Weekly Bible Study – June 2, 2014

The will of God that most believers resist.
Knowing no man after the flesh. Part 3.

PLEASE READ FIRST

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: If available on the website you're viewing this on, a few links (i.e., those without an already written scripture quote or brief explanation) are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), they work best using the Firefox browser – pop-ups in Internet Explorer, Chrome & other browsers only appear for a few seconds at best. If you don’t have Firefox (or hover pop-ups aren’t available on the website you’re viewing this on), that’s OK, move your cursor off and on the link until it is read; or left click the link which will open the verse at the online bible; or you can always use your Bible to look up the verses.

Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).

1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to have faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life:

John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]

Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: "¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church
Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings

STUDY TITLE:

The will of God that most believers resist.
Knowing no man after the flesh. Part 3.



OPTION: If you would prefer to go directly to the Grace Bible Church website to read this study message, all verse reference links are active there (but not hover active) and Enlarged Text is also an available option – right click the above link then left click “Open Link in New Window” or “New Tab”

Terms & Abbreviations used:

PPOG = Predesigned Plan of God
Human Good = Evil + Good Deeds while not in fellowship with God
OSN = Old Sin Nature
TLJC = The Lord Jesus Christ
SSE = Spiritual Self Esteem
PVTD = Positive Volition Towards Doctrine
+H - The Happiness of God
NVTD = Negative Volition Towards Doctrine
Doctrine = Bible Truth

To look up other “terms”, go to:

Alphabetical Listing

BEGIN BIBLE STUDY
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes and references
are from the NASB – New American Standard Bible

The will of God that most believers resist.
Knowing no man after the flesh. Part 3.

We have been noting our third vital subject concerning the will of God which is: Knowing no man after the flesh.

Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (2CO 5:17)

Experiencing forgiveness is transforming and it causes us to love ourselves and others more (LUK 7:47). Forgiving yourself can be a deep form of spiritual healing. By forgiving ourselves, we free ourselves to love and receive God’s love. We also free ourselves to receive the love of others. One of the main reasons why the Old Sin Nature (OSN) controls the life of most believers today, and why very few believers do not have victory over their OSN is because they fail to understand the doctrine of the new creature. It all begins by understanding what took place after the Cross.

EPH 4:8, “When He ascended on high,”

Upon arrival in the Third Heaven, our Lord was seated at the right hand of God the Father; this is known as the doctrine of the Session.

The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Until I put Thine enemies beneath Thy feet?” (MAT 22:44).

Then He received His third royal title “King of kings, Lord of lords, the bright and morning star.”

He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords;(1TI 6:15).

And on His robe and on His thigh He has a title written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (REV 19:16)

Because this third royal title had no accompanying royal family, the Church-age was inserted for the purpose of the calling out of a royal family. It is that royal family that is called the new creature. Our Lord Jesus Christ now possesses three categories of royalty.

- The royalty of His deity, by virtue of the fact that He is eternal and infinite God.

- The royalty of His humanity, by virtue of the virgin birth, Incarnation and First Advent.

- The royalty of His Hypostatic Union, by virtue of His empowerment from God the Holy Spirit resulting His strategic victory at the Cross.

This is why PHI 2:9-11says, Therefore also the God has highly exalted Him to the maximum, and bestowed on Him the name or rank which is above every name, By means of the office, rank and dignity belonging to Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven, on earth and under the earth. and that every tongue should acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, resulting in the glory of God the Father.

Let’s look at the different royalties of the Lord Jesus Christ:

First, there is the Divine Royalty of Christ. This is Christ’s eternal and infinite relationship with the Godhead. Jesus Christ is eternal God. He has all the attributes of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He is coequal and coeternal with them. As the manifest person of the Trinity, our Lord wears the crown of divine royalty (JOH 1:18; JOH 6:46). That royalty is found in such passages as JOH 1:18, No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained {Him.}

“For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, in order that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” (JOH 5:22-23)

“Not that any man has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father.” (JOH 6:46)

Our Lord also said “I and the Father are one." (JOH 10:30)

In JOH 14:5-9, Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way? Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him. Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us. Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and {yet} you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, (ROM 1:3)

The title for His divine royal patent is Son of God. This royalty has no beginning and no end. All Bible doctrine comes from His divine royalty.

Secondly, the Jewish Royalty of Christ, the Royalty of His Humanity. The royal patent of our Lord’s humanity is the virgin birth, resulting in His humanity. At the point of His virgin birth, our Lord Jesus Christ became Jewish royalty, directly descendant from David and Bathsheba in the tribe of Judah, the family of Jesse. Mary is descendant from their son Nathan. Joseph is descendant from their son Solomon, Joseph being Jesus’ legal but not real father.

Mary’s line from Nathan is recorded in Luke; Joseph’s line is recorded in Matthew. Why are these genealogies mentioned and recorded for us? They are recorded and mentioned to us that God keeps His word. As Jewish royalty, our Lord fulfilled the Davidic covenant. In resurrection body in Hypostatic Union, Jesus Christ will reign forever as the Son of David, (2SA 7:8-16; PSA 89:20-37).

Then thirdly there is the Battlefield Royalty of Jesus Christ. This royalty is a result of the strategic victory of Christ in the angelic conflict. By living in the PPOG and His own personal sense of destiny for His life, our Lord was qualified by impeccability to go to the cross and be judged for our sins. We know He lived in the PPOG and fulfilled His destiny.

