My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HIM WHO IS ABLE TO KEEP YOU

Jude 1:24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,

It was years ago, when I had the priviledge to teach an adult Sunday School class, that this verse, or more specifically one word in this verse, caused a bit of a commotion.

You see, at that time, I was a committed OSAS (Once Saved Always Saved) disciple, and clung to this teaching. So many verses supported my thinking that I simply disregarded any that might challenge it. I was in a church that was committed to the teaching. Most, if not all the folks in the class were followers of this teaching. It was a safe environment!

Until we welcomed a new friend into the class. I still remember she sat at the back in the center, and was very excited about the Lord and His love for the church. I was thrilled to have her.

She participated in the class, and as we were venturing through 1 Corinthians, for some reason she referred to this verse we are considering this morning, specifically associating it with OSAS.

Ever the trouble maker, I challenged her in her understanding of one word. I sensed she was open to discussion! Little did I know I was touching a nerve in my very own understanding of God’s salvation of sinners!

That word you ask?

Able.

He is able. What a great term to describe the Lord of glory in relation to our lives down here. He is able to keep us from stumbling. He is able.

But let us consider the message of Jude. You know what, let’s do a quick study.

Able

Judes uses the Greek term δύναμαι dýnamai in this verse, a very common greek term used in the Word. This term speaks of the power one has to perform a work. It speaks of possibility, of the strength to perform a potential act.

Of course God is able. He is the Almighty.

But is Jude communicating to his audience that believers never stumble or fall? Is that his message? Or might it be that we have such a strong God, that His power provides us the potential life of not stumbling?

Jude is describing our powerful ABLE God. But is Jude describing our life experience, or the potential life we may have? Let ‘s also consider the two phrases connected to God’s abilities.

God’s Abilities

In Our walk with Him

He is able to keep us from stumbing. I take this as referring to our current walk with Him in this current life.

As for me, I have stumbled. I have fallen. I have slipped and tripped. His ability in those times are not questioned. My sin is the problem in those times. He was able, but I did not trust, did not seek, did not rely and follow after Him.

Is Jude speaking of our day to day life on this blue ball, of our connectedness to God and His strength pouring through us to walk properly? Me thinks so.

In Our presentation before Him

He is able to present us blameless before His glory with great joy.

I initally thought this description of God’s ability referred to the future presentation of our lives before the King at our going home. And it may be so, but the verb used “to present” is in the aorist tense, which does not define past, present, or future. The verb also is active in voice, speaking of the subject (God) performing an action.

Ok, so God is able to keep us from stumbling, but we sometimes do. God is able to present us blameless. Though we stumble, God is still able to present us blameless before His presence.

Back to our new friend in Sunday School. Once we discussed this topic, and questions were raised, (which is a sign of a healthy Christian life), the conclusion was that this verse does not directly support an OSAS thinking. It does focus on God’s ability. Our resource in God, and not our responses are discussed in this verse.

God’s abilities, great and powerful, are referred to in this verse. He is able!

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HIM WHO DIVIDED THE RED SEA

Psalm 136:13 to him who divided the Red Sea in two, for his steadfast love endures forever;

In our last post, we considered HIM WHO ALONE DOES GREAT WONDERS, found in Psalm 136:4. One of those great wonders in this psalm is the dividing of the Red Sea, and is called out as a specific act of God highlighting the exodus.

The dividing of the Red Sea is an epic act of God in the deliverance of His newly rescued people out of Egypt. They had been released after considerable plaugues forced the hand of Pharoah, yet he would not give up, even after his own son died in the last plague.

Exodus 14:6-7 So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them.

The Pharoah, leading 600 of his chosen chariots, along with all other chariots of Egypt, and his army, chased after the fledgling nation, blocking them into a trap up against the Red Sea. The Pharoah must have been ecstatic! Such an easy retrieval of his slaves.

Such a short freedom for the children of Israel.

For the nation of Israel, the act of splitting the Red Sea was a pivotal act of deliverance by God. Yes, God had provided them physical escape from the land of Egypt, but to be truly delivered from Egypt, the power of Egypt had to be destroyed. And at the shore of the Red Sea, the power of Egypt seemed insurmountable, with the Pharoah advancing towards them against the sea shore. Yes, the power of Egypt was very evident, for the people knew the former slave owners were after them.

It is good to remember that One other power was on the scene. The presense of the Lord in the pillar of fire by night and the pillar of cloud by day was with the freed slaves.

Exodus 14:19 Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them,

And night fell. The Israelites, under a stong east wind, had one light to reference to. The pillar of God’s presence moved from leading them to the Red Sea, to being between the Egyptians and their former slaves.

Exodus 14:20 coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.

During the night, the strong east wind blew, and the people of God ventured between walls of water. Now stop right there and think about this situation. The wind blew all night, the waters parted, the Israelites walked between walls of water, and the Egyptians pursued them. Did this wind separate the water? Was the wind simply a physical occurence that accompanied the splitting of the sea. Verse 16 indicates the Lord split the sea by command through the prophet Moses, with the wind possibly drying up the sea bed.

