THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT - II

WBS.115

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT – II

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Last week, we ended with this comment:

        Getting rid of ignorance about spiritual gifts begins

        with getting rid of ignorance about the Spirit.

As I said last week, during my childhood, I was raised in the Baptist denomination, where it is virtually a tradition to sing the 1^st, 2^nd and 4^th stanzas of hymns.  The 3^rd stanza is typically the verse about the Holy Spirit.  It is little wonder the Baptists know next to nothing about the Holy Spirit.  It is almost as if the denomination has a blindness cast upon it with regards to the Holy Spirit. What little is taught regarding the Holy Spirit, not only in the Baptist churches, but all mainline denominations,  is seldom more than a trite academic presentation to document the denominations’ doctrinal position.  It isn’t taught with a view of changing your life.  It is intended merely to insure your doctrine is correct (according to the denomination).

To illustrate this point, let me share a personal experience with you.  When I was a student in college, I was a member of a “Christian” singing group.  This group decided to have a Bible study, and the topic chosen was the Book of Acts.  In the very first meeting, they began to read from chapter 1.  The leader of the study would stop to allow discussion any time they reached a verse where there was a question or a comment.  They read right through verse 8, and no one had a comment.  They were content to just keep on reading.

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth

I interrupted the leader’s reading, who had reached the end of the next verse by then; and I asked the simple question, “What do you suppose was the power they were talking about in verse 9?”  This group of university students began chiming in with: “Oh, I couldn’t get through the day without the power of the Holy Spirit,” and, “I have such a heavy schedule this semester.  If it weren’t for the power of the Holy Spirit; I don’t know what I would do.”  To this idea, they all tended to agree; then I said to them, “The tens of thousands of unbelievers who go to school here seem to make it through the day just fine without the Holy Spirit.  Is this really the power you think the Messiah told his disciples they would receive when the Holy Spirit would be sent to them; the power to get through a day of tough classwork?”

They became a bit indignant; and they asked me what I thought the verse meant.  I told them, “I think it is quite obvious what he was referring to because of what happened next.  They spoke in tongues, they healed the sick, they raised a lame man, Men were healed as Peter’s shadow crossed their infirm bodies, they raised the dead, they cast out demons.  That seems like power consistent with the Spirit of the Almighty.  Anyone can make it through the day no matter what hardship or difficulty they face; but these things they cannot do without the power of the Holy Spirit.”

It is a constant battle in religious circles (and by that, I mean the congregational church) to receive Truth, when doctrine is the focus of all teaching.  Anyone can learn and even understand doctrine whether a believer or an atheist; but Truth is only comprehended by revelation.  I have said this repeatedly in this blog, from the very beginning until now.  Doctrine is merely advertising.  You can study and know all there is to know about something; but until you actually experience it, all you really understand about it is the advertising.  You really don’t know the thing at all personally. (I knew an Army chaplain serving in Germany who said he didn’t believe a thing he preached.  He thought the whole concept of Christianity was nonsense. When I asked why he was a chaplain, he said, “It’s a good job.”  He was able to adequately teach all of his denomination’s doctrines and craft sermons around his denomination’s credo; but he did not believe a word of it.  Such is doctrine without the revelation of the Truth.)

I say this because the Holy Spirit is not real to most believers.  He is little more than a doctrine.  They think that “Holy Spirit” is His name.  They have never contemplated that He is the very essence of IAUE Elohim; and that “holy” is an adjective, not a noun.  It isn’t His name.  It is His attribute.  He is the Spirit of IAUE; and his purity and moral perfection burns like a fire cauterizing all that comes near Him.  He was first manifested in the book of Acts as tongues of flaming fire sitting upon the disciples.

It is my desire that the reader be shaken out of a traditional mindset about the Holy Spirit; because the reality of His working in and through our lives is one of the most desperately needed thing on this planet, today.  Consider, if you will, the beginning of 1 Corinthians 12, the chapter in this epistle, where Paul begins to address the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

Have you ever watched a movie or a TV program where someone receives a super power?  It makes them different from everyone else because of what they now can do that isn’t natural to man; but it is now natural to them. You have probably thought to yourself, “Wouldn’t that be great to have a super power?”

For the moment, try to put aside your religious thinking.  Close your eyes and imagine that you are in a private conference room with a hundred other people.  A man walks on to the stage wearing a very expensive suit.  He is perfectly groomed and walking with a countenance that exudes confidence and authority. This is no flim-flam man. You know just from his appearance alone that he is serious; and he has the resources to back up what he is about to tell you.  He begins to speak to your group:

“Good morning. I have come here with an offer.  It is within my ability to endow you with supernatural powers. I can give some of you the ability to know things outside of your natural ability to know them. I can give others the ability to have wisdom that transcends your personal experience to deal with situations and circumstances. I can give some of you the ability to heal the sick with your touch or your spoken word. To others I can enable you to cast out demons and to do miraculous things. I can give some of you the ability to know when spiritual beings are present around you, what spirits they are and whether they are harmful or beneficial. Are any of you interested?

