Please Read First
Most
Scripture References and Word & Phrase descriptions are hover active
hyperlinks, just hover your mouse curser over the link and the scripture will
pop-up (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it, move curser
off the link and pop-up stops), Available via most browsers.
Christian Problem-Solving Solutions
What the Bible says about Christian problem
solving!
C:\Users\Mark
Miller\Documents\Grace Chapel\Mark's Teaching Lessons\10 Problem Solving
Tools\Christian Problem Solving Solution from 4-23-16\Christian Problem Solving
Solutions 4-23-16 - 10-22-16 from 7-17-14.docx
A. Rebound [Restoring Fellowship with God]: 1
John 1:9
a. Clearly
Rebound, is not a license to sin; rather it is
a grace provision for the believer’s recovery of fellowship with God so he or
she may grow spiritually.
B. The Filling of the Holy Spirit: Ephesians 5:18c—…”but
be filled with the Spirit.”
C. Faith-Rest [Resting on God’s promises
and His doctrines]
D. Grace Orientation [being oriented through bible
truth, to the grace policy of God]
E.
Doctrinal
Orientation [Orientation
to God’s Pre-designed Plan for your life and all doctrines pertaining to it]
F.
A
Personal Sense of Destiny [Knowing
that you have a spiritual destiny in God’s Plan]
G. Personal Love for God the Father [We can love Him personally because He’s
Perfect, perfect will never disappoint]
H. Impersonal Unconditional Love for all
Mankind [Loving
imperfect people unconditionally]
I.
Contentment
and Perfect Happiness with God [Contentment
is happiness; we can’t have happiness without contentment].
J.
Occupation
with the Lord Jesus Christ [Thinking
with the full mind of Christ].
Teaching repetitiously means
repeating over and over the doctrines found in the Word of God because it is
pertinent to our spiritual growth; the bible itself is very repetitious. We’re going to see in this series on the
doctrines pertaining to the problem solving solutions that a lot of it will be
repeated.
ILLUSTRATION: When a babies is born, they’re
dumb as a post. Over time, the mother
repeats the words “mom-ma” and “pop-pa” thousands of times; then one day the
mother hears the baby speak “mom-ma” and Mom is happy as a clam at that moment
in time. After the baby has aged a little he or she starts to walk, taking the
first step in a year or so. Other words begin to be memorized by the baby, one
of the first words the baby memorizes is “no.” Why, because it was used by the
mother probably thousands of times. As you can see, Tinker-Bell doesn’t just
waive her magic wand and boom we’re all knowledgeable, it takes a long time to
grow up and graduate from High School; does it not?
When the child begins to go to school; they learn the
alphabet. Now, if the teacher were to
just read off the alphabet once, is the child expected to remember and
understand the alphabet? Obviously not, the child has to memorize the alphabet
then be taught how to put each letter into words, then sentences, paragraphs,
books, etc. This learning and application process continues until the
completion of childhood, adolescence and on into adulthood.
When a person becomes a born-again
believer, at that very second of faith in Christ, he or she is a “new creation”
(2CO
5:17), in this new creation old things [like, the old sin nature
has lost its power over us and spiritual death which is separation from God has
left us] have passed away; and all
things have become new. This new creation [that is, human spirit] is just a baby, dumb as a
post. Like a new born baby, this new
creature has to grow, be fed spiritual baby food which is simple and basic bible
doctrines so the baby spirit can begin to grow spiritually and eventually start
applying what has been learned to his or her new life in Christ through to
spiritual maturity.
You will
hear new words & phrases which will give you new insight to the mind of
Christ; this technique is called “language of accommodation.” This way, you will be able to spiritually grow
in your mind, soul and new human spirit, using the language of today which will
give you a mental frame of reference containing all the doctrine you learn and will
be there when you need it for application so you will be able to live the
Christian life the way God intended it to be lived. Jesus Himself said in John 10:10 – “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may
have it more abundantly.” NKJV
As you grow spiritually, you will run into many doctrinal and
spiritual challenges that you’ll need to overcome so you can stay on track and continue
your journey to spiritual maturity.
The problem-solving solutions you’ll learn about in this discipleship
series will give you what you need when you need it so you will be able to live
your Christian life according to God’s Will.
Remember, the real you now is the new creation (human spirit) that you’ve become and is connected spiritually to
your mind and soul, you need to feed it and train it so it will someday be able
to control your life to the glorification of our Lord God and Savior Jesus
Christ.
Optional Reading:
o Up to about 50 years ago, most every one used the Authorized
Version of the King James Bible (KJB) which was written in 1611 English. The
King James Version was made to look better around 1900 but the translation
remained the same as the KJB. The King James 2000 also kept it mostly the same
as the KJB but did bring a few words into the 21st century. This can easily
cause a major problem; most people today were schooled in 20th or 21st century
English language, not 17th century language. Even modern day bibles still are influenced
by the 17th century version.
o
Language of Accommodation – The adaptation of eternal truth to the human frame of
reference through figures of speech and other human language terms. God knew,
at the time of the writing of the books of the Bible, all the scientific
knowledge which would be accumulated throughout all time. However, He did not
force the writers of the Scriptures
to eliminate their contemporary phraseology. For example: "The four
corners of the earth..." (Revelation
7:1). God knew the earth was round
(Isaiah
40:22; Job
26:10) but did not force John to
change his vocabulary. Thus, God accommodated (or adapted) human language to
divine revelation. God's use of anthropopathisms [ascribing human feelings or emotions to God] and anthropomorphisms [ascribing human physical
characteristics to God that He does not actually posses] is another example of the principle of
accommodation. A modern example of accommodation is our use of the term
sunrise. Sunrise is observational, but not scientific. Many similar phrases occur in Scripture. The
understanding of this principle serves as an important preservation of the
integrity of God’s word. (CTS—Chafer Theological Seminary Glossary of Terms)
o
God
the Holy Spirit so supernaturally directed the human writers of Scripture, that
without waiving their human intelligence, vocabulary, individuality, literary
style, personality, personal feelings, or any other human factor, His complete
and coherent message to mankind was recorded with perfect accuracy in the
original languages of Scripture, the very words bearing the authority of divine
authorship. “Inspiration” is translated from the Greek, θeopneustos, literally meaning “God-breathed.” “No progress has ever been made in
formulating doctrine from the Bible when men have doubted the inspiration of
the Scriptures in all its parts” (Chafer, VII, p.201). (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Peter 3:16; 1 Corinthians 2:16).
o
Verbal inspiration means that, in the original manuscripts,
the Holy Spirit guided in the choice of words used. Human authorship was
respected to the extent that the writer’s literary style and vocabulary were
employed, but without the intrusion of error.
o
Plenary inspiration means that the accuracy which verbal
inspiration secures is extended to the entire Bible, so that it is inerrant [free from error] and infallible [not capable of being
wrong or making mistakes] in all of its parts. (CTS—Chafer Theological Seminary Glossary of Terms)
Doctrinal Solutions to Problems
Every Christian
problem in life has a solution stated in the Word of God. God reveals Himself
and His policy through the written pages of the Bible which we call the Word of
God, the mind of Christ, and the voice of the Holy Spirit. God supernaturally
directed the human writers of Scripture, without waving their personal
feelings, human intelligence, literary style, or any other human factor, to
convey [make known]
His complete and coherent [logical, reasonable,
sound, valid] message to mankind.
This was done with perfect accuracy in the original languages of Scripture;
these very words [the bible] bear the authority of divine
authorship. Therefore, there is no such thing as a problem in life that does
not have a solution in the Word of God.
For the unbeliever, solutions are
always related to mankind’s God given establishment
principles, for only in establishment principles can the unbeliever utilize
virtue [a type of love that displays his or her good character] and make it a part of his/her life.
Therefore, solutions for the unbeliever are limited because he has no eternal
or temporal relationship with God. Ultimately then, biblical
and doctrinal problem solving is the monopoly [for believers only]
of the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. This does not mean, however, that
unbelievers cannot solve problems, but that unbelievers do not have answers to
all their problems.
Consequently, the subject of problems and solutions found in the bible is
always directed toward the believer in Jesus Christ, and specifically toward
the Church-age believer whose possession of the mystery doctrines of the
Church-age who has his very own portfolio of invisible assets [In our individual portfolio of invisible assets God has provided everything necessary for us in
life, in dying, in eternity, growing in grace, and the execution and
fulfillment of the Predesigned Plan of God—PPOG.].
Our portfolio of
invisible assets only
becomes apparent when living in the PPOG [Predesigned Plan of God] under the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and by hearing correct and accurate
Bible teaching so that we become inculcated [mentally
saturated] with information about the PPOG [Predesigned
Plan of God] as in EPH 1:3-14, 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ [we praise and bless God
because of His blessings to us in Christ], who has blessed us with every
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ [we are seated in a
spiritual sense with Him in heaven], 4
just as He chose [because of our standing in Christ] us [the church—all believing
Jews & Gentiles in one body] in Him before the foundation
of the world [this was done in eternity past, even before He created the Angels
and the universe], that we should be holy and blameless
before Him [at the Judgment Seat of
Christ]. In love 5 He predestined [God foresaw beforehand that
all who would believe in Jesus Christ would be adopted into His family.] us to adoption as sons
through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which
He freely bestowed [gave] on us in the Beloved [Christ Jesus].
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of our trespasses [He
totally removed our sins], according to the riches of His grace, 8 which He lavished upon us. In all wisdom and
insight 9 He
made known to us the mystery [NT mystery doctrine] of His will [His plan and purposes
for the Church in Christ], according to His kind intention which He
purposed in Him [Christ Jesus] 10 with
a view to an administration [God’s administration of all history to fulfill His plan of
salvation] suitable to the fullness of the times [the church age],
that is, the summing up of all things in Christ [gather together in one
all things in Christ], things in the heavens and things upon the
earth [all will come together in Christ Jesus]. In
Him 11 also we have obtained an inheritance [what God freely gives to
all believers because of their relationship in Christ],
having been predestined [God has determined
beforehand (predestined) that all who believe in Jesus Christ will be adopted
into His family.] according
to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will [God decided beforehand that
all believers will have an inheritance], 12
to the end that we who were the first to hope [have confidence in our
eternal salvation] in Christ should be to the praise of His
glory. 13 In Him, you also, after listening
to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you
were sealed [safe forever] in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance [having the Holy Spirit
is our guarantee of our inheritance], with a view to the
redemption [when God gives us our
glorified bodies and removes all taint of sin from the earth and universe] of
God's own possession [all believers are Jesus’ purchased possession], to
the praise of His glory. NASB
There are two characteristics of these assets that we must understand: 1) The assets are invisible;
we can only come to know and use them by the metabolization of doctrine. 2) These assets
are usable in any category of life. Click the following link for more info on
the Doctrine
of the portfolio of invisible assets (link
removed because web address has changed).
Metabolized
doctrine is the work of God the Holy Spirit when a believer mixes accurate
doctrine that is understood with faith. Bible doctrine perceived is made
understandable by means of the filling of the Holy Spirit. Once the believer
has understood the doctrine he has knowledge only (Greek gnosis), which cannot be applied. However, the believer can use his
volition to either accept its truth by faith or to reject it. Much like the
body metabolizes food for energy, when doctrine is believed God the Holy Spirit
metabolizes the doctrine by cycling it from the left lobe of the soul (mind) to
the right lobe of the soul (the heart) where it
becomes spiritual energy (Greek epignosis)
which is ready for application.
·
Hear (first you must
hear or read the truth, also called bible doctrine).
·
Understand (you must
understand bible doctrine so you can believe it – if you’re filled with the
Holy Spirit you will know if it is right or wrong to believe ).
·
Believe the doctrine
(or reject it).
·
If you believe, you’ll
have the ability to apply it to your Christian life.
·
If you never believe
it, it won’t be available for application to your life (who would apply
something they don’t believe in?).
The unique availability of divine
power, and the fantastic privileges related to being a member of the Royal Family of God [in scripture the Church—all
believers combined are called the bride of Christ (REV 21:9), like any king’s wife
in this world, we then are considered to be royalty], provide him with clearly defined
problem-solving solutions to live out his/her
Christian life on earth. In other words, beyond gnosis [a greek word for
knowledge not metabolized yet into wisdom]
there is the most fantastic system of solving one's own problems from thinking
with the mind of Christ. However, accomplishing
this requires us to put Bible doctrine [also called Bible Truth, or the Word of God] first in our life.
ROYAL
FAMILY OF GOD: A royal family is the family of a king; here our Lord Jesus
Christ is divine royalty as God. He is a sovereign king as part of the
Trinity, possessing all the attributes of divine essence. Jesus Christ is also
the Son of David and therefore Jewish royalty. But also, after His
resurrection, ascension, and session He was given His third royal title, King
of kings, and Lord of lords, REV
19:16.
The Church now becomes the kings and lords that He is King and Lord over. At
the moment of salvation every Church-age believer is adopted as an adult son
into the royal family of God, EPH
1:5.
The royal family of God, therefore, is defined as every Church-age believer,
regardless of ancestry, background, race, classification, etc. All
distinctions are erased at the point of salvation and reconciliation and the
believer is royalty forever.
ROYAL
FAMILY HONOR CODE: The royal family honor code is a system of spiritual
integrity mandated by God and revealed by the mystery doctrine of the
Church-age. The royal family honor code relates to your personal integrity in
relationship to other people. In that sense, the honor code is a
supplement to impersonal love for all believers and other pertinent problem-solving
solutions of the predesigned plan of God, Rom 13-15.
The Option of the Christian Spiritual Loser
Let’s use a hypothetical example: What if, when a young boy turned
5 years old, his parents told him that he needed to go to school. He replied, Dad—Mom, I can talk and that’s
all I’ll need so I’m telling you I don’t want to go to school. To the boy’s
surprise, his parents agreed (stupid kid, stupid parents).
Since the boy took his life into his own hands at age 5, he went
through his childhood without being educated, he couldn’t read or write or do
math, etc. Plus, he missed out on all the childhood normal friendships because he
didn’t go to school. Therefore, he became a loser in society at an early age.
However, his loser life became more and more evident as he grew to
adulthood so he decided to get an education.
Of course, he had to start where he left off at age 5 because he needed
to learn how to read, write, math, etc. and in addition he now needed to work
at least 8 hours a day to make a living. So, his decision caused him to embark on a new
and more difficult journey to become educated as well as make a living.
When he became a Christian by believing in Jesus Christ, that He
was in fact the Son of God, the promised Messiah, God gave him His promised
eternal life and he became a new creature.
Now as a born-again Christian he’d have a choice to make the decision he
made as a boy at age 5, only now the decision that needs to be made is about his
new spiritual life ahead of him. That
is, would he be willing to become educated by the Word of God or will he say to
God, thanks God for the great gift of eternal life but I really don’t have the
time to spend on Church and Bible Studies with work and all; so he makes the
same mistake as the boy did at age 5 and he never opened the bible again or
went to bible class or seriously studied the bible under a qualified pastor-teacher;
of course he would still go to heaven but he would be a spiritual loser without
even knowing it because he remained blind to his own blindness of spiritual
things and never grew up spiritually and didn’t receive any rewards in time or
for eternity [he didn’t even know what that statement meant). He would be
classified as a spiritual loser.
You see, like when the boy grew up and figured out he had missed
out on his childhood education, he learned that in order to live the Christian
life the way God intended His children to live it, he must renew his mind with
the Mind of Christ [The Word of God]. In this discipleship class, you will have
equal opportunity to learn a lot of what the Word of God says regarding how to
live successfully the Christian way of life. Christ came that you may have life
[i.e., eternal life] and that you may
have it more abundantly; the goal of this class is to help you understand how
to begin living that abundant life now or to gain even more abundance if you
are already experiencing it and on the road to spiritual maturity, so-to-speak.
Continuing
on with defining a Christian spiritual loser:
The malfunction of post-salvation perception [being negative to learning Bible truth], metabolization [understanding but not believing the
doctrine you were being taught, and not applying it.], and application of Bible doctrine
results in the believer becoming a spiritual loser. I
want to be clear, absolutely no
born-again believer can ever lose his or her eternal salvation
(John
10:28-29), but he can fail to
execute God's plan, will, and purpose for his or her
life in the Church-age.
Malfunction of post-salvation
perception, metabolization, and application of Bible doctrine is defined as a
failure to learn the Bible doctrines related to the mystery doctrine of the
Church-age, subsequent failure to advance to spiritual maturity, and, above
all, failure to learn the most fantastic systems of the spiritual life, whereby
one can actually solve every problem in life, totally apart from any counseling
[e.g., marriage counseling
from a psychologist or professional marriage counselor, etc.; why would
you go to a non-Christian for help with spiritual things as they would not have
a clue since they cannot even understand spiritual things related to the Word
of God. Of course, if the professional or psychologist is a spiritually mature
believer, it may help you.]
or help from another human being [we’re not saying it’s
wrong to receive bonafide personal discipleship training to help a new or confused
believer get oriented to spiritual growth & doctrine from the Word of God
so they can start living the life God intended them to live—John 10:10 “I have
come that they may have life [eternal—everlasting life], and that they may have it
more abundantly” [life more abundantly here refers to an abundant experience of
life in the here and now or both now and in eternity future—GNTC].
There
are two general causes for the malfunction of post-salvation perception [hearing, reading and
learning], metabolization [understanding and not believing bible truth],
and application of Bible doctrine. First,
there is the rejection of the mystery doctrine
of the Church-age when heard or read.
COMMENTARY: Mystery – The
term used by the Apostle Paul (Ephesians 3:1-13) to communicate a previously undisclosed fact related to the Church Age which had been kept secret (ROM 16:25; COL 1:26) from previous dispensations, [all past ages &
generations] namely that Jew and Gentile would now be joined
together as co-heirs as believers in Christ. This mystery revealed points to
the position that Divine Revelation is progressive [not
bound by traditional Old Testament beliefs].
(Romans 16:25, 26); and other things like all believers would
be indwelt by the Holy Spirit in the Church Age which gives them all access to
more divine power than ever given too anyone before.
Secondly,
there is apathy or indifference to that same doctrine, so that it is not heard or read (a yeah, yeah or negative attitude toward learning,
understanding, believing and applying bible doctrine to your Christian life).
Basic Problems in the Life of the Believer
When
the believer emphasizes his or her relationship
with people as a priority over his or her relationship
with God, he has a very serious problem. So, what’s
the problem: This believer attempts to execute the Pre-designed Plan of
God for the Church-age through human power rather than through the divine power
available to him or her. Because of total
ignorance of Bible doctrine, especially failure to understand virtue-love (example), believers create their own problems.
This is what happens when they associate the subject of love in the Bible with
their own concepts of love (e.g., sexual attraction, lust, passion, romance, fling, love affair,
puppy love, etc.). Therefore, they fail to understand
the mandates (authoritative commands) to love God and to love all mankind.
An
ever-present problem in Christianity is the emphasis of people relationships
over one's relationship with God, or assuming that a good relationship with
people equates with a good relationship with God. Actually, good relationships
with people result from first having a good relationship with God.
The
first sign of spiritual death in our original parents in the Garden was the
erroneous [false] assumption that a good relationship
with people equaled a good relationship with God. Immediately after the
original sin, both Adam and the woman assigned number one priority to their
relationship with each other. They did not give one thought to God until our
Lord came in the Garden, and then they had to hide. Both Adam and Ishah [Eve] were naked after their original sin
of disobedience, and they tried to solve their problem by putting on clothes. So,
their first function in spiritual death [meaning, they were now separated from God due to their sin of
eating the forbidden fruit]
was one of self-righteousness. They assumed that by covering their naked bodies
with fig leaves and adjusting to each other that they would be adjusted to God.
When the Lord came to visit in the Garden, they discovered the true meaning of
spiritual death; total helplessness to have fellowship with God on the basis of
their own merits, so they hid from our Lord.
This
trend has continued throughout history. Many believers in ignorance and
rejection of doctrine—[bible truth] allow “people emphasis” to take
precedence [priority of importance,
e.g. people are more important]
over God emphasis; in other words, people relationships
are more important than a relationship with God. This is a major reason
why so many believers never come to understand these fantastic problem-solving solutions that God has given us to apply when we have any
kind of problem in this life.
This
emphasis problem can only be resolved by
consistent perception [hearing & learning doctrine],
metabolization [understanding and believing
the doctrine],
and application of Bible doctrine to your life.
The number one priority in the Christian way of life must be our relationship
with God. Therefore, all the problem-solving solutions
take this into consideration. It is no accident that, in the Church-age, each believer is a priest (Control+click the previous underlined link to read the lesson) and as such represents himself before
God (1PE
2:5, 6, 7, 8, 9). In reality, this priesthood is the
basis for the function of all problem-solving solutions.
There can be no solution to human relationships until we as believers have
sorted out our relationship with God. Spiritual adulthood is where this is
accomplished.
Using Human Power Rather than Divine Power
Here we see the believer attempting to
execute the Pre-designed Plan of God through human power or energy of the
flesh. God is perfect, which means the plan He has for us is perfect. A perfect
God could only design a perfect plan. However, we who are in that perfect plan
are obviously not perfect. The recipients of this perfect plan, all believers
in Jesus Christ, still possess an old sin nature; they still sin and still
fail, 1
John 1:10 (“If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him [God out to be] a liar, and His Word is not
in us.”) meaning: His Word has no place in our hearts. In other
words, a person who denies committing sinful acts does not have the Word of God
changing his or her life because they don’t know (understand) the doctrine or they are not applying it. This verse in no way
implies that the person who denies committing sinful acts is not eternally
saved; remember, the Apostle John is speaking to believers here not
unbelievers.
Much of the New Testament epistles
record the problems of believers related to sin and their failure to use the
problem-solving solution for sin, Rebound (more will be said about Rebound in a few more pages).
The perfect plan of God can only be
executed by perfect power. Perfect power is God's power or omnipotence [all powerful or all mighty—unlimited,
infinite and eternal power of the three Persons of the Trinity]. The only way God's power can be
executed is the omnipotence of God (we as church age
believers have access to all that power).
But we keep intruding with our own ability in all forms of legalism or wanting to do it our way. God has provided us His power for the execution of His plan. Each
eternal, immutable, infinite, omnipotent, sovereign Person of the Trinity
indwells every believer [via Their omnipresence,
all three of them reside within all believers].
Divine power is guaranteed to every Church-age believer through the indwelling
of the Father (JOH
14:23; 1JO
3:24, 4:12-13, 14-15, 16; EPH
2:2; EPH
4:6; 2JO
9), Son
(JOH
14:20; JOH
17:22-23, 26; ROM
8:10; 2CO
13:5; GAL
2:20; COL
1:27; 1JO
2:24), and the Holy Spirit (ROM
8:11; 1CO
3:16, 6:19,
20; 2CO
6:16a-b, c). Never before in history has so much
power been made available to the individual believer (every believer).
This is a key point in the study of the problem-solving
solutions, for they all function from the mind
and the thinking of Christ (the mind of Christ can be
brought into our soul and spirit so we can think the same way, what & how He
thinks). The Bible is our
Lord's thoughts [the mind of Christ], and our life is what our thoughts
make it. Therefore, the key to the Pre-designed Plan of God is the fact that
divine power is guaranteed to each one of us; it has been delegated and made
available to each one of us through the perception of the mystery doctrine, and
can be utilized by us through the problem-solving solutions.
These problem-solving solutions, then, are the
real key to actually experiencing Christianity.
Ignorance and Rejection of Bible
Doctrine
The fact that so many believers reject
Bible doctrine means they are ignorant of any means of problem solving provided
by God. It is impossible for them to solve their problems from their own base
of thinking, and therefore impossible to for them to execute God's plan. When
one does not take advantage of God's plan, he substitutes his own plan, which
will be totally ineffectual. A common illustration of this is problems found in
marriage, when two people refuse to wait for God's timing concerning their
right kind of man or right
kind of woman (one example: both are born-again spiritually maturing believers at the
marriage vows = right kind of man & right kind of woman).
The problem is the believer's refusal
to make Bible doctrine the number one priority in his or
her life. No believer can fulfill the will, plan, and purpose of God for
his life apart from understanding the mystery
doctrine of the Church-age.
The basic problem in Christianity is ignorance, which means sloppy, erroneous [incorrect]
thinking. Our life is what our thoughts make it. As it says in Proverbs
23:7 "As a man thinks in his heart (mind/soul),
so he is." In other words, what you think is
what you are! Ignorance is no
excuse, for God provides prepared pastors & teachers in every generation of
the Church-age for the communication of the necessary doctrine. The objective
of the mystery doctrine of the Church-age is the formation of the invisible
hero (we’ll discuss more about that in the future).
Ignorance of the mystery doctrine of
the Church-age means problems with no solutions:
Problems caused by the arrogance
complex [many arrogance types]
of sins [e.g., mental attitude sins like pride, anger, bitterness, lust,
envy, coveting, etc., & verbal sins like maligning, gossip].
Problems caused by the emotion complex
of sins [sins such as fear, worry, and
anxiety].
Problems resulting from substituting
emotion for spirituality, or making emotion the criteria for the spiritual
life.
Problems of insecurity, such as
ignorance of our eternal security at the moment of our salvation, or confusion
concerning our temporal security and ignorance of logistical grace [logistical grace refers to
God’s support
system for the Christian warrior, both in his walk and needs].
People emphasis over God emphasis [do you think more about God or more about people?].
Human wealth emphasized over divine
wealth [where do you stand on this one?].
Human success emphasized over the
execution of God's plan.
The problem of the "panacea"
personality ["panacea" meaning a "cure-all" for difficulties].
Money as your panacea [money as your
major problem
solver for all things].
Marriage as a panacea [meaning, all I need to do is get married and that will cure all my
ills and problems].
I want to have another baby as a
panacea.
Social life and pleasure as a panacea.
Sex as a panacea.
Materialism and possessions as a panacea, or status symbols as a means of
happiness.
Health as a panacea.
The Seven General Categories of
Problems in Life
1. Problems of distraction, related to
both self and others [thinking about self and others
are more important].
2. Problems of fear as well as other
emotional sins such as worry, anxiety, anger, violence, and even murder.
3. Problems of rejection in three basic
categories: (1) the rejection of our Lord, (2) the rejection of doctrine or bible truth, and (3) the rejection of the believer
[not wanting to associate with believers].
4. The problem of dying.
5. The problem of timing (once a business associate told me he thought I was nuts to take an
hour and a half each day to study the bible).
6. The problem of promises versus
integrity.
7. The fragmentation of the sin
nature's trends, the worst problem for a believer [i.e., trends towards legalism
or lasciviousness—e.g., overt sexual interest or desire].
This study does not deal with these
problems themselves in detail, but addresses the actual problem-solving solutions for them.
An Overview of the Ten Problem-solving solutions
We need to study the ten
problem-solving solutions in detail in order to get a look at the life beyond gnosis [knowledge]. The first three, Rebound, the Filling of the Spirit, and Faith-Rest,
are applied regularly in spiritual childhood – spiritual adulthood. The fourth
and fifth, Grace Orientation and Doctrinal Orientation, are developed in
spiritual adolescence. The last five, A
Personal Sense of Destiny, Personal
Love for God the Father, Impersonal
Love for all mankind, Sharing the
Happiness of God, and Occupation
with the Lord Jesus Christ, are for spiritual adulthood.
These problem-solving solutions are based on our own metabolization [hearing or reading, understanding, believing) and application of Bible doctrine.
They go beyond just gnosis or knowledge so that we will be filled
with all the fullness of God (as per Eph. 3:19) when we apply them. These
problem-solving solutions are "infinitely
more than all we could ever ask or think," as per Eph. 3:20. These problem-solving solutions glorify [to offer your highest respect
and honor to God by learning and consistently using them] God in this dispensation of the
Church, as per Eph. 3:21.
The problem-solving solutions always depend on learning Bible doctrine;
they are not simply isolated mechanics, but depend upon a full knowledge of
certain categories of doctrine. We as believers were never designed to walk on spiritual crutches, so-to-speak.
We were designed to perceive, understand, and apply Bible doctrine, and to
learn the problem-solving solutions in the
privacy of our own priesthood. We were never
designed to complain and get emotional about our sins and failures.
You get no real benefit in sharing your
problems with others [it is legitimate at times to share/vent what you are going through
with friends, but they cannot solve your problems]. Your benefit comes from learning and
using the problem-solving solutions, with the
result that you are able to experience great happiness and blessing in
prosperity or adversity. Blessing is not confined to prosperity [good times], but to the greatest moments of
adversity [bad times even your worst
times] as well. The secret to spiritual
growth is facing every situation in life from the standpoint of God's
problem-solving solutions, utilizing them, and
growing in grace.
These problem-solving solutions are not designed to take up the slack for
problems in physical or mental health that require a doctor's care.
Problem-solving solutions will alleviate the
mental anguish. If your number one priority is not Bible doctrine, there is no
way you can effectively use the problem-solving solutions.
The problem-solving solutions are
"encapsulated" [contained or outlined] in Bible doctrine. Those who do not
get the relevant doctrine, the necessary instructions that go with these
problem-solving solutions, never use them
effectively and are never consistent. They fall back on false hopes and false
solutions that destroy their spiritual life and reduce them to the point where
they function as any unbeliever would in a crisis.
The Formation of the Problem-Solving Solutions
The filling of the Holy Spirit plus
human I.Q. equals "spiritual I.Q."
There are two systems of I.Q.;
Human
I.Q. throughout the human race has great inequality, while spiritual I.Q. has perfect equality among all
believers.
The inequalities of human I.Q. are
reflected in I.Q. testing and in the variation of thinking skills.
There are six thinking skills- 1) comprehension,
2) memory, 3) problem solving, 4) decision making, 5) creativity, and 6) awareness.
God the Holy Spirit converts our finite thinking skills into infinite spiritual
skills for perception of God's revelation [Word of God]. This is accomplished through the
spiritual gift of pastor-teacher (Ricardo has provided,
through his consistent application of exegeting God’s Word in his studying for
us, tremendous insight into the book of Romans, Galatians and all his teaching).
Comprehension is capacity of the mind
to perceive [learn] and understand the ability to grasp
ideas. The filling of the Spirit is the divine power to understand doctrine (this is the power you have available to you). The Holy Spirit teaches the human
spirit. When doctrine is taught, God the Holy Spirit converts the thinking
skills into perception and cognition [the mental activities of
thinking, understanding, learning, and remembering] of Bible doctrine.
Memory is the mental capacity for
retaining or reviving impressions, therefore, the recall of what has been
previously comprehended.
Problem solving is a human thinking
skill. Lack of common sense and sin nature involvement in the human problems of
life destroy permanent solutions, and sometimes even temporary solutions to
problems.
Decision making is no better than the
facts available on which to base the decision. Good decisions are based on
correct information. For the believer, these good decisions are based on Bible
doctrine. For the unbeliever, good decisions are based on establishment
principles. Human viewpoint and the sin nature respond to lust, which is
created by decisions to sin and motivated by the lust of the sin nature.
Believers make three categories of decisions: (1) a good decision from a
position of weakness (to use rebound), (2) a bad decision from a
position of weakness (to sin), (3) a good decision from a position of
strength (to learn doctrine).
Creativity is the state or quality of
being creative; it is having the ability or power for originality of thought or
expression. Creativity includes accurate recovery of Bible doctrine through
exegesis, categories of biblical principles,
and illustrative expression [e.g. language of accommodation].
Awareness means having knowledge or
cognizance of things that make one alert and knowledgeable, such as awareness
of danger, trends, repercussions, and the feelings of others. Awareness is
thoughtfulness, the application of Bible doctrine to experience, and the wisdom
to accurately apply Bible doctrine to experience.
Being in union with Christ, no believer
has any more of a chance to reach maturity than any other believer. We have
equal privilege and equal opportunity to execute the Pre-designed Plan of God for our lives. We have no handicaps except those we
create through our own negative volition.
The only person who can solve our
problems is the Lord Jesus Christ, and He has provided the problem-solving solutions for us, the only God-given means of
application of doctrine to experience. There is no accurate application of
doctrine to experience unless you have the appropriate
doctrine in place in your soul. All other application is false doctrine.
The filling of the Holy Spirit converts
awareness into spirituality. It enhances the thinking skills in application.
Technically, problem-solving solutions are
formed by the extrapolation [recall] of pertinent metabolized doctrine in
the soul. Spiritual skills must precede production skills for divine good in
Christian service. Christian service is meaningless unless you have spiritual
skills (the filling of the Spirit,
metabolized doctrine in the stream of consciousness, and the problem-solving solutions). Without these
things, we will never be effective in our spiritual life. Production skills
without spiritual skills result in the performance of human good, dead works, wood-hay-straw and evil. Evil destroys freedom,
privacy, property, and the life of others. Christian activism contradicts the
objectives of the Pre-designed Plan of God.
In eternity past, God the Father
provided for us our very own Spiritual life, and we are the only ones who can
use it. No one else can live our spiritual life. No one can rebound or learn
doctrine for us. Christian service must be an extension of our spiritual skills
and is related to our spiritual gift.
Christian service is related to our
Royal Priesthood and our Royal Ambassadorship.
Christian service is related to our
invisible impact (personal, national, international, angelic, and heritage).
Christian service is related to the
laws of divine establishment (law enforcement, military service, judges).
Spiritual skills plus production skills
equal the performance of divine good while production skills minus spiritual
skills equal human good, dead works, and evil. The effectiveness of Christian
service is dependent on the function of the three spiritual skills. It must be
accomplished with the filling of the Holy Spirit, metabolized [understood & believed] doctrine, and the function of the
problem-solving solutions. The Christian way of life is a
supernatural way of life and it demands supernatural means of execution. The
filling of the Holy Spirit; metabolization of mystery doctrine of the
Church-age; execution of the Pre-designed Plan of God.
The weak link of a believer's spiritual
life will be either ignorance or failure to develop the problem-solving solutions in the soul. Without problem-solving solutions operational in our soul, we create
"log jams" and "grid-lock" in our spiritual life. Doctrine
in our soul with no application of that doctrine becomes very detrimental to
our spiritual life. This means failure to follow through in our spiritual life.
The problem-solving solutions must first be
built in the soul and then become operational.
Problem
solving solution number one: Rebound.
At the moment of salvation
every believer is both indwelt and filled with the Holy Spirit. However, these
two ministries are not identical and should not be confused. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a
permanent relationship, regardless of carnality or spirituality. The filling of the Holy Spirit is temporary
fellowship determined by our carnality or spirituality.
1
Cor 3:16 says: Do you not know that you are a temple of
God, and that the Spirit of God
dwells in you?
The Holy Spirit indwells the
body of every believer to make a temple for the indwelling of Jesus Christ (1
Cor. 6:19). This indwelling of the Holy Spirit can never
be lost (JOH
14:16). The indwelling is permanent-dependent upon
God’s faithfulness; the filling of the Holy Spirit is only temporary—dependent
upon our volition.
Eph. 5:18 says: And do not
get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation [a sin—a sinking to a state of
low moral standards and behavior; the wasting of a once promising life in dissipation and drunkenness], but be filled with the
Spirit.
This verse designates a
divine mandate [command] that involves a
choice. God would not mandate [command] a status we already possess.
We must choose to be or not to be filled with the Spirit. No believer
has the ability to obey God’s mandates [commands] through human power. The Holy Spirit fills up this deficiency by
giving us the power to live the Christian way of life. But why, if we are filled with the spirit at
salvation, is this command necessary?
The reason is our old
nemesis [enemy], the sin
nature. The filling of the Spirit is
lost when we sin. In carnality we are no
longer controlled by the Holy Spirit, but by the sin nature. How can we escape this control? Rebound!
What are some of the sins
listed in the bible:
Galatians
5:19-20, 21
adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness [sexual sins], idolatry, sorcery [witchcraft, occult sins], hatred,
contentions [arguing, being hard to get along with], jealousies, outbursts of wrath [fits of anger or rage] selfish ambitions, dissensions [disagree with bible truth], heresies [clinging to false doctrine], envy [a painful awareness of another's
possessions or advantages and a desire to have them too], murders, drunkenness, revelries [over indulgent
partying, e.g. orgies], and the like; (NKJV)
Romans 1:24-28—24 Therefore God also gave them [v 18; all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness], up to uncleanness, in the
lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among
themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth
of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the
Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions [sin onto death]. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against
nature. 27 Likewise also the men,
leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men
with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty
of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in
their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which
are not fitting;
COMMENTARY: Rom
1:24. Because mankind
stubbornly persists in the sin of idolatry, the descent into which they fall
becomes evident from vv 24-32. Thus Paul says, God also gave them up. The verb “gave
up” (paredōken, found in vv 24, 26, 28) becomes highly important to
understanding God’s wrath and how it functions. Since this section highlights
God’s response, the verb paredōken specifically describes how
God’s wrath is presently being revealed (v
18). He basically
hands people over to uncleanness, in the
lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves.
1:25. Paul
continues describing in detail those who
exchanged the truth of God for the lie. The literal phrases, the truth and
the lie, suggest Paul has a specific idea in mind. Verse 25 repeats the
general sense of v 23. Comparing
both verses shows that the truth parallels “the glory of the incorruptible God”
manifested in creation and the lie parallels “an image,” which they traded for
God. As a result, humanity worshipped
and served the creature rather than the Creator, whom Paul described as blessed forever (a Jewish benediction),
with a strong affirmation, Amen (cf.
9:5; 11:36; 15:33; 16:24), that means
“Let it be.”
1:26-27. Paul says, For this reason [since they chose to worship and serve idols] God gave them up (cf. v
24) to vile passions. Hence, God gives them
up by lifting His grace and allowing their desires to be fulfilled.
An absence of God’s general grace allows
human sin to go unchecked, which results in a greater perversion of sin. Paul
explains those sins of vile passions by saying that even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
Lesbianism was rarely mentioned in ancient literature. Likewise...men...burned in their lust for one another, men with men
committing what is shameful. Corinth, the place from which Paul wrote, was
an immoral city with homosexuality being one of its many vices. Also, one of
Rome’s most notorious sins was homosexuality. Paul knew the penalty of their error came in different forms. Today AIDS and
scores of other sexually transmitted diseases are examples of common penalties.
The
Nelson Study Bible – NKJV with notes says the following about ROM
1:27
Homosexuality is sin (Lev.
18:22). In this passage (v.
27),
the point is not that homosexuality is a sin that should be punished. Rather homosexuality itself is the
punishment. Having rejected God and
become idolaters, some, if not all persistent homosexual men &
women have been given over to their shameful
passions (v.
26).
Thus they receive in themselves the
penalty of their error.
1:28. Another step
downward occurred because men did not
like to retain God in their knowledge. There is a word play here in the
original Greek. Man did not like to retain (dokimazo) God, so God gave them over to a debased [adokimon, disapproved]
mind (cf. vv 24, 26). Dokimozo is the verb form from which the
noun dokimos, and its
antonym, adokimos, derive. When
men who
are believers do not approve God in their knowledge, He gives them up to
disapproved minds—we refer to as
the sin unto death. (GNTC)
Romans 1:29-32— 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual
immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness [cruel, wanting
to do harm to someone]; full of envy,
murder, strife [disagreeing angrily or violently], deceit,
evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters
[speaking
badly of someone], haters of God, violent, proud,
boasters [braggarts], inventors of evil
things, disobedient to parents, 31
undiscerning [lack of discernment—lacking the ability to judge well], untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God,
that those who practice such things are deserving of death [sin unto death], not only do the same but also approve of those who
practice them [in
other words, they disregard their conscience, and instead promote immorality]. (Italics added)
The rebound technique is the only problem-solving solution
that functions when the believer is in a state of carnality, a state of sin, or
in other words when
out of fellowship with God. The reason it can function in a state of
carnality is because we are a part of the Royal
Priesthood at the moment of salvation. This is one of the ten unique
factors of the Church-age. A priest functions out of fellowship by using
Rebound. Rebound is recovery of the
Filling of the Holy Spirit, without which there is no Spiritual life. Without
Rebound as a problem-solving tool, it would be impossible to utilize our
portfolio of invisible assets. We can't learn or spiritually
comprehend about these assets or any biblical doctrine apart from the
Filling of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit cannot teach the human spirit when
we are out of fellowship. Why, because we disengaged
ourselves from fellowship with God by committing a sin.
ROYAL
PRIESTHOOD—All believers in the Church-age are royal priests and represent
themselves before God, 1PE
2:5. No
longer is there a specialized priesthood like the Levitical priesthood of
Israel. Every Church-age believer, regardless of race or background is a royal
priest. The royal priesthood is one of the believer’s primary invisible assets.
Without Rebound as the first
problem-solving tool, it would be impossible to
learn and use the others. This is the one that is the most neglected, and the
key to using all the others.
Since this tool is so important to your spiritual growth and
spiritual life, demonic influence (1
Timothy 4:1) activity
could increase to try to get you to not Rebound. Never forget, that Satan’s demons are
instructed to do all they can to keep you from growing spiritually and one of
their favorite techniques is to use your old sin nature to keep you out of
fellowship with God.
·
demon
influence of unbelievers is invasion of the soul through the
doctrines of demons, i.e., cosmic thinking, 1TI
4:1-2, "But the Spirit
explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying
attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a
branding iron."
·
OPTIONAL READING: Demon Influence / Activity –Demon influence is thought transference of Satanic
doctrine to the soul and personality of the unbeliever, or to the believer
living in the cosmic system (1
Timothy 4:1).
It is accomplished through both demonic and human agents, primarily through
demon possession, and secondarily through every mode of communication, in
person to person contact, literature, theatre, music, etc. The degree of demon
influence depends on how long the believer resides in the cosmic system without
the use of confession of personal sin, restoration to fellowship with God, and
the filling by means of the Holy Spirit. Demon influence should be
distinguished from demon possession. Demons are active in and behind some
religious ritual (1
Corinthians 10:20). (Romans
1:18-25; 1 Corinthians 10:14, 19-20-21). Chafer Theological Seminary
Glossary of Terms
Without Rebound as the first
problem-solving solution, it would be
impossible to execute the Pre-designed Plan of God. No one has ever fulfilled
God's plan for the Church-age without consistence in the use of Rebound.
Post-salvation sinning is a contradiction to the Pre-designed Plan of God, but
God in His grace has provided the solution for it. Without Rebound as the first
problem-solving solution, it would be
impossible to become an invisible hero, and therefore a member of the pivot who glorifies God. No one
glorifies God without the consistent use of Rebound.
The pivot is
defined as the accumulation of mature believers living in a client nation, or
under civil government, in a specific geographical location. While a pivot is
composed primarily of mature believers, it may also include those positive
believers whose momentum has carried them into spiritual adulthood.
Technically, the pivot may include all believers who have fulfilled the
principle of virtue first as their first priority in the plan of God [Gods predesigned plan and His bible doctrine must be our first priority
in our Christian lives]. Believers in the
pivot stand out in contrast to believers living in the cosmic system, whose
arrogance from motivational arrogance results in self-righteous and crusader arrogance
[putting political or some other cause as our first priority before
God]. God’s client nation will fall
under blessing or discipline as the pivot increases or decreases
respectively.
The Christian way of life is a
supernatural way of life and demands a supernatural means of execution. The
Christian way of life can only be fulfilled in the power of the Spirit.
Without rebound as a problem solving tool,
the believer will end up being at least nine things:
1)
An enemy of the Cross,
Philippians
3:18-19.
It
distresses Paul greatly that there are believers who live their lives in
opposition to the cross of Christ.
These believers pursue their own self-interest and pleasure and disregard His
call to bear the cross of discipleship. With their mind set on the things of
the world, their pursuit of what is shameful will eventually result in their
deaths. Here selfishness and selflessness are clearly contrasted [differ strikingly]. These libertines selfishly live for
their own self-gratification. Paul selflessly lives for Christ. The libertines [a person who has sunk below the normal moral or spiritual standard;
Synonyms: Backslider, Deviate, Decadent, Perv, Pervert] set
their mind on earthly things. Paul, on the other hand, has the eternal
perspective of Christ’s reward. GNTC
2) An enemy of God, James 4:4.
Materialism,
immorality, and spiritual blindness [being blind to your own blindness] are all components of this wicked
entity and are in sharp conflict with God’s interests and purposes on earth.
James is insistent here (as is the Apostle John in 1
John 2:15, 16, 17) that one cannot be on good terms with
both God and the world. One must choose the side he or
she is really on, and when one opts for friendship with the world, he/she automatically opts for enmity [a deep-seated ill will or being an enemy] with God. He has chosen the status of
an antagonist toward his Maker and Redeemer. This is just like when a married
man decides to engage in immorality with a woman to whom he is not married. In
that very decision he chooses to reject fidelity (chooses to be unfaithful
or not be loyal), to his wife. Thus
in their craving for worldly acceptance and standing, James’s Christian readers
are committing spiritual adultery and renouncing friendship with their Lord. It
may have surprised many of them to hear it put this way, but James’s aim is to
wake them up to the sad depth to which their spirituality and devotion had
sunk. GNTC
3) Haters of God, John 15:23.
COMMENTARY: The sin spoken of in vv 22 and 24 is rejecting and hating
Jesus. If Jesus “had not come and spoken
to them” and had not performed mighty works (“works which no one else did”) among them, “they would” not have been guilty of the sin of rejecting and hating
Him. Failure to believe in Him is the ultimate act of disobedience toward God.
The Judeans hatred of Jesus demonstrated hatred toward God the Father as well,
though they would vehemently [intensely] deny this. GNTC
4) Double-minded, James 4:8.
Split
loyalties, teeter-tottering between your desire to stay conformed to the world rather
than conforming to God’s plan for your life.
5) Anti (against) Christ, 1 John 2:18, 22, 4:3; 2 John 1:7.
1 John 4:3 – “and
every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is
not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was
coming, and is now already in the world.” NKJV –
COMMENTARY by GNTC on 1 John 4:3 - In contrast to “Every spirit that
confesses” Christ is “every spirit that
does not confess” ...Jesus [as] Christ come in the flesh. Such a spirit
exemplifies the spirit of the Antichrist.
John does not say every spirit that denies,
but rather every spirit that does not confess
[does not
teach, profess
or proclaim that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of God]. Heretical
teaching can mask the full extent of its deviation [turning away] from the truth by simply failing to affirm some pivotal
[fundamental] biblical truth. GNTC
·
I
used to run into this principle of deviation [turning away,
misrepresentation] from the truth
frequently in the life insurance business which is considered an intangible
product [can’t see, taste, feel, etc.]
As an example, When I’d get a call from one of my clients saying they
were canceling the mortgage life insurance policy I sold them, I’d make an
appointment with them to review what they purchased to determine what really
was the better product as I had nothing to lose since I had already been paid
my commission; and my council was included in that commission whenever the need
arises. My objective was to conserve the business I had with my client, for his
sake. Far more often than not, the
agent that replaced or was trying to replace the policy was either ignorant of
the full truth about his product or actually deceiving the customer so he would
be easier to sell and replace the policy the customer already had, and of
course the motivation was always the commission that would be received by the
replacing agent; the latter was usually the case. The trick was the difference between straight
line decreasing term insurance verses decreasing term insurance that was tied
to the same rate of decline as the interest rate in the mortgage. The latter which
was replaced had a slightly higher monthly premium payment (motivation to get a
cheaper payment which some agents will take advantage of). However, when I
would visit my client and looked over the policy he had purchased for a cheaper
price I would point out what the pay-off would be in 5 years which would be
many 1,000’s of dollars less than the remaining mortgage he purchased from me;
far less than what the policyowner was expecting his wife would get to pay off
the mortgage if he died. I never lost a case. In essence, the other agent was
the wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing looking for easy pray.
6) Carnal,
1 Corinthians
3:3.“for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and
divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” NKJV
CARNALITY: The state of
which the old sin nature controls the soul [meaning you’ve lost fellowship with God and
your old sin nature is in control] of the believer thereby grieving and even
possibly, quenching the Holy Spirit. This control over the soul is allowed
through the free-will volitional decision of the believer. Carnality is broken
and spirituality is restored by use of the rebound technique, 1
John 1:9.
(RMBM)
COMMENTARY by GNTC on 1 Corinthians 3:1-2, 3. Paul had been
discussing the natural person (the unbeliever) and the spiritual person (the
mature believer). Now he addresses the readers as falling in a third category: And I, brethren could not speak to you as
to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.
Carnal Christians are spiritual
infants, regardless of how long they have been in the faith. They need to be
nourished with milk and not with solid
food. When Paul came to Corinth in about AD 51, he led many to faith in
Christ. For eighteen months Paul taught these new believers the basic and
essential teachings of Christian living so that they might become spiritual
people. Four to five years had elapsed between the time of Paul’s ministry at
Corinth and the time he wrote this letter, but the Corinthians had remained
immature in their faith.
Paul expresses his dismay when he says, and even now you are still not able to receive the solid food of
God’s Word. They had not yet grown into spiritual men and women (cf. Heb
5:14). Their Christian lives
were characterized by envy, strife, and divisions. Paul asks them, are you not carnal (lit.,
“characterized by the flesh”) and
behaving like mere men? The original language expects an affirmative
answer. They may have thought they were spiritual, but their lifestyle revealed
a fleshly mindset (cf. 1CO 4:8, 9, 10). GNTC
7) A
disciple of the devil, 1 John 3:8,
10
8 “He who
sins is of the devil [that is, he is doing the devils work],
for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God
was manifested [appeared, came],
that He might destroy the works of the devil. NKJV
COMMENTARY: Satan’s sinful nature is
shown through the lives of those who belong to him. Jesus’ purpose in coming was to destroy the devil’s works.
A person who sins, even a
believer, is of the devil in the
sense that he is participating in the devil’s activity (2:19). Thus John is
indicating that it is possible for believers to do that which is of the devil (Mark
8:31, 32, 33; James
3:6). Nelson Study
Bible-NKJV
10 “In this the children of God and the
children of the devil are manifest [made known]:
Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God [meaning: believers are not applying the
Word of God to their life], nor is
he who does not love his brother [meaning: again, believers are not applying the Word of God to their life].”
COMMENTARY: Christians manifest [make known] their
nature by practicing righteousness (2:7). Children of the devil display their basic nature by sinning. Believers who sin are not expressing their
nature as children of God; instead,
they are following the devil’s pattern. Nelson Study Bible-NKJV
OPTIONAL READING:
COMMENTARY: by GNTC on 1 John 3:8 & 10
3:8. If believers are
righteous, and sin is not a manifestation of that righteousness, then the sin
all believers commit (1:8) is of the devil, that is, sourced in him. Interpreters who take a
statement like this as the equivalent of saying that a professing Christian is
unsaved miss the point. Since even John acknowledges that Christians sin (see 1:7, 8-9, 10), if he who sins is
unsaved, everyone is unsaved!
John states that the
devil has sinned from the beginning, that is, he is the source of all sin,
and his sinful career dates from the beginning. (The beginning does not refer
here to eternity past, since the devil is a created being and not eternal. The
reference is to the original state of creation as it was when Satan introduced
sin into it (Isa 14:12, 13, 14-15; Ezek 28:11-12, 13a-g, 13h, 14, 15.) To be of the devil
means “to be doing the devil’s work” (cf. Jesus’ words to Peter in Matt 16:23).
Also participation in sin is participation in the very thing
that Jesus came to destroy, because the
Son of God was manifested [came] in order that He might destroy the works of the
devil (cf. v
5, He “was manifested [came] to
take away our sins”).
3:10 - The NKJV takes this statement as a reference to what
follows it (note the colon in its translation). But it is preferable to take
the last half of the verse as the beginning of a new unit.