Exodus 14:16 Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.

So in my mind, the parting of the sea happened at command, with access for the Israelites to the path early in the evening. Though physically dark, the light of God in the pillar of cloud was between them and their pursuers.

And Egypt thought it wise to follow.

Though I have often considered the Red Sea miracle to provide deliverance to the children of Israel by escaping the impending doom of the Egyptian armies, it is very much the deliverance of God’s people in the destruction of the armies of Egypt.

The path of salvation for one became the path of destruction for another.

Exodus 14:28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained.

In the destruction of the power of Egypt, the Isrealites were truly freed from their former masters. They had the opportunity to forge a new life and a new future beckoned to them.

HIM WHO DIVIDED THE RED SEA provided not only access away from the dominating power they had been under for centuries, but also eliminated the influence of Egypt over them in the present.

More so today, as believers, we have been provided the path of Salvation, having trusted in the way, the truth and the life. Jesus is our path through the Red Sea, and for those who rebel against Him, find Him to be their judge.

As the dead Egyptian soldiers lay on the shore before the Israelites, they had proof of the ruination of their former masters.

We also have experienced the death of the world to our hearts. The believer has been given new life, with the influence of the old life, like Egypt over the Israelites, dead on the shore.

Galatians 6:14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (italics mine)

Let us seek not to go back to the old life. We see in the life of the nation of Israel the utter disaster it is to return to the ways of the world, to our old desires and habits.

We need to continue to follow HIM WHO DIVIDED THE RED SEA, in our desires, thoughts intentions and actions.

Is He not worthy?

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HIM WHO ALONE DOES GREAT WONDERS

Psalm 136:4 to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever;

Great wonders. As we read through this psalm, we find that in this verse the Psalmist speaks of great wonders, and then immediately describes the Lord’s great wonders of creation for verses 5 though 9. Verses 10 through 16, the Psalmist speaks of God’s deliverance of the Israelites out of Egypt, and then continues through verses 17 through 22, speaking of the Lord’s placing of Israel in the promised land, defeating those who stood in the way.

In all of these great wonders of the Lord, the common refrain of “his steadfast love endures forever” is repeated as the basis of each and every work of God.

In all of these great wonders of the Lord, it is He alone who works these works. No one is guiding Him, helping Him, leading Him or supporting Him. It is HIM WHO ALONE DOES GREAT WONDERS, and the Psalmist tells us this in our verse, proceeding to describe the wonders and also to give us the motivation for each of these great wonders, which is so wonderful.

HIM WHO ALONE DOES GREAT WONDERS is motivated by His steadfast love, His mercy towards His creation.

The depth of His mercy in our psalm provides us a picture of God who is surprising, unlike any god that religion produces. A God of mercy and love Who is reaching out, but the picture is incomplete in this psalm.

Paul speaks of the mercy of God in Romans, describing God’s actions in the condemnation of all, in order that all may have mercy.

Romans 11:32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

HIM WHO ALONE DOES GREAT WONDERS has provided a salvation that reaches all, His mercy that is extended to all. The wonders of our psalm are truly overshadowed by the GREAT WONDER of His resurrection from the tomb. His mercy in providing the Suffering Servant to rescue us out of condemnation is His GREATEST WONDER.

May we walk in that truth, continually remembering HIM WHO ALONE DOES GREAT WONDERS performs His wonders out of sheer love and mercy towards us.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HIGHEST OF THE KINGS

Psalm 89:27 And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.

You know the story. A Sunday School teacher was teaching the 3-4 years olds about Noah, and she noticed little Johnny looking a bit left out. Her next question was directed to the little boy, specifically asking Johnny who built the ark, and Johnny’s face lit up with a big ol’ smile.

“Jesus. It was Jesus.”

When I first heard that story as a young believer, I chuckled. How silly for little Johnny to make such a blatant error.

As an older believer, I’m not chuckling. I think Johnny hit on something in that answer that took me decades to comprehend. The Word is chock full of Jesus, in type, image, foreshadowing, prophecies, etc. He is the sum of all the Word and the only true interpretation of the Scriptures.

But when I think of little Johnny, if he were to read this verse this morning, he would be correct in stating – “Jesus. It is Jesus”, for our name of God this morning – HIGHEST OF THE KINGS – is synonymous with the New Testament description of the Messiah as King of Kings.

1 Timothy 6:15 which he will display at the proper time–he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,

Revelation 19:16 ESV – On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

But beyond that observation, consider the term “highest” in our in our verse. This word is the translation of the Hebrew עֶלְיוֹן ʻelyôwn, el-yone, and is typically translated as high, or most high.

But as you look at the transliteration of our term, what does it remind my reader of? Might it not be related to the compound name of God we considered years back in Names of God – EL ELYON (THE MOST HIGH GOD) – 6. Is our psalmist providing more of a hint of the Messiah’s true identity than we first understood.

