Reading through the book of Isaiah, chapter 25, this morning; I was 'hit' with the thought that the 'middle wall of separation' described in Ephesians 2, was typified by God's creation, in Genesis 1:6 & 7, of the firmament, or, the 'barrier' between the physical heavens and the physical earth.
No: I'm not denying that God DID create a firmament between the aforementioned places, nor am I implying that Gen. 1 is 'merely' allegorical, and not historically accurate ( although it is NOT; I believe, scientifically precise! ), I'm only saying that every 'event' recorded in Scripture was written for a Purpose, that Purpose; I believe, being to 'point' us towards a deeper, spiritual Truth!
As believers in 'Fulfilled Eschatology' and in particular, consistent users of a grammatico/historical hermeneutic; we believe that the 'new heavens and new earth' promised in such Old Testament passages such as Isaiah 65 and Jeremiah 31, and in II Peter 3 and described in Revelation 21 & 22, are speaking of, not a physically new creation, but the deeper spiritual truth of the new creation in Christ, the Church, His elect ones, so it should not be too much of a 'stretch' to purport that the original, physical creation, described covenantally and allegorically in Gen 1 & 2 was atypical of the new, spiritual creation in Christ!
Speaking, I believe, of the Church; Isaiah records, in Isaiah 25:7, that God would 'destroy the surface of the covering cast over all people', thereby removing 'the veil that is spread over all nations', the veil that is 'taken away in Christ' ( II Corinthians 3:14 ).
If Genesis 1-2 is a covenantally historical description of the original creation, and the finality of Christ's Parousia in AD70 was the passing away of the original 'creation', as per II Peter 3, and the fullness of the new ( Paul describes the inauguration of this in II Corinthians 5:17 ), then why could not the creation of the 'firmament' in Genesis 1, be typical to the veil that Isaiah and Paul describe?
In the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD70 ( and especially when you look back prior to that, in the events described in Matthew 27:51, signifying the tearing down of that 'wall' that Paul talked about, and remember that the veil that was torn signified the separating 'wall', or the firmament, between earth and sky, or heaven/Heaven, see also Exodus 26:31.), the last vestige of that 'wall' was destroyed, thereby removing the 'covering cast over all people, or the firmament that separated the 'waters', or blessings, of heaven from those of the earth.
More could probably be written on this subject, and possibly will be, but for now, and the sake of time, I will end with the prayer that these thoughts will be a blessing to my readers, but; as always: I adjure you to be a Berean, and 'search the Scriptures daily to see if these things are so'.
May God bless you richly in His Kingdom and Glory,
Charles Shank
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
The Tree ( s ? ) of the Garden, and the Birth of the Conscience
I've been thinking for some time, and listening to some recent sermons ( # 1 & 2 ) by one of my friends brought it back to my remembrance; working on the assumption that the story chronicled was primarily allegorical, though most probably based on factual historical events; that the tree of life mentioned in Genesis 2:9, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, mentioned in the same verse, are one and the same tree!
Right off, some more conservative and traditional people would most likely object, saying something like, "The Bible says that there were two different trees", or "God is not the Author of evil, therefore since the tree of life typifies, or typified, Christ, all throughout Scripture; the tree of the knowledge of good and evil must typify, or have typified an opposite, or the fallen spiritual being, known ( traditionally ) as Satan".
I will explain now, why I've made this interesting, and maybe even frightening statement.
Going to the first mention of these two ( as is traditionally thought ) trees, that God planted in the midst of His garden, ( This could bring up another interesting subject, or, as I've said before, 'open another can of worms'! ) in the second chapter of Genesis;
8 "The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the eye and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
I'll skip a few verses here.
15 "Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden to tend and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die'."
The next time we hear of either ( ? ) tree, is in the next chapter ( 3 ); from which I'll quote, starting with verse 1;
1 "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Has God indeed said, "You shall not eat of every tree of the garden"?' 2 And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat of it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' 4 Then the serpent said to the woman,'You shall not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil'."
My thinking here, was that Eve mentioned only one tree that was 'in the midst' of the garden; whereas the first mention of any certain tree, or trees, was back in verse 9 where, at first glance, it would seem like two separate trees are mentioned, and then, in verse 17, God told Adam that he was not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, else he would die. Let me submit, though, concerning the first mention of the trees, or tree; that the latter part of verse 9 might be a sort of a 'biblical parallelism', which I have mentioned before to my readers, and to others as meaning that the Author, or author says the same thing twice, in two different ways. I think that, in the context of the whole passage, and other Scriptures that I'll bring to your remembrance as we continue; that this may be the case here.
Now, about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: we need not remind ourselves that this tree, if indeed different than the tree of life, was planted by the Lord God, as we see in verses 8 & 9, cited above, 'The Lord God planted a garden............and out of the ground the Lord God made every tree that is good for food and pleasant to the eyes". Let's remember too, that in verse 6 of the following chapter ( 3 ), that Moses ( traditional author of Genesis ) records that the fruit of the tree in question was 'pleasant to the eyes' and further 'a tree desirable to make one wise', which according to David and Solomon, in the Psalms and Proverbs, and later, Christ, in the Gospels, that wisdom is spiritual food unto true life, or life ( eternal ) in and with Christ and God!
Also remember, in connection with these trees being planted by God, that it is recorded in Genesis 1:31 that;
" Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed, it was very good................"
Here's a good question; how did Adam know which of these ( two? ) trees 'in the midst' of the garden was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, if indeed there were two separate trees?
One might say, 'God must have told him"; but if indeed God did tell him, why did Moses not record it? Do you think the tree looked so different from all the other trees of the garden that Adam would have remembered which was which? Eve seemed to imply that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was in the center, or in a prominent place, 'in the midst' of the garden: so was the tree ( singular ) that she mentioned, planted in a more prominent area of the garden, so that there would be no mistake, or did the the tree have a different kind of fruit on it than all the other trees around it?
Ok: So that was more than one question ( and there are so many more that could be asked ), but it just goes to show that a strictly literal, and scientifically factual reading of this whole passage ( Genesis 1-3 ) brings up so many needless ( and useless? ) questions!
From my understanding; the traditional interpretation of this passage is that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the 'wisdom' gained thereby, was, quite 'simply', the ability to know the difference ( for one's self ) between good and evil, in essence, the ability to judge for one's self what is good and what is evil. I am fairly satisfied with this understanding, but I think that it is by no means comprehensive of the full import of the words of this passage!
Here's another good question for you; did the serpent really lie to Eve??
Well; yes and no!
Yes: he told Eve that they would not 'surely die'; but then he told her that 'you will be like God, knowing good and evil'. Look at Genesis 3:22, and the first part of the verse;
"Then the Lord God said, 'Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil.......' "
That much was true: my friend, in his sermon ( #3 ), recalled the likeness of the temptation of Eve in the garden, to the temptation of Christ in the wilderness, and I thought that he made a very good observation there. Without going into why God told them that they would 'surely die' the day that they partook of the tree ( another can of worms could be opened here ), and then later, after they did exactly like they were told not to ( just like most children ); He agreed with the serpent that they were now like God, knowing ( Heb. yada-to ascertain by seeing ) 'good and evil'.
To get back to my original purpose for this paper, and my argument that there were not ( necessarily ) two separate trees, one called the tree of life, the other the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, planted, by God, in the 'midst' of the Garden: I now have a better understanding ( I think ), thanks to my friend's sermon ( #3 ), of the purpose of the temptation of Eve with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, 'a tree desirable to make one wise'; which brings up another good point; even though Eve, like her daughter Sarai, after her, went about it the wrong way; I think that she correctly understood that this 'knowledge of good and evil' which was forbidden them, would make one wise ( but not unto salvation: that was to come later through Christ-who was signified by the tree of life, interestingly enough! ).
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil, was, I believe, as Eve correctly ascertained, a tree that could make one 'wise'. As I pointed out though, she ( they ) made the same mistake that countless others have made, in thinking that God's promise ( of life ) was obtainable by human means. Let's look at a few examples from the Old Covenant Scriptures:
Genesis 15:4 "And behold, the word of the Lord came to him saying, 'This one shall not be your heir, but one who shall come from your own body shall be your heir'." context
Let's skip over to the next chapter for a bit more;
Genesis 16:1 :Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, 'See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her'. And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai." context
First; we have the promise of God, just like with Abram and Sarai
Genesis 25:23 " And the Lord said to her: 'Two nations are in your womb. Two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger'." context
Skipping over several chapters now, to another example of faithless impatience;
Genesis 27:19 "Jacob said to his father, 'I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me'." context
Now, in reading these examples; one must understand that these acts of impatience were ordained by God, like all things, for His good purpose.
Back to my thoughts on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; First of all, the knowledge of good and evil would imply the ability to judge, would it not? Let me quote now, from Genesis 32:
28 "And He said, 'Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel.......'" context
I'm sure that most, if not all of my readers are aware of this; but according to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, the Hebrew word, or name, Yisra-el means, 'he will rule as God'! Pretty interesting, when you think too, of Israel ( as God's chosen people ) being typical of the Church ( God's Elect ).
Young's Analytical Concordance basically agrees with this, saying that the Hebrew meaning of Yisra-el is 'ruling with God'.
Here's something interesting, though: Zondervan's NIV Exhaustive Concordance has Yisra-el as meaning 'he struggles with God', which is interesting; because, not only does it fit in better with the context of the renaming, it also conveys thoughts that are reminiscent of John 5:18 and Philippians 2:6.
Returning once again, to our topic: it is interesting that the forbidden tree is named 'the tree of the knowledge of good and evil'. From this tree then would assumably come, not only the knowledge of evil ( which, I think, is where we tend to throw the spotlight ), but also, the knowledge of good would come from eating of this tree!To illustrate my point further; the Hebrew word rah, that is translated 'evil' here, simply means 'bad', as in 'something distasteful, unpleasant, etc. It can mean 'wicked' ( certainly so if applied to God's distaste or displeasure! ), but not ( necessarily ) mean 'wicked', as in 'wrongful', etc. Several examples, from the book of Ecclesiastes, are;
6:1 "There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: 2 A man to who God has given riches and wealth and honour, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desire; yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity, and it is an evil affliction." context
9:3 "This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all..." context
From the book of Isaiah, chapter 45;
7 "I form the light, and create darkness, I make peace, and create calamity
( KJV says 'evil' here ); I the Lord do all these things.' context
One last reference, from Jeremiah 24;
3 "Then the Lord said to me, 'What do you see, Jeremiah?' And I said, 'Figs,the good figs very good: and the bad figs, very bad, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad'." ( In every instance of the word 'bad' here; KJV translates rah, as 'evil' ) context
We can see that, as I alluded to, most of the context's of these passages that I just quoted contain usages of the word 'evil', that most definitely have a direct connotation of 'wickedness', 'sinfulness', but we can also see, from the passages that I quoted, and others like them, that the use of the word 'evil' ( Heb. rah ) does not ( necessarily ) connote 'wicked', 'sinful', etc.
By saying, above, that 'also, the knowledge of good would come from eating of this tree!'; I didn't mean to imply that Adam had no knowledge of good, before he ate of the tree: he most certainly did! However; when they ate of the tree, which they were forbidden to do, they became aware ( conscious ) that they were naked; a fact of which neither seemed to have noticed, before they partook of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 2:25 "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."
Interesting, that even though, as the story traditionally goes; God 'walked' with ( dwelt with? ) Adam and Eve, in the Garden; Moses still records them as being 'naked'. I'm not denying the historicity of the account; just noting how Adam and Eve's nakedness before the Fall was a picture, or type, of the nakedness of the unbeliever before God, until Christ clothes hiim in His own righteousness.
Genesis 3:7 "And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made coverings for themselves."
Most importantly here, I think, is the last phrase: "and made coverings for themselves". They knew ( from eating of the tree of knowledge? ), whether instinctively, or by some other means
( ? ), that they needed to be covered; however, like most children with their parents, they also figured that, since they had disobeyed God and found out something that they didn't want to know ( they weren't ready for it! ), they had better provide their own coverings, and just try to avoid 'Daddy' for awhile! As I can personally attest; this doesn't work; for sooner or later, daddy comes calling; 'where are you?', and the 'jig's' up!
Maybe a better way to put it, would be: knowledge ( or consciousness ) of good would also come from eating of this forbidden tree: For one thing, Adam learned how good he really had it, in the Garden, where he walked ( and presumably, talked? ) with his Creator, where his food was more pleasantly and easily obtainable ( no sweat, man!-metaphorically speaking ), and he wasn't (presumably ) 'bothered' by wild animals. For another, since he was 'booted' out of the Garden, his 'race' was propagated throughout the known world ( his 'world' ).
Now, putting two and two together, or tree and tree, as the case may be: take a look at this familiar passage, in the book of Numbers, chapter 21;
8 "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live." context
First of all, and I think everyone would agree with me; this passage ( 6-9 ) is typical of Christ on the Cross, in a figurative way, but what I think is interesting, is that these people were 'saved' ( physically ) by gazing upon, with faith in God's promise. the very image of their destroyer, or 'enemy'.
