I give you thanks for these young men precious lives. Father, I pray you intervene and have your way. God, we acknowledge your word. Luke 1:37 tells us "For with God nothing will be impossible". God bless these young souls with healing, deliverance, joy, strength where it is needed. Amen
The name of our Savior, Jesus that means "YHWH saves" Matthew 1:21-23 and Luke 1:31-32 the angel Gabriel told Mary to name the Son of God so that it may be fulfilled that was spoken of the LORD by the prophet Isaiah 7:14. they shall call His name Immanuel meaning God with us, nothing has changed. Jesus comes from the Hebrew word Yehoshua same as Jehoshua or Joshua, the Greek form is Iesous English is before the letter J it was Iesus now Jesus, it is just transliteration or translation from one language to another.
There were many back then with that name but only this Jesus is referred to as Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus, in Hebrew Yehoshua Moshiach, who is the Son of God, Jesus's identity, and His mission that His Father sent Him to do. The name Immanuel means with us is God, the presence of God in His Son that we see in the New Testament not His personal name. Like Jesus told Philip in John 14:7-11.
This is my understanding maybe others will have other comments, pray, and study, truth comes only from the Spirit of truth.
My post yesterday discussed Christ as firstfruits; specifically that raised from the dead. HIs uniqueness includes the following:
Being God in the flesh. This makes Him superior to all of His creation whether man or angels. Yet He had to be made a little lower than the angels to live vicariously that is in our place yet suffer all things as we do without sin. Hebrews enlightens us on this subject in many places and I would suggest studying the entire book as I did a few years back with a small group.
Besides His sinless life; we have His death and resurrection; which demonstrated His victory over the grave and sin and His atonement for God's chosen sons and daughters.
He has a name only He knows .( Revelation 19:12)
He has been given all authority over heaven and earth ( Matthew 28:18)
He has the keys to the gates of hell ( Revelation 1:18)
He will rule forever ( Isaiah 9:7; Luke 1:33)
One aspect that is sometimes glossed over is that God can be jealous; and for HIs own Name's sake and also desire worship and be sinless. This is something that for any created being; man or angel that leads to destruction. This is why any image man creates of his conception of God is so dangerous and warned against in verses such as Exodus 20:4. That verse doesn't specifically mention God but it states anything in heaven above or earth below thus the Godhead would also be included. God can't be seen by human eyes ( John 1:18). Christ is by far the most represented in paintings and sculpture of the members of the Godhead; but with man's idolatrous heart he is led to worship these images much as he does with Mary and the "saints" whether real or imaginary ones in terms of their earthly ministry. The image of the cross is only beneficial as an offense and a curse; and is only beneficial to remind us of Christ's sufferings but also we need to look beyond that to His Resurrection and current ministry ( Heb. 7:25).
What is the meaning of created? Does it mean something that is made out of nothing? I would have to say no, Jesus is the Son of God who was conceived in the womb of Mary, Matthew 1:20Luke 1:35, I do not think I would say He was created.
If so, when did He come into existence?
In God's plan before anything and physically when He was conceived in Mary's womb.
Do you believe that the Son is only human in nature?
Jesus is the Son of God fully human but without sin same as the first Adam, Scripture is clear when Jesus was baptized, He was anointed with the Holy Ghost/Spirit without measure, John 3:34. All the works of Jesus were done by the Spirit of God, Matthew 4:16Matthew 12:28Acts 10:38.
Do you believe that Jesus became "the Christ" during His lifetime (Adoptionism)?
I had never heard of Adoptionism until now, I had to look it up, it's false. Christ and Messiah are the same; Jesus was anointed by the Spirit of God after He was baptized by John, He then was made the Messiah/Christ fulfilling the prophecy in Daniel 9:25. Jesus is the Son of God conceived in the womb of Mary by the Holy Ghost/Spirit.
Do you believe Jesus ever aquired a divine nature in His earthly life?
If you mean a divine nature is to have all the attributes that make God who He is I would have to say no. If so, Jesus could not sin or be tempted, Matthew 4:1Hebrews 4:15. If so, Jesus living a perfect life without sin is meaningless. Jesus could not have died; Jesus was given the power of the Holy Spirit when He was anointed the Messiah. After He rose from the dead God gave Jesus all power in heaven and on earth, Matthew 28:18. God raised and placed Jesus on His right side, Ephesians 1:21-23. Jesus did not return to where He was before, God the Father placed everything under Jesus God's only begotten Son's feet and Jesus will reign until the last enemy is destroyed, 1 Corinthians 15:24-28.
Mark 1 :1-11 The word of God-sound and sign (2 of 2)
v.5 " And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins"
The great revival 'in all the land of Judaea and they of Jerusalem' was not because of John's austerity or of his person but the voice of the Lord worked with men as he 'shaketh the wilderness; the Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.". Hinds calve as surely men see a great light dawning on them.(Ps.29:8-9). Here also Isaiah saw ahead ,"The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up."(Matt.4:14-16). The same voice that inspired Isaiah did enthuse John's Father. The Angel of the Lord is how the sound becomes a sign. St Luke report of it, "And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God./And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."( Luke 1:16-17) At first Zecharias would not believe and his temporary dumbness was a sign. As surely as calves of a hind.
v.11 "And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Here we have both word as a sound as a sign.
Compared to other gospels Mark tells us salient features of the Advent of the Son with great economy of words. "And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness."(v.12)
Faith is one and doubt is denial of it without having any credential to dispute the word of God. There is nothing we have brought of ourselves to doubt without cutting off the very ground of existence. "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity."(2 Ti.2:19)
Where names of people are called before the foundation of the world we have instances of doubt as in the case of Mary, "And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God."( Luke 1:29-30).
Simon Peter had doubts which God was quick to dispel, "Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate." (Ac.10:17) These two instances when the Will of God "The Now aspect) connects with the now of man there could be moment of perplexity but God sees to it that His children are left in in doubt. The Spirit sent Evangelist Philip to clear the passage for the Ethiopian eunuch. "For those doubters who still harp on their pet peeves the Spirit says, "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."(2 Co.4:3-4)
It is Jesus the Christ that is our Kinsman-Redeemer.
The kinsman Redeemer had two main functions, that of redemption of man, and the justice of avenging evil and sin against His people, Israel.
It is Him that came the 1st time to redeem the world with His blood, and it is Him that will come the 2nd time as the Avenger of blood to save Israel and destroy His enemies wherein the justice of avenging evil and sin is performed.
This is why it is so important that we understand that Jesus was the ultimate example of faith.
He did right what Adam did wrong.
He trusted God even though He would die.