The words In this
refer backward rather than forward in this context. The use of the words are manifest [appear] in
verse 10 link the statement with what has preceded in 2:29-3:9. The children of God...are manifest [appear to be righteous] by their doing
righteousness. This is not to be viewed as a test of salvation. John’s one and
only test of salvation is faith (cf. 5:1a [NKJV] – 5:1a [NASB] and 5:9, 10, 11-12, 13). Instead, this is
simply a statement about how God’s children do manifest themselves.
OPTIONAL READING: 5.1b can be confusing: Zane Hodges, in his
book “The Epistles of John (Walking in the light of God’s Love),” wrote the
following about 5.1b which says “and everyone
who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.”—Zane’s commentary says: Why do I
love the child of God? Because I love the Father [who is God] of
the child! And if I do not love the child, I am simply lying if I say that I
love his Father [God] (4:20). Italic’s &
brackets added.
Those who see 1 John as a handbook for deciding who is saved and
who is not misuse the book grievously. John is advancing the theme stated in 2:28 that boldness in the
presence of the Lord is offered to those who abide [in fellowship with God,
to the max] in
Him. By abiding in Him, believers can and do manifest [display] themselves as children of God. But those who do not abide do
not so manifest [display] themselves. The reality of their regenerate
inward man remains hidden.
The same principle applies to
the children of the devil. There is no good reason to take this phrase as a
reference to unsaved people generally (see v
8). The term “children of the devil” is descriptive in
nature. In light of 2
John 9, the Christian who has
deviated from sound doctrine about the person and work of Jesus Christ and who
vigorously opposes the truth could be so described. This is no more strange
than the fact that Jesus addressed His own disciple Peter as “Satan” (Matt 16:23). The “child of the
devil” is anyone who does the devil’s work by opposing the truth.
8) Grieving
the Spirit, Ephesians
4:30 (cf. Eph 4:25-32) “And
do not grieve [sin] the
Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” [when our current bodies become resurrection bodies at the Rapture] NKJV; this is a command.
Ephesians 4:25-32 – 25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with
his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not
sin” [keep
anger controlled]: do not let the sun go
down on your wrath [deal with it
promptly], 27 nor give place to
the devil [unresolved anger
will allow the devil to divide believers]. 28 Let
him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands
what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let
no corrupt [rotten] word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary
edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve
the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption [when our current bodies become resurrection bodies at the Rapture]. 31 Let all
bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, (along) with all malice [evil behavior]. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Grieving the Holy Spirit is sinning
from your area of weakness. So, what’s that mean?
The area of
weakness is
the source of all temptation to sin. When linked with negative volition to bible doctrine, this area of weakness results in
personal sin. Remember, it is not sinful to be tempted, but it is sinful to
succumb to that temptation. In other words, your area
of weakness, a part of the old sin nature,
is where temptation comes from, when you commit the personal sin after you’ve
been tempted by your old sin nature to do so; this is grieving the Spirit.
COMMENTARY
on Ephesians 4:30 – The Holy Spirit
of God should never be pushed away, ignored, or rejected. If we would
remember that the One who lives in us is God’s own Spirit, we would be much
more selective about what we think, read, watch, say and do. Note that Paul
acknowledges that evil thoughts and actions are temptations even for those who
are sealed by the Holy Spirit.
Nelson Study Bible, NKJV, Notes.
RQ: Would you do the things you do, say,
and think if our Lord Jesus Christ was standing in front of you?
He is even closer to you than that, He’s
indwelt in you!
9) Quenching
the Spirit, 1 Thessalonians 5:19 “Do
not quench the Spirit.” NKJV; this is a command.
Quenching
the Holy Spirit is the production of human good from your area of strength.
Again, what’s that supposed to mean?
The area of
strength
produces a negative type of good, called human good. This is also called
"dead works" and "wood, hay, and stubble or straw." In other words, your area of strength is when you do good
deeds when you are out of fellowship with God, this is “quenching the Spirit”. Furthermore, whenever you do a good deed when
you are out of fellowship with God, that good deed is not rewardable in time or
for eternity, it’s just wood, hay and stubble that will be burned up at the
Judgment Seat of Christ.
SEE ADDENDUM: Human Good vs Divine Good – passed
out class #4
A good deed done with improper motivation is still wrong and is quenching
the Holy Spirit. Why? Because you are out of fellowship with God when you did
the good deed.
A distinction
must be made between “grieving” and “quenching” the Holy
Spirit. It is grieving [sin] that disengages you from
fellowship with God the Father; quenching the Holy Spirit is doing a good deed when
out of fellowship with God and the good deed will not restore fellowship with
Him; both will keep you out of fellowship which shows there are different
categories of failure. This difference is in relation to the old sin nature,
which is the center of man’s rebellion toward God. Each man’s and woman’s old
sin nature has an area of weakness, which produces personal sins and an area of
strength which generates human good when out of fellowship with God. Grieving the
Spirit is sinning from the area of weakness, and quenching the Spirit is the
production of human good [any good deeds done when out of fellowship with God]
from the area of strength. In EPH
4:30 and 1TH 5:19,
the Holy Spirit is warning us about stepping out of God’s plan; we are the ones
who benefit from staying in the plan, and it is only in the plan of God that
the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed in our lives. Remember,
if you have long or short periods of being out of fellowship, any good deeds
you do during times of unconfessed sin in your life are conscientious deeds but
are not rewardable; they are nothing more than wood, hay and straw; whereas,
good deeds done when in fellowship with God are rewardable and will be
considered gold, silver and precious stone which will not be burned up by fire
at the Judgment Seat of Christ (1CO
3:12-13).
·
COMMENTARY: by GNTC on
1TH 5:19: The first
instruction regarding the church body collectively is this: Do not quench the Spirit. The Holy
Spirit is figuratively [expressing one
thing in terms normally for another, like an analogy] seen as a fire that can
be quenched. Paul is not speaking of the Holy Spirit Himself being quenched,
for that is impossible. Rather, he is speaking of quenching the work He would
like to do in a church. Just as no one would throw water on fire that is
warming the house, so one should not throw water on the work of the Holy Spirit
carried out by the teachers He has raised up to edify the church.
The only way we ever fulfill God's plan
and purpose for our life is through the Ministry of the Holy Spirit, Ephesians
4:22, With reference to
your former lifestyle, you yourselves lay aside [rebound] the old man [sin
nature], you who are becoming degenerate on the basis of the lusts of
deceit.
The mechanics of laying aside the old man are found in two passages: Psalm 32:5b, I said, "I will acknowledge my transgression to the Lord, and You forgave
the iniquity [guilt] of my sin;" and 1 John 1:9
“If we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.” NKJV In
other words, if we acknowledge our
sins, He is faithful and righteous [just], with the result that He forgives our
sins [known sins], and He purifies us from all wrong
doing [unknown sins].
It is important to also
understand that often those with legalistic tendencies become upset because
they think rebound is a license to sin.
Some believers who fail may use rebound for exactly that purpose. But rebound restores the believer to a
position where he can live his spiritual life and serve God, not excuse or
rationalize sin; if the term license is used, it should be used in terms that
rebound is a license for spiritual growth, not a ridiculous notion that it’s a license
to sin. No believer can be in God’s plan
apart from the divine power which comes only through the filling of the Holy
Spirit. Rebound is the only means of recovering from post salvation sin and
regaining the filling of the Holy Spirit.
It is also important to note
the motivational elements of staying in fellowship with God. 2 John 8 says: “Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but
that we may receive a full reward.” The
more time you spend abiding in Christ, the more eternal and temporal rewards
you will accumulate for yourself for eternity future. This warning is not only
to guard yourself from sinning and getting out of fellowship but to stay firmly
away from false doctrinal teaching because if you get hooked on legalism or
turn away you will diminish your reward, even greatly diminish it. This is not to say you will lose all the
reward you have already earned (cf Heb
6:10; Mark
9:41) but that you could be in
danger of not receiving “full reward” (i.e., reigning with Christ in the
Millennium and eternity). A full reward
would be from enduring the abiding in
Christ until you finish this life; with only minimal time out of fellowship. To look on the bright side, abiding in Christ
(staying in fellowship) becomes easier the more you consistently take in the
Word of God and apply it to your life; this is how we glorify our Lord and God which is one of the
primary reasons mankind came into existence.
Example: Most of you have computers or some electronic device. If you only work with the computer once a
week, or just check email, I think it’s safe to say you will never become an
expert in running the device and be able to experience it’s full potential. The
less you use the device, you may even forget most of what you’ve learned; this
would be tantamount to not receiving “full reward”.
Definition and Description of Rebound.
Rebound is a problem-solving tool for the sins of the believer. You cannot live
the Christian way of life without Rebound, because all believers have an old
sin nature. We have an old sin nature with an area of weakness
[succumbing to sinful
temptations], an area of strength
[doing good deeds out of
fellowship],
and a trend toward legalism or antinomianism [one who holds that in the church age that
moral law is of no use or obligation because faith alone is necessary for
eternal salvation—to them it’s a license to sin]. We
all have different old sin natures with different areas and different trends.
On the Cross, all our sins, past, present and future, were imputed [accredited] to Christ, and He received the
judgment for every one of them. He used all the problem- solving solutions (except Rebound because He did not sin)
to remain impeccable.
In 1 John 1:9, Rebound is described as one of our
priestly functions toward God. If we acknowledge [admit, cite, name,
confess] our sins [known post-salvation
sins], He is faithful and
just with the result that He forgives our sins [known post-salvation sins] and cleanses [purifies] us from all unrighteousness [unknown & forgotten post-salvation
sins of ignorance].
SKIP:
The Greek word for acknowledge is homologeo which means to cite a courtroom
case that proves your contention [to state as a fact]. In this sense, we acknowledge, name,
or cite a case [sin] that went to court already: the
judgment of your sins were paid for by Christ
on the Cross. We already accepted this fact when we believed in Christ for
salvation. So we, as Royal Priests, cite, name, or acknowledge our sin(s)
privately and directly to God.
SKIP:The
sins of the believer cause him to be out of fellowship with God and no longer
filled with the Spirit. Naming our sins to God is totally non-meritorious [human response in which
our merit, emotions, or works are entirely excluded.], how we feel about the sin(s)
is inconsequential. We are simply doing exactly what God says to do, which is
to privately acknowledge our sins to God in the privacy of our own Priesthood, that is, with your thoughts directed to God the Father only,
you cite the sin to Him.
SKIP:Illustration: Have you ever
been talking to someone on your cell phone and found yourself talking away and
no one is there? On my cell phone, I’ve
talked for as long as 5 minutes explaining something to someone and didn’t know
I had been cut off. This is what happens
hen, let’s say, you lose it on the freeway and start angrily barking or cussing
at some driver who almost cut you off on the freeway; meaning, you went from
maybe a prayer to God to the sin of total anger instantly when you reacted to
that driver. Instead of the bad outburst of anger, couldn’t you instead have
thanked God that the bad driver didn’t run into you or even cause you have an accident? Which one do you think would be the Christian
way to handle it?
SKIP:There's
a lot of drive for self-improvement in the old sin nature. We may improve, take
vows, try to make it up to God, and if the sin shocks us enough, we may even change our behavior pattern. But none of
that is the Christian way of life; it is legalism.
In 1 John 1:9 the word “sins” refers to personal
sins, specifically to the sins of believers. It doesn't refer to pre-salvation
sins, they were all forgiven and blotted out at the moment of your faith in
Jesus Christ for eternal salvation, Isaiah 43:25; Isaiah 44:22; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians
1:14. The sins mentioned
here are post-salvation sins. Hence, Rebound deals with the problem of
post-salvation sinning, as noted in the context with verses 8 and 10 (i.e.,
1 John 1:8 and 10).
Let’s take a quick look at 1 John 1:8 & 10.
Verse 8 says: If we say that we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Commentary: The false claim is that we have no sin. The idea would be that
our sin nature is completely gone. To say this is to deceive ourselves (see 2
Chr. 6:36a; John 9:41 GNTC). The truth is God’s revelation, which says just the opposite. To
have no sin is to have no need of a Savior, which would make the coming of
Jesus unnecessary. Nelson Study Bible-notes, pg 2140
Verse 10 says: If
we say that we have not sinned, we make Him [God] a liar, and His word is not in
us.
Commentary: we have not
sinned: we may admit to having a sin nature while still denying any
personal sin and therefore any need for confession. The Greek translated we have not sinned indicates a denial in the past that continues to
the present. Unlike v. 8, which speaks
of the guilt of sin or a sinful nature, this verse is about the denial of any
particular sins. To make this denial is
to call God a liar because God’s word emphasizes the penetrating nature
of sin (see Rom. 7:14-24). Denying that sin is in us indicates that God’s word is not in us. In other
words, a person who denies committing sinful acts does not have the Word of God
changing his or her life. Nelson Study Bible-notes, pg 2140
1 John 2:1 says: My little children, these things [vv 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10] I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have
an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. NKJV
COMMENTARY: With fatherly concern, the
aged apostle John addresses his readers affectionately as children, that you may not sin: John’s statements about sin (1:8,
10) were designed to make believers aware of sin’s ever-present danger and to
put them on guard against it. According to Greek grammar, the “if”1 before anyone sins carries the added sense of “and it is assumed
that we all do.” This statement is not
an encouragement to sin but a warning to all Christians to be on guard against
sinful tendencies. Advocate: This Greek word is also used of the Holy Spirit in
John
14:16-17,
referring to a Helper for us in understanding the truth of God’s Word. Here the word describes the intercessory work
[He intercedes] of the Son. When we sin, Jesus represents us to plead our cause in heaven’s court, Satan, on the other hand,
is the accuser of believers (see Zech 3; Rev 12:10). Nelson Study Bible notes.
COMMENTARY: 1 John 2:1 – The
apostle now enters a disclaimer. His words could be wrongly perceived as
discouraging the believer’s resistance to sin [being
a license to sin]. But this is not his
intent. Tenderly he addresses his readers as my little children. (That his
readers are genuine Christians he never doubts anywhere in his letter; cf. 2:12, 13, 14). He does not want his
spiritual children to misconstrue his intention in writing these things to
them. These things (i.e., 1:5-6, 7-8, 9-10) are not written either
to excuse or to encourage sin [a
license to sin]. Instead they are
written so that you may not sin.
Though sin is to be vigorously shunned, it can and does occur in
the lives of believers. So John adds, And
if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ. As our
Advocate, Jesus does not plead with God to keep us “saved.” The many promises
made in John’s Gospel that guarantee the security of the believer stand against
such an idea. Since Jesus’ promises are true and the believer is eternally
secure, there is no need for the Son to plead with the Father not to cast
sinning believers away.
As their Advocate, Jesus intercedes for believers in prayer to
the Father that their “faith should not fail (cf. Luke
22:31-32, 33). Though “the gifts and
the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom 11:29), the faith that
appropriates those gifts is nevertheless subject to failure (cf. 2
Tim 2:18).
Christ intercedes for believers so that this will not happen (i.e., that the believer will not stray from the truth). Grace New Testament
Commentary
This basic mechanic of rebound is the only means of recovering the filling of
the Spirit, it’s the only way you can have restoration to fellowship.
The sins that we confess or acknowledge were judged on the cross. There is no
such thing as a sin in human history that was not imputed to our Lord on the
cross. You have the right as a royal priest to name, cite, acknowledge your
sins to God and be instantly forgiven.
The sin nature's trend toward legalism wants to insert some system of penance.
The legalist wants you to publicly announce your sins, which is wrong; it only
gets other people out of fellowship. The legalist wants you to feel sorry for your sin, and make rash promises about never doing it
again. He wants you to hurt, because the legalistic Christian is basically full
of malice. He wants to injure you; he wants you to hurt. He is disgusted with
you and shocked by you. Therefore, he wants you to burn! That is moral
degeneracy.
Legalism ignores God's grace policy, which means that God did all the work at
salvation. In the execution of the Christian way of life or the pre-designed plan
of God it is accomplished by the omnipotence [unlimited, infinite and eternal power] of God the Father related to our
portfolio of invisible assets, the omnipotence [unlimited, infinite and
eternal power] of God the Son
giving us a day at a time, and the omnipotence [unlimited, infinite and
eternal power] of God the Holy
Spirit who provides the means of understanding the mechanics and execution of
His plan.
The
invisible assets are those divine assets provided by God the Father way back in eternity past for the execution of the
pre-designed plan of God in the believer's life. God the Father found the way
for His justice to provide perfect fantastic blessing to His righteousness
without any compromise of His essence. The invisible assets are composed of
primary, secondary, and personal assets. The primary assets include equal
privilege and equal opportunity under election and predestination [predesigned plan of God]. The secondary assets include
volitional assets, which are achieved through good decisions made from
positions of strength, and the assets of undeserved suffering. The personal assets are
the proper function of every believer’s spiritual gift. It is our invisible
assets that we need to utilize to make our calling and election an experiential
reality, 2PE 1:9-11. In
your portfolio of invisible assets God provided everything necessary for the
function in life, dying, eternity, growing in grace, and the execution and
fulfillment of the predesigned plan of God
Since God the Father judged our sins on the Cross, they've already gone to
court. Therefore, post-salvation sins of the believer must be dealt with through
a non-meritorious function. The most basic problem-solving tool is Rebound, wherein we simply admit or cite or
name or acknowledge our sins to God as believers in the privacy of our
Priesthood [you do this silently with
your thoughts directed to God the Father only].
The basis for the forgiveness of post-salvation sinning is the work of Christ
on the Cross, not the penance of the Christian. No system of penance [paying a penalty for the sins you’ve committed] is a part of Rebound.
SKIP to page
39 Just as there is nothing we can add to faith in Christ for
salvation, there is nothing we can add to the acknowledgement of our sins for
the recovery of our fellowship with God and the Filling of the Holy Spirit.
Both believing in Christ for salvation [eternal life] and simply acknowledging our
post-salvation sins for forgiveness does not require feeling
sorry or any activity of penance or thinking. They (believing & acknowledging)
are totally and completely compatible with God's grace policy. Legalism wants
to help God by adding human works which cancel grace. The moment we believe in
Christ, we possess eternal life, and nothing can change that (John
10:28-29). The moment we
acknowledge post-salvation sins, we are forgiven. Then we recover our
fellowship with God and once again are filled with the Holy Spirit.
God is faithful in every case of Rebound, no matter how monstrous the sin of
the believer may be to others. Legalism does not dictate to God; God always
forgives. There never has been a sin acknowledged to God that has not been
instantly forgiven.
God is "righteous" or "just" to forgive us because that sin
was already judged at the Cross. God is righteous and justified in forgiving us
because He has already judged that sin.
"Cleansing us from all unrighteousness" refers to all the unknown
sins that occur, these are sins of ignorance for which we are held responsible.
Using the rebound technique after we have sinned is the only way to recover
fellowship with God and the only way by which we reenter the predetermined plan
of God.
Legalists demand
that you feel sorry for your sin and change your ways. They always want you to
change your behavior or attitude and if you don’t you’ll lose your eternal
salvation. They want to superimpose their ideas on you. The responsibility of
the pastor is simply to communicate bible truth
about what sin is and isn’t; once the truth has been taught, what you do
with it is between you and the Lord.
However, as
usual, legalism ignores the fact that, under the principle of grace, God does
all the work, and there is no work left to be accomplished by man. God the Father
judged our sins at the Cross as Christ suffered for them. Therefore, “feeling
sorry” or “developing an attitude toward repentance”
is not necessary for forgiveness, since our attitude and emotions are not the
issue in confession. It all depends on your volition, choosing to do things
God’s way instead of your own way (one of those ways
will bring on discipline even heavy discipline and one doesn’t, guess which one
doesn’t, we know it’s God’s
way). Again, what matters in confession of
sin is following instructions. Remember the principle that following
instructions is very difficult for arrogant people when no meritorious act like
penance is required. To have to follow instructions in which your merit and
ability are completely ignored can be very difficult! In confession of sin and
the resultant filling of the Spirit, the issue is the work of God regarding
forgiveness and restoration to fellowship. As always, man can add nothing to
the work of God, whether it be in eternal salvation, rebound, recovery, or
advance to spiritual adulthood.
1JO
1:9, therefore; rebound is not a license to sin,
but rather it is a grace provision for the believer’s recovery of fellowship
with God. The only way to eternal salvation is faith plus nothing; the
only way to the filling of the Spirit is rebound, which is faith plus nothing.
You cannot add to the work of God. You cannot improve on the work of God. God
does not need your help! All God requires is your heart, PRO 23:26, “Give Me your
heart, My son, and let your eyes delight in My ways”—not your ways, but
God’s ways. That is, God’s way of forgiveness and restoration to fellowship is 1JO
1:9.
RESTART Now, if your intention is to
try to outsmart God and be a repeat offender thinking that 1JO 1:9 is a license
to sin, in whatever sin you like to participate in and refuse to apply doctrine
to that sin by way of repentance, rebound will get you back in fellowship but
you’ll be in and out consistently (you are forgiven and fellowship is restored
but then a minute or so later you feel guilty about your non-repentant sin), guilt
is also a sin and boom your out of fellowship again. The issue now is God going to discipline you? The Lord forgives and restores but will also
discipline a person who repeats the sin until the sinner changes his or her
attitude about that sin. You can’t have your cake and eat it too so-to-speak
when it comes to sin. God will
discipline you. Even to the point where
He will turn you over to the sin which is called the sin-onto-death. Even then, a person can recover with
confession and an attitude change [repentance] regarding his/her hardened heart towards his/her favorite
sin.
The principle is found
in Luke 17:3-4 which reads: “3 Take
heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he
repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against
you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying,
‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
A lot of controversy
has developed regarding 1JO 1:9 as being a license for sin. This mostly comes
from the legalistic viewpoint. The fact still remains that when the promise of
1JO 1:9 is applied to post-salvation sin, forgiveness is given and the person
is back in fellowship.
However, all
though fellowship is restored, it may only be minutes before a chain sinner
sins again and is out of fellowship.
Lets look at a
hypothetical example: Drunkenness. A guy
gets totally drunk daily and repeats this over and over and confesses over and
over and does not repent, meaning there is no change in behavior or there is a short
lived change in behavior then the guy quickly reverts back to drinking and
drunkenness. Is the problem that his drinking is stinking or is it his
thinking? Is this where the legalist
says the drunk is using 1JO 1:9 as a license to sin? The fact is, God’s
discipline is most likely the course the drunk will be suffering from in
addition to the guilt of his drunkenness which is self-induced misery [this is in effect double compound discipline]. The discipline and
self-induced misery will not stop until the drunk repents and disciplines
himself to stay away from the booze.
This problem-solving solution (rebound) was
used in the dispensation of Israel, Psalm 32:5, "I
acknowledge my sin to You. Therefore, I will not hide my guilt. I said to
myself, I will acknowledge [admit, cite, confess] my transgression to the Lord, and You
forgave the iniquity of my sin."
The only difference between rebound in the Old Testament and rebound in the New
Testament is that, after rebounding in the Old Testament, you were simply
restored to fellowship with God, and a very few had a restored relationship
with the Holy Spirit. But after we rebound in this dispensation, not only are
we restored to fellowship with God, but we are also filled with the Spirit.
What
are some of the sins we need to confess to God to restore fellowship
with God?
MENTAL ATTITUDE SINS
·
Arrogance
(an attitude of superiority)
·
Pride (inordinate love for self, self admired, fatheaded)
·
Jealousy
(angry feeling of wanting what someone else has)
·
Implacability
(being impossible to please or satisfy,
hardened, being inflexible), PRO 27:20
·
Bitterness
·
Vindictiveness (seeking revenge)
·
Inordinate
Ambition/Inordinate Competition (exceeding reasonable
limits)
·
Fear
·
Guilt
·
Worry
·
Anger
·
Judging
·
Hatred
·
Murder (Christ said if you think it , it is murder)
·
Self-righteousness
·
Lust
(sexually), Porn
·
Covetousness
·
Envy
·
Sexual
immorality
·
Wickedness
·
Perverted
thinking
·
More…
SINS OF THE TONGUE (verbal
sins)
1.
Gossip (telling others known sins and their private details about someone)
2.
Slander (making false statements that cause people to have a bad opinion of
someone)
3.
Maligning (uttering injurious misleading or false reports about someone)
4.
Using God’s name in vain. (example: swearing on a bible to be
truthful so help you God, then lie)
5.
Offensive language around others (even if you don’t know your
offending the other person, it’s still a sin;
remember, no excuses; that’s the “cleansing us from all unrighteousness” in 1 John 1:9)
6.
Lying
7.
Fits of verbal anger
8.
Verbal abuse towards someone
9.
More…
OVERT SINS (also needing repentance, a
change of mind about the sinful activity)
·
Drunkenness
·
Smoking marijuana
·
Shooting heroin
·
Smoking crack
·
Taking any kind of illegal drug (sniffing it up your nose, smoking
it, swallowing it or shooting it in your arm)
·
Adultery (sexual activity with anyone other than your spouse)
·
Fornication (any sex when not married)
·
Murder [this can also be a mental attitude sin]
·
Filthiness and wickedness [all evil] (James 1:21)
·
Road rage
·
More…
SINS LISTED IN ROMANS 1
·
Homosexuality
·
All kinds of wickedness
·
Greed
·
Hateful of God
·
Insolent (rude, insulting, showing no respect of others)
·
Proud
·
Boastful (bragging about your spiritual accomplishments)
·
Inventors of evil
·
Disobey parents
·
Having no conscience
·
Don’t keep promises
·
Show no kindness or pity
·
Unforgiving
·
Unmerciful
·
Haughty (sticking your nose up to others, you think you’re better, smarter
and more important than them)
·
Deceitful
·
Evil habits
·
More…
The
mechanics and momentum of Rebound are fourfold:
Acknowledge or confess it, 1 John 1:9.
Isolate it, Hebrews 12:15, See to it that no one comes short of
the grace of God, that no root of bitterness sprouting up causes trouble, and
through this many are contaminated.
Forget it, Philippians
3:13, Brethren, I do not
evaluate myself to have attained, but I do concentrate on one thing: forgetting
those sins which are behind, and pressing toward those things which are ahead [execution
of the pre-designed plan of God].
Keep moving, Philippians
3:14. I keep advancing
toward the objective for the prize of that upward call from God [escrow blessings – earned rewards & blessings for time & eternity] in Christ Jesus.
The point is that if you're still alive after you name your sins, God intends
for you to move on!
The results of Rebound are as follows:
You are restored to fellowship with God.
You have recovered the filling of the Spirit.
Any discipline related to those forgiven sins is processed in one of several
ways, it can be removed entirely, it can be continued at the same intensity or
be diminished so that you can handle it.
The power that executes the Christian way of life is the omnipotence of God the
Holy Spirit. None of us are capable of executing the Christian way of life,
it's impossible! The whole point of the Christian way of life is that it must
be executed by God's power, for it is “not
by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord.” (Zechariah 4:6).
The Christian way of life is a supernatural way of life that can only be
executed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Problem
Solving Solution Number Two: The Filling of the Holy Spirit.
Under the principle of self-discipline, the believer must
be filled with the Holy Spirit in order to approach Doctrine with objectivity
and concentration. Self-discipline demands that learning overrules
preoccupation with personal problems. The filling of the Spirit helps to
restrain occupation with personal problems during Bible class. ROM
12:3 says, “Stop thinking of yourself in
terms of arrogance beyond what you ought to think.” When you think of your
problems during Bible class, you are operating in a form of arrogance and have
distracted yourself (in other words, when in
bible class, what’s more important, concentration on the Word of God being
taught or concentration on our personal problems]. You might not immediately need what is taught in class
on a particular Sunday or night, but the doctrine that is learned will be
needed at some time. Doctrine is an interlocking, interdependent system of
applying God's thinking to human life; it (doctrine) is the mind of Christ.
The Filling of the Spirit is unique to
the Church-age because this is the first time in history when all believers are
mandated [commanded] to be filled with
the Spirit. However, in the dispensation [in this context it’s the time period between the birth of Christ and His ascension] of the Hypostatic Union [Jesus Christ is true humanity and undiminished deity in one unique
person forever], the Lord Jesus
Christ appears to have offered the Filling of
the Spirit to the disciples. But none of them took Him up on that offer (Jesus’ statement probably
went right over their heads at the time). Jesus said, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy SpiritMT to them that ask for Him?" NKJV (LUK
11:13 MT; MAT
7:11). That verse applied only to the last
dispensation [the Hypostatic Union]; we don't ask for the Holy Spirit
today.
COMMENTARY: Luke 11:13.
The Lord closes the motivational illustration with an argument from the lesser
to the greater. If fallen human fathers intuitively give their children “good
gifts,” God the Father will surely provide “the Holy Spirit” to those who
petition Him (Jesus told his disciples
this before the Church Age began but none apparently asked for the Holy Spirit.
However, in the church age, we don’t petition the Holy Spirit to indwell us,
we automatically were indwelt by the Holy Spirit the moment we believed in
Christ). Belief in Jesus as Savior constitutes the only condition for
receiving the Spirit in the present church age as shown at the home of
Cornelius (cf. Acts 10; Rom
8:9; 1
Cor 12:12, 13). GNTC
FYI: Luke traveled with
Paul, Luke may be the only book written by a Gentile in the bible.
The Believer's Responsibility.
And
do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation [behavior that
shows you are interested only in pleasure, money, etc.; a wasteful expenditure], but be filled
with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord [as believers collectively worship[paying close
attention to WOG when it’s being taught] God with
gratitude, they sing spiritual hymns together]; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear
[respect,
genuinely wanting to please Him with your life; as a child respects his father
so he does not repeat his sins knowing he would get disciplined for it] of Christ. (EPH 5:18-21)
COMMENTARY: Ephesians 5:18-21
5:18.
Paul continues to show what wise living looks like. It is not being drunk with
wine, in which is dissipation. But it is being filled with the Spirit, in which
are many blessings (vv 19-21).
There
are two major opinions on what Paul means by the filling of the Spirit here,
both of which are found in Acts. One meaning is special enablement for special
tasks (cf. Acts
4:31). The other is being spiritual, that is,
spiritually mature. When the believers chose the first deacons, the apostles
said to pick men “of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom” (6:3). To be full of wisdom means to be wise, and so to be full of
the Holy Spirit means to be spiritual.
Paul
might be saying that believers should allow themselves to be controlled by the
Spirit by yielding to the influence of the Word of God on their minds. As wine
influences the mind, so too does God’s Spirit when one is abiding in Christ (John 15:1-2, 3-4, 5). If this is what Paul
means, he is calling believers actively to seek to be under the Holy Spirit’s
influence via the Word (cf. Col
3:16, which parallels Eph
5:19-20). Or he might simply be calling them to be
spiritual, again by allowing God’s Word to have its influence (cf. 1
Cor 2:14, 15-16).
5:19.
The result of being filled with the Spirit, unlike drunkenness, is positive
things. These positives are corporate [all church members] and occur in local church meetings. These include speaking to
one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs (How Great
Thou Art, Amazing Grace, etc.). As
believers worship God together, they sing to God with each other. Music sung to
the Lord must be biblically accurate and must be given with a heart of
gratitude (Col
3:16).
5:20.
Another result of being filled with the Spirit is giving thanks always for (or
“concerning”) all things to God the Father. No matter what the circumstances
are in one’s life, believers know that God is in control and that they can rest
in Him and be thankful even in the difficult times. Believers can be thankful
because they know He works all things together for good to those who love
Him (Rom
8:28). And thanks are to be given in the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
5:21.
The Holy Spirit directs us to submit to one another in the fear of God. There
is a divine plan of subjection that God has for believers, [Pre-designed
Plan of God] and Paul explains
in the following verses just how they can come under God’s order of submission.
GNTC
Again, being filled with
the Holy Spirit is a part of a believer’s responsibility. We do not feel the
filling of the Holy Spirit, but we do experience the results of it. In verses 19-20, 21, Paul gives us insight into three of the manifestations of the
filling of the Holy Spirit: Joy, Thanksgiving, and Humility.
Joy
means having joy in your heart. To sing and make melody in your heart means
that you have a joy that is inexpressible. This doesn’t mean you are singing
all day, but the singing represents the happiness of God in your heart. Psalms
and hymns are only as good as the words that they consist of [obviously,
singing “Who Let the Dogs Out” or “I’m going to just sit here and drink” are not
in the category of songs & hymns this verse is talking about]. Therefore, it is not just singing, or joy that’s in view, but
the content of doctrine that makes it precious. The singing and melody with
your heart is directed at the Lord; this is a beautiful picture of fellowship
with Him.
The
second manifestation listed is thanksgiving. The filling of the Holy Spirit
will result in an appreciation in the believer’s heart for all that God has
done for him, and that results in giving thanks for all things.
The
third manifestation is humility towards one another (Mat
23:11-12).
Matthew 23:11. Second, a disciple of Jesus
is to be a servant of all rather than Lord of all. Greatness is defined by how
well one serves the needs of others (cf. 20:26-27 the measure of greatness
is not position, power or prestiege; it is service).
23:12. Third, the disciples are to have a
different aim. They are not to seek to be exalted [elevated] by
others. If they did, they would be humbled.
Nevertheless they can achieve exaltation [elevation] by God through humility. They are to
leave promotion, position, and titles to God (Luke
14:11; 18:14 cf. vs 13:
both men = the Pharisee was justified the other, the tax collector was not). GNTC
So,
how do we know that we are filled with the Spirit? Well, some of the results
are just that: Joy, Thanksgiving, and Humility. Without the filling of the Holy
Spirit these will not be manifested [experienced or made to appear in your life], which makes a profound, gracious point. You don’t have to try
to be happy, thankful, or humble. You do have to be filled with the Spirit, and
then allow Him to manifest [make visible; make known or
make them to appear in you] these
qualities in you.
These
qualities fall under the fruit of the Spirit. Under the Law
it was the best man could do, under grace it is the best God can do. Between
the Law and grace there had to be a man who could stand in the gap. God chose
Paul who received the revelation in the desert of Acacia. These truths have to
be revealed to the believer by means of the Spirit. Without that you will never
get it because the Spirit is your true teacher. We are reasonably instructed to
be filled with the Spirit. This is supported by the fact that Christ instructed
His disciples that no service should be undertaken before the Spirit came upon
them [i.e.,
teach, study,
good deeds, etc.].
“And behold [now hear this], I am sending forth the promise
of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed
with power from on high [Holy Spirit].”
(LUK
24:49)
And gathering
them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what
the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; for
John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not
many days from now.” And so when they had come together, they were asking Him,
saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He
said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has
fixed by His own authority; but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit
has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all
Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” (Acts 1:4,
5,
6,
7,
8)
NASB
Again, between
the Law and grace there had to be a man who could stand in the gap. God chose
Paul who received revelation in the desert and communicated the full realm of
the ministry of the Spirit and how it is received and applied. However, Paul is
not your true teacher, he is a communicator just like a pastor is. God the Holy
Spirit is your true teacher. The work of the Spirit in and through the believer
has both a positive and a negative pole.
Positive - that which is good [divine good]. Negative - victory over the world,
the flesh, and the devil.
The word of God
emphasizes that we are to be occupied with the positive; the divine good. That
is Jesus Christ operating in this world through His church that has been
cleansed with the water of the Word and the confession of sin. When we are
occupied with the positive, divine good production of the Spirit within, then
the negative will be overcome.
In the positive
the Spirit has 7 ministries to the believer that we have seen briefly, one of
which is the filling of the Spirit. After eternal
salvation it is the filling of the Spirit alone that is directly related to
Christians as the ground and source of the spiritual life. The filling of the
Spirit gives the believer the power to do divine good [Christian service or deeds performed by a believer who is filled with the Holy Spirit.].
This positive aspect of the Spirit (Filling of the Holy Spirit) in the
believer’s life is manifested [revealed] in 7 ways:
-The fruit of
the Spirit; [e.g., joy, humility]
- The function
of the spiritual gift [permanent gifts active in the church age: pastor-teacher, evangelism,
missionary, exhortation e.g. giving spiritual
advice, encouragement, counsel; teaching, administration, giving, showing mercy, and helps.
Temporary gifts were: Apostle, Prophet, healing,
tongues, miracles, casting out demons were only temporary until the canon of
scripture was fully written];
- Praise and
thanksgiving;
- Teaching of
the Spirit;
- Leading of
the Spirit;
- The life of
faith;
- Intercession
of the Spirit [A synonym for the ministry of the Holy Spirit related to God’s
Word. “We know not what we should pray for as we ought...” (Romans
8:26, 27) because we are ignorant of God’s will for our lives and other
peoples lives. Therefore, God the Holy Spirit intercedes for us that we might
understand it through Scripture (1
Corinthians 2:11).].
These 7
manifestations of the Spirit in the Church is not to place an ideal before the
believer in which he is to try in his own strength to realize; rather it is the
presentation to him of that blessed life which he may anticipate as the result
of the Spirit’s operation in and through him.
Let’s look at
the fruit of the Spirit and see how grace operates through the Holy Spirit to
actualize the ideals of the spiritual life within us, and apart from any human
works or merit.
But
I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the
flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the
things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the
Law. (GAL 5:16-18) (Lets look at this another way, the OSN
brings up thoughts and temptations a lot, likewise, the Holy Spirit will also
place understanding thoughts in your
mind but only when you are not controlled by the OSN, you must be filled with
the Spirit for this to happen. Understanding this is actually motivation to
remain filled with the Holy Spirit.)
COMMENTARY:
Galatians 5:16
5:16. The words “I say” then introduces an
application to what Paul has been saying. Much modern teaching on what it means
to walk in the Spirit is inconsistent with Paul’s meaning here in context.
To walk in the Spirit means to “live by faith in the
Son of God, who loved me and delivered Himself for me” (2:20). It is the opposite of living “under
the law” (e.g., v
18 below).
This is not a matter of some special level of
commitment to God. Legalists often are very committed to Him in their own minds
(though they go about the Christian life in their own way, not God’s way). Nor is
it simply a matter of confession of sin in keeping with 1
John 1:9, as legalists
sometimes are diligent in this regard. While walking in the Spirit includes
both commitment to Christ and confession of sins, the point is simply that we
are walking in the Spirit, that is by faith, not in the flesh, that is, not by the law.
The key to victory over the lust [or desire] of the
flesh is by walking in a spiritual manner, by faith. Walking in a legalistic
manner indulges the flesh.
5:17. The word translated lusts here is the verbal
form of the word translated lust in the previous verse. Probably it would be
better to translate it, the flesh [sets its desires] against the Spirit, and
the Spirit against the flesh.
Here is Rom 7 in a nutshell. There is a tension
within each believer. The Holy Spirit moves him to loving service. The flesh
moves him to biting conflict. These are contrary to one another. They cannot be
reconciled. Victory is not found in legalistically satisfying the flesh. Only
by living by faith will the Holy Spirit fulfill His desires in a believer and
produce loving service.
The believer operating on his own resolve and
commitment to fulfill God’s commands cannot do the things that he wishes. Only
by walking in the Spirit, which is living by faith in Christ, can one do what
God, and one’s inner man, wishes to do.
The focus of the Christian life is on the Commander in Chief (Jesus Christ), not the commands.
5:18. This verse has led to much confusion. Many
think Paul is speaking of personal extra-biblical guidance by the Spirit
regarding questions such as whom to marry, what job to take, which house to
buy, and even small things such as which coat to purchase.
Yet the context here has nothing to do with personal
guidance. Led by the Spirit is synonymous here with walking in the Spirit in v
16 or with following
the desires of the Spirit in v
17. This is simply
another way of speaking of the walk of faith mentioned in 2:20.
Saying you are not under the law seems to be out of place.
Why make reference in this context to not being under the Law? To be under the
Law is the same as being under the flesh’s impulses stated in the previous
verse. The Law produces fleshly biting, hatred, jealousy, and the like. The one
who is led by the Spirit, who walks in the Spirit, is not under the Law. Only
by God’s method can a believer please God. GNTC
Under the Law
it was the best man could do, under grace it is the best God can do.
Now
the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity,
sensuality, [adultery, fornication, uncleanness like
being decadent/degenerate, lewdness, indecent
sexual actions],
idolatry [worship of idols], sorcery [witchcraft], enmities [people become enemies and fight], strife [distrust], jealousy, outbursts of anger [they
become jealous, angry, and ambitious; road rage], disputes, dissensions [distant, quarreling], factions
[people separate
into parties and groups], envying [become envious], drunkenness, carousing [get drunk or
ripped and have orgies], and
things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that
those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. NKJV
(GAL 5:19-23)
Inheriting
the kingdom refers to ruling with Christ in His kingdom, not to getting into the
kingdom (cf. Matt
19:29; Rev
2:26). After the tribulation, all believers will
enter the millennium (1
Thess 5:10), but only believers [from the Church Age] who lived for God will rule with Christ.
There
is no system of rules to follow by which a believer may have this fruit, rather
they are manifested [revealed, made known] by the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. The word “fruit”
is in the singular, and there are 9 manifestations listed in of that
fruit. The Holy Spirit isn’t going to give you one and neglect the other 8.
Galatians 5:19-23—19 Now the deeds of the
flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry,
sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions,
factions, 21 envying,
drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as
I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the
kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no
law. (NASB)
Understanding
of the mechanics of the Spiritual life brings believers into unity because it
is all based upon one God through His grace, therefore He, as the Head of the
body, brings us into union with each other. What is your motive? It is not a
thing that you try to get, it is a thing you already possess. You have the “pleroma” or fullness of God.
Your entire Christian life is dependent upon the Holy Spirit. It’s not only the
Spirit, but without the Spirit the plan falls apart. The divine plan for the
believer’s daily life as given in the word of God includes the method by which
that life shall be lived.
Two procedures
are possible, namely: “dependence upon one’s own ability” and “dependence upon
the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.” These
two methods are totally incompatible.
For
the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh;
for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things
that you please. (GAL 5:17)
The Christian
way of life is a supernatural way of life and it demands a supernatural
means of execution. 1) The filling of the Holy Spirit; 2) the metabolization of mystery doctrine of the Church-age;
3) and the execution of the Pre-designed Plan
of God. You are called to walk in a manner worthy of your high election after eternal salvation and you cannot do it. You must
admit that you cannot, that you are powerless, and that only God can do it
through you. The Gospel as well is a revelation from the Spirit is by means of
grace though faith, not of works that no man should boast (Colossians
2:6 [NKJV link] ¶ Therefore as you have received Christ
Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, (NASB)").
Application
in the spiritual life is always a manifestation [demonstration of the power and purpose]
of the Holy Spirit who uses the doctrine in
your soul (note:
if there is no doctrine in your soul, the Spirit has nothing to work with).
So, recognize this, expose yourself to the teaching of the word of God on a daily
basis, keep short accounts of your unconfessed
sins and confess them, and then sit back and enjoy the ride. All the eloquence
in the world is not going to reach the hearts of men. Only God the Holy Spirit
can do that. In fact, as you try to reach people with the gospel or with
doctrinal truths it can be very difficult if they reject the Spirit. When this
occurs, don’t fight against them or try to bully them with your knowledge,
instead turn it over to God who is the only One who can soften a man’s heart.
Switch gears from talking to the person and go to God in prayer.
“And
whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified
in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My [Jesus’]
name, I will do it.” NASB95 (John 14:13-14)
COMMENTARY: John
14:13-14. These verses are not a promise that all prayers of Christians
will receive “yes” answers. Jesus gave a condition for answered prayer. He said
one must pray “in My name...that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” That
means praying in accord with Jesus’ character and nature. Prayers that are
inconsistent with Jesus’ character and nature (e.g., praying for success in
smuggling drugs or I want a Bently just like the one that just drove by) are
obviously not guaranteed a “yes” answer.
If
a person prays that God will be glorified through his hardship, then he knows
he will receive a “yes” answer. A believer may die or suffer terribly from
hardship, but if in doing so God is glorified, then he has done the right thing
and will be rewarded accordingly at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Other
conditions to answered prayers are not specifically mentioned here, but are
implicit in what Jesus says. Other conditions include keeping His commandments
(cf. John
15:7; 1 John 3:22) and praying in accord with
God’s will (1
John 5:14). GNTC
The whole concept of the Filling of the
Spirit goes back to the principle that there is no human attribute [essential characteristic],
no system of human success, no talent, no system of works, no system of any
kind whereby we have the ability to execute God's plan for our lives. Just as
we had no ability to be saved, so we have no ability to execute God's plan in
our own energy. We have to be filled with the Spirit before anything we do for
God is counted as gold, silver, and precious stones! All Christian production
is a result of Spirituality on the one hand and Spiritual growth on the other.
We do not achieve Spirituality by works, anything we can do, by any sacrifice,
or by any system of giving. Spirituality is the
work of God the Holy Spirit when He controls our life.
There are two approaches to the Filling
of the Spirit: 1) The issue of who controls our soul, and 2) The issue of
whether our soul resides in the Pre-designed Plan of God or in the cosmic
system.
At salvation, God the Holy Spirit
indwells the body of every believer in order to create a temple, a place of
residence, for the indwelling of Christ as the Shekinah
Glory. The indwelling of Christ is a
guarantee of great blessings. So the believer's body is indwelt by God the Holy
Spirit, but it is also indwelt by the old sin nature. The issue is who controls
the soul, the Holy Spirit or the sin nature?
The old sin nature is the source of
temptation while the Holy Spirit is the source of the Spiritual life, through
the enabling power of the Spirit.
When the Holy Spirit controls our soul,
we are said to be Filled with the Spirit. But when our volition succumbs to
temptation and we sin, then the Holy Spirit is either grieved or quenched, and
no longer controls our soul. In carnality, the old sin nature is now back in control.
At salvation God the Holy Spirit enters
us into union with Christ forever. This is the doctrine of positional truth and
eternal security, and the basis for the new Spiritual species (new creature).
Positional
truth: The Church-age believer in Christ is positionally
superior to all angels, including the chief fallen angel Satan, because of his
[believer] union with
Christ, HEB
1:4,
13-14, 2:9, 10, 11. It is in our
position in Christ that God sees us, and it is how we are to view ourselves. We
are not to dwell on our condition! Positional truth is equivalent to positional
sanctification in which God the Father is completely satisfied with the work of
Christ on the cross. It is composed of retroactive positional truth and
current positional truth. Positional truth is our guaranteed relationship
with Christ in the Church-age, and it is the key to understanding the Church-age
and the royal family. It is the basis for distinguishing between Christianity
and religion, and it is the truth concerning the born-again believer who has
been entered into union with Christ by means of the baptism of the Holy Spirit
at the moment of eternal salvation [faith alone in Christ alone]. RMBM
Retroactive
positional truth means to be identified with Christ in His
death and burial. This position divorces the believer from sin and evil as well
as the power of the old sin nature because he is crucified and buried with
Christ, ROM
6:4, 6. Not only is the believer identified with Christ in death and
burial, but also in resurrection, ascension, and session (current positional
truth) as God replaces the old position (retroactive) with the new position
(current), EPH
2:6. RMBM
Eternal
security means that a believer is saved at the moment
of faith in Christ and that salvation can never, ever be taken away (John
10:28-29). At the moment of eternal salvation God imputes [credits] His absolute
righteousness to every believer and declares him righteous or justified, ROM
3:21-28. If God excluded from eternal salvation
anyone who possesses God's own righteousness, He would have to deny Himself and
contradict His own pronouncement of justification. Therefore, once saved always
saved; our eternal salvation is as
strong as the essence of God Himself! RMBM
New Species (New Creation) The Church came from the perpetuation of the great power
demonstration of the Hypostatic Union into the great amount of Divine power available to all born-again believers of the Church-age. The Church demands a new spiritual species
for the calling out of the royal family of God and its utilization of all
divine power. The new spiritual species originates from regeneration at
the moment of salvation and is created through the mechanics of the baptism of
the Holy Spirit, 2CO
5:17. It is important to note that the new creature [human spirit] is a brand new creation that has never existed before and it
is not an improved or upgraded form of the old creature [human body], ROM
6:3, 4,
5,
6. RMBM
Human Spirit – Mankind was created as a trichotomous being,
having body, soul, and human spirit. The human spirit is the immaterial part of
man designed by God to convert, to store, and to utilize spiritual phenomena (Romans
8:16 [the Holy Spirit joins with our human spirit in testifying to God
the Father that we are His children]; cf. Romans
9:1; 1
Corinthians 2:14). Because
of spiritual death [separation from God] and the imputation [crediting] of Adam’s Original Sin to each
human being, all are born into a dichotomous [body & soul] state,
lacking the human spirit. The human
spirit is created by the Holy Spirit at the
moment a person expresses faith alone in Christ alone and passes
from spiritual death to Spiritual Life (John
3:6). This is regeneration. The human spirit is corruptible and
correctible, (1
Thessalonians 5:23). Human
viewpoint—the opposite of divine
viewpoint—is any attitude regarding
any subject without the benefit of, and perspective gained from, Biblical truth. Human viewpoint is the viewpoint of the
immature Christian, who has little ability to understand God’s plan for his
life. Chafer Theological Seminary (CTS) Glossary
When we make a decision to sin, we grieve the Holy Spirit and instantly lose fellowship with God and enter into the devils
cosmic system. Once in the cosmic system, we are no longer controlled by
the Holy Spirit, we are living under the energy of the flesh.
The Filling of the Spirit is an
absolute state of being in fellowship with God. You are either filled with the
Spirit or you are not. There is no such thing as a graduated concept of
Spirituality. You are either in fellowship or out of fellowship, Filled with
the Spirit or grieving and quenching the Spirit. Spirituality and carnality are
an either/or situation.
Spiritual growth is a graduated concept;
Christians confuse the relative concept of Spiritual growth with the absolute
concept of Spirituality.
Under the Pre-designed Plan of God,
there are two categories of experiential Christianity,
1) the absolute concept is Spirituality
versus carnality,
2) the relative concept is Spiritual
growth versus reversionism [backsliding].
Spiritual growth is relative and graduated, either progressive [moving forward, spiritual
growth] or retrogressive [moving backward or
declining growth]. As a new believer, we start out as a
Spiritual baby. If we make progress through learning &
applying doctrine, we advance to adolescence and then to Spiritual
adulthood [Spiritual self-esteem, Spiritual autonomy, Spiritual maturity].
Or we retrogress through the eight cycles of reversionism [yes, there are cycles,
this is another study in itself].
Reversionism is an act of reversing or
turning in the opposite way. As believers we were designed to execute the
predesigned plan of God. But in reversionism we turn the other way and
cannot be distinguished from our pre-salvation status. We are believers
thinking human viewpoint. Reversionism is the act of reverting to a former
state, habit, belief, or practice of post-salvation sinning. Reversionism
is a reversal of your priorities, your attitudes, your
norms and standards, your affections, the object of
your personal love accompanied by the destruction of your impersonal love, and
the change of your manner of operation and personality.
Progression is the believer's advance
in the execution of the Pre-designed Plan of God. Retrogression is the
believer's failure to execute the Pre-designed Plan of God, resulting in
reversionism and cosmic involvement.
SKIP
The Filling of the Spirit is classified
by the one word Spirituality, and it is an absolute. Either we are filled with
the Spirit and in fellowship with God, or we are grieving Holy Spirit [you have sinned and are out of fellowship] and/or quenching [doing good deeds out of fellowship] the Spirit and out of fellowship with
God. When you are out of fellowship, you may shock yourself by sins you commit,
but you can never lose your eternal salvation (John
10:28-29). You cannot commit
a sin that cancels the work of God at salvation. There is no such thing as
percentage or relative Spirituality. There is percentage or relative growth or
failure; but the believer is either 100% spiritual or not spiritual at all.