Jesus – It is Jesus, and He is the HIGHEST OF THE KINGS.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HIGH YOUR RIGHT HAND

Psalm 89:13 You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high your right hand.

When I work out, speicifically in a gym, my first exercise is the curl. You know, that exercise when you take a 2 lb weight in both hands, anchor your elbows near your hips and lift the weight to your upper chest. I have been known to do up to 5 curls at a time before I need a wipe down from all the effort expended!

My point is that even in our modern culture, as it was in old days, the physical strength of a man is often indicated by the biceps, the arm of the fella. I have a son in law whose arm is the size of my leg. Thankfully he likes me!

As we read this psalm, the psalmist is speaking of the strength of the Lord, by relating all His acts in creation in relation to arm strength, in order to communicate to his fellow Israelites a picture of the Lord in His might!

Yet this last phrase in the verse

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS

Hebrews 9:11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)

We have considered Jesus as our HIgh Priest, in Hebrews 3:1, specifically in relation to His apostleship. When the Hebrews author spoke of this Name of God, he directed our thoughts to the dual mission of Jesus, that of being sent out as an apostle to mankind, and of the priestly ministry of facing God the Father for mankind. Two missions wrapped up in one glorious Messiah.

But the author of Hebrews spoke of the faithfulness of the Messiah in his dual missions, and used this description in comparision with Moses, a servant of God who was faithful to God.

In our verse this morning, we find the author speaking of another characteristic of Jesus in His priestly role before the Father. He speaks of God as the HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS.

The author is directing our attention, or should I say the original readers attention to the High Priest of the good things that have come. For the original readers of this letter, the author spoke of present realities. This is where I, in my initial glimpe of the verse, fell down, for my mind authomatically though of end times, of our eventual entering into His presense at the end of our days.

But if we read this passage slowly, this is not the timeframe he is referrring to.

Note that his audience, being Hebrews, were inextricably linked to the earthly temple, and as the author takes these Hebrews through this letter, he is constantly comparing thier sources of religious comfort and security with the Greater One. He has compared Jesus with angels, Moses, Joshua, Aaron, the Levitical priesthood, the sabbath and now the Temple.

The precious temple every faithful Jew could boast of, cling to, rely on and glory in. He spends 10 verses, prior to our passage, describing the temple/tabernacle, along with the priest who performed thier earthly ministries only to make little of it in comparison with the current tent/tabernacle Jesus has brought to the faithful.

When the Lord is described as the HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS, the author is speaking directly to the faithful Jew who was placing thier trust in an earthly temple, along with the ritual duties of the priests. He is the HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS that have come through the flesh of Jesus, through His incarnation. Jesus is our temple, and He is the HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS each believer has access to every minute of the day.

The author is reminding the faithful Jew, the believer in Jesus, that as the HIGH PRIEST, no further sacrifice is required, the existing temple is no longer required and that Jesus, through His own body (the perfect tent/tabernacle), provided our redemption. He is the Temple. He is the Sacrifice. He is the HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS. He is everything for the believer.

The author is also reminding the faithful Jew, that in previous times prior to the Savior’s appearance, the high priest could not enter the holy place without blood. This provided a symbolism Jesus has fully accomplished in His shedding of His own blood. In His entering once for all the Holy Place of the eternal temple with His own blood, He abolished any efficacy of the earthly temple, the earthly priesthood and the earthly sacrificial rituals.

For the faithful Jew, and the modern Christian, we have in Jesus that which the earthly temple, priesthood and scarifices merely pointed to.

For we have Jesus, the HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS now!

How could I have thought this verse was speaking of times to come, when the very passage speaks of all we need having come!

For Jesus is our HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HIGH PRIEST

Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,

We have considered this verse before, when we looked at Jesus as the Apostle of our confession. That was over two years ago, and as a refresher, I have provided a link for your convenience. Names of God – APOSTLE – 36.

Short of that, let us remember that to be an apostle is to be sent out, and with Jesus, that meant from heaven above to earth below. It was a massive “sending out”, from the pure to the impure, from the holy to the unholy, from a place of ultimate peace to a war stricken world full of enemies.

Let us remember His being sent to sinners when we consider Him as our HIGH PRIEST, that as HIGH PRIEST, this speaks of His representation before God on our behalf. As the apostle, He was sent from God to us. As the HIGH PRIEST, He is ever and always before the Father, pleading for us in His ministry to God.

One more aspect that warms my heart is that to be the HIGH PRIEST we confess, it is His very Apostleship that qualifies Him to be such before the Father

Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

The Lord God is our Savior, our Apostle, our HIGH PRIEST. He is all in all to us who could do absolutely nothing to gain favor before the Holy One.

Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HIGH AND LIFTED UP

Isaiah 57:15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Isaiah is speaking of the One who is HIGH AND LIFTED UP.

To be high is to be in a position above, or over others. It is usually a relative term, but I would argue that this “high” is an absolute, a highness that cannot be disputed or challenged.

To be lifted up has the idea of bearing up, of endurance, even of the act of carrying.