He allowed Himself to become a man, after having spent eternity as God.
On the promise that God would resurrect Him, and restore Him to His state, that Christ would sit in God the Father's throne, until all was fulfilled; and Christ would come the 2nd time to redeem Israel, destroy his enemies and then will sit on the throne of David("And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David" Luke 1:30-32), a throne that He was ultimately meant to rule from (for thousand years until always completed and there is the new heaven and new earth Revelations 20:2-6), for a thousand years.
4. God in His wisdom had set up a system where if individuals had no income or food, they could survive in Israel by going through fields after they had been harvested the wheat, and salvage the reminiscence that were dropped. This was referred to as "gleaning a field" ( Lev. 23:22).
2 Sam. 7:26 says that The LORD Almighty is God over Israel. He is our God as well.
David speaks of resting in the shadow of the Almighty in Ps.91:1 WE, too, can rest in Him, as Jesus promised to give us rest when we come to Him.
Rev. 19:6 says the LORD God Almighty reigns. He is sovereign! He reigns far above all else. No one can rest His throne of glory from Him.
2 Chr. 32:7 says that the Israelites had a greater power with them than whom was against them.
His great power saves us. Ps. 20:6
Hosea 13:14 says that God has power to ransom His own from the power of the grave and death.
God's mighty power gave the Son the victory over death and the grave in raising Him from the dead to be alive evermore.
Luke 1:35 says to Mary that the power of the Most High will bring about the conception of the Holy One in her even as she is a virgin.
Rom. 1:20 says that God's power is eternal.
1 Cor. 1:24 says that Christ is the power of to those who are called. We do not have the power to save ourselves, but Jesus does.
And in 15:24 Paul says that God will put an end to all dominion. power, and authority after subduing every enemy, crushing them under the feet of Jesus.
Col. 2 :10 says that in Jesus is the head of all power and authority.
Heb. 7:16 says that Jesus had the power of an indestructible life.
How Great Is Our God, Great in Power, Great in Wonder, King of Heaven.
Sorry for the delay, thank you for your reply. My understanding in Genesis when God breathed the breath of life into the first Adam he became a living soul. The Hebrew word is nephesh, that means a living being, Adam was not given a soul he became a living soul/being. Same as the last Adam Jesus the Messiah was conceived in the womb of Mary, Luke 1:31-33, and He was a living being/nephesh.
As the first Adam, Jesus came into this world without sin, but not like the first Adam He lived a perfect life without sin totally obedient to the Father even though He was tempted as you and me, Hebrews 4:14-15.
""Ronald, I don't hold the view that Jesus was a living soul." I certainly don't either. God gave Adam his soul when He breathed life into him. God did not breath His life into himself. Luke 1:35 tells us how the Holy Spirit came upon Mary for the birth of Jesus in a spiritual way not in the way of man.
Gabriel is the Angel of the Lord and also he reveals his name to Zacharias. "I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee,"( Luke 1:11, 19) He might have had certain freedom 'to play by the ear as it were; so he strike him dumb, "And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season."(v.20). The same after six months at Nazareth,"And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee."
From Daniel's book Michel seems to be associated with Persia as Gabriel over Palestine. " and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz" He is same as the mighty angel (Re.10:1) representing the Son, in Dan.12 we see him. He refers to Michael as his helper, "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia./Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days."(10:13)
Compare with"Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates./And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men." (Re.9:14-15)
The four angels are released on command from heaven. They were prepared for partial judgments. " In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up,"(Ge.7:11)God's Time has its hour, day, month and year. But not the same our time scale. fountains of the deep work at tandem so we read flood came from above as well.'The windows of heaven were opened'.
"The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light./ But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"
The single eye here is the eye of faith. "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven"( John 17:1). The Spirit is laying emphasis on the eye of faith, which we see in the life of Elijah who laid the condition for Elisha to receive a double portion of his Spirit. "And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me./And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so." (2 Ki.8:9-10) The double portion included that of the Son and of the prophet. The first one ties up the eye of faith to the Father as a double for the Son. It is thus the Spirit has set forth the redoubtable prophet as a stand-in. The same principle we have in the brazen serpent set up on the pole in the wilderness. "And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived."(Nu.21:9) The Spirit uses 'behold' in a special sense and here in past tense we see the eye of faith connecting man with the Son, albeit a symbol but determined in the divine Will as with the slain Lamb before the foundation of the world.
" Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son,"(1:23). Eye of faith of Mary believed and also the word of God. "And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. "( Luke 1:38)
Peter healed a cripple and he first made sure he had his eye of faith open.And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us./And he gave heed unto them, "(Ac.3:4-7)
"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins."(v.21)
Here we have two names which distinguish as we ascribe deity and humanity to the Word becoming flesh.
In this context we do not find God naming Adam. In the Lucan genealogy Adam is qualified as the son of God.("Adam, which was the son of God"- Luke 3:38) The angel who appeared to Mary informs on the other hand of her child, "which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God"- Luke 1:35) One is a son because of the breath of God making him a living soul. The other signifies the Fellowship of God with Man on the basis of the Father Son relationship. This is consequential as far as salvation Plan for man is concerned. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."(Ac.4:12)
In vv.22-23 we have another name, "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,/ Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." God with us is synonymous with Word which is the constitution or Law of the kingdom of God. Knowledge of the glory of God is tied up Jesus Christ. In his prayer he remarks of the glory, "O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."( John 17:5)
"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." What does the face indicate? God named the firmament heaven (Ge.1:8) so heaven declares the glory (Ps.19:1) indicates a face to which the Magi could read as well as any man by faith would know the will of his Father. God showed only 'back parts' to Moses, meaning through the Law of Moses.
"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost."
"Now the birth of Jesus was on this wise,"
So begins St Mathew and the Spirit in narrating it tells us a few essential points. God is a Spirit so as 'the only begotten' Son, he embodies the Law. It is intended as the instruction in righteousness so biology of natural man is out of place. So is his rational faculties. "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."(1 Co.2:14).
Worshiping God in Spirit and truth we make faith the lingua franca because the mystery of his will is not something you may go out and purchase by anything that you may possess as a natural man. St Paul refers to his Will as a mystery so the word becoming flesh and what enables man who is dead in sin to be born in the Spirit can only be understood by faith./"the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself."(Ep.1:9-11)
"God sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions." This was sent forth even before the worlds began. By Law of the Spirit Jesus did not do anything outside and he finger of God is what faith signifies. "But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you."( Luke 11:20) The Spirit overshadowing explains 'the virgin' birth. "Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?/And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."( Luke 1:34-35)
Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me./Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned chil
God is the creator of heaven and the earth. "But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me:"(Ps.40:17). What name shall fit him, considering His infinite nature? Whatever human intellect may settle shall be inadequate since Power and Wisdom of the Being is absolute. So the HolySpirit simply says, 'Holy is his Name.'( Luke 1:49). Holiness must explain every feature of His creative mind. Thus the fall of a sparrow does not go without it knowing (Matt.10:29), neither will He let go evil unpunished. Thus restoring holiness in His sovereign kingdom,- both worlds of the flesh and the spirit in harmony belongs to God alone. "For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge his people."(He.10:30; De.32:35).
