We have arrived at the turning point of humanity's greatest resistance to GOD's program of Grace verses the Law of self works, as expressed by Paul, in his using of himself to reveal the struggle that he had within himself. Not knowing the story of the prodigal son. He starts this off like any good lawyer would do by presenting the case of what he believed that Christ accomplished and then working foreword by using himself, to drive his point home. he starts by using the figure of a wife loosing her husband, as the means of separation of the Law from the flesh, to get the ball rolling. All of this is because he began with the Law of Moses as the most pressing of issues then as it remains to this very day because of mans religious blindness. And his not acknowledging that there are indeed two sets of law at work just as there are two covenants. Over the next few days we shall see just how all of this played out for both him and then ourselves. Where they are selves are those who have been baptized by GOD with His Spirit, of promise.
Romans 7:1-3 "Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the Law,) how that the Law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man." (KJV)
Romans 7:1-3 "Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the Law—that the Law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress." (ESV)
Romans 7:1-3 "I write to you in the context of your acquaintance with the Law; you would agree with me that laws are only relevant in this life. A wife is only bound by law to her husband while he lives; any further legal claim he has on her ends with his death. The law would call her an adulteress should she give herself to another man while he has the first husband is still alive. Yet, once he's dead, she is free to be another's wife." (The Mirror)
Romans 7:4-6 "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the Law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the Law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the Law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." (KJV)
Romans 7:4-6 "Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the Law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the Law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code." (ESV)
Romans 7:4-6 "The very same finality in principle is applicable to you, my Friends and sisters. In the body of Christ you died to the system of the (old Mosaic) Law; your inclusion in his resurrection brought about a new union. Out of this marriage, (faith) now bears children unto GOD. (The first marriage produced sin; righteousness is the child of the new union. In the previous chapter Paul deals with the fact that our inclusion in Christ in his death broke the association with sin; now he reveals that it also broke the association with the system of the Law of works as a reference to righteousness.) At the time when the flesh ruled our lives, the subtle influences of sins which were ignited by the Law, conceived actions within us that were consistent in character with their parent and produced spiritual death. But now we are fully released from any further association with a life directed by the rule of this Law, we are dead to that which once held us captive, free to be slaves to the newness of spirit-spontaneity rather that age old religious rituals, imitating the mere face value of the written code. (The moment you exchange spontaneity with rules, you've lost the edge of romance.) (The Mirror)
Romans 7:7-12, 13 "What shall we say then? Is the (of faith and love) law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the Law: for I had not known lust, except the Law had said, "Thou shalt not covet." But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the Law sin was dead. For I was alive without the Law once: but when the commandment (to Love) came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore the law (of faith and love) is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.
Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful." (KJV)
Romans 7:7-12, 13 "What then shall we say? That the (of faith and love) law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the Law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the Law had not said, "You shall not covet." But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the Law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the Law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment (to Love) that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law (of faith and love) is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. " (ESV)
Romans 7:7-12, 13 "The Law in itself is not sinful; I am not suggesting that at all. Yet in pointing out sin, the Law was in a sense the catalyst for sinful actions to manifest. Had the (faith and love) law said, "Thou shalt not covet," I would not have had a problem with lust. But the commandment triggered sin into action, suddenly an array of sinful appetites were awakened in me. The (Mosaic) Law broke sin's dormancy. Without this Law I was alive; the (faith and love) law was introduced, sin revived and I died. Instead of being my guide to life, the commandment (to love) proved to be a death sentence. Sin took advantage of the (faith) law and employed the commandment to seduce and murder me. I stress again that the (faith and love) law as principle is holy and so is every individual commandment it contains; it consistently promotes that which is just and good.
How then could i accuse something that is that good to have killed me? I say again, it was not the (faith) law, but sin that caused my spiritual death. The purpose of the (Mosaic) law was to expose sin as the culprit. The individual commandment ultimately serves to show the exceeding extent of sin's effect on humanity." (The Mirror)
The LORD willing, we shall look at the war of conflict between the new law of faith and the sin nature or the conscience's knowledge of good and evil. The very thing that we are admonished to change through the acquired knowledge of the LORD, by eating of the bread of life. For in Deuteronomy 8:3 it states: "He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." (ESV) This Jesus repeated as recorded in two synoptic gospels, Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4 which read; Matthew 4:4 "But he answered and said, 'It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.'" and Luke 4:4 "And Jesus answered him, saying, "'It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'" both in the ESV.
Thursday, February 7, 2019
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
The saga of "The Secret of GOD", taken from Romans 6.2 the renewed mind and our victory as foretold.
We are into Romans 6 where Paul sets himself up for what he reveals in chapter 7 about our own struggles of flesh verses a renewed spirit life within us. So without delaying I will jump right in at verse 12 and continue on as all seems normal and without much comment needed. Keep in mind that by our association with the Lord Jesus Christ in His death, burial, dissension into our hell, resurrection and ascension, we are Now the Righteousness of GOD!
Romans 6:12, 13-14 "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Neither yield [G3936] ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield [G3936] yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." (KJV)
Romans 6:12, 13-14 "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
Do not present [G3936] your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present [G3936] yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." (ESV)
Romans 6:12, 13-14 "You are under no obligation to sin; it has No further rights to dominate your dead declared body. Therefore let it not entice you to obey its lusts. (Our Union with his death broke our former association with sin. [Colossians 3:3].)
Do not let the members of your body lie around loose and unguarded in the vicinity of unrighteousness, where sin can seize it and use it as a destructive weapon against you; rather place yourself in [1; G3936] readiness to GOD, like someone resurrected from the dead and present your whole person as a weapon of righteousness. (Thus you are reinforcing GOD's grace claim on humanity in Christ; [1; G3936, from G3488 and G2476] paristemi, to place in readiness, in the vicinity of.) Sin was your master while the Law was your measure; Now Grace rules. (The Law revealed your slavery to sin, now grace reveals your freedom from it.) (The Mirror)
Romans 6:15-19 "What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form [G5179] of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness." (KJV)
Romans 6:15-19 "What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard [G5179] of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification." (ESV)
Romans 6:15-19 "Being under grace and not under the law most certainly does not mean that you now have a license to sin. As much as you once gave permission to sin to trap you in its spiral of spiritual death and enslavement of you in its dictates, the obedience that faith ignites now, introduces a new rule, rightness with GOD; to this we willingly yield ourselves. (Righteousness represents everything that GOD restored us to---in Christ.) The content of teaching that your heart embraced has set a new [1; G5179] standard to become the [1; G5179] pattern of your life; the grace of GOD ended sin's dominance. (The word, [1; G5179] tupos, means from, a mold. The Doddrich translation translates it as, "the model of doctrine instructs you as in a mold.) Sin once called the shots; now righteousness rules. I want to say it as plainly as possible: you willingly offered your faculties to obey sin, you stained your body with unclean acts and allowed lawlessness to gain supremacy in all your conduct; in exactly the same way, I now encourage you to present your faculties and person to the supremacy of righteousness to find unrestricted expression in your lifestyle. (The Mirror)
Romans 6:20-23 "For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting [G166] life. For the wages [G3800] of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal [G166] life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (KJV)
Romans 6:20-23 "For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal [G166] life. For the wages [G3800] of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal [G166] life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (ESV)
Romans 6:20-23 "You were sins' slaves without any obligation to righteousness. I know you are embarrassed now about the things you used to do with your body; i mean was it worth it? What reward or return did you get but spiritual death? Sin is a cul-de-sac. (Sin is the worst thing you can ever do with your life!) Consider your life now; there are no outstanding debts; you owe sin nothing, No nothing at all! A life bonded to GOD yields the sacred expression of his character, and completes in your experience [1; G166] what life was always meant to be. (Literally, The life of the Ages, [1; G166] ainios; traditionally translates, "and the end, eternal life.") The reward of the Law is death the gift of grace is life! The bottom line is this: sin employs you like a soldier for its cause and rewards [G3800] you with death; GOD gifts you with the highest quality of life all wrapped up in Christ Jesus our Leader. (A soldier puts his life on the line and all he gets in the meantime is a meager ration of dried fish for is efforts! [G3800, from G3795, which is the base of G3702] opsonion, a soldier's wage, is from opsarion, a piece of dried fish.) (The Mirror)
In our next visit we shall, the LORD willing, start our look at Paul's self evaluation as he reveals it in chapter 7.