Secondly; I think Scripture itself, shows us that God is both the Punisher of 'evil' ( in the sinful sense ) deeds and the Rewarder of good deeds. In the book of Ezekiel, chapter 18, He shows this;
30 "'Therefore, I will judge you,O house of Israel, everyone according to his ways', says the Lord God" context
Earlier, in the book of Isaiah, chapter 60, God instructed Isaiah to write;
10b "For in My wrath, I struck you, but in My favor, I have had mercy on you." context
Isaiah also writes, of God, in chapter 59;
18 "According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, recompense to His enemies......" context
Ezra realized this, in the 9th chapter of Ezra, when he cried to the Lord;
13 "And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since you our God have punished us less than our sins deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this, 14 Should we again break Your commandments, and join in marriage with the people committing these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You had consumed us, so that there would be no remnant or survivor?" context
In the 32nd chapter of Deuteronomy; God makes it very clear;
39 "Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me; I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal; nor is there any who can deliver from My hand." context
When taken in the context of Numbers 2:6-9, I think it's pretty clear that God alone is Judge, Jury, and Executioner; for as Moses records above, 'I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal".
So, were there actually two different trees, one leading to life, and the other leading to the knowledge of good and evil?
It is my opinion that the account that we read in Genesis 1-3, although undoubtedly based on historical events, is not a scientifically accurate account, and most definitely not to be taken literally. Therefore, I have no problem saying that the 'trees', as they are presented in Genesis 2 & 3, are 'both' meant to represent, or were typical, of Christ.
Having said all this; let us now look at the word 'knowledge' as it found in the scriptures;
Exodus 31:3 "And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship," context
Numbers 24:16 "The utterance of him who hears the words of God,and has the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls down, with eyes wide open:" context
Deuteronomy 1:39 "Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there; to them I will give it, and they shall possess it." context
Think of this passage in connection with this one, in Isaiah;
Isaiah 7:13 "Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. 14 For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings." context ( especially compare 7:16 & 8:4 )
Psalm 19:2 "Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge." context
( biblical parallelism )
Psalm 53:4 "Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up My people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God?" context
Psalm 94:10 "He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct, He who teaches man knowledge? context ( biblical parallelism )
Psalm 119:66 "Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe your commandments."
context
Psalm 139:6 "Such knowledge is to wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it." context
Proverbs 1:7 & 28,29 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction" ( biblical anti-parallelism )
28 "Then they will call on Me, but I will not answer; they will seek Me diligently, but they will not find Me. 29 Because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord." context ( biblical parallelism )
Proverbs 2:6 & 10, 11 "For the Lord gives wisdom: from His mouth come knowledge and understanding." 10 "When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, 11discretion will preserve you, understanding will keep you." context
Ecclesiastes 1:18 "For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow" context
Ecclesiastes 2:26 " For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind." context
Ecclesiastes 7:12 "For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense; but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it." context
Isaiah 5:13 "There fore My people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge; their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst." context
Isaiah 11:2 "The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him' the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord." context
Isaiah 45:20 "Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you who have escaped fro the nations. They have no knowledge, who carry the wood of their carved image, and pray to a god that cannot save." context
Isaiah 53:11 "He shall see the labor of His soul and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities." context
As we can see from this short list of Old Covenant usages of the Hebrew word da'ath, that saving knowledge comes from God alone, and His Spirit, and that He administers it when, where, and to what extent He pleases! David understood this: is son Solomon, although he realized that knowledge was not ( necessarily ) an evil, it could be wearisome and grievous! Solomon further tells us, and then God, later, through Isaiah, that the knowledge that God gives, through Christ and His Spirit alone, is the essence of salvation, and that those who do not have it, are without God!
Let's look now, at some of the Greek usages of 'knowledge' in what is called the New Testament;
As we can see, the two Greek words, epignosis and gnosis ( 1922 & 1108 ) are the most approximate in meaning to the Hebrew da'ath, having both a connotation of familiarity, or intimate perception.
Luke 11:52 "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered." context
( for more context on this verse and passage, read Matthew 23:13 )
Romans 1:28 "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;" context
Romans 11:33 "O, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out." context
Romans 15:14 "Now I myself am confident concerning you my brethren, that you
are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another." context
I Corinthians 1:4&5 "I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge." context
I Corinthians 8:1 "Now concerning things offered to idols: We all know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies." context
I Corinthians 12:7&8 "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all, 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit," context
I Corinthians 13:2 "And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand (1492 ) all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." context
II Corinthians 4:6 "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." context
II Corinthians 10:4&5 "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ," context
Ephesians 1:17 "( I pray ) that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him," context
Ephesians 4:13 "till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;" context
Philippians 3:8 "Yet indeed I count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered all things, and counted them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ." context
Colossians 1:9 "For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;" context
Colossians 3:9&10 "Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him," context
I Timothy 2:3&4 "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 desires all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth." context
II Peter 1:2&3 "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue," context
As we can see from the examples we've looked at ( and there are many more ), gaining knowledge is not ( necessarily ) a bad thing, in fact, from most of the examples that I've shown, knowledge ( of God, spiritual things ) is a good thing: as with most things, it depends on how you choose to use that knowledge: if you choose to use that knowledge to become intimate with God in Christ, then you've chosen wisely. On the other hand; if you decide to use that knowledge to become intimate with the things that displease God, as Paul told the Romans;
Romans 1:28 "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind..............." context
It's interesting, as I noted above, in the Luke passage; that if you compare the two gospel accounts of Jesus' saying, it looks like He is equating the knowledge of God with the kingdom of heaven! That may, however; be a subject for another time, and possibly another paper.
Paul realized, as he told the Corinthians, that knowledge, in itself, can be a good thing; for instance, in chapter 8 of his first letter, when combined with love ( of God ), and he echoes this again in chapter 13 of the same letter. In his second letter to the Corinthians, and then to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and in his first letter to Timothy; he reiterates the fact that it is the knowledge of God that, as I've also said in a previous paper; brings life, and true life at that!
You might be asking yourself at this point ( if not earlier ): "What does it matter, whether there were two separate trees in the midst of the garden ( as a literal interpretation would tell us), or even, maybe, whether or not it has any bearing if the account written down for us, in Genesis, chapters 1-3 are a covenantal, rather than a scientific, physically accurate history of the Creation and the Fall?" Well: I think it does; and here's why:
Many Orthodox 'traditionalists' would say that it does indeed matter if one says that the Creation account in Genesis 1, to say nothing of the mentions of the creation of the Garden in chapter 2, and the Fall in chapter 3; for one thing, because if we don't 'swallow it, hook, line, and sinker', no matter how weird that may seem; we might be branded 'liberals', or even worse, 'heretics'! I think however, with a more careful study of the covenant context of passages like Genesis 1:1-3, and remembering the historical scene in which it was written ( at least 2,000 years after the 'fact' ), it should not be too hard to see that it was not meant to be read in a 'wooden' literal scientifically physical sense.
As I mentioned earlier, I think that contextually we need to realize that God alone is Judge and that He righteously judges evil works with an everlasting punishment ( not in the sense that it never ends, but in the sense that it is final, never to be reprieved ), and good works ( through Christ alone ) with a never ending reward, His Presence!
I spoke earlier of the trees of Genesis 2 & 3 being the same tree; that was kind of 'tongue-in-cheek' because obviously, if the whole account had more of a covenantal, rather than a scientifically accurate meaning, then there were not ( necessarily ) any special trees in the 'midst' of the Garden, one bearing fruit that would 'make one wise', and 'like God', and one that would give immortality. I think that the two 'trees' were both representative of Christ, in that if we try to make ourselves wise, as Eve foolishly thought, we will 'surely die', but if we 'Come................and take of the water of life, freely', which Christ alone can give, then we have partaken of the Tree, the Bread, the Water of Life!
I pray that this little study will be edifying to it's readers and glorifying to God alone, who is worthy of all our praise!
In His Kingdom, and basking in His glorious Presence,
Charles Shank
Right off, some more conservative and traditional people would most likely object, saying something like, "The Bible says that there were two different trees", or "God is not the Author of evil, therefore since the tree of life typifies, or typified, Christ, all throughout Scripture; the tree of the knowledge of good and evil must typify, or have typified an opposite, or the fallen spiritual being, known ( traditionally ) as Satan".
I will explain now, why I've made this interesting, and maybe even frightening statement.
Going to the first mention of these two ( as is traditionally thought ) trees, that God planted in the midst of His garden, ( This could bring up another interesting subject, or, as I've said before, 'open another can of worms'! ) in the second chapter of Genesis;
8 "The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the eye and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
I'll skip a few verses here.
15 "Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden to tend and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die'."
The next time we hear of either ( ? ) tree, is in the next chapter ( 3 ); from which I'll quote, starting with verse 1;
1 "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Has God indeed said, "You shall not eat of every tree of the garden"?' 2 And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat of it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' 4 Then the serpent said to the woman,'You shall not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil'."
My thinking here, was that Eve mentioned only one tree that was 'in the midst' of the garden; whereas the first mention of any certain tree, or trees, was back in verse 9 where, at first glance, it would seem like two separate trees are mentioned, and then, in verse 17, God told Adam that he was not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, else he would die. Let me submit, though, concerning the first mention of the trees, or tree; that the latter part of verse 9 might be a sort of a 'biblical parallelism', which I have mentioned before to my readers, and to others as meaning that the Author, or author says the same thing twice, in two different ways. I think that, in the context of the whole passage, and other Scriptures that I'll bring to your remembrance as we continue; that this may be the case here.
Now, about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: we need not remind ourselves that this tree, if indeed different than the tree of life, was planted by the Lord God, as we see in verses 8 & 9, cited above, 'The Lord God planted a garden............and out of the ground the Lord God made every tree that is good for food and pleasant to the eyes". Let's remember too, that in verse 6 of the following chapter ( 3 ), that Moses ( traditional author of Genesis ) records that the fruit of the tree in question was 'pleasant to the eyes' and further 'a tree desirable to make one wise', which according to David and Solomon, in the Psalms and Proverbs, and later, Christ, in the Gospels, that wisdom is spiritual food unto true life, or life ( eternal ) in and with Christ and God!
Also remember, in connection with these trees being planted by God, that it is recorded in Genesis 1:31 that;
" Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed, it was very good................"
Here's a good question; how did Adam know which of these ( two? ) trees 'in the midst' of the garden was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, if indeed there were two separate trees?
One might say, 'God must have told him"; but if indeed God did tell him, why did Moses not record it? Do you think the tree looked so different from all the other trees of the garden that Adam would have remembered which was which? Eve seemed to imply that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was in the center, or in a prominent place, 'in the midst' of the garden: so was the tree ( singular ) that she mentioned, planted in a more prominent area of the garden, so that there would be no mistake, or did the the tree have a different kind of fruit on it than all the other trees around it?
Ok: So that was more than one question ( and there are so many more that could be asked ), but it just goes to show that a strictly literal, and scientifically factual reading of this whole passage ( Genesis 1-3 ) brings up so many needless ( and useless? ) questions!
From my understanding; the traditional interpretation of this passage is that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the 'wisdom' gained thereby, was, quite 'simply', the ability to know the difference ( for one's self ) between good and evil, in essence, the ability to judge for one's self what is good and what is evil. I am fairly satisfied with this understanding, but I think that it is by no means comprehensive of the full import of the words of this passage!
Here's another good question for you; did the serpent really lie to Eve??
Well; yes and no!
Yes: he told Eve that they would not 'surely die'; but then he told her that 'you will be like God, knowing good and evil'. Look at Genesis 3:22, and the first part of the verse;
"Then the Lord God said, 'Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil.......' "
That much was true: my friend, in his sermon ( #3 ), recalled the likeness of the temptation of Eve in the garden, to the temptation of Christ in the wilderness, and I thought that he made a very good observation there. Without going into why God told them that they would 'surely die' the day that they partook of the tree ( another can of worms could be opened here ), and then later, after they did exactly like they were told not to ( just like most children ); He agreed with the serpent that they were now like God, knowing ( Heb. yada-to ascertain by seeing ) 'good and evil'.
To get back to my original purpose for this paper, and my argument that there were not ( necessarily ) two separate trees, one called the tree of life, the other the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, planted, by God, in the 'midst' of the Garden: I now have a better understanding ( I think ), thanks to my friend's sermon ( #3 ), of the purpose of the temptation of Eve with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, 'a tree desirable to make one wise'; which brings up another good point; even though Eve, like her daughter Sarai, after her, went about it the wrong way; I think that she correctly understood that this 'knowledge of good and evil' which was forbidden them, would make one wise ( but not unto salvation: that was to come later through Christ-who was signified by the tree of life, interestingly enough! ).
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil, was, I believe, as Eve correctly ascertained, a tree that could make one 'wise'. As I pointed out though, she ( they ) made the same mistake that countless others have made, in thinking that God's promise ( of life ) was obtainable by human means. Let's look at a few examples from the Old Covenant Scriptures:
Genesis 15:4 "And behold, the word of the Lord came to him saying, 'This one shall not be your heir, but one who shall come from your own body shall be your heir'." context
Let's skip over to the next chapter for a bit more;
Genesis 16:1 :Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, 'See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her'. And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai." context
First; we have the promise of God, just like with Abram and Sarai
Genesis 25:23 " And the Lord said to her: 'Two nations are in your womb. Two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger'." context
Skipping over several chapters now, to another example of faithless impatience;
Genesis 27:19 "Jacob said to his father, 'I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me'." context
Now, in reading these examples; one must understand that these acts of impatience were ordained by God, like all things, for His good purpose.
Back to my thoughts on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; First of all, the knowledge of good and evil would imply the ability to judge, would it not? Let me quote now, from Genesis 32:
28 "And He said, 'Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel.......'" context
I'm sure that most, if not all of my readers are aware of this; but according to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, the Hebrew word, or name, Yisra-el means, 'he will rule as God'! Pretty interesting, when you think too, of Israel ( as God's chosen people ) being typical of the Church ( God's Elect ).
Young's Analytical Concordance basically agrees with this, saying that the Hebrew meaning of Yisra-el is 'ruling with God'.
