have a heart toward Him or that seek to please Him and ‘turn them bad’ for the purpose of fulfilling His will. They are simply ‘already evil’ and God, instead of showing them grace and mercy, for the working of His will, leaves them in Satan’s hands from whose they already were.
Jesus said, “Woe unto the world because of offences! For it must need be that offences come; but woe to ‘that’ man (whoever it is), by whom they offence cometh! Judas Iscariot was one of these. Scripture says Jesus knew who it was that was to betray Him… and he chose him to be one of the twelve, allowing God’s purpose to be fulfilled. But Judas was already corrupted, as it says in John 6:70-71;
“Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? 71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.”
Once again, God does not take people who are seeking to please Him, and corrupt them for the fulfilling of predestinated events. When Judas betrayed Jesus, it was Satan that moved Judas… not God.
John 13:2 “and supper being ended, the devil having now put ino the heart of Judas Iscarioot, Simon’s son, to betray him:”
Again, God is the author of salvation, not the author of evil
.
Part 3
Predestination or Man’s Free will to Choose?
Aside from the many hundreds of verses of scripture relating to the subject of man’s freewill and his choices affecting his relationship with God and his eventual eternal destiny, let’s give the concept of predestination of all things
pertaining to a person’s life vs freewill, another test: the fruit test. Jesus told us in Matthew 12:33; “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.”
So let’s give a moment’s thought to what the fruit of these two concepts might produce…
Man’s freewill to choose
to obey God and reap
Predestination of All Things the reward of doing so
Fear-----------------------------------------------------------Faith
Despair-------------------------------------------------------Hope
Giving up----------------------------------------------------Striving
Disobedience------------------------------------------------Obedience
Anger---------------------------------------------------------Peace
Depression---------------------------------------------------Joy
Self-centeredness-------------------------------------------Commitment
Estrangement------------------------------------------------Prayer
Apathy--------------------------------------------------------Determination
Carelessness-------------------------------------------------Vigilance
Spiritual weakness------------------------------------------Endurance
Living by self-will------------------------------------------Seeking God’s Will
Blaming God for all things--------------------------------Personal responsibility
The concept of Predestination in an individual’s life is poison:
to the believer’s determination to live for Christ.
to striving
to enduring trials and afflictions
to hanging onto faith in the face of adversity
to prayer life
to hope
to evangelizing
to commitment of one’s life
to having faith
to putting on the whole armor of God
to obedience
The Doctrine of “All” Things Being Predestinated
The doctrine of all things being predestinated does not inspire people to turn from their lifestyle of self and reach out for a relationship with God. Why should they turn from their sins or their self-directed life in an effort to please God if all things are predestinated anyway? What if they give up all they know and are not ‘compensated’ by an inward awareness of the presence of God in their lives and the love of God in return? It would all be pointless if some are ‘predestinated’ to be lost, and some, regardless of what they do, are cannot be saved. Hebrews 11:6 says “ …for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Believing that verse inspires hope, action, faith and commitment. One must believe what God told Cain, in Genesis 4:7 “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?” Of course we will. We have a choice, and also a promise from the Lord concerning those choices whether we choose to live for Him or for ourselves, therefore we should choose wisely. Galatians 6:7-9 says;
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
There is no sign of predestination for individuals in the above verse, if we choose wisely. Our eventual eternity, our destination, is pre-determined to be lost only if we do not partake of God’s plan of salvation… but not pre-destined or pre-set. Not predestinated because it is changeable and WE have to power to change it by turning to God. We are all marked for death and eternal separation from God because of the sin nature of man. The verses of ‘all have sinned’ and ‘the wages of sin is death’ apply to all unless we repent and commit ourselves to the Lord, become born of His Spirit and live in His kingdom on earth. John 3:18 says;
“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.”
Look at Luke 13:1-5 below, as it says that we shall all perish, (this establishes our eternal fate, our destination), unless we repent, (this means it is not ‘set-in-stone, or unalterable, not predestinated to happen because we have a choice).
It means we can change our fate.
There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
We can come to Him in full assurance, with faith, and hope, of being accepted by Him and having eternal life with Him by believing in Him according to scripture and acting accordingly with commitment and obedience to Him.
And He will respond to us accordingly by giving us of Himself as the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
John 7:37-39
37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
John 6:37 - All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Those who think ‘all the world is a stage on which we each play a part’ are simply reading too much Shakespeare. Let’s not confuse his plays with God’s Word!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Thursday, October 21, 2010
The Bride and The Bride
Let’s remember who our authority is!
We need to replace the authority and control of Christians back into the hands of Christ (in order to understand the relationship of the bride… and the bride).
God’s ways and his guidelines for our lives, what He determines to be right or wrong is not alterable according to whatever cultures there are in the world. Man might change his environment and technology, modernism and liberalism might take one course after another, but God’s Word stays the same. For a person to dedicate himself to the Lord and to the Lordship of Jesus, he must follow according to God’s will…not his own. I’ve heard many so-called Christian preachers making a steady stream of what they consider to be logical, even theological, twists and turns to pervert God’s Word concerning the role of husband and wife, both in the church and in the home. Plainly, God’s word instructs wives to obey their husbands. There’s no getting around that. Well, not if we read God’s Word as it is: not in its twisted version that is promoted by modern day preachers in order to “keep pace” with the ungodly decline of morality in the world, in order to “not offend” anyone by preaching something that someone might not want to hear, in order to increase church membership, in order to take in more money. But there is great revelation in understanding God’s word concerning his directives for a Christian marriage; revelations that will not only strengthen marriages, but will strengthen the faith and understanding of single Christians as well. Paul has much to say about women and marriage, as well as women concerning the church, giving clear instructions:
Ephesians chapter 5:
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 3 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
During the course of his instructions, at one point the touches upon this key to understanding his deeper revelation and states, “This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” The guidelines for a Godly marriage apply to both the human and the spiritual relationships. They parallel each other. What applies to one, applies to both. Scripture says a woman is to obey her husband, even as the bride of Christ is supposed to obey Him. A man in his role as bride of Christ, takes upon himself the female role of a marriage, and has one husband: Jesus. A wife, in her role as bride of Christ, has two husbands: her natural husband and Jesus. Her commitment to Jesus is shown by not only her obedience to Him, but to her natural husband as well, because it is God’s word that instructs her to obey her natural husband; therefore, to disregard one husband is to disregard both. A Christian husband, in obedience to God himself, will not lead his wife into sin and there should never be a problem; a non-Christian husband is to be honored, only as he is not leading into unrighteousness. Titus chapter 2 says:
But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: 2 That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. 3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; 4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
He doesn’t say, “Obey only if you think he’s right” or, “Unless you really don’t want to.” He doesn’t say, “Only if you agree with him.” He simply says, “Wives, be obedient your own husband.”
Concerning spiritual matters, the husband’s responsibility is to lead his wife and family, just as Christ, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, is to lead and guide the members of his body, the church. We are to obey God’s word, regardless of whether we agree with what He says or not. Regardless of whatever difficulty or hardship will come of it. We are His wife; we are the bride. Whether male or female, we all take on the female role with Jesus (God’s word incarnate) as the husband. If a wife is not submissive to her earthly husband’s lead, scripture says that the Word of God is blasphemed (because it shows contempt for God’s Word, as shown through disobedience to it. See verse 5). Likewise, when Christians in their role as bride disobey God’s word or the leading of the Holy Spirit, we thereby reject our husband’s lead also and the Word of God is blasphemed; for it is then when our claim that Jesus is our Lord is proven false by our actions or attitudes. Jesus asked, “Why do you call me Lord and do not the things that I say?” Luke chapter 6 says;
46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
In spite of the claims of many that they love the Lord, Jesus said, “If you love me you’ll obey me.”
John 14:21; “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”
These guidelines were written to the church…to Christians. To spirit-filled believers who obey the Lord, not the lip-service kind. It is only by that spiritual baptism that we are joined to the body of Christ:
1 Corinthians 12:13; “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
The brideship speaks of the relationship of both natural and spiritual marriage. This relationship cannot exist harmoniously between husbands and wives if both are not born again Christians. Either the wife will not understand the necessity of a submissive spirit and how it relates to her commitment to God, or the husband will be over-bearing and abusive in one form or another. Just as Jesus comes to us, in the form of the indwelling Holy Spirit, to lead and guide us into all truth and righteousness, for the perfecting of us into holiness and blamelessness; so, too, should a husband instruct in spiritual matters in the home. If we understand that the human relationship is to mirror the relationship between Christ and His bride (as individual members of the church), then we must also realize that Jesus does not demand that we become His bride. On our part, it’s a matter of our free will to be so. We follow God’s Word and precepts because we love Him and are committed to Him - because we will to do so. We follow regardless of whether we feel his presence or not, regardless of hardship or loss. We overcome temptation and endure trials, seeking only to please the One we are called to. We offer, as on an altar of sacrifice, our lives to him, our will, our obedience.
Romans 12:1; “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.”
We must be submissive voluntarily, not of force, but out of an inward heart that loves Him and wants to please him. Just as the Bride of Christ is to uphold and abide by the teachings of Christ as her husband, so should a Christian wife be towards her husband, who is her head, just as Christ is head of the church.
