tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50351401035762177652024-03-08T03:53:00.217-08:00The Bible, Jesus and me.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-2271693332214031562015-05-20T23:15:00.001-07:002015-05-20T23:15:23.667-07:00Paul's Warning and Admonishment for Those He Loves<h1>
<u><span style="font-size: small;"></span></u></h1>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;">1Co 4:14-21 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. (15) For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. (16) I urge you, then, be imitators of me. (17) That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church. (18) Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. (19) But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. (20) For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. (21) What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?</span></h1>
<div>
Paul here explains his previous statements and admonishments, explains why he says them. Paul loves the Corinthians as his children and that is why he warns them and admonishes them. He also gives another warning to those who are in the Corinthian church. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<u><span style="font-size: small;"><b>1Co 4:14 I do not write these things
to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.</b></span></u></div>
<h1>
<o:p></o:p></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What he told them in the previous passages, could very well have made them feel ashamed, it very well could
make them feel foolish. He gave them a picture of how much the apostles suffer,
and then allowed the Corinthians to make the connection of how little they
suffered. It very well might have made them feel ashamed because he just told
them “You sit in comfortable houses, you have no persecution, the biggest
difficulty you have is deciding ‘who you follow’, us, the apostles have gone to the
point of death, we have been beaten, we have been persecuted in every way, WAKE UP”. But, as much as it might wake them up and make them feel ashamed, that
wasn't Paul’s point, his point was to warn them. He changes his tone from
sarcastic to one of loving mercy, one of genuine concern. He loves them as
children because he was put in the place of “raising them” so to speak, and he
loved them as God loves them. So, although he was harsh with them for a little
while, as with children, you need to be just, but you also need to be doing it
for the right reason: you love them. God loves us and his discipline is for our
benefit and because he loves us. <b><i>Psa 94:12-13
Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out
of your law, (13) to give Him rest from days of trouble, until
a pit is dug for the wicked.</i></b> God truly does discipline us for our good,
and he warns us for our good, and the same is true for how the apostle Paul
treated the Corinthians. <o:p></o:p></div>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><u>1Co 4:15-16 For though you have
countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your
father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
(16) I urge you, then, be
imitators of me.</u></span><o:p></o:p></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Paul is their Spiritual father, there are many people who
“guide” their spiritual lives, but really, only Paul was their “father” he
cares about them more than their guides. This is a transition verse that
explains both the previous verse and the next verse. It explains that he loves
them as children and so his rebuke is not meant to be condemning, but it’s
meant to be exhorting. It’s meant not to push them down, but to help them up.
It’s transitioning into the next verse (16) because verse sixteen explains how
their relation to each other should influence their actions. He calls them to
imitate him because they are his spiritual children. Most children imitate
their parents, he is an example of a godly spiritual father and he wants them
to be a godly spiritual person just as he is, by God’s grace. <o:p></o:p></div>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><u>1Co 4:17 That is why I sent you
Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in
Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.</u></span><o:p></o:p></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Paul Sent Timothy to the Corinthians because as much as we
think we remember things, we are a drifting people, our habits, our likes,
everything we do drifts with the waves of life. Paul knew that some of them had
drifted from what he had taught them. Timothy was Paul’s representation,
Timothy acted as Paul did, he knew what Paul knew, at least most of it.
Therefore, Paul sent Timothy to them to remind them how they ought to act and
how they ought to live. Moreover, Paul taught the SAME thing everywhere he
went, he taught the gospel and the simplicity of it, and taught them how they
ought to live, he didn't change it up everywhere he went, and he stayed
consistent. We also ought to stay consistent because the gospel is consistent, not that we can't grow, we have infinite room to grow. However, we need to stay true to Christ.
We need to be careful not to drift as most people do, we need to be careful not
to drift as the Corinthians did. The real question <b><i>Heb 2:1-3 Therefore we must pay much closer attention
to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. (2)
For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and
every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, (3)
how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was
declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,</i></b>
The Bible is clear what happens to those who do not stay with their faith to
the end. If you pray a prayer and think that that’s your magic ticket to
heaven, you are absolutely wrong, because if there is not a change in your
life, you are in danger of Christ saying he never knew you. <b><i>Mat
7:22-23 On that day many will say to me,
'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your
name, and do many mighty works in your name?' (23) And then will I declare to them, 'I never
knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'</i></b>. Here in
Galatians tells us how we should live. <b><i>Gal 5:24-26
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its
passions and desires. (25) If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in
step with the Spirit. </i></b>Those that
are saved will have fruit from the Spirit, they will have, as it says here,
crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Do not become lazy in your
faith, do not let it slip from your fingers. Do not become complacent in your
spiritual life or in living for Christ. <o:p></o:p></div>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><u>1Co 4:1<span style="font-family: inherit;">8 Some are arro</span>gant, as
though I were not coming to you.</u></span><o:p></o:p></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some people clearly thought that Paul wouldn't come back to
them because he was “scared” and “afraid” of those that thought they were so
powerful. This is the same issue that is at work in our churches today, there
are people that act as if Christ is not coming back, and people are acting as
if THEY are more authoritative on scripture than scripture itself is. There are
people who are trying to change God into something much less than he is, and
raise people to much more than they are. The Pope is being raised up as
godlike, and even some evangelical pastors are raised up as almost godlike and
their word is taken as the gospel truth and people don’t even check the facts
against scripture, which is the ONLY source of truth. Christ said this <b><i>Mat 24:37-38
For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
(38) For as in those days before the
flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the
day when Noah entered the ark,</i></b> For we need to be ready for Christ to
return as he promised, we can’t be like those in Corinth and doubt the return,
they doubted the return of Paul, sometimes we doubt the return of Christ,
sometimes we weary like the disciples in the garden, yet we need to stay
vigilant. <b><i>1Pe 5:8-9 Be sober-minded; be
watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking
someone to devour. (9) Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that
the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood
throughout the world.</i></b> The easiest thing for Satan, is when the
Christians are lazy and do not fight with the zeal that we get from the power
of Christ. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">1Co
4:19-20 But I will come to you soon, if
the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but
their power. (20) For the kingdom of God does not consist in
talk but in power. </span></u><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Paul lets them know that he plans on going back to Corinth,
and as soon as he can as long as the Lord wills that it is to be. He also tells
them that he will find out what they are talking about, but more importantly,
he will test their power, he will test them to see if what they are teaching is
true and if they have the power of the Holy Spirit. Because, what they say doesn't matter if they
do not have the spiritual power to back it up. The kingdom of God doesn't
consist of empty talk, but it consists of true power given by God. <o:p></o:p></div>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><u>1Co 4:21 What do you wish? Shall I
come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?</u></span><o:p></o:p></h1>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">He then asks a simple question: Do you want me
to come with discipline or with gentle friendship? The people were straying
away from the gospel and this was his warning that they were following false
teachers, if they didn't straighten up themselves, he would have to come with
discipline and straighten them out. This is also a warning to us, although not
spoken by Paul, God speaks this to us when we stray, if we don’t go back to
him, we will be disciplined out of love, <b><i>Heb 12:5-11
And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
"My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary
when reproved by Him. (6) For the Lord disciplines the one He loves,
and chastises every son whom He receives."
(7) It is for discipline that you
have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his
father does not discipline? (8) If you are left without discipline, in which
all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. (9)
Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we
respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and
live? (10) For they disciplined us for a short time as
it seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share
his holiness. (11) For the moment all discipline seems painful
rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness
to those who have been trained by it.</i></b> Discipline is not a bad
thing, it is painful though, and if we act in righteousness, God doesn't need to
discipline us. The Old Testament is full of God disciplining his people many
times and each time it causes his people to come back to Him. Today, many of us
don’t want to endure God’s discipline, this is completely wrong, we need to
endure discipline and take it to heart for the sake of righteousness. Moreover,
we need to identify when we are being disciplined because if we are to have a
heart for God we cannot ignore discipline. Our attitude should be like that of
David:<b><i> Psa 94:12 Blessed is the man
whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law,</i></b> David
realized that discipline is a good thing when we stray away, for if we aren't
being disciplined, do we truly have a father that loves us? No, it very well
could mean that our father is Satan if we are not being disciplined for our
wrongdoings. <b><i>1Jn 3:10 By this it is evident
who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever
does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love
his brother.</i></b> This doesn't mean that if you sin, you are a child of the
devil, it means that those who continually practice sin are children of the
devil, moreover, if you are a child of God and you continually sin, he WILL
discipline you as he did the children of Israel. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
In conclusion, we need to be wary, we need to be diligent, we need to accept discipline, and we need to be ready. We need to be wary of teachers teaching things that are false, <i style="font-weight: bold;">2Pe 2:1-2 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. (2) And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.</i> There will be false teachers and they will be popular, but they will bring destruction upon the church and upon the individuals that listen to them and follow them. We need to be diligent in our salvation, we need to be guarding our salvation <b style="font-style: italic;">Php 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, </b>We need to be careful not to drift, not to fall away, we need to remain steady and consistent within our faith, because if we don't, we WILL fall away and we WILL either be found to not be followers of Christ, or we will be disciplined by him. We also need to accept discipline from God, because He tells us that it is an extension of His love and so we need to use it to adopt change. We also need to be ready for Christ to come back, in our personal salvation and in the spreading of his word. In the end, we need to continue to focus on Christ and live for Him and for His glory every minute of every day.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-30427025944202429622015-03-17T21:45:00.000-07:002015-03-17T21:45:21.415-07:00The Fate of Paul, and of Course, You!<h1>
<u><span style="font-size: small;"></span></u></h1>
<b><u><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: small;">1 Cor. 4:6-13 "I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. (7) For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? (8) Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you! (9) For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. (10) We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. (11) To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, (12) and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; (13) when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things."</span></u></b><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
Paul and the Apostles were put here for a reason, and that reason was to glorify God and spread the Gospel. The reason they were here is the same reason we are here. Paul challenges the Corinthians in their thinking and their division in regard to the purpose of the Apostles and, ultimately, of the Corinthians. Paul also gives us a view of what he and the Apostles were going through for the sake of Christ. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h1>
<u><span style="font-size: small;">1 Cor. 4:6 "I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your
benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written,
that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another."</span><o:p></o:p></u></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Paul just finished giving a bunch of analogies of the Apostles. It starts with framing as an analogy, “I planted, Apollos watered,
but God gave the growth.” He then says that the apostles are “fellow workers”
with God, but without God, there would be no growth. Then, he uses a building
analogy: “like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation and someone else is
building upon it” and only Christ can be the foundation. It doesn’t matter if
they follow Paul or Cephas or Apollos because, in the end, they are all
builders who, by God’s grace, were given skills that allowed them to build.