Here's something interesting, though: Zondervan's NIV Exhaustive Concordance has Yisra-el as meaning 'he struggles with God', which is interesting; because, not only does it fit in better with the context of the renaming, it also conveys thoughts that are reminiscent of John 5:18 and Philippians 2:6.
Returning once again, to our topic: it is interesting that the forbidden tree is named 'the tree of the knowledge of good and evil'. From this tree then would assumably come, not only the knowledge of evil ( which, I think, is where we tend to throw the spotlight ), but also, the knowledge of good would come from eating of this tree!To illustrate my point further; the Hebrew word rah, that is translated 'evil' here, simply means 'bad', as in 'something distasteful, unpleasant, etc. It can mean 'wicked' ( certainly so if applied to God's distaste or displeasure! ), but not ( necessarily ) mean 'wicked', as in 'wrongful', etc. Several examples, from the book of Ecclesiastes, are;
6:1 "There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: 2 A man to who God has given riches and wealth and honour, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desire; yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity, and it is an evil affliction." context
9:3 "This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all..." context
From the book of Isaiah, chapter 45;
7 "I form the light, and create darkness, I make peace, and create calamity
( KJV says 'evil' here ); I the Lord do all these things.' context
One last reference, from Jeremiah 24;
3 "Then the Lord said to me, 'What do you see, Jeremiah?' And I said, 'Figs,the good figs very good: and the bad figs, very bad, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad'." ( In every instance of the word 'bad' here; KJV translates rah, as 'evil' ) context
We can see that, as I alluded to, most of the context's of these passages that I just quoted contain usages of the word 'evil', that most definitely have a direct connotation of 'wickedness', 'sinfulness', but we can also see, from the passages that I quoted, and others like them, that the use of the word 'evil' ( Heb. rah ) does not ( necessarily ) connote 'wicked', 'sinful', etc.
By saying, above, that 'also, the knowledge of good would come from eating of this tree!'; I didn't mean to imply that Adam had no knowledge of good, before he ate of the tree: he most certainly did! However; when they ate of the tree, which they were forbidden to do, they became aware ( conscious ) that they were naked; a fact of which neither seemed to have noticed, before they partook of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 2:25 "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."
Interesting, that even though, as the story traditionally goes; God 'walked' with ( dwelt with? ) Adam and Eve, in the Garden; Moses still records them as being 'naked'. I'm not denying the historicity of the account; just noting how Adam and Eve's nakedness before the Fall was a picture, or type, of the nakedness of the unbeliever before God, until Christ clothes hiim in His own righteousness.
Genesis 3:7 "And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made coverings for themselves."
Most importantly here, I think, is the last phrase: "and made coverings for themselves". They knew ( from eating of the tree of knowledge? ), whether instinctively, or by some other means
( ? ), that they needed to be covered; however, like most children with their parents, they also figured that, since they had disobeyed God and found out something that they didn't want to know ( they weren't ready for it! ), they had better provide their own coverings, and just try to avoid 'Daddy' for awhile! As I can personally attest; this doesn't work; for sooner or later, daddy comes calling; 'where are you?', and the 'jig's' up!
Maybe a better way to put it, would be: knowledge ( or consciousness ) of good would also come from eating of this forbidden tree: For one thing, Adam learned how good he really had it, in the Garden, where he walked ( and presumably, talked? ) with his Creator, where his food was more pleasantly and easily obtainable ( no sweat, man!-metaphorically speaking ), and he wasn't (presumably ) 'bothered' by wild animals. For another, since he was 'booted' out of the Garden, his 'race' was propagated throughout the known world ( his 'world' ).
Now, putting two and two together, or tree and tree, as the case may be: take a look at this familiar passage, in the book of Numbers, chapter 21;
8 "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live." context
First of all, and I think everyone would agree with me; this passage ( 6-9 ) is typical of Christ on the Cross, in a figurative way, but what I think is interesting, is that these people were 'saved' ( physically ) by gazing upon, with faith in God's promise. the very image of their destroyer, or 'enemy'.
Secondly; I think Scripture itself, shows us that God is both the Punisher of 'evil' ( in the sinful sense ) deeds and the Rewarder of good deeds. In the book of Ezekiel, chapter 18, He shows this;
30 "'Therefore, I will judge you,O house of Israel, everyone according to his ways', says the Lord God" context
Earlier, in the book of Isaiah, chapter 60, God instructed Isaiah to write;
10b "For in My wrath, I struck you, but in My favor, I have had mercy on you." context
Isaiah also writes, of God, in chapter 59;
18 "According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, recompense to His enemies......" context
Ezra realized this, in the 9th chapter of Ezra, when he cried to the Lord;
13 "And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since you our God have punished us less than our sins deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this, 14 Should we again break Your commandments, and join in marriage with the people committing these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You had consumed us, so that there would be no remnant or survivor?" context
In the 32nd chapter of Deuteronomy; God makes it very clear;
39 "Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me; I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal; nor is there any who can deliver from My hand." context
When taken in the context of Numbers 2:6-9, I think it's pretty clear that God alone is Judge, Jury, and Executioner; for as Moses records above, 'I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal".
So, were there actually two different trees, one leading to life, and the other leading to the knowledge of good and evil?
It is my opinion that the account that we read in Genesis 1-3, although undoubtedly based on historical events, is not a scientifically accurate account, and most definitely not to be taken literally. Therefore, I have no problem saying that the 'trees', as they are presented in Genesis 2 & 3, are 'both' meant to represent, or were typical, of Christ.
Having said all this; let us now look at the word 'knowledge' as it found in the scriptures;
Exodus 31:3 "And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship," context
Numbers 24:16 "The utterance of him who hears the words of God,and has the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls down, with eyes wide open:" context
Deuteronomy 1:39 "Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there; to them I will give it, and they shall possess it." context
Think of this passage in connection with this one, in Isaiah;
Isaiah 7:13 "Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. 14 For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings." context ( especially compare 7:16 & 8:4 )
Psalm 19:2 "Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge." context
( biblical parallelism )
Psalm 53:4 "Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up My people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God?" context
Psalm 94:10 "He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct, He who teaches man knowledge? context ( biblical parallelism )
Psalm 119:66 "Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe your commandments."
context
Psalm 139:6 "Such knowledge is to wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it." context
Proverbs 1:7 & 28,29 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction" ( biblical anti-parallelism )
28 "Then they will call on Me, but I will not answer; they will seek Me diligently, but they will not find Me. 29 Because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord." context ( biblical parallelism )
Proverbs 2:6 & 10, 11 "For the Lord gives wisdom: from His mouth come knowledge and understanding." 10 "When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, 11discretion will preserve you, understanding will keep you." context
Ecclesiastes 1:18 "For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow" context
Ecclesiastes 2:26 " For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind." context
Ecclesiastes 7:12 "For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense; but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it." context
Isaiah 5:13 "There fore My people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge; their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst." context
Isaiah 11:2 "The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him' the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord." context
Isaiah 45:20 "Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you who have escaped fro the nations. They have no knowledge, who carry the wood of their carved image, and pray to a god that cannot save." context
Isaiah 53:11 "He shall see the labor of His soul and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities." context
As we can see from this short list of Old Covenant usages of the Hebrew word da'ath, that saving knowledge comes from God alone, and His Spirit, and that He administers it when, where, and to what extent He pleases! David understood this: is son Solomon, although he realized that knowledge was not ( necessarily ) an evil, it could be wearisome and grievous! Solomon further tells us, and then God, later, through Isaiah, that the knowledge that God gives, through Christ and His Spirit alone, is the essence of salvation, and that those who do not have it, are without God!
Let's look now, at some of the Greek usages of 'knowledge' in what is called the New Testament;
As we can see, the two Greek words, epignosis and gnosis ( 1922 & 1108 ) are the most approximate in meaning to the Hebrew da'ath, having both a connotation of familiarity, or intimate perception.
Luke 11:52 "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered." context
( for more context on this verse and passage, read Matthew 23:13 )
Romans 1:28 "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;" context
Romans 11:33 "O, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out." context
Romans 15:14 "Now I myself am confident concerning you my brethren, that you
are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another." context
I Corinthians 1:4&5 "I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge." context
I Corinthians 8:1 "Now concerning things offered to idols: We all know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies." context
I Corinthians 12:7&8 "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all, 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit," context
I Corinthians 13:2 "And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand (1492 ) all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." context
II Corinthians 4:6 "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." context
II Corinthians 10:4&5 "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ," context
Ephesians 1:17 "( I pray ) that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him," context
Ephesians 4:13 "till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;" context
Philippians 3:8 "Yet indeed I count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered all things, and counted them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ." context
Colossians 1:9 "For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;" context
Colossians 3:9&10 "Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him," context
I Timothy 2:3&4 "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 desires all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth." context
II Peter 1:2&3 "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue," context
As we can see from the examples we've looked at ( and there are many more ), gaining knowledge is not ( necessarily ) a bad thing, in fact, from most of the examples that I've shown, knowledge ( of God, spiritual things ) is a good thing: as with most things, it depends on how you choose to use that knowledge: if you choose to use that knowledge to become intimate with God in Christ, then you've chosen wisely. On the other hand; if you decide to use that knowledge to become intimate with the things that displease God, as Paul told the Romans;
Romans 1:28 "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind..............." context
It's interesting, as I noted above, in the Luke passage; that if you compare the two gospel accounts of Jesus' saying, it looks like He is equating the knowledge of God with the kingdom of heaven! That may, however; be a subject for another time, and possibly another paper.
Paul realized, as he told the Corinthians, that knowledge, in itself, can be a good thing; for instance, in chapter 8 of his first letter, when combined with love ( of God ), and he echoes this again in chapter 13 of the same letter. In his second letter to the Corinthians, and then to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and in his first letter to Timothy; he reiterates the fact that it is the knowledge of God that, as I've also said in a previous paper; brings life, and true life at that!
You might be asking yourself at this point ( if not earlier ): "What does it matter, whether there were two separate trees in the midst of the garden ( as a literal interpretation would tell us), or even, maybe, whether or not it has any bearing if the account written down for us, in Genesis, chapters 1-3 are a covenantal, rather than a scientific, physically accurate history of the Creation and the Fall?" Well: I think it does; and here's why:
Many Orthodox 'traditionalists' would say that it does indeed matter if one says that the Creation account in Genesis 1, to say nothing of the mentions of the creation of the Garden in chapter 2, and the Fall in chapter 3; for one thing, because if we don't 'swallow it, hook, line, and sinker', no matter how weird that may seem; we might be branded 'liberals', or even worse, 'heretics'! I think however, with a more careful study of the covenant context of passages like Genesis 1:1-3, and remembering the historical scene in which it was written ( at least 2,000 years after the 'fact' ), it should not be too hard to see that it was not meant to be read in a 'wooden' literal scientifically physical sense.
As I mentioned earlier, I think that contextually we need to realize that God alone is Judge and that He righteously judges evil works with an everlasting punishment ( not in the sense that it never ends, but in the sense that it is final, never to be reprieved ), and good works ( through Christ alone ) with a never ending reward, His Presence!
I spoke earlier of the trees of Genesis 2 & 3 being the same tree; that was kind of 'tongue-in-cheek' because obviously, if the whole account had more of a covenantal, rather than a scientifically accurate meaning, then there were not ( necessarily ) any special trees in the 'midst' of the Garden, one bearing fruit that would 'make one wise', and 'like God', and one that would give immortality. I think that the two 'trees' were both representative of Christ, in that if we try to make ourselves wise, as Eve foolishly thought, we will 'surely die', but if we 'Come................and take of the water of life, freely', which Christ alone can give, then we have partaken of the Tree, the Bread, the Water of Life!
I pray that this little study will be edifying to it's readers and glorifying to God alone, who is worthy of all our praise!
In His Kingdom, and basking in His glorious Presence,
Charles Shank
Monday, May 28, 2007
'A Mighty Fortress is our God' ( a preteristic revision )
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our Helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing;
For when our ancient foe, did seek to work us woe
his craft and power were great, and armed with cruel hate
on earth was not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God's own choosing;
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth His Name, from age to age the same, And He has won the battle!
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His Truth to triumph through us,
The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we have endured, for lo, his doom has come,
The Word of God has felled him!
That Word, above all earthly powers-no thanks to them abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him who with us sideth;
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill, God's Truth abideth still:
His Kingdom is forever!
Our Helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing;
For when our ancient foe, did seek to work us woe
his craft and power were great, and armed with cruel hate
on earth was not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God's own choosing;
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth His Name, from age to age the same, And He has won the battle!
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His Truth to triumph through us,
The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we have endured, for lo, his doom has come,
The Word of God has felled him!
That Word, above all earthly powers-no thanks to them abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him who with us sideth;
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill, God's Truth abideth still:
His Kingdom is forever!
Friday, May 18, 2007
'A Focus on the Physical'; Revisited
I've been thinking about the after-life lately, and wondering if we ourselves, as believers in the fulfilled kingdom of God ( aka, full-preterists ) aren't focusing on the physical a bit too much ourselves, by thinking that there must be an after-life yet to come, after we have shed this 'husk' of flesh that we now inhabit. IS this all that we can expect, as some people are reported to teach ( Heaven Now ), or can we expect to someday, as we all dream about ( I know I do ); be literally free of this 'body of death', to be without all of our physical ailments, including the lusts which ravage our flesh, to be pure spirit ( as I've been known to speculate ) and more free to worship, and commune with Christ, not having the 'flesh' present with us to vie for our attention?!