The bride is not only to follow Christ during times of anointing and blessings but to also follow in the hard times, of perils, trials and afflictions. Whether times are convenient or otherwise, easy or difficult. Submission, though given of ones freewill (to become the bride) is also a requirement if indeed the church (individually or collectively) is considered by Christ to be his bride, and Him their Lord.
Wives should be submissive, even to unsaved husbands (as long as it’s not contrary to God), that the husbands be won by their godly living. 1 Peter chapter 3: 1 says:
“Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; 2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.”
In this scripture, the word “conversation” does NOT mean the verbal kind; “conversation” means manner or life, behavior, and conduct.
New Testament teaching also states that if a wife seeks an answer to a question…she should ask her husband at home. 1 Corinthians 14:35 says;
“And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home.”
This also, is two-fold, relating to both natural and spiritual marriage. As a Christian, it is the husband’s responsibility to give spiritual leadership and guidance just as it is the work of the Holy Spirit to lead His Bride. For a wife to seek guidance outside of her husband shows lack of faith in him, lack of trust and commitment to him as her head. Such a wife might come to her husband after having asked him a question of spiritual concern and say, “Well, the guy down the street said thus and so…” and “The pastor said it should be this way or that way,” or, “Well, you know what a great Christian that brother so and so is and he said…” But this just belittles her husband and shows her lack of faith in him as her leader in spiritual matters. He might easily think (to himself anyway), “Well why didn’t you marry brother so and so then, or the pastor?”
This type of lack of faith undermines his authority and demonstrates to him that he does not have a marriage that’s within the will of God. Yet if a wife honors God’s word (therefore, her own commitment to God) by placing herself willingly under her husband’s leadership and responsibility, then the faith she places in him will result in him fulfilling his role to both his wife and God as well. The same could not be more true with the relationship between the Bride of Christ and the Lord Jesus Christ, her husband!
Once again, whether we are male or female, we all take on the female role of bride to the bridegroom, and scripture says again, “Wives, if you have a question, ask your HUSBAND,” which is Jesus. When we have a question, we should ask Jesus in prayer, listen to the promptings of His indwelling Spirit, or simply read His word to learn of his answer. Scripture says HE (as indwelling Spirit) shall lead you and guide you into all truth and righteousness. Again, scripture says, “Ye need not that any man teach you”:
1 John 2:27; “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.”
Again, scripture says, “If any lack wisdom…” then here is who to ask!
James 1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”
If any of you have a question, ask your husband (Jesus), not the preacher down the street. The preacher down the street is not your husband. Not brother so-and-so who is always so spiritual…He’s not your husband either.
Jesus, and the apostles as well, warned us that a multitude of false doctrine would arise and would deceive many. Cunning and crafty false teachers would be abundant, bringing damning heresies and cause many to fall away.
And where are false Christian teachers and pastors but in the ‘religious world?’ And where are “doctrines” taught but in the “religious world“? What’s the answer? A simple obedience to “ask your husband.”
Remember in the natural guidelines for a Godly home that Paul gave, he also said, “This is a mystery but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” If indeed we are truly born of the spirit Christians, we have a husband to ask. And what lack of faith it must show to the Lord that we have in Him when we question something and run to someone other than Him! The same applies to a wife who doubts the spiritual leadership of her husband in the home; it undermines his authority and creates conflict. We should remember the scripture in Mark 3:25 that warns:
“And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”
All a natural husband can do is, first of all, be dedicated to the Lord as a Christian himself, then give his family leadership according to Godly principles. It is then his wife and family’s responsibility, in obedience to God’s Word, to follow his instruction. This way of life cannot be forced or demanded by an earthly husband any more than God demands our obedience to Him.
Commitment and willful submission is a choice. Spiritually, as the bride of Christ, we have a choice through the grace of God to become his bride. He does not demand we be so, but at the same time there are guidelines we must follow in order to be accepted of Him. His true bride…follows Him.
Many churches call themselves the Body of Christ, the Bride, His followers, but do not teach even the basic principles of salvation, repentance, the meaning of baptism and certainly not the necessity of the infilling of the Holy Spirit (the very experience by which we are joined as members to the body of Christ!).
1 Corinthians 12:13; “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
After a few visits to a church you can easily discern a body of believers who worship the Lord Jesus Christ as being their Lord as opposed to those who merely claim Christianity but are not. In Christ’s church there will be a sensing of God’s presence, even upon walking into the building. There’ll be a joy of coming together to worship, and a song service that is sincerely heartfelt and has music that reflects reverence for an awesome and Holy God. There will be peace, joy, and love. So it will be likewise in a Christian home; where there is God’s order. There will be a love for Jesus, a reverence of His Holy Spirit and for God’s Word. There will be peace, joy and love. There will be a “lightness of being” in the home, which is the lack of any oppressive spirit.
In the church that does not place Jesus as Lord, there will be backbiting, hatred, envy, a struggle for position, and all manner of sin within the members. There will be lack of commitment toward God and His word. They will not preach the strength of God’s word or the power of God because they have no power with God!
There’ll be an inner turmoil within the church that is anything but Godly. So it is likewise within the individual home where God’s order is not maintained; inner turmoil, lack of joy and peace, confusion and lack of direction, a struggle for position, a lack of unity, discontent, bitterness and un-forgiveness, anger, and rage. We should be careful to follow God’s guidelines.
Usurping Authority
Of the church toward Christ, and of the wife toward her husband
Usurping authority is taking upon oneself authority that is not ones to take.
Both the physical bride and the spiritual bride of Christ are guilty of “taking matters of headship” into their own hands. Once again, what pertains to the earthly marriage, pertains to the spiritual. 1 Timothy chapter 2 says:
“11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man [the man…singular…her husband], but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.”
In those verses, the term “the man” is singular. “Suffer not a woman to teach [her husband] or to usurp authority over the man.” This, being singular, pertains to her husband and her husband alone, not men in general. A wife should not go over her husband’s authority or his position as head of the house anymore than the Bride of Christ should attempt to violate God’s laws and establish her own! As if the Bride becomes a higher authority than Jesus the husband! Such is what most churches of the world have done, but then, they aren’t really the true Bride. This does not mean that she cannot voice her opinion; to the contrary, she should! A man’s position as head of the house is as Christ over his bride. His word is the final authority and he is to govern.
A Word About Pants
If you look up the word “pants” in the concordance, you won’t find it. What you will find, in the Old Testament (still in effect), is that a woman should not wear the apparel of a man. They didn’t have pants in those days. For the proper understanding of this scripture, it must be remembered that the things of God are “spiritually discerned” and that sometimes God’s Word relates to the physical, but also sometimes relates in a way to be understood spiritually. True, physically God is totally against “cross dressing.” It is God’s design for men to be men and women to be women. To be otherwise goes against God and nature. But go beyond that to spiritual apparel…
A king wears the clothes of a king. If a servant put on the kings clothes, well!, he could be killed for that! A king would not put on the apparel of a court jester! Because he is a king. What is the order of the home? Man is the head of the house. That’s his ‘apparel.’ That’s his office, his position. ‘Head of the house’ is his apparel as scripture tells us all the way from Adam and the garden of Eden to the New Testament. Parallel to women not wearing the “apparel” of a man is the verse that says that women should not “usurp” authority over the man. In modern times (although this phrase is becoming less and less in the world), when we would see a woman dominating her husband and being in control, what do people say? “Well! You can see who’s wearing the pants in that family!”
Which piece of clothing is worn by whom matters little; it is outward, not inward (Except, of course, for cross-dressing and the inward attitude behind that).
This is not to say that the bride cannot change the husbands mind, even as Abraham petitioned God (after God said he was going to destroy the city of Sodom) to NOT destroy the city if a few righteous people could be found, we can also negotiate. We can talk things over with God. We can question him and ask why (but there is a difference between questioning and challenging). He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings, the creator of heaven and earth and all the universe. It is unthinkable that this all-powerful, all-holy, and righteous God would even bother to be involved with the affairs of man and not consider him as no more than animals or specs of dust in a vast ocean…yet He does!
How dare we ask more of Him…yet we do. How incredible it is to think that He cares about us. It is inconceivable that, still, we dare to question His Word or His authority. If we are to have the opportunity to serve Him at all, then let’s worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, as the scriptures teach. Let’s let it be according to “Thy will,” and not “our” will; according to scripture and not twisted doctrine that suits our wants or our culture. That’s what commitment to God is all about.
1 Corinthians 14
34Let your women keep silent in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak (teach); but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak (as in ‘speak with authority,‘ teach) in the church.
Many women certainly are also spirit filled, anointed Christians and have many great revelations of God’s Word. The Christian world is no doubt enhanced by them sharing what they are given by God. They share these revelations, and rightfully so, with their husbands and children and those they witness to, bringing others into the sheepfold of God. Spirit-filled women are certainly of no less value to God or the community as they live Godly lives, evangelize, and do great things.
Some of the greatest prayer warriors are women. They serve a great function in this world; of that there is no doubt. Nevertheless, the are kept out of any “authoritative” position that allows them to “have rule.” This goes back to the garden of Eden and has never been rescinded since God said, “Man shall rule over thee.”
We need to replace the authority and control of Christians back into the hands of Christ (in order to understand the relationship of the bride… and the bride).