Progress in the Pre-designed Plan of
God includes Spiritual childhood, adolescence, and adulthood in its three
categories. In any stage of growth at any moment, a believer can and does sin,
we will never be free from sin in this life.
Failure to advance
spiritually or decline spiritually (retrogression)
in the Christian way of life leads to reversionism in which the believer has had a negative reaction to Bible doctrine or
distraction from Bible doctrine. Here there is failure to function under
post-salvation perception, metabolization and application of Bible doctrine [Bible truth].
As a result, the believer goes for a frantic search for happiness. Where the
search goes depends upon the trend of the old sin nature, either toward
legalism or toward lasciviousness [usually refers to sexual matters like being lustful or lewd in a
way that is unacceptable in polite society]. When the frantic
search for happiness dead-ends, the believer is in worse shape than when they
started. This can lead to the emotional revolt of the soul [a deceitful heart, desperate wickedness] and then permanent negative volition
toward doctrine, and hence the total and complete neglect of perception of
Bible doctrine. Once this occurs, there is blackout of the soul and scar tissue
of the soul.
Blackout of the soul is a deep stage
of reversionism which is the status of the believer with negative volition to
doctrine (bible truth), and it
results in his complete involvement in the cosmic system.
Scar tissue of the soul, also known as “hardness
of the heart,” is the result of prolonged residence and function inside the
cosmic system, John
12:40. Negative volition towards doctrine results in the inhale of
cosmic viewpoint into the soul. After prolonged exposure, this cosmic viewpoint
clogs the soul with scar tissue and halts the circulation of metabolized Bible
doctrine.
Emotional
Revolt of the Soul: JER 17:9-10 says:
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked: who can know it? 10 I
the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to
give every man according to his ways, and
according to the fruit of his doings. KJV
The emotional revolt of the
soul centers around two words found in this passage, the “heart” [mind] and the
“reins” [kidneys—emotions]. Although they are literal organs in the body, they
generally do not refer to the physical organs when they are used in the Bible.
Since there is no vocabulary word in either the Hebrew or the Koine Greek for
certain functions of the soul, such as the “emotion,” or the Koine Greek for
certain words such as the “emotions,” words of anatomy which have parallel
functions in the soul have been substituted. The words translated “belly,”
“bowels,” and “reins,” refer to the emotions of the soul [hence the term,“I can feel it
in my gut”].
“Heart” is usually the designation for the “right lobe” of the soul. Since we are using language of accommodation to explain certain terms;
rather than using the word “heart” we are substituting it with “right lobe” to
avoid any misunderstanding with the pump.
The soul has essence,
which is composed of six characteristics.
First of all, it has self-consciousness;
the element that makes you aware of your own existence. The soul also has mentality contained in the two frontal lobes. The left
lobe of the soul, translated “mind” from the Greek word “nous,” is the
perceptive lobe. This is a staging area
from which, for believers, doctrinal information is transferred to the human
spirit and then to the right lobe of the soul.
The right lobe is the dominant lobe and is designated by two different
words in the Greek: “kardia” (heart) and “noema” (understanding or thought). It is the area referred to in Proverbs 23:7, which says, “For as he
(a person) thinketh in his heart (right lobe), so is he.” KJV. “Heart” in the Hebrew refers to the divinely designated
authority of the soul vested in the heart or right lobe of the mentality of the
soul.
The right lobe has four
areas: 1) a frame of reference with a memory center; 2) a vocabulary; 3) norms
and standards, called the “conscience;” and 4) viewpoint. The frame of reference is the place where you
store information. It is where you keep
memories about people—people you love, people you dislike—all kinds of people. It
is the place where you store your attitude towards country, toward life, toward
your job, etc. When you began to think, you began to develop norms and
standards. You have norms and standards
about what is right and wrong, what things are proper, and so on. Some of your norms and standards may be compatible
with God’s and some may not. Bible
doctrine provides you with information whereby you can develop divine norms and
standards.
The viewpoint is a
combination of what you have in your frame of reference plus your norms and
standards. You have a viewpoint about
everything in life. The believer’s viewpoint must have doctrine to launch into
the soul and into experiences in life.
Another characteristic of
the soul is volition. This means that you are capable of making
decisions, and you are responsible for all your decisions. The soul has emotions. We will be examining the emotions in our study of the
“reins.” Every soul, since the fall of Adam, has an old sin nature, or Adamic
nature, designed in scripture by the terms “flesh” in Romans
8:3, 4, And “old man” in Ephesians
4:22. The sin nature has an
area of weakness which produces personal sins, an area of strength which
produces human good, a lust pattern, and trends toward asceticism and
lasciviousness [legalism and immoral activity] which are the
distorters of the soul. (Excerpt is from the book: Emotional Revolt of the Soul, pg
1-3; by R.B. Thieme, Jr.).
The Holy Spirit is the real secret in understanding doctrine. This grace
process for perception and metabolization totally eliminates human I.Q. as an
issue. One can be a genius in human I.Q. (brainiac) and understand no doctrine and have
no Spiritual growth. We can be a few points above a moron and grow spiritually
to maturity. Divine I.Q. has no limitations, thanks to the Ministry of God the
Holy Spirit. The filling of the Spirit is the basis for the function of all the
problem-solving solutions. It is not only the
basis for learning doctrine, but it is the only way the problem-solving solutions can function. This gives a new connotation
to our use of “faith-rest,” the third problem-solving tool.
For while the Old Testament believers had “faith-rest” available for their use,
they did not have the Filling of the Holy Spirit.
Yet we have “faith-rest” with the Filling of the Spirit, which gives it a
fantastic dynamic and power.
Problem Solving Tool Number Three: The
Faith-Rest Technique.
The Faith-rest technique
is the means of claiming the promises of God and applying them to our
experience. We can utilize promises in both the Old and New Testament.
Faith-rest is also the means of application of Bible doctrine to experience.
But a new aspect to the Faith-rest technique
that is unique to the Church-age is that, for the first time in human history,
God the Holy Spirit can fill
every believer. This gives tremendous dynamics (power) to the Faith-rest
technique.
God the Holy Spirit had a limited
Ministry to those in the Old Testament dispensations, this was called
enduement. For example, Elijah had the enduement of the Spirit [being clothed with the Spirit as apposed to a church age believer
being indwelt and filled with the spirit],
and in fact he prayed for a double portion of it.
David as a ruler had the power of the
Spirit. When he committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband,
Uriah the Hittite (2 Samuel 11:1-27), he prayed "take not Your Holy Spirit
from me."
So, one could lose the Holy Spirit by
stepping out of line in certain ways in the Old Testament. But we cannot pray
that prayer today, for we are always indwelt by the Spirit. And we need only
Rebound to recover the Filling of the Spirit when we sin. Remember that the
Christian way of life in the Church-age emphasizes the ordinary believer. He
can become extraordinary by the use of the greatest assets that have ever been
made available. The ordinary Church-age believer has greater assets than the
greatest Old Testament believers ever had. The Faith-rest technique is the means of claiming the promises of
God and applying them to our life. It is the means of the application of Bible doctrine
to experience.
Most of our use of the Faith-rest technique
occurs when we are Filled with the Spirit. But the Faith-rest technique can also be used in Rebound when we are out
of fellowship. Having the faith that God “will forgive us our sins and cleanse
us from all unrighteousness” while out of fellowship is the use of the
Faith-rest technique when claiming the promise in 1
John 1:9.
There are three stages to the faith-rest
technique:
Stage
one is mixing the
promises of God with faith. This is for new believers in Spiritual childhood. Hebrews 4:2b, But the Word [doctrine] they heard [the
Exodus generation] did not profit
them, because they did not mix it with faith.
Heb 3:7 –
4:10
Be Faithful [possibly
the Apostle Paul wrote Hebrews]
7 Therefore, as jthe Holy Spirit says: (the following is a quote from Ps 95)
k“Today, if you [written
probably to Jewish Christians]; will hear His
voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion [Exodus generation had been given a warning by God],
In the day
of trial in the wilderness, [40 years]
9 Where your fathers tested Me [God], tried Me,
And saw My
works forty years [manna].
10 Therefore I was angry with that generation,
And said,
‘They always go astray in their heart [the thinking part of the sole, where one exercises faith or unbelief],
And they
have not known My ways.’
11 So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall
not enter My rest [the promised
inheritance in the land of Canaan and rest from their enemies].’ ”
12 Beware [warning], brethren
[again,
he’s writing to Christian Jews], lest there
be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but
2exhort [encourage] one
another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened
through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become
partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the
end, 15 while it is said:
l“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not
harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
Failure of
the Wilderness Wanderers
16 mFor who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out
of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry
forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, nwhose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And
oto whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but
to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not
enter in because of punbelief.
The Promise
of Rest
4 Therefore, since a promise remains of
entering His rest, alet us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was
preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit
them, 1not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. [New Covenant Christians have been offered a far superior good
news–the privilege to reign with Jesus. In both cases, however, a response of
faith and obedience is required].
3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said:
b“So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall
not enter My rest,’ ”
although the works were finished
from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has spoken in a
certain place of the seventh day in this way: c“And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; 5 and again in this place: d“They shall not enter My rest.”
Rest is to be enjoyed by those
who complete their works [devine good] (as God modeled).
Works—those done in faith through the enabling Holy Spirit—are what believers
should be doing faithfully (cf. John 14:12; Eph
2:10; 2
Tim 2:21). Faithfulness in doing the good works God has ordained [ordered] for us is related
to ruling with Christ after His return (cf. Rev
2:25-26, 27 ). Just as God rested after His creation
work, so this greater rest is offered
to believers who faithfully endure and complete their works (note Heb
4:10). GNTC
6 Since therefore it remains [since God has
promised that some will enter this rest] that some must enter it, [that is, the opportunity to successfully receive an
inheritance in God’s ultimate Sabbath rest—or what we are calling “faith rest” remains available to New Covenant
believers (that’s the Church Age), unless they disqualify themselves] and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of
disobedience,
The believers of the Exodus
generation were the recipients of marvelous doctrine. For the first time, they
heard all the great doctrines related to their dispensation. But they did not
mix those doctrines with faith. So stage one is claiming promises pertinent to
specific situations. God's promises are marvelous and it is the most relaxing
thing in the world to enter into God's rest.
Stage
two is claiming actual
doctrines, like the essence of God rationale [The essence of God rationale for eternal security is based on the attributes
of God. Because of His immutable, eternal, infinite
attributes, God cannot and will not cancel the
salvation of any believer, no matter how disgusting or evil that believer may
be.], the logistical
grace rationale [have faith that God will supply all your needs,
physical and spiritual],
and the Plan of God rationale [have faith that God has a plan for your life and
it is all spelled out in the Word of God].
This requires some Spiritual advance in doctrine.
God
is a person, and as a person He has personality, self-consciousness, as well as
self-determination. God recognizes Himself as a personality and as such, He
thinks, He decides, He acts rationally. God is perfectly motivated, He is
perfectly rational, and God has never performed any deed of any kind that was
not absolutely, totally, and completely perfect in keeping with His perfect
mentality, as well as His perfect motivation. Whether we are looking at God
from the standpoint of what He does, or what He thinks, or how He is motivated,
it all adds up to perfection. Each member of the Godhead has the same amount
of sovereignty [total reigning power over everything], eternal life, holiness [integrity],
omniscience [all knowing],
omnipotence [all powerful],
omnipresence [(everywhere present], and
immutability [unchangeable or changeless].
They are co-equal, they are co-eternal, and when they are regarded from the
standpoint of their essence, God is said to be One. “Hear, O Israel!
The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!” (DEU 6:4-5). This has always been the case, and there never was a time in
eternity past when this status-quo did not exist. Furthermore, these
members of the God-head perform certain functions which differentiate persons
in the Godhead.
I
suppose “man”, only as a believer could also be considered to be one in
essence, we are also three in one; i.e., we are body, spirit, and soul.
Logistical grace is
defined as divine planning, divine support, divine provision, and divine
blessing, given by God to every Church-age believer, whether a winner or loser
believer, for the execution of the predesigned plan of God. Logistical grace
includes everything that you would need to fulfill the plan of God for your
life. It is food, water, clothes, shelter, air to breathe, a Bible, a
pastor-teacher, etc. Logistical grace is a free gift by God’s grace that
originates from His Justice and is imputed to the very Righteousness of God in
every Church-age believer.
Predestination [a modern day term is: Pre-designed Plan of God] is one of the many assets in
our portfolio of invisible assets [blessings in time for both time & eternity]. Predestination [Pre-designed Plan of God] is the provision of the
sovereignty [total reigning power over everything] of God for every believer in eternity past to execute God's
plan, purpose, and will for your life. God provided for you, under
predestination [His Pre-designed Plan for the life of every believer], everything you need to execute His plan. However, this
does not mean that God violates human free will, but that God (in his omniscience) has predestined [pre-designed] a plan for each believer that
they can accept by faith or reject by negative volition.
Stage three is where faith makes
doctrinal conclusions, so that faith is in control of the situation. At first,
you use the Faith-rest techinque to handle the
charge of the mosquito [the reactor factors you
experience daily], something which
prayer cannot handle. Prayer does not stop the charge of the mosquito [the little pressures of
everyday life], but the Faith rest
technique does. This prepares you for suffering for blessing when you face the
charge of the elephant [the very big pressures of
the Christian way of life].
Only in this dispensation do we have
the combination of the Filling of the Spirit and the Faith-rest technique.
Scriptural Promises.
HEB
4:1, 2 3 admonishes [urges] us to look at the
Exodus generation (paraphrased), Therefore, let us fear, while a promise
remains, of entering into His rest that any of you should come short
of it. For indeed, we have the good news proclaimed [preached]
to us (as they did also); but the word they heard did not profit them,
because those who heard it did not uni mix it with their faith. For we who have
believed enter the rest.
The "rest" for the Jews was
to get into the land and safe from their enemies,
the rest for us is to be free from worry, anxiety, and the emotional sins.
Verse two addresses the question of after salvation - what? The Jews were
believers as we are, but they malfunctioned in post-salvation perception,
metabolization and application of Bible doctrine. To "enter the rest"
in verse three means to claim the promises of God, then believing the doctrines
of God so that they can be metabolized from gnosis (knowledge) into
epignosis (knowledgeable wisdom).
Psalm 37:4-5, Delight
yourself also in the Lord, and He shall [will] give
you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; Trust also in Him, And
He shall [will] bring
it to pass. NKJV. Occupation with
the person of Christ results in getting the desires of our heart [thinking part of the
mind/soul]. Why the heart [thinking part of the
mind/soul]? Because if we delight in the Lord,
our heart [thinking part of the
mind/soul] is filled with lots of doctrine, and
all our norms and standards and desires have changed to match God's Word.
Proverbs
28:25, An arrogant person stirs up strife [disagreement, friction, conflict], but he who trusts in the Lord will
prosper. NASB. This means there is
prosperity from the use of the Faith-rest techinque.
Proverbs
29:25, The fear of the man builds a snare [trap], but he who trusts in the Lord will
be exalted [promoted]. NASB. Here the Faith-rest drill is related to
Spiritual promotion in our life.
Proverbs
3:5-6, Trust [conscious dependence on
God]
in the Lord with all of your heart [thinking part of the
mind/soul];
And do not lean on your own understanding. In all of your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight [smoothes out your paths making
them straight paths for you / you can sit back and enjoy the ride]. NASB.
The right lobe is where you have all
the doctrine, this means you have advanced to where you have some doctrine you
can claim as well as promises. "Do not lean on your understanding"
means don't try to work it out yourself.
2 Corinthians
5:7, For we walk by faith and not by sight.
Here is the Faith-rest techinque plus the
Filling of the Spirit. However, unless you love God you cannot claim ROM
8:28, all things work together for good,
because they don't unless you love God. The verse says, to those who love God,
He works all things together for good. Love for God the Father and occupation
with Christ are the highest problem-solving solutions.
So this verse includes the Filling of the Spirit plus the Faith-rest technique
plus the advance to Spiritual adulthood.
Romans
8:31-32, If God be for us, who should be against us?
He who spared not His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not
with Him freely give us all things?" The all things is the provision
of the Pre-designed Plan of God, our portfolio of invisible assets.
· The invisible assets are those divine assets provided by God the
Father way back in eternity past for
the execution of the pre-designed plan of God in the believer's life. God the
Father found the way for His justice to provide perfect fantastic blessing to
His righteousness inside us all
without any compromise of His essence. The invisible assets are composed of
primary, secondary, and personal assets.
o The primary assets include equal privilege and equal opportunity
under election and predestination.
o The secondary assets include volitional assets, which are achieved
through good decisions made from positions of strength, and the assets of
undeserved suffering.
o The personal assets are the proper function of every believer’s
spiritual gift.
· It is our invisible assets that we need to utilize to make our
calling and election sure, or an experiential reality, 2PE
1:9-10, 11.
o
2 Peter 1:9-11 9 For he who lacks
these qualities
is ablind or short-sighted, having
forgotten his bpurification from his former sins. 10
Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His acalling and bchoosing you; for as long as you
practice these things, you will never cstumble; 11 for in this way the
entrance into athe eternal kingdom of
our bLord and Savior Jesus
Christ will be cabundantly dsupplied to you. NASB
· In your portfolio of invisible assets God provided everything
necessary for the function in life, dying, eternity, growing in grace, and the
execution and fulfillment of the predesigned plan of God.
1 Corinthians
10:13, Testing has not
caught up with you except the human kind; moreover, God is faithful, who will
not permit you to be tested beyond your capabilities, but with the testing will
also provide a solution [a way of escape, i.e., the ten problem-solving solutions], so that you can carry the pressure.
· 1
Corinthians 10:13 - No temptation
has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not
allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will
also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Problem Solving Solution Number Four: Grace
Orientation.
Grace is God’s free gift of
unmerited [undeserved] favor.
Grace is all that God is free to do for man on the basis of the saving
work of Jesus Christ on the Cross; also the
gracious work of God on behalf of man even when man deserves the exact opposite
(Romans
5:8; Rom
5:10; Rom
5:20). Man, through his own effort
and work, can never accomplish or achieve the favor of God. CTS
Grace orientation
is being oriented to the grace policy of God through the inculcation [teaching or influencing persistently and repeatedly so as to
implant or instill an idea, theory, attitude, etc.] of bible
doctrine [i.e., bible truth; Word of God]
under genuine humility [Humility is teachability
and the antithesis or opposite of arrogance! Humility is the ability to not
think to highly or to lowly of oneself, but to know that one must be taught by
a pastor-teacher to live the spiritual life. Without humility there can be no
reception of truth! Without reception of truth there can be no spiritual
growth, hence no spiritual life. RMBM] and the teaching ministry of God the Holy Spirit. The
grace-orientated believer does not judge others and always offers other
believers privacy while minding his or her own
business! (Example: first church experience) Grace orientation
offers to others the very grace that God offers to you! RMBM
There are two categories of grace in
God's policy for mankind. In category one, grace is extended to the unbeliever
through the salvation work of Jesus Christ on the Cross, this is saving grace.
In category two, God's grace is
extended to the believer through the Pre-designed Plan of God for the dispensation of the Church. Under category two
grace, there is Grace orientation as a problem-solving solution
related to both understanding God's policy and relating it to the Christian
life and to others. The prevalence (commonness) today of Christians
sticking their noses into other people’s business shows no Grace orientation at
all. There's no grace in the common trend to slander or malign anyone else. Many Christian people today don’t want to give anyone
the benefit of the doubt. If we have nothing good to
say of someone, we shouldn’t say anything. Anything said about someone that is
demeaning or derogatory towards that person should not be spoken or written.
Besides, it’s far better to be occupied with Christ than to be occupied with correctly
or incorrectly discerned sins of others.
Category
one, saving grace, is
defined as all that God is free to do for mankind on the basis of the salvation
work of Christ on the Cross. When Jesus said, "It is finished," that
means nothing can be added to faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Saving grace
is called the total work of God, because each member of the Trinity contributed
to salvation.
God the Father is the author of the eternal salvation plan, God loved the world so much
that He gave His uniquely-born Son," John 3:16. God the Father is
also the judge, for He judged our sins after He imputed [credited, attributed or ascribed to Jesus Christ all the sins of
the world; past, present & future]
them to Jesus Christ on the Cross.
God the Son is the Savior, and so is
the object of faith for salvation. He provided Eternal salvation through being
judged for our sins on the cross, called His
substitutionary spiritual death [during those 3 hours of
judgment on the cross, Jesus was separated from God the Father for the first
time ever as all the sins of the world were poured out on Him and judged; only
His humanity suffered spiritual death
(spiritual death means
separation from God the Father; even for 3 hours),
[His deity was never separated from God].
God the Holy Spirit reveals the work of
salvation. This is called the convicting [convincing] work of the Spirit in John
16:7, 8,
9, 10, 11. The only sin God the Holy Spirit uses
in his conviction ministry at salvation is the sin of unbelief, "concerning sin, because they do not
believe in Me." NASB John 16:9
The way of Eternal salvation is (exclusively) by faith in Jesus Christ totally apart
from human works, human talent, human ability, human self-righteousness, human
commitment, or making Christ Lord of all.
Category two, post-salvation grace, is all that God
is free to do for the Church-age believer. Post-salvation grace is totally
divorced from any system of human works, human merit, human ability, human
behavior, human talent, human emotion, or any form of human power. God's plan
is totally grace, which means we cannot do anything to enhance it! Yet today
and throughout the Church-age, no organized Church or denomination
has correctly taught: after salvation, what? The Reformation [a religious and political movement of
16th-century Europe that began as an attempt to reform the Roman Catholic
Church and resulted in the establishment of the Protestant Churches] did not clarify the issue. Right down to this very moment in
Theological Seminaries, few people know what it means to live the Christian
life. Most of them think it means morality. Morality is for the entire human
race, unbelievers can be moral, and anything the unbeliever can do is not a
part of the Christian way of life. What the Holy Spirit can do for us is far
greater than morality. Moral people live under the laws of divine
establishment, which are for believer and unbeliever alike.
Grace is the function of the attributes
[divine characteristics]
of God on behalf of each Church-age believer as Royal family. Grace is always
the work of God, not the work of man. The work of God is so perfect and so
great that God does not need our help; we need His (which can be a problem because
we more often than not, don’t want His help (at least when we are in the baby
stage of spiritual growth, new, baby believers and adolescent believers have a
tendency to want to continue doing it themselves; that is, our way rather than
His way. I don’t think we literally want
to displease our Father in heaven in doing deeds our way, I think much of the time we are out of
fellowship when we do something considered divine good but don’t realize that
we are out of fellowship until after the good deed is done. Does that make sense? If so, we need to be
more observant of ourselves to be certain we are in fellowship with God so the
Holy Spirit can effectively teach us).
Under the divine policy of grace, everything depends on who and what God is,
never on who and what the believer is.
Under the divine policy of grace, everything depends on the ability of God;
nothing depends on the ability of the believer. God has found a way to bless
the worst of believers as well as the best without any compromise of His
attributes (divine characteristics), this is the study of Logistical
grace. No attribute of God can be compromised or jeopardized in providing
blessing for the believer. Therefore, divine blessing comes from grace which
excludes any form of human merit, human works, self-righteousness, feelings,
emotions, or any other activity of man.
Under the divine policy of grace, only
the ability and power of God obtained through the
filling of the Holy Spirit and taught by the convincing ministry of the Holy Spirit
can meet the needs of the helpless believer, and therefore provide
answers and solutions to the problems of life.
Grace is further defined as the genius
of God directed toward mankind. Bible Doctrine
is the manifestation [visible representation] of that genius. Our
positive, non-meritorious response, to that grace is the glorification of that
genius [In other words, when we don’t try to use any kind of human power
but only the filling of the Holy Spirit thereby using the Spirits power, we
glorify God, Jesus and the Spirit].
In salvation or category one grace [saving grace],
the non-meritorious response is simply personal
faith in Jesus Christ.
In the Pre-designed Plan of God for the
Church-age, category two grace, cognition by grace [you can understand and
believe God’s Word via the convicting
ministry of the Spirit],
Spirituality by grace [growing spiritually under
His grace and applying or living what you have learned], execution of the Pre-designed Plan
of God by grace [only while in fellowship
with God can you initiate, activate or
restore His plan for your life, you must do it with the power of the Holy
Spirit, not human power],
and glorification of God by grace are the non-meritorious responses to God's
grace. God can only be glorified by grace. If the glory goes to God that means
God has done the work, and that's grace. REPEAT!
Invisible God plus invisible assets plus invisible power equals invisible
heroes. Before an invisible hero is formed, it all adds up to the work of God.
Grace is all that God is free to do for each believer and be consistent with
His own divine attributes [characteristics - Sovereignty, Righteousness, Justice, Love 1, 2, 3, 4;
Eternal Life 1, 2; Omniscience; Omnipresence; Omnipotence 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; Immutability; and Veracity-ask me if you want the bible support verses as there wasn’t room
in pop-ups].
Logistical grace support is given to
all believers. This Logistical grace support and blessing is imputed [credited] to both winner and loser believers
alike, as part of the equal opportunity of election. Logistical grace support
and blessing is sent from the justice of God to the indwelling righteousness of
God [the real you inside].
And it is not sent on the basis of any human merit of any kind on our part. The
principle is that divine justice can only bless divine righteousness.
Logistical grace
is defined as divine planning, divine support, divine provision, and divine
blessing, given by God to every Church-age believer, whether a winner or loser
believer, for the execution of the predesigned plan of God. Logistical grace
includes everything that you would need to fulfill the plan of God for your
life. It is food, water, clothes, shelter, air to breathe, a Bible, a
pastor-teacher to instruct and even show you
how to live the Word of God, etc. Logistical
grace is a free gift by God’s grace that originates from His Justice and is
imputed to the very Righteousness of God in every Church-age believer.
The holiness or integrity of God is
composed of two merging attributes [divine characteristics] that form into one: the perfect and
eternal justice of God, and the
perfect and eternal righteousness of
God [God’s righteousness and God’s gift of eternal life are synonymous
terms; Paul’s favorite term for eternal life was righteousness in the book of Romans;
John’s favorite term in the Gospel of John for righteousness was eternal life
or everlasting life].
In blessing mankind through the policy
of grace, divine justice is the guardian of the attributes of God; divine
justice is the believer's point of contact with God. In the function of God's
holiness or integrity, righteousness demands righteousness, and justice demands
justice.
God cannot accept anything less than
perfect righteousness, and God cannot bless anything less than perfect
righteousness. Consequently, the justice of God is the source of all direct
blessing from God. Grace demands that God must be consistent with His own attributes
[characteristics - Sovereignty, Righteousness, Justice, Love 1, 2, 3, 4;
Eternal Life 1, 2; Omniscience; Omnipresence; Omnipotence 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; Immutability; and Veracity-ask me if you want the bible support verses as there wasn’t room
in pop-ups]. Therefore, God is only free to bless
where someone has been the recipient of His perfect righteousness; that someone
is anyone who believes in Jesus Christ.
The imputation [crediting] of divine
righteousness to the believer at his/her point or moment of faith in Christ is
absolutely necessary for any blessing from the justice of God. Therefore, the
justice of God administers what the righteousness of God demands.
The expression of Logistical grace is
found in many passages, Matthew 6:33, "But
seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness [imputed through faith in
Christ], and all these things [blessings listed in the
Sermon on the Mount]
will be provided for you."
The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)
will not be operational until the Millennium [the 1,000 year reign of
Christ]. In this message [Sermon on the Mount],
Christ presented Himself as the Messiah, and He presented the lifestyle that
will exist in client nation Israel in the Millennium. At the moment of personal
faith in Jesus Christ, the righteousness of God [eternal life] is imputed [credited] to each believer. We
are blessed undeservedly, because we have the righteousness of God.
The
imputation of divine righteousness provides three things.
1) Justification.
Justification means a judicial act of vindication [to be cleared from guilt, blame,
criticism, separation, etc.—acquittal:
set free from being condemned to the lake of fire]. We are born under condemnation,
being spiritually dead [separated
from God from birth to belief in Christ for eternal life]. Justification is an official
judicial act that occurs every time anyone believes in Christ. God the
Father was satisfied with the substitutionary spiritual sacrifice of Jesus
Christ and by means of Christ’s efficacious [root=effort] work on the Cross the divine
righteousness of God is imputed to every born again believer at the moment of
eternal salvation. Simultaneously the Father sees the righteousness in us (2
Corinthians 5:21) and
His justice pronounces us justified (Romans
3:23-24). Justification
therefore guarantees a relationship with God forever and also guarantees our
perfect standing as holy and blameless in His eyes forever (Romans
4:4-5; Romans
5:1; Romans
8:29-30; Galatians
3:24; Titus
3:7). There is also a justification for reward and blessing, which comes
on the basis of the application of the mind of Christ in your thoughts, your words, and your deeds, which James refers to as a
“justification from works” (James
2:21-22, 23-24).
2) It provides the grace mechanics for blessing
all believers, winners and losers, through logistical grace.
3) The personal love of God: as unbelievers, God had Impersonal
love 1, 2 toward us. Now that we have His own
righteousness, God can love us personally.
The pattern for grace is established at eternal
salvation, and remains consistent with all post-salvation function inside the Pre-designed Plan of God.
Category one grace is taught in Ephesians
2:8-9, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves
it is a gift from God [we cannot do anything to
earn our eternal salvation];, not of works, lest any man should
boast [Paul is saying that even our belief in God does not originate in
ourselves; this too is a gift so no one can take pride in their position as a Christian].
The two important words are grace (charis) and faith (pistis).
The saving work of Christ on the Cross excludes any form of human works, human
penance, human repentance, and anything meritorious. Faith is the total absence
of human merit. Salvation is the work of God, and therefore it excludes
anything that man can contribute or add to faith. The only means of eternal salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ, and
faith alone with nothing added.
Attempting to get Eternal Salvation by works is blasphemy [speaking evil, slanderously or disrespectfully of God]. Most of the works added are added
through legalism. Christians have added prohibitions [making things illegal]
that include sins they think are incompatible with the plan of God, sins that shock
them. But the point is that no sin is compatible with the Pre-designed Plan of
God.
SKIP DOWN
TO: page 82
In order to determine whether or not
you are saved, you must determine whether the first time you believed in
Christ, you simply believed in Christ and added nothing else [John 20:30-31 tells us
what we are to believe about Christ]: 30 And
truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are
not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may [will] have life [eternal life] in His name. [John guarantees that when we
believe that Jesus is the Christ we have eternal life].
For if you later believed in Christ and added something to that belief, like making a
commitment, you're still saved though very mixed-up. But if the first time you
believed in Christ you added making a commitment, then you are not saved
because you added to the work of Christ on the Cross.
Salvation through "making Christ
Lord of all," is salvation by works. Christ is Lord of all the moment you
believe in Christ, because the Baptism of the Spirit enters you into union with
Christ. The erroneous belief in salvation through morality or through keeping
the Mosaic Law is taught in Eph 4 and Galatians
2:16a-c, d Knowing
that a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but by faith in Jesus
Christ, even we have believed in Christ that we may be justified by faith in
Christ and not by observing the Law, because by observing the Law, no one will
be justified.
Romans 3:28, Therefore,
we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law.
Those who advocate [teach] eternal salvation through "repent [confess your
sins] and believe" mean they want you to feel sorry and/or guilty for your sins and believe in order to
be saved, this is wrong. The Greek word metanoeo, sometimes used in
connection with salvation and repentance, means to change ones mind. And it is
the convicting [convincing] work of the Holy Spirit that changes
our mind toward Christ before we believe. So it's a part of the doctrine of
common grace, and it prepares us for salvation by giving right information so
we can change our mind about Christ. No one has ever believed in Christ without
repenting, that is, in the sense of changing
his or her mind about Christ. But it does not
mean is to feel sorry for sins. One of the most
inconsequential [unimportant, insignificant,
minor] things in life is
how you feel about your sins; it is only what God thinks about them that
counts. God the Father showed how He felt about our sins when He judged them on
the Cross.
Salvation through emotional experience is wrong. Although you may have a great
experience at the point of your salvation [some say the removal of
all sin at our point of faith in Christ is a great lifting experience, they
felt a large load of sins and guilt lifted of them], it has nothing to do with your
actual salvation. You are saved only by faith in Jesus Christ. You may feel
terrible with a hangover and believe in Christ, and you are saved. You may feel
elated and believe in Christ, and you are saved. How you feel has nothing to do
with salvation.
Eternal salvation by water baptism is totally wrong. Being dunked in a tub of water doesn't
affect eternal salvation
or change your life. The purpose of water baptism, when it was legitimately
practiced before the completion of the Canon [New Testement], was to teach
retroactive positional truth [to be identified with Christ in His death and burial, divorced from sin, evil and the power of the old sin nature
because he [that was you]
is crucified and buried with Christ] Rom
6:4, 6. Eternal salvation has never been given to anyone by performing a ritual. Ritual is
designed to teach doctrine, but no one has ever been eternally
saved by a ritual. Salvation isn't administered by man, by a ritual which man
performs; eternal salvation is the work of God
and it occurs at the very second you simply believe in Christ [nothing more, nothing less].
Salvation by psychological activity
includes jumping through a psychological hoop, raising your hand, or walking an
aisle. You can't be saved by some posture. And to have people come forward so
you can "follow up on them" implies God cannot follow up on them.
Salvation by invitation whereby you
invite Christ into your heart is colossal gall! Jeremiah 17:9
says, the heart is deceitful above all
things and desperately wicked. Nor do you invite Christ into your life.
There's no such thing mentioned in the Bible as
"inviting Christ" anywhere.
You go to Christ for salvation; He doesn't come to you. This is a blasphemy
that is misleading.
The passage in Revelation (REV 3:20) from which some derive this idea is
a reference to rebound and fellowship with God. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man will open, I
will come in and dine with him." Christ knocks through Rebound and
when we rebound we have restored fellowship with God.
COMMENTARY - Revelation 3:20 Through their sinful attitudes and actions the Laodicean
believers had shut the Lord out of their lives. Now in His mercy and grace He
seeks fellowship with anyone there who “hears His voice and will open the
door.” Christ’s invitation here is not for lost sinners to believe in Him for
the free gift of eternal life, but for His disobedient children to get close to
Him once again. If any of these lukewarm believers did open the door to Him,
Christ promises, “I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”
This is a promise that they will enjoy close fellowship with Him once again.
(GNTC)
No one has ever been saved by good conduct or good behavior.
So there's no such thing as Lordship salvation, or commitment salvation, or
discipleship salvation, or even inviting Christ into your heart or into your
life. In fact, Roman Catholics believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior, and
that He died on the cross for their sins. But, they add to that faith a whole
category of works as also being a prerequisite for their eternal salvation.
Therefore, they are not saved unless at one point they only believed in Christ.
The only condition for eternal salvation is a non-meritorious condition which is compatible with God's policy of grace.
So it's important to understand that we cannot add anything
to faith in Christ and have eternal salvation,
because when we add anything we are giving merit to ourselves. For example, people
boast, "I invited Christ into my heart, I made a commitment, I made Christ
Lord of all, I repented, I was baptized, I had a rosy glow." All these add
something and attempt to help God. All this is legalism and not grace at all.
So the only condition for eternal salvation which is non-meritorious is
personal faith in Jesus Christ, whose substitutionary Spiritual death on the
cross provided all the work for salvation.
Eternal salvation is a free gift compatible with grace. It
is attained by faith alone.
Legalism is the enemy of grace, man intrudes into the grace
policy of God with self-righteousness, works, good behavior, self-improvement,
emotional-ism, ritual, and talent.
Ritual is a non-thinking person's way of worshipping, but it
is not worship at all. The only ritual we have today is the Eucharist [the Lords Supper, Communion].
Anything added to faith in Christ (for
eternal salvation) becomes a contradiction to the divine policy of grace.
Legalism is salvation by works.
Legalism is spirituality by works.
Legalism is crusader arrogance, trying to improve the
devil's world, as per post-millennial theology.
Legalism is human plans substituted for the Pre-designed
Plan of God.
Legalism always wants to invite Christ somewhere for
salvation. Such a person therefore assumes Christ is in his life and he becomes
very self-righteous. We are saved by believing in Christ, not by inviting
Christ anywhere.
Grace and legalism are mutually exclusive at salvation.
Grace and legalism are mutually exclusive in the Christian way of life. They
cannot coexist in any category, whether at salvation or in the Pre-designed
Plan of God.
Legalism in salvation is man seeking to gain the approbation
[praise or recognition] of
God through his own works or production; this can be called the Cain syndrome.
Legalism is the believer seeking to gain the approbation of
God through his own works.
Grace in eternal salvation is the work of God.
The ten problem-solving solutions all function
on a grace basis. The problem-solving solutions
of the Pre-designed Plan of God cannot function where legalism is practiced by
Christians.
So grace is the policy of God in blessing mankind totally apart
from any creature merit.
RESTART:
Grace is not an excuse to take what we want in life.
Therefore, grace must not be rationalized. Grace must not be distorted so as to
bring reproach [disgrace] on
the name of Christ which is tantamount [equivalent] to blasphemy. Grace is the policy of God to sustain and
regulate our lives under the Pre-designed
Plan of God. As Church-age believers and Royal Family of God, we must
avoid superimposing our personal desires on God, and making stupid demands in
the name of grace. This is an insult to the wisdom of God. What He has already
provided in grace is far, far greater than anything for which we could ask. He
has given us "exceedingly abundantly above all we could ever ask or be
imagining."
Under the grace policy of God, every believer has equal
privilege and equal opportunity for the execution of the predesigned plan, resulting in the manufacture of
invisible heroes and the glorification of God. Grace is the divine policy for
using the baptism of the Spirit to create a new spiritual species. God has
provided for us in grace the most fantastic divine power. Grace is the divine
policy for keeping both winners and losers alive under Logistical grace. Grace
is the divine policy for providing equal privilege and equal opportunity, for
making each one of us a Royal priest and a Royal ambassador. Grace is the
divine policy for the manufacture of invisible Christian
heroes and the glorification of God.
Therefore, we cannot squeeze grace into the narrow confines
of human viewpoint, but we utilize grace through the wide expanse of God's
thinking through the perception, metabolization, and application of Bible
doctrine. We do not distort grace to comply with our lusts or our concupiscence
[strong desire—usually sexual], but we expand our horizons through
the perception of doctrine and the function of the ten problem-solving solutions.
Grace does not give us what we want; grace gives us
something far greater: what God wants, something far better than anything we
could think of or imagine. Grace is dependence on God's wisdom rather than on
our own desires and lack of wisdom.
Again, no one can retain 100% of what’s
being taught in any class like this, you need to reread this lesson at home a
few times; when you do, meditate on all the subject matter we’ve discussed
today. Of course, be certain you are in
fellowship with God so the Holy Spirit can teach you the things you may have
missed getting understanding of during the discipleship class.
Problem Solving Solution Number Five:
Doctrinal Orientation.
Essentially, Doctrinal Orientation to
the Pre-designed Plan of God for your life is
the function of post-salvation perception, metabolization and application [living it] of Bible doctrine. Perception (gnosis= knowledge) and metabolization (epignosis=understood
& believed doctrine)
always result in confidence. This confidence can be classified in the Bible in
several ways.
Confidence can be classified as
spiritual adulthood in its three stages,
Spiritual self-esteem: Spiritual
self-esteem is cognitive self-confidence and the beginning of effective
function of the ten problem-solving solutions of the pre-designed plan of God
for the Church. It is that virtue of God’s plan whereby the believer’s
confidence is based on Bible doctrine; and the believer’s respect for self is
linked to grace-orientation. Spiritual self-esteem is the believer’s dependence
on God’s grace provision for stabilizing self and integrating self into God’s
plan for the Church-age believer, EPH 3:12 12 in whom we have
boldness and access owith confidence through faith in Him.. Spiritual self-esteem is the foundation for the stability
of the Christian life, and it is the believer's dependence on God's grace
provision for stabilizing self and integrating self into the predesigned plan
of God. This is the first stage of spiritual adulthood.
Spiritual autonomy: Spiritual autonomy is a
continuation of contentment or +H [sharing the happiness of God] as a major
problem-solving solution. In spiritual autonomy the believer has become
spiritually self sustained having maximum love for God and impersonal
unconditional love for all mankind. It is the second stage of spiritual adulthood.
Spiritual maturity: Spiritual
maturity is the third and final stage of spiritual maturity. It is accomplished
by the believer who has advanced in the spiritual life by executing [living] the predesigned plan of God in
his or her own dispensation. This advancement to the high ground of spiritual maturity is attained after the
believer passes many tests of undeserved suffering [e.g., loss
of wealth, loss of health, loss of a job at age 50, anything that causes
undeserved suffering] and the various
momentum tests. Spiritual maturity has nothing to do with sinless perfection,
which cannot ever be realized in this life, but is characterized by virtue
developed by an attitude of perseverance despite many failures. The mature
believer has attained to the measure of the fullness of Christ, EPH 4:13 3 pTherefore I ask
that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, qwhich is your
glory. NKJV The life of the mature believer
is also known or referred to in some church groups as the super-grace life, JAM 4:6 6 But aHe gives a greater
grace. Therefore it says, “bGod is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” NASB
Confidence can also be referred to by
the Greek word elpis which is always translated hope, but in the English
language hope implies doubt and uncertainty. However, elpis means
confident expectation; it can also mean confident
assurance.
Hope [confident expectation] is an expression [personal
response] for Doctrinal
orientation, an extension of faith or confidence into future things. So elpis
in the New Testament means to have confidence in something in either the near
future or the distant future. When hope is directed toward Bible doctrine and
the Pre-designed Plan of God, it becomes confidence in the sphere of
anticipation or expectation. Hope is confidence in what is attainable in the
Pre-designed Plan of God. Therefore, hope cannot be divorced from the function
of post-salvation perception, metabolization and application of Bible doctrine.
Hope [confident expectations)
becomes motivation for momentum and advancement
in God's plan, purpose, and will for your life.
The unbeliever is described in Ephesians
2:12 as "having no hope and without God in the
world."
When the believer faces the death of a
loved one, 1
Thessalonians 4:13 describes his
attitude, "We do not grieve as
others who have no hope." When our loved ones die, if they are
believers we know we will see them again. That is confidence in something in
the future. If on the other hand, we know that our
loved one professed to be an unbeliever (we
can never really know if someone is not saved when they die, only God knows),
we understand that as humans, all humanity has equal opportunity to hear the
accurate Gospel and that God does not interfere in our free will choices.
Hope [confident expectation] is defined in relationship to
doctrine in Hebrews 11:1. Throughout Heb 11, the Greek word pistis means what is believed, or
doctrine believed.
In fact, doctrine [bible truth]
is the reality from which we receive hope, the proof of matters not yet being
seen. Doctrine is the reality, the legitimate expectation as we progress in the
Pre-designed Plan of God.
Hebrews
11:1 - Now faith is the substance of
things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. NKJV
COMMENTARY: Let’s see
what the GNTC has to say:
11:1. The author begins by defining faith and the value it has.
He says it is the substance of things
hoped for. The word translated substance is quite flexible in meaning, but
in this context it probably stresses the confidence or assurance that one has in
something (cf. the synonym in 10:35). This active sense
would fit the description of faith in 11:6 as something that believer’s
do that pleases God (cf. v39). Also this is
consistent with the author’s concern in 10:38 that believers “live by
faith” (i.e., be confident in what God has said and act accordingly).
The word translated evidence
would better be understood as “a conviction about” something. The NIV’s
translation is accurate: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and
certain of what we do not see.” In light of the examples cited the author has
in mind an assurance about things God has revealed or called a person to do
(not things one wishes to happen).
Hope (confidence in bible truth)
is a problem-solving solution as a part of
Doctrinal orientation. Romans 12:2, With reference to hope, be rejoicing;
with reference to pressure, stand fast. Persist in prayer.
Romans 12:2 - 2 And do not
be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind [retraining your brain],
that you may prove what is
that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. NKJV
COMMENTARY: Let’s see what the GNTC has to say about Romans 12:2. Negatively, Christians
are commanded to not be conformed (cf. 1 Peter 1:14 the only other use of
this word in the NT) to this world.
Rather, positively, believers should be
transformed by the renewing of [their] mind. Christians should actively seek to be influenced and changed
by the Spirit through God’s Word. This occurs as believers prayerfully read and
meditate on God’s Word privately and as they hear it [or read it] taught when assembling
with other believers for worship and instruction (cf. Rom
8:5-6, 7).
Once believers begin to be transformed they may prove that God’s
will is good and acceptable and perfect
(i.e., complete). As the minds of Christians are renewed, they come to see that
God’s will for their lives is better, more enjoyable, and more satisfying than
any plan they could have come up with.
Romans 15:4, For many doctrines as have been
written before [in
the Old Testament canon]
were written for our instruction in order that, through perseverance [steady
persistence, in this context, learning and living bible truth] and encouragement from the
Scriptures, we [Church-age
believers] might have hope [confident
expectation]. In other words,
hope has always been a problem-solving tool for
believers in every dispensation.
Romans 15:4 4 For whatever things were written
before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort
of the Scriptures might have hope. NKJV
COMMENTARY: Let’s see what the GNTC says about Romans 15:4
After quoting from the Psalms
69:9, Paul explains the
purpose of using OT Scripture. It serves
to teach one how to behave. As a result
of learning the Scriptures the
believer will gain patience to
overcome adversities and find comfort
in times of distress. This cultivates hope (cf. 5:2-3, 4, 5; 8:20, 22, 23, 24-25; 15:12, 13) which gives believers
confidence to live in unity now as a foretaste of what will come at a later
date.
Lamentations
3:21-23, 24-25: This
I recall to mind; Therefore, I have hope. The Lord's gracious functions never
cease [grace orientation]; His
compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness.
The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I have hope [confidence] in Him [occupation with Christ].
The Lord is good to those who trust in
Him [faith-rest technique], to
the soul who seeks Him [doctrinal orientation].
Notice that as a result of recall or
the application of metabolized doctrine, the believer has confidence. Being "new every morning" means we
are to live a day at a time as a part of God's plan for all dispensations. The
only way you can seek God after salvation is through the perception and
metabolization of Bible doctrine.
Jeremiah 17:7,
Happiness belongs to the person who
trusts in the Lord [one who is devoted to the
Lord and His Word], and whose hope [confidence] is
in the Lord [occupation
with Christ].
Psalm 71:5, For You are my hope [confidence], O Lord God, my confidence from my
youth.
Romans 15:13, Now
may the God of hope [confidence]
fill you with all happiness and
prosperity [escrow
blessings for time & eternity] in
believing, that you may abound [be abundantly supplied] in
hope [fulfillment of hope 2—the
believer has confidence that by persistent metabolization and
application of doctrine, he will reach maturity and receive fantastic blessings
in time.] by the power of the Holy Spirit.
COMMENTARY: Romans 15:13
– Paul
concludes the nonessential issues section begun in 14:1 with a benedictory
prayer. He asks God as the source of all hope to fill believers
with joy and peace (14:17) by believing in the hope,
which guarantees a future day of unity that Jews and Gentiles (cf. vv 9-10, 11-12) will share. One’s
behavior should exemplify this unity now in light of that future day. This hope, like that mentioned in 14:17, comes by the power of the Holy Spirit.
This verse also concludes the section (Romans 12:1-15:13)
dealing with the practical aspect of the gospel that reveals specifically God’s
perfect will that exhorts [strongly urges] believers to serve in
all aspects. Only the justified can experience gospel-life by serving others in
love.
Paul concludes his letter with a Manual for Ministry by giving
believers specific exhortations [strongly urging us] on how to behave in key
relationships within the church and the world (Romans 12:1-15:13). GNTC
Job 4:6, Is not your fear [reverence, awe, love]
of God your confidence, and the integrity of your ways your hope [confidence]?
When you are executing the plan of God, you have hope [confidence],
which is absolute confidence in the fulfillment of His plan in your life.
Romans 5:5, And
hope [confident expectations] does not disappoint, because the love
of God [virtue-love/impersonal
love]
has been poured out within our hearts
[thinking portion of our brain]
through the Holy Spirit who was given to
us.
The GNGC says this about Romans
5:5
- Paul
further adds that this hope does not
disappoint or, put to shame. The hope produced by suffering (vv 3-4) will
not presently allow us to be put to shame (cf. Rom
9:33; 10:11). Paul’s reason for
Christian confidence is because the love
of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to
us. The Holy Spirit...given to us at the moment of
justification (8:9) aids us [by constantly encouraging us in our hope or confidence in God] in life and suffering (8:13-39 see below).
Extra
Optional Reading – GNTC notes; home work.
Skip to
page 93.
Romans 8:13-39 - 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will; but if by the
Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as
many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you
did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit
of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit
Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and
if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we
suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
Romans
8:12-14. Up to this point Paul showed how believers are not debtors to the flesh. That is,
believers do not have to live according
to the flesh (like unbelievers; 8:1,4-5) because they have
resurrection power to overcome the deadly power of sin.
Paul now explains two
possible outcomes believers will experience depending on their choice. If you live according to the flesh you will
die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
The Reformed-Calvinist view is that the one who lives according to flesh is unregenerate. The Arminian view is that
Paul is presenting a real warning to believers to live holy lives or the
believer will forfeit eternal life and die
eternally. Neither view fits the book or the context.
First, Paul is not
expressing a warning, but is explaining the believer’s victory over sin by the
resident power of the Spirit. Second, Paul uses the term brethren in v 12, a term he uses for believers throughout
the epistle (except in 9:3). Third, 7:7-24 and 8:1-12 demonstrate
the possibility of a regenerate person to live after the flesh. Not once does
Paul imply that the one who lives according to the flesh will forfeit or prove
they do not have eternal life. Fourth, Paul’s use of the terms die and live refer to physical, not eternal, life and death. Eternal life
is freely given to all who believe in Jesus for it.
Paul now describes believers
who stop obeying their evil disposition (v 13). Only mature believers
(implied by the term as many as)
that are led by the Spirit can
rightly be called sons of God.
There are two different
aspects of beings sons of God in
Paul. Positionally all believers are sons
of God by virtue of faith in Christ (Gal 3:26). Yet, experientially
only those believers who walk according to the Spirit, who are led by Him, are
manifesting their identity sons of God. Paul
refers to the latter here.
8:15-17.
Believers did not receive the spirit of
bondage again to fear, because they received
the Spirit of sonship (huiothesias is
best translated as sonship, rather than adoption;
cf. vv 18-23). The idea of sonship (cf. vv 14-15,17-22)
refers to the OT Jewish view of the adoption rights or benefits of the
firstborn that now belong to all believers. One of these benefits is to call
God “Abba, Father,” in times of
need. Paul uses huiothesias in 9:4 to refer to the benefits or
advantages that belonged to the Jews. Thus believers have nothing to fear because they received a Spirit of sonship with all the benefits that pertain to
it (Gal 4:5). But believers must live obediently to receive the double
portion that belongs to them from birth; not squander it as Esau did (Gen
25:34; Heb 12:16-17).
The Spirit Himself aids believers in crying out to God. He bears witness with our spirit that we are
children of God. Many view this verse as saying the Spirit internally
witnesses to believers of their
eternal salvation. But the Greek compound verb summartureœ conveys the meaning of bear witness with (NKJV), not bear
witness to. This is not an internal witness of the Spirit to us that we are
saved. Rather, the Holy Spirit joins with our spirit in testifying to God the
Father that we are His children. This fulfills the OT principle that all
matters must be verified by a minimum of two witnesses (Deut 19:15; Matt
18:16).