Let me quote a fairly lengthy passage here, from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 20;
27 "Then some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, 28 saying: Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife, and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the second took her as wife, and he died childless. 31 Then the third too her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died. 32 Last of all, the woman died also. 33 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife. 34 Jesus answered and said to them, 'The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection'."
This may open another whole 'can of worms', but I must quote the next two verses also;
37 "But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob', 38 For
He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to Him."
Jesus told them ( Sadducees ) and reminds us, in language reminiscent of Matthew 24: 37 & 38; that the sons of the age in which He lived in the flesh ( the Old Covenant age ) were focused on the physical aspects of life, marrying and giving in marriage; while those who were counted worthy ( notice; He didn't say 'those who are found worthy' ) to attain that age ( the everlasting age in which we as Christians live, ie., His kingdom ) would be focused, not on the physical aspects of life, but on the spiritual aspects of true life, in and for Him! Notice too; that He equates 'us' ( the sons of 'that' age ) with the angels, and, in language reminiscent of John 11:25 & 26; that 'we' will never die!
Here is another lengthy quote: this time from Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians, and the fifth chapter;
1 "For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 for we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality might be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord."
I think that the traditional ( futurist ) understanding of this passage is that Paul is speaking of his physical body, and the 'fact' that, while we are in this physical existence, or this body; we cannot be present with the Lord, but I find it interesting that Paul speaks of being in this 'tent' or 'tabernacle'. I know that Paul, earlier in I Corinthians 6:19 and later, in Ephesians 2:21, says that their bodies were now the 'temple of the Holy Spirit' and that they were being 'built up' into a holy temple for the Lord ( not just His Spirit; notice! ); but remember that the writer to the Hebrews wrote to them that 'the way into the ( true ) Holiest of all was not yet made manifest while the first temple was still standing' ( Hebrews 9:8 ), which temple, I would propose to you, was the same temple that Paul spoke of, in II Corinthians 5!
Paul further told them how much he desired, not 'to be unclothed, but further clothed', that 'mortality (or this 'simple' human existence ) may be swallowed up by life ( true life, in Christ-please read "The Meaning of Life' and 'A Spiritual Body' by this same author )'. Paul desired, not to exit this physical existence, but rather to be further clothed ( with Christ )! He further says, reminding them, that God has ( already ) prepared them for this very thing!
So, when Paul says, in the next verse, that while they were at home in the body, they were absent from the Lord; I think that he was saying, not only that while they made their home, or found their rest, or comfort, in the flesh, that they were absent from the Lord; but also as the writer to the Hebrews wrote above; that while 'the first temple was still standing' the heavenly
( or true ) temple, or their 'habitation from heaven' ( see also Deut. 26:15 & Isa.63:15 ) had not yet been revealed.
Let us go a little further now, in chapter five;
7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him."
Combine with this the last two verses of the preceding chapter;
17 "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
If we have been 'further clothed' with our 'habitation from heaven' ( which I think, most of my readers will agree-we have! ); then what further awaits us? What further biblical hope of an 'after-life' do we look for?
Do we now walk by sight, waiting for an after-life in Heaven, or do we still walk by faith in the
( true ) life that we now live in Christ? ( see "The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven" by Ward Fenley )
As the author to the Hebrews wrote, in chapter 11;
1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Admittedly, in the context of this passage, the author was speaking of the faith ( in Christ ) that the Old Covenant 'saints' had, before Christ ( the Messiah, or 'Anointed One' was 'incarnated in the flesh'; but even though this 'hope' has been fulfilled in the Coming of Christ ( full and final ), our faith in His fulfilled Kingdom, though 'realized' by many, is still 'the evidence of things not seen'! As Jesus Himself said, in Luke 17:20 & 21;
20b "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, 'See here!', or, 'see there!', For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."
It would seem like some un-realized hope for an after-life ( and like I noted before-I'm as guilty of this as ANYBODY! ) among ( especially ) 'preterists', or believers in Fulfilled Eschatology
( among other things Fulfilled ) is akin to 'our' own special kind of focus on the physical!
In his letter to the Philippians, chapter one; Paul again speaks, almost in the same vein as in
II Corinthians 5, of his overwhelming desire to 'depart and be with Christ';
21 'For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. 24 Nevertheless, to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. 25 And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith, 26 that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again."
From a cursory reading of this oft-quoted passage; one could easily read ( understand ) that Paul is looking forward to departing this ( physical, temporal ) life to be with Christ, but when read in the context of other passages like the one I just quoted; might not Paul 'simply' be speaking of the 'change' that he spoke of in I Corinthians 15:52, of what I like to call the 'changing of the guard', or the full implementation of the New Covenant economy, as opposed to the Old Covenant economy which Paul lived in, and fought against? If 'the flesh' which Paul ( in particular ) refers to in his writings, is speaking, not of our physical bodies, but of the Old Covenant economy, or system, under which he labored: why would it be strange to think that Paul's dilemma was not whether to give up his ( physical ) life, so that he could be with Christ, or to stay alive ( physically ) so that he could further minister to the Philippian believers; but rather, as he hints at in his first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 9;
19 "For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; 20 and to the Jews, I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law ( not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ ), that I might win those who are without law; 22 to the weak, I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some."
Now, I think this is pretty self-explanatory, but lest some wrest this from it's historical context: we must remember that Paul was speaking of the coming conflagration, under which those who still clung to the remains of the Old Covenant economy would forever be shut out of the New!
Let's return now, to the passage in the letter to the Philippians, for a bit more context;
In speaking of the glorious blessing of the gospel 'simply' being preached, Paul wrote;
19 "For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death."
Now, I will freely admit that it looks more and more like Paul is speaking here of physical death, but would it not be a safe 'bet' to say that Paul looked for the same 'deliverance' that we now enjoy, that he spoke longingly of in passages like Romans 7:23-25, and the 'change' that he mentioned in I Corinthians 15:52?
In words not unlike those to the Corinthians, chapter 15: 33 & 34, Paul wrote to the Philippians;
27 "Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in the Spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not in anyway terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God."
Like I wrote, in a previous paper, I think that these two verses are a 'turning point', like
I Corinthians 15:33 & 34, in Paul's discussion: Paul is admonishing the ( new ) Philippian believers to walk according to the Gospel which he taught, thus seeking the deliverance
( salvation ), or the 'change' that Paul taught the Corinthians to hope for, the very same 'change' that believers received, and still receive, in Christ!
I hope that I have sufficiently noted the conjunction between these two passages
( II Corinthians 4:17-5:9 and Philippians 1:19-28 ), so that we can see that Paul was not 'simply' looking forward to departing this life ( or normal human existence ), in order to be with Christ,
' which is far better', but he was looking forward to, and rejoicing in, his deliverance
( full and final ) from that Old Covenant, or Mosaic economy, 'that of the letter, and not of the Spirit' ( II Corinthians 3:6 ).
My point, in this little study; is that 'we' as believers in Fulfilled Eschatology, Redemption, etc, need to 'realize' that we are IN the after-life! In other words, Christ is the after-life!
I have come to see now, that any ( biblical ) hope for an 'after-life', or life after death
( remember John 11:25 & 26, et al ? ) was, and is, fulfilled in Christ, who is 'the Way, the Truth, and the Life", and, as He told Martha, 'the resurrection and the Life'!
My hope ( and for some it may be a 'realized' hope already ) is that my writings here, will not only bring glory to His Name, but that they may help others begin to 'realize' that God's Kingdom and the after-life are synonymous terms, and that we need to begin to live our lives for His glory alone, and not in some hope for a ( future ) 'after-life'!
( please read "The Fulfilled Life' by this author )
As Paul wrote to the Ephesians, in chapter one;
3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ."
Are these ours now? Do we truly have every blessing ( in Christ ), or do we 'look for another'?
in His Kingdom,
and for His Glory,
Charles Shank
Let me quote a fairly lengthy passage here, from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 20;
27 "Then some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, 28 saying: Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife, and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the second took her as wife, and he died childless. 31 Then the third too her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died. 32 Last of all, the woman died also. 33 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife. 34 Jesus answered and said to them, 'The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection'."
This may open another whole 'can of worms', but I must quote the next two verses also;
37 "But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob', 38 For
He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to Him."
Jesus told them ( Sadducees ) and reminds us, in language reminiscent of Matthew 24: 37 & 38; that the sons of the age in which He lived in the flesh ( the Old Covenant age ) were focused on the physical aspects of life, marrying and giving in marriage; while those who were counted worthy ( notice; He didn't say 'those who are found worthy' ) to attain that age ( the everlasting age in which we as Christians live, ie., His kingdom ) would be focused, not on the physical aspects of life, but on the spiritual aspects of true life, in and for Him! Notice too; that He equates 'us' ( the sons of 'that' age ) with the angels, and, in language reminiscent of John 11:25 & 26; that 'we' will never die!
Here is another lengthy quote: this time from Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians, and the fifth chapter;
1 "For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 for we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality might be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord."
I think that the traditional ( futurist ) understanding of this passage is that Paul is speaking of his physical body, and the 'fact' that, while we are in this physical existence, or this body; we cannot be present with the Lord, but I find it interesting that Paul speaks of being in this 'tent' or 'tabernacle'. I know that Paul, earlier in I Corinthians 6:19 and later, in Ephesians 2:21, says that their bodies were now the 'temple of the Holy Spirit' and that they were being 'built up' into a holy temple for the Lord ( not just His Spirit; notice! ); but remember that the writer to the Hebrews wrote to them that 'the way into the ( true ) Holiest of all was not yet made manifest while the first temple was still standing' ( Hebrews 9:8 ), which temple, I would propose to you, was the same temple that Paul spoke of, in II Corinthians 5!
Paul further told them how much he desired, not 'to be unclothed, but further clothed', that 'mortality (or this 'simple' human existence ) may be swallowed up by life ( true life, in Christ-please read "The Meaning of Life' and 'A Spiritual Body' by this same author )'. Paul desired, not to exit this physical existence, but rather to be further clothed ( with Christ )! He further says, reminding them, that God has ( already ) prepared them for this very thing!
So, when Paul says, in the next verse, that while they were at home in the body, they were absent from the Lord; I think that he was saying, not only that while they made their home, or found their rest, or comfort, in the flesh, that they were absent from the Lord; but also as the writer to the Hebrews wrote above; that while 'the first temple was still standing' the heavenly
( or true ) temple, or their 'habitation from heaven' ( see also Deut. 26:15 & Isa.63:15 ) had not yet been revealed.
Let us go a little further now, in chapter five;
7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him."
Combine with this the last two verses of the preceding chapter;
17 "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
If we have been 'further clothed' with our 'habitation from heaven' ( which I think, most of my readers will agree-we have! ); then what further awaits us? What further biblical hope of an 'after-life' do we look for?
Do we now walk by sight, waiting for an after-life in Heaven, or do we still walk by faith in the
( true ) life that we now live in Christ? ( see "The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven" by Ward Fenley )
As the author to the Hebrews wrote, in chapter 11;
1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Admittedly, in the context of this passage, the author was speaking of the faith ( in Christ ) that the Old Covenant 'saints' had, before Christ ( the Messiah, or 'Anointed One' was 'incarnated in the flesh'; but even though this 'hope' has been fulfilled in the Coming of Christ ( full and final ), our faith in His fulfilled Kingdom, though 'realized' by many, is still 'the evidence of things not seen'! As Jesus Himself said, in Luke 17:20 & 21;
20b "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, 'See here!', or, 'see there!', For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."
It would seem like some un-realized hope for an after-life ( and like I noted before-I'm as guilty of this as ANYBODY! ) among ( especially ) 'preterists', or believers in Fulfilled Eschatology
( among other things Fulfilled ) is akin to 'our' own special kind of focus on the physical!
In his letter to the Philippians, chapter one; Paul again speaks, almost in the same vein as in
II Corinthians 5, of his overwhelming desire to 'depart and be with Christ';
21 'For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. 24 Nevertheless, to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. 25 And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith, 26 that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again."
From a cursory reading of this oft-quoted passage; one could easily read ( understand ) that Paul is looking forward to departing this ( physical, temporal ) life to be with Christ, but when read in the context of other passages like the one I just quoted; might not Paul 'simply' be speaking of the 'change' that he spoke of in I Corinthians 15:52, of what I like to call the 'changing of the guard', or the full implementation of the New Covenant economy, as opposed to the Old Covenant economy which Paul lived in, and fought against? If 'the flesh' which Paul ( in particular ) refers to in his writings, is speaking, not of our physical bodies, but of the Old Covenant economy, or system, under which he labored: why would it be strange to think that Paul's dilemma was not whether to give up his ( physical ) life, so that he could be with Christ, or to stay alive ( physically ) so that he could further minister to the Philippian believers; but rather, as he hints at in his first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 9;
19 "For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; 20 and to the Jews, I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law ( not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ ), that I might win those who are without law; 22 to the weak, I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some."
Now, I think this is pretty self-explanatory, but lest some wrest this from it's historical context: we must remember that Paul was speaking of the coming conflagration, under which those who still clung to the remains of the Old Covenant economy would forever be shut out of the New!
Let's return now, to the passage in the letter to the Philippians, for a bit more context;
In speaking of the glorious blessing of the gospel 'simply' being preached, Paul wrote;
19 "For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death."
Now, I will freely admit that it looks more and more like Paul is speaking here of physical death, but would it not be a safe 'bet' to say that Paul looked for the same 'deliverance' that we now enjoy, that he spoke longingly of in passages like Romans 7:23-25, and the 'change' that he mentioned in I Corinthians 15:52?