His third analogy, is that of a steward. They are God’s stewards in regard to
the Gospel. The Apostles all shared each of those. Each of them planted, each
of them watered, each of them built, and each of them are stewards of the
mysteries of God. Therefore, you can’t say one is better than the other. It
means that all are important and all are servants of God, called by Him with an
equal importance within His kingdom. The same can be true of today. Each one called by God is important, and it doesn’t matter what preacher you listen
to as long as they are of God. There are heretics and those that speak nothing
but lies, and of course, they should not be listened to and should be shunned. However,
if you have two people who are preaching the truth, it doesn’t matter which you
follow. We can’t let denomination or teacher segregate us, as long as the truth
is being taught and God is <i>being glorified</i>. Because we all belong to Christ,
and therefore to each other. We need to be unified for the cause of Christ so
that those around us might see the common ground of Christ as our Savior. <o:p></o:p></div>
<h1>
<u><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></u></h1>
<h1>
<u><span style="font-size: small;">1 Cor. 4:7 "For who sees anything
different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you
received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?"</span><o:p></o:p></u></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
The Corinthians were given all of the Apostles, and many
other things. But instead of being grateful for all the things God gave them, they boasted as if they were superior Christians, as if it was their own
actions that caused them to receive it. There isn’t anything inherently different in
them than in other Christ follower, for all of them have been given everything
good by God. It really goes back to
chapter one where Paul says <b><i>1 Cor. 1:26-31 "For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according
to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble
birth. (27) But God chose what is foolish in the world to
shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; (28)
God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are
not, to bring to nothing things that are,
(29) so that no human being might
boast in the presence of God. (30) And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus,
who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and
redemption, (31) so that, as it is written, "Let the one
who boasts, boast in the Lord."</i></b> It is clear that Paul is reminding
them that there is absolutely nothing to be proud of unless it is God and His
amazing works. Not many Christians were wise, not many were powerful or rich. The
fact is, not many people that are true believers are “smart,” “rich,” or
“powerful” because with all of those things comes a glaring sin that leads to
death, and that is pride. A prideful person cannot enter heaven. (I’m not
saying that those that are saved won’t ever “have pride” or “be prideful,” but
rather that the person who lives on of his pride rather than Christ cannot
enter the kingdom of heaven.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<h1>
<u><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></u></h1>
<h1>
<u><span style="font-size: small;">1 Cor. 4:8 "Already you have all you
want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would
that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you!"</span><o:p></o:p></u></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Paul is clearly being sarcastic and even being mocking
towards them by saying that they already have all that they want and that they
have become rich. I believe this is in a spiritual sense as much as a physical
sense. That they are already rich in the Spirit, and they have all of the
Spirit that they could ever want. This goes back to them being prideful about
who they follow, and to Paul’s point that there is nothing that they have that
they didn’t receive. It goes back to their boasting spirit. When it says
“without use you have become kings” it is saying “you think you’ve reached the
absolute climax of the spiritual journey;" there is nothing else to rise to, and
nowhere else to go.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Paul goes on to say that he wishes that they did reign so
that he might share the rule with them. There are a couple interpretations of
this, one is that this is still sarcastic and he is saying “hey, if you were
kings, I would finally be able to have protection and I would be able to rule
with you.” The other is that he dropped being sarcastic and truly wishes that
they ruled either in the millennial kingdom, or that they were really as
spiritual and blessed as they think they are. I tend to believe that he is
saying that he wishes that they were in the millennial kingdom. The fact is, we
as believers will reign in that 1000 year kingdom. <b><i>Rev. 20:4a "Then I saw thrones, and
seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed."</i> </b>It
says here in <b><i>1 Cor. 6:2 “Or do you not know that
the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are
you incompetent to try trivial cases?”</i> </b>(in that chapter it talks about
disputes between believers, and Paul tells them not to go to the civil authorities,
but go to the church for mediation and judgment within the church). And it says
in <b>2 <i>Tim. 2:12</i> </b><i><b>“if we endure, we will also reign with Him;
if we deny Him, he also will deny us.”</b></i> This indicates that we will
rule with Christ during the 1000 year reign. Which is why I believe that Paul
is truly wishing that it were the beginning of the millennial kingdom so that
all of the saints could rule together. <o:p></o:p></div>
<h1>
<u><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></u></h1>
<h1>
<u><span style="font-size: small;">1 Cor. 4:9 "For I think that God has
exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we
have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men."</span><o:p></o:p></u></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
There is some debate as to if Paul was still being ironic in
this passage, some say that yes, he was still being sarcastic and using irony
to prove a point. Yet, others believe he is being serious in this part of the
passage. At first reading, it might seem that he is being sarcastic, but at a
deeper reading, I don’t think he is being sarcastic. This is because if you read the
fate of the Apostles, especially Paul, he was hated everywhere, he was
sentenced to death several times, he was whipped, and put on show for his punishment
almost everywhere he went. All of the Apostles were martyred except for John, who was exiled. <o:p></o:p></div>
<h1>
<u><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></u></h1>
<h1>
<u><span style="font-size: small;">1 Cor. 4:10 "We are fools for
Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You
are held in honor, but we in disrepute."</span><o:p></o:p></u></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
This is clearly the Apostle Paul using clear sarcasm and
irony. It may be that some saw the Apostles as fools, but in Christ’s eyes,
they were the wise, and the Corinthians were definitely not the wisest on
earth. The Apostles were very strong, they endured many things, while the
Corinthians lived in relative ease. The Apostles were regarded in disrepute in
a lot of places they went, but not before the church of God, they were seen as
wise, and the building blocks on which God will build His church.<o:p></o:p></div>
<h1>
<u><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></u></h1>
<h1>
<u><span style="font-size: small;">1 Cor. 4:11-13 "To the present hour
we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, (12)
and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when
persecuted, we endure; (13) when slandered, we entreat. We have become,
and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things."</span></u></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
Paul switches yet again in his tone. Here, he isn’t being
sarcastic anymore. The Apostles <i>were</i> hungry and thirsty, poorly dressed, homeless; they had to labor for their own food. Moreover, Paul explains how they react to
things. When they were cursed, they blessed, when they were persecuted, they kept
going, when slandered, they still plead with their attackers. They were like Christ; they acted as He did. Moreover, in social standing, and in the eyes of the authorities,
and the culture, they were scum, people
were either indifferent, or they hated them. Neither would be pleasant, yet the Apostles still did what Christ had commissioned them to do. They endured
all things for Christ’s name<b>. <i>James 1:2 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when
you meet trials of various kinds,” James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who remains
steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown
of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.”</i> </b>It is clear
that we need to stand trials because we are believers and we are to stand with
Christ, not just in His blessings but in His sufferings. As it says here: <b><i>2 Cor. 1:5-6 "For as we share abundantly in
Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. (6) If
we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are
comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently
endure the same sufferings that we suffer."</i></b><i> </i>We have been put here on
earth, we have the chance of salvation, but if we sign up for salvation, we are
also truly signing up for suffering. The word “suffer” is used 32 times in the
New Testament. None of the uses have a negative connotation except in first
Peter. <b><i>1 Peter 4:15 "But let none of you
suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler."</i></b> But
Peter goes on to say: <b><i>1 Peter 4:16 "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let
him glorify God in that name."</i> </b>The Bible is clear that we should expect
to suffer for Christ, and we should expect to be ridiculed for our faith. If we
aren’t suffering, then we should be worried. If we aren’t being tested, we
should be concerned, and if we have an easy life, we should beware. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<br />
In conclusion, we as Christians should be prepared to suffer, we should be prepared for trials and we should be prepared to endure all things for the sake of Christ and His love. We need to rejoice in our suffering and our trials: <i style="font-weight: bold;">James 1:2 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” </i> We do so because in the end we will receive the crown of life, and we will receive commendation from Christ for our service. Moreover, if you are undergoing a trial or suffering for the name of Christ, keep going, stay faithful and in the end, Christ will be glorified. This is what we signed up for when we decided to follow Christ. We need to remember that, and we need to lean on Christ to make it though. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-47418399746229959842015-02-04T18:50:00.000-08:002015-02-04T18:50:45.043-08:00The Status of Paul, and You!<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">When we are conscripted into the ranks of Christianity, what is our status? How are we to act? What is our "job?" When we are saved, we want to serve God, we want to show Him our appreciation, and we want to show our love for Him.</span></span></h1>
<h1>
<u><span style="font-size: small;">1 Cor. 4:1 "This is how one should
regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God."</span></u></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Paul, speaks again of the apostles and leaders within
Christian circles of the day. In the previous few chapters he warns against
following man rather than God. <i><b>1 Cor. 1:12-13 "What I mean is that each one of you says, 'I follow Paul,'</b></i><i><b> or 'I follow Apollos,' or 'I follow Cephas,' or 'I follow
Christ.' (13) Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for
you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?"</b> </i>So moving on from that
discussion, he talks about how we should regard the apostles. He says that we
should regard them as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
The word “servant” actually speaks of one who is a subordinate, yet is also
above others. An example would be an officer: they are teachers, shepherds
(pastors), and they lead the flock under the direction of God. In the Parable of
the Talents in Mathew 25, God gives different servants a different number of
talents. Through this, He shows that those servants have a responsibility to
work with it and do their best to multiply it. Overseers, or elders, are also
stewards <b><i>Titus 1:7 "For an overseer, as
God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or
quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain."</i></b> It goes on to
say in verse nine:<b> “</b><i><b>he may be able to
give instruction in sound</b> <b>doctrine…</b></i><b>”</b>
God’s roles for His stewards are various, meaning that His stewards and servants
are all people who are His children. We have all been given His mysteries, and
it’s our job to protect sound doctrine, and to be able to teach it, not only to
believers, but to unbelievers, too. One of the mysteries of God is shown here: <i><b>Eph. 3:6 "This mystery is that the Gentiles
are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in
Christ Jesus through the gospel." </b></i>
This is one of the “mysteries” of God. These mysteries of God are the
mysteries of the Gospel. Through that you can conclude that our job it to guard
the integrity of the Gospel, and (as the parable of the talents shows) we are
to be multiply it. (This does not mean adding to the Gospel, but that it’s our job to use the Gospel and to spread it, and thus, it shall multiply.)<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><u>1 Cor. 4:2 "Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful."</u></span><o:p></o:p></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Speaking again of the apostles, Paul talks about how their
duties should be performed, and really, it explains why it’s not for human
praise, but because they are stewards. They have been tasked by somebody above
them,to do a job. A steward is an overseer or a manager. The apostles were
overseers of the Gospel and of the church. They are to be found faithful, or
trustworthy, meaning if one does not perform his duties properly and honestly,
he won’t be a steward very long, or his stewardship will be limited. It’s a
requirement for stewards that they are found honest and trustworthy and
faithful. Joseph, back in Exodus 39, was placed as an overseer of
Potiphar’s household. Joseph says: <b><i>“Behold, because of me my master has no
concern about anything in the house, hand he has put everything he has in my
charge.”</i></b> As we can see, this is no menial place. Being an overseer is a great
responsibility, for if something goes wrong, or you mess up. It’s going to be
your responsibility, not anybody else’s. I can’t emphasis enough how great of a
responsibility this is. <b><i>Luk. 17:2 "It would be better for him if a millstone
were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should
cause one of these little ones to sin." </i></b>The responsibility for the apostles
and the teachers is great, in fact, it says that if somebody leads a little one
to sin, it would be better for them to die. Moreover, if we are to work out our
own salvation with fear and trembling, how much more should we be fearful and
careful that we guard doctrine, that we seek truth, and that we teach the truth?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><u>1 Cor. 4:3-4 "But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by
you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. (4)
For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby
acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me."</u></span><o:p></o:p></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Paul
is talking here about what he already has been talking about in the previous
verses, he says that they should regard them as servants (which I talked about
in regard to the notion that one should follow a human being like Paul or
Apollos, and how foolish that notion is). We should regard them as servants,
and because he believes he is a servant of the living God and nothing else, he
takes it as very small when somebody judges him. The word judgement in the
original language has an implication that goes with it to mean “investigated”
or “scrutinized;” therefore, Paul says that he holds it a very small thing that
somebody should investigate him, how well he’s doing, or how close he is to
God. The reason being that if he is a servant of God, the only opinion that <b>really</b> matters, is that of God.
Moreover, he goes on to say that he doesn’t even judge himself. You might say “Well, he knows how he’s doing, doesn’t he?” Well, the answer is no, he
doesn’t. We have a perspective tainted by our self-love, our pride, and our
selfishness. As Paul says here: <b><i>“For I am not aware of anything against
myself.”</i></b> There are sins and there are issues in our walk that we are
unaware of, both good and bad. This means that the only one who <b>can</b> truly judge us is God, who is the
only one who has a perfect perspective on reality and on our actions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Paul
says he isn’t acquitted of sins just because he doesn’t know they exist,
because God still sees them. Although we can often see our mistakes, there are
always mistakes and sins in our lives that we are unable to see. David
calls them hidden faults. <i><b>Psa. 19:12-13 "Who can discern his errors?
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
(13) Keep back your servant also
from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be
blameless, and innocent of great transgression</b><b>."</b></i> David is clear that there
are two kinds of sins: hidden sins and presumptuous sins (willful or
arrogant sins). Both are sins, and David asks to be forgiven for them because
he knows he can’t discern all of his own sins, but God can. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><u>1 Cor. 4:5 "Therefore do not pronounce
judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the
things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then
each one will receive his commendation from God."</u></span><o:p></o:p></h1>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
People are quick to say “that guy is in it for himself” (I
am also quick to do this). However, we can’t know the internal purposes of the
heart, and really, that matters just as much or more than the external actions.
The fact of the matter is, until God sheds light on the intentions, we should not pronounce judgment on somebody. Some interesting
wording here indicates that right now our deepest intentions are in the dark, but when Christ comes into our hearts it brings light to us. Then, when we are
all in judgment before God, Christ, being
light, will expose us completely and there will be no part of us that can’t be
examined by men and by God. In that time, we will receive our commendation from
God, or our reward. We seek to hear this which is told in <b><i>Matt. 25:23 “His
master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been
faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your
master.'”</i></b> We gain a reward for being
faithful, however, we also must be careful as is the warning here: <b><i>2 John 1:8 "Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but
may win a full reward."</i> </b>We need to be careful; we need to be faithful.
Moreover, this doesn’t mean that we should not be careful of our actions just
because we can’t rightfully judge them. The Holy Spirit resides within us
and identifies our sins, and identifies our faults. When identified, we have no
excuse not to act on our knowledge of them, because if we truly believe in what Christ has done, we
will seek to serve Him with all of our might and all of our worth. If we don’t,
we are showing we don’t truly believe in Him and His works. This is clearly
seen in Romans: <i style="font-weight: bold;">Rom. 6:15-18 "What then? Are we to sin because we are not
under law but under grace? By no means!
(16) Do you not know that if you
present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom
you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to
righteousness? (17) But thanks be to God, that you who were once
slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching
to which you were committed, (18) and,
having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness." </i>When we are saved, we are submitting to be servants, friends, and stewards of God. We are supposed to act like it, we are to spread His word, and we are to obey Him, <o:p></o:p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Acts 10:42 "And He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead."</i> This, in context, was in regard to the apostles who ate and drank with Christ. But the commission has been given to us as well as to them. <i style="font-weight: bold;">1 John 5:2-3 "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey His commandments. (3) For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome."</i> God is clear on what truly shows that we love Him and shows us how to truly live for Him.<br />
<br />
<br />
In conclusion, do you regard those in authority in your church as servants of Christ? And do you see yourself as a steward with a dire warning if you do nothing with that responsibility? If you are like the timid, slothful servant, what kind of reception do you expect when you are before God, answering for your actions here on earth? We are called to produce, we are called to serve Him, and we are to proclaim His name to all the nations and to all people. Are you?<br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-66752465365854452582015-01-22T13:04:00.000-08:002015-01-22T13:04:06.506-08:00Of the Temple, and of Wisdom<h3>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">It has been quite a long time since my last blog post. I had some personal things I have needed to work through, but I'm back again. :)</span></span> </h3>
<div>
<div>
<b>1 Cor. 3:16-23 "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? (17) If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. (18) Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. (19) For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, 'He catches the wise in their craftiness,' (20) and again, 'The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.' (21) So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, (22) whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, (23) and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's."</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div>
To continue on the series that I was working on going through 1 Corinthians, I will go through my thoughts about 1 Corinthians 3:16-23.</div>
<div>
It somewhat seems like a bunch of random thoughts thrown together, however, all Scripture is God-breathed and I did my best to connect the different concepts. However, some of them I struggled to find the connection, therefore I suggest you read the passage and study it on your own (and really the rest of the chapter) to find any context I didn't provide.</div>
</div>
</div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">1 Cor 3:16 "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in
you?"</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It used to be that God resided above the Ark of the Covenant
and His presence was always there: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>Exod. 25:21-22 "And you
shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put
the testimony that I shall give you.
(22) There I will meet with you,
and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the
ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in
commandment for the people of Israel."</b></i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, now that we have entered into a new covenant and the
Holy Spirit resides in us and Christ is our mediator and we have constant
access to the Father.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Heb. 9:24 "For Christ has entered, not into holy places
made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself,
now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf." </i> </b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Christ’s death has given us the Holy Spirit, and wherever
God dwells is holy and is a temple of God. The word “dwell” refers to living
someplace with permanence. Therefore, the Holy Spirit lives in us and we are his
habitation. The fact that He dwells in a place makes it His temple. Now, knowing that we
are the temple of God, how are we to live? We are supposed to live pure and
holy lives that are representative of the person who lives inside us. We are
supposed to let the light of God shine through our lives. For he is a pure and
holy God, and if we don’t live that way, it is evidence that the Holy Spirit
doesn't live in us.</div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">1 Cor. 3:17 "If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's
temple is holy, and you are that temple."</span></h3>
<h1>
<o:p></o:p></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Paul just finished discussing and posing the notion that we
are God’s temple, and here he goes on to say what we need to do with that
information. It says that if anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy
him. The word “destroyed” means to defile, to ruin, or to spoil. It doesn't
necessarily mean the word “destruction” in the sense of a building being
completely destroyed, so much as it could mean graffiti, or bringing something
unholy into the temple, or vandalism.