This dual witness to God
occurs through prayer (cf. v 26). In the OT, prayer directed toward God
in a time of need reminds God that the people of Israel are His people (1
Kings 8:51-52; Ex 33:13; Deut 9:26,29). This is analogous to
reminding God in a time of need that we are His children. God doesn’t need
reminding, but in times of need it serves to solidify the believer’s petition
by virtue of the relational status they have with God.
Furthermore, the relational
status strengthens believers to endure suffering. If [since we are] children [teknon], then heirs—heirs
of God. All Christians are heirs of
God simply by faith alone. However becoming joint heirs with (sunkl¢ronomoi)
Christ occurs only if indeed we suffer with Him.
The term teknon (children,
vv 16-17,21) has a more distinct nuance than the terms huios (son, vv 14,19) and huiothesia (sonship, vv 15,23).
The term teknon is used in many
ways, but here it simply means children of
God.
In this context, only the
mature sons of God are co-heirs with
Christ as a result of living righteously through the leading of the Spirit
(vv 13-15). Living in such a way will lead to suffering in this life,
but enduring through suffering will result in greater glory. Two related Greek
terms (one with the preposition with prefixed
to it) distinguish mere heirship (kl¢ronomoi)
as a result of believing in Christ, from co-heirship (sunkl¢ronomoi) as a result of suffering with Christ. The result of
suffering with Christ is that we may
also be gloried together (sundoxasthœmen,
lit., “we may also be glorified with”; cf. v 18 to define the meaning of
glory). Scripture clearly supports that rewards are conditioned upon works and
suffering (Acts 20:32; 1 Cor 9:27; 2 Cor 5:10; 1 Peter
1:4; Col 3:24; 2 Tim 2:11-13; James 2:5; 1 John
2:28; Rev 2-3). Paul teaches here that all believers upon
regeneration become heirs of God, but
only those who suffer become
joint-heirs with Christ and will rule and receive rewards from Him at their
glorification. GNTC
From
Suffering to Glory
Romans 18 For I consider
that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the
earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons
of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not
willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because
the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into
the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know
that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not
only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we
ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the
redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but
hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But
if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with
perseverance.
26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in
our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the
Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the
Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the
will of God.
28 And we know that all things work
together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according
to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to
be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among
many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom
He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also
glorified.
God’s
Everlasting Love
31 What then shall we say to these
things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who
did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not
with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge
against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he
who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who
is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or
distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As
it is written:
“For Your sake we are killed all day long; We
are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
37 Yet in all these things we are more
than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that
neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things
present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created
thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
Believers need the help of
the Holy Spirit to overcome sin (8:1-17), but He also helps believers
persevere in suffering (8:18-30). Therefore, Christians who suffer for
Christ can rest assured that God will never abandon them (8:31-39).
8:18-22.
Paul instructs his readers to consider the
suffering of this present time (v 17)
as beneficial, because the future rewards for the faithful (cf. 2 Cor 4:17)
far outweigh present suffering.
Sharing in Christ’s suffering is a precursor to sharing Christ’s glory. There are two kinds of glory expressed in chap. 8.
Glorification corresponds to the third stage of Christian salvation and occurs
at resurrection. It is an unconditional and guaranteed result of believing in
Christ (5:2; 8:21,30; cf. 1 John 3:2).
The glory which will be revealed
in the mature sons of God (cf. v
17) refers to faithful believers who will share in the honor, prestige and reward of co-reigning with Christ over creation (Heb 1:8-9; 2 Tim 2:12; Rev 2:26-28).
Although creation was subjected to
futility due to the curse of the fall (Gen 3:17-19), creation will be delivered from the curse into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Paul carefully
distinguishes the meaning of the phrase liberty
of the children of God from the earnest
expectation to be revealed by the sons
of God (v 19). The earnest
expectation that awaits creation refers to the future rule of creation by
the sons of God. Creation waits to be
under the control of these future rulers. Conversely, Paul does not state that
creation awaits the liberty of the sons of God. That would elevate creation
to the place belonging to its future rulers. All children of God will equally inherit the earth at its liberation
from the curse of the fall. However, only the sons of God as committed believers who suffer for Christ will
receive a double portion (vv 13-15,17-19). As first-born sons, they will
rule creation.
Verse 22 concludes the preceding
theme by summarizing the current state of the earth. By stating that we know, Paul implies a common
knowledge obvious to all by merely looking at creation. It groans and
labors with birth pangs. In v 22, creation is groaning; not
believers. The groaning of creation pictures a painful and wearisome interval
in which it waits for deliverance from the curse of sin.
8:23-25. So
also, believers groan within themselves.
Just as creation waits for final deliverance, so also do believers, especially
when undergoing suffering. Yet because believers have begun to experience the adoption (huiothesia, “sonship” as in v 15) privileges that will be
fully realized in the future when the
redemption of our body occurs, believers groan even more. They have tasted
what is to come, and groan with longing for the full realization of redemption.
Those who tasted the
liberating power and life in the Spirit anticipate their future resurrection.
They were saved in this hope. The
point in time that believers are saved refers
to their experience when they first tasted these firstfruits of the Spirit’s quickening power that gave life to this
mortal body (v 11). This does not merely refer to justification, but
also the effects of sanctification as believers are delivered from sin’s power
in their lives and begin to experience the resurrection-life. Believers hope for this experience to become
permanent in the future.
Obviously the full
sanctification-salvation experience from sin remains to be realized in the
future and cannot be presently seen (cf.
2 Cor 4:18; Heb 11). But since believers have tasted the
“firstfruits of the Spirit” they wait
for it with perseverance. Experiencing this sanctification-salvation causes
believers to endure suffering through tribulations, which in turn produces more
hope (cf. 5:3-5).
8:26-27. As
hope aids believers in suffering (5:3-5; 8:24-25), the Spirit also helps in their weaknesses,
since they do not know what they
should pray. Since believers lack
sound udgment in how to present their case before God, the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us.
Even if believers cannot
ascertain God’s will in hard times, God the Father (implied by He who knows the hearts of men; cf. 1 Sam 16:7; 1 Kings 8:39; Heb
4:13) knows what is in the mind of the Spirit as He makes intercession for the saints
according to the will of God. God
knows our hearts and the mind of the Spirit. Therefore, when we pray, it is as
if the Holy Spirit interprets our prayers to God and corrects them to conform
to the will of God. The Holy Spirit
intercedes for believers when we do not know what to pray, and even when we
pray incorrectly.
8:28. If
knowing that our prayers get through to God is not enough comfort for the
suffering, Paul provides further solace by stating we know (cf. 2:3; 3:19; 6:6; 7:14; 8:22) all things work together for good to those
who love God. The phrase those who
love God refers only to faithful believers as opposed to all Christians
(cf. John 14:15,23-24). While all Christians cannot avoid human
suffering, those who are led by the Spirit (cf. vv 13-18) can know that
their suffering will have spiritual benefits. The phrase all things work together for good refers to the benefits that
committed believers ought to look for in the midst of suffering. Therefore all things, qualified by the phrase those who love God, must be viewed as
applicable only to obedient believers. Bad things happen to obedient believers
for their good, whether it makes sense or not (Gen 50:20).
To be called according to His purpose
refers to more than an obedient response to the Spirit’s leading (Rom
5:5; 8:11-18; Eph 4:25-32; 5:18; 1 Thess 5:19; 1 John
4:19-20). God’s purpose is the justification-salvation and eternal security
of believers (Matt 22:14; Rom 1:1,6-7; 11:29). To be called according to His purpose refers
to believers being called to fulfill
God’s purpose for their lives. This is supported by the context of faithful
believers living in obedience to God through the power of the indwelling Spirit.
God works in all things for good for those who are working to fulfill God’s
calling on their lives. Though they may suffer, He guarantees they will not
lose their justification, but will ultimately be glorified in eternity. This is
what Paul goes on to explain vv 29-30.
8:29-30.
Verses 29-30 are a golden chain representing God’s plan for our deliverance. It
begins with God’s foreknowledge. The term foreknew
means to “know beforehand” and “chose beforehand.” This does not mean that
God looked ahead and acquired the facts about what would happen, but that God
made a predetermined choice to have an intimate relationship with certain
individuals (cf. Jer 1:4-5; Amos 3:2; Eph 1:4; cf. Luke
1:15; Gal 1:15). In context, those whom God decided to have this intimate
relationship with are suffering believers.
The term predestined means “to decide
beforehand” as in making a choice. But what was the choice? Not to turn
unbelievers into believers, but to conform
those He foreknew to the image of
His Son. While foreknowledge implies the intention to develop a
relationship, predestination implies the plan and decision to carry it out. God
planned, before anybody was ever born, before anybody was saved, that every
person who believed in Jesus for eternal life, and who suffered as a result of
living for Jesus, would be conformed completely to the image of Jesus.
God’s purpose in
foreknowledge and predestination is that suffering believers may share with
Christ (i.e., He) in His firstborn privileges (cf. cf. vv 14-15,17-22).
Hence these many brethren,
contextually, are those who will have a special status as firstborn who will reign with Christ since they also suffered with
Him (v 17; 2 Tim 2:12; Heb 1:9; 3:14; Rev 2:26). To
further comfort suffering believers, Paul stresses God’s unbroken purpose for
the called (ekalesen) who are the justified
(edikaiœsen) and glorified (edoxasen). All three verbs in the Greek appear in the aorist
“past” tense. The future of these believers is so certain that Paul uses the
aorist past tense to describe future glorification (since it is guaranteed at
justification) as though it were already completed.
8:31-36.
Paul transitions and gives the utmost security and comfort to these suffering
believers by bringing to a climax God’s unbroken promises that apply to all
believers. He begins by stating seven rhetorical questions from vv 31-36.
If [i.e., since] God is for us, who can be against us? This means that no lesser power can defeat
His purpose. Since God did the greatest thing of all by not sparing His own Son to die on the cross for us all to pay for sin, will He not
do the lesser thing and also freely give
us all things? Of course He will! Paul’s legal language continues in vv 33-34.
Who charges God’s elect? No power lesser than God can, since He justifies and is greater than all. Who then condemns? No one! Christ died (v 32) and rose (v 34)
from the dead making condemnation of anyone who believes impossible (5:17;
cf. 4:25; 10:9). Only Christ could condemn us, which He will not do.
Rather, He continuously makes
intercession for us.
Hence Paul rhetorically
asks, Who then can separate believers from Christ’s love? No one can. Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or
famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? These are common instruments of
suffering that usually follow believers who love God (cf. 1 Peter 4:12-13;
Rom 8:17-18). Paul quotes Ps 44:22 referring to those who face
daily persecution.
8:37-39.
Therefore, Paul assures suffering believers that in all these things we are more than conquerors. Christian victory
becomes possible only through Him (Christ)
who loved us, unlike the
self-sufficient attitude found in 7:14-25.
Paul explains the immensity
of this love by including a list of
four contrasting pairs. The first item, death,
is feared by many, but cannot defeat Christians. The word life affirms believers cannot lose their eternal salvation. In
death or life, Christians exist in God’s presence (2 Cor 5:8-9). God’s angels would not cause believers to
lose their eternal status, and neither can they. Angels are contrasted with principalities and powers, the evil spiritual hosts in obedience to Satan. Though they
would take away our eternal life if they could (Eph 6:12), they are
powerless to reverse the believer’s eternal destiny.
Neither the present perils nor things to come can sever the believer’s relationship since Christ’s
paid for all sins, past, present and future (vv 32-34). Neither height nor depth (heaven or hell; see Eph
3:18-19), can separate believers from God’s immense love. This does not
mean that some believers will end up in hell, but that even hell has no power
over the believer’s relationship with God.
The final item summarizes
all that Paul has listed, and everything else besides. There is not any other created thing that can separate us from the love of God found in Christ Jesus our Lord. The thrust of
Rom 8:18-39 is to motivate committed believers to endure suffering,
knowing that victory is already accomplished through Christ.GNTC
1 Peter 1:21, who
through Him [Jesus
Christ], we are believers in God
who raised Him from the dead, and gave Him [Jesus Christ] glory
[of the Hypostatic Union—true humanity
and undiminished deity in
one unique person forever], so
that your faith and confidence [hope] are
in God.
Commentary: 1
Peter 1:21—Faith
in God is through Jesus, as God’s manifested provision for sin. There is no
other avenue of salvation (John
5:23; 14:6; 1
John 2:23),
whether for those coming to God or those continuing with Him. The grammatical
construction of the words so that your faith and hope [confidence] are in God
expresses result rather than purpose. The Father’s resurrection and
glorification of Jesus results in faith and hope [confidence]
being in God as people believe through Jesus. Faith
and hope are directed toward, or focused on God.
Why does Peter emphasize this? One is saved only by faith in
Christ. Yet the desire to live a godly life springs from a real hope in
God—that He will keep His promise to ultimately save and reward them. GNTC
Problem
Solving Solution Number Six: A Personal Sense of Destiny.
Since you already have a destiny as a
believer, you might as well have the experience of knowing that you have a
destiny. The experience of knowing that you have a destiny is a personal sense
of destiny. Every Church-age believer, as a member of the body of Christ and as
a member of the Royal family of God, has a destiny. The very fact that you have
personally believed in Christ is just the
beginning of a fantastic destiny for you in time as well as in eternity.
Mechanically, this destiny is accomplished at the moment you believed in Christ through the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
The baptism of the Spirit means equal privilege for all members of the Royal
family of God under predestination (Pre-designed plan of God). The very fact that
you have unique equal privileges with all believers indicates that you have a
destiny.
The Baptism of the Spirit is the basis for Eternal security as well, which also
means you have a destiny. Eternal life is for both winner believers and loser
believers in the Pre-designed Plan of God.
You might say to yourself, I thought all believers are winner
believers. That is true but only from a eternal life standpoint. However, an example of the loser believer is
the one who has believed in Christ and of course received eternal life at the
moment of his or her faith in Christ; but then never participates in any
spiritual growth activities for the rest of his/her life. Another example of a loser believer would be
the believer that attends bible class and only ends up with a head basic knowledge
of bible truth (doctrine); what I mean by that is when someone hears or reads
bible truth but doesn’t believe it, it is only a head knowledge because it was
never understood and believed; or the believer rejected the truth. Why would this be truth: Because only bible truth understood and believed
stored in the soul and human spirit can you take with you when you enter the
eternal future after this life on earth? Why would that be? Because anything
not done in the Spirit [in fellowship with God] is considered wood, hay and
straw; only gold, silver and precious stones (good deed done in fellowship with
God and bible truth resident in the human soul & spirit will survive at the
Judgment Seat of Christ. Therefore, the believer who has accumulated only good
deeds out of fellowship with Godf will be a loser believer. If this were not
truth, every believer would be a king in heaven.
There is no sin you can ever commit, no renunciation you can make, no way can
you ever cancel the forty
things (see attachment) God did for you at salvation.
Human arrogance thinks that something can be done to cancel the work of Christ
on the Cross. Therefore, there is no way you can lose eternal life, "For whosoever believeth in Him shall
never perish, but have everlasting life." The moment you believe in
Christ, God does forty things for you which cannot be canceled. The logical
approach is taught in Romans 8:32, "He
that spared not His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not
with Him freely give us all things?"
The approach of God's hand is stated in John 10:28, "I
give unto them eternal life. They shall never perish; neither shall anyone
snatch them out of My hand." Once you're in the hand of God, you're in
the hand of God forever.
The positional approach is found in Ephesians 1:6. At the moment of salvation, the
baptism of the Spirit enters the believer into union with Christ, a permanent
status forever.
The experiential approach is taught in 2 Timothy
2:12, 13, Even though we deny Him, He cannot
deny Himself.
12 qIf we
endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
rIf we
deny Him,
He also will deny us.
13 If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He scannot
deny Himself.
COMMENTARY on 2 Timothy 2:11-13
2:11-13. Verses 11-13 are thought by most commentators to have been a
song or poem that was well known in the first century and in Ephesus where
Timothy ministered. While possible, we should not rule out the possibility that
Paul himself created this faithful saying.
Or possibly he adapted it from something in his day.
Verses 11 and 13 are key eternal security verses.
Paul often taught that all believers have been crucified
with Christ (Gal
2:20; 5:24). Thus when he says if we have died with Christ, he is
referring to something that is a past reality for all believers. All who’ve
died with Christ shall also live with Him. Note the future tense here.
While all believers already have eternal life (Eph
2:5), we are not
currently living with Jesus in His kingdom. That is yet future. But, as Paul
indicates here, it is guaranteed (cf. 1
Thess 5:10).
The words translated if
we are faithless (ei apistoumen) probably should be translated “if we are
unbelieving” since all other NT uses of this verb refer to unbelief, not to unfaithfulness.
Even if we stop believing, we remain eternally secure, for He cannot deny Himself. Jesus promised that all who believe in Him
will never hunger, will never thirst, will never die, will not perish, but have
everlasting life (John
3:16; 6:35; 11:26). He cannot deny what He
Himself has promised. His promise is independent of our continued faith or of
anything we may do or fail to do.
Verse 12 is a key eternal rewards verse. In v 10 Paul spoke of his own
endurance. Now, using the same Greek verb, he say: If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. Note that unlike vv 11 and 13, the promise of ruling with
Christ is condition upon something we must do.
The second half of v 12 is
antithetically parallel [directly opposed or
contrasted; opposite] to the first half. If
we deny Him, that is, if we fail
to endure in our confession of Christ, then He will also deny us the privilege of reigning with Him. Paul is interpreting Matt 10:32-33 for us here.
Paul was at the end of his life. Timothy and those to
whom he ministered were not. If we
endure, we shall also reign with Him. The issue is rulership, not kingdom
entrance. GNTC
The family of God approach is found in Galatians
3:26, We are the children
of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Once you're in a family, you're in that family forever.
The inheritance approach is found in 1 Peter 1:5, We have an inheritance which is
incorruptible and undefiled, which fades not away, reserved in heaven for you
who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be
revealed in the last time.
There is no way our inheritance can be canceled, we can't do anything to cancel
it; even God can't do anything to cancel it.
The body of Christ approach compares 1 Corinthians
12:21 with Colossians
1:18. 1 Corinthians 12:21 says, The head cannot say to the foot,
I have no need of you. The foot is one of the invisible Spiritual gifts. The
head is the Lord Jesus Christ, as per Colossians
1:18. Jesus Christ cannot
say to any member of the body of Christ, "I don't need you."
The Greek tense approach is found in Ephesians 2:8, For
by grace have you been saved through faith, and that not from yourselves, it is
the gift of God. The intensive perfect tense of the Greek verb sozo
means we have been saved in the past with the result that we keep on being
saved forever. There's no way we can cancel it.
The point is that once we understand we have Eternal security and that there's
no way we can cancel it, and once we understand that God can never renounce us
once we have been born into His family, then we should begin to realize that we
have a destiny. When we realize it to the point where we can apply it to the
situations of life, then it becomes a Personal Sense of Destiny.
The moment we believed in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit entered us into union
with Jesus Christ and that created a new spiritual species (2CO
5:17) designed to utilize the unprecedented
power of God available to us, the omnipotence of all three members of the
Trinity.
The Church
came from the perpetuation of the great power demonstration of the Hypostatic
Union into the great power experiment of the Church-age. The Church demands a
new spiritual species for the calling out of the royal family of God and its
utilization of all divine power. The new spiritual species originates
from regeneration at the moment of salvation and is created through the
mechanics of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, 2CO
5:17. It is important to note that the
new creature is a brand new creation that has never existed before and it is
not an improved or upgraded form of the old creature, ROM
6:3-6.
To understand this means you understand that you have a destiny. It is a
personal destiny, for there are only two new species in history: Israel and the
Church.
The creation of the Royal family of God also provides the Church-age believer
with a sense of destiny. The dispensation of the Church is designed for the
calling out of a Royal family to complement our Lord's third Royal title, King of
kings and Lord of lords.
Jesus Christ has a destiny and being in union with Him means we also have a
destiny; this is the real meaning of Predestination.
Once you know you have a destiny, it completely changes your attitude toward
everything in life. It destroys all the boredom, self-pity, and all the
problems we manufacture for ourselves. You have an inescapable destiny which
neither you nor God can cancel.
You have a double destiny.
1) You have a destiny in time under the Pre-designed Plan of God.
2) You have a destiny in Eternity by having a Resurrection body.
The more you learn and understand the Pre-designed Plan of God, the more you
will develop a sense of destiny. Even the losers [loser believers] are in that plan forever. However,
the fact remains that, as a believer growing in the knowledge of our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ, you have a destiny. The realization of that fact and its
application means you have a personal sense of destiny.
A personal sense of destiny is related to the Politeuma privileges of
the Royal family (the privileges of citizenship). Learning about these
privileges gives you a personal sense of destiny. You do have a destiny,
regardless of whether you have succeeded or failed from the human standpoint,
or are known or unknown.
Because of the baptism of the Spirit at salvation, we have a personal sense of
destiny.
Because of the unique Pre-designed Plan of God we have a personal sense of
destiny.
Because of the equality [equal privilege &
opportunity] factor in the
Pre-designed Plan of God we have a personal sense of destiny.
Because we have a portfolio of invisible assets prepared for us by God the
Father in eternity past, we have a personal sense of destiny.
The invisible
assets are those divine assets provided by God the Father in eternity past for
the execution of the pre-designed plan of God in the believer's life. God the
Father found the way for His justice to provide perfect fantastic blessing to
His righteousness without any compromise of His essence. The invisible assets are
composed of primary, secondary, and personal assets. The primary assets include equal privilege and equal opportunity under
election and predestination. The secondary
assets include volitional assets, which are achieved through good decisions
made from positions of strength, and the assets of undeserved suffering. The personal assets are the proper function
of every believer’s spiritual gift. It is our invisible assets that we need to
utilize to make our calling and election sure, or an experiential reality, 2PE 1:9, 10, 11. In your portfolio of invisible assets God provided
everything necessary for the function in life, dying, eternity, growing in
grace, and the execution and fulfillment of the predesigned plan of God
Because we have two Royal commissions, as a Royal Priest and as a Royal
Ambassador, we have a personal sense of destiny.
As a Royal Priest, we represent ourselves before God; therefore
we have a personal sense of destiny.
As a Royal Ambassador, we represent God to a lost and dying world, therefore we
have a personal sense of destiny.
Because of cognition [you know & understand
it] of the mystery
doctrine of the Church-age, we have a personal sense of destiny.
However, this personal sense of destiny only becomes a reality through
consistent and persistent post-salvation perception, metabolization and
application of Bible doctrine.
In other words, awareness of our destiny provides the personal sense of
destiny. This begins at Spiritual self-esteem, which is cognitive { you’re conscious of your } self-confidence. It continues in
Spiritual autonomy, which is cognitive {you’re conscious of your} independence. It reaches its peak in
Spiritual maturity, which is cognitive {you’re conscious of your} invincibility.
The Church-age believer learns about his double destiny through motivation from
positive volition. The more you learn about doctrine and the stronger your
motivation to learn doctrine, the greater your positive volition. The greater
your positive volition, the more you learn about God's plan, purpose, and will
for your life. Therefore, you come to have a personal sense of destiny.
Eventually, in the three stages of Spiritual adulthood [spiritual self-esteem, spiritual
autonomy, and spiritual maturity], this personal sense of destiny
becomes so great that it outweighs any problem, any disaster, any heartache,
and any tragedy that comes your way. No matter what happens to you, you must
always remember that you have a destiny. Your awareness of your destiny is a
fantastic problem solving tool as you face
problems. Now your problems may be personal; soon they will be historical. The
combination of the two demands you have a personal sense of destiny.
There are three occasions in which everyone must grow up.
1)
When we are born, we must grow up as human beings. We learn from our parents,
school, military training, coaches, and all the authority systems in life. We
grow up by understanding the laws of divine establishment. This means we
recognize the many categories of authority in life. We eventually grow up when
we can take the responsibility for all our decisions, both the bad ones and the
good ones.
2) When we are born again as a believer, we grow up through perception of Bible
doctrine, understanding the Pre-designed Plan of God, the unique
characteristics of the Church-age, and the problem-solving solutions.
3) When we get married, we must grow up in the marriage. It is imperative that
we be mature as an individual, and at least positive in the Spiritual life. In
marriage, we must grow up experientially as a spouse through the use of the
problem-solving solutions.
So the believer living under the
enabling power of the Holy Spirit and momentum from metabolized doctrine, not
only grows spiritually but acquires a personal sense of destiny. When you grow
up as a believer, as a human being, and as a spouse in marriage, you have a
personal sense of destiny.
A personal sense of destiny is related to Spiritual adulthood. The sooner we
grow up spiritually, the better off we are.
A personal sense of destiny begins with Spiritual self-esteem [confidence].
A personal sense of destiny continues
with Spiritual autonomy [you become spiritually self sustained having maximum love for God and impersonal
unconditional love for all mankind].
A personal sense of destiny reaches its
peak in Spiritual maturity [you have maximum
occupation with Christ and share His perfect happiness, you experience maxium
contentment].
While every believer in Jesus Christ has a destiny under the Pre-designed Plan
of God, not every believer is aware of his destiny. When believers are
arrogant, whining, complaining, and falling apart for all kinds of reasons,
that is a sign that they have no personal sense of destiny. Only consistent
intake of Bible doctrine provides the experience of having a personal sense of
destiny. Having a destiny alone is not a problem-solving solution. It is the experience of knowing that you have a destiny [living the doctrine or bible truth]
that is the problem-solving solution.
Once the believer attains Spiritual self-esteem, the state of self-confidence,
he begins to have a personal sense of destiny whether he's in adversity or
prosperity, poor or rich, married or single, in whatever is his circumstance in
life. He has a personal sense of destiny in living and in dying. God doesn't
desert us when we're dying; He handles our dying as well as He handles our
living. The only difference between the two is that while living, we had the
full exercise of our free will. But your dying is strictly a matter of the
sovereignty of God. The only way we can use our volition while dying is to
apply what doctrine we know. God chooses the time, place, and manner of our
dying; we have nothing to say about it.
God's choice for our dying comes from His wisdom, love, and grace; He makes the
best choice for us. Therefore, we should die magnificently using all ten of the
problem-solving solutions. Take whatever God
gives from His grace while dying, just as He provided so many wonderful things
in grace while living. Then you can say with Paul who said in Philippians
1:21, For me living is Christ and dying is
profit.
We have a personal sense of destiny in Resurrection and the Eternal state. The
eternal state is divided into two parts for both believer and unbeliever.
1) When you die, the soul and spirit leave the body and are face to face with
the Lord. Now you're in the interim state, a time when no distinction is made
between winners and losers. In this interim state, there is no unhappiness, no
regrets, no shame, even if you are a loser. [How can this be? Because
the body or old sin nature has been removed from you, it is dead an gone].
2) Then comes the Rapture and Judgment Seat of Christ. Winners receive great
rewards and decorations that losers do not.
3) The unbeliever's soul leaves his body at his death and enters Torments, a
compartment of Hades.
4) After the 1000 years of the Millennium, and the Gog [Satan] and Magog [followers of Satan]
revolt, there is the last judgment when unbelievers are condemned to the lake
of fire for eternity.
Momentum in the Pre-designed Plan of God results in the experience of having a
personal sense of destiny.
Through physical birth, God has a purpose for your life. But through
regeneration, God has a destiny for your life. You have a destiny in time, the
execution of the Pre-designed Plan of God by which as a believer you become an
invisible hero.
For the believer in Jesus Christ living on earth, this destiny is related to
the Pre-designed plan of God, the unbeliever
has no destiny. There is no destiny for anyone apart from the Pre-designed Plan
of God.
The Church-age believer must learn the content of his portfolio. He must learn
the problem-solving solutions, then he can
apply these principles.
1) If God doesn't promote you, you're not promoted.
2) God only promotes prepared believers.
3) Part of being a prepared believer is to have a personal sense of destiny
from cognition [understanding]
of the mystery doctrine of the Church-age.
4) The mystery doctrine of the Church-age orients the believer to God's plan,
God's purpose, and God's will for his life.
5) The mystery doctrine of the Church-age includes the content of your
portfolio of invisible assets, the equal privilege and
equal opportunity to grow up spiritually, and the problem-solving solutions.
A personal sense of destiny becomes your motivation to be consistent in the
reception, retention, and recall of Bible doctrine. Remember that the only
destiny you have is in the pre-designed plan of God. If you depend on money, wealth, success,
authority, power, or influence for your destiny, you are a straw in the wind
and you will be gone with the wind. If you're building your own destiny from your
talent, ability, or even your dreams, you will end up with a wasted life. You
have no destiny apart from God and apart from His plan for your life. A great
tragedy in life is when the believer fails to have a personal sense of destiny.
Consequently, he fails to attain his destiny for time, which is, to execute
God's plan and become an invisible hero.
A personal sense of destiny is something you cannot live without!
Problem
Solving Solution Number Seven: Personal Love for God the Father.
Personal love for God the Father must
be distinguished from Occupation with the person of Jesus Christ. In the
transitional verse of 1 John 4:19, the corrected translation is, We love, because He first loved us [when a baby is born, who is first to express love, the baby or the
mother]. This establishes the precedence that God loved us first. Personal
love is only a virtue [highest & most
excellent quality of love possible]
when it is directed toward God. Personal love for God the Father is
motivational virtue [we express our loving
gratitude towards God for providing us a perfect plan on how to live the
Christian life] of the Pre-designed
Plan of God.
The virtue [moral excellence or
excellence of person]
of personal love is always found in the object [e.g., God] of love; i.e., the object of love
actually possesses a virtue [moral excellence, purity] that makes the object worthy of love
[God is perfect in all ways so it’s easy to love Him back when we
transform our minds to be Christ likeminded].
Here, the object of personal love is God the Father as the author of His Pre-designed Plan for us to live by and of our
portfolio of invisible assets, therefore, He is
infinitely worthy.
The
invisible assets are those divine assets provided by God the Father in eternity
past for the execution of the pre-designed plan of God in the believer's life.
God the Father found the way for His justice to provide perfect fantastic
blessing to His righteousness without any compromise of His essence. The
invisible assets are composed of primary, secondary, and personal assets. The
primary assets include equal privilege and equal opportunity under election and
predestination. The secondary assets include volitional assets, which are
achieved through good decisions made from positions of strength, and the assets
of undeserved suffering. The personal assets are the proper function of every
believer’s spiritual gift. It is our invisible assets that we need to utilize
to make our calling and election sure, or an experiential reality, 2PE 1:9-11 (start reading at
vs 5). In your portfolio of
invisible assets God provided everything necessary for the function in life,
dying, eternity, growing in grace, and the execution and fulfillment of the
predesigned plan of God.
1:1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus
Christ, ¶ To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the
righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied to
you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 1:3 seeing that His divine power has
granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true
knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 1:4 For by these He has granted to us
His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the
world by lust. 1:5
Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply
moral excellence, and in your moral excellence,
knowledge, 1:6
and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance,
and in your perseverance, godliness, 1:7 and in your godliness, brotherly
kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 1:8 For if these qualities are yours
and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1:9 For he who lacks these qualities
is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former
sins. 1:10
Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling
and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never
stumble; 1:11
for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
Problem solving solution number ten is “Occupation
with Christ” as the priority solution to our Christian
life and is not the same as personal love for God. Fellowship with the Holy
Spirit is the means of loving God the Father and being
able to execute His pre-designed plan,
and thereby glorifying Him in doing so.
Having fellowship with the Spirit is also a means of loving God the Father,
because the Holy Spirit is the teacher of doctrine, and no one ever comes to a
true love of God the Father or God the Son apart from the ministry of the Holy
Spirit in teaching the Word of God under post-salvation perception,
metabolization and application of Bible doctrine [truth].
Fellowship with the Spirit is the only means of loving God the Father according
to Romans 5:5
which says: Now hope does not
disappoint, jbecause the love of God has been poured out
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
(NKJV), Hope [confidence] does not disappoint us, because the
love for God has been poured out in our right lobe (mind) by means of the Holy
Spirit who was given to us to be our Helper. In other words,
the Holy Spirit aids us with providing understanding of God’s Word as we
journey through the transforming of our minds to become Christ likeminded.
So the teaching ministry of God the Holy Spirit in our perception,
metabolization, and application of Bible doctrine is the means by which we come
to love invisible God [again, we must hear/read
bible truth, understand it, believe it and apply it which also means we must live
it to grow and prosper spiritually].
The Holy Spirit is the teacher of doctrine according to John 14:26 26 But gthe 7Helper, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will hsend in My name, iHe will teach you
all things that I said to you. [this originally was targeted to the Apostles but it also applies to
us as we are being taught by prepared Pastors]; John 16:12, 13, 14 12 “I still have
many things to say to you, nbut you cannot bear them now. 13 However,
when He, othe Spirit of truth, has come, pHe will guide you into all truth; for He
will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will
speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 qHe will glorify Me, for He will take of
what is Mine and declare it to you. NKJV;
1 Corinthians
2:9-16 which says: 2:9 but
just as it is written, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not
heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared
for those who love Him." 2:10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the
Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 2:11 For who among men knows the
thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the
thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 2:12 Now we have received, not the
spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the
things freely given to us by God, 2:13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human
wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with
spiritual words. 2:14
¶ But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they
are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are
spiritually appraised. 2:15
But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no
one. 2:16
For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have
the mind of Christ. . Therefore, personal
love for God can only exist through perception, metabolization, and application
of Bible doctrine [truth]. Since God is invisible, He cannot be
loved through visual or emotional attraction. He cannot be loved by human
affection. Only through learning Bible doctrine and subsequent spiritual growth
can there be any personal love for God the Father.
Personal love for God the Father becomes a reality in spiritual adulthood. Meaning you’ve mastered Rebound [Restoring
Fellowship with God using God’s promise in 1 John 1:9;]; The
Filling of the Holy Spirit: [Ephesians 5:18c—…”but
be filled with the Spirit.” ]; Faith-Rest
[Resting on God’s promises
and His doctrines];
Grace Orientation [being oriented through bible truth, to the grace policy of God]; Doctrinal Orientation [Orientation to God’s Pre-designed Plan
for your life and all doctrines pertaining to it]; you have A Personal Sense of Destiny [Knowing that you have a spiritual destiny
in God’s Plan]; have Personal
Love for God the Father [We
can love Him personally because He’s Perfect, perfect will never disappoint]. It
begins with cognitive {you’re conscious of your} self-confidence in spiritual
self-esteem, continues in cognitive {you’re conscious of your} independence in spiritual autonomy,
and reaches its peak in cognitive {you’re conscious of your} invincibility [your spiritually bulletproof, impregnable] and spiritual maturity.
Romans 8:28 28 And we know that all
things work together for good to those
who love God, to those nwho
are the called according to His purpose. We know, therefore, that to those who
love God, He works all things together for good to those who are elected
according to a predetermined [pre-designed]
plan.
1
Corinthians 2:9 9 But
as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered
into the heart [mind] of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But just as it stands written, Things which
the eye has not seen, and it has not entered into the mind
of mankind all that God has prepared for those who love Him.
The fantastic things provided for those who attain personal love for God are
absolutely beyond description.
Personal love always emphasizes the object of love, for this reason; there is
no virtue [moral excellence]
in personal love directed toward human beings, whether in friendship, romance,
or marriage. The only way for virtue to exist in such human relationships is
for the believer himself to acquire virtue [moral excellence or excellence of person or
self] through
consistent post-salvation perception, metabolization and application of Bible
doctrine [this
is the only way we can renew our minds to the point of being Christ like in our
thinking and actions].
In all three of these categories, personal love is virtue-dependent [i.e., possessing
moral excellence or excellence of person] for its validity and perpetuation [capable of
continuing indefinitely].
There are two ways of inserting virtue into personal love for mankind.
1. The limited way for the unbeliever is by adherence to the laws of divine
establishment, resulting in enforced and genuine humility. This provides some
capacity for personal love in friendship, romance, and marriage. From the base
of humility and authority orientation, great capacity for love can be developed
among unbelievers.
2. For the believer, the only way is to advance to spiritual adulthood, where
virtue-love [your very own moral excellence] provides greater capacity for
personal love in friendship, romance, and marriage.
Therefore, virtue-love is a problem-solving solution
in three separate categories.
1. Personal love for God the Father is problem solving solution
number seven. Personal love for God the Father
as a motivational virtue emphasizes the integrity of the object, God the
Father.
2. Impersonal love for all mankind is problem solving solution
number eight. Impersonal love [unconditional]
for all mankind as a functional virtue [developed in believers with the help of the
Holy Spirit] that emphasizes the integrity of the subject [you],
not the object [spouse, boss, relative, criminal, etc.] you want to love (we’ll get more into
this subject next class).
3. Occupation with Christ is problem solving solution
number ten.
Occupation with Christ as the priority problem solver emphasizes the integrity of our scale of
values. In occupation with Christ, Bible doctrine [Bible truth; i.e., especially the
transformational mind of Christ that is in us] and it application to our
lives must always have number one priority in our life.
The Pre-designed Plan of God can only be executed through the perception of the
mystery doctrine [most of the new testament] for the Church-age. Therefore, the insertion of
virtue-love [moral excellence]
into our life demands the consistent function
of post-salvation perception, metabolization and application of Bible doctrine
[in other
words, this is living the Christian life which glorifies God and our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ every step of the way to spiritual maturity].
Virtue-love as a problem-solving solution
begins with the attainment of spiritual adulthood [as we covered earlier in theses lessons]. In spiritual self-esteem, it begins
with cognitive self-confidence. No one can be a lover of God or a lover of
people without cognitive self-confidence. For the
believer cognitive self-confidence comes from Bible doctrine perceived,
resulting in Grace Orientation. In spiritual autonomy, you have virtue-love in
cognitive independence. At this point, you handle life magnificently. In
spiritual maturity, the invisible hero has the virtue-love in cognitive
invincibility [your spiritually bulletproof, impregnable].
In the sixth problem-solving solution (personal sense of
destiny), personal love for God the Father is the motivation for the
Pre-designed Plan of God. Without that motivation, you cannot advance through
the three categories of suffering for blessing which God has designed for you.
Virtue-love emphasizes God the Father as the object of personal love, for He
has the virtue [because he is perfect super excellence].
This means that when you begin to face the four parts of providential
preventative suffering [this is defined as short-termed suffering from the sovereignty of God for
the benefit of the believer, it is that suffering which prevents, restrains, or
insulates sin and evil, while challenging spiritual self-esteem to suffer for
blessing and profit; it is the first category of suffering for blessing related to spiritual
adulthood.] i.e., people
testing, system testing, thought testing, and disaster testing, you cannot
advance in these tests without personal love for God the Father as a problem
solving solution. The simultaneous development
of occupation with Christ will also carry you through providential preventative
suffering and momentum testing. Hand
Out’s
There is a distinction between Personal and Impersonal Love. Personal love
always emphasizes the object of love. Impersonal love always emphasizes the
greatness and virtue of the subject [you].
Personal love in the human race is always conditional; there are always strings
attached. But impersonal love is unconditional. You will never be relaxed in
human relationships until you acquire impersonal love which is unconditional.
This means you will accept and tolerate people as you find them. You will stop
being critical, looking down your nose, and being legalistic.
You
will realize that turning your will over to a jerk, friend, relative or acquaintance
with a bad attitude becomes self-induced misery; when you do that, you let them
control your life, your thinking, your attitude, etc. by becoming just like
they are; misery loves company so-to-speak.
The only love
that solves the problems of human interaction is unconditional love whereby the
object [spouse,
friend, foe, acquaintance]
can be acceptable or unacceptable, attractive or unattractive, obnoxious or
pleasant. That is the only way you will properly interact with people.
Personal love is directed toward a few people in friendship, romance, and
marriage and this personal love is not commanded by the Word of God. Rather, Impersonal love is directed toward all
mankind and therefore, impersonal love calls for the highest professional
standards [thinking with the mind of Christ gives you this power and is a solution
to people testing].
Personal love toward human beings has no built-in virtue [moral or person
excellence], and it
has no virtue [moral or person excellence] guarantee. Impersonal love contains built-in virtue and
therefore has capacity for true love in friendship, romance, marriage, and all
other human interaction. Personal love is based on attractiveness and rapport
with the object [spouse, friend, foe, acquaintance]. However, impersonal love is based
on the virtue of the subject [you].
Personal love is a possessive and subjective attitude toward a few. Impersonal
love is an objective and relaxed attitude toward the human race.
Personal love is the expression of man's ego. Impersonal love is the expression
of man's virtue [moral or person excellence, i.e., if you have it].
Personal love is vulnerable to arrogance and hypersensitivity. Impersonal love
is free from arrogance, including jealousy, hatred, bitterness, vindictiveness,
guilt, self-pity, implacability [a person who just can’t be pleased in any way], revenge motivation and revenge.
So personal love only has virtue [moral excellence]
as it relates to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Impersonal
love is the great problem-solving solution
toward people. Personal love in the human race has no built-in virtue. Personal
love in friendship, romance, or marriage must depend on something outside of
that love for its virtue and there is no capacity for love apart from virtue [acquired through
the intake and application of God’s Word, when you acquire the mind of Christ and live the Christian
live, you have virtue/moral excellence for personal love in friends, marriage,
etc.].
The instability of personal love is a source of many problems, often
self-induced. There are problems of (personality) conflict and
antagonism. There are problems of arrogance, jealousy, guilt, self-pity, hypersensitivity,
and disorientation. There are social problems, marital problems, and all kinds
of interaction problems.
For example, falling in love with a member of the opposite sex is often simply
a matter of libido and nothing else. Being attracted to someone or being
motivated by libido is devoid of virtue. Libido has no conscience, but also
minus virtue and stability, without a sense of responsibility, selfish, and
self-serving. This is no basis for a permanent relationship between a man and a
woman. For this reason, personal love in romance or in marriage has no
stability and no perpetuity [no foreverness].
Personal love minus the virtue of impersonal love to provide capacity often
reaches its peak at the altar or shortly thereafter, and it makes a mockery of
marriage. Wrong priorities and wrong emphasis in life results in the believer
becoming a loser. The loser manufactures his own problems, but has no
problem-solving solutions with which to cope in
life.
Problem
Solving Solution Number Eight: Impersonal Unconditional Love for all Mankind.
Mental
Attitude Love – Impersonal Unconditional Love
In
this lesson on Impersonal Unconditional Love, we will be discussing the
Delegation of Divine Power as it relates to the Change in Our Mental Attitude.
First,
there is no substitute for perception, metabolization and application of Bible
doctrine. The delegation of divine power to every Church-age believer is only experienced when Bible doctrine is metabolized
and deployed as applicable problem solving solutions
in your soul. These problem-solving solutions
are important because they give us the power and the ability to handle any
problem in life. God has provided for us in grace everything it takes to
transfer what is written in the Bible to the human spirit and then to the soul.
All
forms of worship are a concentration test and whether you like it or not, all
life demands struggle. Those who have everything given to them become lazy,
selfish, and insensitive to the real values of life. That which cost little is
less valued. We should try to become a person of values rather than a person of
success and that begins with mental attitude.
Whether
it's concentration on doctrine, the communion service or in prayer, it's all a
part of the same thing, thinking. As you develop these spiritual habits of
thought and concentration, there is a spiritual life that awaits you that goes
beyond your understanding [in simple terms, it’s a life that we
don’t currently know yet, or you don’t know what you don’t know].
God
has chosen to reveal his thoughts to us by means of the Spirit of God.
1CO 2:12, 13, 14 12Now we have received, not the spirit of the
world [i.e., the I.Q. of the world, the cosmic system] but
the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things [invisible assets = The invisible assets are composed of primary,
secondary, and personal assets. The primary assets include equal privilege and
equal opportunity under election and predestination or living the predesigned
plan of God. The secondary assets include volitional assets, which are achieved
through good decisions made from positions of strength, and the assets of
undeserved suffering. The personal assets are the proper function of every believer’s
spiritual gift. It is our invisible assets that we need to utilize to make our
calling and election sure, or an experiential reality, 2PE 1:9, 10-11 (start reading at
vs 5). In your portfolio of invisible assets God provided everything necessary
for the function in life, dying, eternity, growing in grace, and the execution
and fulfillment of the predesigned plan of God.] freely
given to us by God, 13which things we
also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the
Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words or interpreting
spiritual truths to spiritual persons. 14But
a natural man [the soulish person, i.e., the unbeliever
or believer minus doctrine] does not accept the things of the Spirit of
God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because
they are spiritually appraised [discerned in a manner caused only by the
filling of the Spirit]." NASB
Now,
this cannot just refer to an unbeliever or to a believer who is just minus the
filling of the Spirit because you can learn doctrine even if you're not filled
with the Spirit. You can understand and comprehend doctrinal thoughts at least to a point even though it is not converted
from gnosis [doctrine understood but not believed
which is knowledge only, if you don’t believe it you’ve rejected it]
to epignosis [doctrinal
knowledge understood & believed and the Holy Spirit turns it into Wisdom
ready for application or living it.] or
to spiritual phenomenon, so-to-speak. The ultimate goal is not learning
doctrine, nor is it works or even applying doctrine. The ultimate goal is to have a personal relationship and fellowship with
God. The goal of changing our mental attitude is to draw us closer
to God. As we are kept dependent upon God, we will grow in His grace and
knowledge which will lead us to a submissive, yielded life to Him. We will have
the attitude that our Lord had in HEB 10:9, “Behold, I have come to do
Your will, O God.” (NKJV) not, "What's in this for me?"
SKIP TO THE
BOTTOM OF PAGE: 114 (but read and study at home).
How far are we willing to go
in submitting our life to God? Far too many so-called normal Christians today
are being deceived when it comes to eternal salvation,
the filling of the Spirit, and living the spiritual life. 1JO 5:18-19 18 We know that whoever is born of God does
not sin [this conveys the idea of not practicing sin as habitual lifestyle]; but he who has been born of God keeps [keeps moving
forward to spiritual maturity by staying in fellowship with God and living the
life God intended his children to live—His Predesigned Plan for our lives] himself, and the wicked one does not touch
him. 19 We know that we are of
God, and the whole world lies under the sway [influence] of the wicked one [Satan]. NKJV
COMMENTARY:
GNTC
1 John 5:18: John now
wishes to remind his readers that whoever is born of God does not sin, that is,
the regenerate person as such is incapable of any sin. This leads to the
further observation that he who has been born of God keeps himself with the
result that the wicked one does not touch him. The inner man, born of God, has
the inborn capacity to resist the pollution of evil and thus lies outside of
Satan’s reach.
In saying that the regenerate
inward person (cf. Rom 7:22) keeps himself, John is not saying that one’s inner self can
somehow prevent all sin in the Christian life (cf. 1:5-10). What John means is that God’s “seed remains in” the
regenerate inner self (cf. 3:9) as the
controlling element of his born-again nature and is impervious to even the
slightest contamination from the wicked one. Believers’ failures are due to the
sinful “programming” of their earthly bodies [the old sin nature], as Paul himself taught in Rom 7:7-25.
But try as he might, Satan cannot
really touch the believer. But if a believer lets him, Satan will use his
failures to lead him to further failures. So after every sin, a believer ought
to rise from his confession to God, knowing that he is the same inwardly holy
person he was before he failed! [example: if you
are walking in the rain and you slip and fall down; what do you do? You don’t just lay there, you get up, look
around to see if anyone saw you fall and get back on track as to where you were
headed. This is analogous to committing
a known sin and rebounding quickly after you’ve sinned].
1 John 5:19: If a Christian
knows the truth stated in v 18, he can also know whose side he is on. Knowing God normally
suggests a dynamic experiential relationship with Him (cf. 3:19; 4:4).
The world lies under the sway [influence] of the wicked
one translated en tœ ponerœ keitai, (“lies in the wicked one”).
This phrase suggests that the world passively rests within Satan’s operative
sphere. By contrast, the phrase ek Theou (of God) means being “from” God.
The Christian should be aware of
his own sinless inward man (v 18), and he should also be aware of his utter
separateness from the whole world that lives under Satan’s sway [influence]. Believers,
whom the enemy cannot “touch” (v 18), are not a part of the world, which lies
passively in the wicked one. Thus believers must not “love the world or the
things in the world” (2:15-17) and they must
resist the ideas that the world promotes (cf. 2:18-19).
This letter is written to
Christians who are advanced in their spiritual state (cf. 2:12-14 [open link]; 4:6), probably the church leaders. The statements of these closing
verses can apply in varying degrees to other believers, depending on the extent
to which their own spiritual experience matches that of the readers being addressed.
(NKJV)
What
are our limitations of obedience to God and His plan for our life, what could
make us quit and lose our dedication and devotion for Christ?
What
are the ends of abandonment that you would be willing to go to, the ultimate
willingness of surrendering your plans and goals and dreams, for God's will for
your life?
If
a person has given his or her life to the Lord [not just verbally
but mentally], it would be conflicting for the one who places
his whole happiness, his whole being, in the hands of God alone, that he or she
would continue to have a list of desires for their own happiness and wants. If
we live for God because of true love for God [impersonal
unconditional & personal love for God], just because we
love Him, we place all our happiness in God alone; love alone should cause us
to surrender up our will to the Lord. If it is not love that produces
submission to Him, eventually that wrong motive will be revealed.
When
the believer relinquishes his soul, his will, his all to his Lord, and desires
nothing of himself and desires only God for the sake of God, that is the
beginning of experiencing the life of God in the soul. Here is a state where
there is no satisfaction for self as the final goal, the glory of heaven is not
the motive, the blessings and rewards are the not the motive.
If
I love God alone, I will desire God alone.
We
must love Him without any end in view and even without expecting any emotional
feeling present to strengthen us. We must love Him with total disregard to
dry-spells and to times of abundance.
RESTART HERE: In JOH 14:15, our Lord said "If
you love Me, you will keep My commands…" (NASB) This is not the
Ten Commandments because there are over 400 in the New Testament. However, we
need to focus in on the word love which in the Greek here is agapao
not phileo, agapao refers
to a mental attitude love. The point is that when it comes to our mental
attitude love for God, this alone should cause us to surrender our will to Him.
There
is a love for God that is also very personal, it is called phileo
love.
JOH 16:27 "for the Father Himself loves you [phileo's you, loves you personally], because you have [phileo'd = personally] loved Me [Christ], and have believed that I
came forth from the Father." NASB
The
goal of agapao love, this mental
attitude love, is to lead us to a phileo love or personal
love for God and for The Lord Jesus Christ.
This
is why 1CO 16:22 says "If anyone does not [phileo] love the Lord, let him be
accursed. Maranatha [O Lord, come!]." (NASB)
COMMENTARY BY GNTC - 1 Corinthians 16:22:
He also
issues a strict warning if anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ. The verb
translated love is phileo, instead of agapao, which means this phrase may be translated if anyone does not have
affection for the Lord Jesus Christ. The person with this attitude would be
accursed (anathema). Paul is not referring to unbelievers here, but to those believers in
the church at Corinth who have been causing dissentions, divisions, and unrest,
thus showing that their love was self-centered rather than Christ-centered (3:1, 2, 3-4; cf. Gal 1:9). They would not be eternally condemned and lose their eternal life,
which is impossible (John 10:28). However, they would be judged by God in the
sense that they may be presently chastised and may forfeit some of their
eternal rewards (1 Cor 3:15; Heb 12:3-11). Paul also prays, O Lord, come! This expression is a transliteration of
the Aramaic Marana tha. It expresses the eager longing felt
by the early Christians for the speedy return of the Lord.