Romans 6:12, 13-14 "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Neither yield [G3936] ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield [G3936] yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." (KJV)
Romans 6:12, 13-14 "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
Do not present [G3936] your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present [G3936] yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." (ESV)
Romans 6:12, 13-14 "You are under no obligation to sin; it has No further rights to dominate your dead declared body. Therefore let it not entice you to obey its lusts. (Our Union with his death broke our former association with sin. [Colossians 3:3].)
Do not let the members of your body lie around loose and unguarded in the vicinity of unrighteousness, where sin can seize it and use it as a destructive weapon against you; rather place yourself in [1; G3936] readiness to GOD, like someone resurrected from the dead and present your whole person as a weapon of righteousness. (Thus you are reinforcing GOD's grace claim on humanity in Christ; [1; G3936, from G3488 and G2476] paristemi, to place in readiness, in the vicinity of.) Sin was your master while the Law was your measure; Now Grace rules. (The Law revealed your slavery to sin, now grace reveals your freedom from it.) (The Mirror)
Romans 6:15-19 "What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form [G5179] of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness." (KJV)
Romans 6:15-19 "What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard [G5179] of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification." (ESV)
Romans 6:15-19 "Being under grace and not under the law most certainly does not mean that you now have a license to sin. As much as you once gave permission to sin to trap you in its spiral of spiritual death and enslavement of you in its dictates, the obedience that faith ignites now, introduces a new rule, rightness with GOD; to this we willingly yield ourselves. (Righteousness represents everything that GOD restored us to---in Christ.) The content of teaching that your heart embraced has set a new [1; G5179] standard to become the [1; G5179] pattern of your life; the grace of GOD ended sin's dominance. (The word, [1; G5179] tupos, means from, a mold. The Doddrich translation translates it as, "the model of doctrine instructs you as in a mold.) Sin once called the shots; now righteousness rules. I want to say it as plainly as possible: you willingly offered your faculties to obey sin, you stained your body with unclean acts and allowed lawlessness to gain supremacy in all your conduct; in exactly the same way, I now encourage you to present your faculties and person to the supremacy of righteousness to find unrestricted expression in your lifestyle. (The Mirror)
Romans 6:20-23 "For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting [G166] life. For the wages [G3800] of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal [G166] life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (KJV)
Romans 6:20-23 "For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal [G166] life. For the wages [G3800] of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal [G166] life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (ESV)
Romans 6:20-23 "You were sins' slaves without any obligation to righteousness. I know you are embarrassed now about the things you used to do with your body; i mean was it worth it? What reward or return did you get but spiritual death? Sin is a cul-de-sac. (Sin is the worst thing you can ever do with your life!) Consider your life now; there are no outstanding debts; you owe sin nothing, No nothing at all! A life bonded to GOD yields the sacred expression of his character, and completes in your experience [1; G166] what life was always meant to be. (Literally, The life of the Ages, [1; G166] ainios; traditionally translates, "and the end, eternal life.") The reward of the Law is death the gift of grace is life! The bottom line is this: sin employs you like a soldier for its cause and rewards [G3800] you with death; GOD gifts you with the highest quality of life all wrapped up in Christ Jesus our Leader. (A soldier puts his life on the line and all he gets in the meantime is a meager ration of dried fish for is efforts! [G3800, from G3795, which is the base of G3702] opsonion, a soldier's wage, is from opsarion, a piece of dried fish.) (The Mirror)
In our next visit we shall, the LORD willing, start our look at Paul's self evaluation as he reveals it in chapter 7.
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
The saga of "The Secret of GOD", taken from Romans 6.1, the renewed mind and our victory as foretold.
We are now set up to look at Paul's revelation of our being con-joined to Christ Jesus in the execution of sin in our mortal flesh and indeed that of all of GOD's human forms or humanity, and not just one religious group or sect of humanity. In his approach he by the Holy Spirit sets himself and all to follow in order to come face to face with our unknown slavery to sin, in all of its ugly forms. This is where our victory comes into play by way of a deep revelation of Christ's essence restored within or restored innocence.
Romans 6:7, 8-11, 12 "For he that is dead is freed from sin. (Just as a wife is freed from her husband once he has died.)
Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once [G2178]: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof." (KJV)
Romans 6:7, 8-11, 12 "For one who has died has been set free from sin.(Just as a wife is freed from her husband once he has died.)
Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once [G2178] for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions." (ESV)
Romans 6:7, 8-11, 12 "If nothing else stops you from doing something wrong, death certainly does. (Just as a wife is freed from her husband once he has died.)
Faith sees us joined in his death and alive with him in his resurrection. It is plain for all to see that death lost its dominion over Christ in his resurrection; he need not ever die again to prove a further point.His appointment with death was [1; G2178] once-off. As far as sin is concerned, he is dead. The reason for his death was to take away the sin of the world; his life now exhibits our union with the life of GOD. (The Lamb of GOD took away the sin of the world; [1; G2178 from G1909 and G530] efapax, once and for all, a final testimony, used of what is so done to be of perpetual validity and never needs repetition. This is the final testimony of the fact that sin's power over humanity is destroyed. In Hebrews 9:26, "But Jesus did not have to suffer again and agian since the fall (or since the foundation) of the world; the single sacrifice of himself in the fulfillment of history now reveals how he has brought sin to naught." "Christ died once, and faced our judgment! His second appearance (in his resurrection) has nothing to do with sin, but to reveal salvation unto All who eagerly embrace him [Hebrews 9:28]." ) This reasoning is equally relevant to you. [1] Calculate the Cross; there can only be one logical conclusion: he died your death; that means you died to sin, and are now alive to GOD. Sin-consciousness can never again feature in your future! You are in Christ Jesus; his Lordship is the authority of this Union. (We are not being presumptuous to reason that we are in Christ! "[1] Reckon yourselves therefore dead to sin." The word, [1] logitsomai, means to make a calculation to which there can only be one logical conclusion. [Look at Ephesians 1:4 and 1Corinthians 1:30].
"From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; GOD speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to GOD. That's what Jesus did!" )
You are under no obligation to sin; it has no further rights to dominate your dead declared body. Therefore let it not entice you to obey its lusts. (Your union with his death broke the association with sin [Colossians 3:3] ) (The Mirror)
Until next time, the LORD willing, when we shall look again at verse 12 before moving on.
Romans 6:7, 8-11, 12 "For he that is dead is freed from sin. (Just as a wife is freed from her husband once he has died.)
Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once [G2178]: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof." (KJV)
Romans 6:7, 8-11, 12 "For one who has died has been set free from sin.(Just as a wife is freed from her husband once he has died.)
Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once [G2178] for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions." (ESV)
Romans 6:7, 8-11, 12 "If nothing else stops you from doing something wrong, death certainly does. (Just as a wife is freed from her husband once he has died.)
Faith sees us joined in his death and alive with him in his resurrection. It is plain for all to see that death lost its dominion over Christ in his resurrection; he need not ever die again to prove a further point.His appointment with death was [1; G2178] once-off. As far as sin is concerned, he is dead. The reason for his death was to take away the sin of the world; his life now exhibits our union with the life of GOD. (The Lamb of GOD took away the sin of the world; [1; G2178 from G1909 and G530] efapax, once and for all, a final testimony, used of what is so done to be of perpetual validity and never needs repetition. This is the final testimony of the fact that sin's power over humanity is destroyed. In Hebrews 9:26, "But Jesus did not have to suffer again and agian since the fall (or since the foundation) of the world; the single sacrifice of himself in the fulfillment of history now reveals how he has brought sin to naught." "Christ died once, and faced our judgment! His second appearance (in his resurrection) has nothing to do with sin, but to reveal salvation unto All who eagerly embrace him [Hebrews 9:28]." ) This reasoning is equally relevant to you. [1] Calculate the Cross; there can only be one logical conclusion: he died your death; that means you died to sin, and are now alive to GOD. Sin-consciousness can never again feature in your future! You are in Christ Jesus; his Lordship is the authority of this Union. (We are not being presumptuous to reason that we are in Christ! "[1] Reckon yourselves therefore dead to sin." The word, [1] logitsomai, means to make a calculation to which there can only be one logical conclusion. [Look at Ephesians 1:4 and 1Corinthians 1:30].
"From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; GOD speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to GOD. That's what Jesus did!" )
You are under no obligation to sin; it has no further rights to dominate your dead declared body. Therefore let it not entice you to obey its lusts. (Your union with his death broke the association with sin [Colossians 3:3] ) (The Mirror)
Until next time, the LORD willing, when we shall look again at verse 12 before moving on.
Monday, February 4, 2019
The saga of "The Secret of GOD", taken from Romans 5.2, 6, the renewed mind and our victory as foretold.
Now for the understanding that is fostered by religious men the world over but remains a puzzle to them, a believer is dead to sin yet alive to GOD. Not taking GOD at His word is the crux of the problem. That said lets finish chapter 5 and move on into 6 at the same time.
Romans 5:18-6:7 "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. For as by one man's disobedience many were made (G2525) sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the Law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin." (KJV)
Romans 5:18-6:7 "Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made (G2525) sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin." (ESV)
Romans 5:18-6:7 "The conclusion is clear: if one offence condemns the entire human race; then in principle, the righteousness of one vindicates the entire human race. The disobedience of the one [1; G2525] exhibits humanity as sinners; the obedience of another exhibits humanity as righteous. (The word, [1, G2525, is from G2596 and G2476] kathistemi, means to cause to be, to set up, to exhibit. We were not made sinners by our own disobedience; neither were we made righteous by our own obedience.) The presence of the Law made no difference, instead it merely highlighted the offence; but where sin increased, grace superseded it. Death provided sin its platform and power to reign from; now grace has taken over sovereignty through righteousness to introduce unthreatened life under the Lordship of Jesus Christ over us. It is not possible to interpret grace as a cheap excuse to continue in sin. It sounds to some that we are saying, "Let's carry on sinning then so that grace may abound." (In the previous chapter Paul expounds the heart of the gospel by giving us a glimpse of the far-reaching faith of GOD; even at the risk of being misunderstood by the legalistic mind he does not compromise the message or its meaning.) How ridiculous is that! How can we be dead and alive to sin at the same time? What are we saying then in baptism, if we are not declaring that we understand our union with Christ in his death? Baptism pictures how we were co-buried together with Christ in his death; then it powerfully illustrates how in GOD's mind we were co-raised with Christ into a new lifestyle. (Hosea 6:2) We were like seeds planted together in the same soil, to be co-quickened to life. If we were included in his death we are equally included in his resurrection. (2Corinthains 5:14-17) We perceive that our old lifestyle was co-crucified together with him; this concludes that the vehicle that accommodated sin in us, was scrapped and rendered entirely useless. Our slavery to sin come to an end. If nothing else stops you from doing something wrong, death certainly does." (The Mirror)
Next time, the LORD willing, we shall look further into our recognition of sins deadness.
Romans 5:18-6:7 "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. For as by one man's disobedience many were made (G2525) sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the Law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin." (KJV)
Romans 5:18-6:7 "Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made (G2525) sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin." (ESV)
Romans 5:18-6:7 "The conclusion is clear: if one offence condemns the entire human race; then in principle, the righteousness of one vindicates the entire human race. The disobedience of the one [1; G2525] exhibits humanity as sinners; the obedience of another exhibits humanity as righteous. (The word, [1, G2525, is from G2596 and G2476] kathistemi, means to cause to be, to set up, to exhibit. We were not made sinners by our own disobedience; neither were we made righteous by our own obedience.) The presence of the Law made no difference, instead it merely highlighted the offence; but where sin increased, grace superseded it. Death provided sin its platform and power to reign from; now grace has taken over sovereignty through righteousness to introduce unthreatened life under the Lordship of Jesus Christ over us. It is not possible to interpret grace as a cheap excuse to continue in sin. It sounds to some that we are saying, "Let's carry on sinning then so that grace may abound." (In the previous chapter Paul expounds the heart of the gospel by giving us a glimpse of the far-reaching faith of GOD; even at the risk of being misunderstood by the legalistic mind he does not compromise the message or its meaning.) How ridiculous is that! How can we be dead and alive to sin at the same time? What are we saying then in baptism, if we are not declaring that we understand our union with Christ in his death? Baptism pictures how we were co-buried together with Christ in his death; then it powerfully illustrates how in GOD's mind we were co-raised with Christ into a new lifestyle. (Hosea 6:2) We were like seeds planted together in the same soil, to be co-quickened to life. If we were included in his death we are equally included in his resurrection. (2Corinthains 5:14-17) We perceive that our old lifestyle was co-crucified together with him; this concludes that the vehicle that accommodated sin in us, was scrapped and rendered entirely useless. Our slavery to sin come to an end. If nothing else stops you from doing something wrong, death certainly does." (The Mirror)
Next time, the LORD willing, we shall look further into our recognition of sins deadness.
Sunday, February 3, 2019
The saga of "The Secret of GOD", taken from Romans 5.1, the renewed mind and our victory as foretold.
Picking the flow back up with verse 6 in Chapter 5 of Romans with "the results of our justification" or "peace with GOD through our faith," as this area has been subtitles in two of my study Bible translations, before we look at "death by Adam and Life in Christ." Oh, the power of suggestion at times is so overwhelming.