But Isaiah speaks of this One who is both HIGH AND LIFTED UP multiple times in his book and he is the only one in the Old Testament that uses this phrase.

A quick review of those three occurrences are in order. The first time he speaks of the Lord is in his call to ministry amongst the Israelites.

Isaiah 6:1 ESV – In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. (italics mine)

Isaiah was strongly influenced by this first vision of the Lord. This vision provides the image of extreme loftiness, absolute authority and otherworldly existence.

The second time Isaiah uses this phrase is in Isa 52:13, at the very beginning of his description of the Suffering Servant, the Lord Jesus.

Isaiah 52:13 ESV – Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. (italics mine)

It becomes obvious, especially in the hind sight we have in the church age, that to be lifted up in this sense was to be lifted up, bearing the cross, carrying our sins. In incredible act of sacrifice, being lifted up on the cross, His suffering and humiliation became the focal point of the greatest glory of God exhibited in all of time.

His crucifixion, in His being lifted up, was displaying His greatness, His character of sacrifice, and His motive of extreme love towards those who rebel and reject.

Then consider our verse this morning. He is the One who is HIGH AND LIFTED UP, yet in this highness, in this lifted up position He is comfortable with those who is of a contrite and lowly spirit.

He who is HIGH AND LIFTED UP bends down to the lowly. He who is HIGH AND LIFTED UP joins the contrite and lowly in spirit. He who is HIGH AND LIFTED UP seeks to revive the spirit of the lowly. He who is HIGH AND LIFTED UP looks to revive the heart of the contrite.

He who is HIGH AND LIFTED UP is the One who spoke of being gentle (meek) and lowly in heart

Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

We do not understand the HIGH AND LIFTED UP One we serve. He is much to much to understand, to comprehend. The mysteries of our Lord are very real, and His constant care, His deep sacrificial acts and the proof of His person is beyond question.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HERALD OF GOOD NEWS

Isaiah 41:27 I was the first to say to Zion, “Behold, here they are!” and I give to Jerusalem a herald of good news.

In the 41st chapter of his book, Isaiah is declaring the “I wills” of God, and by the time we get to verse 27, he has provided numerous promises of the future actions of God to the nation of Israel to be comforted by.

For our verse this morning, the “I will” of God is no longer a future promise but a present action, in that God gives to the nation, by using the capital city as it’s descriptor, a herald of good news.

The context demands this is Cyrus, the king of the Medo-Persians that would conquer Babylon, release the captives and assist those who sought to go home to the promised land.

Good news indeed!

Many of the captives took advantage of this great turn of events, yet not all. Some provided support for those leaving the Babylonian/Medo-Persian lands. Some stayed behind, continuing to live in the land they were taken captive to.

But all were provided the good news as Cyrus entered the vanquished city and eventually granted all the Jewish captives freedom.

Now I realize this series is on the Names of God, but the typology of Cyrus is ridiculous. He is in many ways become – for the time being – one of my favorite types in the Old Testament, providing a picture of the Lord Jesus. For some typological discussions on Cyrus, check out the 13 posts regarding Cyrus in the Jesus in the Old Testament series on this blog. We started with Jesus in the Old Testament – Cyrus – 01

Isaiah spoke of the HERALD OF GOOD NEWS, and the immediate reference was Cyrus, but we know in hindsight that Jesus is the greatest HERALD OF GOOD NEWS, and not only did He HERALD/PREACH the good news, He is the good news.

He is the HERALD OF GOOD NEWS.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HELPER OF THE FATHERLESS

Psalm 10:14 But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless.

It is a common refrain throughout the Old and New Testament of God’s compassion and the believers responsibility to care for widows and orphans. It is such a common couplet that I assumed is was consistent through the Word, at least until this verse popped up.

David speaks of the Lord as the HELPER OF THE FATHERLESS, without any reference to a widow. This is not an uncommon statement in the Word, for a reference to the fatherless without the term “widow” occurs 11 times in the Old Testament.

For our verse this morning, I think David was merely focusing on the Lord’s protection of the fatherless, as a metaphor for the most vulnerable of God’s people.

Now, as some of my readers may know, I was a young 6 year old boy when I became a fatherless child, having lost my loving father to a tragic automobile accident. We were not a Christian family, were instructed to not talk politics or religion and if there was a Bible in the home, the pages were never cracked open.

I can’t speak of the mercies of God my brothers have experienced over the past 6 decades, but I can witness of the many mercies God has showered on me. And as I have witnessed of His goodness, I am finding that even in the most difficult of times, His mercies are ever present. But beyond the mercies He has shown, He has given direction, and energy to forge into challenging tasks, even in the face of certain failure. At least we were told we would fail.

Story Time.

I met my wife as she began her 17th year, me being a 21 year old boastful fool. We fell hard, and within 8 months were were hitched.

On the day before our wedding, my wife’s neighbor told us it would last 6 months. My future brother in law sought to counsel me from gettin’ hitched. Friends and family mocked me, saying this was too fast, too impulsive, to early, to unplanned and not according to their expectations.