Can you imagine how a group of worldly unbelievers would react to this opportunity?  The idea that they could receive “super powers” of any kind would fulfill lifelong fantasies for most.  However, after the gentleman up front begins the endowment process, can you not imagine how, immediately, some would be upset that they were empowered to know things; instead of being given the power to do miracles or to heal people? There would be an instant experience both of dissatisfaction and envy in some and pride in others who felt they were given the better super power(s).  Such it is in with believers, today.  Why is this?  It is because, like the example above, they too are worldly and incapable of understanding both the purpose of the enablement and their role in the bigger picture as one possessing that power.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are specific abilities…supernatural abilities that represent a function within the Body of Messiah.  For a disciple who realizes his primary purpose in life is to do the will of IAUE; the gifting he is given is seen merely as the Father’s choice to enable him to do what He requires of him.  There is no room for such a man to contemplate dissatisfaction, envy or pride in what he has been given.  Such thoughts are alien to a genuine disciple; but they are very real to the believer who is still ego-driven or who is a man-pleaser.  The believers in Corinth to whom Paul wrote this epistle, were ego-driven man pleasers.  Chapters 12, 13 and 14, of this letter were corrective in nature.  They are not written as a manual on spiritual gifts; but serve rather to bring correction and understanding both to the way the gifts fit into the life of the church; and to address the wrong character that interfered with the outworking of the purpose of the gifts in the church.

In the weeks to come, we will begin to examine the nature, manifestation and function of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.

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THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT - I

WBS.114

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT - I

1 Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.

Today, we are transitioning to a completely different subject matter.  It is a subject that has, for the most part, been placed on a back shelf in the church; and yet it is a truth that is needed desperately by the church, today.

I recall in the early 1970’s, when the “Charismatic Movement” was in full bloom.  Believers from all denominational backgrounds were discovering a truth that had been missing from their church’s experience, theology and culture.  This truth resolved the question they had held quietly in their hearts for years:  “Where is the power of the church we see in the Book of Act?”

From the early 1970’s through the 1990’s the ministry of the Holy Spirit found its way into many congregations; but mostly into the forming of independent church fellowships; because the change in the lives of those participating in this “movement” was wholly unacceptable to the mainline churches.  I, for one, was personally asked to leave the Baptist church where I was a member because all I wanted to do was talk about the Master.  That was far outside of their comfort zone.

I grew up in the Baptist church; and with my father being in the military, we moved every year to a new location; which meant becoming members of a new Baptist church every year.  In every church, I recall thinking to myself, “This can’t possibly be what Messiah died to produce. When I read the Book of Acts, this is not what I see.” 

Every church I ever attended was all about its religious culture and not about the life of the Master, nor about their obedience to the Creator. There were programs and activities and services designed to keep everyone occupied; but they were concerned first and foremost with keeping the church out of debt and maintaining and growing the business aspect of the church. Youth groups were about keeping the children off the streets at night by providing things for them to do as a group, as a clique; something akin to babysitting.  They were not about making obedient disciples of them.  Evangelistic success was measured by the size of the building program and the dollars coming in to pay for it.  This was not an experience unique to me.  This picture defines contemporary Christianity as a rule.  Yes, there are some rare exceptions to the rule; but not enough to be a blip on the radar.

1 Corinthians 12:1 Now, concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.

In the 1970’s almost everyone was ignorant of spiritual gifts; and yet, this verse has been in the Scriptures for nearly 2,000 years. Why are we still ignorant of spiritual gifts?  I can offer my own explanation in very simplified terms.  Walking in a lifestyle that accommodates the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is one that does not accommodate walking in the flesh; and since the contemporary gospel message does not command men to repent, believers today are not willing to repent and disassociate from their fleshly lives in order to experience the power of IAUE.  Allowing the Holy Spirit the freedom to speak or to do in our lives would create a real disturbance in the Sunday morning worship services around the world.  He is not manageable; and allowing the Holy Spirit freedom to manifest as He pleases cannot be incorporated in a Sunday morning bulletin setting forth the order of the service; especially those that are televised live.  In a very real sense, the Holy Spirit is synonymous with chaos.  It is little wonder why the church seldom ever teaches on the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  It would encourage chaos.