God destroyed any who did those things to his temple in the Old
Testament. An example is when the Philistines captured the ark and attempted to
keep it in their pagan temple. First God destroyed their idol, and then He gave the people of Ashdod tumors, killing some. Therefore, how much more
should we be careful of our own bodies, and of the temple of God? I believe
this warning is spoken mostly to apply to ourselves, but also others. For we
need to respect our bodies, we need to take care of them, we need to try to
keep them pure and holy, free from sin, free from all bondage. We also need to
keep others who are the temple of God, holy and pure, and we need to respect
their bodies and respect them because of the holiness that God gave them
through His presence within them.</div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: small;">1 Cor. 3:18-19 "Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he
is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. (19)
For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, 'He catches the wise in their craftiness.'"</span></h3>
Back in chapter one, Paul described those that are chosen by
God, and God chooses those that are humble. <i><b>1 Cor. 1:26-29 "For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise
according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble
birth. (27) But God chose what is foolish in the world to
shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; (28)
God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to
bring to nothing things that are, (29) so that no human being might boast in
the presence of God."</b> </i>God chooses the foolish, the weak, the low, and the
despised to be His servants. In order for us to become His perfect servants, we
must become humble, we must acknowledge our own foolishness, and in so doing,
we become wise. It is a paradox, yet it’s what God has instituted for us as His
perfect plan. We need to realize that although worldly wisdom or knowledge can
be useful for surviving here on earth, it doesn't save us, and it can lead us
into a prideful state that is very dangerous. As it says in verse 19, the
wisdom of the world is folly with God, and it warns in <b><i>Col. 2:8</i></b> <b><i>“</i></b><i><b>See to it that no one takes you captive by
philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the
elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.</b></i><b><i>”</i></b> It’s very
easy to be taken captive by philosophy and empty deceit which are based in
human tradition. An example of this is evolution, those that believe in
macro-evolution and try to mix it with the Bible have been taken captive by
empty deceit, and they have chosen to believe worldly wisdom over the
“foolishness” of the Bible. The Bible is clear about what is true, and
yet people try to twist it and say “well that’s just poetry” or they say
“that’s not what it really means.” They are trusting scientists that are not believers
to interpret the evidence for them without the lens of the Bible and then they
take their word for it even if it contradicts what the Bible says. To the
world, the Bible is foolish, and if we don’t renounce our worldly wisdom, we
will never gain true wisdom for we will be taken captive by empty deceit and
philosophy.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">1 Cor. 3:20 "and again, 'The Lord knows the
thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.'"<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise; He knows what they
are thinking (He also knows what we are thinking). It says here that their
thoughts are futile. The word means it’s vain - they are pointless thoughts. Why
are they pointless? Because they are worldly wisdom, and though “wisdom,” they
are worldly which makes them corrupt and also fruitless. An interesting note of
this word is that it can be used to indicate idolatry (empty worship) and
vanity (somewhat relating to pride in one’s accomplishments, or character).
Therefore it leads me to believe that this is also referring to people who take
pride in their wisdom (therefore they are an idol to themselves). Although they
are “wise,” their wisdom is in vain due to their pride in themselves, and their wisdom will avail nothing. God, as it says in verse 19, will catch
the wise in their craftiness. <o:p></o:p></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: small;">1 Cor. 3:21-23 "So let no one boast in
men. For all things are yours, (22) whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the
world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, (23)
and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's."</span></h3>
<h1>
<o:p></o:p></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Men are flawed and nothing they do on their own will be
fruitful or pure or godly. Anything that is good will be from God, not
men. <b><i>Rom. 7:18 "For I know that nothing
good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is
right, but not the ability to carry it out."</i> </b>As Paul is clear to tell us,
there is nothing good within us, and anything that is “good” is from God, not
ourselves. Therefore, they shouldn't put themselves under the banner of “I
follow Paul” or “I follow Apollos” or “I follow Cephas” because although they
have been made great by God, they are still only His creations, and it’s only to
God’s credit that they are to be lifted up. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The phrase “for all things are yours” indicates that the
previous statements are important to the following statement. The previous
statement shows that men aren't worthy to boast in because their wisdom is
folly in God’s eyes. This means that one shouldn't boast in men, because all of
God’s creation was given to man. Moreover, we should realize that all of these
things are given to us by God. Furthermore, we were given to Christ and Christ was
given to God. So all of those things were given to us by God, yet they belong
still to God. But we shouldn't boast in them because they are God’s not ours.
We should be united because they are given to all of us by God for our benefit. <o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-36324045480785610852013-12-20T21:07:00.000-08:002013-12-20T21:07:29.438-08:00The Foundation and The Fire<i><u>1 Cor. 3:10 "According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. </u></i><br />
<i><u>1 Cor. 3:11 "For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. </u></i><br />
<i><u>1 Cor. 3:12 "Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw</u></i><br />
<i><u>1 Cor. 3:13 "each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. </u></i><br />
<i><u>1 Cor. 3:14 "If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. </u></i><br />
<i><u>1 Cor. 3:15 "If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire."</u></i><br />
<div>
<br />
The foundation, the fire, and the reward - these are the three things this passage talks about. It talks about the foundation of Christ, it talks about the testing of our works, and then it talks about what happens after we are tested.<br />
<br />
<i><u><b>1 Cor. 3:10 "According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it."</b></u></i><br />
<br />
Paul was a skilled master builder because of God's grace which was given to him. What he means is that he was an Apostle, as he says in almost all the books he wrote: <i>Rom 1:1 "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God." </i>The word "apostle" means "delegate," "ambassador," "officially a commissioner of Christ with Miraculous power." Paul is an apostle, which means he has miraculous power, he is there to represent Christ, directly, here on earth. Think about that; a man whose sole purpose in life was to destroy the church of Christ (before his conversion) - this man's purpose on earth is now to represent, directly, the Person whom he had persecuted with so much zeal. Paul gets his authority from Christ because he is an Apostle. We are to follow his direction because he is a direct representative for God. Moreover, he is one who has the authority from God, directed by the Holy Spirit, to lay the foundation of salvation for people. <br />
<br />
Paul didn't lay this foundation with eloquence or with worldly wisdom: <i>1 Cor. 2:1 "And I, when I came to you, brothers, <strong>did</strong> <b>not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. </b></i><i>1 Cor. 2:2 "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." </i>The foundation of Christianity is sinners saved by Christ's death. The end. That is the foundation of our faith. Without it, there is NO salvation. On top of that you build other things, such as these:<br />
His resurrection is power over death and therefore sin: <i>Rom. 5:17-18 "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. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men." </i><br />
Christ is the Son of God: <i>Matt. 26:63-64 "But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to Him, 'I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.' </i><i> Jesus said to him, 'You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.'" </i><br />
This God is the only God: <i>1 Tim. 1:17 "To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the <b>only God</b>, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." </i><br />
Another that I'll mention is the Trinity - three Beings who are all one, yet still three. All three were seen in this passage. <i>Matt. 3:16-17 "And when Jesus was baptized, immediately He went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on Him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'"</i><br />
These basics are built upon the foundation of Christ's death. On top of these more things are built. This is what Paul is talking about in <i>1 Cor. 2:6-7 "Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.</i><i> But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory." </i>and what he talks about here, in <i>1 Cor. 3:1-2 "But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready."</i><br />
The wisdom all stems from the foundation of Christ.<br />
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<i><u><b>1 Cor. 3:11 "For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."</b></u></i><br />
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There is only one foundation; anything else is not a foundation at all.<br />
<i>Matt. 7:24-26 "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. </i><i>And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. </i><i>And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand."</i><br />
Sand is what you build on if you're not building on the rock of Christ. Christ is our foundation and our cornerstone. <i>Isa. 28:16 "therefore thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: 'Whoever believes will not be in haste.''"</i><br />
The cornerstone is the stone that the rest of the building is built around. In fact, the rest of the bricks are all placed in the correct position in relation to this cornerstone. Therefore, if Christ is our cornerstone, everything we do should done because of Him, and should be done in relation to Him. If you go to the gas station today, how are you going to treat the cashier? How do you interact with the cashier in relation to Christ? Are you going to be grumpy and thereby misaligned from where Christ would have you? Or will you show some joy because you know where you're going and you know what Christ has done for you?<br />
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<i><u><b>1 Cor. 3:12-13 "Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, </b></u></i><i><u><b>each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done."</b></u></i><br />
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This fire is an interesting concept. Fire is used other places by God: with Moses and the burning bush, (<i>Exod. 3:2 "And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed."</i>) in burnt sacrifices, (<i>Lev. 1:9 "but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD."</i>) burning idols, (<i>Deut. 7:25 "The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the LORD your God."</i>) in baptism in Christ (<i>Matt. 3:11 "'I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire</i>.'") His angels are seen as a flame, (<i>Heb. 1:7 "Of the angels he says, "He makes His angels winds, and His ministers a flame of fire."</i>) a pillar of fire was used to lead the Israelites, (<i>Exod. 13:21 "And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. </i><i>Exod. 13:22 "The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people."</i>) fire was used to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (<i>Gen. 19:24 "Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven."</i>) it is figuratively used in 1 Peter to represent trials to test our faith, (<i>1 Pet. 1:6 "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, </i><i>1 Pet. 1:7 "so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."</i>) in Revelation, Christ's eyes are said to be like a flame of fire, (<i>Rev. 2:18 "'And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: 'The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.''"</i>) God is said to be a consuming fire, (<i>Heb. 12:28 "Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, Heb. 12:29 "for our God is a consuming fire</i>.")<br />
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Here in 1 Corinthians, it says "for THE Day will disclose it" ("it" being each one's work) and "it will be revealed by fire." It says in Revelation that Christ (whose eyes are like a flame of fire) will sit on the Great White Throne and judge the living and the dead: <i>Rev 20:12 "And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done." </i>He will use His discernment to judge our works and judge our motives; He will test our works and what survives His test will show what we have done here on earth for Him. If we have done all the right things, but had the wrong heart, our works will be consumed. <i>1Co 4:5a Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. </i>If we have done the right things with the right heart, they shall not be consumed. The only way we can do this is through faith, humility, and through following the Spirit to allow Christ to live through us. </div>
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<i><u><b>1 Cor. 3:14 "If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward."</b></u></i></div>
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During our judgment we will get a reward for what we have done. <i>1 Cor. 4:5b</i> "<i>Then each one will receive his commendation from God." </i>This commendation is this <i>Matt. 25:23 "His master said to him, '<b>Well done, good and faithful servant.</b> You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'" </i>We are all servants of God, <i>Titus 1:1 "Paul, a<b> servant of God </b>and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness." </i>This means that if we are servants of Christ we have a couple possibilities, either this where it says "well done good and faithful servant" or as it says in verse 26, "you wicked and slothful servant." It's up to you to choose how you serve and what you build on. </div>
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<i><u><b>1 Cor. 3:15 "If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire."</b></u></i></div>
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Basically, they will not receive the reward obtained by those whose works survived the fire. On top of that, they shall forever know they didn't do as much as they could/should have for Christ. Only as through fire shall they be saved. This means that after our actions have been tested by Christ's discernment, if there is nothing left but you still have the foundation of Christ, you have <em>nothing</em> besides the foundation of Christ; it's as if you came through a fire.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-35023306083534505472013-11-16T21:51:00.001-08:002013-11-16T21:51:18.574-08:00The Planter, The Gardener, and The Grower...<u><i>1 Cor. 3:1 "But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. </i></u><br />
<u><i>1 Cor. 3:2 "I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, </i></u><br />
<u><i>1 Cor. 3:3 "for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? </i></u><br />
<u><i>1 Cor. 3:4 "For when one says, 'I follow Paul,' and another, 'I follow Apollos,' are you not being merely human? </i></u><br />
<u><i>1 Cor. 3:5 "What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. </i></u><br />
<u><i>1 Cor. 3:6 "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. </i></u><br />
<u><i>1 Cor. 3:7 "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. </i></u><br />
<u><i>1 Cor. 3:8 "He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. </i></u><br />
<u><i>1 Cor. 3:9 "For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building."</i></u><br />
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This passage addresses division within the church once again. However, it comes from a different angle and has a really different purpose than the previous passage which talked about the same subject. This passage starts out by saying that the church is immature, then points out that they are full of jealousy and strife because they follow people instead of Christ, Paul then goes on to explain both his and Apollos's role within the church.<br />
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<u><i><b>1 Cor. 3:1 "But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ."</b></i></u><br />
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Paul couldn't treat the Corinthians as if they were spiritual or, as Strong's dictionary says "religious," but he had to treat them as carnal or of the flesh because they were still babes in Christ.<br />
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<u><i><b>1 Cor. 3:2 "I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,"</b></i></u><br />
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This is a continuation of the previous verse, in that it's saying that Paul can't talk to them as those who are spiritually mature; he has to talk to them as those who are spiritually young. This a good analogy with the type of food. Milk is for those who are really young - babies, those who can't fend for themselves and need defense and teaching. This is also a good point for us. We shouldn't be guiding people to salvation and then dropping them. We need to help to nurture them, protect them, guide them, not just show them the path and say good luck. This is because those who are young in the faith need milk to grow, they need protection so they are not overcome by the world, and they need somebody to show them the path so they don't wander off into the woods of the world.<br />
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<b><u><i>1 Cor. 3:3-4 "for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? </i></u><u><i> For when one says, 'I follow Paul,' and another, 'I follow Apollos,' are you not being merely human?"</i></u></b><br />
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The Corinthians were acting like spiritual children - spiritual infants. They, therefore, were acting like people of the flesh. me people see a leader in the church and like their teaching or like their style, and say "Ah, this guy is for me, I'm going to follow <em>his</em> Christianity." Saying there is more than one Christianity is showing that you are not more than a child in your knowledge and maturity in spiritual things.<br />
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<u><i><b>1 Cor. 3:5 "What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each."</b></i></u><br />
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Neither Paul nor Apollos were anything more than people given an assignment by God, called just as you have and I have been called. They were nothing more than messengers (although willing messengers). They were the servants of Christ, just doing what the Lord had called and asked them too do.<br />
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<u><i><b>1 Cor. 3:6 "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth."</b></i></u><br />
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This verse speaks against full-fledged Arminianism because Arminian adherents would say it's up to <em>you</em> to choose and to grow. This passage says differently. Paul spread the seeds of the Gospel, Apollos takes care of it, waters it, and nurtures the people. However, it is God who actually provides the growth; it isn't Paul, it isn't Apollos, it isn't you, and it isn't me. We are just servants of Christ - His tools - but He is the cause that makes changes happen.<br />
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<u><i><b>1 Cor. 3:7 "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth."</b></i></u><br />
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The best we have is nothing but dirty rags before God: <i>Isa. 64:6 "We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment." </i>What we have to offer is nothing, all things of value come from God and His mercy and guidance on our lives. The planting and watering can be done by anybody and is nothing more than following the commands of God. He is the one who gives growth, and therefore He is the one who gets credit. One can water a dead plant all they want, but it won't ever grow; God HAS to open hearts and minds in order for there to be any growth.<br />