He was delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. (ACT 2:23)

For truly in this city there were gathered together against Thy holy servant Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Thy hand and Thy purpose predestined to occur. (ACT 4:27-28)

By living in the PPOG for His life, our Lord was qualified by impeccability to go to the Cross and be judged for our sins. That judgment is the beginning of the strategic victory of our Lord. It was followed by His resurrection, ascension and session at the right hand of the Father. The cross was the greatest battlefield in history! This battlefield royalty makes Jesus Christ the ruler of elect angels and regenerate mankind (COL 2:14; HEB 2:14). The battlefield royalty was given to our Lord Jesus Christ as a verbal commission: “Sit down at My right hand.”

The Titles of Our Lord’s Three Categories of Royalty.

- Divine royalty title: Son of God (or Jehovah Elohim in the Old Testament).

- Jewish royalty title: Son of David.

These first two together were combined in His Hypostatic Union, giving Him the title: Son of man.

- Battlefield royalty title: “King of kings, Lord of Lords; the Bright Morning Star.”

“King of kings” gives Christ precedence over human rulers; “Lord of lords” gives Christ precedence over angelic rulers (REV 19:16). That includes the New Creature.

So we have The Royal Families of Jesus Christ.

1. Divine royalty: God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ always had this family in His divine royalty and always will.

2. Jewish royalty: The dynasty of David. All His ancestors from David and Bathsheba down to his legal father Joseph and His real mother Mary.

3. Battlefield royalty: The royal family of God, every Church Age believer.

After His ascension and session, there was no royal family for His third royalty. So the Age of Israel was brought to a halt, and the Church-age was inserted, the dispensation for the calling out of the royal family of God. The Church-age is the mystery age, its doctrines being previously unknown. Technical phrases are used to describe the royal family: Body of Christ, Church, Bride of Christ, Baptism of the Holy Spirit, sanctification, and beloved brethren. Something new had to be created to accompany this new third royalty of Jesus Christ, a new royal family. His new royalty had to be a new spiritual species, as per GAL 6:15 and 2CO 5:17. Paul says in GAL 6:15, For neither is circumcision anything [Jewish race], nor uncircumcision [Gentile race]; but a new creation or a new spiritual species. The new racial species has been replaced in the Church-age by the new spiritual species. That's exciting!

In 2CO 5:17, Therefore, if anyone [Church-age believer] is in Christ [and they are], he is a new creature or spiritual species the old things [position in Adam, spiritual death] have passed away or lost their power; behold, new things have come [the invisible assets plus the PPOG]. The believer still has the old sin nature, but it cannot function or control his life apart from his own consent and negative volition.

The old things have lost their power, and this only happens by the use of divine power. The Greek words kaine ktisis are the two most startling words in the New Testament. It does not mean simply that you have been renovated, fixed up or repaired. It means you have been created a new creature.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature the old things [position in Adam, spiritual death] have passed away or lost their power; (2CO 5:17)

Our Lord Illustrated this principle in passages like MAT 9:16-17, “But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. Nor do {men} put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskin burst, and the wine pours out, and the wineskin are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskin, and both are preserved.”

In other words, you cannot apply the principles of the Mosaic Law to the spiritual life as pioneered by the Lord Jesus Christ and as lived by the Church-age believer. If you do, it is not only incompatible but it is potentially harmful and tears or factions or splits results.

The word for tear is the Greek noun schism which means a split, a tear, a division, a schism. Paul used this word in 1CO 1:10, Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree, and there be no divisions among you, but you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.

If someone attempts to repair a torn garment with a new piece of cloth that has not been shrunk beforehand, the tear on the old garment will only worsen. The same can be said for attempting to merge Judaism and Christianity, eventually both would be destroyed. There are many applications to this verse. For example, if you apply human solutions to the problems of life, and you make the problems worse. Here’s the point, fasting while Christ is present is just as incompatible as an unshrunk piece of material sewed on an old garment.

“But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. Nor do men put new wine into old wineskin; otherwise the wineskin burst, and the wine pours out, and the wineskin are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskin, and both are preserved.” (MAT 9:16-17)

When you feed the new creature with the metabolization of doctrine, you are putting new wine into new wineskin. When you put new wine into new wine skins, both your very own spiritual life (new wine) and the new creature (new wineskin) are preserved. So putting new wine into new wineskin emphasizes the fact that every believer is a new creature! The new wine is your very own spiritual life; the new wineskin is the new creature filled with metabolized doctrine. This is the meaning of the phrase but they put new wine in new wineskin and both are preserved.

The point is that new wine has to go into new wineskin or a new leather bag. New wine and the new leather bag or wineskin are compatible together. The old wineskin has already been expanded and stretched to the limit and if you fill that with new wine it will not be able to stand the fermentation or the chemical agitation that happens with fermentation. What will happen is that you lose the wineskin because it will burst and you lose the wine because it will spill. Here’s the interpretation, when you try to apply things from the Mosaic Law to the system of grace, you destroy the integrity of grace in your life and the integrity of the Law. That is what I want you see here. The old wineskin refers to the Mosaic Law.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life:
Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Internet Church Service, Sunday, June 1, 2014

This week’s sermon title:
What it means to have your feet prepared with your combat
boots and ready for walking in the Spiritual Warfare, Part 2.

Today’s Sermon Message:
What it means to have your feet prepared with your combat
boots and ready for walking in the Spiritual Warfare, Part 2.
Video & Audio

Please join us as we fellowship in the Word of God, listen to
Christian Music, Pray in Christ’s Name and Praise the Lord
in our Hearts and Minds.

ALL ARE WELCOME!!

# # # # # # # #

from - Romans 8:38-39

Thank you for joining us for today’s worship service. Please enjoy the music before you watch and|or listen to today’s message.