Well, welcome to chaos.  It is time we were no longer ignorant.  If our churches cannot contain what the Holy Spirit makes of us, perhaps we should not be in those churches at all.

1 Corinthian 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

This first thing we must understand about the spiritual gifts is that they are manifestations of the Spirit of IAUE.  They aren’t special abilities given by the Holy Spirit as separate and distinct and apart from Himself. Picture, if you will, the Holy Spirit as a car.  Now picture your life as a house with a garage connected to your home.  Without a car parked in your garage, neither you nor anyone around your house will ever be aware if someone is honking the car’s horn, or playing the car’s radio, or flashing the car’s lights, or revving the car’s engines.  Why not?  It is because the car is not there. These are all different ways that it may become apparent to others that a car is in your garage.  They are ways that the car’s presence may be manifested to others.

This illustration reveals the fundamental problem when it comes to the church’s basic ignorance of spiritual gifts.  For the most part, Christians have an empty garage.  They do not know their garage is empty; because their church’s theology has taught them to believe that when they prayed “the magic prayer” to become a Christian, they received the Holy Spirit.  This simply is not the teaching of Scripture; and it is why believers live powerless lives from the day they first become a believer, until the day they die.  It is why the only thing the churches can do, today, is run programs to keep everyone occupied; and to hold conferences and concerts and to invite celebrities to come and keep them entertained.  They lack the power of the life that Messiah died to make possible for them.

I am reminded of the testimony of John Wimber who said he was from a long line of atheists who had no church experience whatsoever. After reading the Bible, he went to a church service and sat there confused as they went through the order of service, had a closing prayer and everyone went home.  He asked the pastor, “When do you do the stuff?”  The pastor was confused about the question; and Mr. Wimber explained he was referring to the miracles he read about in the Book of Acts.  The pastor said, “We don’t do the stuff anymore.  It is enough that we believe that HE did the stuff.”  John Wimber actually thought that the church service was when the Christians got together, divvied up the city into various sections, and assigned the believers to go out and do the miracles Messiah did.  Since the church no longer believed in doing “the stuff,” John Wimber just went out and started doing it himself.

Most of Christendom has been taught that when they accept Messiah into their lives and they are “born again,” that the incredible sensation of “newness” they experience that is so overwhelming and unmistakably wonderful in their lives is the result of receiving the Holy Spirit. It isn’t at all.  It is the result of being born a new creature. 

2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Messiah, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Messiah taught that you cannot put the Holy Spirit into an unqualified vessel.

Luke 5:36 And He was also telling them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.

37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. 

38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.

Only after we have become “new/fresh wineskins” (only after we are born again) are we qualified to receive the Holy Spirit.  Notice the timing of the experiences in the Book of Acts, where people were converted and received the Holy Spirit.

The Day of Pentecost: Acts 2:38 – Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost instructed the people (Jews) who had believed his message that they were to 1) repent, 2) be baptized in water, after which they shall 3) receive the Holy Spirit.

Phillip in Samaria: Acts 8:5-17 – Phillip went to Samaria (half breeds: half-Jew/half-Gentile) and preached about the Kingdom of IAUE and the name of Yahushua Messiah; and the whole city believed his message and were baptized in water.  Peter and John, in Jerusalem, having heard that Samaria had responded to the gospel, went to Samaria to lay hands on the baptized believers, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Paul: Acts 9:1-18 – Paul was confronted by the presence of the glorified Messiah on the road to Damascus and was struck blind.  Now a believer, Paul was led into the city where Ananias met with him three days later to pray for him to recover from his blindness and to receive the Holy Spirit.  Afterwards, Paul was baptized in water.

Household of Cornelius: Acts 10 – Peter and a company of Jews were led by IAUE to go with a soldier and two house-servants to the home of Cornelius, a centurion.  They found the house full of Cornelius’ family and friends who were waiting expectantly for the word that Peter would speak to them.  They believed Peter’s words and were born again, and the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them.  (There was no way Peter would have considered praying for them to receive the Holy Spirit, for they were Gentiles; and he had no place in his thinking that they would be allowed to receive the Holy Spirit; so IAUE poured out His Spirit upon them in a sovereign way.)  Having witnessed the evidence of their having received the Holy Spirit, Peter commanded that they be baptized in water.