In words not unlike those to the Corinthians, chapter 15: 33 & 34, Paul wrote to the Philippians;
27 "Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in the Spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not in anyway terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God."
Like I wrote, in a previous paper, I think that these two verses are a 'turning point', like
I Corinthians 15:33 & 34, in Paul's discussion: Paul is admonishing the ( new ) Philippian believers to walk according to the Gospel which he taught, thus seeking the deliverance
( salvation ), or the 'change' that Paul taught the Corinthians to hope for, the very same 'change' that believers received, and still receive, in Christ!
I hope that I have sufficiently noted the conjunction between these two passages
( II Corinthians 4:17-5:9 and Philippians 1:19-28 ), so that we can see that Paul was not 'simply' looking forward to departing this life ( or normal human existence ), in order to be with Christ,
' which is far better', but he was looking forward to, and rejoicing in, his deliverance
( full and final ) from that Old Covenant, or Mosaic economy, 'that of the letter, and not of the Spirit' ( II Corinthians 3:6 ).
My point, in this little study; is that 'we' as believers in Fulfilled Eschatology, Redemption, etc, need to 'realize' that we are IN the after-life! In other words, Christ is the after-life!
I have come to see now, that any ( biblical ) hope for an 'after-life', or life after death
( remember John 11:25 & 26, et al ? ) was, and is, fulfilled in Christ, who is 'the Way, the Truth, and the Life", and, as He told Martha, 'the resurrection and the Life'!
My hope ( and for some it may be a 'realized' hope already ) is that my writings here, will not only bring glory to His Name, but that they may help others begin to 'realize' that God's Kingdom and the after-life are synonymous terms, and that we need to begin to live our lives for His glory alone, and not in some hope for a ( future ) 'after-life'!
( please read "The Fulfilled Life' by this author )
As Paul wrote to the Ephesians, in chapter one;
3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ."
Are these ours now? Do we truly have every blessing ( in Christ ), or do we 'look for another'?
in His Kingdom,
and for His Glory,
Charles Shank
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
The Strength and Simplicity of the ( fulfilled ) Gospel
The Strength and Simplicity of the ( fulfilled ) Gospel Message
I think that the strength of the Gospel message is, first and foremost; it's simplicity: Believe and receive! Sounds simple enough; does it not? But wait: it gets even better!
Probably THE most familiar verse that people use for evangelistic purposes is John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
This is probably also one of the most misused and misquoted verses in the Gospels! How is it misused; you may ask? First of all, Jesus told Nicodemus ( I assume that He was still speaking with just Nicodemus ) that 'whoever believes' would inherit eternal life, right? This verse is most often used to convey the idea that it is ALL dependent upon our choice ( true, to a point ); IF only we would believe, then our belief would make the love of God, for which cause He sent His Son to die on the cross ( for the ( whole ) world ), effectual ( for us? )!
The first problem that we should see with this idea, is found in the Old Testament Scriptures, or rather, the Old Covenant Scriptures; in Jeremiah 17:9:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?
This is also a well known and oft-quoted ( not as often as it used to be, I think ) verse, and, in context, is speaking of the vanity of the man who trusts in his own worthiness to accomplish his own deliverance, or salvation! Now, I know that in the immediate context, Jeremiah is speaking to his own people, the Israelites, but I think that, as typical of men, as a whole, this applies to un-believers today as well as yesterday.
One of my favorite passages pertaining to this subject ( the 'heart' of salvation, you might say ), is Ezekiel 36:25-27, but for our purpose here, I'll only quote verse 26:
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
Two things immediately jump to attention here: first, 'I ( God ) will' is a statement that is most prevalent throughout; and two, this passage speaks of the need of a new heart, a heart of flesh that is pliable, able to be shaped by ( God's ) hand, rather than a hardened heart of stone that is not open to outside ( God's ) influence, and only able to be broken, or crushed in His judgment ( Romans 9:22, James 2:12 )!
The second problem that should immediately jump to our attention is also found in the Old Covenant Scriptures, in the book of Isaiah, chapter 55, verse 11;
'So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return void, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it”.
(Another reading of this passage might be; “So shall My Son do, that I send forth; He shall not return to Me empty, but shall fulfill the Purpose for which I send Him.” )
The problem, which I have outlined in these two passages, is this: since God must first grant us the 'new heart', which He told Old Covenant Israel through Ezekiel; 'I will', and since He sent forth His Word ( John 1:1-3 ), which will not return to Him void, or emptily/ineffectually: IF indeed, as some would posit; God's Word DOES return void for those who choose NOT to accept, or receive His wondrous Gift; we have a problem, and a very serious one at that, for we have called God a liar and His Word is not in us! ( I John 1:10 )
Now an argument that I've heard, with which some suppose to lessen the effect of Christ's sacrificial work of atonement and redemption on the cross, is “Christ came to die for sin”, which is true enough, I suppose; but that's a very vague statement, because God told Matthew to pen these words, in Matthew 1:21;
And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sin.”
Is it unreasonable to assume that 'His people' of Matthew 1:21 and 'the world' of John 3:16 are both speaking of the same people: are Matthew 1:21 and John 3:16 contradictory? God forbid!
I said before, that John 3:16 is also miserably misquoted often, by taking passages like Revelation 22:17 ( 'whoever desires, let him take of the Water of Life freely' ), and transcribing that, over passages like John 3:16, etc.
So; one might now be thinking, “What does this have to do with that?”, or, “What do all these reasonings have to do with the title that he's given to his paper?” Well; I'll tell you! If John 3:16 ( for example ) is telling us that God loved everybody in the whole wide world ( individually ) so much that He sent His only begotten Son to die for their sins ( meanwhile; in His omniscience knowing that some would reject Him, thus making His precious blood-sacrifice ineffectual for them ); that whoever chose to believe in Him, would not perish, but have eternal, everlasting life; then we not only have a simplistic Gospel: we have a very simplistic view of God, and the Love which He showed us in sending His Son to save HIS PEOPLE from their sins! If the aforementioned explanation is true; then we have a God who is impotent to effectually save us from our sins UNLESS we will believe in Him!
Here; I think, is a much simpler ( and plainer ) explanation of John 3:16, in the context of passages like Matthew 1:21:
“ For God so loved the world ( His people-Matthew 1:21 ) that He gave His only begotten Son ( Jesus ), that whoever ( 'His people'-Matthew 1:21, 'My sheep'-John 10:27 ) believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life ( eternal life-John 10:28 ).”
I think that the biggest mistake that some people make, is to look at passages like John 3:16, and, not only pull them out of their context ( the context of Scripture-comparing Scripture with Scripture ), but they attach a 21st century, English meaning to it!
By reading ( out of context ) passages like John 3:16, “For God so loved the world........”, one could easily assume that God DID send His Son to shed His precious blood for the sins of every individual person on planet earth, but when read in context with passages like Luke 1:21 and John 10:27 ( for instance ), we plainly see that God did not send Him for the purpose of dieing for EVERYONE'S sins, but only for those of His people, or His sheep, especially when read in the light of Isaiah 55:11!
When I speak of simplicity being the strength of the Gospel message; I'm not talking so much of the plainness of the message, but of the simplicity which is inherent in the Gospel.
He says, in Micah 6:8;
“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before your God.”
Compare this with Hosea 6:6;
“For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”
Compare this again, with Christ's words to the Pharisees, in Matthew 12:7;
“But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice', you would not have condemned the guiltless.”
Compare this once again with His words in Matthew 23:23 ( also to the Pharisees );
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, but have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.”
Yes; it is important that we make the right choice, as Joshua said, in Joshua 24:14 and 15;
“Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
As Jesus said, in Matthew 23:13; it is MORE important that we serve Him, as Joshua also said, by dispensing justice and mercy to our brother, thus proving, or showing our faith in and commitment to Him! Jesus told them ( and tells us ) that these things ( justice, mercy, and a saving knowledge of God ) are the weightier matters of the Law, rather than 'simply', or woodenly, obeying it's plain precepts! Now, this may not sound like such a simple thing to do ( show justice and mercy to our brother ), sometimes; but I find simplicity ( and comfort ) in the fact that God gives us, through the 'new heart' that He promised in Ezekiel, the ability to choose the right, to show mercy toward our brother, and to know Him; but also in the fact that He promises, in Ezekiel 36 that “I will”, and also, in speaking of this New Covenant; in Jeremiah 31:31-34:
'Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-not according to the covenant which I made with your fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts: and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord', for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
Here again, we should notice the prevalence of the 'I will' statement, thus putting it ALL on God, and off of our ( rather their ) feeble shoulders,and not to say that we shouldn't strive to show mercy and justice to our brother; but God has forgiven our sins, and forgotten our iniquities; that we might be free to show justice and mercy to our brother, for we are recipients of His great Justice and Mercy ( I John 4:19, Matthew 6:12 )!
The simplicity of this message is also that we have God's perfect law written in our minds ( consciences ) and on our hearts, rather than on tablets of stone ( or on scrolls of papyrus-as the case may be ) which are rigid, and immovable. The simple fact that, in the New Covenant; God, rather than the law written in stone, and certain men-even ourselves, is our Teacher: should be of the greatest comfort to us; Jesus said, in John 6:45;
“It is written in the Prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God'. Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.”
The prophetic utterance that Jesus spoke of is in Isaiah 54:13, where God spoke these words concerning the inhabitants, or inheritors, of the New Covenant;
“All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.”
No longer 'must' we worry about obeying every precept, following every 'jot and tittle', and teaching our brother to do the same. Christ did it all for us! He fulfilled the 'handwriting of requirements' that was set in stone; that He might become for us the 'law written in our hearts'! In John 13:34, Jesus gave us a new commandment;
“A new command I give you, that you love one another; As I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
John further writes, in I John 3:14;
“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.”
He tells us, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God; that, not only does our love for the brethren show us that God has forgiven our iniquities and forgotten our sin, it also shows us proof that we are saved! How simple is that?!
I mentioned previously how some people attach a 21st century English ( or American ) meaning to passages like John 3:16. What I meant by that, is that some forget the fact that, not only were these words penned centuries, even millennia ago; but that they were originally penned in the Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic languages, to a Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew audience! Others might call this 'audience relevance'. Although this is not to say that these Scriptures are not somehow applicable for 'us' today, I think we can safely say that the hope that Jesus gave His contemporaries in passages like Matthew 10:23, 16:28, 24:34, Revelation 1:1-3, 22:6,7,12, and 20, were realized by His generation ( else, as above; we make Him a liar ), and are for us in the sense that we can have a greater peace knowing ( realizing ) that our salvation is complete!
Paul, in his letter to the Roman church, penned these words, in the context of the more immediate command to love each other;
“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed”
The writer to the Hebrews corroborates this, in Hebrews 9:28;
“So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”
To get to the point of what I am saying: if the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which Paul said, “ was preached to every creature under heaven”, thus fulfilling Jesus' words in Matthew 24:14;
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world, as a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come.”:
has NOT been fulfilled ( ie., Christ has not fulfilled His promises yet ); then we still await our full redemption and salvation! Now; wouldn't it just be simpler ( and a whole lot easier, theologically speaking ) to believe that Christ did what He said, when He said He would; rather than trying to apply all those promises to some future generation, thus implying that Christ, John, Paul and the apostles were all wrong, or simply mistaken about these things; or coming up with ( wrangling ) a whole system of theology to try to prove that He really didn't mean what He said ( audience relevance )?
As always, I recommend ( plead with you, really ) that you not simply take my word for it, but that you be a Berean, and 'search the Scriptures daily, to see if these things are so'!
In His ( fulfilled ) Kingdom,
and to His Glory,
Charles Shank
I think that the strength of the Gospel message is, first and foremost; it's simplicity: Believe and receive! Sounds simple enough; does it not? But wait: it gets even better!
Probably THE most familiar verse that people use for evangelistic purposes is John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
This is probably also one of the most misused and misquoted verses in the Gospels! How is it misused; you may ask? First of all, Jesus told Nicodemus ( I assume that He was still speaking with just Nicodemus ) that 'whoever believes' would inherit eternal life, right? This verse is most often used to convey the idea that it is ALL dependent upon our choice ( true, to a point ); IF only we would believe, then our belief would make the love of God, for which cause He sent His Son to die on the cross ( for the ( whole ) world ), effectual ( for us? )!
The first problem that we should see with this idea, is found in the Old Testament Scriptures, or rather, the Old Covenant Scriptures; in Jeremiah 17:9:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?
This is also a well known and oft-quoted ( not as often as it used to be, I think ) verse, and, in context, is speaking of the vanity of the man who trusts in his own worthiness to accomplish his own deliverance, or salvation! Now, I know that in the immediate context, Jeremiah is speaking to his own people, the Israelites, but I think that, as typical of men, as a whole, this applies to un-believers today as well as yesterday.
One of my favorite passages pertaining to this subject ( the 'heart' of salvation, you might say ), is Ezekiel 36:25-27, but for our purpose here, I'll only quote verse 26:
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
Two things immediately jump to attention here: first, 'I ( God ) will' is a statement that is most prevalent throughout; and two, this passage speaks of the need of a new heart, a heart of flesh that is pliable, able to be shaped by ( God's ) hand, rather than a hardened heart of stone that is not open to outside ( God's ) influence, and only able to be broken, or crushed in His judgment ( Romans 9:22, James 2:12 )!
The second problem that should immediately jump to our attention is also found in the Old Covenant Scriptures, in the book of Isaiah, chapter 55, verse 11;
'So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return void, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it”.
