Month: January 2021

Commandments · Confidence · OSAS · Security of the Believer

1 John – Testing to Know – Test 7

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Test # 7 Denial of the Son

1 John 2:22 – 23
Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.

No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.

In our last post, we looked at each verse within John’s epistles where he mentioned antichrist.  1 John 4:3 speaks of

…every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. We have seen where antichrist

Antichrist does not confess.  This set of verses describes antichrist as one who denies the Son.  Is there any difference between denying and not confessing?  I wonder.  Why is John changing terms, and switching from one concept (not confessing) to another concept (denying).  This might be very interesting to find shades of meaning that may give us a clearer understanding of the Word.

splitting hares - bugsy

Whoa Carl – You are splitting hares again!

Consider the Bible in John 1:20, where John (the Apostle) records what John the Baptist tells that brood of snakes when they question him

John 1:20

He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

No deep stuff here.  To deny and to confess are two sides of the same coin!  John again combines confession and denial in the 23rd verse.

I must say that I feel confession is related to verbal communication, and denial may include both verbal communication and actions done in the body.  I have nothing to base this on, other than my own thoughts.  Let us leave that behind then, and simply be thankful for the clear statement that John gives us in his gospel.

So let us proceed with the test that a Christian will not deny the Son.

To begin with I often have thought that denial of the Son only happens at the point of death, right?  Usually in relation to martyrdom.  This is simply an incorrect way of thinking about denial.  Was Peter at death’s door when he denied the Lord?  How about Demas, when he walked away from the  Apostle Paul.

Peter DenialJesus even predicted Peter’s denial.  The Word describes our lives as endless opportunities to deny Him.  I am afraid denial is a current and dangerous condition for believers and non-believers.

Before I go any further, I think it is imperative to remind the reader of Proverbs 24:16

for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.

It is also good to remember that, although Peter denied the Master, Jesus restored Him.  In this story of Peter’s denial, I see hints of a progression to a full denial.  Peter stumbled into the denial, and although warned by the Lord, committed the act.  His denial was dealt with later on, but Peter’s response to his denial speaks volumes to me.  He immediately knew he had sinned, in that when he understood his actions, he broke down and wept.

Mark 14:38 The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

I am becoming increasingly convinced that full and complete denial is not necessarily a one time decision, but a culmination of decisions regarding the Lordship of Christ.

It is obvious for all who have walked with the Messiah for more than a few weeks, that we are weak and He is strong.  We are (at least I am) continually fighting temptations, and at times I fail.  Upon confession, I claim His promise and seek to walk uprightly again.

The denial that John speaks of in this set of verses speaks of a final denial sometime before death, a denial that is intentional, decided on by the person with a positive will towards the denial.  An active, forward pushing denial that reveals a hardened heart and resolute spirit.

Whether you are a believer (or a non-believer) – Denial is the death of you.  Confess Him as the One who is Lord!

I hope you found a truth that was helpful in your life within this post.  Drop me a line, or send this post to a friend that you thought of recently.

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Doctrinal · End Times · Hell · Judge

Judge Judge Judge – δικαίωμα – Verse List for Study 8

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Because of the CrossFind the full list of verses for the word dikaiōma below

Luke 1:6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.

Romans 1:32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Romans 2:26 So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?

Romans 5:16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.

Romans 5:18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

Romans 8:4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Hebrews 9:1 Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness.

Hebrews 9:10 but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.

Revelation 15:4 Who will not fear, O Lord,
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

Revelation 19:8 it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

Thanks for joining me in this study.  Hope to visit with you in our next post as we look at the Greek term δικαστής which is commonly translated judge in the New Testament.

Be Blessed.

 

I look forward to comments and discussion.  May the Lord give you an understanding heart and a willing spirit to consider the Bible and all it’s wealth.

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Doctrinal · End Times · Hell · Judge

Judge Judge Judge – δικαίωμα – Study 8-B

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Because of the CrossThanks for returning to this series on “Judge Judge Judge” and my feeble attempt to understand a believers responsibility and right to make judgments.