Romans 5:6-11 "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled (G2644) to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." (KJV)
Romans 5:6-11 "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled (G2644) to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." (ESV)
Romans 5:6-11 "GOD's timing was absolutely perfect; humanity was at their weakest when Christ died their death. (We were bankrupt and naked in our efforts to save ourselves.) It is most unlikely that someone will die for another person, even if they are righteous; yet it is remotely possible that someone can brave such devotion that one would actually lay down one's own life in an effort to save the life of an extraordinary good person. Herein is the extremity of GOD's Love gift: humanity was rotten to the core when Christ died their death. If GOD could love us that much when we were ungodly and guilty, how much more are we free to realize his love now that we are declared innocent by his blood? (GOD does not love us more now that we are reconciled to him; we are now free to realize how much he loves us all along! [Colossians 2:14 and Romans 4:25] ) Our hostility and indifference towards GOD did not reduce his love for us; he saw equal value in us when he exchanged the life of his Son for ours. Now that the act of [1; G2644] reconciliation is complete, his life in us saves us from the gutter-most to the uttermost. (Reconciliation, is from [1; G2644, from G2596 and G236] katallasso, meaning a mutual exchange of equal value. The Thrayer's definition: to exchange, as coins for others of equivalent value. "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to GOD by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life."---RSV ) Thus, our joyful boasting in GOD continues; Jesus Christ has made reconciliation a reality.: (The Mirror)
Romans 5:12-14, 15-17 "Wherefore, as by one man sin [G266] entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law (Genesis 4:7-11, 6:5-6, 6:11, 8:21, 13:13, 18:20, 19:4, 19:32, 19:36, 38:7, 38:10) sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law (Romans 4:15; 1Corinthians 15:56; 1John3:4, 14). Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression [G3847], who is the figure of him that was to come.
But not as the offence [G3900], so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead [G599], much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)" (KJV)
Romans 5:12-14, 15-17 "Therefore, just as sin [G266] came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression [G3847] of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
But the free gift is not like the trespass [G3900]. For if many died [G599] through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ." (ESV)
Romans 5:12-14, 15-17 "One person opened the door to [1; G266] sin. Sin introduced (spiritual) death. Both sin and death had a global impact. No one escaped its tyranny. (The word translated sin, is the word [1; G266, from G264, from G1 and G3313] hamartia, and it is from ha, a negative and meros, portion or form, thus to be without your allotted portion or without form, pointing to a disorientated, distorted identity; the word meros , is the stem of morphe, as in 2Corinthians 3:18. Where the word [change, G3339 is from G3326 and G3445 with G3444] metamorphe, is used with form, is the opposite of hamartia - without form. Sin is to live out of context with the original blueprint of one's design; to behave out of tune with GOD's original harmony.) The Law did not introduce sin; it was just not pointed out yet. In the mean time death dominated everyone's lifestyle, from Adam till Moses, (2500 years before the Law was given) no one was excluded; even those whose sins were different from Adam's. The fact is that Adam's [1; G3847] deviation set sin into motion - what happened to humanity because of one man, Adam, is in principle typical of what was about to happen to the same humanity because of the one man, Jesus! (Paul now employs a word that only he uses in his epistles [x9] (G3847) parabasis instead of the usual word for sin, hamartia - parabasis has two components, (G3844 and G939) para, which points to a close proximity/union and bainos, step, footprint - in this sense, a deviation; out of step - out of sync. In Adam humanity became out of sync with their true identity but didn't know it until the Law revealed it - in Christ the same humanity became exceedingly righteous but humanity does not realize it until the gospel reveals it.)
The only similarity in the comparison between the [1; G3900] crash-landing and the gift, is that both Adam and Christ represent the masses. However, the grace gift lavished upon humanity in the one man Jesus Christ supersedes the effect of Adam's failure by far and is beyond comparison in significance to the idea of [2; G599] death and separation. ( Now Paul introduces the word [1; G3900, from G3844 and G4098] paraptoma, which is from para closest possible proximity and pipto, to descend from a higher place to a lower - to stop flying. No wonder he urges us in Colossians 3:1-3 to engage our thoughts with the things that are above, where we are co-elevated and jointly enthroned in the heavenliest together with Christ! The word [2; G599 and G575] apothnesko, death, suggests a separation; and it is from apo, meaning any kind of separation of one thing from another by which the union or fellowship of the two is destroyed; also of a state of separation and distance. The word [G2348], thnesko means death.
"But GOD's free gift immeasurably outweighs the transgression. For if through the transgression of the one individual the masses of humanity have died, infinitely greater is the generosity wherewith GOD's grace, and the gift given in his grace which found expression in the one man Jesus Christ, have been bestowed on the mass of humanity."---Weymouth, 1912. ) The principle of the gift speaks a different language and brings a radically different equation to the table. Whereas a single sin resulted in a judgment that concluded in condemnation; grace translates countless deviations into acquittal and innocence. Death no longer has the final say. Life rules! If the effect of one man's crash-landing engaged humanity in a death-dominated lifestyle how much more advantage is the very same humanity now that they are the recipients of the boundless reservoir of grace, empowering them to enjoy the dominion of life through the gift of righteousness because of that one man, Jesus Christ. Grace is out of all proportion in superiority to the transgression. (No, grace is not something you qualify for by receiving it! Grace already belongs to humanity without their permission! The words oi lambanontes do not mean, to believing accept, but simply the recipients! [the Present Active Participle Nominative] The word persseia, means super abundantly; that which exceeds all boundaries. Of course it doesn't take faith out of the equation! It gives context to faith! Look at verses 1&2. Faith isn't what you do in order to; it's what happens to you because of it!)
Until next time where we shall finish the last few verses the LORD willing.
Romans 5:6-11 "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled (G2644) to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." (KJV)
Romans 5:6-11 "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled (G2644) to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." (ESV)
Romans 5:6-11 "GOD's timing was absolutely perfect; humanity was at their weakest when Christ died their death. (We were bankrupt and naked in our efforts to save ourselves.) It is most unlikely that someone will die for another person, even if they are righteous; yet it is remotely possible that someone can brave such devotion that one would actually lay down one's own life in an effort to save the life of an extraordinary good person. Herein is the extremity of GOD's Love gift: humanity was rotten to the core when Christ died their death. If GOD could love us that much when we were ungodly and guilty, how much more are we free to realize his love now that we are declared innocent by his blood? (GOD does not love us more now that we are reconciled to him; we are now free to realize how much he loves us all along! [Colossians 2:14 and Romans 4:25] ) Our hostility and indifference towards GOD did not reduce his love for us; he saw equal value in us when he exchanged the life of his Son for ours. Now that the act of [1; G2644] reconciliation is complete, his life in us saves us from the gutter-most to the uttermost. (Reconciliation, is from [1; G2644, from G2596 and G236] katallasso, meaning a mutual exchange of equal value. The Thrayer's definition: to exchange, as coins for others of equivalent value. "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to GOD by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life."---RSV ) Thus, our joyful boasting in GOD continues; Jesus Christ has made reconciliation a reality.: (The Mirror)
Romans 5:12-14, 15-17 "Wherefore, as by one man sin [G266] entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law (Genesis 4:7-11, 6:5-6, 6:11, 8:21, 13:13, 18:20, 19:4, 19:32, 19:36, 38:7, 38:10) sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law (Romans 4:15; 1Corinthians 15:56; 1John3:4, 14). Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression [G3847], who is the figure of him that was to come.