Phileo
love [personal love] is actually a greater love in the sense that when
it is directed toward God it is a more personal love developed from the mental
attitude of agapao love [impersonal
unconditional love]. This is why Peter became grieved when our Lord
gave him that test in John 21. Here we see the contrast between agapao
love or as we’re calling it, the mental attitude love and Phileo which
is personal love. This is very vital if you are going to live the Christian way
of life and enjoy the truth that sets you free. The average believer doesn't
rightly divide the word of truth, they become confused concerning the way that
they should love according to the Bible. The problem is there is no knowledge
of the original language and why God the Holy Spirit chose to use two different
words for love when He inspired men to write the Bible. If the meaning of these two important words that must be understood in
order to separate in context the word love, people will normally, when they
hear the word “love” they normally will superimpose what they think it should
mean and most likely they will be incorrect.
Let's
look at this passage in the original language: JOHN
21:15-17
15 "So when they had
finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon,
{son} of John [Jonah], do you love [ἀγαπάω - agapao=impersonal unconditional love] Me
more than these [fish & fishing]?”
He [Peter] said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love
[φιλῶ
or φιλέω phileo=personal love] You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.”
16 He said to him again a
second time, “Simon, {son} of John, do you love [agapao=impersonal
unconditional love]
Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I
love [phileo=personal love] You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” 17
He said to him the third time, “Simon, {son} of John,
do you love [φιλῶ or φιλέω -phileo=personal love] Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the
third time, “Do you love [φιλῶ-phileo=personal
love]
Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love [phileo=personal
love]
You.” Jesus said to him, Tend My sheep." (NASB)
COMMONTARY:
GNTC
John 21:15-17: Jesus reaffirms Peter’s position as one of the apostles. After his
three denials, Peter might have had doubts about his future role as a follower
of his risen Lord. Jesus gives Peter three opportunities now to confess his
love, and each time Jesus commands Him to feed and tend His sheep.
The
first two times Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love Me?” Jesus used the word agapao. The third time Jesus used the
word phileo. All three times Peter
used the word phileo to express his
love for Jesus. Some suggest that Jesus’ change from agapao to phileo conveys
the idea that Peter’s love was in some way deficient. However, that seems
unlikely. My personal opinion is, Peter thought a
lot about his wood shed conversation with His Lord and eventually caught his
not answering the Lord back using agapao
as he should have; but the Lord was gracious and let it pass probably knowing
that Peter would realize what he said after he evaluated himself as to their
conversation in vv 15-17. Obviously Paul understood the conversation because he
wrote it; which is interesting because Paul wasn’t even there; but who taught
Paul, Christ Himself.
The
word phileo does not represent an
inferior type of love. John, for example, uses phileo to refer to the Father’s love for Jesus (5:20). Surely the Father’s love for Jesus is not some lesser love! In
addition Jesus’ love for John and for Lazarus is expressed by phileo (11:3, 36; 20:2), as
is the Father’s love for the disciples and the disciples love for Jesus (16:27).
The
change was merely for stylistic considerations—much like the change from “Feed
My lambs” to “Tend [Shepard—in NASB] My sheep” to “Feed [Tend in NASB] My sheep.”
Jesus
wanted Peter to confess that he loved Him more than he loved fish and fishing (v
15 “more than these”). It is highly unlikely that Jesus was asking Peter to
compare his love for Him with the love the other disciples had for Him (cf. 1 Cor 10:12).
Each
time Peter asserts his love for Jesus he also states, “You know that I love
You.” The last time he adds, “You know all things” (v 17), suggesting he understands Jesus’
omniscience. That is why the repetition of the question especially bothered
Peter. It probably took Peter a while to figure out why Jesus three times asked
him a question to which He already knows the answer. This was a lesson for
Peter’s benefit, not a fact-finding mission!
The
question is this: If God the Holy Spirit supernaturally directed the human
writers of Scripture to put His complete message to mankind recorded with
perfect accuracy in the original languages of Scripture, then why use two
different words? There are two different meanings that He originally intended,
if that's true, then why did the translators translate two totally different
words, phileo and agapao,
the same? Personal opinion: could it be that the
translators were not in fellowship at the time? Or, maybe they were just lazy
and were not paying full attention at the time they translated.
Actually,
in the Greek language there are four basic words four love.
The
most popular one is the word agape or agapao
which refers to an Impersonal love or a love from the mental attitude.
Then
there is phileo love or a personal
love which connoted personal attraction. This love can be good or bad depending
upon where it is directed.
Then
there is stergo love which means to
feel affection for someone, especially parents or children and even for
animals, it means to be lovingly devoted. ROM 12:10 "Be devoted [philostorgos] to one another in brotherly
love; give preference to one another in honor;" This
too can be good or bad depending upon where it is directed.
The
final type of love is eros love, that state
which we call "being in love" or "the kind of love that lovers
are in".
We need to see the importance of
understanding the mental attitude that we are commanded to have toward God
which is the mental attitude of agapao love.
Agapao
love is not a feeling or an emotion, it is a system of thinking that produces
the greatest virtue of all, 1CO 13:13 And now abide faith, hope, love [ἀγάπη, agapē ] these three; but the
greatest of these is love [e.g. to abide in it]., proceeding
from the mind, PHI 2:2 fulfill my joy by being
like-minded, having the same love [agapēn], being of one accord, of
one mind. When it is directed toward God, agapao
love serves as motivation, 2CO 5:14 For the love [agape] of Christ compels us,
because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died.
This is the love commanded of husbands in EPH 5:25 “Husbands, love [impersonal
unconditional love]
your wives, just as Christ also loved [impersonal unconditional love] the church and gave Himself
up for her;”
A
mental attitude of respect not personal love. This is why as a part of the
first commandment we are commanded not to love God personally but to have a
fear or respect or love for Him. In fact, even when the Ten Commandments were
given in EXO
20:3-17,
there's
no command to love God in there.
To
have given a commandment to love God personally would have been a violation of
both the unbeliever's and believer's free will.
Agapao
love is a mental attitude love of appreciation that may result in phileo
love, personal love for God. Agapao love is the ability
to love and respect someone you do not see, 1PE 1:8 "and though you have not seen Him, you
love
[agapate] Him, and though you do not see Him now, but
believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of
glory," NASB
When
you start to love someone you have not seen, it is because you have lined up
with their thinking.
In
GAL 5:22, agape love or this mental
attitude love is the production fruit of the Spirit,
In
ROM 5:5 agape love of God has been
poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
So
in the passage we have been noting JOH 21:15-17 The
Lord was asking Peter if he had that Impersonal unconditional virtuous love,
which emphasizes the virtue of the subject [Peter] and not the object
[Christ]. And Peter knew and understood what the Lord was
saying. The Lord was saying you cannot serve Me without this virtue or this
Impersonal unconditional virtuous "agape love." However, when virtue
love is directed toward God ultimately it should lead to phileo [personal
love]
love, a deep personal love for God. This is why Peter became upset when the
Lord kept asking this question. In verse 15, the Lord used agapao,
He didn't use phileo. The Lord said
"do you agape-love Me more than
these"? [fish & fishing],
He [Peter] said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love
[phileo] You." Peter is a little disturbed. Peter used
phileo which means I keep on loving you personally because
of who You are. Our Lord said do you have Impersonal unconditional love for Me,
and Peter said, "Lord you know I love you personally [phileo]."
As
a result of his answer Peter receives a command! He [the
Lord]
said to him, "Tend My lambs." This is a command for all pastors &
teachers to produce the action of the verb which is to feed new believers.
"lambs" refers to baby sheep, analogous to the new believers [I
would add those totally confused believers that have been under incorrect
teaching or just baby spiritual food possibly for many years].
The Lord is saying to Peter, "if you really love me personally you're
qualified to feed new believers" Peter is commanded to feed the Lord's
lambs if he really loves the Lord. When the Lord asked Peter if he loved Him
more than these [fish & fishing],
there is a very important principle here.
No
man can function as a teaching Elder, Deacon or Teacher of God’s Word with his
eyes just on people. The motivational virtue for the gift of pastor or teacher
of God’s Word must come from personal love for The Lord Jesus Christ. He said
to him again a second time, "Simon, {son} of John, do you love [agapao = impersonal unconditional love] Me?" He said
to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love [phileo = personal
love]
You." He said to him, "Shepherd My sheep." In verse 16, the Lord
gives him a second command. "Shepherd My sheep." The word
"shepherd" means to rule or clobber which is how the pastor-shepherd
must function with some. The word “sheep” means the sophomores in the Christian
life. These are the ones that have a little knowledge of doctrine and think
that they have a lot. Here authority of the teaching Elder or Deacon now
becomes a major issue in the believer's life.
In
verse 17, we have a final question and command. He said to him the third time,
"Simon, {son} of John, do you love [phileo] Me?" This time
our Lord switched from agape to phileo.
Peter was distressed because He said to him the third time, "Do you love
Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I
love [phileo] You." Jesus said to him, "Tend My
sheep."
The
Lord was making a point not only for Peter but also for the benefit of all
future pastors & teachers in the Church-age.
The
word for "tend" is bosko which is the command
to moderately and prudently feed His humble sheep which is a reference to the
seniors or the mature believers. All you have to primarily do for mature
believers is teach them doctrine. In the sophomore stage as in verse 16, you
have to use that stick a shepherd carries to guide them.
The
shepherd has to whack the sheep at times to keep them from running off the
cliffs. The pastor or teacher doesn't do that literally, he does that with his
communication of doctrine. Once a person becomes a senior, he has developed
enough humility to be teachable.
Jesus
said to him, Tend [Feed] My sheep.
So,
what we’ve learned here today is it wasn’t just simply because Peter had denied
Jesus three times that he asked Peter the three questions but also to teach the
difference between agapeo love and phileo
love and bring to the believer a greater understanding of the more advanced
meanings of the word love in God’s Word.
##
Impersonal love is that problem solving
technique of Christianity which is defined as unconditional love toward all
mankind. Being impersonal, this category of love emphasizes the virtue [integrity of character, uprightness of conduct, moral excellence] of the subject [you] rather than
attraction or the unattractiveness of an object
[boss, spouse, friend, neighbor, enemy, etc.] or rapport with an object [towards the person you’re trying to love unconditionally].
In other
words, Impersonal love is loving someone without the influence of any emotion
or sin(s) you are aware of regarding the person your attempting to love.
|
Impersonal love toward all mankind is the ultimate expression of virtue [integrity of character, uprightness of conduct, moral excellence] and of humility [having a low opinion of one's own
importance or merits: being modest or meek in spirit, manner, or
appearance: not proud or haughty]. Without enforced and genuine
humility, people are disoriented to life. Lack of humility creates numerous
and often tragic flaws in our lives.
Impersonal love for all mankind is therefore the ultimate expression of
virtue, humility, objectivity, and is the basis for being receptive to Bible
doctrine, which is the basis for growing in grace through post-salvation
perception, metabolization and application of Bible doctrine.
Personal love for people is optional; the Bible never commands personal love
for people. But in the Pre-designed Plan of God for the Church-age,
impersonal love is mandated by God as a part of His plan, His will, and His
purpose for our life.
Impersonal love as a problem solving solution is mandated in all
dispensations under the one phrase, "love thy neighbor as you love
yourself," Leviticus
19:18 You shall not take
vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you
shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. Matthew
19:19 ‘Honor your father
and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love [Ἀγαπήσεις—Agapēseis = “you will love” = the “love” here is impersonal
unconditional love, not personal love] your neighbor as
|
Agapēseis
|
yourself.’”
Matthew 22:39
And the second is like it: ‘You shall
love your neighbor as yourself.’
Mark 12:31
And the second, like it, is this: ‘You
shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment
greater than these.” Romans 13:9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not
murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall
not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this
saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”; Galatians
5:14 For all the law is
fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love [Ἀγαπήσεις—Agapēseis = “you will love” = the “love” here is impersonal unconditional
love, not personal love]
your neighbor as yourself.”(NASB). Impersonal love is a must in our life
if we are to have a life full of purpose, meaning, and definition.
Our Lord said in John 15:17, "I command you these things, that you [ἀγαπᾶτε—agapate
= “you love”, again it means impersonal love] might love each other." Jesus said this to the
disciples, most of whom were believers, after they had been together for almost
three years. They had developed personality conflicts, took sides, and were
critical of each other. So this command from our Lord is brought into the Christian
life.
You cannot have impersonal love for
people until you are properly motivated, and you cannot be properly motivated
until you love Jesus Christ. People who love Jesus Christ concentrate on the
teaching of the word of God, the mind of Christ. Does
this mean you are to be a perfect concentrator all the time, I think not, we
are human, we can sometimes drift off during a teaching session, some more than
others. What then, we get back on course
and restart concentrating. However we
will have missed the truth being taught during the short time were
drifting. This is just another reason
why it is so important to re-study the lessons 2-3 times during the month,
during quiet time with only you in fellowship, the lesson and the Holy Spirit
and you will be surprised what you really missed, probably each time you study
it.
Impersonal love is unconditional. It
emphasizes the virtue of the subject [you] rather than the attractiveness or
repulsiveness of the object [person you are attempting to love].
Peter
describes “virtue” as those qualities produced by the believer who resides in
the Pre-designed Plan of God.
2 Peter 1:2-4 2 Grace
and peace
[the
blessings of maturity] be multiplied to
you [through
spiritual momentum] in the knowledge
of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as
His divine power [which is given to us through living the Predesigned Plan of
God]
has
given to us all things that pertain to life [logistical support] and godliness [blessings of spiritual maturity], through the knowledge of Him [Christ] who called us by glory [the Predesigned
Plan of God] and virtue [manufactured in the
Predesigned Plan of God], 4 by which [both the PPOG and
virtue manufactured in it]
have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises [Bible doctrines
learned and applied], that through
these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that
is in the world [Satan’s counterfeit system] through lust. NKJV
Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brethren [Royal Family—Church Age believer], whatever things are true [doctrinal],
whatever things are noble [having integrity which comes from doctrine], whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever
things are lovely [having capacity for love],
whatever things are of good report [commendable],
if there is any virtue [and there is]
and if there is anything praiseworthy [and there is]—meditate [concentrate]
on these things.
We
are to “concentrate on virtue” by concentrating on Bible doctrine; doctrine
reveals Jesus Christ, the perfect example of virtue. Christian virtue is not
superficial adherence to religious traditions or self-righteous avoidance of
taboos; virtue is strength of character based on the love of God revealed in
the Person of Christ. The mind of
Christ, Bible doctrine, in your soul forms the character of Christ in your
life. Thought comes before action; motivation comes before function.
Impersonal love is a problem solving solution
in human relationships (apply it to your boss,
unruly kids, relatives when they criticize your beliefs, etc.).
Impersonal love is the basis for having the capacity for love for a few people.
(like, spouse, mother-in-law, father-in-law, brothers, sisters,
teenagers).
Impersonal love emphasizes the virtue, honor, integrity of the subject [you].
Impersonal love is a virtue which
cannot be duplicated in any phase of personal love among human beings. Why? Because only God is perfect so we can apply personal
love towards Him always; all human beings are imperfect so impersonal
unconditional love is for applying to all mankind.
"Impersonal" is an adjective which means without personal reference
or connection, not primarily affecting or involving the emotions of a person; a
professional attitude, like the attitude of a doctor.
So impersonal is a very important word which you should highly value. For
without impersonal love, you will never have any good human relationships. You
will change friends, partners in romance, and spouses in marriage simply
because you have no basis for perpetuating [successfully continuing] any of those relationships apart from
virtue.
In fact, morality will not hold together human relationships; morality is likely the cause for their breakup. Morality doesn't
solve the problems of human relationship. Only virtue can solve the problems of
human relationship.
Virtue can only be produced by persistent perception, metabolization, and
application of Bible doctrine. The noun "impersonally" is the quality
or state of not involving personal feelings or emotions in relationship to an
object [friend, spouse, relative, acquaintance, anyone]. Emotion is designed to appreciate
the relationship but it is never designed to establish a relationship.
Impersonal is the ministry of God the Holy Spirit in the person who has learned
the doctrine and has come to cognitive self-confidence which is spiritual
self-esteem.
It therefore becomes obvious that virtue in the Christian life is totally
devoid of emotion. You can respond to virtue emotionally, but there is no place
for reactive emotion in the Pre-designed Plan
of God. Why? Because, emotion has no ability to
rationalize, to think, to apply doctrine, or to solve problems. Emotion is
designed for our pleasure and enjoyment, but it was never designed for
emotional sins such as fear, worry, anxiety, anger, violence, and murder, etc.
Reactive emotion is not a part of the Christian way of life. Emotion is a normal
function of the human soul when you respond to something you enjoy. Emotion is
abnormal when sinning.
The only base for true love is impersonal love, and it brings with it a
wonderful emotion that is always subordinate to principle.
Impersonal love is defined as that problem solving solution
of the Pre-designed Plan of God for the church (that’s all of us) which produces unconditional love
toward all mankind. Being impersonal, this category of love places emphasis on
your honor, your integrity, and your virtue (not morality) of the
subject [you], rather than the
attractiveness of the object [friend, spouse, relative,
acquaintance, etc.].
Impersonal love for all mankind is the ultimate expression of maximum
metabolized Bible doctrine circulating by means of the Holy Spirit in the seven
compartments of the stream of consciousness of the heart (see below).
You must have the objectivity and grace
orientation of the spiritually adult believer. It is the expression of virtue
in human interaction. It is the ultimate expression of humility in spiritual
self-esteem. The advance to spiritual adulthood is required before this virtue
usually gels.
Review
at HOME beyond this point:
The
Heart: A metaphorical term, from
the Greek kardia (or Hebrew lēhv), referring to various aspects of the human soul as the seat of mentality, conscience, or volition. The heart is described as “deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked” (Jeremiah
17:9), while a “pure heart” can be
the source of love (1
Timothy 1:5). The meaning of the
word is highly dependent on the context. CTS
The
heart is the part of the soul where metabolized Bible doctrine resides and
therefore the heart is to dominate the soul. When negative
emotion takes over the believers thinking the heart is no longer in control and
the believer is in emotional revolt of the soul [a “deceitful heart” and “desperate wickedness”].
The
heart has two parts:
1)
Stream of consciousness with its
2)
Seven compartments.
1.
The Frame of Reference [storage area for applicable doctrine].
2.
The Memory Center.
3.
The Vocabulary Storage.
4.
The Categorical Storage.
5.
The Conscience.
6.
The Momentum Department.
7.
The Wisdom Department.
Spiritual
adulthood exists in three
categories.
1)
Spiritual self-esteem, which is
cognitive self-confidence, is the beginning of the most effective part of
impersonal love.
2) Spiritual autonomy, which is
cognitive independence, is the perpetuation of the effective function of
impersonal love. Impersonal love has no strings attached to it; it makes no
demands.
3) Spiritual maturity, which is
cognitive invincibility, is the ultimate expression of impersonal love.
Spiritual maturity guarantees that your relationships with people will be
absolutely fantastic, and they will never irritate you. Therefore, if people
can irritate you under any set of circumstances, you have not yet reached
spiritual maturity.
So while personal love in human
interaction has no virtue, impersonal love is the maximum expression of spirit
filled virtue toward other people.
Personal love relationships exist in the three categories of friendship,
romance, and marriage. Personal love in human relationship is not a virtue in
itself; it is virtue dependent for success in all three categories.
Therefore, all problems related to
human love demand the function of impersonal love for solutions as well as
capacity. Your capacity for love increases as your impersonal love increases.
Your personal love has no staying power with anyone until you reach cognitive
self-confidence when you no longer feel threatened by anyone.
Impersonal love is related to humility.
The status of impersonal love for all human beings is also the status of true
humility. Arrogant people are constantly seeking unconditional love from
others, but all they offer in return is conditional love. The greater your
arrogance the more conditions you put on someone's love. Arrogant men are most likely
to do this to the woman they love.
The lust pattern of arrogance covets the following: success without integrity,
promotion without ability, approbation without achievement, love without
virtue, sex without happiness, and ministers who covet someone else's pulpit
and congregation. If you lust for any of these
things, you are not a candidate for applying
impersonal love.
Impersonal love is a problem solving solution in human relationships because
virtue resides in the subject [that’s you or another person in
spiritual adulthood].
It is as great in our relationship to other people as occupation with Christ is
in our relationship to God.
We will love those who are known or
unknown, friends or enemies, attractive or repulsive, honorable or
dishonorable, loving or hateful, appreciative or antagonistic, rich or poor.
Impersonal love is absolutely necessary to get a hearing in the supreme court
of heaven. Impersonal love is unconditional because of the grace orientation
from Bible doctrine resident in the soul. Therefore, impersonal love
perpetuates its own honor, its own integrity, its own virtue in every stage of
your spiritual life, and it does so without retaliation, revenge, prejudice,
discrimination, arrogance, hatred, self-righteousness, self-pity, jealousy,
implacability [cannot be satisfied],
vindictiveness, slander, gossip,
maligning, controlling, and without judging.
Personal love minus the virtue of impersonal love is the weakest and most
unstable status quo in life. It is vulnerable to the entire realm of both the
arrogance complex of sins [bitterness, vindictiveness, jealousy, self-pity,
gossip, maligning, slander, revenge motivation, and malice which is the lust to
hurt someone].and the emotional
complex of sins [Hysteria which includes fear, worry, anxiety,
panic, confusion, irrationality, dislocation, and garbage in the subconscious;
Hatred includes anger, hatred, bitter jealousy, loathing, animosity,
vulnerability to imagined insults or injury, implacability, malice, tantrums,
irrationality, violence, and even murder, arrogant self righteousness,
egotistical irrationality, hypersensitivity concerning self and insensitivity
concerning others, projection, denial, self-pity, and whining, etc].
Problem
Solving Solution Number Nine: Sharing the Happiness of God.
The Doctrine of Happiness
THE
DOCTRINE OF HAPPINESS
Acquiring
the perfect happiness of God.
Point 1. Introduction and Description of
Happiness.
Let's begin our subject with some principles.
A) Happiness is not having what you want; it is
wanting what you have, or as we have seen before, it is being at a place of
contentment.
Paul will say this to us in PHI 4:11 "Not that I
speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I
am." NASB
Phi 4:12 "I know how to get along with
humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every
circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both
of having abundance and suffering need." NASB
Phi 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who
strengthens me." NASB
The word for content in the Greek is the noun
autarkes [αὐτάρκης] which
means contentment, to be content, to be self-sufficient. It actually describes
the happiness of the believer in spiritual adulthood.
B) The happiness of your life depends upon the
quality of your thoughts; therefore, you should guard the type of thoughts that
you allow into your soul. You should be careful that you do not entertain any
thoughts unsuitable to virtue [excellence of person] and impersonal love.
This is why Paul said to the Philippians in PHI 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatever
is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever
is lovely, whatever is of good repute [reputation], if there is any virtue [excellence of
person] and if anything worthy
of praise, let your mind dwell on these things."
In fact, happiness and virtue [excellence
of person]
rest upon each other; the best people are not
only the happiest, but the happiest are usually the best people.
C) The truth is that all of us attain the
greatest success and happiness possible in this life whenever we use our
capacities to their greatest extent. It's our capacity that allows us to
experience happiness.
That's why HEB 13:5
says "Let your lifestyle be free from the love of money, being content
with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor
will I ever forsake you." This quotation is one of the most
empatic statements in the New Testament. In Greek it contains two double
negatives similar to saying in English: “I will never, ever, ever forsake [abandon]
you.” Nelson Study Bible pg. 2100.
D) There is only one way to happiness and that
is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will. An
unhappy person is involved with egotism, selfishness, evil, or absolute
ignorance.
Happiness is a way of life. In fact, happiness
requires problems [if you never had a problem, you would never know if you’re happy or
not].
As Paul will say to us in Phi 4:4 "Be
happy in the Lord always; again I will say, be happy!" [corrected
translation]
PHI 4:5 "Let
your forbearing [considerate,
gentle, merciful, indulgent] spirit be known to all
men [you’re looking
forward to being with Christ soon].
The Lord is near."
Philippians 4:5 – The third encouragement pertains to gentleness, a quality to be expressed
toward all people, all
the time. The context of this kind behavior
is the imminent return of Christ: The
Lord is at hand. This implies that the eager expectation in 3:20 will not
be for long. The return of the Lord for the Church is always imminent. This is
likely one reason Paul was not discouraged by his circumstances [look for the best in the worst of circumstances]. He could always look forward to
being with Jesus soon. This focus on the Lord’s return will steer a person away
from a lack of gentleness toward people. When a believer is thinking about
being with Jesus, it will help him to be kind,
even with those who are difficult. GNTC
Phi 4:6 "Be anxious for nothing [stop
worrying about anything], but in everything by prayer and supplication [being
humble] with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known to God."
Phi 4:7 "And the peace of God, which surpasses
all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus."
Philippians 4:6-7 – The fourth encouragement concerns worry. The
believer is admonished [instructed] to be anxious for nothing. The way to do this is through thankful
prayer to God. As a believer makes his requests
to God, he should never forget to be
thankful as well. When a believer is burdened by some care [concern],
his load will be lightened when he remembers to be thankful to God for all that
He has done and continues to do.
As a result, God promises that His supernatural and incomprehensible
peace will envelop the heart and mind of the one praying. When this happens,
worry will dissipate.
This kind of prayer is a perfect expression of a selfless attitude. The
believer should cast his cares on the Lord (cf. 1 Peter
5:7) instead of trying to take care of
problems in his own way. GNTC
E) You'll never realize how happy you are until you go
through certain problems and find out that your happiness has not been taken
away. (when I got sick in 2002, I experienced many
serious medical problems over the years but I didn’t lose my happiness,
contentment, even my sense of humor).
1Pe 1:3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born
again to a living hope [hope = confident assurance] through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,"
1Pe 1:4 "to obtain an inheritance which is
imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for
you,"
1 Peter 1:4
- This inheritance already belongs to believers by spiritual birthright. It is
a place (John 14:2, 3)
described with three adjectives. Incorruptible
describes its permanence rather than moral nature. It cannot perish, be lost,
or break down over time. Undefiled
means that their inheritance is unstained by sin. And unlike flowers, it does not fade away in that it does not
lose its beauty or desirability.
Reserved translates teteremenen, a perfect passive
participle, which means that it is already in place and being guarded, or
watched over, by God. The possession of the believer from the point of
regeneration into eternity is in heaven,
to which may be added additional rewards based on one’s deeds (1 Cor 3:10-15). GNTC
1Pe 1:5 "who are protected by the power of God
through faith [it’s not the believer’s faith that keeps
him saved, it’s God’s faithfulness that keeps us saved] for a salvation [a permanent eternal salvation] ready to be revealed in
the last time [future destiny in heaven]."
1Pe 1:6 "In this you greatly rejoice [you
have inner happiness], even though now for a little while, if necessary, you
have been distressed by various trials," [sickness, accidents, war, or any other negative
experiences, along with persecutions and tribulations.]
1Pe 1:7 "that the proof of your faith, being
more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be
found to result in praise [well done good and faithful servant] and glory [sharing in Christ’s glory] and honor [describes
the high distinction or recognition given to the faithful] at the revelation [second coming] of Jesus Christ;"
1Pe 1:8 "and though you have not seen
Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you
greatly rejoice [happiness] with an inexpressible
happiness and full of glory [a reference to a soul
structure which thinks with God],"
F) Happiness is not a reward for doing something; it
is a consequence. In the Biblical realm, it is the consequence of taking in
doctrine and applying it to your life.
Pro 3:13 "Happiness belongs to the person who
finds wisdom [a priceless treasure, its stored bible
truth understood in your soul], even
to the person who gains understanding [after applying the doctrine in your soul, you will
have experiential understand of happiness]."
G) We tend to forget that true happiness doesn't
come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing
and appreciating what we do have. This is where capacity comes in once again.
H) It is not the place, nor the condition, but the
mind alone that can make anyone happy or miserable.
Pro 23:7 "For as he thinks within himself, so
he is." [we’re not what we think we are, but
rather what we think is what we are].
Pro 17:22 "A happy heart is good medicine, But
a broken spirit dries up the bones."
I) Happiness is learning to understand rather than to
immediately judge. (Remember the short video I
showed you a few months ago?)
A person can save himself from many hard falls [in your mind]
by refraining from jumping to conclusions. If you could only take some time to
understand all the facts rather than immediately judge someone, you will
experience a tranquil life, a life of peace and happiness.
J) Happiness means not following the majority and
accepting their approach toward life.
A happy person is one who makes up his own
mind, has his own convictions, and doesn't allow himself to be manipulated.
K) Happiness is not allowing yourself to indulge
in the usual manipulation that goes on in life.
L) Happiness is coming to understand that life
is best to be lived and not to be conceptualized or just considered.
A happy person is not afraid to live and is not
afraid to fail.
M) A person is happy because they are growing daily
and not thinking of where the limit lies.
Every day there can be a new revelation or a
new discovery about life and about God. The happy person lives one day at a time
and enjoys himself.
N) Happiness is also being able to treasure the memory
of past misfortunes. (I treasure the memory of how I handled getting undeservedly fired
from a very successful 16 year tenure. The Lord gave me that job and His
permissive will allowed it to be taken away from me].
In fact, happiness isn't something you just
experience; it's something you remember.
O) The happiest people are those who think the most
interesting thoughts. Those who decide to use leisure as a means of mental development,
who love good music, good books, good pictures & movies, good company, good
conversation, are the happiest people in the world. They are not only happy in
themselves, but they share their happiness with others.
P) It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy,
that makes happiness.
The key to true happiness is a change in our
mental attitude.
Point 2. Definition and Vocabulary.
First of all let's begin with the English words used
in the Bible for happiness.
The English noun "joy" refers to a
state of happiness or bliss or something which causes happiness, great
pleasure, or satisfaction. It is interesting that it is used by the apostle [Paul]
in the book of Philippians seven times, the number of completion or perfection.
The verb "rejoice" is also another
word which describes happiness, and it is defined as an expression of a state
of happiness or delight. Paul used this word eight times in the book of
Philippians.
The English noun "happiness" is
defined as a state of well-being characterized by a relative, permanent
contentment, marked by pleasure, satisfaction, or joy. In fact, it also means
to be enthusiastic about life.
However, these
English words do not necessarily reflect the original languages of Scripture.
SKIP THE HEBREW & GREEK WORDS:
Let's note the
Hebrew words used for happiness.
Eshor
is translated blessed, blessedness, happiness. It is usually found in the
construct form ashere, generally
translated happiness, blessing, blessed.
For
example, in PSA 1:1
"How blessed [happy] is the man who does not walk in the counsel
of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of
scoffers [belittler’s,
mocker’s, jeerer’s, discrediter’s]!"
Or look at PSA 32:1
"How blessed [happy] is he whose transgression [sin] is
forgiven, Whose sin is covered [taken away,
removed]!"
Psa 32:2
"How blessed [happy] is the man to whom the Lord does not impute [attribute, assign, blame,
accuse] iniquity [sin, wickedness], And in whose spirit there is no deceit [cheating,
misleading, fraud, deception]!"
Eshor
and ashere on the basic words used for happiness in the Old Testament.
Then
there are the Greek words used for happiness.
The noun chara is translated "joy."
However, the Romans and Greeks were very cynical [skeptical,
sarcastic, distrusting] about
happiness, and they didn't seek it in things and people as we do. So these
Koine [koi-ney] Greek words have different connotations from their English
translations.
The noun makarios
(usually in the plural makaroi) is translated "blessed" or
"happiness." For example, it is the word used in the Sermon on the
Mount.
Mat 5:3 "Blessed [happy] are the poor
in spirit [The idea of
God blessing the humble believer and resisting the proud], for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven [actually possessing the kingdom and elevated in it
rather than just entrance into it]."
Mat 5:4 "Blessed [happy] are those who
mourn [to
mourn means that the things that break the heart of God should break the
believer’s heart as well, whether it is sin or the effects of sin.]
Mat 5:5 "Blessed [happy] are the gentle
[i.e., the mature
believer who is willing to wait for God’s timing to claim what is rightfully
his], for they shall inherit the earth [ruling one’s spirit in time qualifies one to rule
with Christ in the kingdom]."
Mat 5:6 "Blessed [happy] are those who
hunger and thirst for righteousness [a consuming desire for righteousness in both one’s life and in others]
for they shall be satisfied [in their personal life, Ps 107:9; and the coming kingdom, Isa 62:1-2;
Jer 23:5-6; Mal 4:2]."
Mat 5:7 "Blessed [happy] are the
merciful [compassionate
spirit towards others], for they shall receive mercy [possibly, more than they deserve at the Judgment Seat of
Christ]."
Mat 5:8 "Blessed [happy] are the pure
in heart [devoid of or
free from sinful motives], for they shall see God."
Mat 5:9 "Blessed [happy] are the
peacemakers [in the
kingdom they will have a reputation of being like God, a friend, co-heir with
Jesus Christ], for they shall be called sons of God [while all believers are children
of God, only those who were the peacemakers will be His sons]."
Mat 5:10 "Blessed [happy] are those who
have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven."
Mat 5:11 "Blessed [happy] are you when
[men] cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil
against you falsely, on account of Me."
Mat 5:12 "Rejoice, and be glad, for your
reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before
you."
Matthew 5:10-12. Twice in
these verses “those who are persecuted”
and reviled are congratulated on their future happiness. “Those who are persecuted” may rejoice only if such persecution
comes “for righteousness sake.” Many
people feel they are persecuted, but their trials and troubles are only the
consequences of sin or bad behavior. When persecution does come because of a
righteous stance on justice, truth, or liberty, others may “revile...you,” or “say all
kinds of evil against you.” Persecution may be either physical or verbal.
Those who
face persecution are admonished [urged] to “rejoice and be exceedingly glad.” This is not
sadomasochism—rejoicing in pain. It is being happy in spite of painful
persecution because of what is coming later. “All who desire to live godly in
Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim 3:12).
The promise
for enduring abuse “for My
[Christ’s] sake” is authority and
exaltation [praise & elevation] in the
kingdom (cf. 5:3). Loyalty under persecution brings “great...reward in heaven” so that disciples fully possess “the kingdom of heaven” (cf. 2 Tim 1:12). If persecution should make them feel worthless, let them
remember that the OT prophets were
also persecuted. They are in good company! GNTC
However, these words used for translation do
not explain the Biblical doctrine of happiness. The Greek
noun [autarkeia] comes a little closer,
because it means contentment, to be content, or to be self-sufficient. It means
a perfect condition of life in which no aid or support is needed.
It actually describes the happiness of
spiritual adulthood.
It is used in 1TI 6:6 "But living the spiritual life keeps
on being a great means of prosperity when accompanied by contentment or
capacity for life." [Corrected translation]
Notice how it is translated in 2CO 9:8 "And God is able
to make all grace abound to you, so that always
having all sufficiency [there's autarkeia
or another definition for happiness] in everything, you may have an
abundance for every good deed;"
Its verb arkeo, in the active
voice, means to be sufficient; therefore to be self-sufficient. This comes
closer to describing what Biblical happiness really is, and what happens to us
when we execute the PPOG for the Church-age.
It is used in 2CO 12:9 "And He has said
to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in
weakness."
In the passive voice,
this verb means to be satisfied and content. This refers to an expression of
happiness related to spiritual autonomy.
The passive voice use of this is found 1TI 6:8 "Now having nourishing food and a
change of clothes, with these we shall be content." (corrected translation)
Now, we really cannot discover from these words
alone what happiness is. We commonly use them in relationship to our emotions,
stimulation, excitement, and anticipation. But we do not know what happiness is
from these words in isolation. Therefore, to understand what happiness is
becomes a grammatical, exegetical, contextual examination of certain passages
of the Word of God.
In other words, one word doesn't really
describe happiness. But to refer to it, we will use the commonly used word
"happiness."
Most people carry the entrenched notion that
some set of circumstances, things, or people can "make" us happy. [I’ll get
married; I’ll have another baby; if only I had a different job; made more money
etc.]
However, happiness is not something that is
made or manufactured by you. We must never confuse happiness, as taught in the
Word of God, with the various stimuli of life which are enjoyable for the
moment, but have no ability to sustain us in day-by-day living.
Whatever happiness is, it is something we have
with us all the time. It's only in the body to the extent that the soul is in
the body, for happiness is related to the soul and spirit, to the immaterial
parts of man, and is not related to the body at all. [the physical body is the genetically formed old-sin-nature]
Remember that rapport with God must
precede [come
before] rapport with people. And if you have no rapport with
God, you will never have good rapport with
people, and you also will never experience true happiness [i.e., the perfect happiness of God].
Our corrected translation of PHI 1:15-18 reads, PHI 1:15,
"Certain ones, on the one hand, are proclaiming the Christ even from
jealousy and strife [rivalry] or
discord, but certain ones on the other hand because of good motivation"
PHI 1:16
"the latter category [the
last ones mentioned in verse 15] out of the motivation of love [Impersonal unconditional love: agapēs - ἀγάπης,] are fully
convinced that I [Paul]
am appointed for the defense of the good news;"
PHI 1:17
"the former category [the
first ones mentioned in verse 15] from the motivation
of divisive self-promotion proclaim Christ, not from pure motives, since they
presume [take for granted]
to arouse mental distress with regard to my imprisonment."
PHI 1:18 "What
is my conclusion? Only that in every way, whether in false motivation or in
true, Christ is being proclaimed; and in this I am happy, not only at this
time, but I will continue being happy."
We have noted in relationship to this passage
the subject of happiness, which is a very misunderstood concept in our day an
age.
True happiness is having contentment no matter
what type of situation you are faced with.
Happiness depends upon the quality of your
thoughts.
There is only one way to happiness, and that is, as an example, to cease worrying about things which
are beyond the power of our control [In other words, worry is being controlled mentally by whatever a
person is worrying about, the worrying person is occupied with it. However, we have the power through rebound
and then the help of the Holy Spirit to renew our minds, to stop worrying,
actually when we reach spiritual adulthood, we will automatically stop
worrying.
In fact, happiness requires problems and pressures in life. You'll never realize how happy
you are until you go through certain problems and find out that your happiness
has not been taken away.
We tend to forget that true happiness doesn't
come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing
and appreciating what we do have [contentment]. It is not how much we have, but
how much we enjoy, that reveals our happiness.
So the key to true happiness is a change in our
mental attitude.
The phrase "the pursuit of happiness"
is actually a ridiculous phrase because if you pursue happiness [i.e., the frantic search for happiness]
you'll never find it. [However, if
you pursue bible truth or bible doctrine, understand it, believe it and apply
it to your life, happiness will find you and even become you, that is the only
way to achieve true happiness or maximum contentment].
Point 3. The Biblical Categories of Happiness.
1) Pseudo happiness, counterfeit
or false happiness.
2) Establishment happiness from following the laws of
divine establishment [for the unbeliever].
3) Perfect happiness which is the believers possession of divine happiness (also called
+H) [for the believer only].
Pseudo happiness is Satan's attempt to
counterfeit the happiness, the contentment, and the blessing which God has
provided for every Church-age believer as members of the royal family of God.
The provision of perfect happiness is found in
our portfolio of invisible assets
and the game plan for the Church-age, the PPOG [the Predesigned Plan of God or what the
bible calls predestination]. However, as the ruler of this
world, Satan loves to keep his citizens deceived through this counterfeit
happiness. He does so by providing stimulation [anything that distracts you from devoting
time for studying God’s Word on a daily basis], ambition [e.g., placing
your career as top priority in your life to the exclusion of taking in God’s
Word,] and self-indulgence [e.g., being occupied with the
details of life like, TV, shopping, movies, sports, politics, etc., more than devoting
time to renewing your mind to be Christ like] which will
either counterfeit or cancel out the happiness God provides for us.
This is why the Apostle John said in 1JO 2:15 "Do not love the world, nor
the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is
not in him." [This doesn’t mean the person is unsaved.
What it does mean is God’s love is not working in and through those who love
the world. It is impossible to love both the world and God at the same time.].
1Jo 2:16 "For all that is in the world, the
lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is
not from the Father, but is from the world."
1Jo 2:17 "And the world is passing away, and
also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides [lives] forever [in
Christ is eternal happiness and contentment].”
Satan himself does not personally administer
pseudo happiness to any person, but he does provide the system called in this
passage the world, or the kosmos, which we will
call the cosmic system.
And the cosmic system provided by Satan is
filled with illusions, delusions, fallacies, and misconceptions of happiness.
Satan's myth of arrogance is that both people
and pleasant circumstances in life can make you happy. This of course is not
true.
Satan's propaganda is that money, success, pleasure,
social life, sexual life, public approbation, fame, material things, travel,
health, and pleasant circumstances in life can make you happy.
This is only true under certain circumstances
and with certain limitations; however, it doesn't last. Often these things are
pleasurable, stimulating, fun, and enjoyable, but they cannot support
you...especially in time of suffering.
By way of contrast, what God has provided
for us in perfect happiness is a permanent factor and problem-solving solutions.
Remember this principle: anything that is
worthwhile is worthwhile in adversity as well as in prosperity [taking in
God’s Word and applying it to your life is worthwhile whether you’re in a
circumstance of adversity or prosperity].
If you are dependent on any person or set of
circumstances for happiness, you are weak and you do not have happiness [example: a
woman believes that if she has another baby that will make her happy or cure
any marriage problems she may be experiencing].
To the extent that you are dependent on people,
circumstances, prosperity, success, or any accoutrements of life for happiness,
you are weak.
But if, as a believer in Jesus Christ, you have
been faithful in the reception, retention, and recall of Bible doctrine and
have advanced to spiritual self-esteem,
spiritual autonomy,
or spiritual maturity;
you are not only a strong person, but you have great inner happiness. You take
this inner happiness with you wherever you go, just like the Apostle Paul took
it with him while in prison.
God's happiness isn't dependent on environment,
associations, or circumstances of prosperity or adversity; it depends on none
of these things.
God's happiness is simply a part of God's grace
policy [opportunity
to acquire it] to believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Remember that Satan is the ruler of this
world, LUK 4:5-6, 7; JOH 12:31, 14:30,
16:11
[ruler]; 2CO 4:4
[god]; EPH 2:2
[prince]. In Eph 2:2, he is called “the
prince of the power of the air”, or the one who controls the atmosphere in
this world. Here the "atmosphere" refers to the educational system,
the media, television, radio, literature, or any other means that the kingdom
of darkness can use to invade your system of thinking.
Satan rules and controls through a policy
called arrogance, in contrast to God's policy of grace. However, Satan's
administration of pseudo [bogus, counterfeit] happiness to any
believer or unbeliever can only exist when that person is involved in the
cosmic system. This happens primarily in cosmic one, where through arrogance,
any capacity for true happiness is destroyed.
COSMIC ONE: Cosmic one consists of
grieving the Spirit. In Cosmic one the believer becomes involved with sin or
preoccupation with self, which is the arrogance complex [the full array
of sins] of sins, hence exiting the predesigned
plan of God (PPOG). Once in cosmic one believers only need rebound, 1JO 1:9, to get back in fellowship with God.
COSMIC TWO: Cosmic two consists of quenching the
Spirit. This is man's exit from the predesigned plan of God by way of
antagonism toward God and the plan of God. Cosmic two entails more than sin per
se in that it moves into evil. Evil is more than sin; it is a system of thought
based on disputes, rejection and contradiction to the Word of God. Evil
attempts to frustrate the grace policy of God. This "human viewpoint"
takes more than mere rebound to re-enter fellowship with God, it requires
recovery as well. Recovery is the cleansing of the mind through consistent
perception, metabolization and application of the accurate teaching of the Word
of God.
START JULY CLASS 2016
As a side note to cosmic two: the sadist
point about quenching the Holy Spirit is when we are out of fellowship or
continue to remain out of fellowship with God due to unconfessed sin is that we
have actually left the predesigned plan of God and reentered the devils cosmic
system; therefore, when we do a good deed, it is not rewardable since it will
be classified as wood, hay and straw rather than gold, silver & precious
stone at the Judgment Seat of Christ. It’s very important to remember, when we
are out of fellowship with God, that is, we are grieving and quenching the Holy
Spirit because we are in the devils world or his cosmic system where we can
only commit evil deeds [Why? Because you’re out of fellowship with God, in other
words, you’re not abiding in Him and not controlled by the Holy Spirit] which are the opposite of good deeds [they are good deeds
only when abiding in Christ, i.e., in fellowship with God], this is why when we do a deed inside the cosmic
system, one that would normally be rewardable for both time and eternity future
if done in fellowship [i.e., while living inside the Predesigned Plan Of God], the deed will be considered to be wood, hay and
straw (1 Corinthians 3:12, 13, 14-15) at
the BEMA Seat [Judgement Seat of Christ].
This is why it is so important to keep a very short list of unconfessed sins
and to restore yourself back to fellowship with God and be again filled with
the Holy Spirit ASAP.
1
Corinthians 9:24-27 9:24 Do you not
know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run
in such a way that you may win. 9:25 Everyone who
competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to
receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 9:26
Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not
beating the air; 9:27 but I discipline my body and make
it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be
disqualified.
Commentary from GNTC: (scripture reference
pop-ups are from NASB)
9:24-27.
He offers strong practical application for believers to engage in discipline in
light of winning others to Christ, and he uses himself and the Corinthians’ own
Isthmian athletic games as examples. He refers to particular events of running
and boxing that were part of these Isthmian [(ĭs′mē-ən] games, which were close to the city of
Corinth. The athlete took ten months to train for these games. In these games
all the runners prepare to run, but in the actual event only one receives the
prize (brabeion). Paul exhorts [urges, encourages] the church in Corinth to run in such a
way that [they] may obtain the prize. He continues that everyone who competes
for the prize is temperate in all things. The verb agonizomai (competes_ means “to get in shape in order to
participate in the games.” The word “agony” comes from it. Temperate refers to
the athlete’s self-control because of this strict training. The athletes in the
Isthmian games exercised discipline so that when they would come to their event
they would win it and obtain a perishable crown. The word crown (stephanos) was a wreath woven of oak,
ivy, or spruce, which was given to the victor.
All
believers are given this same opportunity to win an imperishable crown. An
imperishable crown, awarded by the King of kings, is far more valuable than a
perishable one awarded by some local official. Furthermore Christians are not
competing against one another in the “race” or in the “event.” They are
competing against themselves. In the Isthmian games only one person wins, but
in the Christian race all who abide by the rules and run the race with
diligence receive this imperishable crown (cf. 2 Tim 2:5). The athlete would receive a wreath that would eventually fade
and fall apart. But the faithful believer receives a crown that lasts forever.
It does not fade or fall apart.
Paul
is not telling the unsaved that they need to run the race in order to earn
eternal life. Rather he is addressing the believers who have been given the
gift of eternal life, and he is telling them they can win a prize for the
faithful discipline in their lives. He offers himself as an example of this
when he says, Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. He stays on course
and does not run aimlessly. He also engages in the boxing match not as one who
beats the air. It would be futile for a boxer to punch the air.
Paul
realizes that his greatest problem in this contest is himself. So he
disciplines his body (cf. Rom 7:24; 8:8, 10-11) so that he will not become disqualified (adokimos, lit., disapproved; cf. 2 Tim 2:15 which has dokimos,
“approved”). The apostle did not fear the loss of eternal life. He feared not
having His Lord’s approval at the Judgment Seat of Christ, and not having the
privilege of ruling with Christ which will come to all who have His approval
(cf. Luke 19:17; 1 Cor 9:25).
James
1:21-22 - 21 Therefore wlay
aside all filthiness [evil] and 4overflow
of wickedness [excess evil, a kind of unwanted enlargement, or abnormal outgrowth,
in the Christian life, e.g., continuous quenching of the Holy Spirit], and
receive with meekness the implanted word, xwhich is
able to save your souls [the latter doesn’t mean saved from hell]. 22 But
ybe doers
of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
As a third opinion regarding our subject, in
the book written by Zane Hodges, titled “The Epistle of JAMES” – 1:21-22, pages
40-42, beginning at the bottom of paragraph two, he states: “All
human evil [i.e., grieving and quenching of the Holy Spirit, involved
in sin and more than sin which is evil]
should
be renounced [rebound]
by
the Christian before he hears [and obeys or
applies] God’s Word.”
In other
words, when we step out of the PPOG, we step back into Satan’s evil cosmic
system where we can only do evil. Therefore, it’s very important to prepare
oneself before hearing God’s Word; this would be to use 1 John 1:9 to restore fellowship with God the Holy
Spirit.
Doing so makes it certain that the believer
is filled with the Holy Spirit. As
you’ll see in the next paragraph, the same “renouncement of sins” [rebound] should be done, if needed, prior to obeying or
applying God’s Word; this would be especially important with regard to doing
good deeds [good works] since
they are rewardable only when done while abiding in Christ [being in fellowship
with God and filled with the Holy Spirit]
which assures the believer that his/her good works will be determined to be
“gold, silver and precious stone” at the BEMA Seat [Judgment Seat of Christ].
How could we expect God to justifiably reward
a believer for deeds done when he/she is living [abiding]
in Satan’s cosmic system [out of fellowship, i.e., not filled with the Holy Spirit] which we refer to as living outside the predesigned
plan of God.
Furthermore, 1 John 1:9 is both a command and
a promise: “If 3 we confess [commanded by God—site or acknowledge] our sins
[known
sins], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin(s) [promise] and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
[unknown
or forgotten sin(s), also a promise].
James 1:22. As
important as it is to receive the implanted word [implanted word = the Word we hear, i.e., the metabolized
Word of God in our soul/spirit] with cleansed hearts
and a meek spirit [rebounded], there
is one further essential step. They must become doers of the word. James’s
readers must never allow themselves to become mere hearers; instead they must
obey it. James trades on the
fact that the word “hear,” in both Hebrew and Greek, can mean either “sensory
audition” or “to hear responsively,” that is, “to obey.”
In his
exposition of the command to be swift to hear (v
19),
James wants his audience to realize that the regular hearing of God’s Word in
the meetings of the church is not all he has in mind. To be swift to hear, at its deepest level of meaning, means also “to be
swift to obey.” If the readers ever thought that mere attention to the
Scriptures was enough, they were mistaken. With such a view they would be
deceiving themselves. The analogy today would be the Christian who is
fascinated by the exposition [explanation or interpretation] and study of God’s
Word but who has assimilated very little of it into his everyday life.
Unfortunately many Christian’s
service, sacrifice, and works will be determined to be wood, hay, and straw and
will be burned up at the Judgment Seat of Christ (1CO 3:11, 12, 13, 14-15; 2CO 5:10). The only Christian service and production that counts is the
production that results from the filling of the Holy Spirit and the perception,
metabolization
& application of Bible
doctrine. Therefore, Christian service and Christian works are not the means of
attaining spiritual adulthood or of glorifying God. Spiritual growth is not
measured in works; spiritual growth is measured in momentum [continuously and persistently moving forward in your spiritual
intake and application of God’s Word, even through to spiritual maturity]. When there is momentum, there will be
production. That production will be gold, silver, and precious stones and it
will be rewardable at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
COSMIC SYSTEM: The phrase the cosmic system involves both
cosmic one and cosmic two and entails the overall objective of Satan in using
mankind to prove his superiority over God. The cosmic system is the devil's
multifaceted policy for achieving his goal by way of human viewpoint projected
through the world system. The cosmic system refers to the Greek word kosmos. Satan is king of the world and
its cosmic system.
Read the following Lewis Sperry Chafer commentary at home: skip
to page 147.
The Lewis Sperry Chafer commentary
below uses the old KJV for bible references.