Yet I loved this girl, never knowing what that felt like before, and without a father to counsel, I was cast by necessity upon the Father above, who provided direction, and just enough backbone to get hitched to this sweet young lady.

Next month, that sweet young lady and I will celebrate 45 years of “hangin’ out”. Five children, and nine grandchildren along the way, and the Lord has been my HELPER OF THE FATHERLESS from day one.

He is faithful, gracious, merciful and is the best HELPER OF THE FATHERLESS, providing expectations and supplying the strength to meet them. And He sure knows how to pick a sweet young lady for a boastful fool. Thank you Father, You have truly been my HELPER OF THE FATHERLESS.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HELPER

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

The order of our series is strictly alphabetical, and yet our current Name of God comes immediatedly after HEAD OVER ALL.

Is it not a great reminder that though God is the ultimate authority, the HEAD OVER ALL, the King of Kings, we are providentially reminded that He is also the HELPER, our paraklētos, the One who comes alongside us, the Humble and Meek One.

Truly He is over us, and over all things, and this is a truth I seem to accept readily. A truth that I sometimes stumble over is that He also, though a King, comes along side us, as if we are the focus of His heart.

It is as if He not only provided life eternal, but will not leave us to our own devises.

It is as if the Spirit of God takes the role of a teacher, reminding us of who the Lord Jesus is, of His teaching, of the peace Jesus provides.

It is as if He understands our weakness, our frailty, our tendency to wander and is willing to be beside us, even within our lives, suffering the garbage we allow in our lives.

It is as if He cares so deeply that He will not give up, will not walk away, will not let go of those He seeks and saves.

It is as if He is the sum of all good, the total (and beyond) of all our imaginations, both of His mighty authority and power, and of His humble and meek service, a service that is seemingly “squandered” on His people.

It is as if this love He pours out is meant to draw us closer to Him, to want to know Him, and in this desire, eventually to become like Him, to be the servant to others, even to those who hate us.

It is as if He meant it that when He said to follow Him, it was a call to humble and quiet service to others, and in that service, our devotion to Him would be evident to all.

Enough! – too many “ifs”! We know Who the Great One is, and though difficult to comprehend, He is the Helper. And as the Helper, His aim is to make His people more and more like Him, the HELPER.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HEAD OVER ALL

Ephesians 1:22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,

Did you catch it? Who did God give to the church here? Let’s replace the pronouns in this verse with proper names and try to get a picture of what is going on

And God put all things under Jesus feet and gave Jesus as Head over all things to the church

God has given to the church Jesus as the Head over all things.

Now as I glibly read some of these passages in the past, I came away thinking Ephesians spoke the same truth as Colossians. I wonder about that assumption now.

Colossians 1:18 speaks of Jesus as the Head of the Church

Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

This is a statement of fact, and defines Who Jesus is in relation to the church. Ephesians 1:22 has a different message, with Paul’s focus in Ephesians being the Body of Christ, the church. In Ephesians, Paul describes Jesus as the Head over all.

Jesus is not restricted to being the Head of the church as in Colossians, but the Head over all, providing to the church the confidence that Jesus has all authority.

Did not Jesus speak the same?

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Recapping, Paul is revealing to the gentile Christians of Ephesus the Headship, or authority of Jesus over all things. He goes on to describe the “all things” in Ephesians 6, 10-18, speaking of the evil forces behind the foolish actions of lost men and women.

Jesus is HEAD OVER ALL.

But the snippet of truth that struck me this morning, is that God gave Jesus as HEAD OVER ALL – to the church.

Now there are a number of ramifications if we consider this for a moment.

To give is an act of sacrifice. Jesus as HEAD OVER ALL, being a gift to the church is a truth I have rarely considered. We don’t deserve this type of Savior – surely we do not deserve Him, yet He is granted to us, not merely as a Savior, but as the HEAD OVER ALL.

The Father gave to the church. Again, we often think of our salvation as being Christ centered, and that is very true, yet the Father is the One who sacrificed His own Son for the church, and in this verse the Father is providing Him as the HEAD OVER ALL to the church.

As the church, we are a people who are very highly favored by having One over us that is the HEAD OVER ALL, over all governments, religions, philosophies and

He is not equal to any, has no competitor, and there are non equal to Him.

Isaiah 46:5 “To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike?

ALL things are subject to His will, and as the church we have access to the King of Kings, the One with all authority.

What more can be said? He is HEAD OVER ALL!

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HEAD OF THE CHURCH

Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.

We have considered our Lord as the HEAD OF ALL RULE AND AUTHORITY, HEAD OF EVERY MAN, HEAD OF THE BODY, and for this post, spend a few minutes considering Jesus as the HEAD OF THE CHURCH.

But Carl, are you not merely repeating the same truth we just reviewed, that is Jesus as the HEAD OF THE BODY?