TIP to enlarge the print hold down the “Ctrl” key on your key board, while it is being held down, move your mouse forward until the desired print size is just right for you. To return to normal screen size, reverse the process (some will see a % in the lower right corner of your screen, normal is 100%)

The lyrics have been provided so you can sing along with the artist in your mind and soul; imagine that the artist’s voice is your voice. I’m not a very good singer myself so I often get the lyrics for some of my favorites and sing along in my mind and soul, this way it’s as if I’m doing the singing to the Lord; try it.

Hymn #1

As The Deer – Lyrics in video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

Hymn #2

At The Cross – Lyrics in Video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is— you have trusted in Him for eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to take-in God’s Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge your sins privately to God the Father.

1 John 1:9 says—“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” NKJV (New King James Version)

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is faith alone in Jesus Christ alone:

John 6:47 says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life.” NKJV

Notice again what John 6:47 says, “he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life.” It doesn’t say, “will have”; it says, “has.” Therefore, the very moment you believe Jesus Christ’s promise of everlasting life, you have it (it’s really just that simple), and it can never be lost or taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God’s Word, if there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Lectionary

The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart. (Heb. 4:12) GNB-UK

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed. (2 Tim. 3:16-17) GNB-UK

Do your best to win full approval in God's sight, as a worker who is not ashamed of his work, one who correctly teaches the message of God's truth. (2 Tim. 2:15) GNB-UK

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Opening Prayer
(Do your best to make it your own – below is a sample prayer)

Heavenly Father, we pray that we will all be richly edified by Your Word today and that You will make what we study today clear to us. We pray that all participants in this service as well as those who review it at a later date will be edified and blessed by today’s message. We pray this in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

Our guest Pastor-Teacher is:

Robert McLaughlin - Grace Bible Church
and Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Doctrinal Statement

This ministry is non-denominational and is dedicated to teaching the Word of God from the original languages and making it available at no charge throughout the world.

Today's Sermon

What it means to have your feet prepared with your combat
boots and ready for walking in the Spiritual Warfare, Part 2.

TO VIEW THE SERMON: Right click the link above, a small window will open then left click either “Open in New Window” or “Open in New Tab” and the church service notes page will open, it has three options in the upper right side of the page, right click the link titled “download mp3” and just like before, select either Open New Window or Open New Tab to open the MP3 player, this will leave the notes page open so you can move back to it, so go back to the notes page to follow along in the notes, the streaming audio should begin automatically in your default audio/video player (like, Windows Media Player).

If you need to leave the service, when you come back, to move the MP3 player forward, press and hold the left click down on the player progress bar where you see the little arrow under the time on progress bar and move your mouse forward

OPTIONAL: On-line Bible – NASB95

If you wish to use it, right click the link and in the drop-down box, left click the "Open Link in New Window"; when the new window opens, reduce the window size of both the on-line bible and the slideshow and configure them to be side-by-side. Also, the window opens to John 3:16, click the word “more” below the verse, you will then see two online bible columns, Use the column on the left as it is set for the NASB95, at the top of the column where you see John 3:16 in the search box, type the book and verse the Pastor asks you to go to a particular Bible verse, e.g., 1tim 5:21, or eph 3:10, etc., then click “Enter” on your key board. You can use the “right column” if you wish for a different bible version but you’ll need to type in the verse you want each time as I directed you for the column on the left side.

Hymn #3

Be Still My Soul – Lyrics in Video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

CLOSING PRAYER:
(Again, below is a sample prayer, do your best to make it your own)

Heavenly Father, we pray that the Holy Spirit will make what I’ve learned today clear to me, for I pray this in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s name. Amen

If you have any questions that are pertinent about today’s message, please don’t hesitate to ask, you are welcome to ask them via a private message or by a reply in today’s post. However, sometimes questions can be real short but require a much longer answer in order to give an adequate answer. If I don’t think that the question is able to be answered quickly I’ll reply back telling you that I’ll research it and get to you with the answer (it may even be a few days as I’m a little slower than I used to be). Please don’t let what I’ve just said make you hesitate to ask questions.

I want to thank all of you who have attended this Sunday service as well as those who will view it at a later time or date.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can instantly receive eternal life: Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Weekly Bible Study – May 26, 2014

The will of God that most believers resist.
Knowing no man after the flesh. Part 2.

PLEASE READ FIRST

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: If available on the website you're viewing this on, a few links (i.e., those without an already written scripture quote or brief explanation) are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), they work best using the Firefox browser – pop-ups in Internet Explorer, Chrome & other browsers only appear for a few seconds at best. If you don’t have Firefox (or hover pop-ups aren’t available on the website you’re viewing this on), that’s OK, move your cursor off and on the link until it is read; or left click the link which will open the verse at the online bible; or you can always use your Bible to look up the verses.

Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).

1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to have faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life:

John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]

Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: "¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church
Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings

STUDY TITLE:

The will of God that most believers resist.
Knowing no man after the flesh. Part 2.



OPTION: If you would prefer to go directly to the Grace Bible Church website to read this study message, all verse reference links are active there (but not hover active) and Enlarged Text is also an available option – right click the above link then left click “Open Link in New Window” or “New Tab”

Terms & Abbreviations used:

PPOG = Predesigned Plan of God
Human Good = Evil + Good Deeds while not in fellowship with God
OSN = Old Sin Nature
TLJC = The Lord Jesus Christ
SSE = Spiritual Self Esteem
PVTD = Positive Volition Towards Doctrine
+H - The Happiness of God
NVTD = Negative Volition Towards Doctrine
Doctrine = Bible Truth

To look up other “terms”, go to:

Alphabetical Listing

BEGIN BIBLE STUDY
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes and references
are from the NASB – New American Standard Bible

The will of God that most believers resist.
Knowing no man after the flesh. Part 2.