But not as the offence [G3900], so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead [G599], much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)" (KJV)
Romans 5:12-14, 15-17 "Therefore, just as sin [G266] came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression [G3847] of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
But the free gift is not like the trespass [G3900]. For if many died [G599] through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ." (ESV)
Romans 5:12-14, 15-17 "One person opened the door to [1; G266] sin. Sin introduced (spiritual) death. Both sin and death had a global impact. No one escaped its tyranny. (The word translated sin, is the word [1; G266, from G264, from G1 and G3313] hamartia, and it is from ha, a negative and meros, portion or form, thus to be without your allotted portion or without form, pointing to a disorientated, distorted identity; the word meros , is the stem of morphe, as in 2Corinthians 3:18. Where the word [change, G3339 is from G3326 and G3445 with G3444] metamorphe, is used with form, is the opposite of hamartia - without form. Sin is to live out of context with the original blueprint of one's design; to behave out of tune with GOD's original harmony.) The Law did not introduce sin; it was just not pointed out yet. In the mean time death dominated everyone's lifestyle, from Adam till Moses, (2500 years before the Law was given) no one was excluded; even those whose sins were different from Adam's. The fact is that Adam's [1; G3847] deviation set sin into motion - what happened to humanity because of one man, Adam, is in principle typical of what was about to happen to the same humanity because of the one man, Jesus! (Paul now employs a word that only he uses in his epistles [x9] (G3847) parabasis instead of the usual word for sin, hamartia - parabasis has two components, (G3844 and G939) para, which points to a close proximity/union and bainos, step, footprint - in this sense, a deviation; out of step - out of sync. In Adam humanity became out of sync with their true identity but didn't know it until the Law revealed it - in Christ the same humanity became exceedingly righteous but humanity does not realize it until the gospel reveals it.)
The only similarity in the comparison between the [1; G3900] crash-landing and the gift, is that both Adam and Christ represent the masses. However, the grace gift lavished upon humanity in the one man Jesus Christ supersedes the effect of Adam's failure by far and is beyond comparison in significance to the idea of [2; G599] death and separation. ( Now Paul introduces the word [1; G3900, from G3844 and G4098] paraptoma, which is from para closest possible proximity and pipto, to descend from a higher place to a lower - to stop flying. No wonder he urges us in Colossians 3:1-3 to engage our thoughts with the things that are above, where we are co-elevated and jointly enthroned in the heavenliest together with Christ! The word [2; G599 and G575] apothnesko, death, suggests a separation; and it is from apo, meaning any kind of separation of one thing from another by which the union or fellowship of the two is destroyed; also of a state of separation and distance. The word [G2348], thnesko means death.
"But GOD's free gift immeasurably outweighs the transgression. For if through the transgression of the one individual the masses of humanity have died, infinitely greater is the generosity wherewith GOD's grace, and the gift given in his grace which found expression in the one man Jesus Christ, have been bestowed on the mass of humanity."---Weymouth, 1912. ) The principle of the gift speaks a different language and brings a radically different equation to the table. Whereas a single sin resulted in a judgment that concluded in condemnation; grace translates countless deviations into acquittal and innocence. Death no longer has the final say. Life rules! If the effect of one man's crash-landing engaged humanity in a death-dominated lifestyle how much more advantage is the very same humanity now that they are the recipients of the boundless reservoir of grace, empowering them to enjoy the dominion of life through the gift of righteousness because of that one man, Jesus Christ. Grace is out of all proportion in superiority to the transgression. (No, grace is not something you qualify for by receiving it! Grace already belongs to humanity without their permission! The words oi lambanontes do not mean, to believing accept, but simply the recipients! [the Present Active Participle Nominative] The word persseia, means super abundantly; that which exceeds all boundaries. Of course it doesn't take faith out of the equation! It gives context to faith! Look at verses 1&2. Faith isn't what you do in order to; it's what happens to you because of it!)
Until next time where we shall finish the last few verses the LORD willing.
Saturday, February 2, 2019
The saga of "The Secret of GOD", taken from Romans 4.3-5, the renewed mind and our victory as foretold.
In our last study we were centered around what GOD told Abram and how he reacted to the word given him by way of promise and by that we learned the secret of Jesus the messenger and Christ being that same messenger. How to live by GOD's Faith and claim all that He says that we are, in other words we are to walk in the Victory as did Abraham. Unlike Abraham our known name does not change to tell us who we are and that is where our faith begins for we like Abraham have also a new name written on a white stone reserved for us elsewhere. On a white stone that was taken for our Rock of revelation and that Rock is Christ Jesus. So our confession is that we are sons of GOD and that we live by His Righteousness in His Faith of our restored innocence. We have His surname, Saint.
Romans 4:23-5:5 "Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Therefore being justified [G1344] by faith, we have peace [G1515] with [G4314] God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access [G4318] by faith into this grace wherein we stand [G2476], and rejoice in hope [G1680] of the glory [G1391] of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience [G1382 or G1384]; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad [G1632] in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." (KJV)
Romans 4:23-5:5 "But the words "it was counted to him" were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified [G1344] by faith, we have peace [G1515] with [G4314] God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access[G4318] by faith into this grace in which we stand[G2476], and we rejoice in hope [G1680] of the glory [G1391] of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance[G1384], and endurance[G1384] produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured [G1632] into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." (ESV)
Romans 4:23-5:5 "The persuasion of GOD rubbed off on Abraham and became his personal conviction. This was the basis of his righteousness. Here is the Good News: the recorded words, "It was reckoned to him" were not written for his sake alone. Scripture was written with us in mind! The same conclusion is now equally relevant in our realizing the significance of Jesus' resurrection from the dead (are acquittal). Here is the equation: He was handed over because of humanity's fallen mindset; he was raised because we were declared righteous! His resurrection is the offical receipt to our acquittal. The [1; G1344] conclusion is clear: our righteousness has absolutely nothing to do with our ability to keep moral Laws; it is the immediate result of what Jesus accomplished on humanity's behalf. This gives context to [2; G2476] faith and finds expression in unhindered, [3] face to face [4; G1515] friendship with GOD! Jesus Christ is the head of this Union! (In one sentence Paul sums up the previous four chapters. "Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with GOD through our Lord Jesus Christ." [KJV] The word [1; G1344 from G1342, from G1349 with a base of G1166] dikaithentes (we have seen before) is an Aorist Participle, which translates to, "having been justified by faith." As seen in Romans 4:25 previously. [2] Paul's reference to our justification is the faith of GOD and not our own efforts to justify ourselves - look at Romans 1:16-17 and Habakkuk 2:4. The preposition [3] pros means face to face; see John 1:1. The word, [4; G1515] eirene, means peace, and is from eiro, to join, to be set at one again, in carpentry it is referred to as the dove-tail joint, which is the strongest joint. Peace is a place of unhindered enjoyment of friendship beyond guilt, suspicion, blame or inferiority.) Jesus is GOD's face to face grace [1; G4318] embraced of the entire human race. So here we are, [2] standing tall in the joyful bliss of our redeemed innocence! We are GOD's [3; G1680] dream come true! This was GOD's [4; G1391] idea all along! (To be welcomed with wide-opened arms, [1; G4318, from G4317 and G71] prosagoge, is from pros, face to face and ago, to be lead as a Shepherd leads his sheep. The words, "by faith" are in brackets in the Greek text and are not supported by the best Greek manuscripts. Joy is not an occasional happy feeling; we are [2] positioned there, [2; G2476; G1680] histemi, in an immovable, unthreatened union! Hope, [2; G1680] elpis, is from elpo, to anticipate, usually with pleasure. The word [4; G1391 with the base of G1380] doxa , is often translated, glory, is from dokeo, and is to form an idea, opinion.) Our blissful boasting in him remains uninterrupted in times of trouble; we know that pressure reveals patience. Tribulation does not have what it takes to nullify what hope knows we have! Patience provides [1; G1384] proof of every positive expectation. ([1; G1384] dokimos , proof. The Thayer Definition: scrutinized and accepted, particularly of coins and money.) This kind of hope does not disappoint; the gift of the Holy Spirit completes [G1632, from G1537] our every expectation and ignites the Love of GOD within us like an artisan well. ([G1632, from G1537] ekxeo, to pour out. The Holy Spirit is an outpouring not an in-pouring! look at John 7:37-39, also Titus 3:6.)
