Please know that I was not accusing you of being a Jehovah's Witness. I already knew you did not belong to any specific group as you have mentioned this in the past. Brother, if I rather you not post, I would have told you so. Please continue to post. As I have mentioned to you before, I always enjoy our conversations. They are always kind and respectful.
I do agree with you 100% that "preconceived biases can blind us." Amen to that!
As far as truth goes, I like to think that you have truth, I have truth, and every true believer has truth. You see, to me truth is not what you and I believe or say, and not what anyone else believes or says. To me truth is a person, and that person is Jesus Christ. If you and I have Christ, we have the truth!
You and I have been here in this forum for several years (10 plus for me) and we've had several good discussions and Lord willing, I hope to have many more. Over the years, I have never told anyone that they are wrong. I may disagree with someone, but that doesn't mean they are wrong, it just means I disagree.
As to your question, I would answer by saying that Jesus Christ is God manifested in the flesh. God came in human form, nothing less. He was 100% God and 100% man. 1 Timothy 3:16 reads, "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
We both agree that God raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus says in John 2:19, "Destroy this temple (speaking of His body), and in three days I will raise it up," Jesus says "I" will raise it up. How could this be unless Jesus is God? Just something to think about.
Ronald, please do not think that I don't value the things you have to share or that I want you to stop posting. That bothers me brother that you might think this. We are here to lift each other up!
1 John 2:28 - And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
And now, little children (TEKNIA-little born ones), abide in Him; That's the word remain (MENO). In order that when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at his coming. So, he says abiding and remaining is the key. When Jesus comes, those who are abiding in Him, they will be ready for His coming.
Those who say they belong to Him, but are not abiding in Him, they will be left behind. It's not a performance. In Matthew 24:13, and the way the Greek text says it, it says the one who has endured to the end is the one who is saved. So, endurance is a characteristic, or evidence that a person is saved.
If you stop and think about it, if you receive Christ, and your soul or spirit is sealed by the Holy Spirit, your soul now belongs to Christ. He says He will never leave you nor forsake you. Well, how can we not endure to the end if He's living in us?
He's the one who causes me to endure. In the human I might be weak, but there isn't anything or anyone that's going to take me away from Christ. Not even my own sin is going to take me away from Christ. Nothing will separate me from the love of God.
Please take note of this, that HUPOMENO, remaining under, is a characteristic of one who is saved. They will make it to the end because God will make it through them. It will not be by human performance.
1 John 2:27 - But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
But the anointing which you have received of him abides in you, literally Present Tense, is abiding right now! And you need not that any man should teach you. Why? It's because they have already been taught, and they have the anointing of God living inside of them. The word anoint is the base word for CHRISTOS for Christ.
If you've been born of God's Spirit, you have the Spirit of Christ in you. If you get ministered to by any of these things I'm sharing, it's not because you're getting ministered to by me. It is God that is speaking to your heart. And if you read what I am sharing and you're not being ministered to by His Spirit, then my words mean nothing!
And if you know Christ, He is teaching you from within you, not from me. You hear the words that are spoken to you in church (Wherever that might be), or you read the words in the bible, but it is God's Spirit that ministers to people.
And that is something that some in the ministry have failed in over the years. They think that they need to keep people ignorant, and keep them from understanding the word, and that way they need to depend on leadership.
When God's Spirit is in you and teaches you, once God has established you in the truth, you don't need people to say "Hey, I got a new revelation or teaching." Once you are grounded in what John teaches, and what Paul teaches, and Peter teaches, once you have been grounded by them, you have no need that anyone come along and teach you.
But as the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you (so this is Past Time), you shall abide in him. So, at one time they were taught. And they're told to remain in what you were taught.
1 John 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
Who is a liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? I think I mentioned this a while back, maybe a year or two ago that Jesus Christ was the phrase used after the first century. It started out as Jesus the Christ, and then the term "the" was dropped. Christ is His title. It's Jesus the Messiah. That's what Christ means. CHRISTOS in Greek is the same as MASHIACH, or Messiah in Hebrew. And it means anointing.
The people who deny that Jesus is the anointing of God, that person is antichrist that denies the Father and the Son.
1 John 2:24 - Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
Let that therefore abide in you, which you have heard from the beginning. The word abide (MENO) is a key word in the Christian faith. The words abide, remain, and continue in this verse are all a form of the same word. A believer is someone who is abiding or remaining in Christ, and Christ is remaining in them. It is continuous, and it is permanent. That is the characteristic and evidence of a genuine believer.
So, he's telling them, that which you heard from the beginning, let it abide in you. You see, they had to be taught at one time. If that which you heard from the beginning shall remain in you, you also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. It's just what Jesus said in John 8:31. He said if you are my disciples, you will continue in the word.
1 John 2:20 - But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
But you have an unction, which is the word for anointing. You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. So, a believer has what is called the anointing. That is called the CHRISMA, not CHARISMA but CHRISMA. And if it sounds like Christ, it's because Christ came from this word. The word Christ means anointed.
So, he says you have the Christ living inside of you. He's talking to people who have already been taught by the apostles, who already have the Spirit of Christ in them. He says you have no need that anyone teach you. You have the anointing within you. You've already been taught by the apostles. You know what the truth is. You have the Spirit of Christ in you. It's the Spirit of Christ in you that ministers to you, not people from the outside.
Even when we get together for a bible study, and there's an audible voice that's being heard, there are different things going on inside of everyone. Everybody is different. They have different things going on. It's not because of what's going on in the study. God's just using that as a tool. It's Christ in you that ministers to you, not the person presenting the teaching.
He says you're not like the children of the antichrist. You are remaining with the believers. You might try and quit, but like Jonah, you can only go so far. You have to realize that when you are on the run, you're taking Christ with you. And that doesn't last very long. But you remain. You're in Christ and Christ is in you.
You can quit, but you can't quit, if that makes sense! You can run, but you can't hide. Christ will never leave us nor forsake us. So, I guess I'm stuck being saved, my sins forgiven, and getting to go to heaven when this life is over. As far as I see it, that's the best deal going!
1 John 2:15 - Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
The commandment is: Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. The word love is what is called a Present Imperative. It means continuous. In the Greek text, it's literally translated stop continually loving the world. If any man should love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. It's not love for the Father. It's the Father's love Himself. If a person has a love for the world, the love of the Father is not in them.
1 John 2:13 - I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.
I write unto you, fathers, and these would be the older believers, because you have known Him from the beginning, that is, from the beginning of His earthly ministry. I write unto you, young men, and these are young adults, because you have overcome the evil one. Notice that. You have overcome the evil one.
Whenever a believer, born again, saved in Christ, the moment that person is saved, they have already overcome Satan. We don't need to fight him. It's always mentioned in the Perfect Tense. When we get to 1 John Chapter 4, he says you are of God little children. He's speaking about the spirit of antichrist that's in the world.
He says you are of God little children, and you have overcome them, because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. The spirit of antichrist is in the world. But if you belong to Christ, you don't have to worry about it because you've already overcome it. You're not going to be overtaken.
This is all based on the words of Jesus recorded in John 16:33, these things I have spoken unto you that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
Hopefully I am making enough sense to where you can see where the connection is. If Jesus has overcome the world, if Jesus has defeated Satan, and He is living inside of me, I have overcome because greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. I cannot be taken away. What an encouraging thing to be telling people!