God is a Spirit and when we say 'His people' it must be clear that holiness must necessarily be a common factor which is natural for man to work with God. Soul of man is the article which can serve him to this purpose. The indwelling Spirit serves as a tutor so it holds a candle to his innermost recesses. In the verse below we read the psalmist directed his body to behave in such manner so as to put his soul at rest. Man child is the name wherewith man may become part of His people.
Holiness of God suffices for man since his own attempts to pass for holy is like the truncated tail of a dead lizard. You see in it works but its body of faith is dead. In his Son is the fountain of light. We need see the light through the true Light. This is the way to holiness and in our faith we allow our lives to be molded in his image.
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:"(Ph.2:5-11)
Hello All...most assuredly I hope everyone continues in His blessings.
Concerning Luke 1:18...every time I read that verse I expect to see Zechariah's response being something on the order of " Just like Abraham and Sarah....oh the goodness of God!".
I surely would have expected that Zecharias would have brought to his mind Abraham and Sarah's great blessing. That he would have to know that Gabriel's words were a great sign of truth and Amen.
I desire to be submissive, & remain teachable, let take a look at one of your statement of belief.
You spoke to Ronald, & previously stating this many time as I recall
We get our understanding of the Bible from the Bible itself. The Bible alone and its entirety is the Word of God and must be our only Authority.
Ok, this is your faith, not mind, you know where I STAND ON THIS ISSUE, saying that Luke 1:6 they were not blameless. When the Scripture of Truth says plainly "walking in all the commandments & ordinances of the Lord blameless". along with the rest of the Scriptures that I've quoted concerning this, even giving you concordance reference which you use to understand the words of God. David, you don't even believe your own faith & your calling God a liar & you expect me to give heed to counsel such as this?
I could go on refuting you soundly with the Scriptures & sound reasoning, but considering our past conversations, what would be the purpose?
Souls are at stake here, whom Jesus suffer & paid the ultimate price for & God will judge His people Ecclesiastes 5:2,3
David,,,,,,, as Keith Green song says, Your heart is hard (& is hardening ) & your prayers are cold, so where will you go from here?
quoting you; no one but Christ could fully keep it
Luke 1:6Philippians 3:6
to use your own tools of understanding
blameless!
, ( to blame), blameless, deserving no censure, free from fault or defect: Luke 1:6; Philippians 2:15; Philippians 3:6; 1 Thessalonians 3:13Hebrews 8:7 (in which nothing is lacking); in the Sept. equivalent to , Job 1:1, 8 etc
Do you think, that perhaps you could be blinded here?
Isaiah 9:6 his name shall be called does not make him what the name is many Hebrew names have God in them. Jesus says He came in His Father's name.
John 1:1-4 What is the beginning that John is referencing here? Is this the beginning/creation or is this John's prologue of his gospel, the beginning of Jesus's ministry, as in Luke 1:2 or 1 John 1:1? The word of God was in Jesus for everything Jesus said was not His words but the Father's words who sent Him, John 4:16John 12:49John 14:24.
Jesus was the Tabernacle of God; God was manifested in Jesus, and this is the light that shined. The light that shined was eternal life 1 John 1:2. This life was given to the Son from the Father John 5:26 and we can have this gift through Jesus Christ our Lord Romans 6:23. Jesus proclaimed the Father, the Father was the Word which was proclaimed to the world, and the Word was God. In Revelation 19:13, Jesus's name is the Word of God.
John 10:30John 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: As God and Jesus are one through Jesus we also can be one in unity and purpose.
John 14:9 The Father was in Jesus by God's Spirit everything Jesus did and said was from the Father. This is what Jesus is telling them in verse 10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
I understand we differ, and this doctrine is deeply rooted, I do not want to offend anyone. I have studied the creation of it, and it was as much or more political than Scriptural, especially considering the number of lives that were taken because of it.
What you, and others that hold your view, are doing is missing, ignoring, denying (you chose the word) that the EFFICACY of Christ's Atonement extends from the FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.
This is unscriptual, it didn't apply until He actually did it.
quoting you;
"If this were not the case, no one living in the OT could have ever become saved. Why? Because no one can, nor ever has, kept the Law of God perfectly".
Job 1:1Job 1:8Job 2:3 Enoch was take up to God, do you really believe God would allow a sinner into heaven? Both of these was before the law, & after the law 1 Kings 11:42 Kings 20:31Chronicles 29:9Luke 1:6Philippians 3:6
What saith thou of thyself?
Friend, your putting your foot in your mouth again!
Thank you, God, who cannot be tempted of evil, James 1:13 or lie, Titus 1:2. God could not fulfill the law, flesh had to fulfill it because the curse of sin was on flesh. How could you fulfill a law if you were not capable of breaking it? We are told Jesus the Son of God was tempted as we are, Hebrews 4:15. He was made flesh for the suffering of death, Hebrews 2:9.
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 God in him. Jesus had a will of his own but was obedient to the Father, Luke 22:42. Jesus did the works of the Father, John 5:36. Jesus was sent by the Father, John 4:34John 7:16. Jesus did all the miracles by the Spirit of God that was given to Him without measure, Matt. 12:28John 3:34, when He was anointed at the Jordan, Mark 1:10Luke 4:18.
I hope this is correct forgive me if I am wrong. The Father is God but is not the Son and is not the Holy Spirit. The Son is God but is not the Father and is not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God but is not the Father and is not the Son. One God is three coexistent, co-eternal, and co-equal Persons.
If I may ask. If they are three persons, who is the Father of Jesus the Son of God? Matt. 1:18Luke 1:35. Jesus many times said He has a God and a Father, Matt. 7:21Matt. 12:50John 20:172 Cor. 11:31Ephesians 1:31 Peter 1:3. Jesus came in His Father's name, John 5:43.
My understanding, this is not a mystery that cannot be understood. God is a Spirit, John 4:24 It is His Spirit that dwelleth in us, 1 Cor. 3:161 Corinthians 2:10-12. God is Spirit, God is Holy. It is the Spirit of God that is the Holy Spirit.