The Ephesian Disciples: Acts 19:1-6 – Upon arriving in Ephesus, Paul noticed a band of believers; but he must have certainly notice something missing from their lives because he asked them if they had ever received the Holy Spirit.  They were unaware of the existence of the Holy Spirit; so Paul ascertained that these were disciples of John the Baptist, not disciples of Yahushua.  Once Paul explained the difference, they believed on Messiah and were born again.  Paul then baptized them in water; and after they were baptized, Paul laid his hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

Notice that in each of these recorded experiences (apart from the close connection between being born again and receiving the Holy Spirit in the sovereign inclusion of the gentiles to the new covenant with the household of Cornelius), the experience of receiving the Holy Spirit was noticeably and measurably distinct and separate from the new birth experience.  With Paul and the Samaritan disciples, the experience was days after they believed in Messiah.

Once this truth is understood, it becomes obvious why the majority of Christendom in denominational congregations around the world are simply “playing church” and maintaining status quo week after week.  They are living under the false impression that they have received the Holy Spirit; consequently, they are living powerless lives within a religious culture.  Why would any of them ever seek to receive the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit if they truly believe they already have received Him?  There can be no faith to receive such an experience when one believes it has already happened.

1 Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.

Getting rid of ignorance about spiritual gifts begins with getting rid of ignorance about the Spirit.

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.

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THE FIRST PRINCIPLES – XX (The Word of Righteousness - 4)

WBS.113

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE FIRST PRINCIPLES – XX

THE WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS - 4

Hebrews 5:13 For every one that uses milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

Last week we ended with this comment:

2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;

that we might be made the righteousness of IAUE in him.

Notice carefully.  The purpose of Yahushua’s death to pay for the penalty of

our sins and to remove the barrier that has prevented reconciliation between

man and IAUE is that we MIGHT be made righteous “in him.”

This well-known verse contains the core reason why Yahushua Messiah was born into the world, lived, died and was raised from the dead; and yet, it is seldom recognized by students of the Scripture.  His purpose was not to die on our behalf to pay the penalty for the sins of mankind therefore taking away the sins of the world.  It wasn’t to bring humanity forgiveness for its sins.  Though necessary elements, these were not the end game of the divine plan.  Yahushua did what he did “that we might be made the righteousness of IAUE in him.” That is the objective.  Every person walking the planet today has already been forgiven their sins.  Forgiveness does not produce righteousness.

So far in our discussion of the Word of Righteousness, we have discussed:

1. The condition of the disciple that keeps him an infant believer – a lack of understanding of the word of righteousness…a lack of understanding of the very purpose of Messiah’s existence.
2. The nature of righteousness and why it is alien to man – the pure and perfect divine nature versus the hopelessly corrupt and unimprovable nature of man.
3. The qualification of the redeemer to be able to bring righteousness to man – birthed with a divine nature that was never compromised in life.

What we have yet to discuss is how is this righteousness obtained and unto what end is it received?

Romans 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed IAUE, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

This verse refers back to Genesis 15, where IAUE reveals His covenant to Abram.

Genesis 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

6 And he believed in IAUE; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

“So shall thy seed be” had a dual meaning to Abram (whose name was changed to Abraham in Genesis 17:5). It had an obvious meaning of “his descendants” (which would have required faith to believe for he had no offspring as of yet, and his wife was past the time of child-bearing).  It also referred to something a man in Abram’s day could do, but not so much men of today.  IAUE asked Abram to specifically relate to his understanding of both the names and the ordering, the numbering, of the stars.  Early men were raised with a knowledge of astronomy.  They understood the constellations and the story the stars told if taken in the right numerical sequence.  Within those constellations was a star named “Zera,” which represented the redeemer, the one who would come to deliver humanity from its separation from IAUE.  In Hebrew, this statement of IAUE was, “so shall thy zera be.”  IAUE was letting Abram know that from his barren wife, not only would he bring forth many nations; but among them would be the “Zera” who would redeem mankind back to IAUE.  It was THIS that Abram believed; and it was for his believing this that his faith was counted for righteousness. 

Pause to reflect on that for a moment.  It was faith in IAUE’s promise of the “coming” Messiah that was “counted” to Abram for righteousness.  This word “counted” is an interesting term. In Hebrew, it is “chashab.”  It means to consider the facts and render a conclusion; to reckon something’s equivalent worth.  In the Greek (Rom 4:3), the word is “logizomai.”  It has the same sense of meaning as “chashab,” but it has one significant different; and that is, it reckons the worth of something to be a metaphor.

[A brief English lesson:  You may recall studying the difference between a “simile” and a “metaphor.”  A simile says something is “as” or “like” something else in order to communicate the speaker’s/writer’s impression of something. Here are some famous similes in Scripture:

Rev 1:14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

A metaphor, on the other hand, says something IS another thing.  For example:

Son of Solomon 1:10 Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold.

13 A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.

15 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes.]