God’s ways and his guidelines for our lives, what He determines to be right or wrong is not alterable according to whatever cultures there are in the world. Man might change his environment and technology, modernism and liberalism might take one course after another, but God’s Word stays the same. For a person to dedicate himself to the Lord and to the Lordship of Jesus, he must follow according to God’s will…not his own. I’ve heard many so-called Christian preachers making a steady stream of what they consider to be logical, even theological, twists and turns to pervert God’s Word concerning the role of husband and wife, both in the church and in the home. Plainly, God’s word instructs wives to obey their husbands. There’s no getting around that. Well, not if we read God’s Word as it is: not in its twisted version that is promoted by modern day preachers in order to “keep pace” with the ungodly decline of morality in the world, in order to “not offend” anyone by preaching something that someone might not want to hear, in order to increase church membership, in order to take in more money. But there is great revelation in understanding God’s word concerning his directives for a Christian marriage; revelations that will not only strengthen marriages, but will strengthen the faith and understanding of single Christians as well. Paul has much to say about women and marriage, as well as women concerning the church, giving clear instructions:
Ephesians chapter 5:
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 3 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
During the course of his instructions, at one point the touches upon this key to understanding his deeper revelation and states, “This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” The guidelines for a Godly marriage apply to both the human and the spiritual relationships. They parallel each other. What applies to one, applies to both. Scripture says a woman is to obey her husband, even as the bride of Christ is supposed to obey Him. A man in his role as bride of Christ, takes upon himself the female role of a marriage, and has one husband: Jesus. A wife, in her role as bride of Christ, has two husbands: her natural husband and Jesus. Her commitment to Jesus is shown by not only her obedience to Him, but to her natural husband as well, because it is God’s word that instructs her to obey her natural husband; therefore, to disregard one husband is to disregard both. A Christian husband, in obedience to God himself, will not lead his wife into sin and there should never be a problem; a non-Christian husband is to be honored, only as he is not leading into unrighteousness. Titus chapter 2 says:
But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: 2 That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. 3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; 4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
He doesn’t say, “Obey only if you think he’s right” or, “Unless you really don’t want to.” He doesn’t say, “Only if you agree with him.” He simply says, “Wives, be obedient your own husband.”
Concerning spiritual matters, the husband’s responsibility is to lead his wife and family, just as Christ, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, is to lead and guide the members of his body, the church. We are to obey God’s word, regardless of whether we agree with what He says or not. Regardless of whatever difficulty or hardship will come of it. We are His wife; we are the bride. Whether male or female, we all take on the female role with Jesus (God’s word incarnate) as the husband. If a wife is not submissive to her earthly husband’s lead, scripture says that the Word of God is blasphemed (because it shows contempt for God’s Word, as shown through disobedience to it. See verse 5). Likewise, when Christians in their role as bride disobey God’s word or the leading of the Holy Spirit, we thereby reject our husband’s lead also and the Word of God is blasphemed; for it is then when our claim that Jesus is our Lord is proven false by our actions or attitudes. Jesus asked, “Why do you call me Lord and do not the things that I say?” Luke chapter 6 says;
46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
In spite of the claims of many that they love the Lord, Jesus said, “If you love me you’ll obey me.”
John 14:21; “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”
These guidelines were written to the church…to Christians. To spirit-filled believers who obey the Lord, not the lip-service kind. It is only by that spiritual baptism that we are joined to the body of Christ:
1 Corinthians 12:13; “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
The brideship speaks of the relationship of both natural and spiritual marriage. This relationship cannot exist harmoniously between husbands and wives if both are not born again Christians. Either the wife will not understand the necessity of a submissive spirit and how it relates to her commitment to God, or the husband will be over-bearing and abusive in one form or another. Just as Jesus comes to us, in the form of the indwelling Holy Spirit, to lead and guide us into all truth and righteousness, for the perfecting of us into holiness and blamelessness; so, too, should a husband instruct in spiritual matters in the home. If we understand that the human relationship is to mirror the relationship between Christ and His bride (as individual members of the church), then we must also realize that Jesus does not demand that we become His bride. On our part, it’s a matter of our free will to be so. We follow God’s Word and precepts because we love Him and are committed to Him - because we will to do so. We follow regardless of whether we feel his presence or not, regardless of hardship or loss. We overcome temptation and endure trials, seeking only to please the One we are called to. We offer, as on an altar of sacrifice, our lives to him, our will, our obedience.
Romans 12:1; “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.”
We must be submissive voluntarily, not of force, but out of an inward heart that loves Him and wants to please him. Just as the Bride of Christ is to uphold and abide by the teachings of Christ as her husband, so should a Christian wife be towards her husband, who is her head, just as Christ is head of the church.
The bride is not only to follow Christ during times of anointing and blessings but to also follow in the hard times, of perils, trials and afflictions. Whether times are convenient or otherwise, easy or difficult. Submission, though given of ones freewill (to become the bride) is also a requirement if indeed the church (individually or collectively) is considered by Christ to be his bride, and Him their Lord.
Wives should be submissive, even to unsaved husbands (as long as it’s not contrary to God), that the husbands be won by their godly living. 1 Peter chapter 3: 1 says:
“Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; 2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.”
In this scripture, the word “conversation” does NOT mean the verbal kind; “conversation” means manner or life, behavior, and conduct.
New Testament teaching also states that if a wife seeks an answer to a question…she should ask her husband at home. 1 Corinthians 14:35 says;
“And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home.”
This also, is two-fold, relating to both natural and spiritual marriage. As a Christian, it is the husband’s responsibility to give spiritual leadership and guidance just as it is the work of the Holy Spirit to lead His Bride. For a wife to seek guidance outside of her husband shows lack of faith in him, lack of trust and commitment to him as her head. Such a wife might come to her husband after having asked him a question of spiritual concern and say, “Well, the guy down the street said thus and so…” and “The pastor said it should be this way or that way,” or, “Well, you know what a great Christian that brother so and so is and he said…” But this just belittles her husband and shows her lack of faith in him as her leader in spiritual matters. He might easily think (to himself anyway), “Well why didn’t you marry brother so and so then, or the pastor?”
This type of lack of faith undermines his authority and demonstrates to him that he does not have a marriage that’s within the will of God. Yet if a wife honors God’s word (therefore, her own commitment to God) by placing herself willingly under her husband’s leadership and responsibility, then the faith she places in him will result in him fulfilling his role to both his wife and God as well. The same could not be more true with the relationship between the Bride of Christ and the Lord Jesus Christ, her husband!
Once again, whether we are male or female, we all take on the female role of bride to the bridegroom, and scripture says again, “Wives, if you have a question, ask your HUSBAND,” which is Jesus. When we have a question, we should ask Jesus in prayer, listen to the promptings of His indwelling Spirit, or simply read His word to learn of his answer. Scripture says HE (as indwelling Spirit) shall lead you and guide you into all truth and righteousness. Again, scripture says, “Ye need not that any man teach you”:
1 John 2:27; “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.”
Again, scripture says, “If any lack wisdom…” then here is who to ask!
James 1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”
If any of you have a question, ask your husband (Jesus), not the preacher down the street. The preacher down the street is not your husband. Not brother so-and-so who is always so spiritual…He’s not your husband either.
Jesus, and the apostles as well, warned us that a multitude of false doctrine would arise and would deceive many. Cunning and crafty false teachers would be abundant, bringing damning heresies and cause many to fall away.
And where are false Christian teachers and pastors but in the ‘religious world?’ And where are “doctrines” taught but in the “religious world“? What’s the answer? A simple obedience to “ask your husband.”
Remember in the natural guidelines for a Godly home that Paul gave, he also said, “This is a mystery but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” If indeed we are truly born of the spirit Christians, we have a husband to ask. And what lack of faith it must show to the Lord that we have in Him when we question something and run to someone other than Him! The same applies to a wife who doubts the spiritual leadership of her husband in the home; it undermines his authority and creates conflict. We should remember the scripture in Mark 3:25 that warns:
“And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”
All a natural husband can do is, first of all, be dedicated to the Lord as a Christian himself, then give his family leadership according to Godly principles. It is then his wife and family’s responsibility, in obedience to God’s Word, to follow his instruction. This way of life cannot be forced or demanded by an earthly husband any more than God demands our obedience to Him.
Commitment and willful submission is a choice. Spiritually, as the bride of Christ, we have a choice through the grace of God to become his bride. He does not demand we be so, but at the same time there are guidelines we must follow in order to be accepted of Him. His true bride…follows Him.
Many churches call themselves the Body of Christ, the Bride, His followers, but do not teach even the basic principles of salvation, repentance, the meaning of baptism and certainly not the necessity of the infilling of the Holy Spirit (the very experience by which we are joined as members to the body of Christ!).
1 Corinthians 12:13; “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
After a few visits to a church you can easily discern a body of believers who worship the Lord Jesus Christ as being their Lord as opposed to those who merely claim Christianity but are not. In Christ’s church there will be a sensing of God’s presence, even upon walking into the building. There’ll be a joy of coming together to worship, and a song service that is sincerely heartfelt and has music that reflects reverence for an awesome and Holy God. There will be peace, joy, and love. So it will be likewise in a Christian home; where there is God’s order. There will be a love for Jesus, a reverence of His Holy Spirit and for God’s Word. There will be peace, joy and love. There will be a “lightness of being” in the home, which is the lack of any oppressive spirit.
In the church that does not place Jesus as Lord, there will be backbiting, hatred, envy, a struggle for position, and all manner of sin within the members. There will be lack of commitment toward God and His word. They will not preach the strength of God’s word or the power of God because they have no power with God!