We have been noting our third vital subject concerning the will of God which most believers choose to resist and that is refusal to respond to the principle of: Knowing no man after the flesh.

For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2CO 5:14-21)

Here is the principle of ambassadorship, and no one can truly be an ambassador for Christ unless they are confident of who and what they are as royal ambassadors. In 2CO 5:16 we read, therefore from now on, notice the word “therefore” because it is a reference to verses 14-15. Because the love of Christ controls us (verse 14), because we have come to a conclusion, having concluded this, 2CO 5:14.... that one died for all, and because all members of the human race are considered to be born in spiritual death, therefore all died; Next, because 2CO 5:15 says He died for all (the doctrine of the unlimited atonement); therefore, they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. So, in 2CO 5:16, from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh or according to human viewpoint of our own soul, or the thought pattern of our old sin nature.

Recognizing or knowing no man after the flesh means on the basis of the former standards of our fleshly human viewpoint. This is when we were proud, arrogant, insecure, feeling threatened, secretly jealous of others because of our own insecurity. Paul says, from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh; or according to our flesh. As verse 17 says, therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

In 2CO 5:17 the apostle Paul tells us that the moment we personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ there was a tremendous amount of work accomplished by God the Holy Spirit thorough the grace of God. This ministry is called the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. This is the beginning of having the opportunity to do what the AMP translation of EPH 4:22 says:

Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion; (EPH 4:22).

This is what it means to be regenerated in EPH 4:23, And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], Notice it is having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude, because that is exactly what happens when you recognize or know no one after the flesh, including yourself. And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's image, [God-like] in true righteousness and holiness (EPH 4:24).

Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (2CO 5:17)

This means that when you don’t recognize or know yourself after your own flesh you believe that you are a member of the Royal Family of God. One of the most important, unique and freeing principles we learned under the principle of recognizing or knowing no one after the flesh.

If you are going to think with divine viewpoint rather than human viewpoint and recognize or know no one after the flesh you will have the attitude of the mind of Christ toward God, toward yourself and toward others. This type of thinking will constantly be a challenge to you.

The first question you need to answer is “What is your attitude toward yourself?”

Is it 1CO 15:10, By the grace of God I am what I am. Or is it self-condemnation as we are warned against in ROM 8:1; 1JO 3:20. We are warned against this principle of self-condemnation in 1JO 3:19, We shall know by this that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before Him, This is the only way we'll know we're living in God’s reality. God is greater than our arrogant and guilty hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. 1JO 3:21, Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; Once self-condemnation is dealt with and taken care of and we're no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we are bold and free before God! 1JO 3:22, and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

We are able to pray and receive what we asked for because we're doing what He said, doing what pleases Him. 1JO 3:23-24, And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. And the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And we know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

A person plagued with guilt ends up experiencing such feelings and thoughts as:

1. Nervousness.

2. Depression.

3. Defensiveness.

4. Suspicion of others.

5. Sleeplessness, insomnia.

6. Fear, panic attacks.

7. Escapism, flight.

8. Insecurity.

9. Judgmentalism.

10. Lack of concentration.

11. Shallow friendships.

12. Blame others.

13. Self-condemnation.

14. Addictions, self-destructive behavior.

15. Works and performance.

Many of God’s people never receive deliverance from guilt. A lot of times we bring certain matters we feel responsible for before the Lord. However, if we live and believe the word of God, it will constantly reveal that we are not responsible for the actions of another individual. There are two types of guilt: genuine guilt and false or imaginary guilt. Genuine guilt arises after a real violation of one's moral beliefs. As Christians it arises after a real violation of God's biblical tenets and principles. Imaginary guilt on the other hand, arises from imaginary or unreal violations of one's moral beliefs. The individual actually feels guilty without committing any violation. This type of guilt is considered among categories of mental illness and is also classified as an anxiety disorder. From our Christian perspective they are aspects of a wounded spirit. Many people like to blame others for their wounds and there’s a tendency for God’s people to feel a sense of responsibility, a responsibility that has no foundation. It is rare to come across mature believers who suffer from imaginary guilt. The next time someone tries to blame you for the fact that they are losers and it's your fault for wounding them or mistreating them, remember the words of the prophet Jeremiah:

“For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy,” (JER 30:14)

The results of not recognizing or knowing yourself according to the flesh is manifested by an entirely new and different attitude toward yourself. This will produce an entirely new and different attitude toward God, the plan, purpose and policy of God as well as an entirely new and different attitude toward others. Understanding this principle in detail will give you the power to completely change your capacity for love toward yourself, toward God and toward others. As this understanding and perception develops, you will learn to live in your brand new nature, no longer looking at the members of the human race, including yourself, the way you use to.

One of the divine viewpoint principles that we noted from the original language which is life changing is found in 2CO 5:14, for the love of Christ controls us, the key is the Greek phrase, hee (the) agapee (love) tou (of) Christou (Christ) translated the love of Christ. However, “of Christ” is the genitive case of Christos, and means the love that belongs to Christ. Jesus Christ went to the Cross to demonstrate His love. The love belonging to Christ was the manifestation of grace in His soul based upon Bible doctrine. This type of love is something that can be duplicated in us even though we possess and old sin nature.

Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. (ROM 8:34).

If you are going to be properly motivated you must be properly motivated from doctrine in the mentality of the soul. There must be the same grace that you have toward yourself, toward others. No grace toward yourself means no grace toward others. No love toward yourself means no love toward others. No forgiveness toward yourself means no forgiveness toward others.