Somewhat, but I am a believer that words have meanings, and for the apostle Paul to use both HEAD OF THE BODY and HEAD OF THE CHURCH as distinct descriptions for the Messiah, I am convinced there must be a nugget of truth to consider. Of course, for our time here, it will only be a nugget, for I will attempt to restrain myself to a short discussion.

For Paul to call the Master the HEAD OF THE CHURCH, is to call Jesus the Master, the Authority of the Ekklēsia.

Let’s remember the core thought of the term church. In Greek, the term is ekklēsia. To be of the ekklēsia is to be of a gathering, an assembly drawn together for a purpose. This gathering, this grouping of people – not a building, but the people – is the ekklēsia. Some ekklēsia (in the general sense of the word) gather for various purposes, but the ekklēsia that Paul describes gathers because Jesus is the HEAD. There is no other reason for a bunch of misfits, strangers, oddballs, lollygaggers and ne’er-do-wells to gather together other than to worship and hear from the Lord Jesus.

Some ekklēsia come together for volunteer work, self help meetings, gossip sessions or complaining contests. If any gathering (ekklēsia) gathers without Jesus firmly set as the HEAD, it is a gathering that has no eternal value, nor of any lasting real benefit for those coming together.

As discussed in HEAD OF EVERY MAN, I lean to the Complementarian view of headship, which states that to be HEAD is to imply authority, leadership, or preeminence. Our passage this morning reinforces this concept as the apostle describes Jesus as the HEAD OF THE CHURCH. Paul is focusing on one truth, a truth that is critical for believers.

Jesus is the HEAD OF THE CHURCH. It might seem super obvious to some, but consider. Jesus is not merely the source of life for all, as He is the Creator of all, but as the Redeemer of the ekklēsia (church), and as the LORD over the church, He has been granted all authority over the church, and by no contest, He is to be considered preeminent in all things, for He in truth is.

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

No other person is to be vnereated in the church than Jesus Himself. He is to be the only focus of the true ekklēsia.

My friend as you read this short consideration of the HEAD OF THE CHURCH, and if you attend an ekklēsia that is not focused on the HEAD, consider your ways.

He is the HEAD OF THE CHURCH.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HEAD OF THE BODY

Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

We spoke of the significance of the term “head” in an earlier post, and of alternate ways of understanding the word. For a refresher, or if interested in the findings, see Names of God – HEAD OF EVERY MAN.

As discussed earlier in the previous post, I am of the complimentarian camp – see my post for explanation – and the definition discussed in that post that complies with the complimentarian point of view is that kephalḗ (the greek word for head) implies authority, leadership, or preeminence.

This perfectly fits our context in Colossians and provides support for the view discussed earlier. But that was then, and our post this morning is about the Head of the Body, the Risen Christ.

In using this metaphor, Paul provided truths that are abundant for the believer to consider. As the Head of the Body, Jesus is

The DIRECTOR OF LIFE

Many times I default to the position that the heart of the physical body is that which provides life, but is it not more accurate to think that the head, specifically the brain, (or even more specifically, the mind), is the source of life. The mind is the “machine” that directs actions to and from each component of the body, controls movements of the body separately and in relation to each organ, limb and complex system, manages and minimized damages to the body, directing healing to areas in need and supports the complete functioning of the body in unison with each part.

I think this metaphor is perty dang good when we take a few moments to consider the Lord as the Head of the Body, His church.

The Center of Vision

My physical head contains two eyes, complex organs that accepts light, interprets vision, discerns objects and obstacles, provides primary information for the body and reveals the life that exists in the Body. Though many suffer the loss of sight, for the Church of Christ, our Head has perfect vision and He has no weakness in providing clear direction and goals, through His vision for the Church.

I think this metaphor is perty dang good when we take a few moments to consider the Lord as the Head of the Body, His church.

The Mystery of Sences

Though the Lord is invisible to our earthly sight, He provides us the Spirit Who impresses our senses, speaks to our hearts, directs the mind of the church, (and of it’s individual saints) and protects the Body as we venture through this dangerous world. He deals with the mystery of life without any difficulty, and is in control of His Church, through His directing us via Word and prayer.

I think this metaphor is perty dang good when we take a few moments to consider the Lord as the Head of the Body, His church.

He is truly the HEAD OF THE BODY. It is amazing that Paul called Him who is over all of creation as the Head of the the Body, the Church, after speaking of His preeminence over all created things

Colossians 1:16, 17 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

It is as if to be the Head of the Body was the cap stone of achievement for the Crucified One. May His name be praised, even as we recognize Him as the Head!

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HEAD OF EVERY MAN

1 Corinthians 11:3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.

We are entering a topic that has become a hot topic for the last half century in the church. We will be thinking about headship in this verse, and I want to confess I have been influenced by conservative churches as to what headship means.

One church we were associated with was an open brethren, which allowed no women to speak in the service, with the women wearing head coverings, showing submission to the husband as per 1 Corinthians 11.