There’ll be an inner turmoil within the church that is anything but Godly. So it is likewise within the individual home where God’s order is not maintained; inner turmoil, lack of joy and peace, confusion and lack of direction, a struggle for position, a lack of unity, discontent, bitterness and un-forgiveness, anger, and rage. We should be careful to follow God’s guidelines.
Usurping Authority
Of the church toward Christ, and of the wife toward her husband
Usurping authority is taking upon oneself authority that is not ones to take.
Both the physical bride and the spiritual bride of Christ are guilty of “taking matters of headship” into their own hands. Once again, what pertains to the earthly marriage, pertains to the spiritual. 1 Timothy chapter 2 says:
“11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man [the man…singular…her husband], but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.”
In those verses, the term “the man” is singular. “Suffer not a woman to teach [her husband] or to usurp authority over the man.” This, being singular, pertains to her husband and her husband alone, not men in general. A wife should not go over her husband’s authority or his position as head of the house anymore than the Bride of Christ should attempt to violate God’s laws and establish her own! As if the Bride becomes a higher authority than Jesus the husband! Such is what most churches of the world have done, but then, they aren’t really the true Bride. This does not mean that she cannot voice her opinion; to the contrary, she should! A man’s position as head of the house is as Christ over his bride. His word is the final authority and he is to govern.
A Word About Pants
If you look up the word “pants” in the concordance, you won’t find it. What you will find, in the Old Testament (still in effect), is that a woman should not wear the apparel of a man. They didn’t have pants in those days. For the proper understanding of this scripture, it must be remembered that the things of God are “spiritually discerned” and that sometimes God’s Word relates to the physical, but also sometimes relates in a way to be understood spiritually. True, physically God is totally against “cross dressing.” It is God’s design for men to be men and women to be women. To be otherwise goes against God and nature. But go beyond that to spiritual apparel…
A king wears the clothes of a king. If a servant put on the kings clothes, well!, he could be killed for that! A king would not put on the apparel of a court jester! Because he is a king. What is the order of the home? Man is the head of the house. That’s his ‘apparel.’ That’s his office, his position. ‘Head of the house’ is his apparel as scripture tells us all the way from Adam and the garden of Eden to the New Testament. Parallel to women not wearing the “apparel” of a man is the verse that says that women should not “usurp” authority over the man. In modern times (although this phrase is becoming less and less in the world), when we would see a woman dominating her husband and being in control, what do people say? “Well! You can see who’s wearing the pants in that family!”
Which piece of clothing is worn by whom matters little; it is outward, not inward (Except, of course, for cross-dressing and the inward attitude behind that).
This is not to say that the bride cannot change the husbands mind, even as Abraham petitioned God (after God said he was going to destroy the city of Sodom) to NOT destroy the city if a few righteous people could be found, we can also negotiate. We can talk things over with God. We can question him and ask why (but there is a difference between questioning and challenging). He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings, the creator of heaven and earth and all the universe. It is unthinkable that this all-powerful, all-holy, and righteous God would even bother to be involved with the affairs of man and not consider him as no more than animals or specs of dust in a vast ocean…yet He does!
How dare we ask more of Him…yet we do. How incredible it is to think that He cares about us. It is inconceivable that, still, we dare to question His Word or His authority. If we are to have the opportunity to serve Him at all, then let’s worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, as the scriptures teach. Let’s let it be according to “Thy will,” and not “our” will; according to scripture and not twisted doctrine that suits our wants or our culture. That’s what commitment to God is all about.
1 Corinthians 14
34Let your women keep silent in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak (teach); but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak (as in ‘speak with authority,‘ teach) in the church.
Many women certainly are also spirit filled, anointed Christians and have many great revelations of God’s Word. The Christian world is no doubt enhanced by them sharing what they are given by God. They share these revelations, and rightfully so, with their husbands and children and those they witness to, bringing others into the sheepfold of God. Spirit-filled women are certainly of no less value to God or the community as they live Godly lives, evangelize, and do great things.
Some of the greatest prayer warriors are women. They serve a great function in this world; of that there is no doubt. Nevertheless, the are kept out of any “authoritative” position that allows them to “have rule.” This goes back to the garden of Eden and has never been rescinded since God said, “Man shall rule over thee.”
Saturday, September 18, 2010
मेताफोर्स एंड Parallels
There are some verses in the New Testament that I have read many times and have been puzzled by them. I ponder them for a moment, knowing that I’m not grasping what is being said, then keep reading onward to things more easily understood. I think about those things I do not understand, and sometimes I feel like I have a vague understanding, or like I’m ‘on the verge’ of a ‘breakthrough’ of enlightenment and then that ‘breakthrough’ feeling slips back into the fog; leaving me as puzzled as I ever was. One of those portions of New Testament text that I’ve often been puzzled by is John 6: 53-55; “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.” Eat His flesh, drink His blood? This is an obvious metaphor; but what does it mean? Two things need to be understood here; flesh, and blood. Having addressed the topic of 'eating his flesh'and 'his flesh is meat' already, the below article concerns 'drinking His blood'.
Blood
“Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.” (John 6:53-55).
Drink His blood? The disciples could only understand this in the physical sense, so it naturally repulsed them (John 6: 60-63). Besides, the OT repeatedly condemns the drinking or the consumption of blood. But the references to His blood, is metaphoric. It must be so, for God’s word forbids ingesting (physical) blood, and Jesus never violates God’s word. Jesus also says in John 6:53; “…Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.”
There are certain terms that are synonymous; Jesus said that the words He spoke were spirit, and life. The bible also says in many places that the ‘life is in the blood’. But we’re not speaking here of physical words, life or blood; but spiritual. For John 6:63 says “it is the spirit that quickeneth…” (gives life). Let’s look at one of the first mathematical laws of algebra to better understand some spiritual truths. That law is this; if A = C, and B = C, then A = B. This only makes sense. The same is true spiritually; The Spirit = life (eternal), His blood is life (eternal) therefore partaking of His blood is = to partaking of His Spirit and partaking of His Spirit is = to partaking of His blood. Remember, that God is a Spirit, and that Spirit became flesh (and blood) and dwelt among us in the person of Jesus Christ. For Jesus to say “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you” is the same as saying , “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
1 Corinthians 12:13 compares the baptism of the Holy Spirit as paralleling ‘drinking’, while Ephesians 2:18 declares that our access to the Father (eternal life) is by that same spirit; “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
Ephesians 2:18; “For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” Then Romans 8:9 explains that without that spirit we are not considered his own.; “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” So it is no wonder that Jesus said “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.”
Switch now to the tree of life…again, life. Adam and eve were driven from the garden, lest they eat the tree of life, which is now forbidden to them. Eternal life was forbidden to them, and all of mankind in general. Now Jesus comes and says something forbidden (the taking of blood) must be consumed. His Blood, wherein is life. Life, eternal life lost at the Garden of Eden was now made accessable through His blood, which is a restoration of being able to partake of the tree of life.
To be born of the Spirit, (ye must be born again) is to be a partaker of (and equal to) drinking his blood spiritually. When we become partakers of the Holy Spirit (born again), we become partakers of the Spirit of Christ. So being, the spiritual blood of Christ, His spiritual dna through being born of Him (the Holy Spirit) now flows through our veins; cleansing us, giving us HIS nature and character. That is why all those, who are born again, of the same Holy Spirit, are brothers and sisters. We all have the same spiritual dna, even as it says in Acts 17:26; “And hath made of one blood all nations of men…” And what does this new spiritual dna do for us, aside from imparting to us the Holy Spirit? If you’re old enough, you might remember a phrase of old; “it’s in the blood.”
“It’s in the blood” was usually referenced to mean that actions of a person were ‘natural to them’ because that particular trait was noticed in other members of their ancestry. What they were doing was ‘in their nature’ to do because it is ‘in the blood’. This is parallel to the truly born again experience whereby a person becomes ‘a new creature’ in Christ. His old nature becomes replaced with His ‘new nature’. His old life (of sin) becomes replaced with a new life dedicated to Christ. 2 Peter 1:4 declares; “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.” Galatians 6:15 says; “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.” The purpose of this baptism of the Holy Spirit, the drinking in of the blood of Jesus, is to give us spiritual life. To transform us, to help us to take on the nature and the character of Jesus. To help us to follow Him, and hear His voice as he leads us from milk to meat, to perfect us. To mature us in Him, even as 1 John 4:17 declares; “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.” This is the goal. To drink His blood, means to take on His life. To live as He lived, and that is to be obedient to the will of God. To partake of His blood; is to partake of His life.
“Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.”
Blood
“Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.” (John 6:53-55).
Drink His blood? The disciples could only understand this in the physical sense, so it naturally repulsed them (John 6: 60-63). Besides, the OT repeatedly condemns the drinking or the consumption of blood. But the references to His blood, is metaphoric. It must be so, for God’s word forbids ingesting (physical) blood, and Jesus never violates God’s word. Jesus also says in John 6:53; “…Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.”