Next time the LORD willing, we shall begin again at verse 2 of chapter 5 here in Romans, as we look at GODS timing.
Romans 4:23-5:5 "Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Therefore being justified [G1344] by faith, we have peace [G1515] with [G4314] God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access [G4318] by faith into this grace wherein we stand [G2476], and rejoice in hope [G1680] of the glory [G1391] of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience [G1382 or G1384]; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad [G1632] in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." (KJV)
Romans 4:23-5:5 "But the words "it was counted to him" were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified [G1344] by faith, we have peace [G1515] with [G4314] God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access[G4318] by faith into this grace in which we stand[G2476], and we rejoice in hope [G1680] of the glory [G1391] of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance[G1384], and endurance[G1384] produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured [G1632] into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." (ESV)
Romans 4:23-5:5 "The persuasion of GOD rubbed off on Abraham and became his personal conviction. This was the basis of his righteousness. Here is the Good News: the recorded words, "It was reckoned to him" were not written for his sake alone. Scripture was written with us in mind! The same conclusion is now equally relevant in our realizing the significance of Jesus' resurrection from the dead (are acquittal). Here is the equation: He was handed over because of humanity's fallen mindset; he was raised because we were declared righteous! His resurrection is the offical receipt to our acquittal. The [1; G1344] conclusion is clear: our righteousness has absolutely nothing to do with our ability to keep moral Laws; it is the immediate result of what Jesus accomplished on humanity's behalf. This gives context to [2; G2476] faith and finds expression in unhindered, [3] face to face [4; G1515] friendship with GOD! Jesus Christ is the head of this Union! (In one sentence Paul sums up the previous four chapters. "Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with GOD through our Lord Jesus Christ." [KJV] The word [1; G1344 from G1342, from G1349 with a base of G1166] dikaithentes (we have seen before) is an Aorist Participle, which translates to, "having been justified by faith." As seen in Romans 4:25 previously. [2] Paul's reference to our justification is the faith of GOD and not our own efforts to justify ourselves - look at Romans 1:16-17 and Habakkuk 2:4. The preposition [3] pros means face to face; see John 1:1. The word, [4; G1515] eirene, means peace, and is from eiro, to join, to be set at one again, in carpentry it is referred to as the dove-tail joint, which is the strongest joint. Peace is a place of unhindered enjoyment of friendship beyond guilt, suspicion, blame or inferiority.) Jesus is GOD's face to face grace [1; G4318] embraced of the entire human race. So here we are, [2] standing tall in the joyful bliss of our redeemed innocence! We are GOD's [3; G1680] dream come true! This was GOD's [4; G1391] idea all along! (To be welcomed with wide-opened arms, [1; G4318, from G4317 and G71] prosagoge, is from pros, face to face and ago, to be lead as a Shepherd leads his sheep. The words, "by faith" are in brackets in the Greek text and are not supported by the best Greek manuscripts. Joy is not an occasional happy feeling; we are [2] positioned there, [2; G2476; G1680] histemi, in an immovable, unthreatened union! Hope, [2; G1680] elpis, is from elpo, to anticipate, usually with pleasure. The word [4; G1391 with the base of G1380] doxa , is often translated, glory, is from dokeo, and is to form an idea, opinion.) Our blissful boasting in him remains uninterrupted in times of trouble; we know that pressure reveals patience. Tribulation does not have what it takes to nullify what hope knows we have! Patience provides [1; G1384] proof of every positive expectation. ([1; G1384] dokimos , proof. The Thayer Definition: scrutinized and accepted, particularly of coins and money.) This kind of hope does not disappoint; the gift of the Holy Spirit completes [G1632, from G1537] our every expectation and ignites the Love of GOD within us like an artisan well. ([G1632, from G1537] ekxeo, to pour out. The Holy Spirit is an outpouring not an in-pouring! look at John 7:37-39, also Titus 3:6.)
Next time the LORD willing, we shall begin again at verse 2 of chapter 5 here in Romans, as we look at GODS timing.
Friday, February 1, 2019
The saga of "The Secret of GOD", taken from Romans 4.2, the renewed mind and our victory as foretold.
Being the Righteousness and innocence of GOD's declaration there are many who deny Him this right and privileged by arguing against this truth. One reason for this maybe lay squarely on the shoulders of the Bible translators. For they lack the ability to follow the leading of the Spirit when He tells them by language and word usage the meaning and true application of the Greek and in the OT the Hebraisms of their ancient language word use. This means for us that there is indeed two laws by limited understanding at play, one the greater law, the law of life, law of love and law of faith. While the lesser law, that being the Law of Moses, as it deals with sin's rebellion of unbelief's revealing and flesh workings of guilty under the penalty of condemnation and death, no longer have any bearing since the resurrection and ascension of Christ. Jesus by his faith in the Father's promises and Faithfulness removed the old Hebrew standard by its being nailed with him on the tree / cross. (Genesis 3:24, 15:6, 17:5; Exodus 15:25; Deuteronomy 21:22-23; Matthew 12:33; Acts 5:30, 10:39, 13:29; Galatians 3:13, 1Peter 2:24; Revelation 2:7, 22:14) Now for our scriptures of Romans 4 beginning at verse 16, titles "the Promise realized by faith" in one of my study Bibles.