The trouble with most believers is that what they are and how we live are contradictory. In ROM 6:4, we are told to walk in the newness of life: therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. We are to realize what we are. We are new creatures and are therefore to live accordingly. Remind yourself of who you are: a new creature in Christ; a child of a King; a member of the RF of God; an heir to the throne; an ambassador for Christ; a believer-priest; a lord and king. Be who you are! Be what you are! However, make sure you understand and realize that there must be no contradiction between who you are and what you are doing. Be who and what you are.

So we have seen:

Love of Christ = motivation

Divine viewpoint = conclusion

One died for all = substitutionary spiritual death

All died = born in spiritual death

He died for all - unlimited atonement

Result - execution of the spiritual life.

If you are ever going to think with divine viewpoint rather than human viewpoint and recognize or know no one after your own flesh or their flesh, then: You will have the attitude or the mind of Christ toward God, toward yourself and toward others. As PHI 2:5 says, Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.

So, what is your attitude toward yourself? Is it 1CO 15:10, By the grace of God I am what I am. Or is it self-condemnation as we are warned against in ROM 8:1; 1JO 3:20. If it is 1CO 15:10 then 2CO 5:17 will be an accepted fact, you will believe that you are a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. If not, then self-condemnation and guilt will result.

One of the most important principles of fulfilling 2CO 5:16-17, is the principle of overcoming a guilty conscience and self-condemnation. As new creatures in Christ we are to think with the divine viewpoint of; EPH 4:32, And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. As new creatures in Christ we are to think with the divine viewpoint of COL 3:13, bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

The Bible doesn’t have much to say about forgiving yourself but it does imply that we all need to believe that we have been forgiven by God. However, with this principle of the grace and mercy of God toward ourselves, it requires forgiveness and the responsibility we have toward others.

“Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” (MAT 6:11-15)

Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times? “ Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a certain king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. And when he had begun to settle {them,} there was brought to him one who owed him ten thousand talents. or 0,000. But since he did not have {the means} to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. (Really, He couldn't pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market.) The slave therefore falling down, prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay you everything.’ And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii and he seized him and {began} to choke {him,} saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ So his fellow slave fell down and {began} to entreat him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ “He was unwilling however, but went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. Then summoning him, his lord said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you entreated me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, even as I had mercy on you?’ “And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.” (MAT 18:21-35)

So, the principle of forgiveness is very vital in understanding the personal application of recognizing or knowing no one after the flesh, and the fact that: If any one is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. One of the best examples of the need to forgive yourself is recorded in the Book of Hosea. God told the prophet Hosea to marry a woman named Gomer, who God knew would be unfaithful to Hosea. Even though Hosea loved Gomer, she continued to be unfaithful and hurt him deeply. The Book of Hosea focuses on God's and Hosea’s frustration in having an unfaithful wife when neither did anything to deserve the unfaithfulness. God’s wife was the nation of Israel. Hosea’s wife was Gomer. And neither one of them did anything to deserve the unfaithfulness.

The Bible implies, but does not explicitly state, that the issue is not God's inability to forgive but His people's inability to forgive themselves for their own unfaithfulness that is the problem. You cannot receive love until you first learn to love and forgive yourself. For example, once Gomer succeeds in forgiving herself, she frees herself to experience Hosea's love and to be faithful to him. The Bible indicates that experiencing forgiveness is transforming and causes us to love more deeply.

“For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” (LUK 7:47)

Forgiving yourself can be a deep form of spiritual healing. The apostle Paul said to the Corinthians in 2CO 2:7, concerning the man who was sleeping with his stepmother: 2CO 2:6 says, Sufficient for such a one is this punishment which was inflicted by the majority. This means they had excommunicated him from the local assembly. The apostle Paul goes on to say, 2CO 2:7, so that on the contrary you should rather forgive and comfort him, lest somehow such a one be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. We can apply this to how we feel about ourselves. Until we forgive ourselves, we will focus upon our sorrow, regret and shame. By forgiving ourselves, we free ourselves to love and receive God's love. We also free ourselves to receive the love of others.

So again, because the love of Christ controls or motivates us, and because we have come to a divine viewpoint conclusion, having concluded this, that one died for all, the substitutionary spiritual death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because all members of the human race are considered to be born in spiritual death (2CO 5:14), therefore all died; the result is that in 2CO 5:15, and He died for all, the doctrine of the unlimited atonement; therefore, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Because that is why the Lord Jesus Christ came. As new creatures in Christ we think with the divine viewpoint of HEB 4:16 Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need. As new creatures in Christ we think with the divine viewpoint of PHI 1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

So notice again the principle, it all begins by your answer to the question: What is your attitude toward yourself? If it is 1CO 15:10, By the grace of God I am what I am, then 2CO 5:17 will be an accepted fact, you will believe that you are a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. If not then self-condemnation and guilt will result. One of the most important principles of fulfilling 2CO 5:16 is the principle of overcoming guilt, a guilty conscience and self-condemnation.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life:
Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Internet Church Service, Sunday, May 25, 2014

This week’s sermon title:
What it means to have your feet prepared with your combat
boots and ready for walking in the Spiritual Warfare, Part 1.

Today’s Sermon Message:
What it means to have your feet prepared with your combat
boots and ready for walking in the Spiritual Warfare, Part 1.
Video & Audio

Please join us as we fellowship in the Word of God, listen to
Christian Music, Pray in Christ’s Name and Praise the Lord
in our Hearts and Minds.

ALL ARE WELCOME!!

# # # # # # # #

from - Romans 8:38-39

Thank you for joining us for today’s worship service. Please enjoy the music before you watch and|or listen to today’s message.