Chapter 46: Judgment of the Believer's
Works
CHAPTER XLVI
JUDGMENT OF THE BELIEVER'S WORKS
By Lewis Sperry Chafer
With reference to sin, the
Scriptures teach that the child of God under grace shall not come into judgment
(John 3:18; 5:24; 6:37; Rom 5:1; 8:1, R.V.; 1 Cor 11:32); for, as to his
standing before God, and on the ground that the penalty for all sin—past,
present, and future (Col 2:13)—has been borne by Christ as the perfect
Substitute, the believer is not only placed beyond condemnation, but, being in
Christ, is accepted in the perfection of Christ (1 Cor 1:30; Eph 1:6; Col 2:10;
Heb 10:14), and loved of God as Christ is loved (John 17:23). But with
reference to his daily life and service for God, the Christian must give an
account before the judgment seat of Christ (Rom 14:10; 2 Cor 5:10; Eph 6:8),
which judgment will occur at the coming of Christ to receive His own (1 Cor
4:5; 2 Tim 4:8; Rev 22:12. Note also Matt 16:27; Luke 14:14).
When standing before the Great
White Throne for their final judgment, the unsaved are to be judged
"according to their works" (Rev 20:11-15). It is not the purpose of
this judgment to determine whether those standing there are saved or lost; it
rather determines the degree of penalty which, because of their evil works,
shall rest upon those who are lost. Likewise, the saved, when standing before
the judgment seat of Christ at His coming, are judged according to their works,
and this judgment does not determine whether they are saved or lost; it rather
determines the reward or loss of reward for service which will be due each
individual believer. Those who shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ
will not only be saved and safe, but will already have been taken into Heaven;
not on the ground of their merit or works, but on the ground of divine grace
made possible through the saviourhood of Christ. Since, under grace, the
character of the believer's life and service does not, and cannot, in any way
condition his eternal salvation, by so much, the life and service of the
believer becomes a separate and unrelated issue to be judged by Christ — whose
we are and whom we serve.
When gathered before "the
throne of his glory," there is also to be a reckoning of reward on the
basis of merit both for Israel and the nations, but apart from the issues of
personal salvation (Matt 25:31. Note Matt 6:2-6; 24:45,46; 25).
There are two central passages on the
subject of the believer's rewards which are conclusive:
First. 1 Cor 3:9, 10, 11-12, 13-14, 15.
In determining the force of this
passage, it should be observed (1) that only those who are saved are in view.
The personal pronouns we and ye include all who are saved and exclude all who
are not saved, and likewise, the word man refers only to the one who is
building on the Rock Christ Jesus. (2) Having presented to the Corinthians the
Gospel by which they were saved—which salvation provides the Rock on which the
saved one stands — the Apostle Paul likens himself to a wise master-builder who
has laid the foundation; but in strong
contrast to this, he indicates that each believer for himself is building the
superstructure upon the one foundation which is provided through the grace of
God. The appeal, therefore, is to each one to take heed how he builds thereon.
This is not a reference to so-called "character building," which
theme finds no basis in those Scriptures which are addressed to the saints of
this dispensation; their character is
said to be "the fruit of the Spirit" (Gal 5:22,23) and is realized not by fleshly effort, but
when walking by means of the Spirit (Gal 5:16). The believer is represented
as building a superstructure of service, or works, which is to be tested by
fire—possibly by the eyes of fire of the Lord before whom he will stand (Rev
1:14). (3) The "work" which the Christian is building upon Christ
Jesus may be of wood, hay, or stubble which fire destroys; or it may be of
gold, silver, and precious stone which fire does not destroy, and which, as in
the case of gold and silver, is purified by it. (4) To the one whose
"work" shall abide which he hath built on Christ, a reward shall be
given; but the one whose "work" shall be burned shall suffer loss:
not his salvation which is secured through the finished work of Christ, but his
reward. Even when passing through the
fire which is to test every Christian's work and though suffering the loss of
his reward, he himself shall be saved.
Second. 1 Cor 9:16-17, 18-19, 20, 21, 22-23, 24, 26-27.
Having reference to his own
service in preaching the Gospel, the Apostle inquires, "What is my reward
then?" The true answer to this
question most naturally depends upon the nature and quality [was the work done in God’s divine system
(PPOG) or in Satan’s cosmic system] of the service he has rendered to God. The Apostle therefore proceeds to recount
his own faithfulness in works (18-23). No one will deny the truthfulness of his
report. He then likens Christian service to a race in which all believers are
running, and, as in a foot race, but one receiveth the prize—and that through a
superior effort. Similarly, in Christian
service the believer should exert all his strength that he may obtain his full
reward—run, as it were, to surpass all others. Again, as the athlete is
temperate in all things that he may obtain a corruptible crown, so the
Christian should be temperate [self-control, remain
approved by following God’s rules, so-to-speak] in all things that he may obtain an incorruptible crown. The
Apostle's temperateness is seen in the fact that he kept his own body under and
brought it into subjection lest that in some unworthy and half-hearted service
for others he himself should be disapproved. The word here translated
"castaway" (v 9:27 KJV) is _adokimos, which is the negative form of
_dokimos, and as _dokimos is translated
"approved" (Rom 14:18; 16:10; 1 Cor 11:19; 2 Cor 10:18; 2 Tim 2:15), so adokimos should be
translated "disapproved." Since the Apostle's salvation is in no way
in question, he was not fearing lest he would be dismissed from God forever;
but he did fear being disapproved in the sphere of his service.
The Christian's reward is
sometimes mentioned as a "prize" (1 Cor 9:24), and sometimes as a "crown" (1 Cor 9:25; Phil 4:1; 1 Thess 2:19; 2 Tim 4:8; James 1:12; 1 Peter 5:4; Rev 2:10; 3:11). These crowns may be classified under five divisions representing
five distinct forms of Christian service and suffering, and the child of God is
also warned lest he lose his reward (Col 2:18; 2 John 8; Rev 3:11).
The doctrine of rewards is the
necessary counterpart of the doctrine of salvation by grace. Since God does
not, and cannot, reckon the believer's merit or works to the account of his
salvation, it is required that the
believer's good works shall be divinely acknowledged. The saved one owes
nothing to God in payment for salvation which is bestowed as a gift; but he does owe God a life of undivided
devotion, and for this life of devotion there is promised a reward in Heaven.
Arrogance destroys any capacity for happiness.
The presence of arrogance in your soul is a guarantee of unhappiness
perpetuated for the rest of your life [i.e., until you repent, meaning change your
attitude/mind about the sin, then use 1 John 1:9].
Arrogance includes jealousy, and you cannot be
jealous and be happy.
It includes self-pity, and you cannot have
self-pity and be happy.
It includes a guilt complex, which you cannot
have and be happy.
It also includes implacability [you can’t be
satisfied], vindictiveness, hatred, revenge motivation [wanting to
carry it out], revenge function [carrying it
out on someone]; any of these can keep you from being
happy. All mental attitude sins, which add up to motivational arrogance,
guarantee the exclusion of any happiness. Then from there you will move to
functional arrogance, which only intensifies your unhappiness, causing you to
begin a frantic search for happiness [inside the cosmic system],
and to try all sorts of things that will only make you unhappy.
Your life might be like the fool mentioned in LUK 12:16-21
"And He
told them a parable, saying, 'The land of a certain rich man was very
productive.'"
Luk 12:17 "And he began reasoning to himself,
saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?'" [The rich man
then ponders what to do with this supply. The revealing of
his inner dialogue reflects God’s omniscience and explores the attitudinal root
of covetousness. GNTC]
Luk 12:18 "And he said, 'This is what I will
do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all
my grain and my goods.'" [He decides to hoard his abundant goods. Here is a man
whose every action points back to himself. GNTC]
Luk 12:19 "And I will say to my soul, 'Soul,
you have many goods laid up for many years [to come]; take your ease,
eat, drink [and] be merry. [After hoarding his possessions he plans to address his
soul. The man makes his future plans on the basis of a mistaken premise. He
counted on his possessions and longevity. He concluded, “‘take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’” GNTC]
Luk 12:20 "But God said to him, 'You fool!
This [very] night your soul is required of you; and [now] who
will own what you have prepared?'" [The parable takes a shocking turn as God,
Himself verbally shakes the man into reality by saying, “‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you.’” God’s
question strikes at the heart of the conflict introduced by the man in the
crowd (v 13). He cared little about God and concerned himself with material
possessions. GNTC]
Luk 12:21 "So is the man who lays up treasure
for himself, and is not rich toward God." [Jesus then completes the illustration. “So
is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Because
God would require the man’s life that very night, he had no time to enjoy his
self-centered pursuits. GNTC]
Unhappiness destroys the potential for
contentment and appreciation and causes people to go on the frantic search for
happiness. This complete and total search for pleasure eventually results in
the total destruction of the individual.
No amount of material possession produces wealth; but enjoying what we
have, no matter how much or how little it may be, is what makes us wealthy.
And, for those in the world, it is very hard to
tell what does bring happiness because poverty and wealth have both failed. The
problem is these people have been deceived by the god of this world.
That's why in REV 12:9 we are told "And the great
dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan,
who deceives the whole world;"
So, the arrogance complex is very deceptive
because it deludes, distracts, and deceives mankind into false notions about
what constitutes happiness. A short good time can certainly be construed as
happiness during the time it occurs.
Pseudo happiness can be stimulation, fun,
entertainment, or something that is enjoyable, but it isn't permanent; it is
momentary. It depends upon a set of circumstances and an environment pleasant
to you. And the great deceiver of this world has trapped many individuals by causing
them to be suckers for pseudo happiness.
As 2TI 2:26
says they are being "held captive by Satan to do his will."
So this is called pseudo happiness because,
beyond that moment of a good time, there are
bad times, routine times, or dull times. And when you are bored or facing
problems, that past temporary happiness does not sustain you. People cannot be
carried by good times.
However, by way of contrast, perfect happiness
is a magnificent problem-solving solution
because you have it all the time, and you merely tune into it during problem
solving.
Perfect happiness is not only a problem-solving
solution, but it is a basis for capacity for
life.
Arrogant preoccupation with self through
involvement in the cosmic system guarantees unhappiness, and it guarantees that
every moment of stimulation, success, or enjoyment will neither be perpetuated
nor sustain you in day-by-day life.
Therefore, it is called pseudo happiness. You
are stimulated and you call it happiness, but it's gone tomorrow.
Pseudo-happiness is associated with any form of
stimulation, enjoyment, or excitement which provides temporary pleasure, but it
does not sustain, motivate, or encourage the believer in time of adversity,
pressure, suffering, or testing, during which time he needs to use the
resources of doctrine to solve the problems that beset him.
And instead of true happiness, if you are
involved with the cosmic system this guarantees you self-induced misery and
divine discipline. You can be free to indulge yourself in every whim of life,
and yet become frustrated and miserable. You must have capacity for happiness
to really be happy, and then you can be happy in whatever life has to offer you
in a given moment. Capacity for happiness must precede the experience or
function of happiness.
Morality, self-control, and
self-determination based on divine standards of the Word of God will produce
two kinds of happiness in your life.
1) The unbeliever who functions under morality without
arrogance will have establishment
happiness from the laws of divine establishment.
2) The believer who functions under consistent
perception, metabolization and application of Bible doctrine will receive perfect happiness, which is a
day-by-day, moment-by-moment happiness that carries you in the darkest of
nights and the most difficult of times.
Life is divided into two parts: living
and dying. And if you have perfect happiness in living, you will have perfect
happiness in dying, whether it is prolonged and painful or short and sweet.
The only difference between living and dying is
that, in living, we have the full use of our volition toward doctrine. However,
in dying, our volition is no longer an issue because God's sovereignty selects
the time, place, and manner of our death.
If you live in the cosmic system, you will have
a pseudo happiness in living and therefore a pseudo happiness in dying; and you
will die miserably with a lifestyle of fear. Your mental attitude of panic will
actually intensify all your problems in dying.
But if you have perfect happiness, you will
have a magnificent life and a magnificent time while dying.
Another area in which you can have either
pseudo happiness or God's perfect happiness is in your single or marital
status.
If you have pseudo happiness, when you are
single, you wish you were married; and when you are married, you wish you were
single. But if you have perfect happiness, it doesn't make any difference
whether you are single or married.
If you have perfect happiness and impersonal
love in marriage, you can resolve all marital problems. That doesn't mean that
the marriage is always going to work out; in many cases it does not. However,
it does mean you don't have to have any bitterness, jealousy, anger,
vindictiveness, or revenge motivation, like so many do when their marriage
doesn't work out.
Remember that the four divine institutions are for believers
and unbelievers alike. They are the basis of structure in society, the basis
for the perpetuation of human life and freedom, and the basis for order in
society by which each person can fulfill his own destiny while others fulfill
theirs.
However, neither divine institution number one,
volition, nor divine institution
number two, marriage, sustained and
carried Adam and the woman in perfect environment. Before the fall of man, two
divine institutions existed. There was freedom of volition, divine institution
number one, and then there was marriage, divine institution number two. There
was no family and no nation, which are divine institutions
numbers 3 and 4. However, the marriage of Adam to the woman was a flop, a
failure, as noted by Adam's original sin and the woman's sin.
And as they left the garden, God gave each one
a mandate, and whether you and I like it or not is not the issue; God said
"Husband, work! Wife, bear children!" God didn't tell them, "Go
forth and be happy." In fact, throughout the Scripture, there are no mandates
to be happy in marriage, because marriage is not a state of happiness. And if
you did a study in the word of God, you would find out that certain marriages
were flops, but the individuals still had perfect happiness.
For example, remember Abraham's deceitful and
cowardly attitude toward his wife Sarah, GEN 12:12-13;
GEN 20:1-18 (click to open).
They didn't have a good marriage, but they both ended up winner believers and
had the happiness of God.
Moses divorced his first wife Zipporah in EXO 18:2,
but he still had the happiness of God during that terrible marriage where she
threw some foreskin at him. I'll let the Living Bible give you an idea of what
happened. EXO 4:25 "Then
Zipporah his wife took a flint knife and cut off the foreskin of her young
son's penis, and threw it against Moses' feet, remarking disgustedly, 'What a
blood-smeared husband you've turned out to be!'"
He didn't have a good or happy marriage, but he
had the happiness of God.
Do you think that David had a happy marriage
when in 2SA 5:13 "Meanwhile
David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem,"?
He didn't have a good or happy marriage, or in
his case, marriages, but he had the happiness of God. In fact, in 2SA 6:16,
it says that his wife Michal hated him. However, David still had God's
happiness.
Hosea is another example of a winner believer
who did not have a happy marriage.
Hos 1:2 "When the Lord first spoke through
Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, "Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry
[or go marry a whore], and [have] children of harlotry; for the land
commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking [abandoning] the Lord."
Hos 1:3 "So he went and took Gomer the daughter
of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son."
He didn't have a good or happy marriage but he
had the happiness of God.
Now, the point is, marriage was never designed
for happiness. A happy marriage occurs when two happy people enter into a state of matrimony and in that state retain their happiness.
The only happy people who can do this are those
who have perfect happiness or establishment happiness.
An unhappy marriage occurs when two unhappy
people get married and retain their unhappiness. Or when a happy person and an
unhappy person get married, and the unhappy person dominates and controls the
marriage, the happy person loses his or her
happiness.
A marriage is successful when two unhappy
people get married, and through the predesigned plan of God (PPOG) or the laws
of divine establishment, attain happiness and live together in a state of
contentment.
But with regard to believers, it is impossible
for believers to have a happy marriage apart from spiritual growth, execution
of the PPOG, and possession of perfect happiness.
The best potential for a great marriage belongs
to believers who are positive toward doctrine.
If the carnal believer tries to have a good
marriage through establishment, his carnality and arrogance cancel out the
establishment principles. Therefore, the believer's only hope is to grow in
grace through the perception and application of
Bible doctrine.
A successful marriage is possible for any two
believers who are both positive toward Bible doctrine [consistently seek the mind of Christ, the
renewing of their minds].
An unsuccessful marriage also happens when a
happy person and an unhappy person get married, and the unhappy person causes
the happy person to revert to the cosmic system.
A failing marriage occurs when the happy person
married to an unhappy person changes his priorities in life so that he loses
his premarital happiness.
So marriage will not make you happy. In fact,
if you are involved in the arrogance of the cosmic system [cosmic 1 & 2], marriage will
intensify and increase your misery.
People, marriage, sex, prosperity, success
cannot make you happy. Only the execution or fulfillment of the PPOG and the
use of the ten problem-solving solutions can
make you happy.
In fact, success is getting what you want;
happiness is wanting what you get.
And once you have perfect happiness, you have
the same happiness and the same capacity for happiness in adversity as well as
in prosperity.
In PHI 4:13 "You
can do all things through Him who strengthens you." [Paul has
learned to be content regardless of his circumstances. Having experienced both
scarcity and abundance in his life, Paul is able to look on either state with
contentment because of the strength Christ provides. Again, Paul’s focus is
Christ. And because of this focus, Paul is able to be selfless, even when
confronted with hunger, pain, and suffering. Christ’s strength can sustain him
through anything.]
There are also those who are single who are
waiting for that right kind
of man or right kind of woman [i.e., compatibility
of both soul and body; yet both remaining faithful to their Christian calling rather than to
social status], 1CO 7:17.
This includes those who haven't been married and those who have been married,
but are not now married. Remember that those divorced with the legal right to
remarry are in single status, and have the bona fide right under certain
conditions to remarry, DEU 24:1-4 (click to open).
These conditions include unfaithfulness on the part of the opposite partner or
desertion by the opposite partner.
However, if you are single and looking for
happiness, do not look for it in someone of the opposite sex.....you won't find
it!
ADDENDUM TO
THE DOCTRINE OF HAPPINESS
PROBLEM SOLVING SOLUTION NUMBER NINE.
The Purpose of the Seventy Sevens or the 490 years in DAN 9:24, and The Doctrine of
Human Good.
This section
lists six specific things that the Jews or Israel should understand and look
forward to. Three of them have negative connotations; three of them
have positive connotations.
1. As we have now noted in some detail is the principle found in the
phrase in DAN 9:24, to make an end
of sin which means to bring one major sin to its completion, which is the sin
of unbelief.
2. In the phrase in DAN 9:24, “to finish
the transgression which not only refers to the payment for sin but also deals
with the entire OSN, including the good that the old sin nature produces. This
second point of the prophecy not only talks about the payment for sin, but it
also talks about what our Lord did about human good as well. You must remember
that when our Lord fulfilled the prophecy in DAN 9:24, 25, 26, 27(1) (2),
He also dealt with our problem concerning human good as well, which most
believers have no idea about. You see, most believers do not believe PSA 39:5b (KJV) Verily
every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah. The NKJV says: Certainly every man at his best state is
but vapor. Selah
PSA 62:9,
Men of low degree are only vanity, and men of rank are a lie; In the balances
they go up; They are together lighter than breath.
PSA 144:4,
Man is like a mere breath; His days are like a passing shadow.
The production of human good is really more of a serious problem then what the
average believer really understands. Because of passages like MAT 6:23, “If therefore the
light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness.” What does
that mean? It means that a lot of believers who do a lot of good things do not
realize that they are living in the darkness of producing human good. For
example, you will recall what our Lord said to some unbelievers.
MAT 7:13-21,
“Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that
leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is
small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.
Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly
are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not
gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? Even so, every
good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree
cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree
that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then,
you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is
in Heaven.”
By the way, what is the will [the verse below describes
one of many verses] of His Father?
JOH 6:40,
“For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and
believes in Him, may have eternal life;”
MAT 7:22-23,
“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your
name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many
miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me,
you who practice lawlessness.”
Lawlessness is the noun anomos (an’-om-os); which means against the
Jewish law; wicked; transgressor. Sometimes the word can also refer to the
production of human good. Remember passages like ROM 8:8, (cf. ROM 8:1, 4, 5) those who are
in the flesh
cannot please God. In other words, a second part of the prophecy in DAN 9:24 that our Lord would fulfill would be
to reveal the fact that God the Father, the author of the divine plan, would
reject human good or the good deeds man could perform without help from the
character and nature of God.
So far then the first two points
that we see concerning the prophecy is this:
The
first part of the prophecy deals with the sin of unbelief.
The
second part of the prophecy deals with our Lord dealing with the entire OSN and
all of the transgressions of the human race including the production of human
good which is also called transgressions or evil. Therefore, with this in mind
let us look at:
The Doctrine of Human Good.
Point 1.
Definition and Description.
Human good must never be confused with morality or the legitimate production of
the believer. There is legitimate morality and there is legitimate production
of good called divine good. However, the problem is that there is also the
arrogance of morality. That is the self-righteousness of life described by the
apostle Paul as being piles of dung in Phil
3:8, I conclude all things [Paul’s
pre-salvation human celebrityship and achievement] to be loss because of the surpassing
greatness of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have forfeited
all things, also, I keep on concluding them to be piles of dung in order that I
may win for Christ.
Human good is the production of the believer who lives in the cosmic system and
who does not rely on the filling of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, human good is
not valid in God’s eyes. Human good is the production of evil. Whether it is
altruism or any form of asceticism or some system of self-sacrifice,
human good is the production of the believer in Satan’s domain or kingdom,
called in the Bible the cosmos or the world system. Altruism is an unselfish regard for or
devotion to the welfare of others.
Now, that’s good, it’s a good thing, but it does not impress God especially if
it’s the result of what the flesh or the OSN produces. Not because it makes God
angry but because it makes man feel that there is something good about him that
impresses God. GRAPH When in reality, God says Rom 3:10-20, as it is written [quoting Palms 14:3
regarding all Jews & Gentiles being under sin in verse 9], “There is none righteous [none who does good, i.e., no one can be justified on the
grounds of his or her own righteousness before God], not even one; There is none who
understands [i.e.,
spiritual truth, see 1 Cor 2:14], There is none who seeks [i.e., diligently] for [after]
God; All have turned aside [turning away from God’s way], together they have become useless; There is none who does good,
There is not even one. Their throat is an open grave, With their tongues they
keep deceiving, The poison of asps [any of several
venomous snakes, especially the Egyptian cobra or the horned viper.] is under their lips Whose mouth
is full of cursing and bitterness; Their feet are swift to shed blood [people are prone to
violence, murder & kill due to no respect for God], Destruction and misery are in their
paths, And the path of peace have they not known. There is no fear of God
before their eyes. Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those
who are under the Law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may
become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be
justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”
This is why to advance in the spiritual life; you must
distinguish between human good and divine good.
For
example, the writer of the book of Hebrews says in Heb 5:11, “Concerning Him [the Lord Jesus Christ] we have much to say [this refers to the CONTEXT which is the doctrine of the
High-priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ and the universal priesthood of the
believer] and it is hard to
explain [difficult
to teach], since you [Jewish Christians
of the day] have become dull
of hearing.
In
this passage, the writer is addressing those under the influence of human good and
legalism, and therefore they are very difficult to teach.
Relying upon human good and entering into legalism produces pride and pride
makes one stupid.
Psa 94:8, “Listen, you senseless
among the people; And when will you understand, stupid ones?”
Jer
4:22,
“For My people are foolish, They know Me not; They are stupid children, And
they have no understanding.”
So
the recipients were in no position to receive advanced doctrine. They were
ignorant of doctrine, and added to that they had become involved in human good
and the religious activity of their day. And so he gives the reason why
doctrine is hard to explain to certain believers, Heb 5:11, Concerning Him we have many doctrines to communicate [is the corrected
translation] and hard to
explain because you
have become dull of hearing.
They had become dull of hearing. They were not like that before. They were
positive for a while, then they would peel off, then they would come back, then
they would peel off, then they would come back.
Finally,
they advanced, or should I say regressed, to the place where they became
dull of hearing. Once you repeat certain actions over and
over again, you reach a place where you just continue to exist in that state
or action.
So, in Heb 5:12,
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, [or
teaching other people] but you have need again for someone to teach you the
elementary principles of the oracles of God [basic doctrines all over again],
and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes
only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, not
self-righteousness but divine righteousness.
And, notice next, the reason is stated, because he is a babe, or immature.
Therefore, verse 14, Heb 5:14,
But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses
trained to discern good and evil.
The Greek word for good is kalou
which refers to the believer with positive volition toward doctrine producing
and recognizing divine good, it means that which is excellent, virtuous,
admirable, excellent in its nature and characteristics. The Greek word for evil
is kakou
which refers to the function of the royal priest or the believer in carnality,
the word means intrinsically [fundamentally] worthless, evil motivation. The
background to this passage is legalism and relying upon human good [good
preformed inside Satan’s cosmic system] for acceptance with God. However, the
problem is that human good and spirituality can appear to be the same thing
overtly but they are not the same in the eyes of God or inwardly.
Prov 14:12,
There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
So, the discernment needed today is the same as it was then. Solid food or
advanced doctrine produces the ability to discern between being involved in
grace and truth or being involved in legalism, human good and
self-righteousness. And this discernment only comes from the intake of Bible
doctrine or positive volition toward doctrine. Only the believer with positive
volition toward doctrine can distinguish between grace and legalism or
honorable good and the human good.
So, human good is the result of function inside the cosmic system. Human good
is often a reaction, e.g., helping someone because you dislike a person who
wasn’t helping that person, or showing someone how much better you are by your
Christian production. That’s functioning under arrogance.
People often even give because they are unhappy or trying
to make themselves look good. The point is that the believer performing human
good can be motivated by cosmic one or cosmic two. The cosmic system is Satan’s
plan as the ruler of this world to control believers and unbelievers. It is His
policy for the rulership of this world. And Satan’s cosmic system is composed
of two separate power domains.
Cosmic one is Satan’s exploitation of believers through their own arrogance. This is his means
of controlling the human race. Satan invented arrogance, for arrogance was his
original sin.
Cosmic
two is Satan’s propaganda and indoctrination college to educate and promote
antagonism toward anything related to God, especially the grace of God.
Cosmic
one emphasizes arrogance and abnormal preoccupation with self.
Cosmic two emphasizes antagonism and intolerance toward the plan, purpose, and
will of God, as well as toward all Christians executing it.
The target of cosmic one is yourself; the target of cosmic two is Bible
doctrine. In cosmic one, we destroy ourselves. In cosmic two, we become
antagonistic toward Bible doctrine. This is why we are told to stay away from
the cosmic system.
1JO 2:15,
Do not love the world [cosmic system], nor the things in the world. If anyone
loves the world, the love of the Father is not
in him.
The word kosmos means the order, or the government, the system developed by
Satan which is alienated from God, and therefore hostile to the cause of
Christ. It doesn’t mean that you have to hate the world as such, but it means
that you despise those systems designed by Satan which are evil. Can I enjoy
earthly goods? Can I enjoy riches, advantages, pleasures, etc.?
Absolutely!
We are talking about that satanic system of deception, where even believers
think they are living the spiritual life, but they are not. 2:2
1Jo
2:15, 16,
17,
Do not love the world [cosmic system], nor the things in the world [cosmic
system]. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father [personal love for
God the Father] is not in him. For all that is in the world [kosmos or the
cosmic system], the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful
pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is
passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of
God abides forever.
Loving the cosmic system means deception of your motivation, of your thought
pattern, of your decision making and of your action. In verse 16, the lust of
the flesh is the old sin nature seeking to control the soul. The lust of the
eyes is motivational evil in cosmic one. The boastful pride of life is the
arrogant pattern of life, the functional evil of the other forms of arrogance
in cosmic two. As the leader of all fallen angels and as the ruler of planet
earth, Satan has been able to compile a cosmic system which is a mass of
thoughts, opinions, speculations, systems of false doctrines, panaceas, plans,
systems of all categories for deceit, policies, and objectives by which Satan
seeks to control the world which he rules.
However, although Satan is the ruler of this world, he does not necessarily
control the people of this world, that depends upon individual volition. Eph 2:2, “In which sphere
[real
spiritual death]
you formerly walked according to the lifestyle of the cosmic system [world].”
In the sphere of real spiritual death from birth, all unbelievers reside in
Satan’s cosmic system and are influenced by it to some degree, depending upon
their adherence to the laws of divine establishment. So human good is a part of
Satan’s deception because he wants man to think that God is impressed with
human goodness. Human good can be characterized by fanaticism and
arrogant concentration without doctrinal inculcation. Fanatics can produce
human good.
There are three classifications of human good:
a.
From the believer living in the cosmic system.
b.
Human good of establishment orientation. This is really not human good,
but establishment good. An example is
the unbeliever who honors the laws of establishment.
c.
Then there is human good of the unbeliever registered in the Book of Works.
Human good is a reference to anything produced by man apart from the grace
provisions from God.
Anything God provides in grace for production becomes divine good. Human good
and divine good are antithetical and mutually exclusive. This is why knowledge
of human good and evil is not needed for a relationship with God.
Gen 2:17, “But from the
tree of the knowledge of good [human good] and evil [Satan’s evil
cosmic system]
you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely
die.”
An interesting side point: God
told Adam only in Gen 2:17, Eve wasn’t yet made
from Adam’s rib. See: Gen 2:15-22
Lewis Sperry Chafer made this statement that really goes along with our
doctrine of human good.
“The value and delusion of a
counterfeit are increased by the nearness of its likeness to the real.”
Good $100 bill above, the green
"100" in the lower-right turns black when viewed from a different
angle.
Notice the above counterfeit $100 is
still green in lower right corner at an angle.
Human good is very near and like divine good. Human good can be very deceitful
because of MAT 6:23
“But if your soul-perception is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness.
If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness or
[skotos, your spiritual blindness]!”
So human good is not just a simplistic doctrine but also a very significant one
with very serious repercussions. And this same principle is stated in 2CO
11:13-14, 15, which also has a warning about that
which appears to be good overtly but in reality is nothing more than the
production of human good.
2CO 11:13-15,
“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as
apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel
of light. Therefore, it is not surprising if his servants also disguise
themselves as servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their
deeds.”
A remarkable passage concerning the extent of the satanic counterfeit and the
promotion of human good. Notice that in
verse 13, “false apostles, deceitful workers, are transforming or disguising
themselves into the apostles of Christ.” Then in verse 15, they are “servants
or ministers of righteousness.” Here are Satan ministers teaching people how to
be righteous and humanly good. The purpose of this deception is to imitate the
real ministers of Christ and to blind people from the true righteousness of God
which is imputed as a gift from God’s grace and cannot be earned or deserved by
man. What they do is to gather into their message every available “form of
godliness” or really “so-called godliness” and promote the production of human good rather than
divine good.
They are promoters of “human good works and righteousness” and they will be
very attractive and deceptive since Satan controls them. And why does Satan do
this? He does this because he wants to promote creature credit over creator
credit. Satan figures that if creatures can impress the creator then he is the
greatest creature ever created and therefore should be worshipped as such.
ROM 1:25,
For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the
creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Therefore, these servants or ministers of human vs.
divine righteousness will be very well respected in society and their
lives will undoubtedly be free from the great scrutiny and temptations
that come from the kingdom of darkness toward those who communicate truth.
However, it should also be noted that many times these false ministers do not
necessarily know the real mission they have. They can be sincere, preaching and
teaching the best things the angel of light offers,
their energizing power is pleased to reveal unto them. Their gospel and
teaching is based on human viewpoint and appeals to human resources. There can
be no appreciation of divine revelation in them because they are not filled
with the Spirit and 1CO 2:14 says, A natural man
does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to
him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
They are ministers of righteousness; which message should never be confused
with the doctrine of grace. One is directed only at the reformation of the
natural man, while the other aims at regeneration through the power of God.
They are also usually sincere and full of humanitarian zeal. They are always
talking about helping others and doing good etc. However, any counterfeit
system of doctrine which would omit the power of God and the grace and
knowledge which accompanies that power, is used by the strategy of Satan to
force some secondary truth which blinds one from the real truth. By secondary
truth I mean something that is true, however, it is not being taught or
referred to properly.
For example, 2CO 7:10 says, For godly sorrow… produces repentance…
leading to salvation.
That’s a true statement, however it is not saying that you have to feel sorry
for your sins to be saved. It is saying that recognition of your need can lead
to repentance toward the person of Christ. So, human good is the production of
the believer who lives in the cosmic system and who does not rely on the
filling of the Spirit. Therefore, human good is not valid in God’s eyes.
Point 2. The Source of Human Good is the Area of Strength of the Old Sin
Nature.
All human good in history will be
judged because it comes from the same source as sin, i.e., the old sin nature.
ROM
6:6-14 , knowing this, that our old self [the old sin nature] was
crucified with Him, that our body of sin [the sin
nature] might be done away with, that we should no longer be
slaves to the sin nature; for he who has died [positional
truth and being crucified with Christ on the cross] is freed
from sin [the bondage of the old sin nature].
Now if we have died with Christ [and we have through
union with Him], we believe that we shall also live with Him,
knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again;
death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin,
once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider
yourselves to be dead to the sin nature, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Therefore, do not let the sin nature reign in your mortal body that you should
obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as
instruments of unrighteousness [evil]; but present yourselves to God as those
alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For the sin nature shall not be master over you,
for you are not under law, but under grace.
We were crucified with Christ as GAL 2:20 teaches, however, although we were crucified with Christ on
the cross through positional truth, human good
was not judged on the cross so that it could continue along with evil as the
issue in the angelic conflict. Therefore, human good was rejected at the cross.
Human good will have a day when it stands
before God and is judged and evaluated by the perfect holiness and integrity of
God, for the believers of the Church-age, 1CO 3:11-12, 13, 14, 15; 2CO 5:10. It will be judged or evaluated for
Old Testament saints and
Tribulational martyrs, at the end of the Tribulation and the Second Advent, DAN 12:3; JOH 5:29; REV 20:4(1) (2); and then the millennial saints at the end of the
Millennium, sometime before the Great White Judgment, REV 20:15.
1CO
3:13, each man’s work will become
evident; for the day [Judgment Seat of Christ] will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and
the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.
2CO
5:10, For we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed [rewarded or not rewarded] for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done,
whether good [divine good while
controlled by the Holy Spirit]
or bad [human good done inside
the cosmic system].
DAN
12:3, “And those who have insight will
shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead
the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
JOH
5:29, and shall come forth; those who
did the good {deeds} to a
resurrection of life, those who committed the evil {deeds} to a resurrection of judgment.
REV
20:4, And I saw thrones, and they sat
upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had
been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God,
and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received
the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and
reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
All of these passages teach that God will evaluate human good someday in the
future. Human good continues because Satan still rules until the Second Advent.
And Human good will continue in the Millennium to prove that its source is the
old sin nature and not the presence of Satan [Satan is locked up for 1,000 years].
Human good is totally divorced from the integrity of God. Therefore, it never
accomplishes what it seeks to accomplish. It never fulfills its objectives of
improving anything.
Man had relationship with the integrity of God in the garden through creation
and divine provisions not through good deeds.
Restart Oct 22, 2016
People are no better in marriage than they
are as people.
People are never the same after marriage; they
change either for the better or the worse. Marriage is a problem manufacturing institution which demands the best from every
believer.
So in 1CO
7:32
"But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is
concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord;"
1Co 7:33 "but one who is married is
concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife,"
1Co 7:34 "and his interests are divided.
And the woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things
of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is
married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her
husband."
1Co 7:35 "And this I say for your own benefit;
not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is seemly, and to secure
undistracted devotion to the Lord."
1 Corinthians 7:32-35 Commentary by Grace New Testament Commentary
(based on using the NKJV):
Because of the fleeting nature of the world, Paul wants the Corinthians
to be without care (free from anxieties). The unmarried person cares for the
things of the Lord, that is, how he may please the Lord. However, the married
person cares about the things of the world, that is, how he may please his or
her spouse. The desire to please one’s marriage partner may introduce a
potential conflict of loyalties. Single men and women are able to dedicate more
of their time to the Lord, while married men and women are committed to certain
biblical responsibilities that relate to being a husband, a wife, and parents
(cf. Eph 5:22-6:4).
Paul identifies the virgin as an unmarried woman, who cares about the
things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. Holy both
in body and in spirit refers to dedication rather than spirituality. In other
words, this single woman is able to concentrate on the things of God without
interruption. The apostle is not suggesting that she is more spiritual than the
wife, but that her devotion is not preoccupied by any family type
responsibility that would characterize a married Christian woman. He is simply
writing what is to the profit of the believers in Corinth—both men and women.
Thus he does not desire to restrict them by placing a leash (lasso or halter)
on them. He is more concerned that that they may serve the Lord without
distraction.
So you see, being married or single is not an
issue in having the happiness of God.
What happens to a lot of single people is that
they don't know how to deal with loneliness. When human loneliness comes in we
need to deal with it according to doctrine or else depression will set in.
There are four types of depression (i.e., in simplified terms
as it relates to biblical principles):
1) Mental attitude depression in which the individual
is in a state of sorrow and/or self-pity.
2) Passive depression in which the person becomes very
passive
[indifferent,
docile, showing little or no emotion, unresponsiveness] toward the
necessary functions of life with no initiation.
3) Aggressive depression in which the person becomes
very violent in his or her reactions.
4) Moody depression which produces a negative,
complaining and critical person.
A believer who allows this depression to go
unchecked is making a provision for serious problems down the road.
The lonely person then becomes a miserable
person and looks to others for happiness. In fact, for some believers even
Christianity appears to be only another temporary source of relief similar to
the world's provision of escapism. That's why the arrogant visitor to the local
church demands attention under the false assumption that a so-called
"friendly church" will bring happiness. A friendly church cannot make
anyone happy.
Man's loneliness and anxiety is the result of
an empty, aimless, meaningless life because of rejection of the PPOG [Predesigned Plan of
God]. So an area in which you can have either temporal happiness or
God's perfect happiness is in your single or marital status.
There are many illusions related to pseudo
happiness. An illusion is defined as an erroneous perception of reality, or an
erroneous concept or belief. It is actually the condition of being deceived by
a false perception or belief. If you have illusions relating to happiness, you
must deal with them because if you don't, you will end
up with a meaningless life because of rejection of bible truth and the
PPOG.
OBA 1:3 "The
arrogance of your heart has deceived you."
So let's note some of the illusions and
misconceptions that people have concerning happiness.
A) The most common illusion relates to the fact that
you cannot build your happiness on the details of life: money, success,
pleasure, social life, friends, relatives, your
health, sex, or status symbols. Now, don't misunderstand this statement. If you
have capacity from perfect happiness, you can enjoy these things to the
maximum.
However, they are not a source of happiness,
but simply a means of expressing the happiness you already possess.
B) You cannot build your happiness on pleasant
environment. This is one of the reasons why people travel; they think a change
of environment makes them happy.
C) You cannot build your happiness on people, romance,
marriage, friendship, children, or social activity. This is another myth, that
people can make you happy.
Popularity relates to other people liking you,
happiness relates to you liking yourself.
D) You cannot build your happiness by changing the
devil's world through reform crusades, social engineering,
violence, civil disobedience, or revolution. Your objective should not be to
change the devil's world; instead, you should be a witness for Christ to
people. You should be telling them the good news and the importance of bible doctrine, also called
bible truth. You can do that on your jobs (during break times), in your
neighborhood, at your schools, by bringing them here [church service or bible study], or
even sharing doctrine in chat rooms on the Internet.
E) You cannot build your happiness on someone else's unhappiness.
If that is the case, you are full of all the sins of the arrogance complex.
You're jealous, bitter, vindictive, implacable [can’t be satisfied], angry, full of
hatred, self-pity, filled with guilt reactions that motivate you. You malign,
gossip, run down, and get involved in revenge modus operandi.
Commentary: The point often over
looked is, a believer [a person in spiritual
childhood, or adolescence or even spiritual adulthood] can rarely just stop cold turkey being
jealous, bitter, vindictive, implacable, angry, full of hatred, self-pity,
filled with guilt, etc. The whole point of learning and applying bible doctrine
to one’s life is when you are consistent in it, you will gradually and
automatically stop or minimize those sins. Those sins will be replaced with the
perfect happiness of Christ [God] that can only come from the renewing of your
mind (Romans 12:2). This may or may not be a concept you fully comprehend, it
depends on your degree of spiritual growth or maturity, if you have very little
or no spiritual growth training, you probably won’t be able to fully comprehend
God’s perfect happiness because it isn’t yet developed in your soul and spirit.
This is where faith-rest 1, 2, comes
in, trust God’s Word as His Word is the expert on the subject, as a believer grows
spiritually, he or she will automatically change to the person God intended a
child of God to be. MWMStart here on November 19th,
2016
Principles related to pseudo happiness:
1) Pseudo happiness depends on involvement with the
evil of the cosmic system of Satan, and therefore can only be related to a
moment of time, a moment of pleasure, a moment of history, a moment of power, a
moment of approbation, or a moment of success.
The key word here of course is a
"moment." Anything you have in a moment, which cannot be perpetuated,
is not happiness, and too often it is related to emotion. Many individuals,
including believers under the influence of evil, only have fleeting happiness
based upon emotion.
For example, in JOB 21:7,
Job is talking to a reverisionistic [1,
2,
3] believer whose
name is Zophar and he says: "Why do the wicked still live, why do they
continue on and become very powerful?"
In other words, Job is asking, "Why are
you still standing in front of me Zophar! Why does God allow you to live,
Zophar?"
Of course the answer to that is all believers,
winners or losers, receive logistical grace support from the grace of God.
Remember Mat 5:45 "for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the
good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."
Winner and
loser believers both have times of happiness in
life. In context, Job's friend Zophar is a very wealthy and prosperous man,
even though he is very self-righteous, arrogant and filled with inordinate
ambition and inordinate competition. This is why Zophar is gloating over the
fall of Job...which isn't a fall at all, because Job is being honored by God in
evidence testing 1,
2 !
So in verse 7, Job says "Why do the
wicked still live, [as he looks right in the eyes of Zophar] Continue
on, also become very powerful?"
Job 21:8 "Their descendants are established
with them in their sight, And their offspring before their eyes,"
They had nice family lives and did not lose all
of their children like Job did.
Job 21:9 "Their houses are safe from fear,
Neither is the rod of God on them."
Not on Zophar yet, but it will be!
Job 21:10 "His ox mates without fail; His cow
calves and does not abort or miscarry."
Job is talking about prosperity in an
agricultural economy!
Job 21:11 "They send forth their little ones
like the flock, And their children skip about."
Job 21:12 "They sing to the tambourine and the
harp and rejoice at the sound of the flute [that's their pseudo happiness]."
Job 21:13 "They spend their days in prosperity
and suddenly they go down to Sheol [or the grave; whether they are
believers or unbelievers, when life is over, they will answer to God
accordingly]."
2) With pseudo happiness, when you get into serious
trouble, you never recall the "good times;" because you've already
entered into a state of arrogance and fear. These two mental attitudes
guarantee you will never find any happiness apart from the laws of divine
establishment for the unbeliever, and the attainment of spiritual adulthood for
the believer.
3) Pseudo happiness depends on the environment,
superficial pleasures of life, material things, status symbols, approbation
from society, pleasure, success, social life, sexual activity, stimulation from
drug abuse; this false happiness is self-gratification related to the lust
pattern of the old sin nature.
And that's why Solomon said it was vain in ECC 2:1 "I
said to myself, 'Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself.'
And behold, it too was vanity [vanity = excessive pride in one’s appearance, qualities,
abilities, achievements, etc.; character or quality of being vain]."
4) Pseudo happiness is superficial [superficial =
empty, external, flimsy, frivolous], changeable, unstable,
frustrating, and temporary; it's the source of self-induced misery under the
law of volitional responsibility [volitional responsibility definition: 1, 2, 3], one’s self-induced misery is tantamount or caused by not
living inside the predesigned plan of God or abiding in Christ.
VOLITIONAL RESPONSIBILITY: is the most common and the first cause for
human suffering in general. Our emphasis here is on believers only. Every
human being must take the responsibility for his own decisions and his own
actions in life. You must understand that you can never blame others for
your misery, your unhappiness, and your suffering. You take full
responsibility yourself, based on your own wrong decisions related to your
associations, your activities, your motives, and your functions in life. RMBM
It's [pseudo happiness] limited to this life, PSA 17:14 From men with Your hand, O Lord, From men of
the world, whose portion is in this life [The wicked live their lives with
only the pursuit of the pleasures of this world in mind], And whose belly You fill with Your treasure; They are satisfied with
children, And leave their abundance to their babes. NASB,
LUK 16:25 "But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that
during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad
things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. NASB [The standard by which the rich man treated others was
applied to him. In this lifetime he lacked compassion, so now there was no
compassion for him].
It is short, JOB 20:5 "The
triumphing of the wicked is short, And the happiness of the godless
momentary?"
Pseudo happiness is uncertain, LUK 12:20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! This
very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have
prepared?' NASB
It is vain, ECC 2:1 I
said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy
yourself." And behold, it too was futility. NASB; ECC 7:6 For as the crackling of thorn bushes under a
pot, So is the laughter of the fool; And this too is futility. NASB [ in other words,
Burning thorns will provide quick flames, little heat, and a lot of noise, just
like the sudden outbursts of laughter among fools; there is more noise than
substance.]
It [pseudo happiness] is derived from wealth, PSA 52:7;
power, PSA 37:35;
worldly prosperity, PSA 17:14;
gluttony, ISA 22:13;
drunkenness, ISA 56:12;
vain pleasure, ISA 5:12;
successful oppression, HAB 1:15.
5) The belief that marriage, sex, success, prosperity,
wealth, and social life can make someone happy is a myth. No one can make
someone else happy. Some people think of marriage as a state of happiness,
while others think of being single as a state of happiness. In fact, foolish
people get married because someone promises to make them happy forever, or
because they want to leave the environment of an unhappy home and not fully realizing it they will just be transferring their unhappiness into their own new unhappy nest.
This is the "both sides of the fence" syndrome. Both the poor and the
rich, the single and married, are unhappy, looking to the other side of the
fence for happiness.
Start here on November 19th, 2016
6) Unhappy people take their unhappiness with them
wherever they go, even if they cross over to the other side of the fence,
whether it's poor or rich, single or married. Those believers who reject Bible
doctrine cultivate unhappiness, and always take it with them. Unhappy people
complain constantly because their desires are not being met. In reality, if you
really want to experience happiness, you don't need to add riches to your life
but you need to have certain desires removed, [the consistent daily intake of bible truth and
you consistently applying it to your life will automatically at various points
of your spiritual growth eliminate pseudo happiness and replace it with the
perfect happiness of God].
7) The arrogance of unhappiness assumes that people,
success, prosperity, promotion, romance, marriage, friendship, attention,
approbation can make you happy. However, in reality, as a believer in the Lord
Jesus Christ, only Bible doctrine [bible truth] in your soul can make you happy;
i.e., reception, retention, recall of Bible doctrine.
Only the provision of God's grace policy can really
make you happy, and that demands the three "R"s:
A) Reception is consistent perception of Bible
doctrine.
B) Retention is the metabolization of doctrine,
converting gnosis [knowledge only]
to epignosis doctrine [knowledge
converted into wisdom ready for application].
The meaning of the Greek word “Epignosis” (article by Robert Picirelli published in the: The Evangelical
Quarterly): The picture of epignosis
in the Prison Epistle is: In Colossians 1:9, Paul prays that his readers be filled with the “knowledge” of
his will in all wisdom and spiritual understand; in 1:10 the prayer continues with the request that they increase in the
“knowledge” of God: in 2:2, he
“agonizes” for his readers to come to full understanding of the “knowledge” of
the mystery of God; and in 3:10, the readers are said to have put on the new man who is renewed
in “knowledge”. In Ephesians 1:17, Paul prays that his readers be granted a spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the “knowledge” of God; and in 4:23 he desires to build up the church to a unity of faith and the
“knowledge” of the Son of God. In Philemon 6, Paul desires that Philemon have
“knowledge”
of every good thing in Christ. In Philippians 1:9, his prayer is for love to abound in all “knowledge” and
perception. We note that epignosis, in these places, is almost
invariably associated with such words as wisdom, understanding, perception; and
with a prayer that the reader abound [flourish, overflow, thrive], be filled, increase, be built up, or be effectual in his
particular quality. In these passages,
the object of epignosis is God, God’s
will, the mystery of God, the Son of God, or “every good thing in Christ.
In other
locations in scripture, epignosis
means different things; in the New Testament, not all uses of the word epignosis mean the same thing.
C) Recall is the application of doctrine to
whatever your circumstances may be, to whichever side of the fence you are on.
The day you can look over on the other side, and be glad you're on your side of
the fence, is the day you begin to apply this point.
8) For example, look at Satan himself. He was the most
beautiful, successful, attractive creature genius of all time and eternity past. He had a maximum amount of power
over millions or even perhaps billions of angels. Yet Satan, right now as the
ruler of this world, is bored, miserable, frustrated, and very, very unhappy!
All the things that you think will make you
happy have not made Satan happy, and he has them all!
Satan as the ruler of this world has certain
ways to provide pseudo happiness. One is to provide temporary happiness to
certain believers and unbelievers who carry out his will of evil and perform
human good. This is why the wicked prosper.
Satan's system of evil provides certain
stimulus for human emotions. He has stimuli designed to make you think you are
happy. His system rewards people who follow his precepts. This pseudo happiness
is related to reversionism, the interlocking systems of arrogance (his cosmic
systems one [1,
2] and two [1,
2,
3]),
and the function of evil in the soul (in other words,
when you operate out of fellowship with God [you have unconfessed sin in your
life], you are in Satan’s cosmic system of evil, hence, you are committing evil
whenever you do deeds, even good deeds [quenching the Spirit] when you are out
of fellowship because you are no longer residing in or functioning inside the
Predesigned Plan of God).
However, since this pseudo happiness depends on
involvement with evil, it can only be related to this life. This type of pseudo
happiness involves pushing for a better environment, superficial pleasures in
time, the details of life, promotion, and the saturation of the lust pattern of
the old sin nature. This pseudo happiness is the temporary triumph of evil in
the human soul, 2SA 1:19-20.
Reversionism is an act of reversing
or turning in the opposite way, or a state of being so turned. As believers, we
were designed to execute the predesigned plan of God. But in reversionism we
turn the other way and cannot be distinguished from our pre-salvation status.
We are believers thinking human viewpoint. Reversionism is the act of reverting
to a former state, habit, belief, or practice of post-salvation sinning.
Reversionism is a reversal of your priorities, your attitudes, your affections,
the object of your personal love accompanied by the destruction of your
impersonal love, and the change of your manner of operation and personality.
RMBM
So, Satan is the greatest genius of all created
beings. However, while he has the ability to provide pseudo happiness, he
doesn't have the ability to maintain it for you. He can't give logistical grace support 1, 2,
3 to human
prosperity. Therefore, pseudo happiness quickly evaporates in time of
historical disaster or divine discipline. The children of Israel were happy
when they rejected the manna from heaven and asked God for quail, and in their
happiness notice what happened, NUM 11:33 "While
the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the
LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very
severe plague."
Job 15:21 "Sounds of terror are in his ears,
while at peace the destroyer comes upon him."
The Jews had pseudo happiness as they rejected
Bible doctrine and notice what happened to them in JER 25:10 "Moreover, I will take from
them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom
and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the
lamp."
Jer 25:11 "And this whole land shall be a
desolation and a horror, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon
seventy years."
So, pseudo happiness quickly evaporates in time
of historical disaster. Pseudo happiness is also quickly wiped out by boredom,
frustration, and the frantic search for happiness. The believer who has
anything related to pseudo happiness is miserable with what he has. Pseudo
happiness doesn't sustain mankind, but destroys both his perspective and his
eternal future.
So, happiness
is an individual state of the soul and actually has nothing to do with
associations in life.
Unhappy people seek happiness through the
control of their environment, including persons in their environment like
family, friends, and loved ones. They do this in one of two ways:
1) By causing those around them to have a guilt
complex or a guilt reaction for alleged or real neglect.
2) By arousing pity from others in their state of
self-pity.