Paul never used the Holy Spirit in his salutations. Jesus was begotten by His Father, Heb. 1:5. Jesus said His Father was greater than He John 14:28. Rev. 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
In the case of Mary, I think she spoke out of puzzlement, not necessarily out of doubt. Zechariah doubted, but both were given grace by God. Jesus was conceived in Mary as the angel had said and John was conceived in Elizabeth by Zechariah, something they had always wanted to occur in their lives. Gabriel was sent to announce what was going to happen. It did not depend on Mary's or Zechariah's faith or doubt. God's election stands true in both cases.
looking at the conversation of angel Gabriel to both Zacharias and Mary, we see that Mary is actually a carrier of grace .The word of the lord says I will have mercy on whom i will have mercy on. Both Mary and Zacharias did doubt the message of God but only Zachariah was punished, it was only when Mary received confirmation of how the child was going to be conceived that her faith or believe came into work. Let's take a look at verse 18 "whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. These were the words spoken by Zachariah to the angel, now let's look at verse 14. How shall this be? seeing I know no man" see right? They asked almost the question, but the fact that either Zachariah was a priest and should know better than doubting the word of God or the fact that Mary carries grace and lord Jesus Christ was coming from Mary and she needs to be pampered, angel Gabriel took time to explain to Mary, this only explains that we have grace more than ourselves. As a student I shouldn't follow the footstep of my friend who doesn't read but passes because grace differs, there are also those who will read more than I do but still pass more than them, that is what the scripture calls grace, when grace is in use, all protocols are broken.
I have been reading and studying the Scriptures you have posted, I will touch on a few, by the way, great work. Again, I know my understanding may be different and I do not want to offend, I do thank you for this discussion.
John 1:4 "In him was life; and the life was the light of men." This life came from the Father,
My understanding of this, it is part of John's prolog to his gospel as John writes, "In the beginning" is the beginning of Jesus's ministry, not before creation. Mark used it in Mark 1:1 also in Luke 1:2 and John uses it again in 1 John 1:1 "From the beginning" he is again talking about the beginning of Jesus's ministry, "the Word of life" which was the eternal life from the Father, John 5:26. This life is that light that shined and the darkness comprehended it not.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we behold his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."
Jesus the true only begotten Son of God, who came out from the Father John 16:27. He was sent by the Father, Galatians 4:4 from the glory of the Father, the same matter, and divinity as the Father, and the Word was made flesh, born of a virgin and walked among us. We see in Revelation 19:13 His name is called The Word of God. Full of unfailing love and obedience to the Father, God was manifested in Him on earth 1 John 1:21 John 4:21 John 4:9. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit without measure.
John 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
Will study more of your posts and reply, if you want to continue the conversation, I understand your time is tight.
P1: Re-read some scriptures last evening and would like to write them here.
All of John Chapter 13 ; Chapter 14
John 1:4 "In him was life; and the life was the light of men."
Colossians 1:15 "Who is the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature."
Romans 8:32 "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"
Hebrews 1:8 "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom."
John 1:3 "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."
Hebrews 1:3 "Who being the brightness of his glory and express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;"
Romans 8:29 "For whom he did foreknowledge, he did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first born among many brethren."
1 Corinthians 1:29 "That no flesh glory in his presence"
John 1:14 "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we behold his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."
Luke 1:31 "And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS."
Matthew 1:19 "Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privileges."
Isaiah 53:1 "Who hat believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?"
Philippians 2:5 - 6 "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God."
Hebrews 6:20 "Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest after the order of Melchisedec."
The record of the Lord's ministry, from Luke Chapter 1, all the way through to the end of Acts Chapter 28, if you put those two books together, it is the most detailed account of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Again, Luke is an educated man. Luke 1:1-4 tells us that he gathered in manuscript. He gathered in all the writings that he could find about Jesus Christ. He interviewed eyewitnesses. And being an educated man, he used a lot of detailed words. He wanted to be accurate and detailed about his presentation.
II. THE RECIPIENT TO THE BOOK OF ACTS:
We are told that the man's name to whom it is written is Theophilus, which literally means "Lover of God," THEOS for God, and PHILEO for love. He's a God lover. It's either his name or his title. Theophilus was a common name at that time. Some people believe it might have been used as a title in order to hide his identity.
But in Luke Chapter 1, he's called "the most excellent Theophilus." The title "most excellent" is either a title of an officer in the Roman military or the title of an official in the Roman government, especially a governor. The title is used three times in Acts, once it's for "most excellent" Governor Felix, "most noble" Felix, and "most noble" Festus, addressing the governors of the Roman government.
So Theophilus was a Roman official. Tradition says that he was from Antioch of Syria. Apparently, Luke and Theophilus knew each other. Luke and Acts, both of them were written to Theophilus. We're told in Acts 1:1-2 and Luke 1:1-4 that they were written to the same person.
I've been reading the comments concerning the word of God, the Bible.
It appears that y'all have come to a conclusion that the Scriptures are to be the rule & guide of a Christian life, or at least finally stated this conclusion. Friends, no its not!
The Guide & Rule of a Christian life is not the Scriptures, but the Spirit, that gave forth the Scriptures
Jesus said, John 16:13, He didn't say the letter would lead us into all truth, but the Spirit. 1John 2:272Pet 1:3
Rom 8:14; not the letter, but led by the Spirit are the sons & daughters of God
Psalms 143:10Gal 4:10Rom 8:16Rom 8:9
Friends, you who are fermented on the Scriptures, do you not hear what the letters has to say?
2Cor 3:61Cor 2:9-13Rev 2:7,11Rev 2:29 etc;
Jesus was made like unto us in all things, & is our Example, its recorded in Scriptures John 7:15 was not taught by man, but taught & lead by God Spirit John 5:192Cor 5:19,20Rom 8:11 & was made 1Cor 15:45 to all that will receive Him in Spirit.
John the Baptist, was in the wilderness unto the day of his appearing; Luke 1:80 it is written Luke 3:2John 1:33 the Spirit of God came to him, taught him & empowered him for the life & ministry chosen for him from the foundation of the world.
The same principle applies to us this day, God has not change, He works the same way He always has & that's by His Spirit.
As I stated previously the Scripture true glory & honor are they give us a true testimony of Christ & point to Him who did return as He promised, & that in Spirit. The Scriptures are very profitable indeed when honor for which they were given forth. The NT is the administration of the Spirit 2Cor 3:8
Paul says Philippians 1:19 The Spirit of Christ is what lead him & taught him all that we read of in his writing. He counted all the knowledge & understanding that he previously attain to & live as Dung, Philippians 3:5-8 compare to the experiential knowledge John 5:17 he received from Holy Spirit. 1John 4:6 do you hear Him?