Romans 4:16-5:5 "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written [in Genesis 17:5], "'I have made thee a father of many nations,'") before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken (in Genesis 15:5), "'So shall thy seed be.'" And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded (G4135) that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. (Genesis 15:6) "And therefore it was imputed (G3049) to him for righteousness." Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. " (KJV)
Romans 4:16-5:5 "That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written (in Genesis 17:5), "'I have made you the father of many nations'"—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told (in Genesis 15:5), "'So shall your offspring be.'" He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced (G4135) that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was (in Genesis 15:6) "counted (G3049) to him as righteousness." But the words "it was counted to him" were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. " (ESV)
Romans 4:16-5:5 "Therefore since faith sponsors the gift of grace, the promise is equally secured for all the children. The Law has no exclusive claim on anyone (the reward system cannot match the gift principle.). Faith is our source, and that makes Abraham our father. When GOD changed Abram's name to Abraham, he made a public statement that he would be the father of all nations. (Genesis 17:5) Here we see Abraham faced with GOD's faith; the kind of faith that resurrects the dead and calls things which are not (yet visible) as though they were. (Note that most of Abram's ancestors were already fathers by the time that they had turned 30 or 35; yet Terha was 70 years old before he had Abram; his name suggests the Terha acknowledged that he could not claim parenthood of this son, he was 'fathered from above'! [Genesis 11:12-26] Now imagine how nervous Abram was when eventually he was also 75 and still without child! That was when GOD met with him and added to his name the 'ha' of Jaweh's (Jehovah) own name! In Arabic the word raham means drizzling and lasting rain. The innumerable drops of water in a drizzling rain are like the stars mentioned in Genesis 15:5 ("look toward heaven and number the stars, if you are able to number them....so shall your seed be") now imagine those innumerable stars raining down upon the earth and each one becomes a grain of sand! So shall your seed be! Genesis 22:17 ("'I will indeed bless you, and I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore'"). Abraham's identity, his anme, was the echo of GOD's faith and his bold confession in the absence of Isaac. The name change, similar to that of Simon to Rock, should serve to remind humanity to realize their original identity as sons of GOD, hewn out of the Rock [Deuteronomy 32:18, Isaiah 51:1, 21].) Faith gave substance to hope when everything seemed hopeless; the words, "so shall your seed be" conceived in him the faith of fatherhood. (Abraham's case here pictures the hopelessness of fallen humanity, having lost their identity, and faced with the impossibility to redeem themselves.) Abraham's faith would have been nullified if he were to take his own age and the deadness of Sarah's womb into account. his hundred year old body and Sarah's barren womb did not distract him in the least! He finally knew that no contribution from their side could possibly assist GOD in fulfilling his promise! While he had every reason to doubt the promise, he did not hesitate for a moment but instead empowered by faith confidence, he continued to communicate GOD's opinion. (His name was his confession: in the Hebrew language, "Abraham" was not a mere familiar sounding name, but a meaningful sentence, a confession of faith authority, against the odds. He did not become embarrassed about his name; he did not change his name to "Abe" which is for short when there seemed to be no change in his circumstances. Every time he introduced himself or someone called him by his name, it was a bold declaration and repetition of GOD's promise, calling things that were not as though they were. I would imagine that Sarah spoke his name the most! In fact, every time they addressed one another they spoke the promise, "Mother of nations, kings of peoples shall come from you!" [Genesis 17:5, 16]. Abraham, "the father of the multitudes." ) Abraham's confidence was his [1; G4135] dress-code; he knew beyond doubt that the power of GOD to perform was equal to his promise. ([1; G4135 from G4134 and G5409] plerophoreo, is from plero to be completely covered in every part, + phoreo, to wear garments or armor; traditionally translated to be completely persuaded. His faith was his visible identity and armor; he wore his persuasion like he would his daily garments.) The persuasion of GOD rubbed off on Abraham and became his personal conviction. (this is our victory as Christ ones.) This was the [1] basis of his righteousness. ("Righteousness was [1; G3049] reckoned to him," this means that GOD's faith pointed to an invisible future where humanity's innocence and identity would be redeemed again. [Genesis 3:15's promise] Greek, [1; G3049] logitsomai, logical conclusion.) Here is the Good News: the recorded words, "it was reckoned to him" were not written for his sake alone. Scripture was written with us in mind! The same [1] conclusion is now equally relevant in our realizing the significance of Jesus' resurrection from the dead. (By raising Jesus from the dead GOD proclaimed his belief in our redeemed innocence. Isaac's birth from Sarah's barren womb prophetically declared the resurrection of Jesus from the womb of our tomb! Abraham's best efforts could not produce a child. This underlines humanity's inability to redeem themselves under the law of willpower. Jesus said, '''Abraham saw my day!'" Humanity's most extreme self-sacrifice offered in an attempt to win the favorable attention of their deity could never match the sacrifice of GOD's Lamb to win the attention of humanity! When Isaac questioned his father about the sacrifice, Abraham announced, "Jaweh jireh!" Jaweh sees! And he lifted up his eyes and behold behind him was a ram caught in the thron bush by its horns! Note, "Behind him!" Faith sees the future in past tense-mode! The resurrection is the ultimate proof and trophy of righteousness by GOD's faith. [Romans 6:11] [1; G3049] logitsomai - logical conclusion. "Cosider [logitsomai] yourself dead indeed," compared with 4:19, "Abraham considered his own body dead." We can only study Scripture in the context of Christ as representing the human race; GOD had us in mind all along [John 5;39].) Here is the equation: he was handed over [1; G1223] because of humanity's [2; G3900 from G3895] fallen mindset; he was raised [1; G1223] because we were declared righteous! His resurrection is the official receipt to our acquittal. (His cross=our sins, his resurrect=our innocence! His death brought closure to our fallen mindset; his resurrection is proof of our redeemed righteousness. Why was Jesus handed over to die? Because of, [1; G1223, for] dia, our transgressions. Why was he raised from the dead? Because of, [1; for, G1223] dia , our righteousness! His resurrection reveals our righteousness! If humanity was still guilty after Jesus died, his resurrection would be irrelevant! This explains Acts 10:28 and 2Corinthians 5:14 and 16.
The Youngs Literal Translation of Romans 4:25 reads, "who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised up because of our being declared righteous."
The word [2; G3895, from G3844 and G4098, from G4072] parapipto has two components, para , closest possible proximity of union, and pipto, to descend from a higher place to a lower; to fall; to be thrust down; from petomai, to fly. Thus to stop flying! Losing altitude! This speaks of humanity's fallen mindset. Look at Collisions 3:1-3.)
Now for the author's notes: (In Acts 17:31, Paul explains to the Greek philosophers that according to the Jewish prophetic word, "God had fixed a day on which he would judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given proof to all humanity by raising his from the dead." GOD's declaration of your redeemed innocence is his most urgent invitation to you(manity) to encounter intimate oneness!
See also 1Peter 1:10-12, "This salvation which you now know as your own, is the theme of the prophetic thought; this is what captured the Prophets' attention for generations and became the object of their most diligent inquiry and scrutiny. They knew all along that humanity's salvation was a grace revelation, sustained in their prophetic utterances! (Salvation would never be by personal achievement or a reward to willpower-driven initiative! The Law of works would never replace grace!)
1Peter 1:11 In all of their conversation there was a constant quest to determine who the Messiah would be, and exactly when this will happen. They knew with certainty that is was the spirit of Christ within them pointing prophetically and giving testimony to the sufferings of the Christ and the subsequent glory. (Whatever glory was lost in Adam, would be redeemed again in Jesus Christ!)
1Peter 1:12 It was revealed to them that this glorious grace message that they were communicating pointed to a specific day and person beyond their own horizon and generation; they saw you in their prophetic view! This heavenly announcement had you in mind all along! They proclaimed glad tidings to you in advance, in the Holy Spirit, commissioned from heaven; the Shepherd - Messengers themselves longed to gaze deeply into its complete fulfillment." ) (The Mirror)
Because of the length of this post I will pick up the last portion of chapter 4, which is the beginning of chapter 5 in our next visit, the LORD willing. Which covers the results of our justification. I will do this by simply repeating the last three verses of chapter 4.