Self-pity is a monstrous thing! If you're
dating someone who is obsessed with self-pity, move away from them like the
plague! The attention that comes through pity is the worst attention you can
receive. Pity is the flattery that the failure craves so that he or she may
preserve their excuses and their self-esteem. In fact, self-pity occurs in the
life of the believer who loses intimacy with TLJC [The
Lord Jesus Christ].
_____________________
So the arrogance of
unhappiness, or pseudo happiness, not only seeks to dominate and enslave, but
also has wide emotional swings. It is one of the many reasons for neurosis
and psychosis
in believers.
Establishment happiness is the temporal
happiness of the unbeliever who lives by establishment principles. This
happiness is derived from submitting to the laws of divine establishment, which
are designed to remove arrogance and fear from the life, and to replace them
with a genuine humility. This results in a capacity for life and the attainment
of human honor and integrity. This explains why so many unbelievers are happier
than many believers; living in the laws of divine establishment can provide
happiness for them.
Establishment is for believer and unbeliever
alike; however if a believer just lives under establishment happiness and
rejects the plan of God, he will be under divine discipline and therefore will
not experience establishment happiness.
Under establishment happiness, the unbeliever
moves beyond morality to a place of limited virtue, becoming a person of honor.
The unbeliever can achieve this happiness through enforced and genuine humility
from the laws of divine establishment.
The key to happiness in the unbeliever is having a
fantastic humility. For example, the unbeliever can marry a woman with whom he
has total compatibility (i.e., compatibility of both soul and body), and at the
same time he can work in some job or profession which he enjoys. ECC 9:9
mentions these two areas of life, marriage and work, as the basis for which
unbelievers can have a genuine short-term happiness compatible with their
capacity.
ECC 9:9 "Enjoy
life [establishment happiness] with your right woman [right kind of
woman] whom you have loved all the days of your life
of vanity which God has given you under the sun, for this is your reward in
life [establishment happiness], and [enjoy] your
occupation in which you are working under the sun." (again, this “establish happiness”
is for the unbeliever)
This successful marriage and happiness in your
occupation is a blessing from God even to the unbelievers. In this passage,
note that both the woman and the job are said to be a gift from God. When it
says ECC 9:9 "Enjoy
life with your right woman whom you have loved all the days of your life of
vanity which God has given you under the sun," it is not saying that
God has given you the life of vanity, but the right woman and the occupation.
The doctrine of right man / right woman is illustrated throughout the Bible. It
is taught very clearly in GEN
2:18-25 Then the Lord God said, "It is
not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for
him." Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the
field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he
would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its
name. The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the
sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper
suitable for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon
the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at
that place. The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had
taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said,
"This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called
Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." For this reason a
man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they
shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked
and were not ashamed.” ECC
9:9,
1CO 7:17 “Only, as the Lord has assigned to
each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk. And so I direct
in all the churches,” PRO
18:22 “He who finds a wife finds a good
thing And obtains favor from the Lord., 19:14, Pro 5, 31, just to name a few
passages.”
So again, ECC
9:9
"Enjoy life [establishment happiness] with your right woman whom
you have loved all the days of your life of vanity which God has given you
under the sun, for this is your reward in life [establishment happiness],
and [enjoy] your occupation in which you are working under the
sun."
A "life of vanity" refers to
the life of the unbeliever. Whatever kind of life it is, it's very short-term.
As flawed as the unbeliever is, God has provided for him a system in which he
can have happiness in marriage. Note that God gives life even to the
unbeliever. There are rewards in this life for certain unbelievers who have
virtue and honor based upon establishment principles. The type of work is not
specified here; it can be any job he enjoys. This explains why some unbelievers
are very happy, but remember it is very short-term. Beyond the grave they will
first face Torments in Hades, and then spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.
So two things can make an unbeliever happy: a
successful relationship in marriage, and his occupation in life. Happiness in
these two areas comes to the unbeliever who has developed honor and integrity
from the laws of divine establishment. Note what is not mentioned: social life,
pleasure, emotion, stimulation, etc. This happiness is the unbeliever's reward
for compliance with the laws of divine establishment; however, it is not a
reward for the unbeliever's morality, which carries with it the sting of
arrogance. Once a person becomes arrogant about his morality, he enters into
self-righteousness and crusader arrogance, and becomes the unhappiest of all
people because he is judgmental.
The tragedy of establishment happiness is that
there is no perpetuation of this happiness beyond the grave, which brings it to
a screeching halt (if not terminated before then). But even when perpetuated to
the grave, establishment happiness cannot be perpetuated beyond time.
And eternity is a long, long time. (let’s use the vapor that comes out of a a coffee pot as an
illustration of time and eternity; the length of time that the bursts of vapors
come out of the coffee pot as it is peculating, is analogous to our human life
on earth compared to eternity. If one puff of vapor, the time the vapor remains
vapor which is a very short time, maybe a second or two, is analogous to the
length of a human life within eternity. James 4:14 which says: “For what is your life? It is even a vapor
that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”)
However, all too often, establishment happiness
becomes a victim of circumstances. Certain adverse circumstances are stronger
than establishment happiness and can wipe it out. So establishment happiness
cannot even survive tragedy or any real adversity; it is a restricted and
temporary happiness. It is vulnerable to environment and circumstances. For
example, a man may be very happy with his wife. But if she becomes unhappy and
leaves him, his reward in life is gone. If a man loves and enjoys his job or profession,
this can also be lost. Therefore, establishment happiness is dependent upon
cognition and compliance with establishment principles, according to Rom 13.
Where establishment does not exist,
establishment happiness does not exist. This is not a reference to morality or
self-righteousness. Morality is merely the bottom step in establishment;
honor and integrity are higher. The result of
obedience to the laws of divine establishment is not a happiness associated
with pleasant things, but a happiness associated with important things.
Under the laws of divine establishment,
establishment happiness is possible when one's children turn out well. Look at PRO 23:24-25 "The
father of the virtuous children will be happy [establishment happiness].
Therefore, he who brings forth a wise son will be happy. Let your father and
your mother be happy. Let her who gave birth to you be happy." When
one's children have virtue and integrity, this gives the parent or parents a
measure of prosperity.
Again however, establishment happiness is a
temporary happiness which does not sustain anyone under pressure or carry over
into eternity. For example, you could be very proud that your children turned
out well, and then something may go wrong and your establishment happiness
would disappear in a moment. This leaves nothing but scars and emotional
hangovers. Establishment happiness doesn't last!
The most important happiness found in the word
of God is perfect happiness which is the possession of God's Happiness, or +H.
1)
For example, establishment happiness is
dependent happiness; perfect happiness is independent happiness. Establishment
happiness is dependent on circumstances; perfect happiness is independent in
the soul of any believer who has attained any stage of spiritual adulthood. It
begins at spiritual self-esteem, continues at spiritual autonomy, and becomes
the most fantastic thing in life at spiritual maturity.
2)
Spiritual
self-esteem is cognitive self-confidence and the beginning of effective
function of the ten problem-solving devices of the pre-designed plan of God for
the Church. It is that virtue of God’s plan whereby the believer’s confidence
is based on Bible doctrine; and the believer’s respect for self is linked to
grace-orientation. Spiritual self-esteem is the believer’s dependence on God’s
grace provision for stabilizing self and integrating self into God’s plan for
the Church-age believer, EPH 3:12.
Spiritual self-esteem is the foundation for the stability of the Christian
life, and it is the believer's dependence on God's grace provision for
stabilizing self and integrating self into the predesigned plan of God. This is
the first stage of spiritual adulthood.
Spiritual
autonomy is a continuation of contentment or +H (sharing the happiness of
God) as a major problem-solving solution. In spiritual autonomy the believer
has become spiritually self-sustained having maximum personal love, including
impersonal love for God and impersonal unconditional love for all mankind. It
is the second stage of spiritual adulthood.
Spiritual
maturity is the third and final stage of spiritual maturity. It is
accomplished by the believer who has advanced in the spiritual life by
executing the predesigned plan of God in his or her own dispensation [in our
case, it’s the church age]. This high ground of spiritual maturity is attained
after the believer passes many tests of undeserved suffering and the various
momentum tests. Spiritual maturity has nothing to do with sinless perfection,
which cannot ever be realized in this life, but is characterized by virtue
developed by an attitude of perseverance despite many failures. The mature
believer has attained to the measure of the fullness of Christ, EPH 4:13. The
life of the mature believer is also known as the super-grace life, JAM 4:6.
2) Perfect happiness or divine happiness is the monopoly
of the believer in spiritual adulthood. It only belongs to those few believers
who reach the three stages of spiritual adulthood.
3) However, relatively few believers have this perfect
happiness because it requires consistent perception, metabolization and
application of Bible doctrine and the advance to spiritual adulthood,
especially maturity.
This requires something that no lazy-minded
person can do, and that is to concentrate on anything for very long. Now, this
is why our Lord said in JOH 8:31 "Jesus
therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you abide in My
word, [then] you are truly disciples of Mine;'"
Joh 8:32 "and you shall know the truth, and
the truth shall make you free."
In JOH 8:31
"If you abide in My word," the word "abide"
is the aorist-active-subjunctive of the verb meno, which looks like meinete
in the Greek, meaning "to stay in a given place, to continue, to dwell, to
endure, to be present, to remain, to stand, not to depart, or to last." This
is an excellent definition of persevering as a disciple of Bible doctrine.
Joh 8:31 "If you abide [stay, continue,
dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, and not depart, or last] in My
word, [then] you are truly disciples of Mine;"
You see, relatively few believers have this
perfect happiness because it requires consistent perception, metabolization and
application of Bible doctrine and the advance to spiritual adulthood,
especially maturity. It takes work and discipline to keep coming to Bible class
and study God's word on a daily basis. And that's why our Lord said in JOH 8:31
"If you abide in
My word, [then]
you are truly disciples of Mine." The word "disciple" is
interesting because it's where we get our word discipline. It's the noun mathetai which is the plural of mathetes, and it means "a learner,
a pupil, a disciple, a person who directs their mind toward something taught by
someone."
That's why there were the disciples of Moses, JOH 9:28;
the disciples of the Pharisees, MAR 2:18;
the disciples of John the Baptist, JOH 3:25;
the disciples of Paul, ACT 9:25;
and of course the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, MAT 16:21.
Kittel's Theological Dictionary of the New
Testament in volume four on page 416 says this word denotes a "direct
dependence of the one under instruction upon an authority superior in
knowledge." This is why God gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, and
pastor-teachers, to equip the saints for the work of the ministry and to build
up the body of Christ, EPH 4:11-12.
This means that if you know more doctrine than the one who is teaching you God’s Word, it may be time to find a new teacher.
When Isaiah used this word, he used it for those who were students of the Word
of God.
Isa 8:16 "Bind up the testimony, seal the law
[the doctrine] among my disciples."
Isa 50:4 "The Lord [master] God has given me the tongue
[educated through suffering] of
disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens
me morning by morning, He awakens my ear to listen as a disciple."
The word actually means the existence of a
personal attachment which shapes the whole life of the disciple, or an intense
dedication and devotion to something [in this case the word of God].
So in JOH 8:31 "Jesus
therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you abide in
My word, [then] you are truly disciples of Mine;"
Joh 8:32 "and you shall know the truth [the
doctrine], and the doctrine shall make you free."
Relatively few believers have this perfect
happiness because it requires consistent perception, metabolization and
application of Bible doctrine and the advance to spiritual adulthood,
especially maturity. It requires something that no lazy-minded person can do,
and that is to concentrate on anything for very long. Most believers can't
concentrate on doctrine long enough to learn the plan of God, and they are
easily distracted and discouraged.
4) Perfect happiness or God's happiness carries over
into the eternal state. Especially if you pass evidence testing, perfect
happiness remains in perpetual status quo under three circumstances.
EVIDENCE TESTING is Satan's cross-examination of every
witness presented by God in the historical trial of all fallen
angels. Only mature believers have the capacity to be presented as
witnesses. In human history, man's thoughts, motives, decisions, and actions
are entered as evidence, exhibits, precedents, and arguments in Satan's appeal
trial. Every believer who attains spiritual maturity is an argument or
witness for the Prosecution against Satan.
A) Living as a mature believer.
B) Dying as a mature believer.
C) The eternal state, where you will have a
far, far greater happiness than believers who are losers but also in
resurrection bodies.
Remember that there are degrees of life after
death. The capacity of the mature believer for the most fantastic eternal
rewards is built into the perfect happiness the mature believer has.
Perfect happiness, or sharing the happiness of
God, can be defined as the happiness of the humanity of Christ during the great
power experiment of the hypostatic union. It is the only happiness that does
not change with disastrous or difficult circumstances in life.
HYPOSTATIC UNION: The person of the incarnate Christ are two
natures, inseparably united without mixture or loss of separate identity,
without loss or transfer of properties or attributes, the union being personal
and eternal. Since the incarnation, Jesus Christ is true humanity and
undiminished deity in one unique person forever, this is called the hypostatic
union.
With the perpetuation of the great power
experiment of the hypostatic union into the Church-age, perfect happiness is
further defined as divine happiness resident in the soul of the Church-age
believer who utilizes his portfolio of invisible assets and divine omnipotence
[the Holy
Spirit’s help when filled with the Spirit] to attain spiritual
maturity.
Portfolio of invisible assets are
composed of primary, secondary, and personal assets. The primary assets include
equal privilege and equal opportunity under election and predestination [the Predesigned Plan of God for your
life]. The secondary assets include volitional assets, which are
achieved through good decisions made from positions of strength, and the assets
of undeserved suffering. The personal assets are the proper function of every
believer’s spiritual gift.
In spiritual maturity, perfect happiness
reaches its peak; there is nothing like it in this life! When the positive
believer fulfills the PPOG beginning in spiritual adulthood, he attains the
ultimate in perfect happiness by utilizing two categories of divine power:
1) The omnipotence of God the Father related to
portfolio of invisible assets.
2) The omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit related to
the filling of the Spirit, the perception of Bible doctrine and the execution
of the PPOG.
Perfect happiness results from the constant
perception of Bible doctrine inside the PPOG. This is a perpetual happiness for
every category of existence after salvation. That's why Paul will say to us in PHI 1:21 "For
me living is Christ and dying is profit."
He had this perfect happiness in living, in
dying, and in the eternal state waiting for the resurrection.
It's important to note that opposition from
Satan and persecution by other believers in the cosmic system only intensifies
the believer's perfect happiness.
You will never realize how happy you are until
you go through certain problems and find out that your happiness has not been taken
away.
The perfect happiness of God is not manifested
by laughing and joking around about your problems and taking them lightly; but
manifested by contentment, peace, composure, tranquility, and being unmoved by
the evil around you.
Happiness is not an absence of problems but the
ability to deal with them.
Begin January 21, 2017 *
Biblical
descriptions of the three happiness categories:
A) A perfect description of pseudo-happiness is given
in LUK 11:27, 28. The woman in
this context spoke of happiness, but she was not happy, nor did she understand
happiness. She was an unhappy person trying to control her environment.
She attempted to put our Lord down using the
false propaganda of women's liberation.
In LUK 11:27 "And
it came about while He said these things [in context, He was speaking about
the angelic conflict and the absurdity of self-reformation], one of the
women in the crowd raised her voice but shouted, and said to Him, 'Happy is the
womb that carried You, and the breasts at which You nursed.'"
LUK 11:28 "But
He said, 'On the contrary [Wrong!], happy are those who keep hearing and
retaining the Word of God.'"
This woman had no class or manners; she was
rude and interrupted our Lord. She interrupted to draw attention to herself,
because she was jealous, vindictive, and ambitious. She expressed the false
doctrine of motherhood; she said that Mary was only happy because she was
carrying a baby in her womb. Since she was a student of the Old Testament, she
knew that there is no human life in the womb, so she added the phrase "the
breasts you have sucked."
Here she tried to prove that woman is superior
to the man. In other words, she is saying, "You may be a great public
speaker, Jesus, but you too were once a little baby and a happy mother is the
reason why you are here, and the only people who are really happy are mothers
who nurse so that their baby can live.
"And the only reason why any man is great
like you Jesus is because a woman brought you into the world!"
You see, you've got to get a picture of this
woman. In the midst of hundreds and perhaps even thousands of people, she
yelled out her personal opinion, and tried to put our Lord down and elevate
Mary.
In other words, she was saying, "You're a
mere man!"
So, to put Him down, she was pointing out to
everyone that this was merely a man from a womb.
Our Lord was perfect and an aristocratic
gentleman, so His answer to this arrogant woman, who was not a lady, came from
the perfect gentleman!
His first word in verse 28 was
"Wrong!" [On the contrary] He shouted this right back, and
then He went on to explain what real perfect happiness really is. Our Lord
taught that perfect happiness is associated with doctrine, not with all the
things we associate with happiness. Our Lord gave the perfect definition of
perfect happiness.
Luk 11:28 But He said, "Wrong, blessed [happy]
are those who hear the word of God, and observe it." [corrected translation]
Hearing refers to consistent reception of
doctrine. Observing refers to retention of doctrine, converting gnosis [knowledge obtained
but not believed] to epignosis [wisdom = the mind of Christ imputed into the soul &
spirit] doctrine by positive volition.
Our Lord could have made an issue out of any of
the things she brought out, but He only made an issue of doctrine. He did not
make an issue of her arrogance or her cosmic viewpoint on women, but of the
Word of God. There is no happiness in life for the believer apart from Bible
doctrine, which must come first in his or her life.
B) Establishment happiness is found in PRO 29:18 "Where
there is no revelation [establishment], the people are unrestrained.
But happy [establishment happiness] is that person who keeps the Law [laws
of divine establishment]."
C) Perfect happiness is found in 1JO 1:4 "In
fact, we write these things that our happiness may be brought to
completion." [corrected
translation]
John got this message from the upper room discourse.
Whatever perfect happiness is, it comes through the communication of doctrine,
and it is a process which has to be completed.
He [John]
has this happiness because he has utilized his portfolio of invisible assets
and divine omnipotence [of the Holy
Spirit] to learn doctrine and attain spiritual maturity.
Portfolio of Invisible Assets: The invisible assets are those divine assets provided
by God the Father in eternity past for the execution of the pre-designed plan
of God in the believer’s life. God the Father found the way for His justice to
provide perfect fantastic blessing to His righteousness without any compromise
of His essence. The invisible assets are
composed of primary, secondary, and personal assets. The primary assets include
equal privilege and equal opportunity under election and predestination. The
secondary assets include volitional assets, which are achieved through good
decisions made from positions of strength, and the assets of undeserved
suffering. The personal assets are the proper function of every believer’s
spiritual gift. It is our invisible assets that we need to utilize to make our
calling and election sure, or an experiential reality, 2PE 1:9-11.
In your portfolio of invisible assets God provided everything necessary for the
function in life, dying, eternity, growing in grace, and the execution and
fulfillment of the predesigned plan of God.
In spiritual maturity, perfect happiness
reaches its peak; there is nothing like it in this life! Perfect happiness is a
perpetual happiness for every category of existence after salvation.
Relatively few believers have perfect happiness
or the happiness of God because it requires consistent dedication and devotion
to studying the Word of God.
It requires concentration on the will of God
and the plan of God. That's why we are told that the same happiness that TLJC
had in His humanity while on this earth is the same happiness that is available
to us.
The relationship between our Lord's perfect
happiness and the Church-age believer's perfect happiness is given in JOH 15:11 "I
have taught you these things, in order that My happiness [perfect
happiness] might be in you, and that your happiness may be full or
completed." [corrected
translation]
The phrase "may be full" is
aorist-passive-subjunctive of the verb pleroo, which has four basic
meanings:
1) To fill up a deficiency. We are all deficient of
the happiness of God and need doctrine in the soul to give it to us.
2) To fully possess. The believer must be fully
possessed by the Holy Spirit and Bible doctrine before he can be fully
possessed by the happiness of God
3) To fully influence. The believer is fully
influenced by Bible doctrine so that he can have capacity for happiness.
4) To fill with a certain quality. The filling of the Spirit
and doctrine resident in the soul is the highest quality with which the
believer can be filled.
In His thirty-three years on earth until His
resurrection, ascension, and session, our Lord had perfect happiness. He
acquired perfect happiness through His residence in the predesigned plan of
God, and if you remain in God's plan for your life on a consistent basis, you
will eventually experience the perfect happiness of God.
In this dispensation of the Church, we have the
potential for the same perfect happiness that our Lord Jesus Christ had. This
happiness sustained Him during the most intensified form of human suffering
ever, when He was judged for our sins upon the cross.
For we read in HEB 12:2 "Be
concentrating on Jesus [occupation with Christ], the author and
perfecter of our doctrine, who because of His exhibited happiness He endured
the cross, having disregarded the shame, and He sat down at the right hand of
the throne of God." [corrected
translation]
BEGIN REVIEW ON 3-18-17 Our Lord attained perfect
happiness while living
inside the PPOG [predesigned plan of God] for His life which
allowed Him to have happiness in His humanity, and that same perfect happiness
can be attained by us. There is nothing that even comes close to it on planet
earth. It is one of the greatest of all objectives in the Christian life.
When Jesus
Christ was being judged for our sins on the cross, He demonstrated the fact
that the mature believer with perfect happiness can endure anything in life.
This is one of the reasons for the extension of the great power experiment of
the hypostatic union into the Church-age. Therefore, the power that sustained
our Lord on the cross, the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit inside the PPOG [God the Holy
Spirit did not abandon / forsake Him when He was on the cross],
is now available to us as members of the royal family of God.
With this availability of divine power, every
Church-age believer can attain the same perfect happiness which carried our
Lord through a type of suffering beyond human imagination. Notice in JOH 15:11,
the words "in you" teaches that happiness resides in the
individual. This happiness "becomes completed or fulfilled,"
meaning it develops in stages. spiritual self-esteem [confidence in
doctrine] is only the beginning of perfect happiness. By
advancing through providential preventative suffering [suffering for
blessing] to spiritual autonomy [one is spiritually self-sustained having
maximum love for God and impersonal unconditional love for all mankind],
perfect happiness becomes stronger. By advancing through momentum testing [undeserved
suffering from people testing, thought testing, system testing and disaster
testing] to spiritual maturity, perfect happiness reaches its
peak. When you pass evidence testing, then you have the perfect happiness that
will exist forever and ever; in living, in dying, and in the eternal state
forever.
EVIDENCE TESTING: Evidence testing is Satan's cross-examination of every
witness presented by God in the historical trial of all fallen
angels. Only mature believers have the capacity to be presented as
witnesses. In human history, man's thoughts, motives, decisions, and actions
are entered as evidence, exhibits, precedents, and arguments in Satan's appeal
trial. Every believer who attains spiritual maturity is an argument or
witness for the Prosecution against Satan. ANGELIC
CONFLICT, 1, 2.
RESTART MARCH 18,
2017 & Apr 29. Perfect happiness is
one of the most phenomenal of all the things the believer can ever experience.
This is the one "thing" you can take with you when you die, for
perfect happiness resides in your soul, which you do take with you.
The execution of the PPOG through the
utilization of available divine power is the only means of attaining perfect
happiness. PRO 3:13 "Happiness
belongs to the person who finds wisdom [bible truth, doctrine], even to the person who gains understanding [of that wisdom]."
Wisdom is metabolized doctrine being applied to
your experience. You gain perfect happiness through gaining understanding about
what life is truly all about. The only thing you can take with you wherever you
go is what resides in your soul. This tells us that happiness depends upon the
way that you think. Therefore, perfect happiness is more of a mental attitude
toward life than it is the result of acquisitions or accomplishments.
Happiness is in the heart, not in the
circumstances. Abraham Lincoln said, "People are just about as happy as
they make up their minds to be." Unless we make up our minds to be happy
no matter what the circumstances of our lives may be, we will never find
happiness.
It is the way we think and act as we travel the
road of life that determines whether or not we will be happy. The journey
through life has its ups and downs, and none of us can be happy all the time.
However, if we don't find at least some happiness along every mile of that
road, then we will not find the fullness of happiness at the end of the
journey. If we do not find happiness daily with our walk with TLJC and our
relationship with God, we need to change our attitude, instead of pinning our
hope on finding happiness later on. Happiness is found along the way, not at
the end of the road.
True happiness is to enjoy the present, without
depending upon the future change of circumstances.
We may think that if we just had more
possessions and a different status, or fewer problems, we would be happy, but
we wouldn't. It is foolish to look forward to the day when we will have no
major problems to make us unhappy, because that day will never arrive in our
lives. Some people even think that they need to identify and eliminate the
causes of their unhappiness. But, no matter how many perceived causes of our
unhappiness are eliminated, we will still be unhappy unless we change our
attitude, and begin to develop the happiness of God through doctrine resident
in the soul.
Point 4. Perfect Happiness Must Be
Related to the Essence of God.
Happiness is actually a
form of energy, an energy beyond human imagination or understanding. God's
perfect happiness is an energy that is available to us!
However, if you're going to enjoy happiness,
you need to understand the omniscience of God.
God's omniscience knows all the sin and evil,
all the cruel and vicious things in angelic and human history. This means that
He has always known all the thoughts, decisions, motivations, and actions of
every person in history. Yet none of this has ever caused God to lose His
happiness for a moment. Therefore, nothing can destroy or change the happiness
of God. It's impossible for God to be unhappy. Neither the failure of angels
nor members of the human race has ever given God even a second of unhappiness.
If you are ever going to have the happiness of
God, you must deal with the issue of guilt and condemnation from your own
failures. Until you make peace with who you are, you'll never be happy and
content with what you have. You can't go through life having the happiness of
God thinking that at the end of the tunnel, there's a God waiting to condemn
you. No one could have any happiness if they think that every thought and
action is being monitored by a judgmental God.
The road to happiness involves finding the
courage to take responsibility for our own mental attitude and to use the
divine solutions available to us.
We are commanded to be joyful and happy because
our Lord has borne our sorrows. With this in mind, don't just be familiar with this passage but notice it in
relationship to having the happiness of God. Stopped 3-18-17
Isa 53:3 "He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide
their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him."
Isa 53:4 "Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of
God, and afflicted."
Isa 53:5 "But He was pierced through for our
transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our
well-being [fell] upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed."
Isa 53:6 "All of us like sheep have gone
astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the
iniquity of us all To fall on Him not on us."
Isa 53:7 "He was oppressed and He was
afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His
mouth."
He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with
grief so that we need not be. You see, our own personal sins and limitations
are the things that make us sorrowful. However, He had no sins and limitations;
He was not sad for His sake, but for ours. He was a man of sorrows so that we
could be men and women filled with happiness. He was acquainted with grief so
that we could be filled with joy. He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows so
that we could bear His happiness and rejoice within ourselves. He was pierced
through for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities so that we would
not be condemned for any personal sins. As verse 6 says, the Lord has caused
the iniquities of us all to fall on Him so that they would not fall upon us.
So, if we remain guilty and condemned after
understanding what He did for us, it is because we do not accept what He did
for us. And if we suffer because of this, we deserve to
suffer because all we need to do is believe what He
did on our behalf. That's why happiness is a commandment (we’ll cover this in a few pages).
God's happiness is also
related to His personal, perfect, and complete sense of destiny. If you have a
sense of destiny [1,
2,
3,]
and know where your life is going, you will be relaxed and able to stay on the
road to happiness. Happiness and a sense of destiny always go together.
Happiness is essentially a state of going in the proper direction with all of
your heart, without regret or reservation. Therefore, it is impossible for the spiritually mature believer
who is executing the predesigned plan of God to be unhappy. No power in this
world can make him unhappy.
START 5-27-17 Psa
16:11 teaches three ways in which God shares His perfect happiness with us.
PSA 16:11 "You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever."
The happiness described here as belonging to
God is now the potential for any Church-age believer who reaches spiritual adulthood.
"You will make known to me the
path of life" means that the first principle in gaining
perfect happiness is cognition of Bible doctrine [reception, retention,
and recall].
You will never have God's perfect happiness in this life unless you learn first, then apply. God's perfect happiness is related
to thought; thought energy is the key and basis for all of God's perfect
happiness.
However, although God's perfect happiness is
available to all believers, if you reject Bible doctrine
you'll never have a personal sense of destiny,
let alone have perfect happiness.
"In Your presence is the
fullness of happiness" is the thrust of this point. In the
presence of God is perfect happiness or the fullness of happiness. God is
perfect, eternal 2,
infinite,
immutable,
just,
righteous,
omnipotent, love 2,
3,
omniscient,
omnipresent, sovereign,
and veracity
and God's perfect happiness is characterized by all these divine attributes.
God has made this same perfect happiness
available to us. For the Church-age believer, there is the potential while
alive on earth to experience this fullness of happiness.
"At Your right hand there are
pleasures forever" means that pleasure is the monopoly
of God, and it follows the possession of God's perfect happiness; it does not
precede it.
Pleasures in life are fleeting and do not
sustain anyone's happiness. They are wonderful and stimulating for a few
moments only. They are not a source of blessing and cannot carry you through
adversity. However, true pleasure is the monopoly of God. At the right hand of
God the Father is the Lord Jesus Christ, and He has given a fantastic heritage
of pleasures forevermore.
This means not only eternal pleasure, but also
perfect happiness in life! This happiness will sustain you in dying as it did
in living. This same happiness and virtue-love will give you fantastic capacity
for life, and no set of circumstances can ever get you down.
RESTART MAY 27, 2017 So,
perfect happiness is attained by any believer who executes the predesigned plan
of God, NEH 8:10b,
"Do not be grieved; do not be unhappy. For the happiness of the Lord is
your strength."
In the dynamics of spiritual adulthood the
happiness of the Lord is the strength of spiritual self-esteem, spiritual
autonomy, and spiritual maturity. You'll need this strength because if you
stick with the plan of God, you're going to have opposition.
That's why you cannot depend upon people for
your happiness. In fact, it's true that some people cause happiness wherever
they go; others whenever they go.
Happiness is not the absence of discomfort. Our
first mistake is trying to erase all in our lives that is uncomfortable,
unpleasant, or painful; that's impossible. Adversity is inevitable in life.
In fact, since we're in the book of Psalms, look at PSA
38:19 "But my
enemies are vigorous [and] strong; And many are those who hate me
wrongfully."
Psa 38:20 "And those who repay evil for good, They oppose me,
because I follow what is good."
Opposition is the highest decoration for the spiritually mature
believer. It is made up of all the people who oppose you, and the more
opposition you have, the greater happiness you have.
Wearing this decoration of maximum pressure is the greatest of all
blessings, and as NEH 8:10 says, "The happiness of the Lord is your
strength."
And let me show what type of individuals will oppose you:
2Ti 3:1 "But realize this, that in the last days difficult times
will come."
2Ti 3:2 "For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money,
boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,"
2Ti 3:3 "unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without
self-control, brutal, haters of good,"
2Ti 3:4 "treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure
rather than lovers of God"
2Ti 3:5 "holding to a form of godliness,[these are the types
who will oppose you] although they have denied its power; and avoid such men
as these."
2Ti 3:6 "For among them are those who enter into households
and captivate weak or silly women [which according to the Greek means males
and females who are emotional and silly] weighed down with sins, led on by
various impulses,"
2TI 3:7 "always learning and never able to come
to the knowledge of the truth."
2Ti 3:8 "And just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so
these men also oppose doctrine, men of depraved mind, rejected as regards the faith."
So you're going to have opposition if you stick with the plan of
God. In fact, the most exciting happiness is the happiness generated by forces
beyond your control.
Point 5. Divine Mandates to Happiness.
Since God possesses perfect happiness, He
desires to share His perfect happiness with us, and so He mandates that we have
His perfect happiness. We as members of the royal family of God therefore have
the potential for realizing His perfect happiness. God will keep you alive long
enough to attain that perfect happiness, provided you are faithful in the
perception [intake
and application] of doctrine. The ultimate objective of the predesi
[gned plan of God is to provide for you perfect happiness.
Consequently, perfect happiness is attained in
the three stages of spiritual adulthood, and is a part of glorifying God in the
Church-age. You cannot glorify God unless you possess perfect happiness. Since
the acquisition of perfect happiness is related to spiritual adulthood and the
glorification of God in the pre-designed plan of God for the Church-age, such
happiness is a command!
You are ordered and commanded by the Word of
God to have happiness. If you do not have God's perfect happiness this is an
act of disobedience on your part.
PSA 97:12 "Be
glad [happy]
in the Lord, O righteous ones, and give thanks for the memory of His
holiness."
A believer who has the happiness of God
developing within will be able to give thanks in all circumstances of life. As
you begin to have perfect happiness, thanksgiving becomes a moment-by-moment
attitude of your soul.
1Th 5:16 "Rejoice or be happy always;"
1Th 5:17 "pray without ceasing or
continually;" [meaning, praying regularly or all throughout the day; it
doesn’t mean that we’re to do nothing but pray]
1Th 5:18 "in everything give thanks; for this
is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1Th 5:19 "Do not quench the Spirit [rely
on your own human power, e.g., doing good deeds out of
fellowship with God and expect a reward];"
Until you can give thanks for everything, both the
blessings and adversities of your life, you have not yet come close to having
perfect happiness.
Phi 3:1 "Finally, my brethren, keep on having
happiness in the Lord. To be writing this same mandate [command] to you, on
the one hand, is not tedious, while on the other hand, it is a safeguard to
you."
Some of the
recipients of this letter may have been annoyed because Paul had commanded them
to be happy before. Paul had the audacity, even in writing Scripture, to
repeat. However, inculcation and repetition is the only way to learn doctrine.
Repetition is the only way to learn to do something automatically. The more
things you can do automatically, the greater your life will be.
The greatest experience of security in this
life is to attain perfect happiness. Once you have God's happiness in your
soul, it is the ultimate of security, the basis for spiritual self-esteem,
spiritual autonomy, and spiritual maturity. This is security for you because,
when you get under pressure, you will think the right thing, do the right
thing, and apply the right doctrine because you have repeatedly learned to do
the right thing under normal circumstances.
Spiritual
self-esteem is cognitive self-confidence and the beginning of effective
function of the ten problem-solving solutions of the pre-designed plan of God
for the Church. It is that virtue of God’s plan whereby the believer’s
confidence is based on Bible doctrine in your
soul; and the believer’s respect for self is linked to grace-orientation 1, 2. Spiritual self-esteem is the
believer’s dependence on God’s grace provision for stabilizing self and
integrating self into God’s plan for the Church-age believer, EPH 3:12.
Spiritual self-esteem is the foundation for the stability of the Christian
life, and it is the believer's dependence on God's grace provision for
stabilizing self and integrating self into the predesigned plan of God. This is
the first stage of spiritual adulthood.
Spiritual
autonomy is a continuation of contentment or +H (sharing the happiness of
God) as a major problem-solving solution. In spiritual autonomy the believer
has become spiritually self-sustained having maximum personal love, including impersonal love for God and impersonal unconditional
love for all mankind 2. It is the second stage of
spiritual adulthood.
Spiritual
maturity is the third and final stage of spiritual maturity. It is
accomplished by the believer who has advanced in the spiritual life by
executing the predesigned plan of God in his or her own dispensation [in our case, it’s the church
age]. This high ground of spiritual maturity is attained after the believer
passes many tests of undeserved suffering and the various momentum tests.
Spiritual maturity has nothing to do with sinless perfection, which cannot ever
be realized in this life, but is characterized by virtue developed by an
attitude of perseverance despite many failures. The mature
believer has attained to the measure of the
fullness of Christ, EPH 4:13. The
life of the mature believer is also known as the super-grace life [1, 2], JAM 4:6.
PHI 4:4 "Keep
on having happiness in the Lord at all times; once more I repeat the command,
keep on having happiness."
This is a command in the present tense because
perfect happiness is the only happiness in the world you can have at all times,
wherever you are, no matter what your circumstances.
Perfect happiness which you attain in time you
carry with you into the eternal state. Perfect happiness is not something you
attain in the eternal state, although there is happiness and blessing for all
believers there. Perfect happiness must be developed here in time.
It is designed for living and dying now! But in
order to fulfill the command for happiness, you can't be hypocritical and fake
it. To obey the command to "keep on having happiness in the Lord at all
times" is something we cannot do on our own any more than we can do
anything on our own for salvation. All we can attain on our own, independently
of the plan of God and the power of Bible doctrine, is the momentary happiness
or establishment happiness. This divine command can only be executed through
residence, function, and momentum inside the PPOG in the attainment of the
three stages of spiritual adulthood.
Neh 8:10 anticipated this, "Do not be grieved,
for the happiness of the Lord is your strength."
So in PHI 4:4,
hearing this twice-repeated command and knowing how to execute it are two
different things. There are a number of things you first must learn to execute
God's plan. Yet Christians want instant solutions and miracles, implying that
God is disorganized. We must first learn His plan and His solutions to have His
perfect happiness. If we refuse, we will be miserable in spite of what we
possess or what environment we have.
For example, the woman in the Garden had
everything in perfect environment including a perfect, wonderful husband. Yet
she wanted more than a perfect husband, more than a genius, more than perfect
sex, more than perfect environment. You can never get enough of the things you
don't need, because the things you don't need can never satisfy. She was bored
with perfect everything...but what more could she want? She had everything in
life that would make a normal woman happy; she had a beauty that never changed
and perfect health as she came from the hand of God. Yet her conversations
indicated that she was not satisfied with what she had. This immediately
indicates that she didn't have perfect happiness, because contentment is a
synonym for perfect happiness.
Happiness will never come to those who fail to
appreciate what they already have. In fact, unhappiness is in not knowing what
we want, and then killing ourselves to get it. The key phrase of the woman's
unhappiness in the Garden is "I want more!" She was bored with
perfect everything including a perfect intellect. What more could she want?
She had everything in life that would make a
normal woman happy, yet her conversations with the serpent indicated that she
was not content with what she had. Whoever does not regard what he has as most
sufficient wealth, is unhappy, though he be master of the world. This principle
was taught in the Garden of Eden to us, and it was taught in the gospels by our
Lord.
Mar 8:36 "For what does it profit a man to
gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?"
Commentary
- Mark 8:36-37 “8:36 "For what
does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his
soul? 8:37 "For what will a man give in
exchange for his soul?” NASB & NKJV
Jesus uses
an illustration within a question to reason why He should be followed. “What
will it profit a man if he gains (lit., ‘to acquire by effort or investment’)
the whole world, and loses his own soul?” The word soul (psyche) is the same
Greek word translated life (psyche) in v 35 and
should be rendered life in v 36.
English translators intend for the word soul to mean that a person will lose
his soul in hell. However, the context is clearly a discipleship/rewards
context.
Jesus takes
the best-case scenario for His illustration. A man who gains the whole world is
one who has lived for himself and has been successful in amassing great wealth.
However, what profit will these vast riches be to him in eternity if he has
lived only for himself? Such profit is worthless in eternity. He will leave all
his wealth behind. As a believer he will enter eternity with a loss of the
fullness of life he could have had. [in other words, he will have accumulated little or no rewards
during his time on earth for eternity but will retain his or her eternal life
since they believed in Christ in time; if he or she fit this scenario, they
will be a loser believer.]
Christ’s
second question in v 37
relates to this analogy. At the point the man enters into eternity, “what will
a man give in exchange for his soul (psyche, ‘life’)?” What can he give to redo
his life? His life is over and nothing can compensate for such a loss. Again,
this relates to abundance in the life to come as a reward, and not deliverance
from hell. A person should follow Christ because, although it is costly, he
will preserve his life unto eternal reward and life enhancement. GNTC
In fact, to be without some of the things you
want is an indispensable part of happiness. We know the woman wanted more
because her conversations with the serpent indicated this. That's why in GEN 3:1 the serpent "said to the
woman, 'Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the
garden'?'"
You see, he's trying to make her focus in on
something she doesn't have and she is not to possess, because the serpent knew
that she was discontent and frustrated.
Gen 3:2 "And the woman said to the serpent,
"From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;"
Gen 3:3 "but from the fruit of the tree which
is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or
touch it, lest you die.'"
The serpent said in effect, "You don't
seem to be happy; is there anything you can't have?" She said, "Yes,
God has said we cannot eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and
Evil." Then she added something God had not said, "You cannot eat
from it or touch it lest you die." In other words, the woman lacked
something in her capacity to hear clearly and objectively what the divine
prohibition involved. She developed a fear; she was afraid that even if she
touched the tree she would die. You cannot have fear without having arrogance,
and she was developing arrogance. Her combination of arrogance and fear caused
her to want something more.
Adam didn't understand this; he was his
magnificent self: attractive, wonderful, kind, intelligent, successful, and a
great lover.
And we know this because of what Paul says to
us in 1TI 2:14 "And
it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being quite deceived, fell into
transgression."
So, no matter what the woman had, it wasn't
enough; she kept wanting more.
One of the secrets of happiness is to admire
without desiring. You can admire something or someone without having to have
it! You can discover happiness by limiting your desires, rather than in
attempting to satisfy them. She lived in perfect environment, yet she didn't
have perfect happiness as a problem-solving solution,
so she began looking around.
So Satan began to use this prohibition.
"Do you know why God has forbidden that tree?"
He said to the woman in GEN 3:4
"You surely will not die!"
Gen 3:5 "For
God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you
will be like God, knowing good and evil."
What Satan said merely reflected his own fall.
He was Lucifer [FYI: the name Lucifer isn’t in the original
Greek, in the 5th century, some translators decided to gave Satan a
name, the original only call him Son of the Morning],
Son of the Morning, the most beautiful creature that ever came from the hand of
God. He was beautiful and magnificent, and had a perfect personality and
genius. He was the ruler of all the angels; he sat at the right hand of the
throne of God; he was the anointed cherub, the highest class of angels. But he
also wanted something more! There was nothing more he could have that he didn't
already have, but he was not happy. Therefore, one day he decided that he
wouldn't be happy until he replaced God! He considered God to be a challenge!
When
people are not happy and have no spiritual self-esteem or self-esteem, they
feel threatened. Within them is a combination of two things, arrogance and fear,
which always go together. In fear, you feel challenged by this or that, and in
your arrogance, you want to overcome that fear by seizing the thing that
threatens you. So Satan made it clear that the woman was threatened by the
tree, called the Tree of Knowledge. This woman had perfect intellect; she had
knowledge of all things around her because her husband was the ruler of the
world. But this was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, a knowledge she
did not possess. For this reason, theologians have made the mistake of calling
this state of perfection "The Age of Innocence."
Adam and the woman were not innocent, but there
were some things they did not have to know because they were in perfection.
So Satan [Son of the Morning] made his point, "There is something
you're lacking. There is more to be had; of course you're not satisfied. That's
because God has been unfair to you. God has withheld something from you; He has
withheld the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Do you know
why? God is afraid." STOPPED 6-24-17
It was Satan who was afraid. Satan also
possessed the knowledge of good and evil and he was miserable. Another
interesting principle here is that before we set our hearts too much on
anything, we should examine how happy are those who already possess it.
Arrogance plus fear leads to great instability no matter what you have. In fear
and arrogance you will always feel threatened by something in life, even if
you're in perfect environment. So Satan ascribed to God his very own fear,
although God is perfect and has never been afraid. And we see this in the human
race; people ascribe [to credit or assign] to others their own
weaknesses and flaws; even though in reality, the accused ones don't share
their flaws. Some people cannot identify with others unless the others are as
weak as they are. Therefore, they accuse others of being arrogant when those
people are actually humble, or they accuse others of fear, when they themselves
are afraid. So, the story of Adam and the woman shows why love and happiness
have eluded the human race in general down to this very moment.
You only have two chances at love and happiness:
A) As an unbeliever, you can have establishment
happiness including human self-esteem and humility.
B) As a believer, the only hope for love and happiness
in your life that is real and meaningful is to attain virtue-love and perfect
happiness as problem-solving solutions. [if you don’t
have the perfect happiness of God, that’s a problem; a problem that one may not
even be aware of, the solution is to feed your soul and spirit with spiritual
food which is bible doctrine (truth), understand them, believe them all and
live them (apply them to your life) while you still can].
With perfect happiness, no matter what your
circumstances, your happiness continues to exist, and you equate living with
dying (Phi 1:21
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.), and adversity
with prosperity. Happiness and love are meaningless as a state of happiness. We
all say at certain times that we are happy or in love, but we are really
talking about being in pleasant or enjoyable circumstances. But without perfect
happiness, there is always the same problem: no matter what you have, you will
want more! As long as there's something more that you must have, you aren't happy.
You have to find happiness in yourself before you can find it with someone or
something. Accumulating more and more of anything can't make you happy; these
things are just temporary stimulation. This explains drug addiction; a person
who experiences some high the first time he tries a drug will spend years
trying to reproduce that same first high. Happiness is derived from
tranquility, not by taking drugs and tranquilizers but by developing a proper,
disciplined, efficient life with regular habits, especially
the habit of the daily intake and application of God’s Word so you can
ultimately acquire the perfect happiness of God.
Marriage is a divine institution ordained by
God. However, He didn't ordain it as a system of happiness, but as a system of
relationship. Whether you are happy in any relationship or not, whether it is
marriage, business, social life, or friendship, you will never have happiness
or love by simply being in some state that you now associate with happiness.
Yet most people think, "If I could
just....I would be happy." We associate so many things with happiness that
are really not happiness at all. We mix up stimulation, sex, and animated
conversation with happiness. Happiness is actually a problem-solving solution. It is a status quo [normalcy, the state or fact of being the way
things usually are], but one that never looks over the horizon and
wants more. And due to the Fall of Adam and the woman, God in His matchless
grace designed something that can overcome the best or worst of environments,
that can handle prosperity and adversity, that can cause you to live or die
with great capacity, and that can give you the capacity to handle being alone
or in a crowd. There is no problem in life too great for what God has given to
you as a part of your portfolio of invisible assets, the problem-solving device
of perfect happiness!
Point 6. The Mechanics for Attainment of
Perfect Happiness.
The Holy Spirit is the source
of our sharing God's perfect happiness because He is the actual teacher of Bible doctrine [when a believer is
taught by a pastor-teacher combined with accurate scripture references that
support what is being taught, the Holy Spirit’s convicting or convincing
ministry will make the truth clear to the believer that is in fellowship,
another reason why the term “by means of the Holy Spirit is used].
Therefore, perfect happiness is said to be by means of the Spirit in ROM 14:17 "For
the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and prosperity
and happiness by means of the Holy Spirit."
In other words, the spiritual part of our life,
the predesigned plan of God, goes way beyond our normal functions of eating and
drinking. In that sense, we have a dual life, a natural life and a spiritual
life. The spiritual life has nothing to do with the foods we eat or the
beverages we drink. That's why Paul said in Col 2:16 "Therefore
let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink."
The Bible never teaches against the engagement of
alcoholic beverages in moderation. In fact, TLJC participated in eating certain
foods and drinking alcoholic beverages in moderation and that is why He was
called a drunk in LUK 7:34 "The
Son of Man has come eating and drinking; and you say, 'Behold, a gluttonous
man, and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and prostitutes [sinners]!'"
(corrected translation)
The problem is that today we have a phenomenal
amount of alcoholism and so pastors have to be very careful and encourage those
who have the predisposition toward alcohol to live a life of abstinence for
practical reasons and for health reasons. However, that does not mean that the
pastor should become academically dishonest and take passages out of context
and not teach the whole realm of doctrine.
For example, we are told that the Lord made
wine to make glad the heart of man, PSA
104:15 "The Lord made wine which makes man's heart
glad." Now, that is not grape juice! No matter
how much grape juice you drink, it will not make your heart glad.
Solomon said in ECC 9:7 "Go then, eat
your bread in happiness, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has
already approved your works."
Moses said in DEU 14:26 "And you may
spend the money for whatever your heart desires, for oxen, or sheep, or wine,
or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the
presence of the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household."
As far as foods are concerned 1TI 4:4-5
says "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be
rejected, if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of
the word of God and prayer."
1 Timothy 4:3-5 (commentary from GNTC)
3 forbidding
to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be
received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For
every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is
received with thanksgiving; 5 for it is 2sanctified
by the word of God and prayer. NKJV
Paul cites two examples of this false
teaching: unbiblical restrictions regarding marriage and food.
The Bible
regulates and restricts marriage in many ways. But it is not guilty of
forbidding [people] to marry. Paul himself elsewhere encourages people not to
marry (1 COR 7:25, 26, 27),
but he does not forbid it.
The OT Law
had many restrictions as to what foods would be eaten. The NT only restricts
the eating of food in its blood and of drinking blood. Besides that, all plants
and animals may be eaten (Gen 9:3). The false teachers commanded people to
abstain from foods.
Both of
these faulty prohibitions are forms of asceticism, which involves following
man-made rules in an effort to become godly. Paul refutes only the second, most
likely because the first form of asceticism was not much of a problem in his
day, but the second already was.
Foods are
to be received with thanksgiving. Formal giving of thanks that is not
representative of a truly thankful heart is a dead ritual.
Why does
Paul mention the word of God and prayer as two elements involved in sanctifying
foods? (In Christianity not only should the Christian be set apart, but also
his food should be.) This could refer to the reading or quoting of the Word of
God before or during prayers of thanksgiving for food. This may have been a
practice in Paul’s day. Or it may simply be that God said in His Word that all
things are good for food under the New Covenant. Thus the Word of God sets all
foods aside as good.
People who
practice asceticism often report feeling much closer to God, and those who
observe them are often impressed with their piety. However, what is not based
on God’s Word is counterfeit and does not produce actual godliness. GNTC
START 8-19-17 Now, there are a lot of believers today who
think that they're spiritual if they don't ever touch alcohol or eat certain
foods, and if you do, they think that you have completely gone over the edge.
So Paul says ROM 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is
not eating and drinking, but righteousness and prosperity and happiness by
means of the Holy Spirit." In our spiritual life, we can have the
righteousness of virtue, prosperity, and perfect happiness all by means of the
Holy Spirit. First comes righteousness, which is virtue from perception,
metabolization and application of Bible doctrine; then comes prosperity when
you reach spiritual adulthood. Finally, throughout spiritual adulthood, you
enjoy perfect happiness. All this is accomplished by the Holy Spirit who is the
teacher of Bible doctrine. That's why all three of these principles including
happiness are said to be the fruit or the production of the Holy Spirit, GAL 5:22 "The
fruit of the Spirit is virtue-love, happiness, prosperity."
Happiness here refers to three categories of
perfect happiness. In spiritual self-esteem, perfect happiness begins; in
spiritual autonomy, perfect happiness continues; and in spiritual maturity
perfect happiness peaks out. Part of the great power experiment of the
Church-age is perfect
happiness produced by God the Holy Spirit as in 1TH 1:6 "You
also become imitators of us and of the Lord [by fulfillment of the
predesigned plan of God through your
utilization of divine power], having received the Word in much pressure [affliction,
oppression] with happiness from the Holy Spirit."
We are to imitate two people; one is the only
invisible hero of the great power experiment of the hypostatic union [from the moment of
the incarnation, Jesus Christ is both fully man and fully God],
Jesus Christ, and the other is Paul or any other great invisible hero of the
great power experiment of the Church-age. We are to imitate them by imitating
the copybook [pattern]
in PHI 3:17,
which comes by receiving the Word consistently.
PHI 3:17 "Brethren
join with others in following me, and select those who walk according to the
pattern you have in us."
As we have noted, when you begin to be
consistent in learning Bible doctrine, there is much pressure...that's why it
says, in 1TH 1:6 "having
received the Word in much pressure [affliction=in pain, distress or grief or misery, oppression
by authority or power in a burdensome, cruel or unjust manner] with
happiness from the Holy Spirit."
Having perfect happiness in the midst of
pressure is due to being sustained by the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit
inside the PPOG. The same power that sustained Jesus Christ during those last
three hours on the cross when He was being judged for our sins is now available
to us in the Church-age.