There are certain terms that are synonymous; Jesus said that the words He spoke were spirit, and life. The bible also says in many places that the ‘life is in the blood’. But we’re not speaking here of physical words, life or blood; but spiritual. For John 6:63 says “it is the spirit that quickeneth…” (gives life). Let’s look at one of the first mathematical laws of algebra to better understand some spiritual truths. That law is this; if A = C, and B = C, then A = B. This only makes sense. The same is true spiritually; The Spirit = life (eternal), His blood is life (eternal) therefore partaking of His blood is = to partaking of His Spirit and partaking of His Spirit is = to partaking of His blood. Remember, that God is a Spirit, and that Spirit became flesh (and blood) and dwelt among us in the person of Jesus Christ. For Jesus to say “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you” is the same as saying , “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
1 Corinthians 12:13 compares the baptism of the Holy Spirit as paralleling ‘drinking’, while Ephesians 2:18 declares that our access to the Father (eternal life) is by that same spirit; “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
Ephesians 2:18; “For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” Then Romans 8:9 explains that without that spirit we are not considered his own.; “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” So it is no wonder that Jesus said “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.”
Switch now to the tree of life…again, life. Adam and eve were driven from the garden, lest they eat the tree of life, which is now forbidden to them. Eternal life was forbidden to them, and all of mankind in general. Now Jesus comes and says something forbidden (the taking of blood) must be consumed. His Blood, wherein is life. Life, eternal life lost at the Garden of Eden was now made accessable through His blood, which is a restoration of being able to partake of the tree of life.
To be born of the Spirit, (ye must be born again) is to be a partaker of (and equal to) drinking his blood spiritually. When we become partakers of the Holy Spirit (born again), we become partakers of the Spirit of Christ. So being, the spiritual blood of Christ, His spiritual dna through being born of Him (the Holy Spirit) now flows through our veins; cleansing us, giving us HIS nature and character. That is why all those, who are born again, of the same Holy Spirit, are brothers and sisters. We all have the same spiritual dna, even as it says in Acts 17:26; “And hath made of one blood all nations of men…” And what does this new spiritual dna do for us, aside from imparting to us the Holy Spirit? If you’re old enough, you might remember a phrase of old; “it’s in the blood.”
“It’s in the blood” was usually referenced to mean that actions of a person were ‘natural to them’ because that particular trait was noticed in other members of their ancestry. What they were doing was ‘in their nature’ to do because it is ‘in the blood’. This is parallel to the truly born again experience whereby a person becomes ‘a new creature’ in Christ. His old nature becomes replaced with His ‘new nature’. His old life (of sin) becomes replaced with a new life dedicated to Christ. 2 Peter 1:4 declares; “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.” Galatians 6:15 says; “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.” The purpose of this baptism of the Holy Spirit, the drinking in of the blood of Jesus, is to give us spiritual life. To transform us, to help us to take on the nature and the character of Jesus. To help us to follow Him, and hear His voice as he leads us from milk to meat, to perfect us. To mature us in Him, even as 1 John 4:17 declares; “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.” This is the goal. To drink His blood, means to take on His life. To live as He lived, and that is to be obedient to the will of God. To partake of His blood; is to partake of His life.
“Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.”
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
To TEE, a child of God, and to ALL those who suffer
My wife and I were in a church recently wherein there was a man at most every service who was bound to a wheel chair. Being motorized, he would often navigate his way from his home to the church to praise and worship the Lord. He was faithful. One day my wife spoke to me about him and said,
“this man glorifies the Lord by being in that wheel chair.” She was right! Anyone can praise the Lord and worship Him when things in their life are running smoothly. But to praise Him and worship Him when your life is going through difficulty, gives glory and a testimony to the power of God in an individual’s life. How strong that person’s love and commitment towards God in the face of adversity testifies to the strength of the power of God within that person. In an unbelieving world, it testifies to the reality and the presence of the power of God.
We all have read, and have heard about the trials of Job. A righteous man. One who loved God and served Him with fasting, prayer, sacrifices and offerings. No matter what came Job’s way, his faith in God did not waiver.
The trials of Job, losing all of his abundant material wealth, and then his children, followed by being plagued bodily, were not because Job had sinned. He was not being punished or chastised. He was being tested.
We have all been taught that Job was a man of commitment and had great faith in God. But what we NEED to see also, is that not only did Job have faith in God… but God had great faith in Job!
When Satan came before God, flaunting in God’s face the fall of man; God pointed to Job. Job 1:8 says;
And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
We all know what happened after that; Satan declared that Job only served the Lord because he was so blessed and protected, then Satan prompted the Lord to allow Job to be tested through affliction. Poor Job! Job was unknowing of the contest, and for reasons unknown to him, though he had done no wrong, he was now being destroyed! God had great faith in Job to allow such a great test. The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corthinians 10:13 that God will not put upon us more testing than we can bear, and that statement alone tells us just how much faith God had in the degree of Job’s dedication.
The apostle Paul had an affliction. His affliction did not come because of sin or chastisement, but from Satan. Paul even called it “a messenger of Satan”
2 Cor 12: 7-10 tells us;
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.
This ailment that Paul had been given was from Satan, and it kept Paul from becoming overly proud and preaching to others from a standpoint of personal accomplishment! Though he was never healed of his ailment, he continued to preach the power of God and faith despite his personal affliction.
Jesus told him, “my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Like the worshipper who goes to church in a wheelchair, service after service, unstoppable in his praise and worship of the Lord regardless of circumstance, our weaknesses, our infirmities, our hardships, give testimony to the reality of the power of God that He gives us to transcend circumstances and give us an inward joy of being a disciple of Christ that the world cannot understand.
When Jesus told Paul that His strength was made perfect in weakness, Paul responded to that knowledge by saying
“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.”
When we are seemingly ‘at our weakest’ in our afflictions, and continue to persevere and give praise and glory to God, it is then when we display the strength of our faith in Him. It is then when we give living testimony to the power of God in our lives that the power of the Holy Spirit, is able, to keep us inwardly strong and looking unto Him, through the fire of trial and affliction. Paul stated in Romans 8: 35-39;
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
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.”
In all of these things, especially these things of hardship, does our faith glorify and give honor to the Lord who called us. His strength is made perfect by our weaknesses. We could combine Paul’s declaration that nothing can separate us from the love of God, with Job’s determination and say ‘nothing shall separate us from our love of God!’
My wife spoke a word of wisdom by saying that it matters far more to the Lord the manner in which we go through adversity, than the adversity itself! How true that is! Adversity and affliction will most certainly happen (we are appointed unto affliction), but how we react to those adversities reveal what is inside of us, our level of commitment, even our degree of maturity in the Lord.
The apostle Peter, died a horrible death, as did also the other apostles, but when the Lord prophesied ( John 21:19) about what Peter’s death would be like, that Jesus was
“signifying by what death he should glorify God.”
It is not so much by our ‘blessings’ that give glory to God, as much as our successful accomplishment of hardship when we are at our worst earthly distresses. One of my wife’s favorite things to say is that “it matters far more to the Lord how we go through the adversities of life than the adversity itself.”
My heart goes out to those in the ministry, whether from the pulpit or within the flock, who testify to power of God to heal, yet when they are afflicted they are not likewise healed. Those who encourage faith in those they talk to, yet their own ‘faith in Him’ does not seem to be fruitful. To those who speak of miracles, yet they suffer such hardship. Of all people, these are the ones who might ask, “why me?” After all, the old testament prophets demonstrated their anointing. Even in the new testament, the Lord worked with them with signs following. Still to this day we have those signs within our congregations and testimonies are given to that effect, but when the ministry itself suffers the fire of affliction without remedy, some might feel very alone, not to mention the humiliation. How can he be one whom God has worked miracles through, and speaks of miracles to come, if he has not received them when he has need himself? How can he encourage others to reach out to God in faith when by his own example God has not responded to him? As Christians, we try to keep earthly things in their proper perspective of minor importance, and give weight to the greater matter of spiritual things. But it’s hard to place the spiritual things as having a greater reality when in the physical world we are devastated by the reality of pain, sickness or other calamity! Suddenly the reality of the physical world seems overwhelming and the things of the spiritual man start to disappear as if in a vapor. It seems as if during those times of the greatest need we have for our heavenly Father is when we feel the most alone. Might I add that Jesus went through those same feelings of being ridiculed and alone. “He saved others,” his tormentors said, “why can’t he save himself?” “Physician”, who had healed others, “heal thyself!” And at His darkest moment Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?!” Ah but, who better to be afflicted than the ministry! The ministry is the most perfect choice for such trial. The most perfect choice, for feelings of being alone or even abandoned! Why?
Remember the scripture, “for to whom much is given, much is required?”
The Lord most certainly leads and guides his disciples. He teaches us about faith, commitment, trust, patience, perseverance, obedience, hope, love, sin and judgment. He shows us, by examples in life, by miracles, by divine appointment, by both blessings and chastisements. He shows us all the things He wants us to know. Step by step He shows us and as we learn and follow He shows us more. Like a teacher in a schoolroom, the material to be learned is brought to light. Things to be learned are explained to us and we rejoice with new knowledge. We ask questions and the answer to those questions are explained by the teacher. Once the teacher has given us all the information of the particular learning session, we are tested.
A test is to reveals not what the teacher knows, but what we have truly learned. What would it profit us during a test, if the teacher were still there explaining things? The Lord teaches us, reveals His word, gives us understanding and revelation. He expects us to pay attention and use what He has taught, but when a periodic test begins to happen, it should not surprise us if ‘The Teacher is Silent During Testing.’ Even Jesus, immediately after being filled with the Holy Spirit was tested by Satan and was not given further spiritual assistance until after it’s successful completion. The Teacher is Silent During Testing. What good would it be, if we felt the anointing of His presence during a test.