Another purpose of this series hopefully is to understand the believers restriction on judgement. 

What can a Christian judge?  How is he to judge?  What is prohibited in the Christian life to judge.  So many questions and concerns. 

Our eighth Greek word related to judging is…

dikaiōma

δικαίωμα – dikaiōma – righteousness, ordinance, judgment, justification

This word is found 10 times in 10 verses within the New Testament.  A full listing of all verses may be found in a post to follow for your self study.  I will consider the verses that are not clear, that create questions in my mind, with the remaining verses left for the reader to ponder.

Our next verse is Romans 8:4

Romans 8:4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
In our next verse, I promise no extended rabbit trails as in Romans 5.  Wow Carl – that was a bit much, don’t ya know.
Romans 8:4 is using the same greek word as in Romans 5, and is speaking of the purpose of sending the Messiah in the flesh, and of condemning King Sin in the believers life.
King Sin hasn’t been condemned to no purpose.  God has purpose!
The purpose is that the righteous judgments of the law may be fulfilled in us.
Okay – Questions
  1. What law?
    • Law of sin and death – No – read Romans 8:1
    • Law of the Spirit of life – Yes – This is the law that is to be fulfilled in us
  2. How is the law described?
    • Law of freedom and liberty, joy and love and peace and hope and … No
      • These descriptors are of the FRUIT of a life subject to the rigteous requirement of this law
    • Law of righteous requirements – Yes
      • Take a few moments to consider the moral aspects of the Ten Commandments in the believers life.  See Commandments for Christians as a starting point.

My point is that the Christian Spirit filled/controlled life is a life that reflects the character of God, and that character is defined throughout the Word, but cogently in the Ten Commandments (Okay – only nine if you have read the posts above!)

Please do not consider the requirements of the law and the fruit of the Christian life to be identical.

Keep a clear head when reading the Word, depend on the Spirit of God for a clear head and open ear, and struggle with the Word.  Argue and test it.  Wrestle like Isaac did with the angle of God.

His name (life) was changed.  Our lives will change as we understand more and obey

I look forward to comments and discussion.  May the Lord give you an understanding heart and a willing spirit to consider the Bible and all it’s wealth.   
*The idea of “might reign” will be addressed in a future post, dealing with “The Conditional Security of the Believer”

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Bible

Song Squawk – Shoeshine Johnny

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In the mid nineties, I had a little red Buick and a big ol’ bass box in the trunk, and would listen to “Christian Rock”, cranked to 11.

(What did you say?  Huh?  Can  you say that again, I didn’t hear you….)

I have gotten away from that genre for many reasons, the least of which may be a loss of hearing, but some songs have stuck with me over the decades.

The artist’s I listened to sought to reflect Scriptural teaching for the most part. They ranged from “preaching” pop culture religion to significant theological teaching. As I listened to the lyrics, I found some to be quite challenging.

To be honest, I listened because I could justify the rock beat with “sanctified lyrics”.

Occassionaly I will post a song, supply the lyrics and make a comment or two. If you decide to listen to the tune, turn the speaker down unless you are already deaf. Some of the songs tend to have a certain “volume” about them!

This post will consider the song

Shoeshine Johnny – by Guardian

Guardian was a group I listened to often, and they always had a distinct gospel message in thier lyrics. Shoeshine Johnny is a typical song that tells the story of a poor man who has his eyes on the prize.

Listen son he said to me
Jesus died to set us free
You’re old enough it’s time to chose
With the Lord you’ll never lose
Beat them everlasting blues

These guys sound a bit like Aerosmith and/or Van Halen, albeit without the guitar power.

Take a listen!