(Another reading of this passage might be; “So shall My Son do, that I send forth; He shall not return to Me empty, but shall fulfill the Purpose for which I send Him.” )
The problem, which I have outlined in these two passages, is this: since God must first grant us the 'new heart', which He told Old Covenant Israel through Ezekiel; 'I will', and since He sent forth His Word ( John 1:1-3 ), which will not return to Him void, or emptily/ineffectually: IF indeed, as some would posit; God's Word DOES return void for those who choose NOT to accept, or receive His wondrous Gift; we have a problem, and a very serious one at that, for we have called God a liar and His Word is not in us! ( I John 1:10 )
Now an argument that I've heard, with which some suppose to lessen the effect of Christ's sacrificial work of atonement and redemption on the cross, is “Christ came to die for sin”, which is true enough, I suppose; but that's a very vague statement, because God told Matthew to pen these words, in Matthew 1:21;
And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sin.”
Is it unreasonable to assume that 'His people' of Matthew 1:21 and 'the world' of John 3:16 are both speaking of the same people: are Matthew 1:21 and John 3:16 contradictory? God forbid!
I said before, that John 3:16 is also miserably misquoted often, by taking passages like Revelation 22:17 ( 'whoever desires, let him take of the Water of Life freely' ), and transcribing that, over passages like John 3:16, etc.
So; one might now be thinking, “What does this have to do with that?”, or, “What do all these reasonings have to do with the title that he's given to his paper?” Well; I'll tell you! If John 3:16 ( for example ) is telling us that God loved everybody in the whole wide world ( individually ) so much that He sent His only begotten Son to die for their sins ( meanwhile; in His omniscience knowing that some would reject Him, thus making His precious blood-sacrifice ineffectual for them ); that whoever chose to believe in Him, would not perish, but have eternal, everlasting life; then we not only have a simplistic Gospel: we have a very simplistic view of God, and the Love which He showed us in sending His Son to save HIS PEOPLE from their sins! If the aforementioned explanation is true; then we have a God who is impotent to effectually save us from our sins UNLESS we will believe in Him!
Here; I think, is a much simpler ( and plainer ) explanation of John 3:16, in the context of passages like Matthew 1:21:
“ For God so loved the world ( His people-Matthew 1:21 ) that He gave His only begotten Son ( Jesus ), that whoever ( 'His people'-Matthew 1:21, 'My sheep'-John 10:27 ) believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life ( eternal life-John 10:28 ).”
I think that the biggest mistake that some people make, is to look at passages like John 3:16, and, not only pull them out of their context ( the context of Scripture-comparing Scripture with Scripture ), but they attach a 21st century, English meaning to it!
By reading ( out of context ) passages like John 3:16, “For God so loved the world........”, one could easily assume that God DID send His Son to shed His precious blood for the sins of every individual person on planet earth, but when read in context with passages like Luke 1:21 and John 10:27 ( for instance ), we plainly see that God did not send Him for the purpose of dieing for EVERYONE'S sins, but only for those of His people, or His sheep, especially when read in the light of Isaiah 55:11!
When I speak of simplicity being the strength of the Gospel message; I'm not talking so much of the plainness of the message, but of the simplicity which is inherent in the Gospel.
He says, in Micah 6:8;
“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before your God.”
Compare this with Hosea 6:6;
“For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”
Compare this again, with Christ's words to the Pharisees, in Matthew 12:7;
“But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice', you would not have condemned the guiltless.”
Compare this once again with His words in Matthew 23:23 ( also to the Pharisees );
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, but have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.”
Yes; it is important that we make the right choice, as Joshua said, in Joshua 24:14 and 15;
“Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
As Jesus said, in Matthew 23:13; it is MORE important that we serve Him, as Joshua also said, by dispensing justice and mercy to our brother, thus proving, or showing our faith in and commitment to Him! Jesus told them ( and tells us ) that these things ( justice, mercy, and a saving knowledge of God ) are the weightier matters of the Law, rather than 'simply', or woodenly, obeying it's plain precepts! Now, this may not sound like such a simple thing to do ( show justice and mercy to our brother ), sometimes; but I find simplicity ( and comfort ) in the fact that God gives us, through the 'new heart' that He promised in Ezekiel, the ability to choose the right, to show mercy toward our brother, and to know Him; but also in the fact that He promises, in Ezekiel 36 that “I will”, and also, in speaking of this New Covenant; in Jeremiah 31:31-34:
'Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-not according to the covenant which I made with your fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts: and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord', for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
Here again, we should notice the prevalence of the 'I will' statement, thus putting it ALL on God, and off of our ( rather their ) feeble shoulders,and not to say that we shouldn't strive to show mercy and justice to our brother; but God has forgiven our sins, and forgotten our iniquities; that we might be free to show justice and mercy to our brother, for we are recipients of His great Justice and Mercy ( I John 4:19, Matthew 6:12 )!
The simplicity of this message is also that we have God's perfect law written in our minds ( consciences ) and on our hearts, rather than on tablets of stone ( or on scrolls of papyrus-as the case may be ) which are rigid, and immovable. The simple fact that, in the New Covenant; God, rather than the law written in stone, and certain men-even ourselves, is our Teacher: should be of the greatest comfort to us; Jesus said, in John 6:45;
“It is written in the Prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God'. Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.”
The prophetic utterance that Jesus spoke of is in Isaiah 54:13, where God spoke these words concerning the inhabitants, or inheritors, of the New Covenant;
“All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.”
No longer 'must' we worry about obeying every precept, following every 'jot and tittle', and teaching our brother to do the same. Christ did it all for us! He fulfilled the 'handwriting of requirements' that was set in stone; that He might become for us the 'law written in our hearts'! In John 13:34, Jesus gave us a new commandment;
“A new command I give you, that you love one another; As I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
John further writes, in I John 3:14;
“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.”
He tells us, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God; that, not only does our love for the brethren show us that God has forgiven our iniquities and forgotten our sin, it also shows us proof that we are saved! How simple is that?!
I mentioned previously how some people attach a 21st century English ( or American ) meaning to passages like John 3:16. What I meant by that, is that some forget the fact that, not only were these words penned centuries, even millennia ago; but that they were originally penned in the Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic languages, to a Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew audience! Others might call this 'audience relevance'. Although this is not to say that these Scriptures are not somehow applicable for 'us' today, I think we can safely say that the hope that Jesus gave His contemporaries in passages like Matthew 10:23, 16:28, 24:34, Revelation 1:1-3, 22:6,7,12, and 20, were realized by His generation ( else, as above; we make Him a liar ), and are for us in the sense that we can have a greater peace knowing ( realizing ) that our salvation is complete!
Paul, in his letter to the Roman church, penned these words, in the context of the more immediate command to love each other;
“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed”
The writer to the Hebrews corroborates this, in Hebrews 9:28;
“So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”
To get to the point of what I am saying: if the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which Paul said, “ was preached to every creature under heaven”, thus fulfilling Jesus' words in Matthew 24:14;
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world, as a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come.”:
has NOT been fulfilled ( ie., Christ has not fulfilled His promises yet ); then we still await our full redemption and salvation! Now; wouldn't it just be simpler ( and a whole lot easier, theologically speaking ) to believe that Christ did what He said, when He said He would; rather than trying to apply all those promises to some future generation, thus implying that Christ, John, Paul and the apostles were all wrong, or simply mistaken about these things; or coming up with ( wrangling ) a whole system of theology to try to prove that He really didn't mean what He said ( audience relevance )?
As always, I recommend ( plead with you, really ) that you not simply take my word for it, but that you be a Berean, and 'search the Scriptures daily, to see if these things are so'!
In His ( fulfilled ) Kingdom,
and to His Glory,
Charles Shank
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Chariots of Fire
I was reading through I Chronicles 28 this morning, and 'happened' upon verse 18; which reads, in desribing the preparations for the Temple furnishings:
" and refined gold by weight, for the altar of
incense, and for the construction of the
chariot, that is, the gold cherubim that spread
(their wings)and overshadowed the ark of the
covenant of the Lord."
When I read this; I immmediately thought of this passage, in II Kings 2, verse 11, describing the 'ascension' of Elijah:
"Then it happened, as they continued on and
talked; that suddenly a chariot of fire
(appeared ) with horses of fire, and separated
the two of them: and Elijah went up by a
whirlwind into heaven."
and this verse, from II Kings 6:
"And Elisha prayed, and said, 'Lord, I pray,
open his eyes that he may see.' Then the Lord
opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw.
And behold, the mountain was full of horses
and chariots of fire, all around Elisha."
I guess that my point is, that if, according to the passage in I Chronicles; the chariot of the Lord was simply the cherubim ( Strong's 3742-a cherub, or imaginary figure; Ungers Bible Dictionary says that they were vindicators ( or protectors?- my addition ) of God's holiness ) that overshadowed the ark of the covenant; were Elisha ( in I Kings 2 ) and his servant ( in II Kings 6 ) 'simply' given 'visions' ( glimpses ) of God's holiness, rather than what we have traditionally understood ( especially about II Kings 2 ); that Elijah was transported to Heaven ( John 3:13?? ) ?
just some thoughts
IN Christ,
Charles Shank
" and refined gold by weight, for the altar of
incense, and for the construction of the
chariot, that is, the gold cherubim that spread
(their wings)and overshadowed the ark of the
covenant of the Lord."
When I read this; I immmediately thought of this passage, in II Kings 2, verse 11, describing the 'ascension' of Elijah:
"Then it happened, as they continued on and
talked; that suddenly a chariot of fire
(appeared ) with horses of fire, and separated
the two of them: and Elijah went up by a
whirlwind into heaven."
and this verse, from II Kings 6:
"And Elisha prayed, and said, 'Lord, I pray,
open his eyes that he may see.' Then the Lord
opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw.
And behold, the mountain was full of horses
and chariots of fire, all around Elisha."
I guess that my point is, that if, according to the passage in I Chronicles; the chariot of the Lord was simply the cherubim ( Strong's 3742-a cherub, or imaginary figure; Ungers Bible Dictionary says that they were vindicators ( or protectors?- my addition ) of God's holiness ) that overshadowed the ark of the covenant; were Elisha ( in I Kings 2 ) and his servant ( in II Kings 6 ) 'simply' given 'visions' ( glimpses ) of God's holiness, rather than what we have traditionally understood ( especially about II Kings 2 ); that Elijah was transported to Heaven ( John 3:13?? ) ?
just some thoughts
IN Christ,
Charles Shank
Friday, March 23, 2007
The Prayer of Daniel ( edited for modern use by redeemed man )
The prayer of Daniel; the man of God
( edited for modern use )
O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments; we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your Word and Your Way.
Neither have we heeded Your servants who have spoken in Your name to our leaders and to us.
O Lord; righteousness belongs to You; but to this day, we are ashamed of our wickedness.
O Lord; to us belongs shame of face; to us and to our leaders, because we have sinned against You!
To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness ( praise Him!) ; although we have rebelled against Him, and are undeserving of that mercy and forgiveness.
We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God; to walk in His ways, after His Law, which He set before us by His Servant!
Yes; we have all sinned against Your Law; therefore the natural consequences of our sins have found us out, resulting in the trials and tribulations that we now experience.
And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and our leaders by bringing upon us these trials and tribulations; but even our current deserved troubles are nothing to be compared with the troubles that faced His Church of old ( Praise God! ) !
As it is written in Your Word; all these troubles have come upon us yet have we not laid our prayers before You, that we might turn from our iniquities and better understand Your Truth!
Therefore the Lord has kept the troubles in mind, and brought them upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in all that He does, even though we have not fully obeyed His Word!
And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of Egypt, and redeemed us through Your Son, Jesus Christ, for Your name's sake; we have sinned, we have done wickedly!
O Lord; according to all Your righteousness in Jesus Christ; let Your anger and fury be turned away from Your Church, from Your holy People, because for our sins and iniquities, Your Church has become a reproach to all those around us!
Now therefore, O Lord our God; hear the prayer of Your servant(s), and our supplications, and for Your own name's sake, cause Your face to shine upon your people, who have been troubled.
O our God; incline Your ear and hear, open Your eyes and see the troubles of this People which is called by Your name; for we do no present our prayers before You because of our own righteousness, but because of Your great Mercy!
O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive!O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for the sake of Your Church, and Your People who are called by Your Name! Amen!
( edited for modern use )
O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments; we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your Word and Your Way.
Neither have we heeded Your servants who have spoken in Your name to our leaders and to us.
O Lord; righteousness belongs to You; but to this day, we are ashamed of our wickedness.
O Lord; to us belongs shame of face; to us and to our leaders, because we have sinned against You!
To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness ( praise Him!) ; although we have rebelled against Him, and are undeserving of that mercy and forgiveness.
We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God; to walk in His ways, after His Law, which He set before us by His Servant!
Yes; we have all sinned against Your Law; therefore the natural consequences of our sins have found us out, resulting in the trials and tribulations that we now experience.
And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and our leaders by bringing upon us these trials and tribulations; but even our current deserved troubles are nothing to be compared with the troubles that faced His Church of old ( Praise God! ) !
As it is written in Your Word; all these troubles have come upon us yet have we not laid our prayers before You, that we might turn from our iniquities and better understand Your Truth!
Therefore the Lord has kept the troubles in mind, and brought them upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in all that He does, even though we have not fully obeyed His Word!
And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of Egypt, and redeemed us through Your Son, Jesus Christ, for Your name's sake; we have sinned, we have done wickedly!
O Lord; according to all Your righteousness in Jesus Christ; let Your anger and fury be turned away from Your Church, from Your holy People, because for our sins and iniquities, Your Church has become a reproach to all those around us!