I give you thanks for these young men precious lives. Father, I pray you intervene and have your way. God, we acknowledge your word. Luke 1:37 tells us "For with God nothing will be impossible". God bless these young souls with healing, deliverance, joy, strength where it is needed. Amen
The name of our Savior, Jesus that means "YHWH saves" Matthew 1:21-23 and Luke 1:31-32 the angel Gabriel told Mary to name the Son of God so that it may be fulfilled that was spoken of the LORD by the prophet Isaiah 7:14. they shall call His name Immanuel meaning God with us, nothing has changed. Jesus comes from the Hebrew word Yehoshua same as Jehoshua or Joshua, the Greek form is Iesous English is before the letter J it was Iesus now Jesus, it is just transliteration or translation from one language to another.
There were many back then with that name but only this Jesus is referred to as Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus, in Hebrew Yehoshua Moshiach, who is the Son of God, Jesus's identity, and His mission that His Father sent Him to do. The name Immanuel means with us is God, the presence of God in His Son that we see in the New Testament not His personal name. Like Jesus told Philip in John 14:7-11.
This is my understanding maybe others will have other comments, pray, and study, truth comes only from the Spirit of truth.
God bless,
RLW
Luke 1:45,
2 Corinthians 5:7.
My post yesterday discussed Christ as firstfruits; specifically that raised from the dead. HIs uniqueness includes the following:
Being God in the flesh. This makes Him superior to all of His creation whether man or angels. Yet He had to be made a little lower than the angels to live vicariously that is in our place yet suffer all things as we do without sin. Hebrews enlightens us on this subject in many places and I would suggest studying the entire book as I did a few years back with a small group.
Besides His sinless life; we have His death and resurrection; which demonstrated His victory over the grave and sin and His atonement for God's chosen sons and daughters.
He has a name only He knows .( Revelation 19:12)
He has been given all authority over heaven and earth ( Matthew 28:18)
He has the keys to the gates of hell ( Revelation 1:18)
He will rule forever ( Isaiah 9:7; Luke 1:33)
One aspect that is sometimes glossed over is that God can be jealous; and for HIs own Name's sake and also desire worship and be sinless. This is something that for any created being; man or angel that leads to destruction. This is why any image man creates of his conception of God is so dangerous and warned against in verses such as Exodus 20:4. That verse doesn't specifically mention God but it states anything in heaven above or earth below thus the Godhead would also be included. God can't be seen by human eyes ( John 1:18). Christ is by far the most represented in paintings and sculpture of the members of the Godhead; but with man's idolatrous heart he is led to worship these images much as he does with Mary and the "saints" whether real or imaginary ones in terms of their earthly ministry. The image of the cross is only beneficial as an offense and a curse; and is only beneficial to remind us of Christ's sufferings but also we need to look beyond that to His Resurrection and current ministry ( Heb. 7:25).
Part 3 Trinity discussion,
Do you believe the Son is a created being?
What is the meaning of created? Does it mean something that is made out of nothing? I would have to say no, Jesus is the Son of God who was conceived in the womb of Mary, Matthew 1:20 Luke 1:35, I do not think I would say He was created.
If so, when did He come into existence?
In God's plan before anything and physically when He was conceived in Mary's womb.
Do you believe that the Son is only human in nature?
Jesus is the Son of God fully human but without sin same as the first Adam, Scripture is clear when Jesus was baptized, He was anointed with the Holy Ghost/Spirit without measure, John 3:34. All the works of Jesus were done by the Spirit of God, Matthew 4:16 Matthew 12:28 Acts 10:38.
Do you believe that Jesus became "the Christ" during His lifetime (Adoptionism)?
I had never heard of Adoptionism until now, I had to look it up, it's false. Christ and Messiah are the same; Jesus was anointed by the Spirit of God after He was baptized by John, He then was made the Messiah/Christ fulfilling the prophecy in Daniel 9:25. Jesus is the Son of God conceived in the womb of Mary by the Holy Ghost/Spirit.
Do you believe Jesus ever aquired a divine nature in His earthly life?
If you mean a divine nature is to have all the attributes that make God who He is I would have to say no. If so, Jesus could not sin or be tempted, Matthew 4:1 Hebrews 4:15. If so, Jesus living a perfect life without sin is meaningless. Jesus could not have died; Jesus was given the power of the Holy Spirit when He was anointed the Messiah. After He rose from the dead God gave Jesus all power in heaven and on earth, Matthew 28:18. God raised and placed Jesus on His right side, Ephesians 1:21-23. Jesus did not return to where He was before, God the Father placed everything under Jesus God's only begotten Son's feet and Jesus will reign until the last enemy is destroyed, 1 Corinthians 15:24-28.
See part 4.
v.5 " And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins"
The great revival 'in all the land of Judaea and they of Jerusalem' was not because of John's austerity or of his person but the voice of the Lord worked with men as he 'shaketh the wilderness; the Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.". Hinds calve as surely men see a great light dawning on them.(Ps.29:8-9). Here also Isaiah saw ahead ,"The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up."(Matt.4:14-16). The same voice that inspired Isaiah did enthuse John's Father. The Angel of the Lord is how the sound becomes a sign. St Luke report of it, "And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God./And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."( Luke 1:16-17) At first Zecharias would not believe and his temporary dumbness was a sign. As surely as calves of a hind.
v.11 "And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Here we have both word as a sound as a sign.
Compared to other gospels Mark tells us salient features of the Advent of the Son with great economy of words. "And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness."(v.12)
Faith is one and doubt is denial of it without having any credential to dispute the word of God. There is nothing we have brought of ourselves to doubt without cutting off the very ground of existence. "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity."(2 Ti.2:19)
Where names of people are called before the foundation of the world we have instances of doubt as in the case of Mary, "And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God."( Luke 1:29-30).
Simon Peter had doubts which God was quick to dispel, "Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate." (Ac.10:17) These two instances when the Will of God "The Now aspect) connects with the now of man there could be moment of perplexity but God sees to it that His children are left in in doubt. The Spirit sent Evangelist Philip to clear the passage for the Ethiopian eunuch. "For those doubters who still harp on their pet peeves the Spirit says, "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."(2 Co.4:3-4)
Part 10.
It is Jesus the Christ that is our Kinsman-Redeemer.
The kinsman Redeemer had two main functions, that of redemption of man, and the justice of avenging evil and sin against His people, Israel.