TIP to enlarge the print hold down the “Ctrl” key on your key board, while it is being held down, move your mouse forward until the desired print size is just right for you. To return to normal screen size, reverse the process (some will see a % in the lower right corner of your screen, normal is 100%)

The lyrics have been provided so you can sing along with the artist in your mind and soul; imagine that the artist’s voice is your voice. I’m not a very good singer myself so I often get the lyrics for some of my favorites and sing along in my mind and soul, this way it’s as if I’m doing the singing to the Lord; try it.

Hymn #1

US Navy & US Marine Corps Tribute – No Lyrics in video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

Hymn #2

God of Our Fathers – Lyrics in Video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is— you have trusted in Him for eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to take-in God’s Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge your sins privately to God the Father.

1 John 1:9 says—“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” NKJV (New King James Version)

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is faith alone in Jesus Christ alone:

John 6:47 says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life.” NKJV

Notice again what John 6:47 says, “he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life.” It doesn’t say, “will have”; it says, “has.” Therefore, the very moment you believe Jesus Christ’s promise of everlasting life, you have it (it’s really just that simple), and it can never be lost or taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God’s Word, if there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Lectionary

The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart. (Heb. 4:12) GNB-UK

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed. (2 Tim. 3:16-17) GNB-UK

Do your best to win full approval in God's sight, as a worker who is not ashamed of his work, one who correctly teaches the message of God's truth. (2 Tim. 2:15) GNB-UK

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Opening Prayer
(Do your best to make it your own – below is a sample prayer)

Heavenly Father, we pray that we will all be richly edified by Your Word today and that You will make what we study today clear to us. We pray that all participants in this service as well as those who review it at a later date will be edified and blessed by today’s message. We pray this in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

Our guest Pastor-Teacher is:

Robert McLaughlin - Grace Bible Church
and Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Doctrinal Statement

This ministry is non-denominational and is dedicated to teaching the Word of God from the original languages and making it available at no charge throughout the world.

Today's Sermon

What it means to have your feet prepared with your combat
boots and ready for walking in the Spiritual Warfare, Part 1.

TO VIEW THE SERMON: Right click the link above, a small window will open then left click either “Open in New Window” or “Open in New Tab” and the church service notes page will open, it has three options in the upper right side of the page, right click the link titled “download mp3” and just like before, select either Open New Window or Open New Tab to open the MP3 player, this will leave the notes page open so you can move back to it, so go back to the notes page to follow along in the notes, the streaming audio should begin automatically in your default audio/video player (like, Windows Media Player).

If you need to leave the service, when you come back, to move the MP3 player forward, press and hold the left click down on the player progress bar where you see the little arrow under the time on progress bar and move your mouse forward

OPTIONAL: On-line Bible – NASB95

If you wish to use it, right click the link and in the drop-down box, left click the "Open Link in New Window"; when the new window opens, reduce the window size of both the on-line bible and the slideshow and configure them to be side-by-side. Also, the window opens to John 3:16, click the word “more” below the verse, you will then see two online bible columns, Use the column on the left as it is set for the NASB95, at the top of the column where you see John 3:16 in the search box, type the book and verse the Pastor asks you to go to a particular Bible verse, e.g., 1tim 5:21, or eph 3:10, etc., then click “Enter” on your key board. You can use the “right column” if you wish for a different bible version but you’ll need to type in the verse you want each time as I directed you for the column on the left side.

Hymn #3

Spirit Touch Your Church (Prayer Hymn) – Lyrics in Video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

CLOSING PRAYER:
(Again, below is a sample prayer, do your best to make it your own)

Heavenly Father, we pray that the Holy Spirit will make what I’ve learned today clear to me, for I pray this in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s name. Amen

If you have any questions that are pertinent about today’s message, please don’t hesitate to ask, you are welcome to ask them via a private message or by a reply in today’s post. However, sometimes questions can be real short but require a much longer answer in order to give an adequate answer. If I don’t think that the question is able to be answered quickly I’ll reply back telling you that I’ll research it and get to you with the answer (it may even be a few days as I’m a little slower than I used to be). Please don’t let what I’ve just said make you hesitate to ask questions.

I want to thank all of you who have attended this Sunday service as well as those who will view it at a later time or date.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can instantly receive eternal life: Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Weekly Bible Study – May 19, 2014

The will of God that most believers resist.
Knowing no man after the flesh.

PLEASE READ FIRST

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: If available on the website you're viewing this on, a few links (i.e., those without an already written scripture quote or brief explanation) are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), they work best using the Firefox browser – pop-ups in Internet Explorer, Chrome & other browsers only appear for a few seconds at best. If you don’t have Firefox (or hover pop-ups aren’t available on the website you’re viewing this on), that’s OK, move your cursor off and on the link until it is read; or left click the link which will open the verse at the online bible; or you can always use your Bible to look up the verses.

Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).

1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to have faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life:

John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]

Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: "¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church
Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings

STUDY TITLE:

The will of God that most believers resist.
Knowing no man after the flesh.



OPTION: If you would prefer to go directly to the Grace Bible Church website to read this study message, all verse reference links are active there (but not hover active) and Enlarged Text is also an available option – right click the above link then left click “Open Link in New Window” or “New Tab”

Terms & Abbreviations used:

PPOG = Predesigned Plan of God
Human Good = Evil + Good Deeds while not in fellowship with God
OSN = Old Sin Nature
TLJC = The Lord Jesus Christ
SSE = Spiritual Self Esteem
PVTD = Positive Volition Towards Doctrine
+H - The Happiness of God
NVTD = Negative Volition Towards Doctrine
Doctrine = Bible Truth

To look up other “terms”, go to:

Alphabetical Listing

BEGIN BIBLE STUDY
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes and references
are from the NASB – New American Standard Bible

The will of God that most believers resist.
Knowing no man after the flesh.