He goes on to say I write unto you, little children, PAIDIA. This is a different Greek word that has to do with children that are old enough for discipline, correction. I write unto you, little children, because you have known the Father.
1 John 2:12 - I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.
I write unto you, little children, and the word little children is referring to born ones. So, he's writing to all those who are born of the Spirit of God. I write unto you, little children, because your sins, listen to this: have been forgiven you for His name's sake. It's already been done. But notice for whose sake it is. It's for His name's sake, His reputation. That's why He forgave us!
1 John 2:6 - He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
He that says he abides in Him, and the word abide comes from the Greek word MENO for remain, and it denoted permanency. It says, in him ought, or more literally, is indebted himself also to walk, even as he walked.
Please notice these comparisons. If God is light and God is in me, when I walk, I'm walking in the light. Why? Because He's light and He's in me. If I am in Christ, if Christ abides in me and I in Him, then I should walk as He walks. How? Because he's inside of me, and His Spirit is going to direct my steps.
I don't always in the human perfectly follow. But he's going to show that in the believer's life, they are indebted to walk the same way Christ walked. Why? Because Christ is living inside of them. How are you going to walk differently?
1 John 2:10 - He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
The word love is the word AGAPE. We see when we get to Chapter 4 that the only source of AGAPE is God Himself. If I try to obey the commandment in my own human effort to love my neighbor, it won't be the love the bible is talking about. AGAPE love has a spiritual concern and a sacrifice to it.
So, if I love a person who I claim to be my brother, if I care about his spiritual welfare to the point that there be no occasion of stumbling, that there isn't anything in my life that I will do to offend that person and corrupt their walk with the Lord, that is love. That person is walking in the light.
1 John 2:2 - And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
And he is the propitiation for our sins: The Greek word just means satisfaction. He meets all the requirements for our sins. But also, HELASMON is the Greek word, and it is the word for mercy seat in the Old Testament in the tabernacle area.
Once a year at the Day of Atonement, the priest would go in the holy of holies and sprinkle the mercy seat with the sacrifice that has been made for the sins of the people. So, He presents Himself before the Father, not only His righteousness, but His sacrifice for our sins. And not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
People debate and ask, "Did Jesus die for the sins of the whole world, or just for a few, that is, the ones that He has chosen?" Well, the bible tells us that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, everybody's sins. But its application and its effectiveness is only for those who receive Him. When the whole world stands before Christ, the only thing they will answer for is how they responded to Christ. That's it! And people will die in their sins because they have rejected Christ.
He says my little children, these things I write unto you, that you should not sin, Aorist Subjunctive. Aorist is one-time, to commit an act of sin. But if anybody should sin (commit an act of Sin), we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one:
The word advocate is the same word used in the gospel of John for the comforter, the Holy Spirit as the comforter. And the word comforter, PARAKLESIS, means someone who is called alongside to help. But in Greek, it's even more specific than that. This is a legal term that means that Jesus Christ is my defense attorney. And he stands before God and He represents me before God. We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Now what is interesting is that the PARAKLESIS is the defense attorney. The prosecuting attorney in the courts is called HASATAN, which means the Satan. That's his Hebrew name, HASATAN. He is the prosecuting attorney. When we get into the book of Revelation, in Revelation 12:10, it says that Satan is the accuser of the brethren who accuses them day and night before God.
He's trying to prosecute us. And he brings his argument before God the judge. But our defense attorney Jesus Christ is there to represent us. And everything that Satan says, the Lord can say that's true, but I paid for that on the cross. So, if we should sin, we have a defense attorney at our side at all times, Jesus Christ the righteous one. I'm not righteous, He is. He represents me!
1 John 2:1 - My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
The term sin is a verb. And it is called the Subjunctive Mood. That might not mean anything to you, but it represents committing an act of sin. It is Aorist (single act), Subjunctive (possibility). If you should commit an act of sin, then God has provision for us.
In John's writings, there's a difference between an act of sin, and a continuous lifestyle of sin. And that's what he's saying in Chapter 3, whoever is born of God does not commit, that is, does not continuously live a lifestyle of sin because God's seed is in him. And he's unable to continually sin because he's born of God.
So, he's telling us as believers that we sin. A person who is genuinely born of the Spirit of God and belongs to Christ continues to sin, but they are acts of sin. We sin in the light, not in the darkness. God's Spirit brings conviction and brings the light.
A non-believer remains in the darkness. They stay away from the light because the light exposes them and brings conviction. But he says those who are of the light, they come to the light, in order that it might be proved that they are in God. A person who is born of the Spirit of God will be drawn to the light. And they will have their life exposed to them. It will bring about confession as God wants to keep our relationship pure. That's what He does for us.
James 4:14 - Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
Whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow, showing how foolish it is. You don't know! For what is your life? It is even a vapour. ATMIS is the Greek word, and it is the word for steam. Do you see the steam coming out of the kettle on the stove? That's your life!
What is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away, literally in the Greek, that appears and then disappears. That's all it says. That's not very encouraging to hear, but it puts things in perspective!
James 4:16 - But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
But now you rejoice, and that's literally the word boast. You boast in your boastings:
We read about the pride of life in 1 John 2:15, and it means to use the necessities for prideful purposes? That's the word for boastings in this text. The word rejoice is the word boasting. But now you boast in your prideful necessities. And you know what they're boasting about? "Well, we're going to go into such and such a city, and we're going to make a killing. We're going to make lots of money!"
All such boasting is evil. And the word evil is PONAYROS, which is the word for Satan. He is the evil one. Not just bad, but evil.
Many traditions are followed, but do they line up with Scripture? The week Jesus was crucified, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the first day of the week, which would have been the 10th of Nisan. This would be the same day the people were to put up the lamb that would be sacrificed on Passover Day, the 14th of Nisan, Exodus 12:3. The money changers were selling animals for the Passover and other sacrifices. They were also exchanging money for the temple tax or tribute; it had to be a half-shekel.
Each day is recorded in Matthew 21 through Matthew 27:56, Mark 11:1 through Mark 15:41, Luke 19:28 through Luke 23:49, and John 12:1 through John 19:37.
John 12:1 John states it was six days before Passover when they arrived in Bethany, and the next day Jesus rode into Jerusalem, which was five days until Passover. Today, this day is referred to as Palm Sunday, the first day of the week.
Day one, 10th of Nisan, Jesus rides into Jerusalem, casts out the money changers and returns to Bethany, and lodges there, Matthew 21:1-17, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:1 through Luke 23:49. Luke does not cover the back and forth to Bethany, and John 12:1-50, John then picks up at the Last Supper.
Day two, 11th of Nisan, shows Jesus going back to Jerusalem, the fig tree, casting out the money changers again, just like the first Passover He attended in His three and a half years' ministry, John 2:14-16. The plot started with how to kill Jesus, Matthew 21:18-Matthew 25:46, Mark 11:12 through Mark 13:37, Luke 22:38. Matthew, Mark, and Luke cover Jesus' teachings in the temple, parables, and the Olivet discourse.
Day three, 12th of Nisan, is two days until Passover, Matthew 26:2-13, Mark 14:1-2. The plot to kill Jesus got more intense.
"Love (Agapao) not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love (Agapao) the world, the love (Agape) of the Father is not in him.
I'm not sure but I believe the difference between Agapao and Agape is the benevolence or out pouring of God's love to and through the believer.
