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Thank you for your kind comment. Yes, the Lord is good and worthy of praise. Amen!
You may find that these verses in 1 John 5 are debated; therefore, you should study them in prayer for your understanding. As in verse 6, it is "the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. " You may research the Johannine Comma, it pertains to what has been added or translated from the Latin Vulgate, not the Greek text, and decide for yourself.
Read the entire chapter and let the context of what John is writing help with the meaning. In verse 8 in the Greek, to Pneuma to hydor kai to haima kai hoi treis eisin eis hen, it would better read: to the Spirit to the water and the blood and these three are in agreement. The water, blood, and the Spirit are a witness to the truth.
The water and the blood point to Jesus's sacrifice, John 19:34, and we see that when Jesus was baptized, He was anointed by the Spirit of God. Jesus is the Son of God, and what is written about His sacrifice for us is what is at stake for man to hear.
God bless,
RLW
What ever comes stay standfast in this word. We need to use the holy Bible who can free us from what is heavy and difficult for us to carry. Find more satisfaction from the bible. And always be glad, Jesus will help you. He is the King of King and have all power in Heaven and Earth. Amen
The scripture states that the Father, son, and Holy spirit are three in one, The revelation is that the name of the father, son and the Holly spirit is Jesus.
Yes, yes, yes!!!
"Well, we can't have that. It's got to be our faith!" No, He's the author and finisher. He starts faith. He's the author of it. It comes from Him. And He brings it to its completion.
You made it very clear. Praise the Lord!
BY FAITH
As Isaac was, are the children of promise." Galatians 4:22-28.
Blessings
Hebrews 12:2 Continued:
In Verse 2, when it says looking unto Jesus, he then gives the identity of Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith. Notice the word "our" in your bible is in italics. It's not in the Greek text. It's the word "the." It's another one of those instances where they said Jesus is the author and finisher of the faith.
"Well, we can't have that. It's got to be our faith!" No, He's the author and finisher. He starts faith. He's the author of it. It comes from Him. And He brings it to its completion.
Then the inspiration of Jesus:
Who for the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross, having despised the shame, that is, He wasn't going to let the shame of the cross stop Him from going to the cross. The influence of Jesus: And is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
So, the Lord is our inspiration. If you didn't notice as we read through, Jesus for the joy that was set before Him. That was over against the cross on the other side. Remember I mentioned before that in Greek, the word joy doesn't mean a happy feeling. It means satisfaction.
Jesus looked at the cross, He saw what His death on the cross would do, and so His joy, His satisfaction was in completing that task, to be on the other side, complete salvation for us on the cross. He endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him. And He was looking off unto joy while He endured the cross. That's why we look unto Jesus while we're running the race. And He is now set down at the right of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2 Continued:
He tells me don't get weighted down with the things of this earthly life to where it's all this baggage that you're trying to carry while you're running the race, except you're not running anymore, you're barely crawling because of all this weightiness from this earthly life that we have acquired and taken on ourselves. But the focus should be on Jesus. And if we can understand that principle, we can understand all these things in this life that we have trouble with.
If my focus is Jesus, then whatever else is going on, I probably wouldn't even notice. The bible teaches that we only have the capacity to focus and be occupied on one thing at a time. I can believe on Jesus with my heart, but in this earthly life with my mind, be caught up in all kinds of mental distractions that are occupying the attention of my mind.
I can still be a believer. But you see, the Lord not only wants our heart, He wants our minds. He wants us to be looking at Jesus. And He promises us in Matthew Chapter 6 to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all the other things that you need will be added.
You don't have to strive for them. You don't have to go out in this earthly life and stop the race, stop looking to Jesus, and go out and acquire things. That's baggage. And then when you try to get back on the track again, you fall off because you're so weighted down with the things of this earthly life.
Now while I'm running the race, and I'm letting myself get distracted by circumstances around me, I'm not going to do very well. It's the focus. The focus is on Jesus. It's pretty simple! The Lord made it simple. It's not easy, it's simple. We are simple people. We don't know where front and back is when it comes to spiritual things. We have no idea what we're doing. We're just sheep. And even when the Lord gives us direction, we go the opposite way. We're not very spiritually smart. And that's putting it nicely.
Hebrews 12:2 Continued:
As I said earlier, these are pieces of the track, pieces of the course that are put down in front of us while we're running. And we really can't tell, other than the first or second piece that's put down in front of us where this thing is going to go. We can't predict it. But while we're running, He continually places the racecourse in front of us. And that racecourse is called agony. That's what the word race is, agony.