Romans 4:16-5:5 "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written [in Genesis 17:5], "'I have made thee a father of many nations,'") before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken (in Genesis 15:5), "'So shall thy seed be.'" And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded (G4135) that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. (Genesis 15:6) "And therefore it was imputed (G3049) to him for righteousness." Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. " (KJV)
Romans 4:16-5:5 "That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written (in Genesis 17:5), "'I have made you the father of many nations'"—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told (in Genesis 15:5), "'So shall your offspring be.'" He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced (G4135) that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was (in Genesis 15:6) "counted (G3049) to him as righteousness." But the words "it was counted to him" were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. " (ESV)
Romans 4:16-5:5 "Therefore since faith sponsors the gift of grace, the promise is equally secured for all the children. The Law has no exclusive claim on anyone (the reward system cannot match the gift principle.). Faith is our source, and that makes Abraham our father. When GOD changed Abram's name to Abraham, he made a public statement that he would be the father of all nations. (Genesis 17:5) Here we see Abraham faced with GOD's faith; the kind of faith that resurrects the dead and calls things which are not (yet visible) as though they were. (Note that most of Abram's ancestors were already fathers by the time that they had turned 30 or 35; yet Terha was 70 years old before he had Abram; his name suggests the Terha acknowledged that he could not claim parenthood of this son, he was 'fathered from above'! [Genesis 11:12-26] Now imagine how nervous Abram was when eventually he was also 75 and still without child! That was when GOD met with him and added to his name the 'ha' of Jaweh's (Jehovah) own name! In Arabic the word raham means drizzling and lasting rain. The innumerable drops of water in a drizzling rain are like the stars mentioned in Genesis 15:5 ("look toward heaven and number the stars, if you are able to number them....so shall your seed be") now imagine those innumerable stars raining down upon the earth and each one becomes a grain of sand! So shall your seed be! Genesis 22:17 ("'I will indeed bless you, and I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore'"). Abraham's identity, his anme, was the echo of GOD's faith and his bold confession in the absence of Isaac. The name change, similar to that of Simon to Rock, should serve to remind humanity to realize their original identity as sons of GOD, hewn out of the Rock [Deuteronomy 32:18, Isaiah 51:1, 21].) Faith gave substance to hope when everything seemed hopeless; the words, "so shall your seed be" conceived in him the faith of fatherhood. (Abraham's case here pictures the hopelessness of fallen humanity, having lost their identity, and faced with the impossibility to redeem themselves.) Abraham's faith would have been nullified if he were to take his own age and the deadness of Sarah's womb into account. his hundred year old body and Sarah's barren womb did not distract him in the least! He finally knew that no contribution from their side could possibly assist GOD in fulfilling his promise! While he had every reason to doubt the promise, he did not hesitate for a moment but instead empowered by faith confidence, he continued to communicate GOD's opinion. (His name was his confession: in the Hebrew language, "Abraham" was not a mere familiar sounding name, but a meaningful sentence, a confession of faith authority, against the odds. He did not become embarrassed about his name; he did not change his name to "Abe" which is for short when there seemed to be no change in his circumstances. Every time he introduced himself or someone called him by his name, it was a bold declaration and repetition of GOD's promise, calling things that were not as though they were. I would imagine that Sarah spoke his name the most! In fact, every time they addressed one another they spoke the promise, "Mother of nations, kings of peoples shall come from you!" [Genesis 17:5, 16]. Abraham, "the father of the multitudes." ) Abraham's confidence was his [1; G4135] dress-code; he knew beyond doubt that the power of GOD to perform was equal to his promise. ([1; G4135 from G4134 and G5409] plerophoreo, is from plero to be completely covered in every part, + phoreo, to wear garments or armor; traditionally translated to be completely persuaded. His faith was his visible identity and armor; he wore his persuasion like he would his daily garments.) The persuasion of GOD rubbed off on Abraham and became his personal conviction. (this is our victory as Christ ones.) This was the [1] basis of his righteousness. ("Righteousness was [1; G3049] reckoned to him," this means that GOD's faith pointed to an invisible future where humanity's innocence and identity would be redeemed again. [Genesis 3:15's promise] Greek, [1; G3049] logitsomai, logical conclusion.) Here is the Good News: the recorded words, "it was reckoned to him" were not written for his sake alone. Scripture was written with us in mind! The same [1] conclusion is now equally relevant in our realizing the significance of Jesus' resurrection from the dead. (By raising Jesus from the dead GOD proclaimed his belief in our redeemed innocence. Isaac's birth from Sarah's barren womb prophetically declared the resurrection of Jesus from the womb of our tomb! Abraham's best efforts could not produce a child. This underlines humanity's inability to redeem themselves under the law of willpower. Jesus said, '''Abraham saw my day!'" Humanity's most extreme self-sacrifice offered in an attempt to win the favorable attention of their deity could never match the sacrifice of GOD's Lamb to win the attention of humanity! When Isaac questioned his father about the sacrifice, Abraham announced, "Jaweh jireh!" Jaweh sees! And he lifted up his eyes and behold behind him was a ram caught in the thron bush by its horns! Note, "Behind him!" Faith sees the future in past tense-mode! The resurrection is the ultimate proof and trophy of righteousness by GOD's faith. [Romans 6:11] [1; G3049] logitsomai - logical conclusion. "Cosider [logitsomai] yourself dead indeed," compared with 4:19, "Abraham considered his own body dead." We can only study Scripture in the context of Christ as representing the human race; GOD had us in mind all along [John 5;39].) Here is the equation: he was handed over [1; G1223] because of humanity's [2; G3900 from G3895] fallen mindset; he was raised [1; G1223] because we were declared righteous! His resurrection is the official receipt to our acquittal. (His cross=our sins, his resurrect=our innocence! His death brought closure to our fallen mindset; his resurrection is proof of our redeemed righteousness. Why was Jesus handed over to die? Because of, [1; G1223, for] dia, our transgressions. Why was he raised from the dead? Because of, [1; for, G1223] dia , our righteousness! His resurrection reveals our righteousness! If humanity was still guilty after Jesus died, his resurrection would be irrelevant! This explains Acts 10:28 and 2Corinthians 5:14 and 16.
The Youngs Literal Translation of Romans 4:25 reads, "who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised up because of our being declared righteous."
The word [2; G3895, from G3844 and G4098, from G4072] parapipto has two components, para , closest possible proximity of union, and pipto, to descend from a higher place to a lower; to fall; to be thrust down; from petomai, to fly. Thus to stop flying! Losing altitude! This speaks of humanity's fallen mindset. Look at Collisions 3:1-3.)
Now for the author's notes: (In Acts 17:31, Paul explains to the Greek philosophers that according to the Jewish prophetic word, "God had fixed a day on which he would judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given proof to all humanity by raising his from the dead." GOD's declaration of your redeemed innocence is his most urgent invitation to you(manity) to encounter intimate oneness!
See also 1Peter 1:10-12, "This salvation which you now know as your own, is the theme of the prophetic thought; this is what captured the Prophets' attention for generations and became the object of their most diligent inquiry and scrutiny. They knew all along that humanity's salvation was a grace revelation, sustained in their prophetic utterances! (Salvation would never be by personal achievement or a reward to willpower-driven initiative! The Law of works would never replace grace!)
1Peter 1:11 In all of their conversation there was a constant quest to determine who the Messiah would be, and exactly when this will happen. They knew with certainty that is was the spirit of Christ within them pointing prophetically and giving testimony to the sufferings of the Christ and the subsequent glory. (Whatever glory was lost in Adam, would be redeemed again in Jesus Christ!)
1Peter 1:12 It was revealed to them that this glorious grace message that they were communicating pointed to a specific day and person beyond their own horizon and generation; they saw you in their prophetic view! This heavenly announcement had you in mind all along! They proclaimed glad tidings to you in advance, in the Holy Spirit, commissioned from heaven; the Shepherd - Messengers themselves longed to gaze deeply into its complete fulfillment." ) (The Mirror)
Because of the length of this post I will pick up the last portion of chapter 4, which is the beginning of chapter 5 in our next visit, the LORD willing. Which covers the results of our justification. I will do this by simply repeating the last three verses of chapter 4.
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