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<b style="font-style: italic; text-decoration: underline;">1 Cor. 3:8 "He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor."</b><br />
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"He who waters and he who plants are one" seems to mean that they have the same goal, or teach the same doctrine. This can be deduced when reading the verse in context; the people are saying they follow Paul or Apollos instead of saying they are following Christ. In other words, they keep saying they are following the servants of Christ instead of Christ Himself, but His servants are just that... servants. It is not our job to decide whether or not Paul or Apollos is better, that is up to God because God is the one who judges; we won't know our wages until after death.<br />
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<u><i><b>1 Cor. 3:9 "For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building."</b></i></u><br />
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Paul, Apollos, you, me, your pastor, my pastor - we are all fellow workers for God. We all are called to do the same thing - speak God's love for the whole world, maybe this means our neighbors, and maybe this means people across the globe. God will and does lead us in the right direction if we are willing to listen. The people, in general, are where God works, so we are His field because He makes and allows us to grow. We are God's building because our bodies are His temple where He dwells. Moreover, we are His Kingdom, which shows we are being built by Him.<br />
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Paul and Apollos were workers for Christ. How they performed on earth is a matter of God's point of view, not ours. They were also just servants of Christ; we can't allow ourselves to lose sight of Who we are following and to Whom we are accountable. We must also continue to grow in Christ and we must help those who are still new in the faith as well as those who are experienced in the faith as they maneuver around pitfalls and attempt to live a God-honoring life. The Corinthians quit growing and were acting like toddlers in the faith - just the little ones. They were full of jealousy, strife, and therefore sin all over which teacher they would "claim." What silliness; yet we need to also be careful not to fall into this danger because it's ever present for us as long as we have leaders. So, child of God, be careful, guard your heart, and continue to grow in Christ.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-18761191155729300992013-09-21T21:40:00.001-07:002013-09-21T21:40:30.045-07:00Lowly, foolish, and weak, the best traits for a Christian?<u><i>1 Cor. 1:25 "For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. </i></u><br />
<u><i>1 Cor. 1:26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. </i></u><br />
<u><i>1 Cor. 1:27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; </i></u><br />
<u><i>1 Cor. 1:28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, </i></u><br />
<u><i>1 Cor. 1:29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. </i></u><br />
<u><i>1 Cor. 1:30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, </i></u><br />
<i><u>1 Cor. 1:31 so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the L</u></i><i><u>ord.'"</u></i><br />
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This next set of verses is one of my favorite passages. The reason being that it shows that God chooses to show His power and majesty through sinners, through the weak, the foolish, and the lowly.<br />
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<u><i><b>1 Cor. 1:25 "For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."</b></i></u><br />
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To get a better understanding of this verse, let's look at the ISV translation: <i>1 Cor. 1:25 "For God's nonsense is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength." (ISV)</i><br />
The reason I like this translation of this verse is the word "nonsense" which basically means it doesn't make sense. Paul is saying: "What God does, even if it doesn't make sense to us, is still wiser than we are. If what God does looks weak, it's still stronger than we are. Whatever God does, He does for a purpose. His purpose, even though it may not seem reasonable, smart, or anything but foolishness, it will be the wisest thing possible." For example: when Christ was on the cross, He could have called legions of angels to His side, yet He didn't. He died without a fight. Was Christ weak? No, He was strong for NOT calling the angels. He could have forsaken us all to our sins so He didn't have to die; but He suffered and died and took all of our sins so we could have salvation.<br />
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<u><i><b>1 Cor. 1:26 "For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth."</b></i></u><br />
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When you look at Jesus's disciples and what they were before they met him, they weren't rich, nor were they of a higher class. Peter, Andrew, John, and James were all fishermen -definitely not the pinnacle of society at the time. Levi was a tax collector. Tax collectors were hated due to their dishonest practice of exacting money from people. (Who wants their money taken away?) Christ also says this in Mark 10:25: "<i>It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.</i>" Paul was one of the few Apostles who was "wise" according to worldly standards before he was saved. He was a zealot for Judaism; he was a Pharisee; he was the "Hebrew of Hebrews." "As to righteousness under the law, blameless" (Philippians 3:5-6). Yet, the true church, (not just those who call themselves Christians, but those actually following Christ) is mainly made up of the weak, the odd, and the foolish (according to the world).<br />
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<u><i><b>1 Cor. 1:27 "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;"</b></i></u><br />
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The foolish in the world, made wise. The weak in the world, made strong. Sounds to me like the world's best transformation program. What do you think? I'd say it is. When we get the Holy Spirit, and He works in and through us, we can do things that we thought were impossible. The reason that God does this goes back to verse 21: <i>"For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe." </i>The foolish are more easily saved than the wise, the poor and the weak are more easily saved than the rich and the strong. Why? Because of these words in Proverbs 29:23: "<i>One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.</i>" Those who are rich, wise, and strong have a lot to be prideful about. They can rely on their human status or abilities to get what they want in life (or so they think), and the only way for them to be saved is when they realize that they aren't enough. The most common way this happens is for them to have their money taken away, or have somebody prove they are dumb, or something take away their strength. It takes a low spot in anybody's life for them to realize that the only way for them to have true peace and joy is through Christ. People who are poor, people who aren't "wise" (by worldly standards), and those who are weak have an easier time realizing that they need work than do those who have power, those who are strong, those who are rich, or those who are wise (again, according to worldly standards).<br />
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<u><i><b>1 Cor. 1:28 "God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,"</b></i></u><br />
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The best example of this is David and Goliath. David, a little short guy, with a staff and a rock, defeated the best fighter of the time. He was laughed at by the troops, laughed at by the Giant, and he was spoken down to by his brother: <i>1 Sam. 17:28 "Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, 'Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.'"</i> Yet, he destroyed the Giant, became king even though he was the youngest brother, and God showed that he can use anybody who trusts Him. If you trust Him, He can make you strong and He can make you wise. He will use you to show His power to those who have power. He will use you to show His wisdom to those who are wise. He will use you to show His strength to those who are strong. So the point of this is that it doesn't matter what or who you are, you can be saved and God will use you. If you are the poorest poor, or the richest rich, God can and will use you, should you believe.<br />
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<u><i><b>1 Cor. 1:29 "so that no human being might boast in the presence of God."</b></i></u><br />
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The reason God uses the lowly, weak, and foolish is so that they can't boast before Him. They can't say they did the things they did by their own power, but can ONLY point toward God. So, if you're being prideful, God won't be able to use you at full potential.<br />
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<u><i><b>1 Cor. 1:30 "And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,"</b></i></u><br />
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Because of God, we are in Christ. He gave us Christ; He outlined the salvation plan, etc. Christ IS wisdom given to us from God, and Christ is our righteousness, sanctification and redemption. It sounds pretty simple, but really think about what this is saying. We are not righteous nor are we wise. So, in order for us to become righteous, in order to be sanctified and redeemed, we must have something that is righteous for us. Christ is the one Who is righteous for us, the one Whom God sees when He looks at us. He is also our wisdom, because we are foolish; He is our strength because we are weak; He is what we aren't, so that we may become what we need to become in Christ.<br />
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<b><i><u>1 Cor. 1:31 "so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the L</u></i><i><u>ord.'"</u></i></b><br />
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When you do anything that is good, you need to point to God and not yourself. If you get a good grade on a test, that wasn't you, that was God. He gave you the brain-power and the drive to do well. If you make a smart choice, it was God who gave you the wisdom. If you are able to bench 500 lbs., it was God who gave you that ability. If you speak the salvation message and somebody believes because of it, it wasn't you that saved them. God worked in their heart, and God gave you the words to say.<br />
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The point of this whole passage is that God is wise, He is strong, and we are not. Plain and simple. The concept that piggybacks on this one is that those who are weak, foolish, and lowly are the people who are most open to the truth; they are the ones who are most useful to God in most circumstances because He can then show His power. However, if you are humble and realize how much of what you've done is because of God, you will be useful for him regardless of your status in life. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-74967016633182226412013-08-06T23:36:00.000-07:002013-08-30T22:41:49.100-07:00The Gospel - Folly to the Foolish and Wisdom to the Wise<i><u>1 Cor. 1:18 "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. </u></i><br />
<i><u>1 Cor. 1:19 For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.' </u></i><br />
<i><u>1 Cor. 1:20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? </u></i><br />
<i><u>1 Cor. 1:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. </u></i><br />
<i><u>1 Cor. 1:22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, </u></i><br />
<i><u>1 Cor. 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, </u></i><br />
<i><u>1 Cor. 1:24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."</u></i><br />
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<i><b><u>1 Cor. 1:18 "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."</u></b></i></div>
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The "word of the cross" is referring to the Gospel message of Christ dying on the cross and being raised again on the third day. If you don't believe something is true, then chances are you believe that it is a foolish idea, or thought, or statement. Paul is saying that if you are not saved, you don't believe the Gospel is true, and therefore believe it's foolish. However, if you are saved, you believe the Gospel, and you know that it is truth, and that it is where the power of God is shown. In the power of His grace and the power of our salvation, both in action (the paying the price), and in the saving of us (the beginning of our salvation).<br />
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<b style="font-style: italic; text-decoration: underline;">1 Cor. 1:19 "For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.'" </b> (Found in Isaiah 29:14)<br />
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Using the KJV will help to clear up what this verse is saying.<br />
<i><u>(KJV) For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. </u></i><br />
Paul's point is that anybody who thinks himself wise and has any faith in his own knowledge and understanding will be humbled and learn that it has no eternal value. When we die, all that will matter is our knowledge of and faith in Christ. When the earth gets destroyed, all its history, all the sciences, all medicine, all philosophy, all language will be useless to us due to it's imperfection. When we get to heaven, it will all become unnecessary to remember the history we were taught, we will not need to know about science (at least science of today, we may still learn how God made things to work perfectly, but not man's pathetic shot at understanding it), medicine will be obsolete, philosophy will become false, and we won't need to worry about spelling or grammar. What you are taught in school will not gain you salvation, so in mind of eternity, it won't matter. Not to mention, most of our philosophy, history, science, and language, is full of misinformation, and/or human convention which will all be destroyed.<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;"><u>1 Cor. 1:20-21 "Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? </u></i><u style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe." </u><br />
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I believe the reference to the "wise" is relating to the philosophers of the time in the Gentile world, the scribes would be the Jewish version of this, being the people who are "wise" within the Jewish culture, and the debater which would be the person who thinks they can confound people by their brilliance. Then, Paul goes on to say that God has made the wisdom of people into nothing, he has destroyed it, and it is worthless. His point is this: "See all these people whom you deem smart? Whom you think are brilliant? Well, they say nothing wise; it is all foolishness." The wisdom of God is the reason that world can not know God through wisdom. I know that's maybe difficult to understand, so let me try to re-phrase it. Not allowing men to find God through wisdom is what God deemed wise. Why did God decide that the only way to Him was through Christ and His death and not through worldly wisdom? Because if God allowed men to find Him through their own wisdom it would create pride in the fact that they found God, and others with less wit didn't. I leave folly in quotation marks because it isn't folly, it is wisdom. But yet, to those who do not believe, (as it says in verse 18 "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing") it is foolish; if it wasn't foolish to them, they would believe because who would pick folly over wisdom?<br />
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<i><u><b>1 Cor. 1:22 "For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,"</b></u></i><br />
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The Jews look for God in the signs, and the Greeks look for God through earthly wisdom. But neither will find Him. Because they only way to find God is through faith in the "folly" of Christ's death and resurrection.<br />
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<i><u><b>1 Cor. 1:23 "but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,"</b></u></i><br />
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The proper translation would be "an offence to the Jews" The reason being that they expected a physical king, one who would save them from the world at large. What they didn't realize is that He came to save them from the carnality of the world and not from the rulers of the world. The reason that is is folly to the Gentiles, is that it goes against everything they know. Some guy, in Judea died and then His followers claim He rose again. Why would this make sense? Sacrifice does not make sense, and they hadn't ever seen anybody rise from the dead before. That is <b>foolishness</b> to the "rational" humanistic mind; why should we do something to better others if it hurts ourselves? <br />
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<i><u><b>1 Cor. 1:24 "but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."</b></u></i><br />
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The word "called":<br />
"κλητός<br />
klētos<br />
klay-tos'<br />
invited, that is, appointed, or (specifically) a saint: - called."<br />
Basically, those who are saved: the believers in Christ. This is just a reiteration of what Paul says back in verse 18: "But to us who are being saved it is the power of God." We are saved by Christ, and even though it doesn't make sense from a humanistic-logical-sinful standpoint, it makes sense from God's viewpoint and believers see it as perfect wisdom on God's part.<br />
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The whole purpose of this passage is to reaffirm that Christ is true wisdom to the believer. And although those of this age may think they are smart and have wisdom but it will all perish, as will they. It says the Jews wanted signs, yet because of the lack of signs and the lack of Christ doing what they expected, He was a stumbling block and offensive to the Jews. To the Gentiles, it didn't make sense. Why would they care about some guy who died in a different culture? Yet, it is wisdom to us believers who think not with the foolish Gentile mind, nor with the tainted mind of the Jew. Instead, we think with the mind of the Holy Spirit Who was given to us by God to explain His mysteries and to guide us through our lives. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-19870494765470021292013-08-01T21:52:00.001-07:002013-08-06T20:06:20.180-07:00Division, Unity, and Christ<i><u>1 Cor. 1:10 "I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. </u></i><br />
<i><u>1 Cor. 1:11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. </u></i><br />
<i><u>1 Cor. 1:12 What I mean is that each one of you says, 'I follow Paul,' or 'I follow Apollos,' or 'I follow Cephas,' or 'I follow Christ.' </u></i><br />
<i><u>1 Cor. 1:13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? </u></i><br />
<i><u>1 Cor. 1:14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, </u></i><br />
<i><u>1 Cor. 1:15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. </u></i><br />
<i><u>1 Cor. 1:16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) </u></i><br />
<i><u>1 Cor. 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."</u></i><br />
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Divisions within the church disrupt both the growth of the people and the growth of the kingdom of God. Does this mean there is nothing we should disagree on? Yes, it does. Does this mean, however, that we won't disagree on anything? I don't think so...<br />
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<b><i><u>1 Cor. 1:10 "I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment." (ESV)</u></i></b><br />
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<b><i><u>1 Cor. 1:10 "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." (KJV)</u></i></b><br />