We see that in Agape and the things and people of God is the object.
There's several words for Love in the Bible written in the Greek.
Here's just a few.
Phileo means friendly love while Eros denotes passionate, romantic love.
Ludus (playful love)
Pragma (enduring love)
Agape" is probably the Greek word for love we are most familiar with.
Agape represents unconditional, selfless love, This Love is described as "to be totally given over to something or someone".
I believe it depends on what Spirit you have in you.
Agape is a fruit of the Spirit that causes us to Love God, the things of God and the children of God.
When this benevolence is displayed by the Children of God "toward the children of God" it displays the true followers of Christ.
John 13:34-35 is one of the most relevant set of verses for us as Christians.
It's not a command but rather a statement of fact. ( You will love one another)
Verse 35 says "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples" This is caused by the Spirit of God in you!
I believe the Spirit of God directs this unconditional selfless love, to the things and people of God.
If a person have not the Spirit of God in them then John 3:19 is for them.
( And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved (Agapao) darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.)
1 John 2:15 reads, "Love (Agape) not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love (Agape) the world, the love (Agape) of the Father is not in him.
I'm not sure but I believe the difference between Agapao and Agape is the benevolence or out pouring of God's love to and through the believer.
We see that in Agape and the things and people of God is the object.
Here we see the Parable of the Two Sons (v. 28-32) and the Parable of the Tenants (v. 33-41) followed by further warnings of Christ of the Kingdom of God. Verse 42 contains a quote from Psalm 118 showing that He was indeed the stone which they had rejected after they affirmed in the second parable what should be done to the wicked tenants when the owner comes back.
It appears from my limited study that John has the most references to attempts to kill Christ; although some manuscripts eliminate the last verse in Matthew 21 no doubt there was constant desire to go after the Lord whether to arrest Him or kill Him on the spot. They were concerned about the reaction of the crowd for the obvious fact that miracles couldn't be denied. NO one ever cast any doubt on the veracity of the miracles; but they did as to who He was and His credentials such as denying His virgin birth ( John 8:41); and he being merely the son of Joseph and Mary in John 6:42. Which was it the real or illegitimate son? They couldn't accept the virgin birth which means the testimony of Mary and Joseph was taken to be false in that regard.
They knew that no one had ever healed the blind even with the resurrection recorded in the book of Kings of the widow's son. ( 1 Kings 17; John 9:32).
Reading Isaiah 53 shows a graphic picture of Christ and His sufferings at the cross along with other passages in that book and other prophecies such as Psalm 22 in particular. Which is more of a miracle God in all His glory creating the heavens and the earth and sustaining the universe or condescending to take human form to be the propitiation for our sins? (1 John 2:2). Which displays His Divine attributes most clearly? In truth; both aspects need to be emphasized lest we consider Him to be anything less than God or insufficient to come in our place to make an atonement for all of the sins of His children. First He had to live as one of us in order to die in our place ( 1 Cor. 15
Hebrews 5:9 "And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;"
1 John 2:3 "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments."
Revelation 22:14 "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."
I agree! I believe to present God as an angry God is misrepresenting God.
I would present God as Holy!
Nahum 1:3 reads "The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked (kjv).
However, "the wicked" is in italics. Perhaps it should read "The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit.
That means no one gets off!
Sin has to be paid for and the wages of sin is death!
And all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; Romans 3:23.
Romans 6:23 reads "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
At this junction I would present God as a loving God pointing a lost soul to Romans 5:6-9 and " John 3:16-21" "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Romans 5:18 reads "Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
Adams sin has been imputed on to us. All human beings are counted as having sinned in Adam!
Jesus is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2.
2 Timothy 3:2 - For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Number one, for men shall be lovers of their own selves. Secondly, covetous, which literally means lovers of money, PHILARGUROI. It is the same word that is found in 1 Timothy 6:10 where it says for the love of money is the root of all evil.
So, the first two have to do with love, lovers of their own selves, and lovers of money. The word love is PHILOS, which means to be fond of or to be friendly towards. It means to rearrange one's life to make these things a priority, first our own selves, and then money.
Thirdly, boasters. This word is found in 1 John 2:15-16. John says love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
Pride of life is the same word. And the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. So, when it has to do with material things, it has to do with using one's material things to boast. In other words, I go out and buy two or three expensive cars, and I build a multimillion-dollar house up on a hill and try to get the best of everything. It's a status thing!
It is unclear in my mind exactly when this occurred; it was the first miracle where Christ did something publicly at least. It is brought up by some that Mark 3 shows how some of the Disciples such as Matthew came up later; so this is likely an informal group or part of the original 12 that were actually invited to this event. My aim here is to list things roughly chronological; to put all the pieces together based on the 4 Gospels in perfect order is something for another study.
In studying this yesterday in church even my Pastor couldn't figure out exactly what Jesus meant "before the time" in John 2:4.
Again this would seem to be before He did any public miracles but certainly that soon followed within weeks or a few months of His 3.5 year ministry. The uniqueness of providing something that wasn't a necessity of this miracle could be at play here too.
Nonetheless I am sure Jesus had God's approval to do this; and His miracle reminds me of the miraculous provision for the widow mentioned in 2 Kings 4:1-7. These were huge stone pots and at least 100 GALLONS of wine were made; enough no doubt to sell for years to come. It is interesting that all of His miracles mentioned of feeding the thousands were outside; an in fact most of His healing miracles were outdoors as well; He was summoned to the homes normally of certain wealthy men of important status.
It appears from Matthew 4 that after He was tempted in the desert; He called at least some of His Disciples and started doing miracles. The temptation in Matthew 4 was a standard 40 days period as we see Moses also fasted actually TWICE for that time (no mention if he ate anything in between after the rebellion occurred). Nonetheless it was the total trust in the Spirit that allowed for Him to get through it and scripture being deep within as the one offensive weapon against Satan. I believe I mentioned this already; so off to Matthew 5.
There are many verses explaining Christ's perfect; sinless life. Hebrews 4:15 says For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. A casual search will find lists of dozens to 100 or more verses on this subject. These are fine studies and I will try to incorporate many more into this series. My main focus is on how He lived this way in varying situations whether with His inner circle of Disciples; the larger public; the Pharisees and Sadducees or private prayer.
As I brought up briefly in an earlier post; Jesus lived His first 30 years with scanty details written about it. Although there are spurious extrabiblical writings that mention outrageous miracles; signs and wonders ascribed to this period of His life; the fact that the Spirit came down on Him and even John didn't know who He was should tell us otherwise. John was born to Elizabeth; Mary's cousin (according to the way most understand the text). If anything extraordinary occurred you would expect John would have been aware of it before this time. Mary knew certainly that all that Christ said should be paid attention to; we see this with the miracle of the water turned to wine in the Cana wedding in John 2:1-11. We will start there and leave the general conclusion that Jesus served His parents well and with the family business; which some have said is more representing general labor of construction work rather than just a carpenter. He did with the incident when He was 12 years old briefly "disobey" His parents in appearance doing work in "His Father's house" ( Luke 2:49); which shows how God was His true Father hence it could trump Joseph His earthly father; nonethless this was a one time incident; perhaps I'll surmise being a rite of passage like a BarMitzvah although I could be wrong about that; just a thought.