This power is used in three categories to
attain perfect happiness:
1) The omnipotence of God the Father [God’s infinite
power] is used to attain perfect happiness through the perception of
our portfolio of invisible assets [The invisible assets are composed of primary, secondary, and
personal assets. The primary assets include equal privilege and equal
opportunity under election and predestination. The secondary assets include
volitional assets, which are achieved through good decisions made from
positions of strength, and the assets of undeserved suffering. The personal
assets are the proper function of every believer’s spiritual gift.]
and using those assets.
2) The omnipotence of Jesus Christ is used by knowing
He gives us a day at a time and is faithful in sustaining our life so we can
attain perfect happiness.
3) The omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit is used to
attain perfect happiness because God the Holy Spirit is the teacher of Bible
doctrine; Joh 14; 1CO
2:9-16; 1CO 2:2-4.
1 Corinthians 2:9 but
just as it is written, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not
heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared
for those who love Him." 2:10 For to us God
revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the
depths of God. 2:11 For who among men knows the
thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the
thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 2:12 Now
we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God,
so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 2:13 which
things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught
by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. 2:14 ¶
But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are
foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually
appraised. 2:15 But he who is spiritual appraises
all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. 2:16 For
who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the
mind of Christ.
COMMENTARY
by GNTC: 1 Corinthians 2:9-16
2:8-9. If the rulers of this
world understood God’s wise plan and how it involved the centrality of Jesus
Christ and His cross, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. If they
had known God’s wisdom, which comes by way of the Cross, they would not have
put Christ to death. Paul quotes from an OT passage, probably a free rendering
of Isa 64:4, to illustrate this. His point is that there is no way of
understanding open to mankind—“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have
entered in the heart of man”—that can offer him any notion of the great things
which “God has prepared for those who love Him.” Only the believer can
ultimately know God’s plan by revelation. This is divine wisdom.
2:10-11. God has revealed
these things of His great mystery to the believers through His Spirit. All
these things come from God; thus no personal pride should exist. The Sprit, the
third person of the Trinity, searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
The word search conveys the meaning of examine. Nothing is excluded from His
searching, even the depths of God. Paul then gives an illustration to clarify
this point. He asks, For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit
of the man which is in him? The spirit of the man stands for the person or
self-consciousness. The spirit of the man relates to that which dwells in every
person (Prov 20:27). Just as human wisdom needs the human spirit to comprehend
it, spiritual truths about God can be known only through the Holy Spirit who
knows the things of God.
2:12. Paul and others have
received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God. All
believers have received the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation (Rom 8:9). Because of this, the believer might know the things that have
been freely given to them by God. For a small minority of believers in the
first century, like some of the apostles
and those
under their authority, the Spirit revealed the content of God’s Word (2 Peter
1:20-21). For all other believers, the Spirit helps them interpret God’s Word
and make meaningful application. This latter work of the Spirit is called
illumination.
2:13. The Holy Spirit leads Paul
and others not in words which man’s wisdom teaches. In other words He did not
lead them into human philosophy or reasoning but into words which He teaches.
The Spirit teaches by comparing (interpreting or combining) spiritual things
with spiritual things. Because of the ambiguity of the Greek text, these words
could be translated interpreting spiritual truths to spiritual persons or
combining spiritual truths with spiritual words. The last translation seems to
be more justifiable by context. The spiritual truths that come from God are
combined with the spiritual words of the apostles and those under their
authority to convey God’s revelation.
2:14-15. Acquisition of
spiritual truth requires spiritual receptiveness. Paul points out that the
natural man (psychikos, “an
unregenerate person, a person without the Spirit”) does not receive the things
of the Spirit of God. The verb receive can be translated welcome. The unsaved
person can understand, but he does not welcome spiritual truth, the things of
God’s Word, because they are foolishness to him. He refuses and rejects these
things. Because he does not have the Spirit of God, neither can he know the
things of the Spirit of God. Why not? Because they are spiritually discerned.
The verb discern means “to examine,” “to judge,” or “to estimate.” The
unbeliever does not have the ability to evaluate spiritual things. Opposite the
natural man is he who is spiritual. The term spiritual (pneumatikos) describes the mature believer who judges all things,
yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. The spiritual Christian cannot be
judged by the unbeliever or the carnal believer (cf. 3:1-3) in spiritual
matters.
2:16. Paul appeals to Isa 40:13
to show that the believer is not subject to judgment when it comes to spiritual
issues because the spiritual believer possesses the mind of Christ (cf. Rom
8:6-8). Biblical spirituality is a mindset, a way of viewing life, which comes
from welcoming the things of God by means of His Word.
If you want this perfect happiness, it only
requires daily decisions from the right scale of values. Your number one
priority must be Bible doctrine. You must be motivated to come and hear it
under the ministry of the Holy Spirit. If you listen, learn, advance, and grow
[by living the
Bible Doctrine you learn], you will eventually
or inevitably be happy for all time and for all eternity.
God's happiness belongs "naturally"
to the new spiritual species [your human spirit which you did not have before you believed
in Him]; it is a happiness that only the new
spiritual species can have. It is a happiness designed
for both prosperity and adversity. It is a happiness that gives the most
fantastic capacity for life, whether you have little or much [poor or filthy rich],
whether you are great [CEO] or insignificant [ditch digger]. Remember that all
human distinctions mean nothing now as a result of the baptism of the Holy
Spirit and being in union with Christ. A new spiritual species refers to
believers in the Church-age belonging to the royal family of God. The baptism
of the Spirit made you royal family of God since the day you believed in Jesus
Christ.
2Co 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ
[and he is as a believer], he is a new [spiritual] species. The old
things have lost their power; behold, new things have come."
You are "in Christ" by the
baptism of the Spirit; at the moment of your salvation you were entered into
union with Christ. The adjective kaine means new; the noun ktisis
means species.
The old things that have lost their power over
us are genetic, environmental, and volitional handicaps; human dynamics,
personality, talent, and works and flaws.
The "new things" that have
come refer to your portfolio of invisible assets, the ten unique
characteristics of the Church-age, and the ten problem-solving solutions of the PPOG.
The unique characteristics of the Church age.
1. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
2. This is the dispensation of the unique PPOG.
3. There is the Unique Equality in the PPOG – the Equal
privilege and the Equal opportunity.
4. The Unique Portfolio of Invisible Assets.
5. The Two Unique Royal Commissions for every Church-Age
Believer, Royal priesthood, and the Royal ambassadorship.
6. The doctrine of the Church Age as the unique mystery
doctrine of the new things that have come.
7. The body of the Church Age believer being indwelt by
each person of the Trinity.
8. The Unique Availability of Divine Power.
9. Every believer is now qualified to live as a member of
the Church-age and become an invisible hero.
Pro 3:13 "Happiness belongs to that person
[believer] who finds wisdom even the person who gains understanding [of
doctrine]." The word blessed is esher and it means
happiness.
That's why it is translated like that in PRO 3:13 "Happy is the man who finds
wisdom, and the man who gains understanding;"(NKJ)
Pro 3:13 "Happy is the man who finds wisdom,
and the man who gets under-standing,"(RSV)
Pro 3:13 "The man who knows right from wrong
and has good judgment and common sense is happier than the man who is immensely
rich!"(TLB)
Pro 3:13 "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,
And the man that getteth understanding."(ASV)
Even the King James has it like that, PRO 3:13 "Happy is the man that
findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding."(KJV)
So PRO 3:13 "Happiness
belongs to that person [believer] who finds wisdom [perceived,
understood and believed bible doctrine]."
The word wisdom or chakmah refers
to the three "R"s: reception, retention, and recall of Bible
doctrine; i.e., perception, metabolization, and application of Bible doctrine.
The Hebrew word chakmah means wisdom that comes from doctrine, i.e., the
application of metabolized doctrine.
PRO 3:13 "Happiness
belongs to that person who gains understanding [experiential understanding of applied
bible doctrine to your life]."
The Hebrew word for understanding is bin,
which refers to the perception and metabolization of Bible doctrine. So this
verse actually includes perception, metabolization, and application of
doctrine.
1Jo 1:4 says the same thing, "And these things
we write that our joy may be brought to completion."
Joh 15:11 "I have taught [i.e., how to
attain God’s perfect happiness in time] you these things in order
that My happiness [perfect happiness of the humanity of Jesus
Christ] may be in you and that your happiness may be fulfilled."
Note that happiness is to be
"taught;" perfect happiness comes through the perception of Bible
doctrine; it does not come through something you enjoy. You can endure anything
with perfect happiness, as Jesus Christ has proved, HEB 12:2, "who for the happiness that
was set before Him endured the cross."
He didn't endure the cross because He liked it
[obviously],
but because He had perfect happiness. Just think of it, the greatest suffering
in all of history occurred on the cross, when Jesus Christ, perfect humanity,
received the imputation and judgment for every sin in human history. Yet, He
stayed on the cross because of His perfect happiness.
If God's happiness is in you, such passages as
this will be a reality to you, PHI
4:13
"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
Perfect happiness is the ultimate problem
solver. You can endure anything with perfect happiness, as well as having the
most wonderful capacity for life and for death. When you have perfect happiness
in you, it doesn't come from doing what you like to do but from liking what you
have to do.
Therefore, your happiness can only be
fulfilled, as a Church-age believer, through the execution of the predesigned
plan of God, through advancing to spiritual self-esteem, spiritual autonomy,
and spiritual maturity. At spiritual maturity you have at your disposal the two
greatest problem-solving solutions in history:
virtue-love [unconditional
impersonal love for all mankind] for the interaction with people,
and perfect happiness [contentment to the max.] for your own life.
Because of that there is no pain, adversity, tragedy, or difficulty greater
than perfect happiness in your soul!
Now, in JOH 15:11,
when the Lord said "I have taught you these things in order that My
happiness may be in you," our Lord's "happiness in you"
is spiritual self-esteem and spiritual autonomy. "His happiness
fulfilled" is spiritual maturity.
Perfect happiness is not only a problem-solving
solution, but it is the great principle of
contentment in this life. With perfect happiness, it makes no difference
whether you are living or dying, in adversity or prosperity. If you have
perfect happiness, you have the stabilizer for any situation in life.
Now, in 2JO 1:12
"Although having many doctrines to write you, I do not wish to do so with
paper and ink. I will pay you a visit, and I anticipate coming to you and
teaching face to face that our happiness might be fulfilled."
"Our"
happiness means the happiness John will have as the communicator, and the
happiness the believers will have as they receive his teaching of Bible
doctrine.
Reception [metabolized doctrine], retention [metabolized
doctrine is retained in the soul for when it’s needed], and recall
of Bible doctrine [the soul and human spirit are the store house so you can use
your renewed mind of Christ, just as He did] add up to the growth of
your perfect happiness, the greatest problem-solving solution
related to yourself. We will see this in ROM 14:22 "The
doctrine which you have [metabolized doctrine], have it according to
your own norms and standards before God. Happiness belongs to that person who
does not condemn himself in what he approves."
John says 2JO 1:12 "Although
having many doctrines to write you, I do not wish to do so with paper and ink.
I will pay you a visit, and I anticipate coming to you and teaching face to
face that our happiness might be fulfilled or complete."
The happiness of a pastor is made complete by
the communication of doctrine to his congregation, and by their reception,
retention, and recall of doctrine which results in their own happiness. Note
that in the 2Jo passage, John will bring certain believers to spiritual
maturity and perfect happiness by teaching them face to face. However, in 1JO 1:4 "And these things we write,
so that our joy may be made complete," he will bring other believers
to spiritual maturity and perfect happiness through non-face-to-face teaching [recordings and/or
written]. Both means are legitimate for the communication of
doctrine resulting in the reception, retention, and recall of doctrine in the
souls of believers, eventuating in their perfect happiness.
Perfect happiness depends on Bible doctrine in
the soul. It is something you think, not something you do. However, God has to
share His thoughts with you before you can share His happiness; when the thinking of God becomes
your thinking, then you will begin to share God's happiness. So your
perfect happiness is determined by the amount of Bible doctrine in your soul.
However, even though you have doctrine in the soul, you must be determined to
be happy in whatever situation you may be in. For we all have learned from
experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our
disposition and frame of mind, not our circumstances [God is not going to just inject you with His
thinking, i.e., the mind of Christ, that is the responsibility of the
spiritually growing believer with the help of the Holy Spirit, it takes
self-disciple, tenacity, persistence, etc. to grow spiritually].
We must apply the doctrine we have learned and
make the right decisions; action may not always bring happiness; but there is
no happiness without action. Happiness, like character, must be cultivated. It
is not a thing to be attained and then to be let alone or it will die down and
eventually disappear. There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are
different from the things we do.
So happiness is the ability to take all the
bumps and bruises of day to day life with an open mind and heart. Our
perspective and attitude have everything to do with our own happiness. If we
want to be happy, we will be happy [however, it is acquired only by the means of the Holy Spirit’s teaching you through the intake
and application of bible doctrine (attaining
and using the mind of Christ daily); your
cost for this happiness is the time you devote to the hearing/reading,
correctly understanding the doctrine which is made clear by the Holy Spirit,
believing what you’ve learned, understood and then applying it to your daily
life meaning you will actually live what you’ve learned until you go home to be
with the Lord].
Point 7. God's Happiness is Related to the
Three stages of spiritual adulthood.
There are three stages of spiritual adulthood.
1) Spiritual self-esteem:
Spiritual self-esteem is cognitive
self-confidence and the beginning of effective function of the ten
problem-solving devices of the pre-designed plan of God for the Church. It is
that virtue of God’s plan whereby the believer’s confidence is based on Bible
doctrine; and the believer’s respect for self is linked to grace-orientation.
Spiritual self-esteem is the believer’s dependence on God’s grace provision for
stabilizing self and integrating self into God’s plan for the Church-age
believer, EPH 3:12. Spiritual self-esteem is the foundation for the stability of
the Christian life, and it is the believer's dependence on God's grace
provision for stabilizing self and integrating self into the predesigned plan
of God. This is the first stage of spiritual adulthood.
2) Spiritual autonomy
Spiritual
autonomy is a continuation of contentment or +H (sharing the happiness of God)
as a major problem-solving solution. In spiritual autonomy the believer has
become spiritually self-sustained
having maximum love for God and impersonal unconditional love for all mankind.
It is the second stage of spiritual adulthood.
3) Spiritual maturity
Spiritual
maturity is the third and final stage of spiritual maturity. It is accomplished
by the believer who has advanced in the spiritual life by executing the
predesigned plan of God. This high ground of spiritual maturity is attained
after the believer passes many tests of undeserved suffering and the various
momentum tests. Spiritual maturity has nothing to do with sinless perfection,
which cannot ever be realized in this life, but is characterized by virtue
developed by an attitude of perseverance despite many failures. The mature
believer has attained to the measure of the fullness of Christ, EPH 4:13.
The life of the mature believer is also known as the
super-grace life, JAM 4:6.
There is a certain progression of perfect
happiness at each stage of spiritual adulthood. God's happiness begins at
spiritual self-esteem. As it gains momentum, perfect happiness continues in
spiritual autonomy, and it is completed in spiritual maturity, where it reaches
its peak in the top floor of the edification complex of the soul.
EDIFICATION
COMPLEX OF THE SOUL
The
edification complex of the soul is technical nomenclature found in the epistles
of the New Testament for the attainment of the various stages of spiritual
growth. As doctrines are accumulated by the daily perception, metabolization
and application of Bible doctrine, a structure is being built in the soul. The
foundation of the edification complex is Christ and the various floors that are
built upon Him include grace orientation, mastery of the details of life,
relaxed mental attitude, capacity to love in all three categories, and the
penthouse, which is sharing the happiness of God, EPH 4:14, 15, 16.
Occupation with the Lord and confidence in the
Lord is the basic definition of perfect happiness in spiritual self-esteem.
Psa 128:1 "How happy is every believer who is
occupied with the Lord."
Psa 146:5 "Happiness belongs to the one whose confidence
is in the Lord."
However, a more detailed explanation is given
in 2CO 12:10 "For
this reason I find contentment [beginning of perfect happiness] in weaknesses
[providential preventative suffering or suffering for
blessing], in insults [slanders or people testing], with
distresses [pressures or thought testing], in persecutions [system
testing], in difficulties or stresses [disaster testing] on behalf of
Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Preventative suffering has two categories:
1.
Providential preventative suffering is short-termed suffering from the
sovereignty of God for the benefit of the believer. [like Job]
2. Punitive
preventative suffering is related to sin. It punishes the guilty and warns the
tempted believer to resist the temptation and avoid the sin or the flaw.
Providential preventative suffering at
spiritual self-esteem [confidence in God’s Word / Bible Doctrine]
puts you in a state of weakness because there is no human solution to the
problems. The solutions must be divine solutions which comes from your own
soul's resources of Bible doctrine. The four types of testing mentioned here
are warm-ups in spiritual self-esteem in order to advance to spiritual autonomy
and face momentum testing. In principle, the four parts of providential
preventative suffering cover the whole scope of problem solving in life.
You pass these tests by having the beginning of
perfect happiness. There will be enough happiness in your soul at spiritual
self-esteem for you to be happy in all categories of providential preventative
suffering! Therefore suffering can be just as great a blessing as any
prosperous circumstances.
The phrase "on behalf of Christ"
means that the glorification of our Lord demands that the believer pass
providential preventative suffering and advance to spiritual autonomy, thus
increasing his perfect happiness. Being "strong when weak"
refers to the utilization of divine power for momentum in the PPOG. To be "weak"
means you must make maximum use of divine power, the basis for blessing in the
midst of testing. You don't try to intrude on God's solutions with your own
ability, human power, human ingenuity, attitudes, or concepts. Providential
preventative suffering brings you to the point where you realize life and the
devil are stronger than you, and that you won't be able to solve your problems
independently of the PPOG. Your strength comes from the use of any of the
problem-solving solutions we’ve been studying for the
past year and a half. In this case, perfect happiness in its beginning
form, i.e., contentment, is used. The word translated "content"
in verse 10 is the present-active-indicative of eudokeo which is eudoko
meaning means "to think well of, to
approve, to be content or happy."
Now, it often takes a lot to make many of you
weak [to the
point where you are dependent upon the use of divine power rather than staying
in your old comfort zone of falling back to human power],
especially if you're high-spirited and strong-willed. However, until you know
you're weak, you will never be strong [begin using divine power inside the PPOG].
To the extent that you have illusions about your so-called strong points, you
are depriving yourself of the blessings of grace. True strength comes from
using divine power to match your weakness, rather than using human power to
hold at bay God's grace provision for you.
Perfect happiness in spiritual autonomy is
documented in HEB 13:5.
Heb 13:5 "Let your lifestyle be free from the
love for money, being content [+H] with what you have. For He Himself
has said [DEU 31:6],
'I will never leave you nor will I ever forsake [abandon] you.'"
There is nothing wrong with money; it is
necessary to live. However, if money becomes your master, you become a pitiful
slave to money. Money was not designed to bring happiness. If you already have
capacity for perfect happiness, you can handle the accumulation of money
without becoming a slave to it. So your lifestyle is to be free from the love
for money.
However, if your life is free from money you
won't live long. The objective is to have money as your slave and perfect
happiness as your master. If you are content with what you have, you have a
measure of perfect happiness. In spiritual autonomy, you no longer think you
want more, more, more! You realize in HEB 13:5,
"He Himself has said [DEU
31:6],
'I will never leave you nor will I ever forsake [abandon]
you.'"
This promise is God's guarantee to you from the
day of your salvation, based on God's perfect integrity. He will never leave or
forsake you. This promise assures you of both temporal and eternal security.
God will never leave you in life, nor forsake you in dying. However, this
doesn't prevent God from disciplining you or allowing the law of volitional
responsibility to function.
Rom 14:22 "The doctrine which you have
[metabolized doctrine], have it according to your own norms and standards
before God. Happiness belongs to that person who does not condemn
himself in what he approves." This verse refers to the status quo of
the believer in spiritual autonomy, who has doctrinal norms and standards in
his soul, resulting in right priorities. Therefore, he has God's perfect
happiness.
**
The believer in spiritual autonomy does not
feel threatened by the criticism of legalism. He knows he's doing the right
thing even while being maligned and judged as the victim of jealousy,
bitterness, arrogance, implacability, and all the revenge motivation related to
envy. The believer in spiritual autonomy doesn't copy those he admires, nor is
he bullied into any legalism. The result of having one's own norms and
standards before God is the increase of perfect happiness in life. We go
through life in self-condemnation if we violate our norms and standards or if
we are victimized by legalism and society's standards. A lot of people approve
of their lifestyle and do not condemn themselves because of arrogance. However,
this phrase doesn't refer to those who don't condemn themselves simply because
their arrogance and ignorance have replaced any norms and standards they might
have had. The believer in spiritual autonomy has doctrinal norms and standards
and yet, because of perfect happiness, no longer condemns himself.
1Pe 3:14 "But if you should suffer for the
sake of righteousness, you are happy [+H in spiritual autonomy].
Isa 8:12b "Therefore, do not fear what they
fear, and do not let yourself be intimidated."
To suffer for righteousness' sake is a
reference to momentum testing, suffering for blessing to those in spiritual
autonomy. People aren't happy in suffering unless they are in spiritual
adulthood, the place of perfect happiness.
1Pe 4:14 "If you are reproached because of the
person of Christ [and you are in spiritual autonomy], you are happy
because the Spirit of glory and of God refreshes you."
In momentum testing, others will reproach you.
This phrase specifically refers to people testing. "The Spirit of
glory" is a specific reference to the omnipotence of God the Holy
Spirit functioning inside the PPOG. Refreshment in disaster is perfect
happiness in your life.
Jam 1:2 "Consider it all happiness
[perfect happiness in spiritual autonomy], my brethren, when you encounter
various testings."
You can't consider adversity happiness until
you have the happiness of God. And until you have perfect happiness, you can't
use it to handle suffering. The "various testings" refer to
the four parts of momentum testing.
Perfect happiness is documented in spiritual maturity,
PHI 4:11-13.
Our corrected translation of PHI 4:11-13 reads, PHI 4:11
"Not that I speak with reference to need, for I have learned to be content
[+H] in whatever circumstances I am."
PHI 4:12
"In fact, I have come to know how to be humbled and I have come to know
how to live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance, I have been
initiated, both how to be filled, how to be hungry, how to be prosperous, and
how to suffer need."
PHI 4:13 "I
have the power to attain all things through Him [God the Father] who
makes me strong."
Point 8. Why Contentment is Synonymous
with Happiness.
It's interesting that our Lord was never
married, never had any children, and never became wealthy or successful from
the human standpoint, yet He was perfectly happy and totally content. He was
ridiculed and endured greater pressures than we will ever know; yet all those
years He always had perfect happiness. He did not have the things that people
associate with happiness in our day and age, like a good marriage, a healthy
family, a good job, a lot of money, a nice home, etc. Yet He served as an
example to us of what it means to have perfect happiness and perfect
contentment.
In JOH 3:29 "He
who has the bride is the bridegroom [a reference to TLJC]; but the
friend of the bridegroom [a reference to John the Baptist], who stands
and hears him, rejoices greatly [has great inner happiness] because of
the bridegroom's voice. And so this happiness of mine has been made full."
According to human viewpoint of life, John the
Baptist had a tragic life. He had the type of ministry not associated with fun
and happiness but with tremendous opposition, even though he was always right.
It is very frustrating to be right but never be recognized as being right even
once. That was the "tragedy" of his life. But John says at the end of
verse 29, "and so this joy [inner happiness] of mine has been
made full or brought to completion."
John was one of those rare individuals in his
generation who had reached spiritual maturity. John was a man who lived the
spiritual life from salvation to his death. When he said in verse 29, "this
joy of mine has been made full or complete," he recognized Jesus
Christ as the Messiah, the God-man, the only source of salvation. Then he added
in JOH 3:30 "He
must increase, but I must decrease."
This is the antithesis of human viewpoint
living. Think of how many people you know, friends, loved ones, peers, other
believers, who do not live with that statement in view.
Joh 3:30 "He must increase [in my life],
but I [my human viewpoint and fleshly thinking] must decrease."
Inner happiness is inside of you that you can
take with you through any set of circumstances in life. Even if you are alone,
like John the Baptist was, you are perfectly happy. In fact, the problem of
loneliness is the easiest problem to solve for the mature believer. If you are
in a crowd, you are happy. Whether in pleasant or adverse circumstances, you
are happy. If you are alive and healthy or dying, you have perfect happiness.
Perfect happiness for the believer is described
in PHI 4:11-13.
Phi 4:11 "Not that I speak with reference to
need, for I have learned to be content [+H] in whatever circumstances I
am."
Phi 4:12 "In fact, I have come to know how to
be humbled and I have come to know how to live in prosperity. In any and every
circumstance, I have been initiated, both how to be filled, how to be hungry,
how to be prosperous, and how to suffer need."
Phi 4:13 "I have the power to attain all things
through Him [God the Father] who makes me strong."
Once you reach spiritual maturity, you have an
entirely new and refreshing system of thinking, and you never think in terms of
needs. We all continue to have needs, but they will become less and less important
to you as you advance through the different stages of spiritual adulthood. This
is because you finally come to realize that God has known your needs all along.
And in effect, once you reach spiritual adulthood, needs become inconsequential
so you don't have to spend your time thinking about them. Of course, as an
organized believer, you still plan for them. But your needs aren't nearly as
important to you once you reach spiritual adulthood, resulting in an improved
prayer life that doesn't focus on all your needs. As long as your needs have
number one priority in your life, it's impossible for you to reach spiritual
adulthood.
Notice what Paul said in PHI 4:11 "Not that I
speak with reference to need, for I have learned to be content [+H] in
whatever circumstances I am."
Happiness is something you learn, not something
you have, want, or anticipate. You must learn how to live in adversity and
prosperity. As in verse 11, to learn to this contentment take a lot of
repetition of Bible doctrine, especially mystery doctrine concerning the
uniqueness of the Church-age.
Contentment is actually a synonym for perfect
happiness, as in other passages, such as 1TI 6:8
"If we have food and shelter, with these we shall be content."
The point is, when you have perfect happiness,
what more do you need? Perfect happiness is all you need to sustain you, even
when you're in adversity and have needs. If you have the happiness of God, you
don't really need anything beyond food and shelter.
One of the greatest signs of prosperity is
maximum use of perfect happiness. Think of the people you know who have a lot
more money and possessions than you do, but they are miserable in most cases!
Or if they are not miserable, they're just putting on a facade of happiness;
it's just a front for a frustrated life.
Prosperity from maximum use of perfect
happiness comes from going through the valley of momentum testing, passing the
different tests, and advancing to spiritual maturity.
Psa 84:5 "How happy is the person whose
strength is in the Lord; In whose heart is on pilgrimage!"
Psa 84:6 "Passing through the valley of Baca,
they make it a spring, The early rain also covers it with blessings."
Baca means weeping and it speaks of going
through adversities and difficulties and trials and heartaches; yet here it
says perfect happiness can make those situations a spring or a place of
blessing!
And that's the same thing Paul is saying in PHI 4:11 as you pass the
different tests in your advance to spiritual maturity.
In HEB 13:5 "I
will never leave you nor forsake you," the faithfulness of our Lord is
the reason for us to be content with such things as we have. This refers to
temporal security which is freedom from worry, fear, anxiety, etc.
So Paul goes on to say in PHI 4:12 "In fact, I have
come to know how to be humbled."
This is something we all must learn, because by
nature none of us are humble. Humility means objectivity. Humiliation is
associated with arrogance; but being humbled is associated with spiritual
growth and understanding God's grace. Humility comes with the organized life of
the believer in spiritual adulthood. And what we don't learn from Bible
doctrine, we will learn from adversity and undeserved suffering.
Suffering is a great teacher to the wise, but
is bitter for those who resist Bible doctrine.
Suffering provides maximum opportunity to apply
metabolized doctrine to life.
So, one of the hardest things to learn in life
is to be humble. However, God will provide this lesson for us through doctrine
and suffering. You cannot be great without humility. Humility is the fantastic
spiritual dignity that carries with it perfect happiness.
Phi 4:12 "In fact, I have come to know how to
be humbled and I have come to know how to live in prosperity."
You must also learn how to be happy in
prosperity; yet very few prosperous people understand this. It is difficult for
prosperity to successfully work in anyone simply because of arrogance.
Arrogance destroys capacity for life and especially capacity for prosperity.
Then Paul goes on to say, PHI 4:12 "In any and
every circumstance, I have learned the secret or I have been initiated,"
The Greek word here memuemai means to be
initiated into a fraternity, to learn the secrets of that fraternity, and to
endure the testings of that fraternity. The Church is the fraternity, and we
are initiated through learning Bible doctrine and enduring in suffering for
blessing.
Phi 4:12 "In any and every circumstance, I
have been initiated, both how to be filled, how to be hungry, how to be
prosperous, and how to suffer need."
Both categories, "How to be prosperous
and how to suffer need," are necessary for the advance to spiritual
maturity and the fulfillment of the PPOG.
Paul attained the fantastic point of having
God's perfect happiness in every possible circumstance through maximum use of
divine power.
PHI
4:13
"I have the power to attain all things through Him [God the Father]
who makes me strong."
"I have the power"
is a reference to the availability of divine omnipotence for the execution of
the PPOG. It is a reference to the same power available to us in the great
power experiment of the Church-age as Christ used on the cross. He was able to
remain perfect, though judged for all the sins of the world, because He was
sustained by the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit and because He had perfect
happiness, the greatest of all problem-solving devices.
Your strength depends on you learning that
God's power, in three categories (omnipotence of the Father, omnipotence of the
Son, and omnipotence of the Spirit), is available to you. It's important for
you to attain perfect happiness through the perception of doctrine. Utilizing
the perfect happiness of God is the only way to die and the only way to live.
Perfect happiness actually equates living with dying for the believer. In any
and every circumstance, the believer who has advanced to spiritual adulthood
has perfect happiness.
That's why Paul said in PHI 1:21, "For me, living
is Christ and dying is profit."
In PHI
4:13
"I have the power to attain all things," "all things"
refer to the three stages of spiritual adulthood, the great problem-solving
devices, and the mature believer's tremendous invisible impact on history.
Perfect happiness is increased at each stage,
but the believer must continue to learn and apply doctrine. Every believer has
the same opportunity to attain the same spiritual adulthood and perfect
happiness and invisible impact.
The source of this power is the Father in PHI 4:13, "I can do all
things through Him." "Through Him" in the original
Greek is en plus the instrumental of agency which expresses the personal
agency of God the Father.
The same power available to our Lord in the
dispensation of the hypostatic union is now available to us.
Phi 4:13 "I have the power to attain all
things through Him [God the Father] who makes me strong."
The word for strength is the present active
participle of endunamoo which is endunamounti which can be
translated either "through Him who makes me strong," or "through
Him who pours the power into me." God the Father makes this power
available to us.
Principles concerning happiness and
contentment:
1) True happiness is to enjoy the present, without
anxious dependence upon the future, and to rest satisfied with what we have.
The person with true happiness needs nothing more to make him happy.
2) The greatest blessing a person can experience, the
perfect happiness of God in the soul, is within our reach. The wise person is
content with who he is and what he has, without wishing for anything else.
3) Happiness is actually the absence of the striving
for happiness. For many individuals, contentment consists not in adding more
fuel, but in taking away some fire. There is no end of craving and desiring
things when you are a carnal believer.
4) While dreams and goals that we eagerly pursue bring
little happiness when we achieve them, most of our pleasures in life come from
unexpected sources.
And that's because God knows what will really
make us happy, not us!
The book of Proverbs was basically written by
Solomon, but the 30th chapter of Proverbs was written by a man named Agur.
As Agur watched Solomon he realized that
Solomon was rich beyond belief. Solomon got trapped into accumulating more and
more riches, so he kept marrying foreign wives to bring in more treasure and
more treasure, until he brought Israel into idolatry and ruined his own life.
So Agur commented, as a result of watching
Solomon, PRO 30:7-9 "Two
things I asked of Thee, Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither
poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, Lest I be full
[rich] and deny Thee and say, 'Who is the Lord?'"
He said "Don't give me too much, I'll tend to
deny you! I'll become totally self-sufficient!"
Having things to look forward to is a major
source of happiness, and most of us receive more gratification from the
anticipation of things than we do from actually acquiring them. Once we achieve
a long sought goal, instead of feeling satisfied, most of us turn our attention
to the next item along our road of desire.
5) Some people are obsessed with the desire to possess
enough wealth and status to guarantee them happiness. This is a foolish notion.
There is not enough wealth and status in the entire world to make even one
person happy if that person cannot be happy without it. If we want to be happy
we must accept the fact that happiness is a journey, not a destination. It is a
journey with no regrets, guilt, shame and embarrassment because there is in
clarity of mind. Happiness is a method of life; it is more of a way of travel
than a destination.
Rom 14:22 "Happiness belongs to that person
who does not condemn himself in what he approves."
Freedom from guilt and condemnation is
thrilling and fulfilling and absolutely essential to mental health and
happiness. For any man to be happy it is necessary for him to be mentally
faithful to himself.
6) True courage means to bear difficulties, heartaches
and pain without letting it spoil your happiness. Remember that no one can make
you feel inferior without your consent. It is wise for us to forget past troubles
because there are always new ones to replace them.
7) Contentment is natural wealth; luxury is artificial
poverty.
William Shakespeare said "My crown is in my
heart, not on my head, Nor decked with diamonds and Indian stones, Nor to be
seen: My crown is called content: A crown it is, that seldom kings enjoy."
To expect anything from this world is to expect
to be fed by an illusion. Every path we follow in this world leads to exactly
the same place: frustration and disappointment. Nothing here is permanent, and
the only way a believer can find a contented and fulfilling life is through
Bible doctrine.
Point 9. The Concept of Self-Contained
Happiness.
Most people have become slaves to a system of
dependency which says in effect happiness or unhappiness depends on the
circumstances of life. People believe that pleasant circumstances bring
happiness and adverse circumstances bring unhappiness. Therefore, happiness has
become very fragile because people are depending on something or someone else
to make them happy.
For most people, an instant change of
circumstances means a rapid transition from happiness to unhappiness. People
are dependent on overt circumstances for entertainment and subsequent
happiness. That's why stability in society is disappearing because there is a
lack of self-contained happiness.
Self-contained happiness is that contentment or
delight, that active or passive state of pleasure and satisfaction, that rest
without stress, which is resident in a person at all times regardless of the
circumstances of life.
Self-contained happiness depends on the
believer providing his own happiness through his own right priorities and
consistent perception, metabolization and application of Bible doctrine.
Self-contained happiness is similar to sharing the happiness of God. You are
responsible for your own happiness, and nothing outside of you is responsible
for that happiness. If you are unhappy, look to yourself rather than to
entertainment, social life, romance, etc. Self-contained happiness is inner
happiness and it goes with you as a constant companion. Therefore, you can rise
above your circumstances. You are not dependent upon circumstances, pleasure,
or pleasant things for your happiness, because you are sharing the happiness of
God.
Self-contained happiness does not depend on
someone else making you happy by their presence, approbation, attractiveness,
attention, or love for you. Your basic happiness and contentment must depend on
divine viewpoint, so that if their approbation, attention, or love turns to
disapproval, you remain in a state of contentment.
Self-contained happiness is a fantastic
dimension of the Christian way of life. It has capacity for appreciation of the
love, kindness, thoughtfulness of others. It has the ability to cope with all
the categories of adversity, such as rejection, disappointment, antagonism,
maligning, judging, slander, hatred, conspiracy, and all other interaction
problems with others.
Self-contained happiness is a Biblical subject
as part of the predesigned plan of God for the Church-age. Self-contained
happiness is related to the filling of the Spirit and cognition of Bible
doctrine through the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit. Self-contained
happiness is mandated as one of the believer's problem-solving devices.
Phi 3:1 "Finally, my brethren, keep on having
happiness in the Lord."
Self-contained happiness begins at the point of
spiritual self-esteem, continues with growing force when you attain spiritual
autonomy, and is stabilized and perpetuated as a means of coping with
everything in life once you reach spiritual maturity.
Phi 4:4 "Keep on having happiness in the Lord
at all times. Once more I repeat this mandate: keep on having happiness."
Self-contained happiness is the greatest problem-solving
device related to self; for it does not depend on health, success, pleasure,
approbation, sex, social life, money, or anything else for its function.
1Ti 6:6 "But godliness [life in the PPOG] is
a means of great profit when accompanied by contentment."
Contentment is self-contained happiness.
1Ti 6:7-8 "For we have brought nothing
into this world, and it is obvious that we can take nothing out of it. But if
we have food and shelter, we shall be content with these."
Self-contained happiness enhances all other
problem-solving devices.
It enhances the faith-rest drill in PSA 146:5 "Happiness belongs to the
one whose confidence is in the Lord."
It enhances occupation with Christ in PSA 128:1 "How happy is everyone who
is occupied with the Lord, who walks in His ways."
A believer living in self-contained happiness
is on the road to glory, the glorification of God through the execution of the
PPOG for the Church.
Occupation with the Lord emphasizes Bible
doctrine as the number one priority in life. Sharing the thinking of Christ as
well as the happiness of Christ is the key to happiness which will give you the
ability to cope with any adversity in life.
Self-contained happiness not only motivates
personal love for God but the function of impersonal love for all mankind.
Self-contained happiness is a part of the great
virtue of the Christian way of life. Self-contained happiness emphasizes
grace-orientation. So when you're happy within yourself, you're able to treat
others correctly. Remember MAT 19:19 "You
shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Self-contained happiness is not only a
problem-solving device in itself, but it contributes to the poise that goes
with a personal sense of destiny.
Heb 13:5 "Let your lifestyle be free from the
love of money and be content with what you have; for He himself has said, 'I
will never leave you, nor will I ever forsake you.'"
Self-contained happiness is a problem-solving
device in adversity.
Jam 1:2 "Consider it all happiness, my
brethren, when you encounter various testings."
Self-contained happiness means refreshment from
God from the inner resources of Bible doctrine.
1Pe 4:14 "If you are reproached because of the
person of Christ, you are happy, because the Spirit of glory and of God
refreshes you."
1Pe 3:14 "But if you should suffer for the
sake of righteousness, you are happy. Therefore, do not fear what they fear,
and do not let yourself be intimidated."
When you let yourself be intimidated by
anything or anyone in life, you lack self-contained happiness. Self-contained
happiness overcomes fear and intimidation.
1Jo 1:4 "In fact we write these things that
our joy may be brought to completion." Joy is brought to completion by
entering the door of hope on God's agenda.
Self-contained happiness is the endowment of
Bible doctrine.
Col 1:10-11 "That you might in a manner worthy
of the Lord, bearing fruit in every good of intrinsic value achievement; in
fact, growing by means of metabolized doctrine from God. Because you have been
endowed with all divine power from that superior power of His glory, resulting
in all endurance and patience associated with self-contained happiness."
Point 10. The Characteristics of
Happiness.
A) Perfect happiness is tranquility of soul.
B) Perfect happiness is a problem-solving device
preventing stress in the soul.
C) Perfect happiness is contentment of soul.
D) Perfect happiness is capacity for life, love,
appreciation, gratitude, and thanksgiving.
E) Perfect happiness is never feeling threatened by
adverse circumstances, by people, or by evil scenarios.
F) Perfect happiness is the invigoration of happiness.
This is the stimulation and enthusiasm in life
from right priorities, metabolized doctrine circulating in the soul and freedom
from garbage in the subconscious.
G) Perfect happiness is having a true sense of
security, like assurance regarding eternal security, eternal life, freedom from
fear, worry, doubt, and apprehension.
So, as a part of God's grace policy, God has
found a way to share His happiness with the believer, a happiness which never
depends on people or circumstances, a happiness which works for the believer in
both prosperity and adversity.
Relationships in Happiness:
1) Perfect happiness is related to the function of
perception, metabolization and application of Bible doctrine, PRO 3:13.
2) Perfect happiness is related to grace function in
the life, or the function of the royal family honor code, PRO 14:21. You are happy when you live and let
live. When you despise the sins of others you make yourself miserable.
3) Perfect happiness is related to spiritual maturity,
PSA 146:5,
Pro 16:20, 28:14.
4) Perfect happiness is related to supergrace
prosperity, PSA 128:1-4.
5) Perfect happiness is related to ultra supergrace, 1PE 3:14; 1PE 4:14.
6) Perfect happiness is related to the conscience of
the mature believer, ROM 14:22.
If you persevere with your spiritual advance in
spite of the criticism of others, you will enjoy perfect happiness. However,
you will lose that happiness if you allow their criticism to distract you from
your dedication to Bible doctrine.
7) Entrance into the plan of God at salvation is the
beginning of grace function and happiness from God, PSA 9:14. Eternal salvation and eternal
security are often associated with happiness.
8) Perfect happiness is related to the believer's
recovery from carnality and reversionism, PSA 51:12.
9) Perfect happiness is related to Bible doctrine in
the soul of believers, NEH
12:43.
Review
The concept of God's perfect happiness (+H), John 15:11, These things I have spoken to you so that My joy [happiness] may be in you, and that your bjoy [happiness] may be made full. (NASB). In other words: "I have taught you these things that My happiness or
contentment might be in you, and that your happiness might be fulfilled." Part of the legacy of the Lord for the Royal family is that
we might have the same happiness that He had in His Deity and humanity. His
happiness (+H) comes through the perception of doctrine: "I have taught
you these things."
The source of +H is taught in Proverbs 3:13, How blessed [happy] is the man who finds wisdom And the man
who gains understanding. NASB. Happiness belongs to the person who
finds wisdom, even to the person who gains understanding.
Wisdom is the application of metabolized doctrine.
Understanding refers to perception and metabolization [believing & understanding] of
doctrine.
1 John 1:4, And these things we
write, so that our state of happiness might be completed. [corrected translation]
1 John 1:4 And
these things we write to you kthat
1your
joy may be full. NKJV - John and the other
apostles are delighted when those they have led to Christ, or nurtured in the
faith, are true to the faith. If the present letter succeeds in encouraging the
readers to “let that abide in [them] which [they] heard from the beginning” (2:24),
the joy of the readers will be full.
True joy is gained through knowing Christ and
God the Father through the apostles. Churches today need to respect for the
importance of divine truth, along with a rejection of doctrinal error. GNTC
The mandate [command with impowerment] for +H [Perfect Happyness of God], Philippians 4:1
Therefore, my beloved and alonged-for brethren, bmy joy [happiness] and crown, so cstand fast in the Lord, beloved [NKJV].
In other words, keep on having happiness in the
Lord at all times. Once more I repeat the command: Keep on having happiness.
Philippians 4:1 Paul closes this section by reaffirming his
affection for the Philippians and reminding them that, since they are citizens
of heaven now and will be glorified there with Jesus someday, they should be
firm in their commitment to Christ. GNTC
Happiness is related to Grace Orientation, Psalm 31:7 I will be glad
[happy] and
rejoice in Your mercy, [NKJV] in
other words, I will rejoice and be happy in Your grace.
Jesus Christ has always had +H, 1 Timothy 6:15
which
He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed [happy] and only 5Potentate,
the King of kings [MT of the ones ruling] and Lord of lords [MT of the ones exercising lordship], [NKJV] He who is the happy and only Sovereign, the
King of kings, and Lord of lords.
1 Timothy 6:15, 16: God will manifest
the return of Christ in his own time.
This will happen at a specific point in time that Jesus declared was known only
to the father (see Acts 1:6, 7). The last half of v. 15 and all of v. 16 form
the doxology of praise to the Lord Jesus. Immortality
may also be translated “without death.”
Jesus is God and therefore can never die. Nelson Study Bible Notes.
Jesus Christ used +H at the Cross, Hebrews 12:2,
fixing our eyes on Jesus [looking unto Jesus], the 1author and 2finisher of our
faith, dwho for the
joy [happiness] that was set before Him eendured the
cross, despising the shame, and fhas sat down
at the right hand of the throne of God.
[corrected translation] So, be concentrating on Jesus,
the author and perfecter of our doctrine, who because of His exhibited
happiness, He endured the cross, having disregarded the shame, and He sat down
at the right hand of the throne of God.
This happiness reaches its peak in Occupation with Christ, Psalm 128.1
Blessed ais every one who fears
the Lord, Who walks in His ways. [NKJV] How happy is the
believer who is occupied with the Lord.
Like Occupation with Christ, +H equates adversity with prosperity, and living
with dying, Philippians 1:21
For
to me, to live is Christ, and to
die is gain. [NKJV] For me living is
Christ, and dying is profit.
Philippians 1:21-22 - Paul considers his life
to be the very person of Christ (cf. Gal
2:20). But if he is executed, he knows he will instantly be with the
Lord. For Paul, this is the better prospect. But he knows that if God chooses
to spare him, his life and ministry will be fruitful. For that reason it is
difficult for him to state a preference. GNTC
Problem
Solving Solution Number Ten: Occupation with Christ.
Occupation with Christ is the highest of the problem-solving solutions in the Christian life.
These problem-solving solutions are used in undeserved suffering for
the attainment of Spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity is arrived at through
combining the three stages of Spiritual adulthood [spiritual self-esteem,
spiritual autonomy, spiritual maturity]
with suffering for blessing.
Spiritual self-esteem plus providential preventative suffering [undeserved suffering]
equals Spiritual autonomy.
Preventative suffering has
two categories:
1. Providential preventative
suffering [undeserved suffering]: this is short-termed suffering from the
sovereignty of God for the benefit of the believer.
“Therefore I am well content with weaknesses
[preventative suffering,
like Pauls condition and my own], with insults [slander and people testing],
with distresses [thought testing], with persecutions [system testing],
with difficulties [disaster testing], for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak,
then I am strong” (2Cor
12:10 - NASB). This all comes with consistently abiding in
Christ all the way to spiritual maturity and beyond.
GNTC: 2 Corinthians 12:10 - Because of
this perspective Paul is able to take pleasure in infirmities [feebleness,
frailty, unhealthy or debilitated state, a defect in personality or weakness of
will], reproaches [taking on or expressing blame, criticisms],
in needs [the lack of being supplied his needs],
in persecutions [being verbally abused, ill-treated, treated cruelly],
in distresses [anxiety or mental suffering]. He knows that all these
things are for Christ’s sake. Paul could take pleasure in all these things
because he had learned that when he was weak, then he is strong. His personal
weakness is overshadowed by Christ’s strength.
2. Punitive [punishment] preventative suffering: this is
related to sin. It punishes the guilty and warns the tempted believer to resist
the temptation and avoid the sin or the flaw.
Spiritual autonomy plus momentum testing equals Spiritual maturity.
Spiritual autonomy is a
continuation of contentment or +H (sharing the happiness of God) as a major
problem-solving solution. In spiritual autonomy the believer has become
spiritually self-sustained having maximum personal love, including impersonal love
for God and impersonal unconditional love for all mankind. It is the second
stage of spiritual adulthood.
Momentum testing is the
grace gift of God under the category of invisible assets known as undeserved
suffering. Momentum testing is for the believer who has achieved the first
stage of spiritual growth, spiritual self-esteem, and has passed providential
preventative suffering [underserved suffering]. Because of this the believer
has advanced to the second stage of spiritual growth known as spiritual
autonomy and it is here that the believer has gained enough wisdom to have the
capacity to pass momentum testing. There are four categories to momentum
testing, which are; people testing, thought testing, system testing and
disaster testing.
Spiritual maturity plus evidence testing equals glorification of God to the
maximum during life on this earth under the Pre-deisigned Plan of God.
Spiritual maturity is
the third and final stage of spiritual maturity. It is accomplished by the
believer who has advanced in the spiritual life by executing the predesigned
plan of God in his or her own dispensation [in our case, it’s the church age].
This high ground of spiritual maturity is attained after the believer passes
many tests of undeserved suffering and the various momentum tests. Spiritual
maturity has nothing to do with sinless perfection, which cannot ever be
realized in this life, but is characterized by virtue developed by an attitude
of perseverance despite many failures. The mature believer has attained to the
measure of the fullness of Christ, EPH 4:13. The life
of the mature believer is also known as the super-grace life, JAM 4:6.
Evidence testing is
Satan's cross-examination of every witness presented by God in the historical
trial of all fallen angels. Only mature believers have the capacity to be
presented as witnesses. In human history, man's thoughts, motives, decisions,
and actions are entered as evidence, exhibits, precedents, and arguments in
Satan's appeal trial. Every believer who attains spiritual maturity is an
argument or witness for the Prosecution against Satan.
Occupation with Christ is the ultimate problem-solving solution.
It prevents the outside pressure of adversity from being converted into the
inside pressure of stress in the soul.
Occupation with Christ
is the tenth and greatest problem-solving solution and one of three
problem-solving solutions related to virtue-love. Occupation with Christ is the
maximum function of perception, metabolization, and application; i.e., learning
doctrine on a daily basis so that you advance to spiritual adulthood, becoming
conformed to the image of Christ. Occupation with Christ is defined as personal
love for God the Son caused by perception, metabolization, and application,
which manifests the fact that the mystery doctrine of the Church-age has been
and continues to be the #1 priority in your life.
There are three stages of spiritual adulthood.
1) Spiritual self-esteem is cognitive self-confidence.
Spiritual self-esteem is
cognitive self-confidence and the beginning of effective function of the ten
problem-solving devices of the pre-designed plan of God for the Church. It is
that virtue of God’s plan whereby the believer’s confidence is based on Bible
doctrine; and the believer’s respect for self is linked to grace-orientation.
Spiritual self-esteem is the believer’s dependence on God’s grace provision for
stabilizing self and integrating self into God’s plan for the Church-age
believer, EPH
3:12. Spiritual self-esteem is the foundation
for the stability of the Christian life, and it is the believer's dependence on
God's grace provision for stabilizing self and integrating self into the
predesigned plan of God. This is the first stage of spiritual adulthood.
2) Spiritual autonomy is cognitive
independence.
Spiritual autonomy is a
continuation of contentment or +H (sharing the happiness of God) as a major
problem-solving device. In spiritual autonomy the believer has become spiritually
self sustained having maximum love for God and impersonal unconditional love
for all mankind. It is the second stage of spiritual adulthood.
3) Spiritual maturity is the status of invisible heroship and the maximum
function of occupation with Christ.
Invisible Hero: The
purpose of the great power experiment of the Church-age is to manufacture
invisible heroes. The Old Testament had visible heroes but the Church is
the dispensation of invisible heroes who are the product of Bible doctrine,
especially the mystery doctrine of the Church-age, and the filling of the Holy
Spirit. The invisible hero is the believer who advances to spiritual maturity,
executes the pre-designed plan of God, and glorifies God to the maximum by
receiving his escrow blessings for time and eternity. The invisible hero
has the privilege of going through evidence testing as a star witness for the
prosecution in the angelic conflict and he will be labeled “winner” at the
judgment seat of Christ.
Occupation with Christ
is the tenth and greatest problem-solving solution and one of three
problem-solving solutions related to virtue-love. Occupation with Christ is the
maximum function of perception, metabolization, and application; i.e., learning
doctrine on a daily basis so that you advance to spiritual adulthood, becoming
conformed to the image of Christ. Occupation with Christ is defined as personal
love for God the Son caused by perception, metabolization, and application,
which manifests the fact that the mystery doctrine of the Church-age has been
and continues to be the #1 priority in your life.
Ephesians
3:17, So that Christ may
be at home in your right lobes through doctrine when you have been rooted and
established in virtue-love [personal love for Christ]. Christ is at home in
your hearts [thinking] through doctrine.
The following link
is an additional gospel message describing
how one can
receive God’s free gift of eternal life: Ticket to Heaven
was written for
anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.