To understand that counting Abraham’s faith to be righteousness is intended as a metaphor opens to us a door of understanding. What was it about Abraham’s faith that could be given the equivalent value of righteousness?  Understanding that righteousness is the nature of IAUE; and understanding that the divine nature was initially created within Adam but forfeited due to sin; Abraham’s faith, his belief in the word of IAUE regarding the Messiah, was considered to be an act consistent with the divine nature. This belief in the words of IAUE did not emanate, however, from a divine nature; for Abram/Abraham was as corrupt then as man is today.  Abram’s faith, however, was inconsistent with the fallen nature of man. It was transcendant; and because of its likeness to the divine nature, it was credited to Abram for righteousness long before the divine sacrifice of Yahushua paid the price for the penalty of and forgiveness of sin. This was the basis of man’s relationship to IAUE from the fall of Adam to the resurrection of Yahushua. Faith in IAUE’s promise of the coming Redeemer was accounted to the believing one for righteousness, a transcendent act consistent with the divine nature. (Many have defined “righteousness” as “right standing with Elohim.”  That is not the definition of righteousness.  Right standing with IAUE is not what righteousness is; but it is a byproduct.  It is what righteousness provides.)

Belief in the “coming” Messiah has become the malady of the Hebrews today.  No longer is righteousness being counted to those believing in one who is yet to come; for he has already come and has already accomplished and fulfilled the requirements and the claims of righteousness upon all mankind.  Belief in a yet-to-come Redeemer holds no righteous merit for it is disbelieving of what IAUE has done by bringing Yahushua into the word.  Having come and fulfilled his Father’s will, righteousness is no longer credited to man on this basis.  It now looks back to what Yahushua has accomplished and believes what IAUE says about His son.

Romans 4:20 He staggered not at the promise of IAUE through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to IAUE;

21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;

24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Yahushua our Master from the dead;

25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

This imputing of righteousness is effected in a different way, today, than it was for Abraham, and for all men of faith prior to the resurrection of Yahushua.

Romans 5:5 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with IAUE through our Master Yahushua Messiah:

2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of IAUE.

We are still recipients of righteousness by faith.  There is no other mechanism provided to man to receive righteousness than by faith; but our peace (our right standing with IAUE) is not simply credited to our account, now.  It is provided to us “THROUGH” our Master, Yahushua Messiah.  It is THROUGH Messiah that we, by faith, have access to grace; and it is by grace that we are saved, enabled by the power of IAUE to do the will of IAUE (Ephesians 2:8).

Remember from our last post that our Redeemer had to be born qualified to redeem us; and had to maintain that qualification throughout his life.  He had to be born with a righteous nature; and in his death, he had to sacrifice a righteous life for ours.  Yahushua became our substitute in so many ways; but with respect to this study, his righteousness is what we receive by faith in him.  2 Corinthians 5:21 says he died that “we might become the righteousness of IAUE in him.”  The righteousness we receive by faith in Messiah is received by finding ourselves “in him.”

For example; if all the buildings on a given street except for one is going to be destroyed, by being IN that one building, we escape the destruction that is coming to that street. Not by anything we have done other than to choose to be in that house, are we rescued from destruction.  It is the house that was chosen to remain, not the people inside of the house.  In the same way, if the wrath of IAUE is determined upon all who are unrighteous; and there is only one who is righteous before Him; then all who are IN HIM, all who are in that one righteous man, will escape the wrath to come.  In like manner, all who are IN HIM also will partake of all the virtues and grace and benefit that belong to that one man.  Not by virtue of anything we have done or will do, are we the beneficiaries of that one man’s right standing with IAUE.  We enjoy the benefits of his righteous nature simply by being IN HIM; and we are IN HIM by faith, and by faith alone.

Faith, however, is not a point in time experience.  We cannot say that we believed in Messiah on June 6, 2004; and rest on that moment in time as the moment when we were “saved.”  No, faith is a present continuous experience which places us in the grace of IAUE (the power IAUE gives to enable man to do His will).  Righteousness is by faith; and faith is now.  We can point to a specific date and time when we began our adventure IN MESSIAH; but only present continuous faith fixes us IN HIM.

For too many believers, they experience faith in Messiah and are born of the Spirit; and they know within themselves they have been born anew.  They then base their confidence in their right standing with IAUE upon their subjective experience of being “born again.”  There is no righteousness within ourselves.  Any confidence placed anywhere except in Yahushua Messiah is misplaced and results in nothing of value.  Only IN HIM are we seen as righteous before IAUE.  Only IN HIM do we receive the grace that rescues and redeems our lives before IAUE.  We MUST abide IN HIM to experience his virtues and the benefits thereof.  Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1:1-4, that IAUE exercises His own power toward us through great and precious promises designed to help us experience and walk in the divine nature (righteousness), now.