Now therefore, O Lord our God; hear the prayer of Your servant(s), and our supplications, and for Your own name's sake, cause Your face to shine upon your people, who have been troubled.
O our God; incline Your ear and hear, open Your eyes and see the troubles of this People which is called by Your name; for we do no present our prayers before You because of our own righteousness, but because of Your great Mercy!
O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive!O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for the sake of Your Church, and Your People who are called by Your Name! Amen!
Friday, March 16, 2007
'How Great Thou Art' a preteristic revision ( 4th verse )
O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
Since Christ has come, with shout of acclamation,
And taken me home, such joy has filled my heart.
And so I bow, in humble adoration,
And now proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"
Now my soul sings, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Now my soul sings, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
Since Christ has come, with shout of acclamation,
And taken me home, such joy has filled my heart.
And so I bow, in humble adoration,
And now proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"
Now my soul sings, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Now my soul sings, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
Saturday, February 17, 2007
The One True Church-author unknown
"THE ONE TRUE CHURCH"
ONE Sabbath morn I roamed astray,
And asked a Pilgrim for the way:
"O tell me, whither shall I search,
That I may find the one true Church
He answered, "Search the world around;
The one true Church is never found.
Yon ivy on the abbey wall,
Makes fair the falsest Church of all."
But, fearing he had told me wrong,
I cried, "Behold the entering throng!"
He answered, "If a Church be true,
It hath not many, but a few.
Still following where the highway led,
Till elms made arches overhead,
We saw a spire and weathercock,
And snow-white church upon a rock-
A rock, where centuries before,
Came sea-tossed pilgrims to the shore.
My sandals straightway I unbound,
Because the place was holy ground.
I cried, "One church at last I find,
That fetters not the human mind."
"This church," said he, "is like the rest;
For all are good, but none is best."
Then far from every church we strayed-
Save Nature's pillared aisles of shade.
The squirrels ran to see us pass,
And God's sweet breath was on the grass.
I challenged all the creeds, and sought
What truth, or lie, or both, they taught.
I asked, "Had Augustine a fault?"
The Pilgrim gazed at heaven's high vault,
And answered, "Can a mortal eye
Contain the sphere of all the sky?"
I said, "The circle is too wide."
"God's truth is wider!" he replied.
"Though Augustine was on his knee,
He saw, how, little he could see;
Though Luther sought with burning heart,
He caught the glory but in part;
Though Calvin opened wide his soul,
He comprehended not the whole.
Not Luther, Calvin, Augustine,
Saw visions such as I have seen."
While yet he spake, a rapture stole
Through all my still inquiring soul.
I looked upon His holy brow,
Entreating, "Tell me, who art THOU?"
But such a splendor filled the place,
I knew it was the Lord's own face!
I was a sinner. and afraid!
I knelt in dust, and thus I prayed:
"O Christ, the Lord! end Thou my search,
And lead me to the one true Church"
He spake as never man may speak-
"The one true Church thou shalt not seek,
Seek thou, forevermore, instead,
To find the one true Christ, its Head!"
The Lord then vanished from my sight,
And left me standing in the light.
ONE Sabbath morn I roamed astray,
And asked a Pilgrim for the way:
"O tell me, whither shall I search,
That I may find the one true Church
He answered, "Search the world around;
The one true Church is never found.
Yon ivy on the abbey wall,
Makes fair the falsest Church of all."
But, fearing he had told me wrong,
I cried, "Behold the entering throng!"
He answered, "If a Church be true,
It hath not many, but a few.
Still following where the highway led,
Till elms made arches overhead,
We saw a spire and weathercock,
And snow-white church upon a rock-
A rock, where centuries before,
Came sea-tossed pilgrims to the shore.
My sandals straightway I unbound,
Because the place was holy ground.
I cried, "One church at last I find,
That fetters not the human mind."
"This church," said he, "is like the rest;
For all are good, but none is best."
Then far from every church we strayed-
Save Nature's pillared aisles of shade.
The squirrels ran to see us pass,
And God's sweet breath was on the grass.
I challenged all the creeds, and sought
What truth, or lie, or both, they taught.
I asked, "Had Augustine a fault?"
The Pilgrim gazed at heaven's high vault,
And answered, "Can a mortal eye
Contain the sphere of all the sky?"
I said, "The circle is too wide."
"God's truth is wider!" he replied.
"Though Augustine was on his knee,
He saw, how, little he could see;
Though Luther sought with burning heart,
He caught the glory but in part;
Though Calvin opened wide his soul,
He comprehended not the whole.
Not Luther, Calvin, Augustine,
Saw visions such as I have seen."
While yet he spake, a rapture stole
Through all my still inquiring soul.
I looked upon His holy brow,
Entreating, "Tell me, who art THOU?"
But such a splendor filled the place,
I knew it was the Lord's own face!
I was a sinner. and afraid!
I knelt in dust, and thus I prayed:
"O Christ, the Lord! end Thou my search,
And lead me to the one true Church"
He spake as never man may speak-
"The one true Church thou shalt not seek,
Seek thou, forevermore, instead,
To find the one true Christ, its Head!"
The Lord then vanished from my sight,
And left me standing in the light.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Father Knows Best
Father Knows Best
God IS my refuge and my strength!
For comfort to His Word I flee;
His presence is ever with me,
and He meets my every need!
I know that His promises are sure,
For thus He tells me, in His Word!
I thank Him every day,
that He is My Father,
and even though,
things don't always go 'my' way,
I know that He hears me when I pray;
because Father does indeed, know best!
God IS my refuge and my strength!
For comfort to His Word I flee;
His presence is ever with me,
and He meets my every need!
I know that His promises are sure,
For thus He tells me, in His Word!
I thank Him every day,
that He is My Father,
and even though,
things don't always go 'my' way,
I know that He hears me when I pray;
because Father does indeed, know best!
Thursday, January 18, 2007
The Meaning of 'Life'
The Meaning of 'Life'
A man that I was working for at the time, about 15 or so years ago; asked me, kinda out of the blue, one day, “Charlie; what IS the meaning of life?”. Without really thinking about it, because at that time, I wasn't as mature as today; I replied; “Jesus is the meaning of Life!”. Looking back at that statement today, and thinking of the profundity and brevity of it, I can't help thinking, “where did that come from?”, but it is obvious to me, that God was guiding my steps from day one!
“What is the meaning of life?” is a well-worn phrase that many people, from all walks of life, have asked themselves, and others, over the course of the years. It it a question that, in all it's deeper meaning, could have 'eternal' consequences!
The Bible, I think that most of us would agree, seems to say that in Jesus only, is 'life' to be found!
Maybe the better question would be, and this is the subject of this paper; “What is life?”! Is 'life' simply physical existence; is it blood coursing through the veins, being pumped by a beating heart? Or is 'life' a spiritual reality, which comes only through a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ?
I've said, in a previous paper, that I thought that national, physical ( after the flesh ) Israel was 'simply' a picture, or type, of the true 'Israel of God'! This statement was not meant, in any way, to demean the 'real' molding and making of the aforementioned people into His special people ( I Peter 1:7 ); for as Paul tells the church in Rome
( Romans 9:6 ), “ they are not all Israel ( spiritual, of God ) who are of Israel ( physical )”!
In the same way, the statement that I'm about to make, is not in any way to demean the trials and tribulations of this physical life; but I now believe that this physical life is 'simply' a picture, or type; of the spiritual life that only Christians have in Jesus!
Some may object to this, by saying, “ Well, even unbelievers have life”! I agree, but only on the 'physical' plane, and would even go so far as to say, with Paul, in Romans 7:9-11 and 8:10, 11; that physical life without Christ, is nothing but death! Paul further says, in I Timothy 5:6; that “she who lives in pleasure ( ie., for herself ) is dead while she lives”!
As you may have noticed; 'typology' has influenced me greatly in my writings, especially in the last few years! Typologically, therefore, I see this physical 'life' as a picture of the greater, spiritual 'life' in the same way that the 'Lord's Supper' or water baptism 'can' serve as a physical pictures of an inward spiritual reality!
According to Paul-Romans 6
In the first installment, I showed you what I think the meaning of 'life' is; now, let's take a look at what the apostle Paul thought it was.
In verse 4 of Romans chapter 6; Paul seems to equate righteousness with life.
“ Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in newness of life”.
This is what I like to term, a 'biblical parellelism'; you see this a lot in Scripture, especially in the Psalms, but as I continue to read and study the Scriptures, I'm noticing it more and more everywhere!
Some might take the next verse; and I must admit that I was one of those, to be saying that we will be ( physically ) raised from the ( physically ) dead, like Christ admittedly was, but I think that, taken in the context of the spiritual reality that Scripture is meant to portray; Paul is merely echoing what he just intimated in the previous verse!
“For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.
I don't think that Paul is here saying that if we have been baptized with water, we will ( or they would ) be resurrected in their physical bodies, like Christ was, but that if they had 'experienced' the baptism of the Holy Spirit, then they would also 'experience' the resurrection to Life, that Christ promised in John 14:6!
Paul ties the previous thoughts, in verses 4 and 5, together very nicely in verse 6;
“know this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin”.
Our 'old man', ie., our 'former conversation', or, way of life, was put to death ( buried ) with Him, or through Him, so that we may walk in newness of life, as 'slaves to Christ' ( 'we are not under Law, but under Grace' ), rather than slaves to sin!
Rather than give an exposition of the whole chapter, which maybe I should, but that is not my purpose here; I'll skip down to verse 11;
“Likewise, you also reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God, in Christ Jesus”.
I think that Paul is just reiterating his thoughts, by telling them, in other words, “work out your own salvation”, ie., prove it, show it, act like you believe, or 'practice what you preach'!
Paul ends chapter six, by saying that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”!
Romans 7
Paul, in verse 4 of chapter 7, re-articulates what he told the Roman church in verse 11 of chapter 6;
“Therefore my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another- to Him who was raised from the dead, that you may bear fruit to God.”
Again, it's hard not to give a full exposition here, but I believe that Paul is simply saying, as above, that we have died and been buried with Christ, to sin, that we may be married to, or placed 'under' another, and that our bearing fruit is a 'sign of life'!
Moving on, to verses 9 through 11; which are a bit hard to understand, I think, Paul writes;
I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 9 and the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death, 11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it, killed me”.
I think that Paul here, is speaking of Adam the progenitor of the race, in a corporate sense, as a son of Adam; when he says that 'I was alive, once, without sin' Lets go back for a bit and see where he might get this idea from; In verse 8 of chapter 3 of Genesis, Moses implies, because it is not recorded here, that God had been used to walking in the midst of the Garden, presumably with Adam and Eve, yet on this particular day, the day of the Fall; they tried to hide from the presence of the Lord!
Now; I said all that, to say this; Adam, from all appearances, and from tradition, was created without sin, yet, reading back in verses 16 and 17 of chapter 2, we see that God gave him one simple command, 'Don't eat', and Paul tells us that when this command came, sin revived, as recorded in chapter 3 and he died, and through him; all his progeny, including Paul!
Paul goes on to ask, in verses 13 and 14, whether the Law had become death; but answers his own question by stating that the Law was good, and that his sin was 'proved' by the Law, to be just what it was;' exceeding sin'! He explains why the Law was incompatible with his human nature; it was of a 'spiritual' nature, while his was a 'carnal' one!
When Paul lamentably asks, in verse 24, 'who will deliver me from this body of death?' , he answers his own question, again, by saying that Christ has, so that 'with the mind, he would serve the Law of God, but with the flesh, or the body, the law of sin.
Romans 8
We are all well aware that 'there is therefore now no condemnation those who are in Christ Jesus, to those who do no walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit ( of life )', which has 'set us free from the law of sin and death' as Paul writes in Romans 8:1 and 2.
In verse 5 here, Paul seems to differentiate between those who live according to the flesh, and those who live according to the Spirit, as, in other words, do David and Solomon, in the Psalm and the Proverbs and the book of Ecclesiastes.
In verse 6, however Paul comes to the point, I believe, when he says;
“For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace!
I think what Paul is saying here, as in other places, is that for one to 'set their mind on the things of the flesh', or to live in, or for pleasure is nothing but ( spiritual ) death, even while one is ( physically ) alive.
In verse 10 of this chapter, Paul writes, after clearing up a seeming contradiction-that 'those who are in the flesh cannot please God', but that we are 'not in the flesh, but in the Spirit';
“And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life, because of righteousness”.
I think that the following verse is one passage that some like to point to for 'proof' for a physical resurrection:
“But if the spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you”
but I believe that, taken in context, not only with chapter 8 here, but also with the rest of what Scripture has to say on the resurrection; Paul is merely saying that God would, or had, given life to those who walk according to the Spirit ( those 'in' Christ ) , rather than those who live according to the flesh!
Paul further says, in verse 13 ( echoing the words of Christ in Matthew 16:25 ); that those who live according to the flesh will die, and that those who, by the Spirit, put to death the deeds of the body, they will live, cementing, or reiterating what he had said in the previous verse, and elsewhere in his writings, that if you live for yourself; it's not really life, but death: The only way to truly live, is in the Spirit!
Romans 14:17
“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”
Just one quick note on this passage: Paul intimates, indeed almost outright proclaims, as Jesus does in Luke 17:21 and John 18:36; that the kingdom of God does not consist of physical things, like eating and drinking, but of spiritual realities like righteousness through Christ alone ( Isaiah 64:6 ) and peace and joy!
I Corinthians 15
Again; this most famous of resurrection passages could bear a more thorough exegesis, but for the present; I will just make a few comments.