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<b><i><u><br /></u></i></b>I think that the KJV translates this verse better than the ESV because of the difference of words "agree" and "speak." The difference is that is is impossible for people to agree on everything unless they are all perfect and of one mind with God. Now, "speaking the same thing" means that men can say the same things, even if they do not believe all of the same specifics. Let me explain - all believers should agree on the basics of the faith - we are sinners, Christ died for our sins, only through Christ can we be saved, it's through faith, and not works that we are saved, etc. These are the things that we should be speaking about in public, the Gospel message, and the basics of the faith. Things we disagree on, should not be <i>debated</i> in public, because it puts a face of disunity on Christianity. When we do disagree on things that are not of such importance, instead of assuming that the other person is wrong and condemning them as not being saved. We should remember that we aren't perfect, so there is a possibility that they are right. The first reason you shouldn't condemn them is you might be wrong. The second reason is that you are not God, you can't judge their hearts, neither can you know if they are saved or not. Now, this isn't saying you can't discuss your differences, but don't be broadcasting that they are not saved, or they are 100% wrong. How do you know which one is wrong and which one is right? You have your opinion, you are convinced in your own mind which is what matters because of what it says in Romans 14:23b, "<i>For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin."</i> and in Romans 14:5,<em> </em>"<em>One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.</em>"<em> </em> These include any of your beliefs, and anybody else's beliefs. The latter verse is talking about the Sabbath. Some believe that there is no difference between the Sabbath and any other day; others believe there is. This is one issue believers disagree on once in a while. What matters is that you are convinced, not if you esteem Sundays ahead of the other days or not. Unity in one mind and with the same judgement is again referring to the fact that we are all under Christ, the Holy Spirit should be our mind and our judgment on all things of life. We are not to <em>be</em> the same person, but we are to be <em>under</em> the same Person. <br />
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Galatians 5:25-26 reads "<i>If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." </i>Prior to this, Paul is explaining the fruits of the Spirit, three of which I would like to highlight: gentleness, patience, and kindness. We should be gentle with all people despite disagreeing, we should also be patient with people who believe things different from us, we should also be kind to each other despite different beliefs. For example, if you believe that one translation of the Bible is superior to any of the others, why should you condemn, disgrace, and disassociate from other believers who believe the use of another is superior to yours or who believe one is not better than another? You both believe Christ is Lord, you both believe you are sinners, and you are both convinced in your own mind that you are right, so there is no reason not to get along, even if you do disagree. You are both saved, and you will know the true answer in heaven... and there is a chance both of you were wrong!<br />
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<i><u><b>1 Cor. 1:11-12 "For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. </b></u></i><i><u><b>What I mean is that each one of you says, 'I follow Paul,' or 'I follow Apollos,' or 'I follow Cephas,' or 'I follow Christ.'"</b></u></i><br />
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In the previous verse Paul tells them that they should not be divided, and that they should be united under Christ. These verses go on to say that divisions have been among them, and he explains what he means, (which also gives us context to the previous verses.) The divisions among them (which were also referenced in the previous verse) consist of them following distinct people: Paul, Apollos, Cephas, or Christ. They didn't realize that they are all under Christ, not each under their minister. They thought that each had his own beliefs instead of realizing that under Christ are different teachers, none that are perfect, but all that are under Him. The fact that they followed teachers, instead of Christ, led to dissension, quarreling and disunity within the church. Going back up to verse ten, it also explains why Paul is telling them to be of the same mind (from the Holy Spirit, and therefore Christ.) They are of different minds, not of the same mind, they were probably judging and accusing each other based on who they were "following." Paul is trying to tell them that they should not base their or anybody else's salvation on who taught or baptized them but on the deity of Christ.<br />
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<u><b><i>1 Cor. 1:13 </i></b></u><u><b><i>"</i></b></u><u><b><i>Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?"</i></b></u><br />
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I love Paul's sarcasm here, it really drives home his point that Christ was crucified, not Paul; they were baptized in the name of Christ, not Paul; Christ is the one who saved us, not Paul. This continues the thought from the previous verses very well. The last verses he says "this is what you say," now he is saying "Oh really? So is Christ really divided like that?". Then he says "So was I crucified for you? Did I save you?" The obvious answer is no, he did not die for them, he was not the one to save them. His other obvious question is "Is Christ divided?" the answer is no, how can and should we apply this? Are you a Calvinist? Are you a Baptist? Are you a Lutheran? I say you are none of the above, because of this verse. You are a <b>CHRISTIAN! </b>You are a follower of Christ, you shouldn't be a follower of Calvin; you shouldn't be a follower of Luther; you should be a follower of Christ. You may study their works, you may believe what they did, but you still are a follower of Christ because neither Luther nor Calvin died for your sins.<br />
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<b><i><u>1 Cor. 1:14-16 "I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, </u></i><i><u>so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. </u></i><i><u>(I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)"</u></i></b><br />
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Paul doesn't want to become the people's idol because it is God that is the focus, not him. If none were baptized by him, none can say they were baptized in his name. Therefore it makes it harder for people to put him at the center of their religion.<br />
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<i><u><b>1 Cor. 1:17 "For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."</b></u></i><br />
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Paul wasn't sent to baptize, he was sent to preach and spread the Gospel. He wasn't sent because he was a great orator, but because he was following Christ. The power of the cross is evident when people accept the Gospel, even when it doesn't sound good and when it wasn't persuasive. If he was eloquent, people would say that he convinced them because of his eloquence and persuasive voice and that it had nothing to do with the power of Christ's death.<br />
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Division - we need to be careful not to divide the church of God. We need to have grace when it comes to beliefs other than those central to our faith such as the Deity of Christ, the Trinity, His death and resurrection, etc. If what you believe stems from faith and doesn't go completely against the Bible, maybe you are right and maybe you are wrong, but what matters is that you believe it from faith and you are willing to be gracious, kind, and patient with those who disagree with you. I am not saying you can't disagree, or even discuss, but that you shouldn't quarrel or fight about it. Moreover, you follow <strong>CHRIST</strong>. You don't follow Paul. You don't follow Calvin. You don't follow Luther. You follow Christ. You may believe what Calvin said, and that is fine, but you are a Christian. Like Paul said, did Calvin die for you? Were you baptized in Calvin's or Luther's name? I think not. Remember that the power of the cross is not shown when we are eloquent, or when we are good at speaking, but when the Holy Spirit speaks through us. No one can say we were good orators, no one can say it was we who convinced them; it was the Holy Spirit who convinced them. So, even if you are not good at talking, even if you are not good at sharing the Gospel, do it anyway. Let Christ reveal Himself to other people through you and despite your mistakes, showing His power and not your eloquence.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-87901270691991417392013-07-08T18:28:00.000-07:002013-08-06T20:04:21.577-07:00The gift of....<i>1 Cor. 1:1 "Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, </i><br />
<i>1 Cor. 1:2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: </i><br />
<i>1 Cor. 1:3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. </i><br />
<i>1 Cor. 1:4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, </i><br />
<i>1 Cor. 1:5 that in every way you were enriched in Him in all speech and all knowledge—</i><br />
<i>1 Cor. 1:6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—</i><br />
<i>1 Cor. 1:7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, </i><br />
<i>1 Cor. 1:8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. </i><br />
<i>1 Cor. 1:9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." </i><br />
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I started in chapter two, so I'm going back to chapter one, then I'll go to chapter 3, (I'm just trying to confuse you).</div>
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<i><b><u>1 Cor. 1:1 "Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,"</u></b></i></div>
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Paul was called by the WILL of God - His determination, or His choice. He is an Apostle; he asserts his authority because of the many things he will chastise the Corinthians for, and the many things he will teach them. He wishes to make sure they know he is from God and has the authority to say what he says. Sosthenes is talked about one other time in Scripture, in Acts. </div>
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<i>Act 18:17 And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this. </i></div>
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<i><u><b>1 Cor. 1:2 "To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:"</b></u></i></div>
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Something interesting that was once pointed out to me about this passage is that this isn't "Paul's church," or "John's Church," it's God's church. All churches are God's, if they are seeking to follow Him, which you can tell when Paul says <u><strong><em>"to those sanctified"</em></strong></u>, for when we are sanctified, we are saved, and therefore we belong to the church of God. Being Saints, which means we have been sanctified, brings us together in Christ with all other people who have been sanctified in and by Christ.</div>
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<i><b><u>1 Cor. 1:3 "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."</u></b></i></div>
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Although you may see this as his common greeting, it has meaning to it.<br />
Grace is favor from God, both in giving us salvation and in giving us provision, and in everything He has given, both to the human race and to Christians. </div>
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Paul also wishes the Corinthians peace, which means to have stillness of mind. The only true peace you can have is if you fully and totally trust in God, in which case your mind should never be in conflict with itself or have anxiety. Grace is given to all people, and peace is given to those who are willing to trust in God fully.<br />
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<i><u><b>1 Cor. 1:4-5 "I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, </b></u></i><i><b><u>that in every way you were enriched in Him in all speech and all knowledge—"</u></b></i></div>
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Even though the Corinthian church had problems, Paul still thanked God for what He had done for them, through Christ. Paul sets an example here that we should note. He is thankful for what God has done, he doesn't complain about what He hasn't done. Paul says that the Corinthians abound in "speech" and "knowledge". Speech may refer to them speaking in tongues, for both in this and the next letter Paul talks several times about the Corinthians' ability to speak in tongues, and possibly to prophesy. When he speaks of knowledge, he is probably referring mostly to doctrine. Christ gave the Corinthians strong doctrine through Paul; however, just because they were given strong doctrine and the body of this church, as a whole, had strong doctrine does not signify that each individual, within the body at Corinth, had strong doctrine. This can be seen as we continue through the rest of the book of Corinthians (both one and two). There are many places where Paul has to dispel some kind of false doctrine within these two books.<br />
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<i><b><u>1 Cor. 1:6 "even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—"</u></b></i><br />
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Testimony means evidence. Therefore, this verse is saying "as the <em>evidence</em> of Christ was <em>proven to be</em> among you." The phrase "even as" refers back to verse 5, which says "You were enriched in all speech and knowledge," so it is saying that they were being enriched in speech and knowledge while the testimony of Christ was being confirmed among them.<br />
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<i><u><b>1 Cor. 1:7-8 "so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, </b></u></i><i><b><u>who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ."</u></b></i><br />
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"So that"..... what is the "so" referring to?<em> </em>It is referring to this comment in verse four: <em>"I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus." </em> Paul gives thanks because of this grace, because they are not lacking any gift.<br />
This is the definition of "gift" here, in this passage.<br />
χάρισμα<br />
charisma<br />
char'-is-mah<br />
From G5483; a (divine) gratuity, that is, deliverance (from danger or passion); (specifically) a (spiritual) endowment, that is, (subjectively) religious qualification, or (objectively) miraculous faculty: - (free) gift.</div>
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(Strong)</div>
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This can mean a lot of things, perhaps the free gift of salvation, or it may be referencing the previous verses talking about "speech and knowledge," or it may possibly be referring to the other spiritual gifts. You could probably accept any of the previous explanations but, looking ahead to verse 8, you will see that these gifts are going to help keep you guiltless till the day of Jesus. Because of the phrase that follows, I would say that salvation, specifically sanctification, and spiritual gifts are being spoken of in this instance. Sanctification will be continued forever after you have been saved, thereby qualifying it as the only thing that will <b>keep</b> you holy till the end, unless you become perfect on earth. Sanctification brings you to perfection in God's eyes. </div>
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This guiltlessness is what is being talked about in this passage. In order to be sustained to the end, you must be holy, in order to be holy, you must be either perfect by nature (which according to Paul when he wrote Romans, is not possible "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God") or you must be sanctified. To be sanctified, you must have Christ die for you, which is exactly what God has given to us. "Revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ..... in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" </div>
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These are both referring to the second coming of Christ, which is talked about right before he goes to the cross, as well as in Hebrews: <i>Heb 9:28 "so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him."</i> The second coming of Christ is when we will be saved eternally from the effects of sin and death.<br />
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<i><u><b>1 Cor. 1:9 "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."</b></u></i><br />
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This verse is reinforcing the previous verse, "<i>who will sustain you". </i>This verse, is saying that God is faithful, and will follow through with His promises. He brought you into fellowship with Christ, He will never let down His side of the covenant. As it says in Romans, 8:35-39: "<i>Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? </i><i>As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." </i>Once God has brought us into fellowship with Christ, we can't ever "lose" our salvation. To me, it sounds like Paul is saying "Don't worry, God will bring your salvation to completion." He says a similar thing in Philippians 1:6 "<i>And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." </i> He is saying that God doesn't start something He doesn't intend to finish. If you are saved by Him, you will continue in your salvation into eternity. We are brought into salvation by a faithful God who will sustain us till the end. We can be sure that we will reach the end, where He will complete the good work He began in us.<br />
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This verse has an interesting idea in it that a casual reading may not reveal. He says we were <b>called</b> by God. A call to arms, or being called to the mission field. Once He has given the call, we have to follow that call in order for our salvation to be complete. By disobeying the call, you are thereby sinning once again and more or less, spitting in the face of God. Who knows if you will receive a second call if you pass by the first? This should also dispel the notion of us initiating salvation, because if God has to call us then He is the one who initiated our chance for salvation.Without God opening our hearts and minds we have no choice to accept his salvation because we are dead in sin, a dead man can't do anything but stay dead. However, it should also dispel the idea of God completely controlling us and salvation having nothing to do with our choices. He raises us from out death in sin, and brings us to life in Him, allowing us to answer His call. However it is a call, not a command, nor does it say God forced anybody to be saved. You have to answer a call to arms, and you have to answer a call to the mission field. It is up to you to act on what God has called you to do. After saying this, I need to say that God may convince you like he did Paul, the only way out of your situation may be to follow God.<br />
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Paul gives thanks in this passage for all that God has done. He then gives some testimony to what God has done (not lacking in any spiritual gifts, they were given speech and knowledge, and that Christ was shown to be among them.) He then confirms that God will continue to bless the church, and those who are sanctified by saying that He <i style="font-weight: bold;">WILL</i> sustain them, and that God <i style="font-weight: bold;">IS</i> faithful. This is his greeting to the church before he gets to the the real "issues" at hand.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-28360897501577352422013-05-30T20:07:00.001-07:002013-06-04T18:58:36.710-07:00Wisdom and the Holy Spirit<i>1 Cor. 2:6 "Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. </i><br />
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<i>1 Cor. 2:7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. </i></div>
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<i>1 Cor. 2:8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. </i></div>
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<i>1 Cor. 2:9 But, as it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him'—</i></div>
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<i>1 Cor. 2:10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. </i></div>
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<i>1 Cor. 2:11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. </i></div>
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<i>1 Cor. 2:12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. </i><br />
<i>1 Cor. 2:13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. </i><br />
<i>1 Cor. 2:14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. </i><br />
<i>1 Cor. 2:15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. </i><br />
<i>1 Cor. 2:16 'For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct Him?' But we have the mind of Christ." </i></div>
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In my last post, I asserted that all you need to witness, is the Gospel - that Christ died and He rose again.</div>
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<i>1 Cor. 2:1 "And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom." </i></div>
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This holds true. What happens sometimes, though, is that we never move on from this point.<br />
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<i>1 Cor. 3:1 "But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. </i></div>
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<i>1 Cor. 3:2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready."</i></div>
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When we are first saved, we are infants in Christ. This faith has to be brought from infancy to adulthood. </div>