During our time there we enjoyed great times of fellowship and made wonderful friends, but we never “made it “converted” to the head covering practice. As a matter of fact, one of the elder’s wives, (who publicly wore a head covering to show her submission to her husband) told her husband, the elder of the church to come talk to my wife about this “sin”. I was not in the discussion at all! He visited my wife, and when I got home that night from work, I questioned even more the reason for the doilies on wives “of submission”. Too much to discuss in this post, but do you see any problem here?

Two views are raging in the church regarding the teaching of headship. A brief review may be of help.

Complementarian

In 1 Corinthians 11:3 and Ephesians 5:23, kephalḗ implies  authority, leadership, or preeminence. Some may assign an inequality in the husband / wife partnership when this view is considered but I fear they may think different positions in life equal different values before God. This is preposterous in my mind. Each of us have our talents and calling, and each of us are equal before God, with the value of the blood of Christ assigned to each sinner!

Egalitarian

Using Genesis 2, the egalitarian (equal) view leans into the meaning of kephalḗ as source, origin, or progenitor. It is as the husband is the “source” of the wife, and not her ruler.

I have noticed that this view seems to be gaining steam in the last half century, coincidentally with the rise of feminism. Coincidence, or simply the revelation of truth completely apart from the massive cultural shift we have all experienced? I will leave that to my reader.

Nevertheless, I will admit this view has not made sense to me, since the argument might be made that if the man is the source of the woman, he has the right of ownership, or can at least claim management over her. This also is preposterous, so I must be understanding the egalitarian view incorrectly.

One other claim by the egalitarian view is to equate the head of a family to a “boss”. This is bringing the worlds view of business management into the Lord’s institution of a godly family. Of course this is preposterous. To be the head of a family is to mimic the Savior (who is our Head) in leadership servanthood, dying for others within the family, and showing concern and loving care for those in the family instead of himself.

To be the “boss” in the family is a distortion of the headship teaching, for our great example and Savior, the HEAD OF EVERY MAN, is the suffering Savior, the meek and gentle One who has all authority over heaven and earth.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HEAD OF ALL RULE AND AUTHORITY

Colossians 2:10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

As I quickly read what Paul claims here, I have not been too discriminating. I have read this verse for decades (not continuously, mind you) but as I go through the book of Colossians, I usually breeze by this verse without asking any questions.

Today, I’m a gonna ask questions!

What is the difference between rule and authority? Is there a difference? What is Paul talking ’bout?

Paul uses these two descriptions earlier on in this epistle, when he pens Colossians 1:16.

Col 1:16  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

So let’s do a quick review of these two terms.

Rule

The Greek word is ἀρχή archḗ, and is commonly used in an absolute sence, speaking of beginnings. This term is used in reference to the Lord Jesus throughout the New Testament, for He is the ultimate First Person.

Revelation 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

But in our verse this morning, the application cannot be referring to Him, as Paul declares Jesus is over this “archḗ”.

Paul is referring to a leader, one who is first in his class or category. It goes without saying that since Jesus is over this one described as “archḗ”, He is over all of the “archḗ’s” minions and subjects.

Paul describes both rulers and authorities as created in verse 16, we can suppose these are spiritual beings. Of course this verse alone does not identify them as wicked, and it may be a disservice to the verse to restrict these as wicked. Is not the Lord the Master of All?

Relating to His dominion over wicked spirits, we would refer to Ephesians to get that clarity. Paul provides no doubt that is in his thoughts as he uses these two terms relating to the enemies of our soul in Ephesians.

Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

In summary, Jesus is over rulers, those created beings that are first in their class or category, those who rule over others, even the highest rulers, whoever they may be, in this created world we live in.

Authority

The Greek word is ἐξουσία exousía, and speaks of power, the ability or liberty to do as one pleases. This word is used often in the New Testament, many times relating to the power or authority of the Lord Jesus.

Take a gander at a great example.

Matthew 9:6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–he then said to the paralytic–“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”

Every time I read this verse, it gives me a chill to think the Lord told those around him, including those hunting Him down, that he had the power, the freedom to forgive sins! Unbelievable! No wonder the darkened mind of those around Him were shocked. He is simply a shocking Savior!

Back in our verse in Colossians, this term speaks of the power resident in those whom Jesus is over. Those that are created, the “archḗ” (rulers) down through the ranks, have a delegated power, a freedom to inflict their will on those they are allowed to harm.

Our Savior is HEAD OF ALL RULE AND AUTHORITY. He is over each and every created being, no matter where that created being sits in the hierarchy. He exercises limitations to the delegated power each of those created beings are allowed to exercise. Paul speaks of Jesus being over the created beings and over their delegated power.

He is the HEAD, or MASTER of all. Given that, it should be no surprise that He could say He had the authority to forgive sins on earth.

That one incident is still so shocking though. But it shouldn’t be since our Savior is HEAD OF ALL RULE AND AUTHORITY.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HE WHO WORKS ALL THINGS AFTER THE COUNSEL OF HIS OWN WILL

Ephesians 1:11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

I love this verse, and the fact Paul clarified the manner of God’s working in the church. He does not react to outside forces, current events, or problem situations due to an outside influence.