It is Him that came the 1st time to redeem the world with His blood, and it is Him that will come the 2nd time as the Avenger of blood to save Israel and destroy His enemies wherein the justice of avenging evil and sin is performed.
This is why it is so important that we understand that Jesus was the ultimate example of faith.
He did right what Adam did wrong.
He trusted God even though He would die.
He allowed Himself to become a man, after having spent eternity as God.
On the promise that God would resurrect Him, and restore Him to His state, that Christ would sit in God the Father's throne, until all was fulfilled; and Christ would come the 2nd time to redeem Israel, destroy his enemies and then will sit on the throne of David("And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David" Luke 1:30-32), a throne that He was ultimately meant to rule from (for thousand years until always completed and there is the new heaven and new earth Revelations 20:2-6), for a thousand years.
Endnotes
1. Deuteronomy 25:5-10; Ruth 3:9-12; Genesis 38:8.
2. Numbers 35:12; Deuteronomy 19:6, 12; Joshua 20:3, 5, 9.
3. HOLMAN BIBLE DICTIONARY, Trent C. Butler, Ph.D., Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, TN, 1991, page 848.
4. God in His wisdom had set up a system where if individuals had no income or food, they could survive in Israel by going through fields after they had been harvested the wheat, and salvage the reminiscence that were dropped. This was referred to as "gleaning a field" ( Lev. 23:22).
5. Ruth 4:5-10.
See Part 11.
PT. 2
To Moses, He says the same in Exodus 6:3
2 Sam. 7:26 says that The LORD Almighty is God over Israel. He is our God as well.
David speaks of resting in the shadow of the Almighty in Ps.91:1 WE, too, can rest in Him, as Jesus promised to give us rest when we come to Him.
Rev. 19:6 says the LORD God Almighty reigns. He is sovereign! He reigns far above all else. No one can rest His throne of glory from Him.
2 Chr. 32:7 says that the Israelites had a greater power with them than whom was against them.
His great power saves us. Ps. 20:6
Hosea 13:14 says that God has power to ransom His own from the power of the grave and death.
God's mighty power gave the Son the victory over death and the grave in raising Him from the dead to be alive evermore.
Luke 1:35 says to Mary that the power of the Most High will bring about the conception of the Holy One in her even as she is a virgin.
Rom. 1:20 says that God's power is eternal.
1 Cor. 1:24 says that Christ is the power of to those who are called. We do not have the power to save ourselves, but Jesus does.
And in 15:24 Paul says that God will put an end to all dominion. power, and authority after subduing every enemy, crushing them under the feet of Jesus.
Col. 2 :10 says that in Jesus is the head of all power and authority.
Heb. 7:16 says that Jesus had the power of an indestructible life.
How Great Is Our God, Great in Power, Great in Wonder, King of Heaven.
Sorry for the delay, thank you for your reply. My understanding in Genesis when God breathed the breath of life into the first Adam he became a living soul. The Hebrew word is nephesh, that means a living being, Adam was not given a soul he became a living soul/being. Same as the last Adam Jesus the Messiah was conceived in the womb of Mary, Luke 1:31-33, and He was a living being/nephesh.
As the first Adam, Jesus came into this world without sin, but not like the first Adam He lived a perfect life without sin totally obedient to the Father even though He was tempted as you and me, Hebrews 4:14-15.
God bless,
RLW
Gabriel is the Angel of the Lord and also he reveals his name to Zacharias. "I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee,"( Luke 1:11, 19) He might have had certain freedom 'to play by the ear as it were; so he strike him dumb, "And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season."(v.20). The same after six months at Nazareth,"And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee."
From Daniel's book Michel seems to be associated with Persia as Gabriel over Palestine. " and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz" He is same as the mighty angel (Re.10:1) representing the Son, in Dan.12 we see him. He refers to Michael as his helper, "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia./Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days."(10:13)
Compare with"Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates./And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men." (Re.9:14-15)
The four angels are released on command from heaven. They were prepared for partial judgments. " In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up,"(Ge.7:11)God's Time has its hour, day, month and year. But not the same our time scale. fountains of the deep work at tandem so we read flood came from above as well.'The windows of heaven were opened'.
"The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light./ But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"
The single eye here is the eye of faith. "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven"( John 17:1). The Spirit is laying emphasis on the eye of faith, which we see in the life of Elijah who laid the condition for Elisha to receive a double portion of his Spirit. "And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me./And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so." (2 Ki.8:9-10) The double portion included that of the Son and of the prophet. The first one ties up the eye of faith to the Father as a double for the Son. It is thus the Spirit has set forth the redoubtable prophet as a stand-in. The same principle we have in the brazen serpent set up on the pole in the wilderness. "And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived."(Nu.21:9) The Spirit uses 'behold' in a special sense and here in past tense we see the eye of faith connecting man with the Son, albeit a symbol but determined in the divine Will as with the slain Lamb before the foundation of the world.
" Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son,"(1:23). Eye of faith of Mary believed and also the word of God. "And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. "( Luke 1:38)
Peter healed a cripple and he first made sure he had his eye of faith open.And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us./And he gave heed unto them, "(Ac.3:4-7)
"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins."(v.21)
Here we have two names which distinguish as we ascribe deity and humanity to the Word becoming flesh.
In this context we do not find God naming Adam. In the Lucan genealogy Adam is qualified as the son of God.("Adam, which was the son of God"- Luke 3:38) The angel who appeared to Mary informs on the other hand of her child, "which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God"- Luke 1:35) One is a son because of the breath of God making him a living soul. The other signifies the Fellowship of God with Man on the basis of the Father Son relationship. This is consequential as far as salvation Plan for man is concerned. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."(Ac.4:12)
In vv.22-23 we have another name, "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,/ Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." God with us is synonymous with Word which is the constitution or Law of the kingdom of God. Knowledge of the glory of God is tied up Jesus Christ. In his prayer he remarks of the glory, "O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."( John 17:5)
"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." What does the face indicate? God named the firmament heaven (Ge.1:8) so heaven declares the glory (Ps.19:1) indicates a face to which the Magi could read as well as any man by faith would know the will of his Father. God showed only 'back parts' to Moses, meaning through the Law of Moses.
"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost."
"Now the birth of Jesus was on this wise,"
So begins St Mathew and the Spirit in narrating it tells us a few essential points. God is a Spirit so as 'the only begotten' Son, he embodies the Law. It is intended as the instruction in righteousness so biology of natural man is out of place. So is his rational faculties. "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."(1 Co.2:14).