And then the performance of the course:
This is the third condition. We should run with having witnesses all around us. That's Chapter 11. We should run the course after putting aside all the weightiness, all the things of this earthly life that weigh us down to where we can no longer run.
And thirdly: Looking unto Jesus. And again, the word looking is a Present Participle which means continuously looking unto Jesus. Jesus is the finish line. Everyone that has run track, or has run in a race, or has watched it on television, you know that the people who are participating in the race, they have their faces straight forward.
They're not looking up into the stands waiving to their family. They are not looking down at their shoes while they are running to see if they're running correctly. Their eye is fixed on the finish line. And that's what he's saying, run the race with your mind's eye fixed on Jesus.
You see, when I got saved, that wasn't the end of the race. That was the beginning of the race. I'm not racing to acquire my salvation. I'm racing because I know Christ. And this is the life that He has for me. And He tells me that I've got all these witnesses who have done it before me, so there's no excuse.
Hebrews 12:2 Continued:
But secondly, we can't run or even walk the race that's being set before us, with a lot of baggage. And I think you know what I mean by baggage? We acquire a lot of baggage in our lives. There are things that weigh us down.
There is sin which so easily entangles us, which is an athletic term, and without getting into too much of the technical part of it, it's an athletic term that means you keep running because if you stand still, then all of sudden things are going to close in on you, and you might not have the chance to get away.
And sin is like that. We have to keep moving. We can't wait for sin to find us. We have to stay on the course and not acquire from the world a lot of baggage. And there are a lot of Christians that are just weighed down with so many obligations, and so many things, and so many possessions, and all these things that we have to keep up, and guess who gets the short end of the stick?
It's the Lord, because we don't have time. We don't have time for Him! Well, we've got this cloud of witnesses all around us. And we're told that before we run this race, we are to put off every weight, and the sin which so easily entangles us.
And then what we are to do: We should run with patience. I think it's interesting that Paul was another one who mentioned he runs. He encouraged Christians to walk, walk in the Christian life. But Paul didn't walk, he ran. Here, the writer of Hebrews is encouraging us to run the race. We have trouble walking. Now he wants us to run. Good grief!
We should run with patience. Endurance (HUPOMENO) means to remain under. And if you've walked with the Lord enough, you know, and I know, that there are times that you just don't want to remain under because "it's too hard," or "too difficult," and we want to quit. We should run with endurance the race that is continuously being placed before us.
Hebrews 12:2 - Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Looking unto Jesus, and there's our third condition. The first condition in Verse 1, seeing we are compassed about with witnesses. That's a Present Participle. While having all these witnesses all around us!
Secondly, the second condition: After having laid aside, after doing that, we're supposed to do something. Main verb: we should run with patience the race that is being set before us. And then the third condition is looking unto Jesus. Looking is a Present Participle which shows continuous action, continuously looking unto Jesus.
We go back at the beginning, and we have these witnesses all around us, with God's faithfulness and faith in their lives. And then the second condition says, after having laid aside every weight, and the sin which so easily entangles, or besets us.
If you see yourself out on the track or out in the park getting ready for your cross-country race, you know that when the race starts, you don't want a lot of heavy clothing on. You don't want to be carrying your backpack. In running track, or a marathon, you're wearing clothes that are very tight. And some people run with very little clothing on.
But the whole purpose of it is so that there's no resistance, and they can run the fastest race that they can without the wind or resistance coming against them. And what the writer of Hebrews is doing for us is, first of all, we have this cloud of witnesses all around us, they're all through the stands, all around this huge stadium that we're going to run a marathon in. They've already run it. So, it's not like we're going to have an excuse. We look up, and it's a reminder that they've already done this.
Thanks for those OT scriptures and the two sections in Galatians also. It's all about trusting in God's promises!
God Bless!!!
Your quote;
"That's why God waited for Abraham and Sarah. He gave them the promise and waited for them to become elderly and unable to produce children themselves naturally, so that when God moved, it would be all of God, not of man. That's how God works!" end quote. Well stated!
When God performed a covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15:2-6, he didn't allow Abraham to participate. He put Abraham to sleep.
We see the promise of Issac and blessings in various verses throughout the OT.
.
Here's a couple.
1) Genesis 17:19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
2) Genesis 22:16-18.
And that goes for us also!
"For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise." Galatians 4:22-28.
ALSO.
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. Galatians 3:16-17.
Blessings.
I'm not sure what to focus on next; but clearly the end of the Gospel of Matthew gives us the Great Commission after the story of the appearance of the Resurrected Christ.