1 Thessalonians 3:11 - Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.
Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, may He direct our way unto you. That's what is called the Optative Mood. It's a wish, a hope. Now may God bring us in your direction.
1 Thessalonians 3:12 - And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:
The word love in the bible, again is the word AGAPE. It is a word that is from the biblical standpoint specifically attached to God. The verb form is found even in society back then, to love the world. In fact, 1 John 2:15 says love not the world, neither the things in the world. That's the verb form AGAPAO.
But the noun AGAPE is only designated for God. God is love. That's our definition of AGAPE. And we see later on that Paul is going to commend them for being God-taught to love, that God teaches them from within. But AGAPE love is a concern about people's spiritual welfare, and willing to sacrifice and lay down your life, whatever it takes for that person's welfare.
So, he prays the scope, the dimension of their love would increase and abound towards one another and towards all men.
1 Thessalonians 3:13 - To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
The word holiness is the word sanctification which means to be set apart and we see that in Chapter 4. In setting apart before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all of His saints.
Again, Paul is looking forward. When Paul ministered to people, he was always concerned about a believer's faith, that they lived by faith and didn't need the human resources and the feelings and all the different things in order to make it through life. And secondly, that they would be mature and complete at the coming of Christ.
For all that is in the world, thelustof the flesh, and thelustof the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Apostle Paul talks about sinning in the lust thereof .
Romans 6:12
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in thelusts thereof.
We cannot escape lust, it is part of our inner body, but we can control it by the word of God and the help of the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:17
For the fleshlusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
But if we are in the word daily, then we will receive the fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23
ButthefruitoftheSpiritis love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against suchthere is no law.
Ray, in Christ Jesus 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 the body of Christ Jesus has been resurrected to the Third Heaven
Hi Giannis, I truly appreciate your time and understanding. The words that come up in 1 Timothy 3:1-3 is " sober and not giving of wine ". My understanding of a Bishop or a Pastor, it's best if they don't drink wine that can get them drunk, grapejuice will be better.
1 Timothy 3:1-3
1 This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
2A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
3Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
Now the wine that Jesus Christ made was not wine that made a person drunk. God speak of being drunk is a sin. Good wine was grapejuice from Heaven.
John 2:10
And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forthgoodwine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept thegoodwineuntil now.
In my life time, I will never believe that strong drinks bring in goods things in life. Giannis in no disrespect to wine, I believe that anyone can drink it, but for a Pastor of a church, it's dangerous. I should of be dead at the age 6, my father was a drunk and nearly killed me, by the grace of God, I am alive . I don't hate the alcohol, it's the sin that comes after it. Believe me or not, I still respected my father until he died from illness of alcohol.
Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
Giannis, thank you and God bless you with the power of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
There are many verses in the Bible that show the human nature of Jesus. But also there are many verses that show the divine nature of Jesus. Some of them are many parts of John's gospel (especially the begining) such as John 1:30, John 2:19, John 3:13, John 8:58-59, John 10:30-33, John 14:9-10, John 14:23, John 20:28, Acts 20:28, Titus 2:13, 2 Peter 1:1, Hebrews 1:8, Matthew 1:22-23, 1 Cor 10:9, Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1, Zechariah 11:12-13, Romans 9:1-5, and many other that I can not recall now. Jesus also accepted people to kneel infront of Him, something that is only permitted for God. Also compare Psalms 102:25-27 where it talks about God to Hebrews 1:10 where it talks about Jesus. Also compare Joel 3:5 to Acts 9:13. Compare Jeremiah 17:9 to Rev 2:23, etc.
So we have two kinds of scripture. One says that Jesus is human, the other says that Jesus is God. So what do we make out of these two? The obvious, that Jesus is the God, one person of the Godhead, who became man.
Lets think it in another way. We know that God loved people so much so that He sacrificed His own son for us. Now lets use another example. Suppose I love my brother and want to help Him. and the only way to help him is to give my own life for him. How does it seem to you that I would sacrifice instead of my own life, my son's life for Him to help Him? Why my son? And not myself? The most sensible thing is that I would sacrifice my own life for him, not somebody's else. That would be very egoistic. Somebody else to suffer for my intention to help somebody that I love? I think you can understand what I trying to say. So what did God do? He sacrificed Himself for us, one person out of the Godhead took on Him our nature, became a man and gave His life for us. So it is God's love that attracts people to Him. It wouldn't be love if He sacrificed somebody else, an innocent person's life, for his intention to save us. I hope I haven't done it so complicated to understand. GBU
I have seen evidence of such things in person as well as reading many accounts. What is often backwards is not assessing the legal access the enemy has due to the personal sins of individuals before addressing generational curses or immediately attempting deliverance. The question of whether someone is oppressed or possessed is a stickler as some argue against believers vs nonbelievers in regard to the subject. Either way; of course brings a situation where only God can free someone from those chains.
Of course doctrine is key in order to remain free; as false doctrines allow for sin; which is either unrecognized or deliberately disregarded and it affects leadership. We have a danger not allowing men to have authority over teaching and hence women often are in disobedience and usually have false doctrines. Many of the popular televangelists and deliverance people are have been married multiple times and hence living in adultery and that sort of spirit also affects others who emulate these behaviors.
The love of money also is evident hence the enemy has a field day in convincing people that somehow financial blessings are due from God and people aren't taught how Satan with his principalities has deceived the whole world with the lusts thereof ( Galatians 5:24; 1 John 2:17; also see 2 Timothy 2:1).
I have pointed out the history of the church I first attended where a deliverance occured around 1980 right before I was involved there; it was a traditional Baptist church. The point is things like this happened and but there wasn't a big fanfare or filming of such events. The fear of the Lord also affects the spiritual realm so that where the Spirit is present the enemy must retreat and hence people are readily delivered.
My main point above is something that is recognized by some as to the reason the enemy gets a stronghold. Some learn to grow and mature in their walk who are set free in such churches.
Thanks for your further comments Woe. It is correct that "Abraham obeyed my (God's) voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws" ( Genesis 26:5). But when did all these commandments, statutes & laws given to Abraham? If God covenanted with Abraham concerning blessing, inheritance, & multiplication of his seed (as per the Genesis references I gave previously), where in Scripture do we find that these Laws (particularly the Decalogue) was ever given to Abraham? Could these laws, commandments & statutes be different to what was given at Mt. Sinai, regulations that pertained specifically to Abraham's life & direction he was to take? Not to say that something of the Mosaic Law would not be included in that giving to Abraham, but we are not told specifically what was given, therefore we are not at liberty to assume or presume (which is a fundamental biblical rule).
No, Jesus doesn't "tell all men to keep God's 10 commandments". He was speaking to the Jews who were under the Law - Gentiles & the Church never received the Law & were never brought under it. Where we find in the NT about believers needing to obey God's Commandments (as in 1 John 2:3, 1 John 5:3), it is spoken as to those not under the Law but under the Law of the Spirit. And the Holy Spirit will certainly bring before us God's Commandments, and many, many more than the few in the Decalogue that pertained only to Israel who had long forgotten the God of Israel when in Egypt ( Exodus 3:13,14). The Ten Commandments were given to a discouraged enslaved people who had lost all knowledge of God & His requirements - given to them to show God's Standard of worship & godly living, but ultimately to reveal to them their sin, their need to trust & hope in the Living God & their need of a Savior.