When the time for occasional testing comes along, be it from the Lord or Satan, we must go through it, and sometimes go through it without feeling the anointing of His presence which gives us strength. Those that minister the gospel, have been taught to a greater degree because of their dedication, and therefore the best choice to be afflicted and tested based upon the abundance of what they have been given to teach others. To whom much is given, much is required… and that leads to greater testing. Let us remember, even though at times of testing, that God does not promise to keep us from trials and afflictions but He promises to be with us through them, even though we feel alone.
Considering these things then, that when we are weak and continue to serve Him, we show his strength; then let us be like the Apostle Paul and glory in our infirmities. Instead of feeling abandoned or unloved, let us realize that, like Job, God is giving us no more than what He thinks we can bear. Let us understand that, like Job, God is having faith in us! What an opportunity then!, to have the chance to live up to what He has given us to bear! Let’s not disappoint Him. Let’s have the same attitude as Job when he was tested and said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him!” Let us all, no matter what, keep praising Him, keep loving Him, continuing in faith and obedience through the trials of life.
In Acts 16: 23-26; When Paul and Silas were in the bondage of prison they did not pray to be released from it, but instead they praised God with song from the prison they were in! And angels came and set them free. Let us likewise praise Him in spite of harsh conditions and though the flesh might suffer affliction our
Inward man becomes set free of circumstances, enriched, strengthened and gives glory to God.
My wife and I were in a church recently wherein there was a man at most every service who was bound to a wheel chair. Being motorized, he would often navigate his way from his home to the church to praise and worship the Lord. He was faithful. One day my wife spoke to me about him and said,
“this man glorifies the Lord by being in that wheel chair.” She was right! Anyone can praise the Lord and worship Him when things in their life are running smoothly. But to praise Him and worship Him when your life is going through difficulty, gives glory and a testimony to the power of God in an individual’s life. How strong that person’s love and commitment towards God in the face of adversity testifies to the strength of the power of God within that person. In an unbelieving world, it testifies to the reality and the presence of the power of God.
We all have read, and have heard about the trials of Job. A righteous man. One who loved God and served Him with fasting, prayer, sacrifices and offerings. No matter what came Job’s way, his faith in God did not waiver.
The trials of Job, losing all of his abundant material wealth, and then his children, followed by being plagued bodily, were not because Job had sinned. He was not being punished or chastised. He was being tested.
We have all been taught that Job was a man of commitment and had great faith in God. But what we NEED to see also, is that not only did Job have faith in God… but God had great faith in Job!
When Satan came before God, flaunting in God’s face the fall of man; God pointed to Job. Job 1:8 says;
And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
We all know what happened after that; Satan declared that Job only served the Lord because he was so blessed and protected, then Satan prompted the Lord to allow Job to be tested through affliction. Poor Job! Job was unknowing of the contest, and for reasons unknown to him, though he had done no wrong, he was now being destroyed! God had great faith in Job to allow such a great test. The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corthinians 10:13 that God will not put upon us more testing than we can bear, and that statement alone tells us just how much faith God had in the degree of Job’s dedication.
The apostle Paul had an affliction. His affliction did not come because of sin or chastisement, but from Satan. Paul even called it “a messenger of Satan”
2 Cor 12: 7-10 tells us;
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.
This ailment that Paul had been given was from Satan, and it kept Paul from becoming overly proud and preaching to others from a standpoint of personal accomplishment! Though he was never healed of his ailment, he continued to preach the power of God and faith despite his personal affliction.
Jesus told him, “my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Like the worshipper who goes to church in a wheelchair, service after service, unstoppable in his praise and worship of the Lord regardless of circumstance, our weaknesses, our infirmities, our hardships, give testimony to the reality of the power of God that He gives us to transcend circumstances and give us an inward joy of being a disciple of Christ that the world cannot understand.
When Jesus told Paul that His strength was made perfect in weakness, Paul responded to that knowledge by saying
“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.”
When we are seemingly ‘at our weakest’ in our afflictions, and continue to persevere and give praise and glory to God, it is then when we display the strength of our faith in Him. It is then when we give living testimony to the power of God in our lives that the power of the Holy Spirit, is able, to keep us inwardly strong and looking unto Him, through the fire of trial and affliction. Paul stated in Romans 8: 35-39;
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
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.”
In all of these things, especially these things of hardship, does our faith glorify and give honor to the Lord who called us. His strength is made perfect by our weaknesses. We could combine Paul’s declaration that nothing can separate us from the love of God, with Job’s determination and say ‘nothing shall separate us from our love of God!’
My wife spoke a word of wisdom by saying that it matters far more to the Lord the manner in which we go through adversity, than the adversity itself! How true that is! Adversity and affliction will most certainly happen (we are appointed unto affliction), but how we react to those adversities reveal what is inside of us, our level of commitment, even our degree of maturity in the Lord.
The apostle Peter, died a horrible death, as did also the other apostles, but when the Lord prophesied ( John 21:19) about what Peter’s death would be like, that Jesus was
“signifying by what death he should glorify God.”
It is not so much by our ‘blessings’ that give glory to God, as much as our successful accomplishment of hardship when we are at our worst earthly distresses. One of my wife’s favorite things to say is that “it matters far more to the Lord how we go through the adversities of life than the adversity itself.”
My heart goes out to those in the ministry, whether from the pulpit or within the flock, who testify to power of God to heal, yet when they are afflicted they are not likewise healed. Those who encourage faith in those they talk to, yet their own ‘faith in Him’ does not seem to be fruitful. To those who speak of miracles, yet they suffer such hardship. Of all people, these are the ones who might ask, “why me?” After all, the old testament prophets demonstrated their anointing. Even in the new testament, the Lord worked with them with signs following. Still to this day we have those signs within our congregations and testimonies are given to that effect, but when the ministry itself suffers the fire of affliction without remedy, some might feel very alone, not to mention the humiliation. How can he be one whom God has worked miracles through, and speaks of miracles to come, if he has not received them when he has need himself? How can he encourage others to reach out to God in faith when by his own example God has not responded to him? As Christians, we try to keep earthly things in their proper perspective of minor importance, and give weight to the greater matter of spiritual things. But it’s hard to place the spiritual things as having a greater reality when in the physical world we are devastated by the reality of pain, sickness or other calamity! Suddenly the reality of the physical world seems overwhelming and the things of the spiritual man start to disappear as if in a vapor. It seems as if during those times of the greatest need we have for our heavenly Father is when we feel the most alone. Might I add that Jesus went through those same feelings of being ridiculed and alone. “He saved others,” his tormentors said, “why can’t he save himself?” “Physician”, who had healed others, “heal thyself!” And at His darkest moment Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?!” Ah but, who better to be afflicted than the ministry! The ministry is the most perfect choice for such trial. The most perfect choice, for feelings of being alone or even abandoned! Why?
Remember the scripture, “for to whom much is given, much is required?”
The Lord most certainly leads and guides his disciples. He teaches us about faith, commitment, trust, patience, perseverance, obedience, hope, love, sin and judgment. He shows us, by examples in life, by miracles, by divine appointment, by both blessings and chastisements. He shows us all the things He wants us to know. Step by step He shows us and as we learn and follow He shows us more. Like a teacher in a schoolroom, the material to be learned is brought to light. Things to be learned are explained to us and we rejoice with new knowledge. We ask questions and the answer to those questions are explained by the teacher. Once the teacher has given us all the information of the particular learning session, we are tested.
A test is to reveals not what the teacher knows, but what we have truly learned. What would it profit us during a test, if the teacher were still there explaining things? The Lord teaches us, reveals His word, gives us understanding and revelation. He expects us to pay attention and use what He has taught, but when a periodic test begins to happen, it should not surprise us if ‘The Teacher is Silent During Testing.’ Even Jesus, immediately after being filled with the Holy Spirit was tested by Satan and was not given further spiritual assistance until after it’s successful completion. The Teacher is Silent During Testing. What good would it be, if we felt the anointing of His presence during a test.
When the time for occasional testing comes along, be it from the Lord or Satan, we must go through it, and sometimes go through it without feeling the anointing of His presence which gives us strength. Those that minister the gospel, have been taught to a greater degree because of their dedication, and therefore the best choice to be afflicted and tested based upon the abundance of what they have been given to teach others. To whom much is given, much is required… and that leads to greater testing. Let us remember, even though at times of testing, that God does not promise to keep us from trials and afflictions but He promises to be with us through them, even though we feel alone.
Considering these things then, that when we are weak and continue to serve Him, we show his strength; then let us be like the Apostle Paul and glory in our infirmities. Instead of feeling abandoned or unloved, let us realize that, like Job, God is giving us no more than what He thinks we can bear. Let us understand that, like Job, God is having faith in us! What an opportunity then!, to have the chance to live up to what He has given us to bear! Let’s not disappoint Him. Let’s have the same attitude as Job when he was tested and said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him!” Let us all, no matter what, keep praising Him, keep loving Him, continuing in faith and obedience through the trials of life.
