When we come into possession of our Spiritual Heritage what is the one thing that we can count on? The trustworthiness of GOD is the answer and is there some person or persons of Bible history that are good examples of this answer......the first is Abram who became Abraham and the second son Jacob who received the blessing. Then the most out standing is Jesus Himself. Because He operated purely by faith squared squarely on the Faithfulness of the words of GOD which spoke of Him and those who would become the elect or sons of GOD. Where in scripture are these people first seen, the answer is in the most hidden area. Because the focus of this area is primarily focused on mans rebellion and his acquiring death through sin and is therefore overlooked. The greatest promise is that GOD would bring man back to the spiritual relationship that had just been lost. It is in these words that the promise is hidden, in Genesis 3:15 where we find this, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." That said I will now look at Pastor Hoekstra's writing on Grace and our acquiring the Knowledge of GOD. Then with the use of the ESV translation and the LORD should HE give me utterance will progress with the Trustworthiness of GOD.
"Eternal Life and Knowing God"
"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true GOD, and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent." (John 17:3)
"This statement by the Lord Jesus begins in a very profound manner: "And this is Eternal Life." To complete such a statement requires comprehensive Truth. If the statement had started with "this is included in eternal life," many non-comprehensive matters could be used to finish the statement. One could rightly state that forgiveness of sins is included in Eternal Life. One could properly say that escaping hell and securing heaven are included in Eternal Life. Likewise, one could say that meaning and purpose for living are included in Eternal Life. Additionally, one could state that spiritual gifts and spiritual fruit are also included. Furthermore, one could say that fellowship in the Body of Christ and new understanding of the scriptures are included. Nevertheless, none of these individually, nor all of these collectively, are sufficient to complete the statement: "And this is Eternal Life."
To finish that profound beginning, one must add an all-encompassing Truth. One must speak of the full dimensions of Eternal Life. What is large enough to complete that majestic opening? Only the one reality of Knowing GOD would be adequate: "that they may know You." Yes, knowing GOD is what Eternal Life is all about. It is only through meeting the ascended LORD that forgiveness is found. It is only by being in Christ that we escape hell and secure heaven. Then, it is only through getting acquainted with the LORD GOD that meaning and purpose for our lives are made real to us. Also, it is only through a growing Intimacy of trust in Christ that spiritual gifts and spiritual fruit can properly mature. Furthermore, it is only through an increasing acquaintanceship with the ascended LORD that true Christian fellowship and biblical insight are appropriately developed.
These Truths certainly concur with those prophetic words of old that promised a New Covenant of Grace to replace the old covenant of law. Even though the term Grace is no where to be visible seen, neither is the Spirit of Grace and Truth. "I will make a new covenant... not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers... But this is the covenant that I will make... I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their GOD, and they shall be My people... they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them" (Jeremiah 31:31-34). Hebrews 8:11 makes it clear that these words are for us today. "All shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them." The New Covenant provides a growing, intimate acquaintanceship for all who will walk in its terms of Grace."
GOD of Truth:
Deuteronomy 32:1-14 (Moses is speaking) "Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb. For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God! "The Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice. A GOD of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is HE. They have dealt corruptly with Him; they are no longer His children because they are blemished; they are a crooked and twisted generation. Do you thus repay the LORD, you foolish and senseless people? Is not HE your father, Who created you, Who made you and established you? Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you. When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when HE divided mankind, HE fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of GOD. But the LORD's portion is His people, Jacob His allotted heritage (in Psalm 2). "He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; HE encircled him, HE cared for him, HE kept him as the apple of His eye. Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, the LORD alone guided him, no foreign god was with him. He made him ride on the high places of the land, and he ate the produce of the field, and HE suckled him with honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock. Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of Bashan and goats, with the very finest of the wheat— and you drank foaming wine made from the blood of the grape."
2Samuel 7:18-29 and Psalm 33:4 "Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, "Who am I, O LORD GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me thus far? And yet this was a small thing in Your eyes, O LORD GOD. You have spoken also of Your servant's house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O LORD GOD! And what more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O LORD GOD! Because of Your promise, and according to Your own heart, You have brought about all this greatness, to make Your servant know it. Therefore You are great, O LORD GOD. For there is none like You, and there is no God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And who is like Your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be His people, making Himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before Your people, whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods? And You established for Yourself Your people Israel to be Your people forever. And You, O LORD, became their God. And now, O LORD GOD, confirm forever the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, and do as You have spoken. And Your name will be magnified forever, saying, 'The LORD of Hosts is GOD over Israel,' and the house of Your servant David will be established before You. For You, O LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to Your servant, saying, 'I will build you a house.' Therefore Your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to You. And now, O LORD GOD, You are GOD, and Your words are true, and You have promised this good thing to your servant. Now therefore may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, so that it may continue forever before You. For You, O LORD GOD, have spoken, and with Your blessing shall the house of Your servant be blessed forever."
Psalm 33:1-5 "Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones! Praise befits the upright. Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to Him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. For the word of the LORD is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD."
Psalm 146:1-8 and Isaiah 65:16 "Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my GOD while I have my being. Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the GOD of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his GOD, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous."
Isaiah 65:13-16 "Therefore thus says the LORD GOD: "Behold, My servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, My servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, My servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame; behold, My servants shall sing for gladness of heart, but you shall cry out for pain of heart and shall wail for breaking of spirit. You shall leave your name to My chosen for a curse, and the LORD GOD will put you to death, but His servants HE will call by another name. So that he who blesses himself in the land shall bless himself by the GOD of Truth, and he who takes an oath in the land shall swear by the GOD of Truth; because the former troubles are forgotten and are hidden from My eyes."
Romans 3:1-8 and Titus 1:2 "Then what advantage has the Hebrew and Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Hebrews were entrusted with the oracles of GOD. What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of GOD? By no means! Let GOD be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, "That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged." But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of GOD, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) By no means! For then how could GOD judge the world? But if through my lie GOD's Truth abounds to His glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just."
Titus 1:1-3 "Paul, a servant of GOD and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of GOD's elect and their knowledge of the Truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of Eternal Life, which GOD, Who never lies, promised before the ages began and at the proper time manifested in His word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of GOD our Savior."
Heb 6:13-7:3 "For when GOD made a promise to Abraham, since HE had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by Himself, saying, "Surely I will bless you and multiply you." And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when GOD desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of His purpose, HE guaranteed it with an Oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for GOD to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High GOD, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of GOD HE continues a Priest forever."
No comments:
Post a Comment