Worshiping God in Spirit and truth we make faith the lingua franca because the mystery of his will is not something you may go out and purchase by anything that you may possess as a natural man. St Paul refers to his Will as a mystery so the word becoming flesh and what enables man who is dead in sin to be born in the Spirit can only be understood by faith./"the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself."(Ep.1:9-11)
"God sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions." This was sent forth even before the worlds began. By Law of the Spirit Jesus did not do anything outside and he finger of God is what faith signifies. "But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you."( Luke 11:20) The Spirit overshadowing explains 'the virgin' birth. "Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?/And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."( Luke 1:34-35)
Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me./Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned chil
God is the creator of heaven and the earth. "But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me:"(Ps.40:17). What name shall fit him, considering His infinite nature? Whatever human intellect may settle shall be inadequate since Power and Wisdom of the Being is absolute. So the HolySpirit simply says, 'Holy is his Name.'( Luke 1:49). Holiness must explain every feature of His creative mind. Thus the fall of a sparrow does not go without it knowing (Matt.10:29), neither will He let go evil unpunished. Thus restoring holiness in His sovereign kingdom,- both worlds of the flesh and the spirit in harmony belongs to God alone. "For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge his people."(He.10:30; De.32:35).
God is a Spirit and when we say 'His people' it must be clear that holiness must necessarily be a common factor which is natural for man to work with God. Soul of man is the article which can serve him to this purpose. The indwelling Spirit serves as a tutor so it holds a candle to his innermost recesses. In the verse below we read the psalmist directed his body to behave in such manner so as to put his soul at rest. Man child is the name wherewith man may become part of His people.
Holiness of God suffices for man since his own attempts to pass for holy is like the truncated tail of a dead lizard. You see in it works but its body of faith is dead. In his Son is the fountain of light. We need see the light through the true Light. This is the way to holiness and in our faith we allow our lives to be molded in his image.
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:"(Ph.2:5-11)
"
Concerning Luke 1:18...every time I read that verse I expect to see Zechariah's response being something on the order of " Just like Abraham and Sarah....oh the goodness of God!".
I surely would have expected that Zecharias would have brought to his mind Abraham and Sarah's great blessing. That he would have to know that Gabriel's words were a great sign of truth and Amen.
I desire to be submissive, & remain teachable, let take a look at one of your statement of belief.
You spoke to Ronald, & previously stating this many time as I recall
We get our understanding of the Bible from the Bible itself. The Bible alone and its entirety is the Word of God and must be our only Authority.
Ok, this is your faith, not mind, you know where I STAND ON THIS ISSUE, saying that Luke 1:6 they were not blameless. When the Scripture of Truth says plainly "walking in all the commandments & ordinances of the Lord blameless". along with the rest of the Scriptures that I've quoted concerning this, even giving you concordance reference which you use to understand the words of God. David, you don't even believe your own faith & your calling God a liar & you expect me to give heed to counsel such as this?
I could go on refuting you soundly with the Scriptures & sound reasoning, but considering our past conversations, what would be the purpose?
Souls are at stake here, whom Jesus suffer & paid the ultimate price for & God will judge His people Ecclesiastes 5:2,3
David,,,,,,, as Keith Green song says, Your heart is hard (& is hardening ) & your prayers are cold, so where will you go from here?
In love & truth, your Friend
Frankie J
Luke 1:6 Philippians 3:6
to use your own tools of understanding
blameless!
, ( to blame), blameless, deserving no censure, free from fault or defect: Luke 1:6; Philippians 2:15; Philippians 3:6; 1 Thessalonians 3:13 Hebrews 8:7 (in which nothing is lacking); in the Sept. equivalent to , Job 1:1, 8 etc
Do you think, that perhaps you could be blinded here?
Isaiah 9:6 his name shall be called does not make him what the name is many Hebrew names have God in them. Jesus says He came in His Father's name.
John 1:1-4 What is the beginning that John is referencing here? Is this the beginning/creation or is this John's prologue of his gospel, the beginning of Jesus's ministry, as in Luke 1:2 or 1 John 1:1? The word of God was in Jesus for everything Jesus said was not His words but the Father's words who sent Him, John 4:16 John 12:49 John 14:24.
Jesus was the Tabernacle of God; God was manifested in Jesus, and this is the light that shined. The light that shined was eternal life 1 John 1:2. This life was given to the Son from the Father John 5:26 and we can have this gift through Jesus Christ our Lord Romans 6:23. Jesus proclaimed the Father, the Father was the Word which was proclaimed to the world, and the Word was God. In Revelation 19:13, Jesus's name is the Word of God.
John 10:30 John 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: As God and Jesus are one through Jesus we also can be one in unity and purpose.
John 14:9 The Father was in Jesus by God's Spirit everything Jesus did and said was from the Father. This is what Jesus is telling them in verse 10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
I understand we differ, and this doctrine is deeply rooted, I do not want to offend anyone. I have studied the creation of it, and it was as much or more political than Scriptural, especially considering the number of lives that were taken because of it.
God bless,
RLW
quoting you;
What you, and others that hold your view, are doing is missing, ignoring, denying (you chose the word) that the EFFICACY of Christ's Atonement extends from the FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.
This is unscriptual, it didn't apply until He actually did it.
quoting you;
"If this were not the case, no one living in the OT could have ever become saved. Why? Because no one can, nor ever has, kept the Law of God perfectly".
Job 1:1 Job 1:8 Job 2:3 Enoch was take up to God, do you really believe God would allow a sinner into heaven? Both of these was before the law, & after the law 1 Kings 11:4 2 Kings 20:3 1Chronicles 29:9 Luke 1:6 Philippians 3:6
What saith thou of thyself?
Friend, your putting your foot in your mouth again!
Thank you, God, who cannot be tempted of evil, James 1:13 or lie, Titus 1:2. God could not fulfill the law, flesh had to fulfill it because the curse of sin was on flesh. How could you fulfill a law if you were not capable of breaking it? We are told Jesus the Son of God was tempted as we are, Hebrews 4:15. He was made flesh for the suffering of death, Hebrews 2:9.
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 God in him. Jesus had a will of his own but was obedient to the Father, Luke 22:42. Jesus did the works of the Father, John 5:36. Jesus was sent by the Father, John 4:34 John 7:16. Jesus did all the miracles by the Spirit of God that was given to Him without measure, Matt. 12:28 John 3:34, when He was anointed at the Jordan, Mark 1:10 Luke 4:18.
I hope this is correct forgive me if I am wrong. The Father is God but is not the Son and is not the Holy Spirit. The Son is God but is not the Father and is not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God but is not the Father and is not the Son. One God is three coexistent, co-eternal, and co-equal Persons.