Having faith in the words of IAUE by trusting in His redeemer is not the only act we may make that is inconsistent with the fallen nature.  IAUE has provided for us who are IN MESSIAH to be able to experience a transcendant life NOW, through faith in Yahushua by growing up; and ceasing to be nepios (babes in Messiah); by learning what it means to be IN HIM.  It begins with experience with the word of righteousness.  

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.

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THE FIRST PRINCIPLES – XIX (The Word of Righteousness - 3)

WBS.112

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE FIRST PRINCIPLES – XIX

THE WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS - 3

Hebrews 5:13 For every one that uses milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

Last week we ended with this comment:

This is man’s dilemma.  There can be no return to the presence of the holy and pure, perfect and righteous Elohim by any works or effort of man.  It is impossible to produce anything pure when it originates from “water with black ink in it”  That which is impure is incapable of producing that which is pure.  Since man cannot help himself to achieve the restoration of relationship and fellowship with IAUE that was lost in the Garden of Eden (righteous man standing before his righteous Creator), man’s remedy must come from outside himself.

Man’s best efforts to understand and to do the will of IAUE originate from a nature and a will that are corrupt and opposed to the idea of someone else’s will having the right to determine every decision and choice in life; making even man’s well-intended acts of obedience just more disobedience.  If you will recall last week’s illustrations of the nature and will of IAUE being perfectly straight lines; and the nature of man being abject scribble, you can see that something perfectly straight cannot be produced from that which is totally crooked. Every effort at “straightness” can only ever be curved…crooked.

Man’s only hope of being restored to IAUE is for a qualified redeemer to intervene on his behalf. Note that I said the redeemer must be “qualified.”  Any man born of the seed of man is going to be born equally corrupt as the one he might wish to redeem.  In order to be “qualified” to redeem man, the savior of man must not be born of the seed of Adam.  He must be virgin born so the nature with which he is born is not already corrupted.

Many have thought that Yahushua had to be virgin born in order to demonstrate that he is deity.  This is false.  He was born of a virgin for only one reason.  It was to enable him to be qualified to become the redeemer of man. He had to begin his life in the same state that Adam began his life…pure and righteous.  It is for this reason that Yahushua’s most frequently used term to identify himself is the “son of man” (“Ben Adam” in the Hebrew, son of Adam), and why he is called “the last Adam.” Yahushua was a man, just like Adam before the fall. 

His birth was just the first step.  He had to remain pure and upright before IAUE.  If he failed even once to obey the will of IAUE, he would have forfeited his righteous nature and would have become just as we are, fallen, unrighteous.  He would no longer have been “qualified” to redeem man.  We believe, however, as the Scripture tells us, that he did indeed live without disobedience to IAUE’s will.  He lived without sin; and by submitting to death, being impaled on our behalf and in our place, he took upon himself our rightful and lawful punishment. Yahushua became the qualified redeemer of man---the sinless for the sinful, the perfect for the imperfect, the righteous for the unrighteous.

John 3:16 For IAUE so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

We are all familiar with this most-quoted verse in the Scriptures; but do you know what comes next in this passage?

John 3:17 For IAUE sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of IAUE.

Man’s condition is one of being condemned ALREADY.  This is because, as David said in Psalm 51:5  “ Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” We are conceived, formed and born unrighteous. The very first acts of our life originate from a corrupt nature.  It is our Adamic inheritance; and because of it we stand judged condemned before IAUE and we are simply awaiting the day of the execution of the sentence that is already declared upon us.  Only a righteous man could intervene and provide a means of escape from the judgment due the unrighteous.  Only a righteous man could offer his own righteousness in exchange for our corrupt nature.

2 Cor 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of IAUE in him.

When Yahushua was impaled, he experienced the death due to the unrighteous. He paid our price; and yet, he personally was not deserving of death.  His vindication was evidenced by his resurrection from the dead.  Death cannot hold the righteous man. 

Did you know that Yahushua sacrificed more than his life to provide man the avenue of escape from his own unrighteousness?  When he was brought into the world, Yahushua was the “only begotten” Son of IAUE.  Adam also was referred to as the “son of IAUE” (Luke 3:38), but Adam was created, not born.  When Yahushua submitted himself unto death on our behalf, the only begotten son of IAUE died.  When IAUE raised Yahushua from the dead, he was no longer the only begotten of IAUE. That man had died. Yahushua became “the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 12:23). 

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Yahushua the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of IAUE.

It was the delight of Yahushua even to forfeit his unique place in the family of IAUE as His only begotten son in order to accomplish the task his Father gave to him, to open the way for unrighteous man to be restored to his creator.  Note what the apostle Paul told the Ephesian believers in Ephesians 1:15-23.  He tells them that he does not cease praying that they would receive wisdom and revelation to understand IAUE.  In particular he wanted them to know this:

Ephesians 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

20 Which he wrought in Messiah, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

The power that IAUE exercised when He raised Yahushua from the dead to become the FIRSTBORN is the very same power He exercises upon the one who believes in Messiah to bring new life to him.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Messiah, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

The death and resurrection of Messiah made no man righteous.  It did, however, forgive all mankind their sins, their disobediences to the will of IAUE.  Forgiveness, alone, however, does not change the nature of man.  Man will just keep on being disobedient to the will of IAUE because he cannot help himself.  It is his nature. Forgiveness is not salvation. It is only the means whereby we become aware of salvation (Luke 1:77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins).

2 Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that IAUE was in Messiah, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

20 Now then we are ambassadors for Messiah, as though IAUE did beseech you by us: we pray you in Messiah’s stead, be ye reconciled to IAUE.

This word “reconciliation” is very significant.  There are two words in the Greek that are translated into this one word in English; they are “katallasso” and “diallasso.”  Katallasso is used when only one party has rejected the other. I have had numerous friendships in years gone by, where a friend has taken offense at me and has broken off our relationship.  I have no ill feelings toward them, and would welcome their friendship to be restored; but it is something they must choose to do.  I cannot do it for them. Diallasso is when both parties are offended at each other.  With diallasso, both parties must make a move to restore the relationship. 

The word used in the above verses is “katallasso.”  There is only one offended party who must return to be restored.  Man rejected his relationship with IAUE.  Unfortunately, however, in his rejection of IAUE, man also lost his ability to be reconciled with IAUE, as we have discussed above. The barrier to restored relationship cannot originate with man.  It had to be provided by a “qualified redeemer.”  This, Yahushua has done; but man must still be reconciled with IAUE.  Just because Messiah has removed the barrier, does not mean the heart of man has “crossed over,” has been automatically restored to IAUE, to do His will, to honor their Creator with their life.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of IAUE in him.

Notice carefully.  The purpose of Yahushua’s death to pay for the penalty of our sins and to remove the barrier that has prevented reconciliation between man and IAUE is that we MIGHT be made righteous “in him.”

Next week:  The Imputation of Righteousness

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.

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THE FIRST PRINCIPLES – XVIII (The Word of Righteousness - 2)

WBS.111

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE FIRST PRINCIPLES – XVIII

THE WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS - 2

Hebrews 5:13 For every one that uses milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

Last week we ended with this comment:

This Scripture reveals that the primary thing that keeps believers as spiritual infants is their inexperience with “the word of righteousness.” Entire books have been written on the subject of righteousness; and yet most believers do not even know what it is. 

Whenever preachers take up the subject of righteousness, it seems their first objective is to make an emotional connection with their audience, to get the people excited and aroused so they being yelling “Amen!” after every sentence or two.  That way, the preacher can preach on a subject upon which he has little or no revelation and still make everyone think that they just heard a powerful sermon.  Of course, no one walks away benefiting from the message other than having had their emotions manipulated and maybe they felt good for a half hour or so.

The problem with the “word of righteousness” today, is that the masses (including the pastorate) have little experience with it.  The overwhelming majority of believers are “nepios.”  They are babes who remain babes because they have no real understanding of this matter of righteousness.  So, what do babes do when they get together?  They make a lot of noise and have a good time.  When it’s over, they look forward to the next time they can get together and play. For most, this has become the typical church model.

Righteousness:  (dikaiosune) is a word that is much easier to understand if we drop the use of the religious term altogether.  It was not called “righteousness” until the early 17^th century; and in this form, it is seldom ever used in any context other than religion.  Without a secular application, it is not easy for one to understand what the word means.  It is a compound word combining “that which is right” (morally correct, good, proper, straight, just, fair) and “way or manner.” It is the way or manner of being right. Technically, it means “to move in a straight line.” 

  

IAUE is unchanging.  His nature is true and right, morally correct, pure, honest and perfect continuously without alteration.  He “moves in a straight line” because He is the standard by which all is deemed to be right, moral, pure, honest and perfect. Who, and how IAUE is, defines that which is straight. In like fashion, anything that is not perfectly in sync with the nature of IAUE is that which is wrong, not right, corrupt, not moving in a straight line. 