In Acts 16: 23-26; When Paul and Silas were in the bondage of prison they did not pray to be released from it, but instead they praised God with song from the prison they were in! And angels came and set them free. Let us likewise praise Him in spite of harsh conditions and though the flesh might suffer affliction our
Inward man becomes set free of circumstances, enriched, strengthened and gives glory to God.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Understanding Jewish Phrases and Terms
First came the written Torah; the books of Moses as given to him by Yahweh, and they were set and unchangeable laws. But in time there became an Oral Torah, which was a combination of; interpretations of the Law as it might apply to various situations (much like the supreme court interprets the constitution to make rulings in various situations), religious traditions, and sayings of Rabbis who were held in high esteem. The Oral Torah eventually became written and was titled; the Talmud. In order to understand some of the sayings in the Bible, we need to refer back to some of the Hebraic teachings in the Talmud that give us an understanding.
One of the New Testament quotes that is better understood by knowing some of the Talmud is given in Luke 10:10-11;
“But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, “Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you…”
Rabbis taught from village to village and in the countrysides. They taught in temples, in homes, under a shade tree or anywhere people would gather to be taught. In order to learn from a Rabbi, to be more fully taught by him, his followers (students/disciples) had to travel with him on his journeys in order to continue on with their learning. To follow a Rabbi was a total commitment because it meant leaving everything behind including, at least temporarily, their livelihood and their families. The Rabbi, as well as his students, were dependent on people of the area to care for them with food, lodging if possible, and a place to meet if their homes were large enough. Since Israel is a dry place, much fine dust would surround the group as they walked; so to travel with a Rabbi meant to be covered with the dust of his feet. Thus, this was considered a good thing. It obviously meant you following a Rabbi while being taught by him. A Hebraic saying says;
“Let your home be a meeting house for sages (Rabbis) and cover yourself with the dust of their feet, and drink in their words thirstily”
To be covered with the dust of a Rabbi was a good thing; for it meant you were being taught by him the Torah and the ways of God. The proclamation Jesus gave in Luke 10:10-11 was simply to declare to those who would not receive them, that they rejected those whom God had sent to profit them spiritually.
Profiting from Teaching God’s Word
Rabbis were forbidden to charge a fee for teaching scriptures, for it says in m.Avot 4:5 “He who makes profit from the words of Torah has brought about his own destruction” And Derek Eretz Zuta 3:3 says “Do not charge for teaching Torah, accept no remuneration for it.” Those who taught scripture were not to charge a fee for doing so, but they ate and were sustained by those whom they taught. In the Old Testament; the priests lived on a certain number of the flock and grain brought to the temple. This same standard of not charging a fee for teaching was carried over into the New Testament era. In Luke 10:4-10 Jesus instructed not only to take no money, but not even to carry a purse (to put money in);
“Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.”
Jesus also said in Matthew 10:8; “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” This is a recurrent doctrine of both old and new testaments and is also mentioned in Peters letters to the Elders of the churches to; “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind…” (1 Peter 5:2).
Followers of Rabbis Often Referred to as ‘Sons’
The Rabbi became like a father to his followers, having a special relationship of honor that was even above one’s own earthly father. Disciples were often called ‘sons’ of the Rabbi; just as those who followed the great Prophets were called the “sons of the prophets”. This tradition of being considered a ‘son’ began with Elijah and Elisha,
(2 Kings 2:1-12) where not only does scripture speak of Elijah’s followers being called sons (51 sons to be exact) but Elisha even referred to Elijah as ‘father’. This is why Jesus referred to those who followed the teaching of the Pharisees as ‘their sons’ ( Luke 11:18-19). It is also also why Jesus referred to the Pharisees as sons of Satan, and declared that their father was Satan, in John 8:44, because by their actions they were followers of Satan; “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.”
When we are truly born again, through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, that same indwelling Spirit becomes our guide and our teacher; therefore we are followers of God. Therefore we call no man on earth our father (concerning spiritual matters) as did those who followed Rabbis. We are no longer called sons of the prophet or sons of Rabbis but sons of God. We follow only Him. That’s why Jesus said in Mt 23:8-10; “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.” Jesus said this for we are to be the sons of God, not followers of men. 1 John 2:27 affirms (written to spirit-filled believers); “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.” That’s why
John 1:12 says; “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God…” No longer does God lead His children through others, that they might be called ‘their’ sons, but we must be led by God to be called ‘His Sons’. Romans 8:14 says; “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” (See also Phil 2:15 and 1 Jn 3:2).
Taking the Yoke
‘Taking the yoke of Torah’ was a rabbinic expression for accepting God’s reign over one’s life – to live according to His Will. It means to submit your life to the obedience of God’s word. A disciple was expected to place himself in obedience and dedication to the Rabbi and to the Rabbis teaching of scripture. This is how a disciple “takes the Yoke” of the Rabbi; which, if the Rabbi taught the Torah correctly, equates to the yoke of the God’s Word.
As we know however, what eventually became taught was a combination of not only the written Torah, but the Oral one as well. Since the oral one was rabbinic rulings based on interpretations of the written one, the oral one became equal to the written with the passing of time and in many cases began to supercede the written word. Eventually, the Oral even became contradictory to the written; yet it was the oral Torah (the Talmud) that was adhered to. In this manner man effectually ‘made their own religion’ through misinterpretations and corruptions of scripture that was originally pure and from God Himself. (Sounds like what has happened in the churches of today, doesn’t it? Church groups pick and choose only certain scriptures that they misinterpret in order to validate their own beliefs and doctrines, while carefully avoiding any and all scriptures that contradict their teaching!). One if the instances where Jesus addressed the issue of the Talmud being taught although it was overriding scripture is found in Mark 7:1-13;
1 “Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. 2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. 3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. 4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. 5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? 6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: 11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. 12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; 13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.”
Remember though, the Oral Torah which became the Talmud was also from the sayings of great and wise teachers and they contained many of the idioms of expression that even Jesus also used. To discount the Talmud in all points would be a huge mistake.
Binding and Loosing
Binding and loosing refer to decrees made by the interpreters of the Torah. Whatever ruling they made concerning a question became ‘binding’. It became a law. The adherents of the Law then, were ‘bound’ to it. This is much the same as any contract we have in the world today that is said to be ‘binding’. Loosing, then, is to set one free of an obligation. It can also be the rescinding of a decree. Over the centuries and millenniums, many of the multitude of decrees in the Talmud were not only contrary to scripture but there were literally thousands of them! The Talmud has roughly 6000 pages. Jesus spoke of the Pharisees and some of their unrighteous decrees and said of them; “…they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders…” referring to all the decrees now being such heavy burdens (as an ox under a heavy load), grievous to be borne (hard to live under) and lay them on men’s shoulders (the YOKE) (Matthew 23:4). Jesus came to ‘set the record straight’ as we say. He came to set right what had gone astray with the Law. While He was in the process of doing this the Pharisees were continually accusing Him of violating the ‘Law’; at least, the law as they knew it. After all, the Talmud had been passed down for centuries. They accused Him of healing on the Sabbath day in violation of the Law. They accused Him and His disciples of not washing their hands before eating; another violation. At one point they asked Him, “Art thou come to destroy the Law?” To this question Jesus answered; “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (Mt 5:17-18). Let me explain these two verses in detail with a clearer explanation of the words, ‘I am come’ and the words ‘fulfill’. “I am come” denotes purpose. This is certainly one of God’s reasons for His coming into the world; “I am come…to fulfill the law”. The word ‘fulfill’ here means to sustain, to correctly interpret, to establish. In other words He was saying He had no intention whatsoever in doing away with or undermine the Law at all, but His purpose was to correctly interpret the written word. He further said in verse 18 that the Law would not pass away but would outlive the earth itself! “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” The word ‘fulfilled’ at the end of the sentence is clearer defined as ‘accomplished’…’till all be accomplished’ and of course that does not take place until this present world is destroyed.
Take My Yoke Upon You
Jesus, the great teacher, the Rabbi of Rabbis, gave an invitation; “come unto me” and “learn of me.”
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Mt 11: 28-30).
It was an invitation to cast off the heavy burden of yoke of the Pharisees that needlessly overburdened the people, and take HIS yoke which is easy and light; which is a return to unadulterated scripture given as God intended. No, it does not do away with the Laws as given to Moses, it simply gives a correct understanding of them.
“And I will give you rest” Jesus said.” Surely, this casting away of man’s rulings and a return to God’s word is a fulfillment of God’s calling that was given in Jeremiah 6:16;
“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.”
Said another way, ‘take my yoke upon you,’ we have to remember who Jesus was; the Word of God made flesh. To take His yoke, was once again an expression for accepting God’s reign over one’s life – to live according to His Word and His Will. Even as it says in 2 Corinthians 5:15; “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”
The more I study the Old Testament the more I realize that both Testaments say the same thing; only the wording is different. The part of ‘The Law’ that was done away with was the continual sacrifices for sin and ordinances that Jesus accomplished ‘once and for all’ the scriptures say. Even in these things that are no longer in effect because of Christ,
It was only because those Old Testament directives were metaphors that pointed to Jesus and the new covenant in the first place. They were a shadow of things to come, whereas Jesus was what they were alluding to all along. The bible isn’t two books containing the Old and the New Testaments; they are one book. The Old was not complete until the New. In fact, calling the ‘New Testament’ by its current name is something man did, not God. The New Testament is more of an ‘explanation’ of the Old Testament. It would be better to call the ‘New Testament’ the New Covenant; after all, that’s what the bible calls it.