The work of God is not reactionary. He is first in the causing of all work related to our salvation, sanctification and glorification. He has predestined the Body of Christ, the church, (not individuals within the Body) to be predestined according to the counsel of His will. It is his plan, His counsel and His will that is preeminent in relation to the Body of Christ.

Now I used to be fatalistic in relation to the passage above, thinking that the predestination is related to individuals in the church, having been influenced by teachers within the church, and the individualistic leanings of our culture. Me me me, it is all about me!

For some reason, God had chosen me as opposed to Fred or Wilma, or Frank. Why, and how could I relate humbly to those God did not chose? And if God did not choose Fred or Wilma or Frank, was I wasting my time on them? Was I frustrating the will of God in loving them? How could I “love my enemy” when it seemed that God was purposely passing them by, allowing them to enter destruction?

I found the concept of “individual election and predestination” caused me untold conflict upon realizing the implications of the teaching. But the teaching was widespread, and seemingly very popular.

Thankfully, as I attended a church that subscribed to this teaching, an elder was bold enough to lay it on the line. He openly preached from the pulpit, that which was mostly left unsaid, that God was pleased to see the unelected destroyed, that it glorified God in the destruction of souls, and predestination applied to the individual for salvation AND damnation.

I walked out of that service stunned, and realized I had a problem. A huge problem that I needed to come to grips with. Thankfully, as I found myself unseated from my previous understanding of fatalism – some call it Calvinism or the “doctrines of grace” – I began to understand an alternate “heretical” position. It really didn’t take too long, for I found a clue in the very next two verse’s verses from Paul’s pen. Yes, Paul speaks of how individual saints in Ephesus entered into the counsel of God’s will in verse 13.

Ephesians 1:13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

Notice when Paul speaks of individuals, he does not say that God chose each individual in eternity past, forced the Spirit on each individual and locked each individual into His will. (I am being extreme here!) He speaks of individuals hearing truth, and believing IN HIM.

Which is the topic of Paul’s discussion. Being in HIM.

The counsel of God’s will determined that being in Him was the manner of salvation, the work of God predetermined by the counsel of His will was the group, the Body of Christ. Not individuals, though individuals join by hearing the truth and believing in HIM, but the Church itself as the Body of Christ.

What a freeing realization that God’s will is not restrictive, exclusionary and limited. His care and love for the most heinous sinner is active, open and unlimited, offered by the hand of Jesus, though it is a bloodied, pierced hand.

No, our God is active in all of creation through the Body, with the Body and for the Body in bringing about His will, for it is He only WHO WORKS ALL THINGS AFTER THE COUNSEL OF HIS OWN WILL, in bringing about the honor and glorification of Him who is the head of the Body, Jesus Christ the Lord.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HE WHO WEIGHS THE HEART

Proverbs 24:12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?

It is a common saying. He is walking about with such a heavy heart.

In our vernacular, that is usually a statement that speaks of deep sorrow, or sadness in the life of the subject.

When we read this verse, the weighing of the heart is not related to sorrow or sadness, as may be implied by our common saying.

In the proverb we are considering, we are considering the inner knowledge each man lives with and how God relates to it. For God to weigh the heart is another way of say God searching the soul.

One important consideration is that the passage is not making a neutral statement, a simple fact that God knows our inner thoughts. The verse speaks of God not disuaded from the facts by our denials. As fallen men and women, we are easily disuaded from the truth, convincing ourselves of stories that make us feel better, that increase our confidence (in self) and that comfort our weak hearts.

I think Solomon knew this deeply, as he reflected on his own life/ There is wisdom in considering this, for as he told himself many stories, excusing his life before God, he knew God was “weighing the heart”.

Yet he rebelled against this knowledge.

Knowing that God is alive and active in our very inner core should motivate us to perform good works, to “not deny” the truth, to admit our sin and weakness and to understand God is a just God. Consider the verse as it speaks of “rendering to each man according to his deeds”. The Word is explicit.

Psalm 62:12 and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work.

Jeremiah 17:10 “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Ezekiel 18:30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin.

Ezekiel 33:20 Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways.”

Some may claim that this teaching is an Old Testament teaching, that it is not valid under the New Covenant. I often thought this way until I considered a sampling of verses below.

Romans 2:6 He will render to each one according to his works:

2 Timothy 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.

Of course this teaching has to be balanced with the understanding we can do nothing apart from the Master and that all that is good comes from our connection with the Lord Jesus.

And out of the self sacrifice of our Savior, we have the privildge, opportunity and strength in the Spirit to do good deeds as He directs. Yes, HE WHO WEIGHS THE HEART, is the same who provided the Savior to draw us to Him, to give us strength, to direct us into good works, and to glorify Him.

And in the midst of all His blessings, He continues to weigh our hearts, helping us to live in the truth, in Jesus.

May we reap blessings, and honor God from being rooted in Him.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible