HAS GOD’S KINGDOM ALWAYS EXISTED/WHY BRING IT TO EARTH?
1Ki 6:11 And the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying, 1Ki 6:12 Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father: 1Ki 6:13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel. First off, it is my understanding that God’s kingdom has not always existed. Now let me explain what I mean by that so that what I am saying is not misunderstood. Sometimes when people talk about God’s kingdom they are simply referring to His sovereignty; i.e., His right to do whatever He wants seeing that He is God. In other words they speak of His kingdom in the sense...
Read MoreSEALING OF THE SPIRIT AND JOINT-HEIRS WITH CHRIST
Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. I don’t have any problem with what it says fitting into my understanding. In fact I think it fits very well. When Paul says, “ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,” I think this doctrinally takes us right back to Romans 8 where He originally taught us to understand that having believed the gospel of our salvation, (which includes us being sanctified and adopted as “sons”), “that holy Spirit of promise” sealed us in connection with who...
Read More“PUT ON CHARITY, WHICH IS THE BOND OF PERFECTNESS”
Col 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Col 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Col 3:14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. Col 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. In today’s society the term “charity” pales in stark contrast to the way that God...
Read MoreTHE FATHER’S EXHORTATIONS FOR THE SONSHIP CURRICULUM
Pro 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; Pro 1:2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; Pro 1:3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; Pro 1:4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. Pro 1:5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: Pro 1:6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. Pro 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. You are right in recognizing that the father’s exhortations are primarily exhortations pertaining to the education that the...
Read MoreTHE PROVING AND REPROVING BENEFIT OF THE WORD OF GOD
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Our Father designed the word of truth to make a positive impact in the son’s life as he uses the doctrine as a tool to “prove” the things that God values and esteems by the things of this world that ourselves, and man has been “conformed” unto, and as such, His word is also designed to “reprove” the son when he comes across these vital decisions that may come up in his life where he is ‘beseeched’ by God the...
Read MoreTHE “STING OF DEATH” AND THE BELIEVER
1Co 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 1Co 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. My understanding is that all three of these issues pertaining to physical death are issues that should not bother us at all; i.e. we should not be troubled by them, or be uneasy in our minds about them, when it comes to the issue of when we ourselves will physically die. And this is because all three of them are covered by the Lord’s victory over sin and death, which of course He Himself wrought when He was raised again from the dead. Physical death is not a natural consequence of life, nor an integral part...
Read MoreARE YOU ZEALOUSLY AFFECTED AS A SON?
Gal 4:16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? Gal 4:17 They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them. Gal 4:18 But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you. Gal 4:19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, The words “affect” and “effect” sound very similar, but each have different meanings; the word “affect” means to change, or make an impact upon someone or something. The word “effect” is the product of an “affect,” meaning when something has an “affect” (something that is introduced to something or someone that is different from the norm) upon someone or something, there...
Read MoreTHE HOLY CITY OF JERUSALEM THE BRIDE OF CHRIST?
Rev 21:9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, If I understand your question properly you want me to tell you how I deal with the verses in Paul’s epistles that seem to indicate that he identifies the church of today as “the bride of Christ.” This question is frequently asked and I usually respond by first of all pointing out that there is no question as to who and what the “bride of Christ” is, because the Bible states it in no uncertain...
Read MoreGODLY LOVE: UNDERSTANDING HOW GOD LOVES
Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. When our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ went to the cross and paid our sin debt for us He displayed the ultimate example of sacrifice, selflessness, and Godly love. This Godly example we are given in our scriptures to show the saints the love of Christ; and not only are we given this unselfish act of Godly love to learn by, but we are also shown the love of the Father, and ‘how’ He loves His creation. In verse 1 of chapter 12 we are reminded of all the “mercies” that He has given us as “sons,” and here in verse 3 we are asked to change...
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