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In contrast to what I pointed out in my last post, we are supposed to give wisdom and knowledge to people, but to those that are already saved and growing. </div>
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I shall continue where I left off, at 1 Corinthians 2:6.<br />
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<b><u><i>1 Cor. 2:6 "Yet</i><i> among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away."</i></u></b><br />
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The mature, those are those who are complete in Christ, those who have been saved, and already know the basics of the faith and understand the Gospel.<span style="color: red;"> </span> This wisdom is Spiritual in nature, not earthly wisdom. God is not interested in us winning <em>Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?</em>; God is interested in us knowing about Him and who he is, Then show us how to live<span style="color: red;">. </span>This verse is repeating what He says in chapter one, verse nineteen:<br />
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<i>1 Cor. 1:19 "For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.'" </i><br />
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The wisdom of this age, and of those who deem themselves wise, He shall destroy. It shall not endure through eternity.<br />
This wisdom is the same wisdom as Solomon talked about in Proverbs three:<br />
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<i>Prov. 3:19 "The LORD by <b>wisdom</b> founded the earth; by <b>understanding</b> He established the heavens; </i><br />
<i>Prov. 3:20 by His <b>knowledge</b> the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew." </i><br />
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This wisdom is God's power. This wisdom is His actions. This wisdom is His plans, and His wisdom shows who He is. </div>
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<i><b><u>1 Cor. 2:7 "But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory."</u></b></i></div>
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"We" refers to those who preach the Gospel. This same "mystery" or "secret" is talked about several times in the Gospels and in Paul's letters. For example:<br />
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<i>Rom. 16:25 "Now to Him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the <strong>mystery</strong> that was kept secret for long ages." </i><br />
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<i>Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, </i><br />
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Eph. 1:8 "which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight </div>
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Eph. 1:9 making known to us the <strong>mystery</strong> of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ </div>
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Eph. 1:10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth."</div>
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This Wisdom is the Gospel, His plan of salvation, and His plan to show His power and glory.<br />
Conversely, this also brings us glory, and its purpose is to bring us glory. The glory we will receive is when we reach heaven, it is our salvation, and our reward for obeying Christ. This glory however, is still God's glory because it's nothing we did, but what He did. He was the One who supplied us with His glory; He is the one who created it.<br />
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<i><u><b>1 Cor. 2:8 "None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."</b></u></i><br />
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Those who crucified Christ did not understand the Gospel. Had they understood the Gospel, they would have believed in Christ and believed that He was the Savior of the world. They would have then had nothing to do with condemning Him to death in the physical sense, (although through their previous sin they already condemned Him).<br />
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<i><b><u>1 Cor. 2:9 "But, as it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him'—"</u></b></i></div>
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This passage can be used both for our current lives, and also for our future lives. Life isn't going to be peachy in our current life because we are saved. However, we will be given things like joy and peace beyond anything we could have imagined if we had not been saved by Christ.<br />
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<i>Rom. 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit</i>."<br />
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As stated here, in Romans 14, part of the kingdom of God is peace and joy <b>in </b>the Holy Spirit. If we are in the Holy Spirit, we will have joy and peace; if we are not in the Holy Spirit, we will have unrest and not exhibit the Fruits of the Spirit. If we are not in the Spirit, how can He give us His fruit?<br />
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The second part of this verse is talking about future glory in heaven. This can be read about in Revelation twenty-one and twenty-two. Also, Christ talks about it in John 14: </div>
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<i>John 14:1 "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.</i></div>
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<i>John 14:2 In My Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?</i></div>
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<i>John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also</i>."</div>
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<i><b><u>1 Cor. 2:10 "these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God."</u></b></i></div>
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The Holy Spirit should be everything to the Christian. He is our guide; He is the one to whom God has given the responsibility to reveal His will to us. The Spirit knows more about you, than you do; He knows more about God than all the angels and people combined, because He <b>is </b>God. This verse refers to the previous verse in the context of our being able to know some of what God has in store for us through the Holy Spirit.<br />
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<i><b><u>1 Cor. 2:11 "For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God."</u></b></i><br />
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We know our thoughts, because our Spirit, the Holy Spirit knows God, because He is the Spirit within God. We cannot understand all of God's thoughts, the Holy Spirit does, and therefore reveals some of His thoughts to us. However, we can't comprehend God or His thoughts. If we could, we would be God. Hence, we have to have the Holy Spirit reveal to us what we <b>can </b>comprehend of God.<br />
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<b><i><u>1 Cor. 2:12 "Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God."</u></i></b><br />
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The spirit of this world is referring back to the wisdom of this world, the Holy Spirit doesn't give us that kind of wisdom, but He gives us Wisdom of God, Wisdom from God, and Wisdom in God. The Holy Spirit gives us understanding of God and His hidden wisdom.<br />
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<b><i><u>1 Cor. 2:13 "And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual."</u></i> </b><br />
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This is a very similar to the latter part of verse six: "<em>although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.</em>"<br />
This verse finishes Verse 6, because it talks about what this wisdom actually is. Not a human wisdom, but one that is from the Holy Spirit, and one that is about God. The Holy Spirit interprets the Bible for us, if we interpret it without the Holy Spirit, we will not have the truth<span style="color: red;">. </span><br />
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<b><u><i>1 Cor. 2:14 "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned."</i></u></b><br />
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Just because you are wise according to worldly standards, does not mean that you are wise in godly wisdom. In fact, if you are not in the Holy Spirit, you will not understand spiritual truths. Because you don't understand them, they will seem foolish to you. Moreover, if you are wise in worldly wisdom, you will have less of a reason to follow Christ and to lean on the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is much easier for those who are not wise (considered foolish)to become Christians. The reason for this is shown in these verses:<br />
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<i>1 Cor. 1:26 "For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. </i><br />
<i>1 Cor. 1:27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; </i><br />
<i>1 Cor. 1:28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, </i><br />
<i>1 Cor. 1:29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. </i><br />
<i>1 Cor. 1:30 And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, </i><br />
<i>1 Cor. 1:31 so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'"</i><br />
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If you are not already considered wise, smart, or noble, there is nothing for you to boast about if you are saved, except in who gave you wisdom and salvation.<br />
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<i><b><u>1 Cor. 2:15 "The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one."</u></b></i><br />
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Those in whom the Holy Spirit lives, are to "judge" or discern all things in the world. He will be able to discern many spiritual things because the Holy Spirit reveals it to him. However, those who are in the world, because they do not understand the wisdom of God, and do not have the Holy Spirit they are unable to judge a Christian because they lack discernment given by the Holy Spirit.<br />
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<b><u><i>1 Cor. 2:16 "'For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ."</i></u></b><br />
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Paul asks an interesting rhetorical question, here. He asks who has understood the mind of the Lord. The obvious answer is no one (except the Holy Spirit who is part of the Godhead). He then goes on to make an interesting statement: "we have the mind of Christ." Did not Paul just finish saying that only the Holy Spirit understood the mind of God? Does it actually make sense that he would then come out and say we <b>have</b> the mind of Christ? The answer is yes; it does make sense. We don't understand it because it is above us, however the Holy Spirit is in us, and has the mind of Christ, and therefore we always have access, through the Holy Spirit, to the mind of Christ. The Spirit will then help us to understand the truths and thoughts contained within it.<br />
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Wisdom; there are two kinds. The first is earthly wisdom. This wisdom is of man; it is fleeting, it doesn't last into eternity. The rulers, and those considered wise are the people that have this wisdom, and since they will not last into eternity, neither will their wisdom. The second wisdom is of God, from God, and in God. It lasts into eternity because God is eternal. By those considered wise, it is foolish, by those considered foolish, it is considered wise. The Holy Spirit reveals to us the true, eternal wisdom. The Holy Spirit is in God, the Holy Spirit searches God, and brings to us His wisdom, which is why we always have access to the mind of Christ. Moreover, the Holy Spirit gives us wisdom, which then gives us judgement and discernment. This is unattainable for those who do not have the Spirit in them. The purpose of this passage is to dispel the myth that we should never seek the deep things, and to clarify that the deep things are of God, and are only revealed through His Spirit.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-4174516187572722752013-04-21T15:36:00.000-07:002013-04-25T19:01:03.800-07:00Just the Basic Gospel?<br />
<i><b>1 Cor. 2:1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. </b></i><br />
<i><b>1 Cor. 2:2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. </b></i><br />
<i><b>1 Cor. 2:3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, </b></i><br />
<i><b>1 Cor. 2:4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, </b></i><br />
<b><i>1 Cor. 2:5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. </i></b><br />
<i>(ESV)</i><br />
I find this passage very interesting, and I think it is a good reminder of how we should be witnessing to others.<br />
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<i><b>"And I, when I came to you, brothers,"</b></i><br />
Paul went from Athens to Corinth, and stayed with Aquila and Priscilla and made tents with them, for they were tent makers. On the Sabbath, he went and taught and witnessed and probably debated in the synagogue. Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half before leaving for Syria (Acts 18:1-18).<br />
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<b>"<i>did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom."</i></b><br />
When Paul came to Corinth, he preached the Gospel: you are sinners, Christ came to save you from your sins, repent and you shall be saved. He didn't come to prove that he was smart or that he was better than than those to whom he spoke. He came to share the simple truth. Now, I think the key word is "simple," as we will see in the following verses.<br />
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<i><b> "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified."</b></i><br />
Paul preached the very simple Gospel - nothing more nothing less - Christ died for you. That is how he witnessed. When he came to Corinth, he witnessed, not using deep doctrine, but he witnessed using only the Gospel: You are a sinner, you need to be saved, and Christ came to save you.<br />
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<i><b>" And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,"</b></i><br />
Why would Paul, one of the pillars of Christianity, be afraid? Was he afraid of people hurting him? Was he afraid of being rejected? I think not. I think he was afraid of letting Christ down; that, in some way, his doctrine might not be correct, or that he might say something he didn't mean to say. He is afraid of leading others astray by accident.<br />
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<i><b>"and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,"</b></i><br />
The Gospel doesn't make sense logically. Why would a God send down his own Son to die for sinful men? You can't figure it out through logic because it just doesn't make sense. Then, you might ask why anybody would believe it, and here is my answer to you: "<b style="font-style: italic;">demonstration of the Spirit and of power." </b>The Holy Spirit has so much power to move men's hearts, that you can't imagine it. He uses His infinite power to save men, and move their hearts.<br />
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<b><i>"so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God"</i></b><br />
If our faith rested in the wisdom of men, it would draw away from the power of Christ and His death. Not only that, but it wouldn't make much sense, and we would be fools since what we believe does not make sense without the Bible to explain it. If Paul had been able to convince people based on logic, or based on reasoning, or because of his eloquence they would not have stood faithful; they would have reasoned themselves to false theology and doctrine. When people are saved by God's power, that is where they will always look for wisdom, or at least that is where they should look for wisdom, because God promises us that He will grant us wisdom.<br />
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<i><b>Jas. 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. </b></i><br />
<i><b>Jas. 1:6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. </b></i><br />
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So next time you witness to somebody, keep in mind that the basic Gospel is all you need to use, because it will show His power, and it will be to His glory. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-3799828401525492862013-04-01T23:04:00.000-07:002013-04-01T23:04:34.887-07:00Through Him Who Strengthens Me2 Cor. 3:5 "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God."<br />
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The part of this verse that really strikes me is "<strong>but our sufficiency is from God</strong>."<strong> </strong>If you are trying to be a Christian on your own; you can't. Not only can you not do it on your own, but you are taking away from God, and taking away from what He wants to show through you.<br />
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2 Cor. 12:9 "But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, <b>for my power is made perfect in weakness</b>." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.<br />
2 Cor. 12:10 "For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. <strong>For when I am weak, then I am strong</strong>."<strong> </strong><br />
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God shows His power though our weaknesses, and grace through our sins; believe it or not. If you are powerful, or think you are bigger than the rest, you will be brought low, whether here on earth, or after death.<br />
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1 Cor. 1:27 "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; </div>
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1 Cor. 1:28 "God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are." </div>
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Now, the weak don't do this by themselves. They do it through God, using His strength.</div>
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And its not like you can just do <em>some</em> things; no, you can do ALL things through Him who strengthens you.</div>
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Phil. 4:12 "I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. </div>
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Phil. 4:13 "I can do all things through him who strengthens me."</div>
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I leave you with this: </div>
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He strengthens those who are weak, and He weakens those who are strong. He tore down empires and kings without any problem. <br />
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Isa 40:23 "Who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. </div>
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Isa 40:24 "Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when He blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble."</div>
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If he can destroy rulers like this, can He not take those who are nothing, and make them the rulers? Can He not make you into the strong? He promises He will make the weak strong. HOWEVER, only if you let Him will he make you stronger, and only if you allow yourself to be His tool will you do great works for Him. </div>
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In Christ, </div>
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Dawson</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-7286018407255618382013-03-10T21:53:00.002-07:002013-03-10T21:53:46.591-07:00A true Christian?<br />
A true Christian, you maybe have heard this phrase before. What does it mean to be a "true" Christian? Lets look at Romans 12 to give us that answer.<br />
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<i>Rom 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. </i><br />
<i>Rom 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. </i><br />
<i>Rom 12:3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. </i><br />
<i>Rom 12:4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, </i><br />
<i>Rom 12:5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. </i><br />
<i>Rom 12:6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; </i><br />
<i>Rom 12:7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; </i><br />
<i>Rom 12:8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. </i><br />
<i>Rom 12:9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. </i><br />
<i>Rom 12:10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. </i><br />
<i>Rom 12:11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. </i><br />
<i>Rom 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. </i><br />
<i>Rom 12:13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. </i><br />
<i>Rom 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. </i><br />
<i>Rom 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. </i><br />
<i>Rom 12:16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. </i><br />