If I may ask. If they are three persons, who is the Father of Jesus the Son of God? Matt. 1:18 Luke 1:35. Jesus many times said He has a God and a Father, Matt. 7:21 Matt. 12:50 John 20:17 2 Cor. 11:31 Ephesians 1:3 1 Peter 1:3. Jesus came in His Father's name, John 5:43.
My understanding, this is not a mystery that cannot be understood. God is a Spirit, John 4:24 It is His Spirit that dwelleth in us, 1 Cor. 3:16 1 Corinthians 2:10-12. God is Spirit, God is Holy. It is the Spirit of God that is the Holy Spirit.
Paul never used the Holy Spirit in his salutations. Jesus was begotten by His Father, Heb. 1:5. Jesus said His Father was greater than He John 14:28. Rev. 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
God bless,
RLW
Mary ask an honest question, what happened to her was something never before heard of or done.
She believed Luke 1:45
Yes, it was all mercy & grace
Good to hear from you again.
In the case of Mary, I think she spoke out of puzzlement, not necessarily out of doubt. Zechariah doubted, but both were given grace by God. Jesus was conceived in Mary as the angel had said and John was conceived in Elizabeth by Zechariah, something they had always wanted to occur in their lives. Gabriel was sent to announce what was going to happen. It did not depend on Mary's or Zechariah's faith or doubt. God's election stands true in both cases.
I have been reading and studying the Scriptures you have posted, I will touch on a few, by the way, great work. Again, I know my understanding may be different and I do not want to offend, I do thank you for this discussion.
John 1:4 "In him was life; and the life was the light of men." This life came from the Father,
My understanding of this, it is part of John's prolog to his gospel as John writes, "In the beginning" is the beginning of Jesus's ministry, not before creation. Mark used it in Mark 1:1 also in Luke 1:2 and John uses it again in 1 John 1:1 "From the beginning" he is again talking about the beginning of Jesus's ministry, "the Word of life" which was the eternal life from the Father, John 5:26. This life is that light that shined and the darkness comprehended it not.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we behold his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."
Jesus the true only begotten Son of God, who came out from the Father John 16:27. He was sent by the Father, Galatians 4:4 from the glory of the Father, the same matter, and divinity as the Father, and the Word was made flesh, born of a virgin and walked among us. We see in Revelation 19:13 His name is called The Word of God. Full of unfailing love and obedience to the Father, God was manifested in Him on earth 1 John 1:2 1 John 4:2 1 John 4:9. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit without measure.
John 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
Will study more of your posts and reply, if you want to continue the conversation, I understand your time is tight.
God bless,
RLW
All of John Chapter 13 ; Chapter 14
John 1:4 "In him was life; and the life was the light of men."
Colossians 1:15 "Who is the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature."
Romans 8:32 "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"
Hebrews 1:8 "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom."
John 1:3 "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."
Hebrews 1:3 "Who being the brightness of his glory and express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;"
Romans 8:29 "For whom he did foreknowledge, he did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first born among many brethren."
1 Corinthians 1:29 "That no flesh glory in his presence"
John 1:14 "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we behold his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."
Luke 1:31 "And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS."
Matthew 1:19 "Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privileges."
Isaiah 53:1 "Who hat believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?"
Philippians 2:5 - 6 "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God."
Hebrews 6:20 "Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest after the order of Melchisedec."
P2 follows
HERE IS A GENERAL STATEMENT FOR YOU:
The record of the Lord's ministry, from Luke Chapter 1, all the way through to the end of Acts Chapter 28, if you put those two books together, it is the most detailed account of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Again, Luke is an educated man. Luke 1:1-4 tells us that he gathered in manuscript. He gathered in all the writings that he could find about Jesus Christ. He interviewed eyewitnesses. And being an educated man, he used a lot of detailed words. He wanted to be accurate and detailed about his presentation.
II. THE RECIPIENT TO THE BOOK OF ACTS:
We are told that the man's name to whom it is written is Theophilus, which literally means "Lover of God," THEOS for God, and PHILEO for love. He's a God lover. It's either his name or his title. Theophilus was a common name at that time. Some people believe it might have been used as a title in order to hide his identity.
But in Luke Chapter 1, he's called "the most excellent Theophilus." The title "most excellent" is either a title of an officer in the Roman military or the title of an official in the Roman government, especially a governor. The title is used three times in Acts, once it's for "most excellent" Governor Felix, "most noble" Felix, and "most noble" Festus, addressing the governors of the Roman government.
So Theophilus was a Roman official. Tradition says that he was from Antioch of Syria. Apparently, Luke and Theophilus knew each other. Luke and Acts, both of them were written to Theophilus. We're told in Acts 1:1-2 and Luke 1:1-4 that they were written to the same person.
I've been reading the comments concerning the word of God, the Bible.
It appears that y'all have come to a conclusion that the Scriptures are to be the rule & guide of a Christian life, or at least finally stated this conclusion. Friends, no its not!
The Guide & Rule of a Christian life is not the Scriptures, but the Spirit, that gave forth the Scriptures
Jesus said, John 16:13, He didn't say the letter would lead us into all truth, but the Spirit. 1John 2:27 2Pet 1:3
Rom 8:14; not the letter, but led by the Spirit are the sons & daughters of God
Psalms 143:10 Gal 4:10 Rom 8:16 Rom 8:9
Friends, you who are fermented on the Scriptures, do you not hear what the letters has to say?
2Cor 3:6 1Cor 2:9-13 Rev 2:7,11 Rev 2:29 etc;
Jesus was made like unto us in all things, & is our Example, its recorded in Scriptures John 7:15 was not taught by man, but taught & lead by God Spirit John 5:19 2Cor 5:19,20 Rom 8:11 & was made 1Cor 15:45 to all that will receive Him in Spirit.
John the Baptist, was in the wilderness unto the day of his appearing; Luke 1:80 it is written Luke 3:2 John 1:33 the Spirit of God came to him, taught him & empowered him for the life & ministry chosen for him from the foundation of the world.
The same principle applies to us this day, God has not change, He works the same way He always has & that's by His Spirit.
As I stated previously the Scripture true glory & honor are they give us a true testimony of Christ & point to Him who did return as He promised, & that in Spirit. The Scriptures are very profitable indeed when honor for which they were given forth. The NT is the administration of the Spirit 2Cor 3:8
Paul says Philippians 1:19 The Spirit of Christ is what lead him & taught him all that we read of in his writing. He counted all the knowledge & understanding that he previously attain to & live as Dung, Philippians 3:5-8 compare to the experiential knowledge John 5:17 he received from Holy Spirit. 1John 4:6 do you hear Him?
in L & T