Shoeshine Johnny – by Guardian

Shoeshine Johnny – by Guardian

Shoeshine Johnny’s just doin’ time
Settin’ up shop at the five and dime
Seen a whole lot of miles, got a few more to go
Everyone says he’s a humble man
Tell ya bout life like no one can
With a wink and a smile he’d let ya know
All kinda people come from miles around
Just to hear Johnny tell his stories
Talk about the days gone by
Talkin’ bout future glory
Round round round lie goes
Tell you how the good Lord knows
He’d be shinin’ most every day
Sit right down listen what he says

Some like to play with fire
But there’s a love that’s higher
And you know the Lord’s been good to me for sure
Hard times can come and go
But one thing for sure I know
When I die
The richest man I’ll be

Lookin’ back I remember the times
Laughin-and-a-jokin-and-a-feelin fine
Ol’ Johnny pick you up when you’re feelin’ low
His words hang on in my memory
The dusty ol’ book that he read to me
Even now I’m grown they speak to me
What gains a man to win the world
But lose his very soul
Riches of the Promised Land
Much better than silver and gold
Oh how wise is he that makes the Lord his company
Fearless of the days to come
Knowin’ that the battles won

Listen son he said to me
Jesus died to set us free
You’re old enough it’s time to chose
With the Lord you’ll never lose
Beat them everlasting blues

Let me know what you think of the lyrics, and of the tunes!

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Sabbath · Traditions

Jesus on the Sabbath – Part 14 – Unclean Spirit in the Synagogue

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jesus-the-grain-fieldRecently I penned a series of post on the Ten Commandments and as I was writing it, found that the Sabbath day was the only commandment not reapplied  to believers in the New Testament.

In writing that series of posts, I was reminded that the Sabbath day was one of the main irritants between the Lord Jesus and the Pharisees.

As my reader is purveying this post, I ask that you consider the relevancy of this situation to our current conditions within the modern church.

Mark 1:21-28

21  And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching.

Jesus went into the synagogue, obviously in an effort to keep the Sabbath.  Really?

Some may see Jesus attendance at a synagogue as proof that He keep the Sabbath, and that what the Jews were really upset about was their rules and not the 4th commandment.   I’m not convinced, since there are alternative reasons He attended.  Maybe He was looking for a captive audience, and audience that showed a desire (outwardly at least for some) for a knowledge of God.

Paul entered synagogues also, but he simply did that to find Jews gathered

22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.

23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out,

Again with unclean spirits in a synagogue.  It seems the the Jewish nation was becoming familiar with familiar spirits (That wordplay may only reach those hardcore KJV folks!)

No matter, it is apparent that in the midst of Jesus ministry, unclean spirits are present.

24 “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God.”

In this case, the unclean spirit cried out statements of truth.

25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!”

possessed man healedBe silent?

But these statements are true and on their own, are without contradiction.

The Holy One of God will destroy the unclean spirits.  (Check out the post “Perishing in Eternal Torment” for some thoughts on destruction)

But more importantly for you and I, He is the Holy One of God!

So why be silent?

You know, when a comedian gets on stage, and some heckler is mocking him, stealing the show, or even telling good things about the comedian, the comedian needs to evaluate whether the source is benefiting his show.

In no way am I equating Jesus with a comedian, but when this passage, and others like it, come up, I think of this illustration and remember the “consider the source!”

A dirty vessel only supplies dirty water – it is tainted,

Let us be clean vessels for the Master’s use.

26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him.

27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

It seems this is the only time Jesus performed a miracle on the Sabbath and didn’t get into a discussion with the Jews over it.  It may have been early on in His ministry, and the shock value of His authority and effective healing may not have settled into the leaderships conscience.  But it will, and they will realize that this teacher is going for the jugular!

28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.

Is His fame spreading nowadays?  Let’s seek to be clean vessels.

 

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Redemption

Redemption – A Story – Part 3

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The Bible speaks of redemption in many ways.

This short study looks at four greek words, revealing the redemption provided by the Lord Jesus Christ. A short story has been supplied, in order to help us picture the word studies of redemption.

The four greek words are

  • Agorazo
  • Exagorazo
  • Lytroo
  • Peripoiesis

Each of these words will be addressed in the following posts, along with a story of Amicus, a slave in the first century, with no hope of a future. We will follow Amicus through his experience of redemption and see in his life, the life we have experienced.