I hope you have enjoyed this information as much I have in discovering these things!
First came the written Torah; the books of Moses as given to him by Yahweh, and they were set and unchangeable laws. But in time there became an Oral Torah, which was a combination of; interpretations of the Law as it might apply to various situations (much like the supreme court interprets the constitution to make rulings in various situations), religious traditions, and sayings of Rabbis who were held in high esteem. The Oral Torah eventually became written and was titled; the Talmud. In order to understand some of the sayings in the Bible, we need to refer back to some of the Hebraic teachings in the Talmud that give us an understanding.
One of the New Testament quotes that is better understood by knowing some of the Talmud is given in Luke 10:10-11;
“But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, “Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you…”
Rabbis taught from village to village and in the countrysides. They taught in temples, in homes, under a shade tree or anywhere people would gather to be taught. In order to learn from a Rabbi, to be more fully taught by him, his followers (students/disciples) had to travel with him on his journeys in order to continue on with their learning. To follow a Rabbi was a total commitment because it meant leaving everything behind including, at least temporarily, their livelihood and their families. The Rabbi, as well as his students, were dependent on people of the area to care for them with food, lodging if possible, and a place to meet if their homes were large enough. Since Israel is a dry place, much fine dust would surround the group as they walked; so to travel with a Rabbi meant to be covered with the dust of his feet. Thus, this was considered a good thing. It obviously meant you following a Rabbi while being taught by him. A Hebraic saying says;
“Let your home be a meeting house for sages (Rabbis) and cover yourself with the dust of their feet, and drink in their words thirstily”
To be covered with the dust of a Rabbi was a good thing; for it meant you were being taught by him the Torah and the ways of God. The proclamation Jesus gave in Luke 10:10-11 was simply to declare to those who would not receive them, that they rejected those whom God had sent to profit them spiritually.
Profiting from Teaching God’s Word
Rabbis were forbidden to charge a fee for teaching scriptures, for it says in m.Avot 4:5 “He who makes profit from the words of Torah has brought about his own destruction” And Derek Eretz Zuta 3:3 says “Do not charge for teaching Torah, accept no remuneration for it.” Those who taught scripture were not to charge a fee for doing so, but they ate and were sustained by those whom they taught. In the Old Testament; the priests lived on a certain number of the flock and grain brought to the temple. This same standard of not charging a fee for teaching was carried over into the New Testament era. In Luke 10:4-10 Jesus instructed not only to take no money, but not even to carry a purse (to put money in);
“Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.”
Jesus also said in Matthew 10:8; “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” This is a recurrent doctrine of both old and new testaments and is also mentioned in Peters letters to the Elders of the churches to; “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind…” (1 Peter 5:2).
Followers of Rabbis Often Referred to as ‘Sons’
The Rabbi became like a father to his followers, having a special relationship of honor that was even above one’s own earthly father. Disciples were often called ‘sons’ of the Rabbi; just as those who followed the great Prophets were called the “sons of the prophets”. This tradition of being considered a ‘son’ began with Elijah and Elisha,
(2 Kings 2:1-12) where not only does scripture speak of Elijah’s followers being called sons (51 sons to be exact) but Elisha even referred to Elijah as ‘father’. This is why Jesus referred to those who followed the teaching of the Pharisees as ‘their sons’ ( Luke 11:18-19). It is also also why Jesus referred to the Pharisees as sons of Satan, and declared that their father was Satan, in John 8:44, because by their actions they were followers of Satan; “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.”
When we are truly born again, through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, that same indwelling Spirit becomes our guide and our teacher; therefore we are followers of God. Therefore we call no man on earth our father (concerning spiritual matters) as did those who followed Rabbis. We are no longer called sons of the prophet or sons of Rabbis but sons of God. We follow only Him. That’s why Jesus said in Mt 23:8-10; “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.” Jesus said this for we are to be the sons of God, not followers of men. 1 John 2:27 affirms (written to spirit-filled believers); “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.” That’s why
John 1:12 says; “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God…” No longer does God lead His children through others, that they might be called ‘their’ sons, but we must be led by God to be called ‘His Sons’. Romans 8:14 says; “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” (See also Phil 2:15 and 1 Jn 3:2).
Taking the Yoke
‘Taking the yoke of Torah’ was a rabbinic expression for accepting God’s reign over one’s life – to live according to His Will. It means to submit your life to the obedience of God’s word. A disciple was expected to place himself in obedience and dedication to the Rabbi and to the Rabbis teaching of scripture. This is how a disciple “takes the Yoke” of the Rabbi; which, if the Rabbi taught the Torah correctly, equates to the yoke of the God’s Word.
As we know however, what eventually became taught was a combination of not only the written Torah, but the Oral one as well. Since the oral one was rabbinic rulings based on interpretations of the written one, the oral one became equal to the written with the passing of time and in many cases began to supercede the written word. Eventually, the Oral even became contradictory to the written; yet it was the oral Torah (the Talmud) that was adhered to. In this manner man effectually ‘made their own religion’ through misinterpretations and corruptions of scripture that was originally pure and from God Himself. (Sounds like what has happened in the churches of today, doesn’t it? Church groups pick and choose only certain scriptures that they misinterpret in order to validate their own beliefs and doctrines, while carefully avoiding any and all scriptures that contradict their teaching!). One if the instances where Jesus addressed the issue of the Talmud being taught although it was overriding scripture is found in Mark 7:1-13;
1 “Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. 2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. 3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. 4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. 5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? 6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: 11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. 12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; 13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.”
Remember though, the Oral Torah which became the Talmud was also from the sayings of great and wise teachers and they contained many of the idioms of expression that even Jesus also used. To discount the Talmud in all points would be a huge mistake.
Binding and Loosing
Binding and loosing refer to decrees made by the interpreters of the Torah. Whatever ruling they made concerning a question became ‘binding’. It became a law. The adherents of the Law then, were ‘bound’ to it. This is much the same as any contract we have in the world today that is said to be ‘binding’. Loosing, then, is to set one free of an obligation. It can also be the rescinding of a decree. Over the centuries and millenniums, many of the multitude of decrees in the Talmud were not only contrary to scripture but there were literally thousands of them! The Talmud has roughly 6000 pages. Jesus spoke of the Pharisees and some of their unrighteous decrees and said of them; “…they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders…” referring to all the decrees now being such heavy burdens (as an ox under a heavy load), grievous to be borne (hard to live under) and lay them on men’s shoulders (the YOKE) (Matthew 23:4). Jesus came to ‘set the record straight’ as we say. He came to set right what had gone astray with the Law. While He was in the process of doing this the Pharisees were continually accusing Him of violating the ‘Law’; at least, the law as they knew it. After all, the Talmud had been passed down for centuries. They accused Him of healing on the Sabbath day in violation of the Law. They accused Him and His disciples of not washing their hands before eating; another violation. At one point they asked Him, “Art thou come to destroy the Law?” To this question Jesus answered; “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (Mt 5:17-18). Let me explain these two verses in detail with a clearer explanation of the words, ‘I am come’ and the words ‘fulfill’. “I am come” denotes purpose. This is certainly one of God’s reasons for His coming into the world; “I am come…to fulfill the law”. The word ‘fulfill’ here means to sustain, to correctly interpret, to establish. In other words He was saying He had no intention whatsoever in doing away with or undermine the Law at all, but His purpose was to correctly interpret the written word. He further said in verse 18 that the Law would not pass away but would outlive the earth itself! “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” The word ‘fulfilled’ at the end of the sentence is clearer defined as ‘accomplished’…’till all be accomplished’ and of course that does not take place until this present world is destroyed.
Take My Yoke Upon You
Jesus, the great teacher, the Rabbi of Rabbis, gave an invitation; “come unto me” and “learn of me.”
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Mt 11: 28-30).
It was an invitation to cast off the heavy burden of yoke of the Pharisees that needlessly overburdened the people, and take HIS yoke which is easy and light; which is a return to unadulterated scripture given as God intended. No, it does not do away with the Laws as given to Moses, it simply gives a correct understanding of them.
“And I will give you rest” Jesus said.” Surely, this casting away of man’s rulings and a return to God’s word is a fulfillment of God’s calling that was given in Jeremiah 6:16;
“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.”
Said another way, ‘take my yoke upon you,’ we have to remember who Jesus was; the Word of God made flesh. To take His yoke, was once again an expression for accepting God’s reign over one’s life – to live according to His Word and His Will. Even as it says in 2 Corinthians 5:15; “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”
The more I study the Old Testament the more I realize that both Testaments say the same thing; only the wording is different. The part of ‘The Law’ that was done away with was the continual sacrifices for sin and ordinances that Jesus accomplished ‘once and for all’ the scriptures say. Even in these things that are no longer in effect because of Christ,
It was only because those Old Testament directives were metaphors that pointed to Jesus and the new covenant in the first place. They were a shadow of things to come, whereas Jesus was what they were alluding to all along. The bible isn’t two books containing the Old and the New Testaments; they are one book. The Old was not complete until the New. In fact, calling the ‘New Testament’ by its current name is something man did, not God. The New Testament is more of an ‘explanation’ of the Old Testament. It would be better to call the ‘New Testament’ the New Covenant; after all, that’s what the bible calls it.
I hope you have enjoyed this information as much I have in discovering these things!
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