<i>Rom 12:17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. </i><br />
<i>Rom 12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. </i><br />
<i>Rom 12:19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." </i><br />
<i>Rom 12:20 To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." </i><br />
<i>Rom 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. </i><br />
<i>(ESV)\</i><br />
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I'm going to focus on verses 9-21, talking about, what it looks like to be a Christian, what you should strive towards, and what God expects you to strive towards.<br />
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<i><u>Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. </u></i><br />
Love what is good, what is good? well, whatever God is, is good. Abhor evil, this means to Hate evil! Don't laugh when somebody says a dirty joke....... don't enjoy sin, but hate it as much as God does. Hold fast to what is good, when in trials, when in pain, when in hard spots... hold fast to the truth, hold fast to Christ the solid rock.<br />
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<i><u>Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. </u></i><br />
"one another" is talking about our family in Christ, our brothers and sisters in the faith. Why is there conflict in the church? why is the American church the way it is today? Because those in the American church, don't love each other, because they don't love Christ as He would have them love Him. the second part "outdo one another in showing honor" literally means, we place each other above ourselves, if somebody has a need, we should take care of it, if it's in our power, this should be the same selflessness that Christ showed.<br />
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<i><u>Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. </u></i><br />
If we are slothful, or lazy, are we following Christ? Was Christ lazy? Did Christ neglect his work? No, so if we are lazy, if we are slow, if we neglect our work, we are sinning, and <b>not </b>doing Christ's work.<br />
Be Fervent in Spirit... Fervent actually means "to boil" now... what spirit? The Holy Spirit of course. We are to boil with the Holy Spirit, it should overflow, people should be able to see it in us all the time, and only when we are boiling over with the Holy Spirit, will we be able to effectively "serve the Lord".<br />
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<i><u>Rejoice in hope, </u></i><br />
Rejoice... what does that word mean? well I looked back to the original language and this is the definition: (Strong's concordance)<br />
<i>G5463</i><br />
<i>χαίρω</i><br />
<i>chairō</i><br />
<i>khah'ee-ro</i><br />
<i>A primary verb; to be full of “cheer”, that is, calmly happy or well off; impersonal especially as a salutation (on meeting or parting), be well: - farewell, be glad, God speed, greeting, hail, joy (-fully), rejoice.</i><br />
I didn't like this definition, so I went to Websters dictionary and I found this <i>To experience joy and gladness in a high degree; to be exhilarated with lively and pleasurable sensations; to exult.</i><br />
"to experience joy" this is what I was looking for, we are to experience joy, <b>because</b> of, the hope of salvation, and the promise of salvation.<br />
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<i><u>be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.</u></i></div>
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These go together, why? because the former can not happen without the latter. The former is also addressed in James </div>
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<i>Jas 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, </i></div>
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<i>Jas 1:3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. </i></div>
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<i>Jas 1:4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. </i></div>
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Again, we are to go through trials <b>knowing</b> that it is God's will that we do... (don't let me say that all hard things come from God, because a lot of "trails" are a direct result of our own sin, natural consequences) Why would God want us to go through pain? why would God want us to feel the stress of not knowing how we will make it through a situation? Because it is the testing of our faith, and produces in us, steadfastness, making us be able to overcome whatever stand before us. However, without constant prayer, we will fall during trials, because the trials God puts forth, are enough to overcome us, so that we <b>have</b> to lean on him<b>.</b> Constant prayer, means not that we are always praying, although our spirit should always be being guided by the Holy Spirit, David prayed 7 times a day, others in the Bible had a certain amount of times they prayed every day. However, this amount of time depends on the conviction of the Holy Spirit, there is no set amount of time you should be praying every day. </div>
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<i><u>Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.</u></i></div>
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This relates back to the point on <i>"Outdo one another in showing honor."</i><u style="font-style: italic;"> </u>In fact, I would venture to say, that it is the same point twice, because repetition is used in the NT to show especially important things. </div>
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<i><u>Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. </u></i></div>
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We are to bless all, the saints, our enemies, everyone. A common misconception is that we must trust them, or we must be their best friend. No, this isn't what it's saying. it's saying if somebody pokes out your eye, don't take out their eye, don't curse them, but pray for them, like Christ did about the Roman soldiers that nailed him to the cross "Father, forgive them, for they know now what they do". </div>
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<i><u>Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. </u></i></div>
When somebody is joyful, or mournful... don't be indifferent. Christ was not indifferent when Lazarus died, he cried, he was mournful, why? Because others were mournful, they felt the loss, he was feeling the loss with them. When somebody has good news, feel joyful with them, congratulate them, don't just tell them "huh" and continue what you are doing. The main point of this, is to be interested in the lives of others, don't be looking at yourself, or your circumstances <b>so</b> much that you can't be interested in the lives of others.<br />
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<i><u>Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. </u></i><br />
Be peaceful with each other, don't cause strife within the body of Christ, that both ruins your witness to the community, as does it also distract you from the focus on Christ. (there will still be conflict, Peter and Paul for example, but don't cause strife as far as it goes with you) Don't be haughty.... in other words, don't be prideful, don't ever think of yourself better than any other human, because the only reason you are different, is because God allowed you to be different, and because of <b>His</b> saving grace. "associate with the lowly" I think this relates to James chapter 2:1-4<br />
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<i>Jas 2:1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. </i><br />
<i>Jas 2:2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, </i><br />
<i>Jas 2:3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, "You sit here in a good place," while you say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or, "Sit down at my feet," </i><br />
<i>Jas 2:4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? </i><br />
Don't be mistreating the poor, don't be favoring your time with the rich, because they are rich. Be spending your time with people, because of who they are in Christ, not because of who they are according to the world.<br />
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<i><u>Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. </u></i><br />
The first part of this is kind of repeating: "<i>Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them." </i>But it is different....the phrase "but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all".... what exactly does this phrase mean? what does it refer to? Let me quote the KJV (I think it translates this better) <i>Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. </i>We are not to steal because somebody stole from us, we are not to cheat, because we were cheated. We are to be fair, we are to be graceful, and we are to be honest. "Provide things honest in the sight of all men", this literally means: When you obtain material things, go about it honestly, don't steal food, don't steal for food... work for it, get is honestly.<br />
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<i><u>If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. </u></i></div>
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A repeat of "live in harmony with one another" with the added clause of "as far as it depends on you" which clarifies that it may happen no matter what you do to prevent it. </div>
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<u><i>Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." </i></u></div>
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"forgive and you shall be forgiven" if you look at the word <b>avenge</b> it has an interesting meaning (Websters dictionary)<i> Avenged</i></div>
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<i>AVENG'ED, pp. <b>Satisfied by the punishment</b> of the offender; vindicated; punished. </i></div>
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We want to feel like the wrongs against us have been righted, but God says that he will repay to the offender what is owed, and that we should forgive, so we can be forgiven. How many times have we sinned? They are uncountable by you! each time you sinned, the proper punishment was death. Yet you have been forgiven, and are not going to die. All God asks, is that you forgive those who sin against you. </div>
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<i><u>To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." </u></i></div>
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When you feed your enemy, when you treat him with kindness, he will not understand it, and will probably feel foolish, and will feel stupid for being your enemy.</div>
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<i><u>Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. </u></i></div>
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When you are following God, and let his Spirit indwell you, you can overcome evil, you can deny it access to your heart, and you can help those that are not saved, when they do evil against you, do good to them, and if it be in God's will, you will overcome their evil, with God's good. </div>
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Hopefully this was an encouragement to you, either to change to become more like this, or that you have been doing right! Let me encourage those of you like myself that still falter and fail in part of this or even all of this: You can't do this by yourself, and while on earth, no man has done this to the perfection of Christ. However ,don't let Satan catch you in the trap of "oh I'm not good enough for God, so I might as well give up". While this is partly true, it truly is false. You are not good enough for God, and if you trust in yourself, you should give up, However, should you trust in Christ, the perfecter of the saints, the one who died for the whole world's sins, there is hope! DO NOT give up! because unless you give up on Christ, he will never give up on you, and he will complete the work he started. </div>
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Christ reigns in my heart and many others, and can reign in yours also, should you be lacking his reign in your life.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-25562191975269199032013-01-19T21:23:00.002-08:002013-01-19T21:23:27.541-08:00the great trap As Promised, I will talk about the trap that we can fall into.<br />
This trap has trapped many, and eventually leads away from Christ. Grace abounds we know that, Christ's death paid for all sins, and could pay for unlimited amounts of sin. Also we have died to the law, and are not responsible to it. So does that mean that we can sin whenever? does that mean that there is no sin for those who are saved?<br />
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Let me present this passage of Scripture to you as evidence. (ESV)<br />
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<i>Rom 6:1 <b>What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound</b>? </i><br />
<i>Rom 6:2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? </i><br />
<i>Rom 6:3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? </i><br />
<i>Rom 6:4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. </i><br />
<i>Rom 6:5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. </i><br />
<i>Rom 6:6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. </i><br />
<i>Rom 6:7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. </i><br />
<i>Rom 6:8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. </i><br />
<i>Rom 6:9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. </i><br />
<i>Rom 6:10 <b>For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.</b> </i><br />
<i>Rom 6:11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. </i><br />
<i>Rom 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. </i><br />
<i>Rom 6:13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. </i><br />
<i>Rom 6:14 <b> For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. </b></i><br />
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We are not to live for ourselves, or sin, BY NO MEANS, How can after we die to sin still live in sin? we can't, we can only live for God. Does this mean we will be perfect? No, but I just said we are not allowed to sin. How does this work? Well let me explain how this works: are we to continue in sin THAT GRACE might abound? "By no means" is what the scriptures say. However when you read this you think that it means we cannot sin, not allowed to sin. what is says it says that grace might abound, let me rephrase that: "Shall we sin so that grace can abound all the more?"We all know the answer is no, there is no reason to sin except for obeying your own mortal, sinful passions. However, this goes back to the previous post that said we must give ourselves over to God, so he can control us. Don't fight his truth, don't fight his control over your life. give him complete control.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-84702150828111436332013-01-13T19:11:00.001-08:002013-01-15T18:54:46.861-08:00those two words, that none will ever obtain this side of death.Self Control is something we all struggle with, (if you don't then I applaud you, and you can stop reading right now)<br />
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The phrase "Self Control" is mentioned 24 times in the Bible (ESV). It is used in the positive sense, and in the negative sense<br />
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<i>1Co 9:25 Every athlete exercises<b> self-control</b> in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. </i><br />
<i>1Co 9:26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. </i><br />
<i>1Co 9:27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. </i><br />
And in the negative:<br />
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<i>2Ti 3:1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. </i><br />
<i>2Ti 3:2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, </i><br />
<i>2Ti 3:3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, <b>without self-control</b>, brutal, not loving good, </i><br />
<i>2Ti 3:4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, </i><br />
<i>2Ti 3:5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. </i><br />
<i>2Ti 3:6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, </i><br />
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yet it is mentioned more in the positive sense, of what we will get or complete, if we exercise self control.Those who didn't exercise self control, paid dearly: Esau, Samson, Saul, David and even Moses, all failed to have self control and paid for it dearly. Esau gave up his birthright because he was hungry (Gen. 25:29-34), couldn't he have waited? Couldn't he have made something for himself? Samson, could not resist telling the secret to his strength. He was enslaved by the Philistines, forced to grind grain, had his eyes poked out. Saul, let himself be overcome with anger, trying to kill David. He never had peace, and eventually killed himself. David, he could not control his lust for Bathsheba, committed adultery and then murder to cover his sin. His first child with her, died because of that sin. Moses, when he was told to speak to the rock, he struck it in anger, causing him never to enter the Promise Land. </div>
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Lack of self control is something everybody struggles with , it comes in many forms: in the form of lust, want for wealth, food, power, and almost anything else you can think of. What happens when you try to obtain self control over something you have let yourself do in the past? well, as I grit my teeth and say I will never do that again, I try to pray harder, but then I get tempted, and I do it anyway, always digging the hole deeper, and deeper. So what can we do to gain self control? The answer is nothing, now before you jump to conclusions, let me explain what I mean. We are humans, and except for in rare cases, we can't fight addictions alone. We need help, that is why we have counseling centers. Places like Teen Challenge, because we as humans have figured out we can't do it alone. Why is this? Why can't we do it alone? before I answer that, let me tell you something, the biblical meaning of self control is walking by the spirit , under the lordship of Christ [Priola, 2013] The only way we can control ourselves is though Grace, first we are saved though grace, (not perfection) second we are changed though grace (we are not perfect after we are saved) thirdly we are given not what we deserve though grace, (not taking into account our sins before or after we are saved) God wants us to realize that we CANNOT do it on our own, that is the answer the question. We must admit that we can't do it on our own, before God will intervene on our behalf. I find myself praying quite often: God help ME to overcome this, or that. I should be praying: "God please overcome this FOR me, because I can not do it at all.<br />
<i> Tit 2:11 For the <b>grace</b> of God has appeared, bringing <b>salvation</b> for all people, </i><br />
<i>Tit 2:12 <b> training </b>us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, </i><br />
<i>Tit 2:13 <b>waiting for our blessed hope</b>, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, </i><br />
<i>Tit 2:14 who gave himself for us to <b>redeem </b>us from all lawlessness and to <b>purify</b> for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. </i><br />
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as you can see in Titus 2:11, and 14 God saved us though Grace,<br />
as you can see in verses 12, and 14 God wants to change, train, and purify us.<br />
in verses 13, we wait for our hope, which is Christ, who is also our reward: Eternal life<br />
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Your only hope of ever controlling an addiction, or ever controlling yourself, is though God. you can on rare occasions overcome an addiction with the help of people. But you will never be free from it.<br />
Christ, when he died on the cross, freed those who accept his gift, from judgment by the law,<br />
<i>Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. </i><br />
The law, brings to light sin, and therefor leads to death.<br />
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<i>Rom 7:4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. </i><br />
<i>Rom 7:5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. </i><br />
<i>Rom 7:6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. </i><br />
<i>Rom 7:7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." </i><br />
<i>Rom 7:8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. </i><br />