We looked at two important subjects that every believer must have an understanding of: First we looked at the Angelic Conflict. Then secondly we looked at the subject of glorifying God. We have now begun a third important principle of doctrine we need to learn and apply:

Knowing or recognizing no one after the flesh.

This particular subject is derived from, therefore from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. (2CO 5:16)

The phrase “according to the flesh” is the key here because it is a reference to knowing or recognizing no one on the basis of our own flesh or the thought pattern of our old sin nature. Recognizing or knowing no man after the flesh means after human viewpoint.

When you regard people from the flesh or human viewpoint you feel threatened by them. You recognize someone is better looking than you or someone has a better personality, better talents, etc. Whatever it is you feel, recognizing or knowing others according to your flesh eventually causes you to feel threatened by people, by their success, by their talent or ability. This inevitably results in such sins as resentment, jealousy, insecurities, bitterness, paranoia, or uncertainty about yourself. When in reality, you should be having confidence.

Recognizing or knowing no man after the flesh means that you believe ZEC 4:6b, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”

So the apostle Paul says in 2CO 5:16, Therefore from now on…, notice the word therefore because it is a reference to verses 14-15. Because He died for all (verse 14), because we who live do not live unto ourselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf (verse 15). Therefore, in 2CO 5:16, from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh or according to the old lifestyle of the OSN, or according to our old way of thinking which is human viewpoint. Recognizing or knowing no man after the flesh means on the basis of the former standards of our fleshly human viewpoint. This is when we get were proud, arrogant, always insecure, feel threatened.

This means that if we are going to live the spiritual life, with such knowledge of knowing the angelic conflict and knowing the glorification of God, we are to no longer look at life the way we use to. We now have a new way of thinking because as verse 17 puts it, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Because of all this, the fact that we are new creatures, and that we have a new system of thinking, and that the Lord Jesus Christ died for all, we are now qualified to love as His ambassadors (2CO 5:20). With this new mental attitude of recognizing or knowing no man after the flesh, we have an entirely different attitude toward people and God’s will for our life and their life. In 1TI 2:4, He desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 2PE 3:9, The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

Recognizing or knowing no man after the flesh means that people no longer disturb us or upset us because we are not thinking with our flesh. We are not thinking with a judgmental critical presumptuous viewpoint. We have not entered into and become controlled by the great transgression, the sin of presumption. This is why we read in PSA 19:12-13, Who can discern his errors? [who really knows why they think the things they think, say the things they say, do the things they do] Acquit me or clear me of hidden faults or Clear me from hidden and unconscious faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

Note that presumptuous sins or the sin of presumption is called the great transgression. All of us need to be kept from such sins as presumption. By the way, let’s say that your conclusion is even correct, remember the words of our Lord to Peter. JOH 21:22b, “What is that to you? You follow Me!” Or the words of the apostle Paul, ROM 14:4, Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

So in 2CO 5:16, when we obey the command to recognize no man according to the flesh; our capacity for love increases, our flexibility and tolerance and understanding develops, we live in our brand new nature no longer looking at people the way we use to. The apostle Paul says in 2CO 5:16b.... even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. This does not mean we are not to know the Lord according to His flesh, because in His flesh He was perfect. t means we do not even try and know Him according to our own flesh or on the basis of our human viewpoint and presumptions.

What is knowing Christ according to the flesh or from human viewpoint? It means that before we grew up spiritually, we lacked the doctrine to really know Christ from the new man or the new creatures we have been made to be. We were religious unbelievers or babes in Christ, immature believers, ignorant of doctrine. Therefore the Lord could not speak to us directly because as Paul said in 1CO 3:1-6, And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men? What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.

In 2CO 5:16, Paul is saying from now on we know no man according to human viewpoint even though we have known Christ after human viewpoint yet now we no longer know Him like that. What does this mean? It means that we are no longer minus Bible doctrine. We now love Him because of the doctrine we have in our soul, which is printed on the neurons of our brain. We are back to verse 14, the love for Christ controls us or keeps motivating us. We now have a new attitude toward Christ and therefore we now have a new attitude toward ourselves and toward people.

We love, because He first loved us. (1JO 4:19)

We are no longer thinking like babes or immature believers, When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things (1CO 13:11). This is when the dynamics of divine viewpoint takes over.

Back in 2CO 5:17 which tells us why we can have fantastic dynamic power printed on the neurons of the brain. The moment we personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ there was a tremendous amount of work accomplished by God the Holy Spirit and the grace of God.

Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (2CO 5:17)

This means that when you don’t recognize or know yourself after the flesh you believe that you are a member of the Royal Family of God. You recognize that your transgressions have been wiped out like a thick cloud (ISA 44:22). You recognize that your God is merciful to your iniquities, and remembers your sins no more. Because you think with the mind of Christ, with divine viewpoint and not human viewpoint, you recognize PSA 103:12, As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

What mind do you think with? The divine viewpoint or the fleshly carnal human viewpoint of the OSN? Knowing no man after the flesh means understanding and believing passages like ISA 38:17c For You have cast all their sins behind their back. In this passage Isaiah says in effect, It seems it was good for me to go through all those troubles. Throughout all Isaiah’s problems, failures and sins, the Lord held on tight to him as his lifeline. The Lord never lets us tumble over the edge into nothing.

The steps of a man are established by the Lord; And He delights in his way. When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong; Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand. (PSA 37:23-24)

Knowing no man after the flesh means that you believe and apply passages like JER 31:34c For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more. Knowing no man after the flesh is based upon the believer having compassion for others. It is compassion which motivates forgiveness. There must be compassion on the part of the one who forgives. And God is compassionate.