1 John 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
Blessings
Please know that I was not accusing you of being a Jehovah's Witness. I already knew you did not belong to any specific group as you have mentioned this in the past. Brother, if I rather you not post, I would have told you so. Please continue to post. As I have mentioned to you before, I always enjoy our conversations. They are always kind and respectful.
I do agree with you 100% that "preconceived biases can blind us." Amen to that!
As far as truth goes, I like to think that you have truth, I have truth, and every true believer has truth. You see, to me truth is not what you and I believe or say, and not what anyone else believes or says. To me truth is a person, and that person is Jesus Christ. If you and I have Christ, we have the truth!
You and I have been here in this forum for several years (10 plus for me) and we've had several good discussions and Lord willing, I hope to have many more. Over the years, I have never told anyone that they are wrong. I may disagree with someone, but that doesn't mean they are wrong, it just means I disagree.
As to your question, I would answer by saying that Jesus Christ is God manifested in the flesh. God came in human form, nothing less. He was 100% God and 100% man. 1 Timothy 3:16 reads, "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
We both agree that God raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus says in John 2:19, "Destroy this temple (speaking of His body), and in three days I will raise it up," Jesus says "I" will raise it up. How could this be unless Jesus is God? Just something to think about.
Ronald, please do not think that I don't value the things you have to share or that I want you to stop posting. That bothers me brother that you might think this. We are here to lift each other up!
God Bless!!!
1 John 2:28 - And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
And now, little children (TEKNIA-little born ones), abide in Him; That's the word remain (MENO). In order that when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at his coming. So, he says abiding and remaining is the key. When Jesus comes, those who are abiding in Him, they will be ready for His coming.
Those who say they belong to Him, but are not abiding in Him, they will be left behind. It's not a performance. In Matthew 24:13, and the way the Greek text says it, it says the one who has endured to the end is the one who is saved. So, endurance is a characteristic, or evidence that a person is saved.
If you stop and think about it, if you receive Christ, and your soul or spirit is sealed by the Holy Spirit, your soul now belongs to Christ. He says He will never leave you nor forsake you. Well, how can we not endure to the end if He's living in us?
He's the one who causes me to endure. In the human I might be weak, but there isn't anything or anyone that's going to take me away from Christ. Not even my own sin is going to take me away from Christ. Nothing will separate me from the love of God.
Please take note of this, that HUPOMENO, remaining under, is a characteristic of one who is saved. They will make it to the end because God will make it through them. It will not be by human performance.
1 John 2:27 - But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
But the anointing which you have received of him abides in you, literally Present Tense, is abiding right now! And you need not that any man should teach you. Why? It's because they have already been taught, and they have the anointing of God living inside of them. The word anoint is the base word for CHRISTOS for Christ.
If you've been born of God's Spirit, you have the Spirit of Christ in you. If you get ministered to by any of these things I'm sharing, it's not because you're getting ministered to by me. It is God that is speaking to your heart. And if you read what I am sharing and you're not being ministered to by His Spirit, then my words mean nothing!
And if you know Christ, He is teaching you from within you, not from me. You hear the words that are spoken to you in church (Wherever that might be), or you read the words in the bible, but it is God's Spirit that ministers to people.
And that is something that some in the ministry have failed in over the years. They think that they need to keep people ignorant, and keep them from understanding the word, and that way they need to depend on leadership.
When God's Spirit is in you and teaches you, once God has established you in the truth, you don't need people to say "Hey, I got a new revelation or teaching." Once you are grounded in what John teaches, and what Paul teaches, and Peter teaches, once you have been grounded by them, you have no need that anyone come along and teach you.
But as the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you (so this is Past Time), you shall abide in him. So, at one time they were taught. And they're told to remain in what you were taught.
1 John 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
Who is a liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? I think I mentioned this a while back, maybe a year or two ago that Jesus Christ was the phrase used after the first century. It started out as Jesus the Christ, and then the term "the" was dropped. Christ is His title. It's Jesus the Messiah. That's what Christ means. CHRISTOS in Greek is the same as MASHIACH, or Messiah in Hebrew. And it means anointing.
The people who deny that Jesus is the anointing of God, that person is antichrist that denies the Father and the Son.
1 John 2:24 - Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
Let that therefore abide in you, which you have heard from the beginning. The word abide (MENO) is a key word in the Christian faith. The words abide, remain, and continue in this verse are all a form of the same word. A believer is someone who is abiding or remaining in Christ, and Christ is remaining in them. It is continuous, and it is permanent. That is the characteristic and evidence of a genuine believer.
So, he's telling them, that which you heard from the beginning, let it abide in you. You see, they had to be taught at one time. If that which you heard from the beginning shall remain in you, you also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. It's just what Jesus said in John 8:31. He said if you are my disciples, you will continue in the word.
1 John 2:20 - But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
But you have an unction, which is the word for anointing. You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. So, a believer has what is called the anointing. That is called the CHRISMA, not CHARISMA but CHRISMA. And if it sounds like Christ, it's because Christ came from this word. The word Christ means anointed.
So, he says you have the Christ living inside of you. He's talking to people who have already been taught by the apostles, who already have the Spirit of Christ in them. He says you have no need that anyone teach you. You have the anointing within you. You've already been taught by the apostles. You know what the truth is. You have the Spirit of Christ in you. It's the Spirit of Christ in you that ministers to you, not people from the outside.
Even when we get together for a bible study, and there's an audible voice that's being heard, there are different things going on inside of everyone. Everybody is different. They have different things going on. It's not because of what's going on in the study. God's just using that as a tool. It's Christ in you that ministers to you, not the person presenting the teaching.
He says you're not like the children of the antichrist. You are remaining with the believers. You might try and quit, but like Jonah, you can only go so far. You have to realize that when you are on the run, you're taking Christ with you. And that doesn't last very long. But you remain. You're in Christ and Christ is in you.
You can quit, but you can't quit, if that makes sense! You can run, but you can't hide. Christ will never leave us nor forsake us. So, I guess I'm stuck being saved, my sins forgiven, and getting to go to heaven when this life is over. As far as I see it, that's the best deal going!
1 John 2:15 - Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
The commandment is: Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. The word love is what is called a Present Imperative. It means continuous. In the Greek text, it's literally translated stop continually loving the world. If any man should love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. It's not love for the Father. It's the Father's love Himself. If a person has a love for the world, the love of the Father is not in them.
1 John 2:13 - I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.
I write unto you, fathers, and these would be the older believers, because you have known Him from the beginning, that is, from the beginning of His earthly ministry. I write unto you, young men, and these are young adults, because you have overcome the evil one. Notice that. You have overcome the evil one.
Whenever a believer, born again, saved in Christ, the moment that person is saved, they have already overcome Satan. We don't need to fight him. It's always mentioned in the Perfect Tense. When we get to 1 John Chapter 4, he says you are of God little children. He's speaking about the spirit of antichrist that's in the world.
He says you are of God little children, and you have overcome them, because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. The spirit of antichrist is in the world. But if you belong to Christ, you don't have to worry about it because you've already overcome it. You're not going to be overtaken.
This is all based on the words of Jesus recorded in John 16:33, these things I have spoken unto you that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
Hopefully I am making enough sense to where you can see where the connection is. If Jesus has overcome the world, if Jesus has defeated Satan, and He is living inside of me, I have overcome because greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. I cannot be taken away. What an encouraging thing to be telling people!