Amicus – Part 3

As Amicus was being led off and out of the market place, he sensed a difference. No eyes of greed or deciet, no leering of possession or evil intents. He was led to a place out of the agora, into a field of open pasture. One who had purchased him and led him out of the agora, bent down to his ear and gently whispered – “You are free”

Lytroo

Matthew 20:28

even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”


Mark 10:45

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Lytroo is the term that kicks my butt. (Am I allowed to say that in a Bible study?) As Amicus heard, the payment for his body and life was supplied, but without any strings attached. One who had purchased him had supplied him freedom.

This concept, for some believers, is threatening. Believers have an obligation to serve the Master after such a sacrifice.

I heartily agree, and yet this service is one of willing love to the One who paid it all. The requirement is one of the heart not of the contract, and the Master knows that only by giving the freedom to choose whom the former slave will serve, does He recieve the loving obedience He died for. He is truly One of grace. But He is also One of truth. He speaks of the dangers of complete freedom many times in His Word, warning that freedom can become it’s own slave master.

As Bob Dylan once sang – Ya gotta serve somebody. Service is non-negotiable – It is a fact of life. Who we gonna serve.

Well that is up to you.

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Atheism · Christianity

Discussions with an Atheist – Part 15

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atheist

A long time ago, I was browsing my Facebook page when I came across a post that ridiculed Kirk Cameron’s efforts to sell an “Atheist” Bible.
A friend (who it turns out to be an atheist) seemed to think that Kirk was “uninformed”
Well I thought, lets discuss this issue, and what follows is a record of our discussion.
I really looked forward to his responses and enjoyed considering and responding to his concerns.
Some of my friends comments are a bit lengthy, and as I read them I found echoes of myself, seeking to defend a position simply by supplying a massive quantity of words, knowing inside that he quality of the argument was weak.
If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus, you may find encouragement, and some understanding of an atheist’s worldview.
If you are an atheist, I would encourage you to read and consider my responses.  I seek to understand your position, and if you see a fallacy in my thinking, please comment.  I only ask that you focus your position to one point at a time, in order that I may respond (if I can) without unnecessary confusion.
My comments and responses are in red.
This post, like Part 10, is supplying my friends complete message, in order to give you context for my responses within the following posts.

Again validity- well-grounded (false) on principles or evidence (false), see criticism is based on the evidence…everything has laws that are followed (woman was not made from a rib…but evolved through natural selection).

They might be …a reiteration of something that happened but so are other books that are written and exaggerated…how many people back then could read and write and also be able to try and decipher other writings that were found and out it into context for their own purposes. This is probably why so many religions have many things in common…it’s not just Christianity but of course you have to destroy or convert anyone who does not believe in your god….you actually believe people are lost (i have no clue in what context).

Still standing? really? As far as statistics go atheism/non-theism is on the rise…why?maybe education…or lack of proof…or just the slightest glance at the past and wars and how much death and hatred have spawned from religious crusades.

Honestly as a science based person I will believe in anything as long as it follows some principles of reality and follow laws such as those that are upon us. To say Noah lived to beyond 500 years is ludicrous in any sane persons mind.

Unlikely does not set an absolute but to say anything is absolute is just arrogant! (such as god)! unless it is proven with again systematic testing and repeatable testing such as dating methods which are proven by repeatable tests. Those specific life spans that have been written down are not proven either correct? and they can not be disproved, but to side with something you have to be completely FAITHFUL in is also being “lost”, no?because you do not understand this whole god thing right? do you know how it does things? how things are created? except from some writings that were written down by hominids….or you can talk to people in todays time with repeatable observations and testing that basically shows the bible as great thought out stories…

The bible is made of stories- (an account of imaginary or real events told for entertainment or explanations) and explanations in those times were in short fall so what did people do? make an account of things that happened that would never happen again so they could be “special”. and they did believe in ghosts/spirits…angels or the ghost of “jebus”…seriously need i say more? When people got sick or died because of unknown reasons what happened? they needed answers much like some people need today…hence religion. How about a virgin birth? or just a whore or getting raped by psychologically unstable individuals? i don’t know personally but from what we know about genetics this is not even remotely even considered possible…well maybe a hermaphrodite….