We read in PSA 78:5-38 that God established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should teach them to their children, That the generation to come might know, {even} the children {yet} to be born, {That} they may arise and tell {them} to their children. That they should put their confidence in God, And not forget the works of God, keep His commandments, not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation. They forgot His deeds, His miracles that He had shown them. He wrought wonders before their fathers, In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan. He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; And He made the waters stand up like a heap. He led them with the cloud by day, all the night with a light of fire. He split the rocks in the wilderness, And gave {them} abundant drink like the ocean depths. He brought forth streams also from the rock, And caused waters to run down like rivers. Yet they still continued to sin against Him, To rebel against the Most High in the desert. They put God to the test By asking food according to their desire. Then they spoke against God; They said, "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? "Behold, He struck the rock, so that waters gushed out, And streams were overflowing; Can He give bread also? Will He provide meat for His people?" Therefore the Lord heard and was full of wrath, a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger also mounted against Israel; Because they did not believe in God, And did not trust in His salvation. He rained down manna upon them to eat, And gave them food from heaven. Man did eat the bread of angels; He sent them food in abundance. He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens; He directed the south wind. When He rained meat upon them like the dust, Even winged fowl like the sand of the seas, Then He let {them} fall in the midst of their camp, they ate and were well filled. While their food was in their mouths, The anger of God rose against them, And killed some of their stoutest ones, And subdued the choice men of Israel. In spite of all this they still sinned, did not believe in His wonderful works. So He brought their days to an end in futility, their years in sudden terror. When He killed them, then they sought Him, And returned and searched diligently for God; And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer. But they deceived Him with their mouth, And lied to Him with their tongue. For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant. But He, being compassionate, forgave {their} iniquity, and did not destroy {them}; And often He restrained His anger, And did not arouse all His wrath.

So, this is why Paul said in2CO 5:14, For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; The love of Christ has to do, first of all, with His deity. Jesus Christ is God and He loves you, He always has loved you. He has the power to love you and He has the consistency to love you. HEB 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever (HEB 13”8). Jesus Christ loves us. How do we know that? The one who loved us and gave Himself for us, 2CO 5:14b one died for all, therefore all died. The love of Christ is grace manifested in His soul and it is something that can be duplicated in us even though we possess and old sin nature.

For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. (2CO 5:14-15)

Verse 15 reveals the next installment of grace in the soul, we are not going to live for ourselves, which is subjectivity, but to live for others, which is objectivity. The phrase that they who live should no longer live for themselves, themselves is the personal pronoun heautou which is a dative of disadvantage. Meaning that it is a disadvantage that you live for yourself. How do you live unto yourself? Forget doctrine, ignore it, reject it, stray from it, build up scar tissue.

So, knowing no man after the flesh means that you believe and apply passages like PSA 85:2 You did forgive the iniquity of Your people; you did cover All Their sin. Think of it, the Lord has not covered some of your sin, but all of your sin.

Recognizing or knowing no man after the flesh means that you believe the apostle Paul when he quoted David in Psa 32 when he said in ROM 4:7-8, Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven and whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account. Have you become so familiar with these verses and this principle of doctrine that it no longer has an effect on your life. 1JO 2:12 says that Your sins are forgiven for His names sake.

Knowing no man after the flesh means that you believe the best about other Christians and apply passages like 2CO 5:17, Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. When you don’t recognize or know yourself after the flesh you then believe the word of God when it teaches you that you have equal privilege and equal opportunity. Equality comes to us at the point of entering into union with Christ through the baptism of the Spirit. Because of this there is no such thing as a handicap in Christ. The baptism of the Spirit eliminates the handicaps of life. Whatever they may be, real or imagined, GAL 3:27-28.

All handicaps of life are eliminated through the baptism of the Spirit. Handicaps from environment, education, genetics, bad decisions, poverty, etc. all of these handicaps real or imagined are knocked out completely. You have exactly the same privileges as all other believers. Equal privilege is emphasized therefore in 2CO 5:17, when it says, you are a new creature. As a new creature you have the ability to have the strength and power to live the Christian life. If we are commanded to do something we may rightly expect to receive form the Lord the power to do so. But if you do not feed the new nature the old nature will prevail.

What does Paul mean by saying in ROM 13:14, Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for your flesh? He means put on the new man and do not be foolish enough to feed that old man within (OSN). Don't be a fool! Do not be fool enough to lead yourself into temptation. Do not be fool enough to judge yourself according to the flesh. Do not make a provision for your flesh to allow it to condemn yourself resulting in the condemnation of others. Do not put your flesh in a position where you know it will be stimulated. This includes self-introspection, or being around certain people that have a bad influence upon you. Avoid them. You do not pray about this or argue about this. If experience teaches you anything, it teaches you that you do not have the power or the ability to change yourself. If experience teaches you anything, it teaches you that certain people bring out your OSN so, make no provision for your flesh.

Withhold food from the old man. Make him starve and die of lost of vitality. Mortify the deeds of the flesh. The greatest way to mortify something is not to use it. If you do not use your muscles, they will become weak. If you do not use your brain, you will become stupid. However, you need to concentrate on who and what the new creature is. We need to also be aware of the fact that whenever someone gets occupied with putting off the old man there is a tendency to become legalistic. They are forever examining themselves and dwelling upon their sins. They try to get rid of their sins thereby imposing certain restraints upon themselves. Some of them become morbid, introspective and depressed. Stop being what you are not, be what you are.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life:
Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.