He goes on to say I write unto you, little children, PAIDIA. This is a different Greek word that has to do with children that are old enough for discipline, correction. I write unto you, little children, because you have known the Father.
1 John 2:12 - I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.
I write unto you, little children, and the word little children is referring to born ones. So, he's writing to all those who are born of the Spirit of God. I write unto you, little children, because your sins, listen to this: have been forgiven you for His name's sake. It's already been done. But notice for whose sake it is. It's for His name's sake, His reputation. That's why He forgave us!
1 John 2:6 - He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
He that says he abides in Him, and the word abide comes from the Greek word MENO for remain, and it denoted permanency. It says, in him ought, or more literally, is indebted himself also to walk, even as he walked.
Please notice these comparisons. If God is light and God is in me, when I walk, I'm walking in the light. Why? Because He's light and He's in me. If I am in Christ, if Christ abides in me and I in Him, then I should walk as He walks. How? Because he's inside of me, and His Spirit is going to direct my steps.
I don't always in the human perfectly follow. But he's going to show that in the believer's life, they are indebted to walk the same way Christ walked. Why? Because Christ is living inside of them. How are you going to walk differently?
1 John 2:10 - He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
The word love is the word AGAPE. We see when we get to Chapter 4 that the only source of AGAPE is God Himself. If I try to obey the commandment in my own human effort to love my neighbor, it won't be the love the bible is talking about. AGAPE love has a spiritual concern and a sacrifice to it.
So, if I love a person who I claim to be my brother, if I care about his spiritual welfare to the point that there be no occasion of stumbling, that there isn't anything in my life that I will do to offend that person and corrupt their walk with the Lord, that is love. That person is walking in the light.
1 John 2:2 - And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
And he is the propitiation for our sins: The Greek word just means satisfaction. He meets all the requirements for our sins. But also, HELASMON is the Greek word, and it is the word for mercy seat in the Old Testament in the tabernacle area.
Once a year at the Day of Atonement, the priest would go in the holy of holies and sprinkle the mercy seat with the sacrifice that has been made for the sins of the people. So, He presents Himself before the Father, not only His righteousness, but His sacrifice for our sins. And not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
People debate and ask, "Did Jesus die for the sins of the whole world, or just for a few, that is, the ones that He has chosen?" Well, the bible tells us that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, everybody's sins. But its application and its effectiveness is only for those who receive Him. When the whole world stands before Christ, the only thing they will answer for is how they responded to Christ. That's it! And people will die in their sins because they have rejected Christ.
1 John 2:1 Continued
He says my little children, these things I write unto you, that you should not sin, Aorist Subjunctive. Aorist is one-time, to commit an act of sin. But if anybody should sin (commit an act of Sin), we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one:
The word advocate is the same word used in the gospel of John for the comforter, the Holy Spirit as the comforter. And the word comforter, PARAKLESIS, means someone who is called alongside to help. But in Greek, it's even more specific than that. This is a legal term that means that Jesus Christ is my defense attorney. And he stands before God and He represents me before God. We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Now what is interesting is that the PARAKLESIS is the defense attorney. The prosecuting attorney in the courts is called HASATAN, which means the Satan. That's his Hebrew name, HASATAN. He is the prosecuting attorney. When we get into the book of Revelation, in Revelation 12:10, it says that Satan is the accuser of the brethren who accuses them day and night before God.
He's trying to prosecute us. And he brings his argument before God the judge. But our defense attorney Jesus Christ is there to represent us. And everything that Satan says, the Lord can say that's true, but I paid for that on the cross. So, if we should sin, we have a defense attorney at our side at all times, Jesus Christ the righteous one. I'm not righteous, He is. He represents me!
1 John 2:1 - My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
The term sin is a verb. And it is called the Subjunctive Mood. That might not mean anything to you, but it represents committing an act of sin. It is Aorist (single act), Subjunctive (possibility). If you should commit an act of sin, then God has provision for us.
In John's writings, there's a difference between an act of sin, and a continuous lifestyle of sin. And that's what he's saying in Chapter 3, whoever is born of God does not commit, that is, does not continuously live a lifestyle of sin because God's seed is in him. And he's unable to continually sin because he's born of God.
So, he's telling us as believers that we sin. A person who is genuinely born of the Spirit of God and belongs to Christ continues to sin, but they are acts of sin. We sin in the light, not in the darkness. God's Spirit brings conviction and brings the light.
A non-believer remains in the darkness. They stay away from the light because the light exposes them and brings conviction. But he says those who are of the light, they come to the light, in order that it might be proved that they are in God. A person who is born of the Spirit of God will be drawn to the light. And they will have their life exposed to them. It will bring about confession as God wants to keep our relationship pure. That's what He does for us.
James 4:14 - Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
Whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow, showing how foolish it is. You don't know! For what is your life? It is even a vapour. ATMIS is the Greek word, and it is the word for steam. Do you see the steam coming out of the kettle on the stove? That's your life!
What is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away, literally in the Greek, that appears and then disappears. That's all it says. That's not very encouraging to hear, but it puts things in perspective!
James 4:16 - But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
But now you rejoice, and that's literally the word boast. You boast in your boastings:
We read about the pride of life in 1 John 2:15, and it means to use the necessities for prideful purposes? That's the word for boastings in this text. The word rejoice is the word boasting. But now you boast in your prideful necessities. And you know what they're boasting about? "Well, we're going to go into such and such a city, and we're going to make a killing. We're going to make lots of money!"
All such boasting is evil. And the word evil is PONAYROS, which is the word for Satan. He is the evil one. Not just bad, but evil.
Many traditions are followed, but do they line up with Scripture? The week Jesus was crucified, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the first day of the week, which would have been the 10th of Nisan. This would be the same day the people were to put up the lamb that would be sacrificed on Passover Day, the 14th of Nisan, Exodus 12:3. The money changers were selling animals for the Passover and other sacrifices. They were also exchanging money for the temple tax or tribute; it had to be a half-shekel.
Each day is recorded in Matthew 21 through Matthew 27:56, Mark 11:1 through Mark 15:41, Luke 19:28 through Luke 23:49, and John 12:1 through John 19:37.
John 12:1 John states it was six days before Passover when they arrived in Bethany, and the next day Jesus rode into Jerusalem, which was five days until Passover. Today, this day is referred to as Palm Sunday, the first day of the week.
Day one, 10th of Nisan, Jesus rides into Jerusalem, casts out the money changers and returns to Bethany, and lodges there, Matthew 21:1-17, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:1 through Luke 23:49. Luke does not cover the back and forth to Bethany, and John 12:1-50, John then picks up at the Last Supper.
Day two, 11th of Nisan, shows Jesus going back to Jerusalem, the fig tree, casting out the money changers again, just like the first Passover He attended in His three and a half years' ministry, John 2:14-16. The plot started with how to kill Jesus, Matthew 21:18- Matthew 25:46, Mark 11:12 through Mark 13:37, Luke 22:38. Matthew, Mark, and Luke cover Jesus' teachings in the temple, parables, and the Olivet discourse.
Day three, 12th of Nisan, is two days until Passover, Matthew 26:2-13, Mark 14:1-2. The plot to kill Jesus got more intense.
See part 2
I meant 1 John 2:15 reads,
"Love (Agapao) not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love (Agapao) the world, the love (Agape) of the Father is not in him.