As for the writing things down right away, why do you think police officers have to carry a pad around with them? because no mind can systematically remember every detail without rethinking about a certain aspect of it and revamping or downgrading it. Many studies have gone into this to show how ridiculous it is to take into account a victim in a court case…what has worked? DNA confirmation!

What is hypothetical about being born in Norway or India? people did/do all the time…things are born all the time…it is not hypothetical and the people who are introduced to certain social norms such as religion are usually taken in with the social acceptance theory. People change religions and are either atheist towards one or more gods depending on what social cult you follow. Richard Dawkins does a good job of showing how the secular way of thinking works by asking these questions because that is exactly what religious fanatics do as well and god’s creation (sic) is erroneous beyond anything, to think a being created this one earth in the billions of other galaxies and made everything for the purpose of a couple billion Christians or 6.8 (and rising) humans is again arrogant …but to say something is not disproved does not make it any more valid than a faith based claim.

What i found funny is that you used sic to exemplify you belief that Dr.Dawkins is erroneous…but everything about religion is erroneous, corrupt, pedophiliac,etc ….you take your pick. Religion (sic) noun. Belief that is not proven that there is an imaginary being that created everything from nothing and only speaks to “special” people.

Interesting to see that we are considered a pagan country but also doesn’t surprise me either because of immigration and how we seem to accommodate all religions so there isn’t one single extremely large religion…but as we are “americanized” i would also say that we are predominantly a Judaeo-Christian society. Real evidence is not really conceivable at younger ages since it takes blocks of learning to build up to learn how certain aspects of reality work (genetics, psychology, physics, etc) but your claim that you were not introduced to any religion and that you had time to learn the errors of different scriptures or different religions still holds no bar since it’s a N=1 which has absolutely no statistical strength…and lets face it stats are a great indicator whether something is possible or not, and yes i know my claim is empty as well but that does not make you any more correct than myself of your experiences and the effect it could possibly have on other people, the fact is that we are all human with slight variation and can copulate with one another demonstrating that we are genetically similar enough to be from the same genetic ancestry…we should all be critically thinking about how things are and why, this would give us a better understanding on why we have segregated our cultures so much to believe that some of us are good “in-group” or bad “out-group”.

Hey thanks for dropping by and reading my post, especially if you are an atheist friend.  I hope to hear from you and would appreciate a comment to begin a discussion.

Have a great day.

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Kingdom of God · New Testament

Jesus & Paul – Different Messages? Part 15

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PaulIn the past few months I have noticed that there are rumblings – at least in my world – of some internet folks trying to make out the message of Paul to be different that that of Jesus.

Never mind the fact that Jesus was dealing with a nation in the last gasps of it’s life and His pleading for their repentance, and Paul’s focus on “making that tent bigger for them dirty Gentiles” (See Isaiah 54:2-3)

Why?  I don’t know, and at this point I am not concerned with their motivation, since I will assume the worst, which may not be fair.

Nevertheless, as I was browsing my computer bible study files, I providentially tripped over the following information.  I must have found this info years back, and will not take credit for the compiling of the verses, but for the life of me, I am not sure where I found this.

This is the fifteenth post addressing different topics from the New Testament that both Jesus and Paul taught on showing similarity in their teachings.  My comments will be sparse, (unless they are not)

15. Both taught that Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial (e.g., the sacrificial) requirements of the Law

Jesus

Matthew 5:17 — “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Mark 10:45 — For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Paul

1 Corinthians 5:7 — For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

Hebrews 9:25-26 —But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Hebrews 10:11-12 —But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God…

A short post to encourage you with the consistency of the Word.  May the Lord strengthen you and bless you as you seek His Kingdom.

Leave a comment as you may desire.

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Commandments · Confidence · OSAS · Security of the Believer

1 John – Testing to Know – Test 6 Part B

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that-you-may-know.jpg

Test #6 Becoming an Anti-Christ – Continued

oneanother.jpgIn our last post, I settled on the topic of church life through a computer monitor, and how this may be a trap.  In the post, I challenged the reader to fulfill the “one another” commands, while attending a virtual church meeting that is becoming so acceptable in this society.