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once we accept his gift we are apart from the law, and the sin lies dead. However this can lead to another trap, which would give us licence to sin. This is not the case, and in one of my future posts, I shall cover that subject.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-45823800935007044022012-12-02T20:13:00.003-08:002012-12-02T20:14:58.483-08:00Trust in God? <span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 18px;">as I keep going on though my life, studying science, learning from the Bible, interacting with people, growing up. I see Gods hand more, and more, and more, in science, in my life, in what he teaches me every day, in my reliance on him though prayer. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">It truly amazes me, and it helps me be very grateful for every thing he has done, and although it is hard sometimes, to trust him more and more. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">I want to remind all of you about that: God will always take better care of you, than you do. And the sooner you start to trust him, the sooner he will take care of you. I am not saying you won't go though tough times, Paul promises that we will go though them, but if you trust him, you will learn from those tough times, you will grow in him though those tough times, and Christ will never leave his claim in your life. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">So stand strong with whatever the world throws at you, weather trail, hardship, good times, hard times, times of pain, times of comfort, times of peace, times of turmoil, times of happiness, times of sadness. He will bring you though them all if you trust in him.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-79753147351653325392012-11-06T21:23:00.001-08:002012-12-02T20:15:26.755-08:00The world isn't ending yet <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The world is not going to end until Christ returns again, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">God is here for you and I, and all other believers on earth, or he wouldn't have sent his son to die the worst death ever. We are worried about Money, school, our country, and many other things that will not determine your future eternal status. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">God is good, Rom 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Rom 8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">this could really be what turns our country around, and is what God can and will use for his glory. If our economy collapses, if we get attacked, if we go to war, if our country starts to fall in any way, that is what will be a huge ministry opportunity. When people have nothing left to fall back on, where do they go? God can use this to bring the moderate/ half/ Christians like your room mate, like 80% of the American church today, to himself, so they will fall back upon him, a cleansing of the church. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">this is what we need to focus on: </span></div>
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Psa 68:33 to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice. </div>
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Psa 68:34<span style="color: white;"> <span style="background-color: black;"> Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies. </span></span></div>
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Psa 68:35 Awesome is God from his sanctuary; the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God! </div>
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Not the election, but Gods power, Majesty and his will. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Hopefully it didn't' sound preachy, but we as Christians need to not worry so much about what our country does, and worry more about what we do for God and how he can use is in these times of trail </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-65250357216744789212012-08-28T12:14:00.002-07:002012-08-28T12:21:49.532-07:00hard times?are you going through a hard time? in pain? having family trouble? and in fear?<br />
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then the question is: why? are you failing in your trust in God? or don't you trust in God?</div>
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Let me tell you something, God is the only strength that: will last forever, give you true peace, and will help you in your time of need.</div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Psa 23:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Psa 23:2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Psa 23:3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Psa 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Psa 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Psa 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. </span><br />
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A common mistake is taking this as saying that we will not die, or shall not starve, or thirst.<br />
This passage is talking about that we shall have eternal peace if you follow God. You my die, you may be in pain, you my be hungry, but God will provide something for you, whether it be death, food, water, relief from the pain. If you are saved, death should be something you look forward to, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(don't take this out of context and go kill yourself....). </span>the pain and suffering for the sake of God, you should look forward to. You should look forward to the struggles through life; so that you are able to learn and serve God.<br />
God says we should not fear man, death, sin, satan, or anything except him. We will still fear if left to our human resources, but we must take his strength and he will keep you from fear.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Eph 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. </span><br />
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Eph 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. </div>
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Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, </div>
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Eph 6:15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. </div>
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Eph 6:16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; </div>
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Eph 6:17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, </div>
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Eph 6:18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, </div>
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Take what he has to offer, stand firm, and fear no evil. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-80207017116780079282012-08-20T08:05:00.001-07:002012-08-20T08:09:30.072-07:00Am I saved?sorry it has been so long for another post, but you know how busy life gets.<br />
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Anywho, one of the things I have been thinking about is assurance of salvation. There are christian faiths that do not believe in assurance of salvation. The Catholic faith, (I have heard this from multiple people, but please leave a comment if I am wrong) does not preach assurance of faith, neither do arminian thinking people. They preach that you can lose your salvation. I don't understand where this comes from, but I do understand where this leads. The thought that you can lose your salvation leads to people always worrying about "I wonder if I have been good enough today." or "oh no! I better confess my sins because I am not saved anymore". The Catholic church uses it as a way to get money, and to get people into the church on the holy days. The Catholic leadership has told people that if they don't go to church, and if they don't do good works, they get points marked off their card with God. You can gain points by helping the priest and such.The problem arises that it is now salvation by works. (Which is spoken against many places in the bible.) This is one of the passages I have found.<br />
<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Rom 9:31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Rom 9:32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone,</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Rom 9:33 as it is written, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." </span></b></div>
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Some Jews still believe that, and it is the same type of thing that the Catholic leaders have used. </div>
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I am not saying works are bad at all, for in James it says:</div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Jas 2:13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Jas 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Jas 2:15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, </span></b></div>
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but Faith is necessary, along with works. </div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Jas 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Jas 2:22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Jas 2:23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"—and he was called a friend of God. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Jas 2:24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Jas 2:25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Jas 2:26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. </span></b></div>
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works follow faith, it is not the other way around. faith leads to salvation, which in-turn leads to works.</div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Joh 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>and also in Romans </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. </b></span></div>
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it says all you have to do is believe!</div>
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and once saved we can not be plucked from Gods hand for we are Christs sheep.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Joh 10:25 Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me,</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Joh 10:26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Joh 10:28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Joh 10:29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.</span></b></div>
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If your really believe in Christ, have faith you are saved in him, are embodied by the Holy Spirit, you are saved. </div>
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you get and assurance from the Holy Spirit. </div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Rom 8:11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Rom 8:12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Rom 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Rom 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Rom 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Rom 8:16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, </span></b></div>
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In conclusion, </div>
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you are not saved by works, but by faith. However, works are part of the faith, and follow the faith as if we are Christ like, we must do good works, for him. we can be assured of faith, there should be no guessing, for God given those that are saved his spirit, (the Holy Spirit) who will bear witness to us, from God, about our salvation. </div>
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so if you are not assured that you are saved, ask yourself "why don't I know?" you can be assured, and should be assured of salvation. Follow Christ, serve God, and then the Holy spirit will give you that assurance, that you crave. Remember, you are in the hands of an eternal, all powerful God, who will take care of you, when you give your whole being over to him. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-2200389394333804902012-08-11T20:35:00.001-07:002012-08-12T19:53:44.420-07:00God has shown himself through the whole world<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Rom 1:19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Rom 1:20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Rom 1:21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Rom 1:22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Rom 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">these verses are very interesting to me,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">because if you know the truth and do not act on it, you will have the wrath of God upon you. Yet all men have seen the evidence of God in creation. We can see the evidence of God when you look at anything that he has created.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">if you put the parts of a watch in a pail, how long will you have to shake the pail before you have a working watch?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">never the parts to the watch would have decayed before the watch could have been created. the same thing happens with cells, without all parts of a cell working at the same time it will not live, and some parts (such as amino acids) are destroyed if they are not protected. If you look at DNA, it is so complex that it is impossible for it to have evolved. the interaction with the DNA, RNA, and the building of proteins is so complex that it would take several books of information just to explain it. Yet all this just evolved, life came from nothing. every scientist should be able to see the complexity of the world around us more than anybody else, yet they don't. they see the little things and say "wow, I wonder how that evolved" or "this is amazing what I discovered." yet God created it, almost all people that were around 2000 years ago, believed in some kind of god. Now, less and less people believe there is a God.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yet they fail to explain the world, and all its natural wonders, away.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">People that have heard the Gospel of Christ are without excuse, they will be punished for what they know and yet failed to act on</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">and so that all men are without excuse, God has shown his glory, power, magnificence through his creation.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-31489995483566447722012-08-07T18:46:00.000-07:002012-08-11T20:37:40.353-07:00what does a Rubix cube have to do with your life?you may think this is a dumb question, but let me explain it a little bit about <span style="text-align: center;">a rubix cube has billions of combinations but only one is the right combination. like this </span><br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS8fQ1Sv2hSLnRko7qPMwCHsPL4kSnWEs3vHKwYE9X9_8iHlnfNESTB8TXT" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS8fQ1Sv2hSLnRko7qPMwCHsPL4kSnWEs3vHKwYE9X9_8iHlnfNESTB8TXT" /></a>the only way you can get into heaven is if you are perfect. When we come into this world we are all imperfect, like this.<br />
so what are we to do? We can't ever twist our way into perfection. so what we have do is give our life to the hands of a master. Most of you can't do a rubix cube, some can(like me) and others can not. This is where my analogy breaks up, there is only one master, and that is Jesus Christ, and he puts new stickers on you. Makes you perfect in the eyes of God covered by his blood.<br />
(I hope I didn't confuzle you to much)<br />
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You will still mess up, as 1 John verse 7-10 says<br />
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<span style="color: white;">1Jn 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. </span><br />
<span style="color: white;">1Jn 1:8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. </span><br />
<span style="color: white;">1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. </span><br />
<span style="color: white;">1Jn 1:10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. </span><br />
<span style="color: white;">also Paul is not perfect! </span><br />
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<span style="color: white;">Php 3:12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. </span><br />
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he is talking to believers! we will sin, we have sin, and we need to ask for forgiveness. and it will be given us.<br />
the reason I brought this up, is that I have talked to somebody in the last few months that believes that we do have to to be perfect to accept Jesus Christ, and we will never sin once saved.<br />
this sent me on a quest to find an answer.<br />
because there are many places that calls us to be perfect, and holy,<br />
<span style="color: white;">Mat 5:48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.</span><br />
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so my question to you, is how do we reconcile these together? here is my take on it: the word perfect actually means "complete" which we are completed through Christs death on the Cross. Yet we are perfect in God's eyes from Christs death and resurrection , if we believe in Christ's resurrection from the dead and make him our savior.<br />
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so that is my take, I hope if you have questions you feel free to comment, or if you disagree with it, you comment or talk to me about it on Skype or something elseAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-48796107290992729562012-08-07T06:11:00.001-07:002012-08-11T20:37:13.771-07:00What God has given to us through the apostle John<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">me and a friend are doing a study on John, and yesterday we talked about verses 1-5. These verses are amazing if you dig into there meaning. </span><br />
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">(KJV)</span><br />
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">in essence these are talking about Jesus, who is God, is with God, and he was there before time. Everything was made by him. Does this include sin, evil, mistakes? </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">I do not believe so, because when God created the world he said all things were good, so does this mean that evil is good? the conclusion that I have come to is that all things that are evil, bad, sinful, are just broken perfection. Things that were perfect but were twisted by the author of lies: Satan. One verse that people use to say that God did create evil, is Isaiah 45:7 </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">but the word evil can mean calamity, (natural disasters, or war, things that are not moral evil) or it can mean calamity. this is the definition from Strong's dictionary: </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">H7451</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">רעה רע</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">ra‛ râ‛âh</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">rah, raw-aw'</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">From H7489; bad or (as noun) evil <b><span style="font-size: large;">(naturally or morally)</span></b>. This includes the second (feminine) form; as adjective or noun: - <b><span style="font-size: large;">adversity, affliction, bad, calamity</span></b>, + displease (-ure), distress, evil ([-favouredness], man, thing), + exceedingly, X great, grief (-vous), harm, heavy, hurt (-ful), ill (favoured), + mark, mischief, (-vous), misery, naught (-ty), noisome, + not please, sad (-ly), sore, sorrow, trouble, vex, wicked (-ly, -ness, one), worse (-st) wretchedness, wrong. [Including feminine ra’ah; as adjective or noun.]</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">and with my evidence I now rest my case. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> Another thing I want to point out about this passage is that in Jesus is life, and from that life, came the light of men, and that light cannot be overtaken by darkness!!!! once we have life from Jesus we get light from him, which can not be overtaken by: sin, satan, the world or any such things. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Praise God that we can not lose what he has given to us. </span></div>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035140103576217765.post-64205400805549703332012-08-06T19:11:00.002-07:002012-08-13T19:35:04.950-07:00Take the challenge for God<span style="color: white;"><br /></span>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: large;">I am memorizing Romans as some of you may know, and I have memorized up through verse eleven, this is going to be an amazing time with God, and the others who are memorizing it with me. </span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-size: large;">this of course is not going to be easy, but it will bring us all closer to God. So I am going to challenge you to do something with God that is hard, and something that will stick with you forever. YOU WILL BENEFIT FORM IT. </span><br />
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<span style="color: white; font-size: large;">so do something for God, memorize your favorite chapter in the Bible, give an extra tithe this week, go to that person that the Holy Spirit has been telling you to minister to, read your Bible extra, go on a prayer and fast time, or something similar. God gave you your time, why not give him back his own time? start a challenge for you and others in your social groups. So my Challenge to you, is to take a challenge for God, and spread a challenge around to others. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07547219288705097063noreply@blogger.com0