One of the members of my church who is in charge of the online prayer meeting during the week mentioned the brother of a friend of his who he gave a copy of the Gospel of John to. He apparently got saved; from what I was told he said he "got right with God" and passed 2 days later. This demonstrates the need to persevere. This church member has gone through a lot; including surgery in the palate of his mouth; once he gets new teeth he wants to get back to handing out Gospel tracts and conversations; apparently he gave out thousands in past years.
This is encouraging news along with the man I mentioned the other day.
I want to mention something else that weighs heavily on me. I am sure we all know those who say they will come to church but don't. The enemy is often at work; and unconfessed sin can be a culprit. I am convinced that the Lord wants to use some people in a mighty way and that a whole congregation can suffer when someone doesn't realize the weight of responsibility that their gifts and calling require of them and sin of course can dull the affect of the Spirit. We need to be proactive here; I believe whenever there are those who express interest in coming to church prayer is needed that the enemy won't stop them; and we should also warn them it is likely to occur to be prepared for it. I always try to emphasize that it isn't so important to come to my church but go anywhere where the truth is preached. This isn't to say that some aren't in the plan of God but may be at a later time or some would cause more harm than good and still others of course will never come to knowledge of the truth. Many nonetheless are spiritually sick having allowed the world; flesh and the Devil to have a stronghold on their souls and need to be freed.
15. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:
16. For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
The Lord shall continue to be our banner.
Every war we face, we shall be the overcomer
Every storm we go through, we shall go through without fear
Every trial shall be won
The Lord our God, shall continue to lead the charge and continue to be our strength
The Lord, He is Jehovah-Nissi
I do understand where you're coming from
So for me, I look at the idea of what an image is. And an image is a representative of something whether it be a picture or other item: soft copy or in hard form.
Let's look at it in a hard form.
In 1 Samuel 5, spoke about a god called Dagon which the Philistine people created to worship.
In 1 Samuel 7, spoke about a stone called Ebenezer, which Samuel set between two points as a reminder that God is our help.
Now, with the two stories an image was created, but the form in which they were created determines the purpose behind each.
What am I saying?
If the purpose behind the image that you create is to worship it, then it becomes your idol.
If the purpose behind the image created is to remind you of the goodness of God, which might bring you into worship and acknowledge the true and living God for who He is, then it's a symbol of who God is to you.
It's like this too,
I met in an accident, the car write-off. I took a picture of the vehicle, and placed it in my bathroom.
Every morning for over 2 years once am in the bathroom I'll be singing, and I can't find enough words to express to God how grateful I am to be alive, mobile, in good health, and of sound mind. It is not that I worship the image my dear, but it is a symbol that reminds me that if God is for me, no weapon formed asked shall prosper. It brings me into worship with God.
Hebrews 12:1 - Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
There is a technical point here I would like to share that's important:
The first few words, "Let us lay aside," it sounds like it's a command or an encouragement. But in the Greek text, it's called an Aorist Participle, and it's literally translated "After having laid aside." It's not a main verb. It's not a command. It's not an encouragement. It's one of three conditions. And we'll see the main verb when we get into the end of Verse 1.
And let us run. There's your main verb. It's the only verb in the first two verses. Let us run. That's an encouragement. It's called a Hortatory Subjunctive. We should run with patience. And the word patience is the word for endurance. It is the word HUPOMENO which means to remain under. It's the Greek word used for circumstances.
The word race is the word AGONA. It's where we get our word agony from. With endurance, we should run the agony that is being set before us. The term set is a Present Participle which shows a continual setting down of the racecourse for us.
This is not your typical track where you run in circles. This is picturing for us something that is like a marathon or cross-country race, where the racecourse is put down in front of us, piece by piece, while we're running. And we don't know the direction. We're just running!
Hebrews 11:28 - Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
By faith, not through faith, but by faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of the blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. That's what the blood over the doorpost did. It saved their households from the destroyer coming and killing their firstborn. God killed the firstborn of the Egyptians. By faith he did that.
Hebrews 11:29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.
By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying, that is, attempting to do, were drowned. And you know the story about the Red Sea. I think it's kind of comical, because the children of Israel get down to the Red Sea, they've got the water in front of them, they look back over the hill, and here come the Egyptians chasing after them.
What would you do? Moses did what anybody would do. He started to pray. And God says now is not the time to pray. Get moving. And God parted the water. And that was by faith. If you go back to the account, which one of those children of Israel made that water do that because "It was by faith?"
It was God that did that. That's why it's called by faith. I have yet to see or hear of a power of positive thinking preacher tell someone to go out and part the waters. They'll part your money from your wallet, but that's about it!