I'm not sure but I believe the difference between Agapao and Agape is the benevolence or out pouring of God's love to and through the believer.
We see that in Agape and the things and people of God is the object.
Blessings.
There's several words for Love in the Bible written in the Greek.
Here's just a few.
Phileo means friendly love while Eros denotes passionate, romantic love.
Ludus (playful love)
Pragma (enduring love)
Agape" is probably the Greek word for love we are most familiar with.
Agape represents unconditional, selfless love, This Love is described as "to be totally given over to something or someone".
I believe it depends on what Spirit you have in you.
Agape is a fruit of the Spirit that causes us to Love God, the things of God and the children of God.
When this benevolence is displayed by the Children of God "toward the children of God" it displays the true followers of Christ.
John 13:34-35 is one of the most relevant set of verses for us as Christians.
It's not a command but rather a statement of fact. ( You will love one another)
Verse 35 says "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples" This is caused by the Spirit of God in you!
I believe the Spirit of God directs this unconditional selfless love, to the things and people of God.
If a person have not the Spirit of God in them then John 3:19 is for them.
( And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved (Agapao) darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.)
1 John 2:15 reads, "Love (Agape) not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love (Agape) the world, the love (Agape) of the Father is not in him.
I'm not sure but I believe the difference between Agapao and Agape is the benevolence or out pouring of God's love to and through the believer.
We see that in Agape and the things and people of God is the object.
Blessings.
Here we see the Parable of the Two Sons (v. 28-32) and the Parable of the Tenants (v. 33-41) followed by further warnings of Christ of the Kingdom of God. Verse 42 contains a quote from Psalm 118 showing that He was indeed the stone which they had rejected after they affirmed in the second parable what should be done to the wicked tenants when the owner comes back.
It appears from my limited study that John has the most references to attempts to kill Christ; although some manuscripts eliminate the last verse in Matthew 21 no doubt there was constant desire to go after the Lord whether to arrest Him or kill Him on the spot. They were concerned about the reaction of the crowd for the obvious fact that miracles couldn't be denied. NO one ever cast any doubt on the veracity of the miracles; but they did as to who He was and His credentials such as denying His virgin birth ( John 8:41); and he being merely the son of Joseph and Mary in John 6:42. Which was it the real or illegitimate son? They couldn't accept the virgin birth which means the testimony of Mary and Joseph was taken to be false in that regard.
They knew that no one had ever healed the blind even with the resurrection recorded in the book of Kings of the widow's son. ( 1 Kings 17; John 9:32).
Reading Isaiah 53 shows a graphic picture of Christ and His sufferings at the cross along with other passages in that book and other prophecies such as Psalm 22 in particular. Which is more of a miracle God in all His glory creating the heavens and the earth and sustaining the universe or condescending to take human form to be the propitiation for our sins? (1 John 2:2). Which displays His Divine attributes most clearly? In truth; both aspects need to be emphasized lest we consider Him to be anything less than God or insufficient to come in our place to make an atonement for all of the sins of His children. First He had to live as one of us in order to die in our place ( 1 Cor. 15
Hebrews 5:9 "And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;"
1 John 2:3 "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments."
Revelation 22:14 "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."
I agree! I believe to present God as an angry God is misrepresenting God.
I would present God as Holy!
Nahum 1:3 reads "The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked (kjv).
However, "the wicked" is in italics. Perhaps it should read "The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit.
That means no one gets off!
Sin has to be paid for and the wages of sin is death!
And all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; Romans 3:23.
Romans 6:23 reads "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
At this junction I would present God as a loving God pointing a lost soul to Romans 5:6-9 and " John 3:16-21" "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Romans 5:18 reads "Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
Adams sin has been imputed on to us. All human beings are counted as having sinned in Adam!
Jesus is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2.
God is Holy, Just and Love.
God bless.
2 Timothy 3:2 - For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Number one, for men shall be lovers of their own selves. Secondly, covetous, which literally means lovers of money, PHILARGUROI. It is the same word that is found in 1 Timothy 6:10 where it says for the love of money is the root of all evil.
So, the first two have to do with love, lovers of their own selves, and lovers of money. The word love is PHILOS, which means to be fond of or to be friendly towards. It means to rearrange one's life to make these things a priority, first our own selves, and then money.
Thirdly, boasters. This word is found in 1 John 2:15-16. John says love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
Pride of life is the same word. And the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. So, when it has to do with material things, it has to do with using one's material things to boast. In other words, I go out and buy two or three expensive cars, and I build a multimillion-dollar house up on a hill and try to get the best of everything. It's a status thing!
It is unclear in my mind exactly when this occurred; it was the first miracle where Christ did something publicly at least. It is brought up by some that Mark 3 shows how some of the Disciples such as Matthew came up later; so this is likely an informal group or part of the original 12 that were actually invited to this event. My aim here is to list things roughly chronological; to put all the pieces together based on the 4 Gospels in perfect order is something for another study.
In studying this yesterday in church even my Pastor couldn't figure out exactly what Jesus meant "before the time" in John 2:4.
Again this would seem to be before He did any public miracles but certainly that soon followed within weeks or a few months of His 3.5 year ministry. The uniqueness of providing something that wasn't a necessity of this miracle could be at play here too.
Nonetheless I am sure Jesus had God's approval to do this; and His miracle reminds me of the miraculous provision for the widow mentioned in 2 Kings 4:1-7. These were huge stone pots and at least 100 GALLONS of wine were made; enough no doubt to sell for years to come. It is interesting that all of His miracles mentioned of feeding the thousands were outside; an in fact most of His healing miracles were outdoors as well; He was summoned to the homes normally of certain wealthy men of important status.
It appears from Matthew 4 that after He was tempted in the desert; He called at least some of His Disciples and started doing miracles. The temptation in Matthew 4 was a standard 40 days period as we see Moses also fasted actually TWICE for that time (no mention if he ate anything in between after the rebellion occurred). Nonetheless it was the total trust in the Spirit that allowed for Him to get through it and scripture being deep within as the one offensive weapon against Satan. I believe I mentioned this already; so off to Matthew 5.
There are many verses explaining Christ's perfect; sinless life. Hebrews 4:15 says For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. A casual search will find lists of dozens to 100 or more verses on this subject. These are fine studies and I will try to incorporate many more into this series. My main focus is on how He lived this way in varying situations whether with His inner circle of Disciples; the larger public; the Pharisees and Sadducees or private prayer.
As I brought up briefly in an earlier post; Jesus lived His first 30 years with scanty details written about it. Although there are spurious extrabiblical writings that mention outrageous miracles; signs and wonders ascribed to this period of His life; the fact that the Spirit came down on Him and even John didn't know who He was should tell us otherwise. John was born to Elizabeth; Mary's cousin (according to the way most understand the text). If anything extraordinary occurred you would expect John would have been aware of it before this time. Mary knew certainly that all that Christ said should be paid attention to; we see this with the miracle of the water turned to wine in the Cana wedding in John 2:1-11. We will start there and leave the general conclusion that Jesus served His parents well and with the family business; which some have said is more representing general labor of construction work rather than just a carpenter. He did with the incident when He was 12 years old briefly "disobey" His parents in appearance doing work in "His Father's house" ( Luke 2:49); which shows how God was His true Father hence it could trump Joseph His earthly father; nonethless this was a one time incident; perhaps I'll surmise being a rite of passage like a BarMitzvah although I could be wrong about that; just a thought.