As I researched this list, it shocked me as to the volume of verses that contain the phrase “one another”  This list does not contain passages that define brotherly love other than with the term “one another”  This list only includes that one specific term.

Although lengthy, take your time and consider the consistency of this command throughout the New Testament.

Romans 12:10
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Romans 12:16
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

Romans 14:13
Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

Romans 15:5
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,

Romans 15:7
Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Romans 15:14
I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.

Romans 16:16
Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

1 Corinthians 7:5
Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

1 Corinthians 11:33
So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another–

1 Corinthians 12:25
that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.

1 Corinthians 16:20
All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

2 Corinthians 13:11
Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

2 Corinthians 13:12
Greet one another with a holy kiss.

Galatians 5:13
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Ephesians 4:2
with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

Ephesians 4:32
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 5:19
addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,

Ephesians 5:21
submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Colossians 3:9
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices

Colossians 3:13
bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

1 Thessalonians 3:12
and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,

1 Thessalonians 4:9
Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another,

1 Thessalonians 4:18
Therefore encourage one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:15
See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.

2 Thessalonians 1:3
We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.

Hebrews 3:13
But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Hebrews 10:24
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

Hebrews 10:25
not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

James 5:16
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

1 Peter 1:22
Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,

1 Peter 4:8
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

1 Peter 4:9
Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.

1 Peter 4:10
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:

1 Peter 5:5
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

1 Peter 5:14
Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

1 John 3:11
For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

1 John 3:23
And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

1 John 4:7
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

1 John 4:11
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

1 John 4:12
No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

2 John 1:5
And now I ask you, dear lady–not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning–that we love one another.

Enjoy fellowship with the saints.  Love one another.  Turn the one eyed bandit off!  Be with the saints!

I hope you found a truth that was helpful in your life within this post.  Drop me a line, or send this post to a friend that you thought of recently.

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Doctrinal · End Times · Hell · Judge

Judge Judge Judge – δικαίωμα – Study 8-A

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Because of the CrossThanks for returning to this series on “Judge Judge Judge” and my feeble attempt to understand a believers responsibility and right to make judgments.

Another purpose of this series hopefully is to understand the believers restriction on judgement. 

What can a Christian judge?  How is he to judge?  What is prohibited in the Christian life to judge.  So many questions and concerns. 

Our eighth Greek word related to judging is…

dikaiōma

δικαίωμα – dikaiōma – righteousness, ordinance, judgment, justification

This word is found 10 times in 10 verses within the New Testament.  A full listing of all verses may be found in a post to follow for your self study.  I will consider the verses that are not clear, that create questions in my mind, with the remaining verses left for the reader to ponder

Romans 5:16. 18

And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

Let’s visit on this verse for a wee spell, since Romans 5 has always been a difficult passage for me.

Romans 5  is a passage that Paul is writing to explain the imputation of sin on the human race due to the sinful action of one (Adam) and the imputation of righteousness on the human race due to the righteous act of One (the second Adam – Jesus).

But that can’t be right, since the sinful act of Adam effected all of humanity.  The righteous act of Jesus effected only those who are disciples.

So now I am confused still.

I suppose I need to find beyond our subject verses the qualifying verse within the context where Paul defines the subjects of forgiveness.

Romans 5:17

For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

That was easy!
But Paul speaks of justification and life for all men in verse 18.  I could take the seemingly easy way out and state that in this context “all men” refers only to believers.
Ya that makes it easy!
Kinda like when Paul used the same term in verse 12 when speaking of every individual who has ever walked on the earth!
Dang – Maybe not…
So lets try to figger this out

Many & Much More

Paul begins to use the terms “many” and “much more” in the following passage.  But I definitely need some clarification so…
Definition time!
Use much if the noun is non-countable (e.g., water, sand).
Use many if the noun is countable (e.g., oranges, children).  (
(Check out this site for help with grammar related issues)
The choice between much and many depends on the noun it is describing. …
When using much, the noun will always be singular; it cannot be plural.
Many is used to describe nouns or nouns that can be counted like books, ideas, leaves, and shoes.
When using many, the noun will always be plural.
(Check out this site for help with dictionary needs)
That helps somewhat.
Many describes something that is countable, but not definitive – I’m gonna use “multitudes” as a synonym to help me get some clarity
Much describes something that is not countable, and is singular.  I’m gonna use “a great quantity” as a synonym to help me get some clarity
Lets get context for this.