Hebrews 11:19 Continued:
Even the birth of John the Baptist, when Zacharias and Elizabeth were beyond the age of bearing children, the angel Gabriel comes and announces that they're going to have a child. Of course, Zacharias, when he hears this, he says how can this be? It's humanly impossible. And God says you'll be silent and unable to speak until these things happen.
So, for nine months he was silenced and unable to speak until Elizabeth bears her son. And his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak praises and prophecy over the child. He says it was humanly impossible. That's what God does. He doesn't use man's strength.
It's like Gideon. He was called upon to fight the Philistines. And 32,000 able bodied men came to sign up for the military. God said too many! Now how do you have too many? God put these 32,000 through two or three hoops and wound up with only 300 left. God says that's enough, so that everybody will know that it is God and not man!
Why do we think that the more numbers we have in our movement or group is going to be more powerful for God than a few? God has always shied away from big numbers because then man can take credit for it.
So, he received him back in a parable. You see, when Isaac said where's the sacrifice, in the Hebrew, when Abraham said to Isaac God will provide Himself a sacrifice, it was not He will provide for Himself a sacrifice, but that God would provide Himself as a sacrifice. The whole incident was a parable and foretold of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. The word parable means to place alongside of.
Hebrews 11:19 - Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from where also he received him in a figure, or more literally a parable. PARABOLAY is the Greek word. The word accounting is LOGIZOMAI. It's an accounting term. He calculated that since Isaac was the promised son, and God wanted him to sacrifice him, that God was able to raise him from the dead. That's the only way that the promises are going to be fulfilled!
And you know the story is that he went to kill Isaac and God stopped him. He says now I know that you hear my voice, and you are obedient. And there was an animal caught over in the thicket. Abraham had already told his son because his son says "Dad, where's the sacrifice?" Abraham tells him that God Himself will provide the sacrifice. And the animal was in the bushes. And he went and took the animal, which ended up being the sacrifice and not his son after all.
You see, it was all by faith. You'll notice that all these presentations about faith are activities or incidences that have happened in people's lives that were beyond the human ability. That's the way God works. That's why God waited for Abraham and Sarah. He gave them the promise and waited for them to become elderly and unable to produce children themselves naturally, so that when God moved, it would be all of God, not of man. That's how God works!
Hebrews 11:13 - These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
These all died according to faith. That's how it literally reads, which in the Greek means on the basis of faith. Not having received the promises.
Think about it. They lived by faith. They leave their town and relatives. They wander through the wilderness suffering all the things they suffered. They lived in tents in the promised land, just to die and never see the promises. If I were one of them, in the human, right before I died, I would say "This is a bummer. I lived by faith my whole life and what did I get from it? Nothing!"
But having seen them afar off, and were what? Persuaded! That's the word PEITHO, where our word faith comes from.
Hebrews 11:17 - By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
The phrase "only begotten son" is a phrase that is making reference to the only unique son, or the only son upon whom the promises apply.
So, while he was being tested, he offered up Isaac. And it's only through Isaac. Remember Isaac is the promise of God, and Abraham and Sarah waited, and failed at trying to produce him themselves, and God miraculously produced Isaac. But then God says to Abraham, take Isaac your son, and by now he's a teenager. He's not a little child, so he has the ability to get free if he wants to.
But Abraham takes Isaac up on the mountain because God says go and offer him as a sacrifice. Now right away, I would say that doesn't make sense. First you bring him in as the promise, and now you're telling me to sacrifice him? How could he inherit the promises, or there be descendants through him if I'm going to offer him as a sacrifice?
The word for impute from the Greek text (Textus Receptus) is Logizomai
Remember, when Moses wrote Exodus, there were no verses or chapters. Read verse Exodus 20:4 and verse 5 together, and you will understand that God is saying "Thou shalt not make to thee any graven image, &, so as to worship it."
Ask yourself, Did Moses sin when he built the Ark? I mean, he sanctioned the cherubic forms above the mercy-seat, the brazen serpent, and the lilies and pomegranates of the golden candlestick.
Solomon placed lions on the steps of his throne. He had palm-trees, flowers, and cherubim on the walls of the Temple, "within and without" (1Ki_6:29). Surely, Solomon was not in sin when he built the temple.
So, an image of its self is not wrong, it's when it becomes a graven image, which means idol, that it becomes a sin.
Psalms 115:4-7 and Psalms 135:15-17. Idols of silver and gold. Eyes that do not see, ears that do not hear, mouths that do not speak, feet that do not walk, they have no breath in them.
Colossians 1:15 tells us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. John 14:9, Jesus-speaking says, "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father"
Having an image is not the sin, it's when it becomes a graven image, "idol of worship" is the sin.
There is so much more to say on this topic, but running out of room. God Bless.