Whatever IAUE thinks, feels, desires, wants and decrees is right, because His thoughts, feelings, desires, wants and decrees emanate from a nature that is incapable of being otherwise.  The nature and the will of IAUE are the life and the path of righteousness.  The nature and the will of man, on the other hand, are not.

This illustration is more in keeping with the nature of man.  A straight line is impossible for him for such living is not in his nature.  His being does not exude that which is morally correct, pure, honest and perfect.  It is warped by his own will that is alienated from the nature of IAUE.

Let us revisit the matter of sin.  Most people, whether or not they are believers, think of sin from a horizontal perspective, from its impact within the social order; and they feel guilt in direct proportion to the hurt their words or actions have caused to others, or their own perception of the degree of violation of the social order in one’s own moral code or values they have committed. (It is interesting to note that man essentially never considers anything that he thinks to be sin.  It does not become a sin in man’s assessment until he acts upon his thoughts.  Of course, we know from the Sermon on the Mount that IAUE believes otherwise.) When a person hears the contemporary gospel message (which is not the gospel), and learns that Messiah died to forgive them of their sins, their minds connect with the sins for which they feel guilt; and that rarely involves any actions that are defined by their disobedience to the will of IAUE.  In other words, they relate to forgiveness only for what they believe within themselves are their sins, the things for which they feel guilt because of having violated their own moral codes. It does not even necessarily include mans’ laws they have broken. (For example, if one drives 65 mph in a 55 mph zone, there is no sense of committing sin.  Instead, man thinks the speed limit should be 65 instead of 55 in that area. One could even drive 85 or 90 mph on that same road; and as long as they are not caught and ticketed by the police, sleep comes easy that night for there is no sense of guilt; because in their minds they have done nothing wrong. In their minds, they have driven efficiently, not sinfully.) Man does not recognize that his very nature (that which cannot walk in a straight line) is at the root of the forgiveness that IAUE brings to him.

Man does not sin against man.  He may wrong him, hurt him, deceive him, undermine him, etc., but man sins against IAUE and against IAUE alone.  Something is sin only if it is disobedience to the will of IAUE.  This is the vertical perspective that rarely grips the heart of man; and that is not unusual because until IAUE illumines the heart of man to see how he has rejected Him and revolted against His right to rule his life, man is truly incapable of evaluating his behavior from a vertical perspective.  This is the difficulty that besets man when it comes to this “word of righteousness.”  The frame of reference to understand it must be revealed to man.  Otherwise, it is just words.  One may develop a doctrine regarding it; but he will remain “inexperienced in the word of righteousness.”

Consider this illustration.  If a man produces a glass of pure water, then drops a single drop of the deadliest of poisons into the glass…let’s imagine it to be like a drop of black ink into the glass.  Would you then drink from the glass?  Of course you wouldn’t.  If the man then pours some of that water into another glass of water, and then a portion of that glass into another glass of water, and he repeats this process through 30 or 40 glasses of water, then he tells you that the nature of the poison is that it reproduces its potency no matter how many times you transfer some of the corrupted water from glass to glass, would you ever be willing to take a drink from a glass of water that proceeds down the line from that original glass? Of course you wouldn’t.  Why not?  It is because every glass of water descended from the first, and the death in the first glass has been passed all the way to the last.

This illustration depicts the nature of man.  From the moment of Adam’s fall, his disobedience to the will of IAUE transformed the pure nature of his life before IAUE to something filled with death and disobedience.  When Adam’s offspring were born, he was not capable of passing on to his children the pure nature, for he had forever lost that.  He could only transfer the nature that he possessed, one with poison in it. Adam had a drop of black ink in his water, and this deadly ink became the inheritance of all who descended from Adam.   If man is “altogether conceived in sin” and born void of the nature of IAUE, alien to the straight path of his Creator, how can he recapture what was lost?  He cannot will himself or discipline himself to be right again, for every thought, every word and every action of his life emanates from that black ink within him.  His nature is not pure, so nothing that proceeds from him is pure, nor can become pure. Man’s best efforts to be good, honest, kind, loving, humanitarian, etc., all emanate from death and do not attain unto righteousness; for righteousness may only proceed forth from a nature that is right, otherwise no matter how good it may appear to be, it is merely a lifeless copy of that which is true.

This is man’s dilemma.  There can be no return to the presence of the holy and pure, perfect and righteous Elohim by any works or effort of man.  It is impossible to produce anything pure when it originates from water with black ink in it.  That which is impure is incapable of producing that which is pure.  Since man cannot help himself to achieve the restoration of relationship and fellowship with IAUE that was lost in the Garden of Eden (righteous man standing before his righteous Creator), man’s remedy must come from outside himself.

Next week:  Man’s help – the Word of Righteousness.

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.

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