15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many (multitudes) died through one man’s trespass, much more (a greater quantity) have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many (multitudes).

So many died through a single act of disobedience!  This statement seems clear.  Verse 12 of the same chapter states the same.

Could the “much more” be referring to the effect of the act of obedience when compared with the act of disobedience. The free gift will have eternal effect on the ones who receive it, and depending on your view of hell, it will have an effect on those who do not receive the free gift.  It is possible.

Could the “much more” refer to the power/authority of the act of obedience compared with the power/authority of the act of disobedience?  I kinda think this makes sense, especially when we consider the topic of reigning that comes up in the next few verses.

16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.

This verse contains our study word – please don’t think I have abandoned the original purpose of the study.  I will get back to it!  I just wanna figger this thought process out!

17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

Okay – I think I am getting some clarity – I hope I can communicate it to y’all.

Notice the term “reign” in our passage.  Paul begins this thought here and continues in Romans 5:21 and 6:12.  Paul personifies sin and grace.

Think of it this way.  In the past, King Sin ruled over all the people, holding them under the grip of death.  Jesus enters the scene, deposes King Sin and offers the new Kingdom to all who receive it.

We are in the transition time right now.

I think it is like when David was anointed King of Israel by Samuel.  In God’s sight David was the King, but Israel didn’t recognize him as such.  Just like the world does not recognize the Messiah as it’s true King.  Come to think of it, we are like the band of men that followed David while he was being persecuted by King Saul.

But I digress into discussing the Kingdom of God.  Paul is describing a kingdom where Sin reigned for a time, but now Grace can (and should) reign in a believers life.

Sin or Grace?  It is somewhat surprising that Paul is not comparing sin with obedience, or sin with righteousness.  No – he contrasts Sin with Grace.

So – vs 17 gives the two possibilities.

  • Because of one disobedience – death reigned upon all through Adam.
  • Because of one obedience – life reigns upon all through Jesus, (who receive the abundance of grace).

18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

This is the verse that started my inner turmoil this morning, where Paul speaks of “all men” being justified.

19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

Again, Paul seems to be equating “the many” sinners with “the many” that will be made righteous.  There are some who look to this verse (and passage) and teach of a universal (eventual) salvation for all men.

Oh my heart wishes for this, and yet at this point in my pilgrimage, I haven’t found enough in the Word to advance, or even defend the position.

20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

This verse could support my current thinking that the trespass had power/authority (through the law) but grace (through the life of Christ) had greater power/authority

21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

  • Sin reigned in death
  • Grace might reign* through righteousness, leading to eternal life.

Two possibilities for the human race, for you.

So, although a bit of a detour, I needed to resolve some of these issues for my own sake.  If you followed along, let me know of your thoughts on Romans 5.  It is difficult in its initial reading, and only got worse as I dug, but to reduce the words of this post, I will refrain from further discussion on it.

Regarding the original reason for the post, this word for judgement is translated as justification.  It is the declaration of a judicial sentence by the Judge of all, a statement or sentence that, per context is favorable for us.

His free gift has provided the basis of this judicial decision (judgement) a legal decision and declaration to all who receive this gift.

The courts are an awe invoking environment.  Even the kangaroo courts I was associated with in my youth, inspired a sense of dominance and authority over my life.  Alas, that is the purpose of the courts.  At least one purpose, and that is to declare the condition of my life in the future.  A judgement from an outside source will effect my life; I have no power to avoid the consequence.

But in this grace filled judicial sentence, I am invited to enter into cooperation with the Judge, to become one who is involved and led into a life of righteousness.

Where grace reigns and following God is a duty and a pleasure.

 

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