More on the Cana miracle in part 2
1 Thessalonians 3:11 - Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.
Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, may He direct our way unto you. That's what is called the Optative Mood. It's a wish, a hope. Now may God bring us in your direction.
1 Thessalonians 3:12 - And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:
The word love in the bible, again is the word AGAPE. It is a word that is from the biblical standpoint specifically attached to God. The verb form is found even in society back then, to love the world. In fact, 1 John 2:15 says love not the world, neither the things in the world. That's the verb form AGAPAO.
But the noun AGAPE is only designated for God. God is love. That's our definition of AGAPE. And we see later on that Paul is going to commend them for being God-taught to love, that God teaches them from within. But AGAPE love is a concern about people's spiritual welfare, and willing to sacrifice and lay down your life, whatever it takes for that person's welfare.
So, he prays the scope, the dimension of their love would increase and abound towards one another and towards all men.
1 Thessalonians 3:13 - To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
The word holiness is the word sanctification which means to be set apart and we see that in Chapter 4. In setting apart before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all of His saints.
Again, Paul is looking forward. When Paul ministered to people, he was always concerned about a believer's faith, that they lived by faith and didn't need the human resources and the feelings and all the different things in order to make it through life. And secondly, that they would be mature and complete at the coming of Christ.
first and that is covet or lust .
1 John 2:16
For all that is in the world, thelustof the flesh, and thelustof the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Apostle Paul talks about sinning in the lust thereof .
Romans 6:12
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in thelusts thereof.
We cannot escape lust, it is part of our inner body, but we can control it by the word of God and the help of the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:17
For the fleshlusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
But if we are in the word daily, then we will receive the fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23
ButthefruitoftheSpiritis love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against suchthere is no law.
Ray, in Christ Jesus 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 the body of Christ Jesus has been resurrected to the Third Heaven
1 Timothy 3:1-3
1 This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
2A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
3Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
Now the wine that Jesus Christ made was not wine that made a person drunk. God speak of being drunk is a sin. Good wine was grapejuice from Heaven.
John 2:10
And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forthgoodwine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept thegoodwineuntil now.
In my life time, I will never believe that strong drinks bring in goods things in life. Giannis in no disrespect to wine, I believe that anyone can drink it, but for a Pastor of a church, it's dangerous. I should of be dead at the age 6, my father was a drunk and nearly killed me, by the grace of God, I am alive . I don't hate the alcohol, it's the sin that comes after it. Believe me or not, I still respected my father until he died from illness of alcohol.
Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
Giannis, thank you and God bless you with the power of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Ray, in Christ Jesus 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
May we all believe the Resurrection.
There are many verses in the Bible that show the human nature of Jesus. But also there are many verses that show the divine nature of Jesus. Some of them are many parts of John's gospel (especially the begining) such as John 1:30, John 2:19, John 3:13, John 8:58-59, John 10:30-33, John 14:9-10, John 14:23, John 20:28, Acts 20:28, Titus 2:13, 2 Peter 1:1, Hebrews 1:8, Matthew 1:22-23, 1 Cor 10:9, Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1, Zechariah 11:12-13, Romans 9:1-5, and many other that I can not recall now. Jesus also accepted people to kneel infront of Him, something that is only permitted for God. Also compare Psalms 102:25-27 where it talks about God to Hebrews 1:10 where it talks about Jesus. Also compare Joel 3:5 to Acts 9:13. Compare Jeremiah 17:9 to Rev 2:23, etc.
So we have two kinds of scripture. One says that Jesus is human, the other says that Jesus is God. So what do we make out of these two? The obvious, that Jesus is the God, one person of the Godhead, who became man.
Lets think it in another way. We know that God loved people so much so that He sacrificed His own son for us. Now lets use another example. Suppose I love my brother and want to help Him. and the only way to help him is to give my own life for him. How does it seem to you that I would sacrifice instead of my own life, my son's life for Him to help Him? Why my son? And not myself? The most sensible thing is that I would sacrifice my own life for him, not somebody's else. That would be very egoistic. Somebody else to suffer for my intention to help somebody that I love? I think you can understand what I trying to say. So what did God do? He sacrificed Himself for us, one person out of the Godhead took on Him our nature, became a man and gave His life for us. So it is God's love that attracts people to Him. It wouldn't be love if He sacrificed somebody else, an innocent person's life, for his intention to save us. I hope I haven't done it so complicated to understand. GBU
I have seen evidence of such things in person as well as reading many accounts. What is often backwards is not assessing the legal access the enemy has due to the personal sins of individuals before addressing generational curses or immediately attempting deliverance. The question of whether someone is oppressed or possessed is a stickler as some argue against believers vs nonbelievers in regard to the subject. Either way; of course brings a situation where only God can free someone from those chains.
Of course doctrine is key in order to remain free; as false doctrines allow for sin; which is either unrecognized or deliberately disregarded and it affects leadership. We have a danger not allowing men to have authority over teaching and hence women often are in disobedience and usually have false doctrines. Many of the popular televangelists and deliverance people are have been married multiple times and hence living in adultery and that sort of spirit also affects others who emulate these behaviors.
The love of money also is evident hence the enemy has a field day in convincing people that somehow financial blessings are due from God and people aren't taught how Satan with his principalities has deceived the whole world with the lusts thereof ( Galatians 5:24; 1 John 2:17; also see 2 Timothy 2:1).
I have pointed out the history of the church I first attended where a deliverance occured around 1980 right before I was involved there; it was a traditional Baptist church. The point is things like this happened and but there wasn't a big fanfare or filming of such events. The fear of the Lord also affects the spiritual realm so that where the Spirit is present the enemy must retreat and hence people are readily delivered.
My main point above is something that is recognized by some as to the reason the enemy gets a stronghold. Some learn to grow and mature in their walk who are set free in such churches.
Thanks for your further comments Woe. It is correct that "Abraham obeyed my (God's) voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws" ( Genesis 26:5). But when did all these commandments, statutes & laws given to Abraham? If God covenanted with Abraham concerning blessing, inheritance, & multiplication of his seed (as per the Genesis references I gave previously), where in Scripture do we find that these Laws (particularly the Decalogue) was ever given to Abraham? Could these laws, commandments & statutes be different to what was given at Mt. Sinai, regulations that pertained specifically to Abraham's life & direction he was to take? Not to say that something of the Mosaic Law would not be included in that giving to Abraham, but we are not told specifically what was given, therefore we are not at liberty to assume or presume (which is a fundamental biblical rule).
No, Jesus doesn't "tell all men to keep God's 10 commandments". He was speaking to the Jews who were under the Law - Gentiles & the Church never received the Law & were never brought under it. Where we find in the NT about believers needing to obey God's Commandments (as in 1 John 2:3, 1 John 5:3), it is spoken as to those not under the Law but under the Law of the Spirit. And the Holy Spirit will certainly bring before us God's Commandments, and many, many more than the few in the Decalogue that pertained only to Israel who had long forgotten the God of Israel when in Egypt ( Exodus 3:13,14). The Ten Commandments were given to a discouraged enslaved people who had lost all knowledge of God & His requirements - given to them to show God's Standard of worship & godly living, but ultimately to reveal to them their sin, their need to trust & hope in the Living God & their need of a Savior.
Whatsoever he saith unto you
Do it