22 “For as in Adam all die, even so, in Christ, all shall be made alive”.
I think, rather than a physical meaning; Paul has a more spiritual meaning in mind, because he is echoing what he said back in Romans 8, verse 10, that our body ( flesh ) is dead because of sin, but we are made alive in the Spirit, once again emphasizing that the spiritual reality is of more import than the physical!
33 “Do not be deceived; evil company corrupts good habits”
34 “Awake to righteousness and do not sin.....................”
For the longest time, these two verses had me 'hornswaggled'; 'Why”, I asked myself, 'are these two verses smack-dab in the middle of a resurrection passage?'
When I began to look at things from a more spiritual point of view, taking my focus off the physical, I realized that these two verses are the turning point, or the point of differentiation, between Paul's discussion of Christ's physical resurrection, and our spiritual resurrection!
I believe that Paul is saying, not unlike what we've already seen; is that our resurrection, being the 'greater work' maybe, that Jesus talked about, in John 14:12, is also a realization, or awareness, within ourselves, that our righteousness, as Isaiah mentioned previously, won't 'cut it', but that we must awaken to the Righteousness that comes only through faith in Christ!
Skipping ahead to verse 42; Paul tells us that, “the body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption”.
Now, I know that a lot of people, including me, up until a couple of years ago, take this passage, and others like it, to be indicative of a physical resurrection, but I think that, when taken in the context of passages like Romans 8:6-10, and in Paul's other writings on this subject; it's fairly obvious, to me anyway, that he is speaking more of spiritual corruption, with which Old Covenant Israel was rife, rather than of our corruptible, physical bodies.
He goes on, in the next few verses, to reiterate this fact, using more of that 'biblical parallelism' I was talking about, and ending up in verse 44, saying that, “it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body', and verse 45, saying that “the first man Adam became a living being, the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.”
Just a few notes on verse 44 and 45 before we go on: while traditionally, the phrase 'it is sown', is taken to mean that of our physical bodies, at death, being buried; I think that if we take a closer look at Paul's usage of the physical imagery of sowing seeds in the ground, the seed dieing, and then becoming something better, in verses 36 through 38, and his overall principle ( from verse 46 ) of 'first the natural, and afterward the spiritual'; we'll see that he is simply pointing out the fact that we 'must be born again' as Jesus pointed out in John 3!
II Corinthians 2
Beginning in verse 15; Paul is pointing out the difference between the believer and the unbeliever, or as Solomon points out so often in the Proverbs, the 'wise man' and 'the fool'.
“For we are to God, the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to the one, we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life.”
Paul's point here, I think, besides obvious allusions, once again, to John 3; is first of all, that we are witnesses to all men, and second, that the physical life, lived without Christ, is no life at all, but is simply a spiritually dead person, headed for an irrevocably final death!
Galatians 2
20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Here; Paul is simply echoing what he said back in Romans 6:4-6 and 11, and reiterating, in other words, what he wrote in Romans 7:17-23, that it is not in the flesh that we really and truly experience life, although I'm sure some would argue that point with me, but that we only experience true Life through the Way, the Truth, and the Life; Christ Jesus!
Ephesians 5
14 “Therefore He says, ' Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light'.”
Again, this passage may be taken in a physical sense, to be referring to a 'bodily' resurrection, and indeed Paul uses the language of Daniel 12:2 and Isaiah 26:19, but when taken in, not only the immediate, but of the rest of his writings; Paul is simply repeating what he has been saying all along, and I believe, what I've written in a previous paper; that our awakening from sleep, or rising from the dead, is merely speaking of the greater spiritual reality of being transformed, or changed, into His image, once again, and seeking His Righteousness, rather than our own, which is, as Isaiah says; are 'as filthy rags'!
Philippians 3
8 “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for who I have suffered the loss of all thing, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if by any means, I may attain to the resurrection of the dead.”
This statement, in the context of the chapter, comes directly after Paul's bit of 'boasting' that he feels compelled to do, in light, I think, of Solomon's advice in Proverbs 26:5, and tells us that we should count all of our physical accomplishments, or inheritance as useless, in order to 'walk in newness of life', in Christ Jesus, and the glory of our spiritual inheritance, or life, in Him!
In the last two verses that I've quoted; Paul is again equating our attainment of the righteousness of Christ with life, not that Paul had already attained, or been perfected, but, as he says in verse 12, “I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has already laid hold of me', that is, life, and that more abundant!
Colossians 2
11 “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.”
While this passage may not ordinarily be though of as a resurrection passage; I would argue that it is plainly as much so as I Corinthians 15, in that Paul reiterates here what he said already in Romans and I Corinthians, that we if we were buried ( as Paul puts it, 'since' ) with Christ, through baptism into His death ( think of the connotations of that! ), we have ( already ) been raised with Him!
According to Jesus & John
Matthew 4:4
“But He answered and said, It is written 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God'.”
The context of this statement being, of course, the temptation by the devil in the wilderness; this was Jesus' answer to the temptation to turn stones into bread, since He had fasted for forty days prior to, and in preparation for, this first recorded temptation that Jesus underwent during His human existence.
The temptation, as not just a human being, but also God, with the power to turn a mere stone into bread, for which He obviously would have been craving by this time, would have been great; but, not only did Jesus answer His tempter with Scripture, but reminded him that a man's life does not consist of physical things, like bread, but of spiritual truth, the word of God!
Matthew 6:25
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about what you will eat or what you will drink: nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”
This quote comes in the midst of Jesus' famous 'Sermon on the Mount', and just prior to the equally famous 'Seek first the Kingdom' statement. I think that when Jesus said that life is more than food and the body more than clothing; He was saying that, not only will our heavenly Father supply all our needs, when we focus on His (spiritual ) Kingdom, but also emphasizes the fact, as I've mentioned before, and will again; that true life is not physical existence, upkept by such physical things as food, drink, and clothing, but true life consists of seeking first His ( spiritual ) Kingdom, and His Righteousness!
Matthew 9:24 & John 11:11
“He said to them, 'Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping'.”
“These things He said, and after that, He said to them, 'Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up'.”
I have a few comments that I could make here, but begging your pardon; I would like instead, to pose you a question;
Why did Jesus, in both of these passages, say that these people were not dead, but sleeping?
Matthew 10:28
“And do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. But rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell”.
Jesus, in the context of this fearful, and yet comforting statement, is speaking to His twelve disciples before He sent them out to propagate His Word, and is simply reminding them, in my opinion, that their enemies could take their physical lives, but that they could never take their true life, or their soul; only the Creator, God, could do that!
Matthew 12:31 & 32
31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men,” 32 “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come.”
This passage, while wholly applicable only to His 1st century audience; tells me that forgiveness is synonymous with true life, while the lack thereof, as He says in the latter parts of verse 31 and 32, is death! This is reiterated in chapter 18, verses 34 and 35.
Matthew 16:25
“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it”.
In this passage, Jesus echoed what He had previously said in chapter 10, verse 39, immediately following His injunction to 'take up your cross, and follow Me'. In context then, He is instructing those who would truly live: to deny, or put to death, their selfish ambitions, and to follow after Him, and His righteousness, as He said in verse 33 of chapter 6 of Matthew!
Matthew 18:8 & 9
8 “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, than having two, to be cast into hell fire.”
These two verses, besides being enigmatic and hard to understand; are probably among the most grossly mis-interpreted! If one was to apply literal, and traditional, meaning to these verses, not only do we see a somewhat sadistic picture of our loving Father, but we also have a conundrum before us; if we truly would follow Christ, and truly live; we must NEVER sin again, or else start chopping of those body parts that lead us to sin!
No; I'm not condoning suicide, or even self-mutilation ( as some I think, have ignorantly done ); I am saying, along with Christ and Paul, that we must put to death the deeds of the body, or we will never enter into true life, in Christ!
John 3:5 & 6
5 “Jesus answered, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
This statement Jesus made in answer to Nicodemus' question of how a man could be reborn. Nicodemus' question, as I've treated in another paper, was based upon his focus upon the things of this life, or the physical; and Jesus was telling him that, as He is recorded in the Matthew passage that was previously mentioned, as saying, 'Is life not more than food and the body more than clothing?', life does not consist merely of the physical aspects of 'this' life, but of the spiritual aspects of being born of the Spirit, to new life in Christ, where we take up our cross daily, and continually put to death the deeds of the body!
John 4:10, 13 & 14
10 “ Jesus answered and said to her, 'If you knew the gift of God,, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink',you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water”
13 “Jesus answered and said to her, 'Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water, springing up into everlasting life.”
These statements of Jesus', of course, come at the beginning of His discourse with and to, the woman at the well in Samaria. This woman, as we can see, had the same problem 'seeing' as Nicodemus did, in the previous chapter. She thought, at first, that this was a mere man, a Jew no less, that was saying that He could draw physical, material water from same well, or another even; that would quench a man's thirst for the rest of his physical life, but Jesus was telling her, as He told Nicodemus, that the water that He was speaking of was not mere 'water' like that which men could draw from a well, but that this 'water' was in fact, the gift of God, Himself!
Jesus goes on to say, as later in the Scriptures, that this 'water', or Gift of God would become a fountain of life within him, not only implying that he who received this Gift would inherit eternal ( spiritual ) life, but in my opinion, that this 'water of Life' would become in him a 'fountain of Life' to the 'world', or those whom God has given to the Son out of the 'world, those for whom Christ prayed, in John 17!
John 5:21, 24 & 25
21 “For as the Father raises the dead, and gives life to them, even so, the Son gives life to whom He will.”
In the first verse that I've quoted here, I was thinking that there could be a little of that 'first the physical, then the spiritual' connection going on here, but upon further reflection, I think that it's just another case of 'biblical parallelism', although I think that the idea that God's raising of the physically dead, from the widow's son ( of Zarephath ) to Lazarus to Jesus; was a 'type' of the spiritual resurrection that we 'experience' when we are born again from above, of and by the Spirit!
24 “Most assuredly I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. 25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.”
Jesus reiterates here, what He said in the last passage that I quoted; that those who receive the Gift of God, seek after His righteousness, and follow His commands, or Word, will have the true life, the life that never ends, for, as He says above, we have 'passed from ( spiritual ) death to ( spiritual ) life!
This may belong to another paper, but Jesus' words in the last verse ( 25 ); tell us plainly that the 'resurrection' that He is speaking of, that already was, at the time of His statement, is the spiritual resurrection that those hearing ( understanding ) His word and believing in Him who sent the Life had already 'experienced, and those who would yet experience it!
John 6:27, 40, 48-51 & 63
27 “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”
The context that this statement of Jesus', of course, comes directly after He had rendered the physical sign, of which He Himself was the anti-type; of the 'feeding of the five thousand'. The crowd had sought after Him because they had been physically satisfied by this miracle, and wished to be fed again, but Jesus told them, in no uncertain terms, that this 'sign' that He had performed was simply food that perishes, but rather, as he told the woman at the well, for the food which I 9 the Son of Man ) will give, so that you will never hunger ( or thirst ) again, but have everlasting ( spiritual ) life!
40 “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in Him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Although this statement benefited primarily those 1st century believers to whom the statement was made, I think that it is applicable down through the ages, to those who, not only see, but perceive ( understand ) that Jesus is the Son of God, and trust in Him for that food that does not perish, or, His Righteousness!
48 “I am the bread of life.” 49 “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and are dead. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it, and not die..”
51 “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever, and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
Jesus pointed out to His audience that, although this 'manna', in the strictest and most literal sense, did come from heaven, it was still the food ( physical ) that perishes, because their fathers (ancestors ) were dead, whereas He was the true Bead (of life ) from Heaven, that would not perish, but gave everlasting life, so that they need never ' thirst', or seek after the food that perishes, again!
Jesus goes on, in the next six verses, to explain to them that, unless they partook of His Life, or His flesh, they would not have life, but would die as there fathers did, in the wilderness!
63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words which I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”
Here, Jesus simply reiterates, again, that the true life is that which comes from above ( spiritual ), and not that which comes of being born of the flesh ( physical ), for, as He told Nicodemus, 'that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and ( or but ) that which is born of the Spirit ( which alone gives true life ) is spirit!
John 7:37 & 38
37 “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.”
This statement Jesus made on the last day of the feast of tabernacles, a fact which is telling, in and of itself, to the assembled multitude, most likely made up of both Jews and Gentiles, in reiteration of the words that He had spoken to them in the previous chapter, saying, in much the same words that He spoke to the woman at the well, that he who would drink of Him, or listen to ( obey ) the words that He spoke; as I've said before, and will probably say again, not only would a fountain of living waters spring up within him, but out of him would flow those same waters ( the Life of Christ, true life ), to quench the spiritual thirst of a barren and dying, or dead, land!
John 10:9 & 10
9 “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
This passage, like others I've quoted, while more immediately relevant to His 1st century audience, maybe; is simply reiterating the fact that if we partake of Christ, and enter by Him, as indeed we must enter by Him; there is no other way, we will have true life, and that to the extent that we will never thirst or hunger again!
John 11:25 & 26
25 “Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And he who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
This saying of Jesus, of course, come right in the middle of the record of the 'resurrection' of Lazarus, and Jesus is pointing out, in answer to Martha's statement that she believes that Lazarus will live again ( resurrection ), that He is the resurrection! In other words, He was saying; Martha, resurrection is not a part of, or unto physical life; resurrection is believing ( trusting ) in Me, and My righteousness, unto eternal ( true ) life!
John 14:6, 19-21
6 “Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me'.”
Jesus made this statement to His disciples when they were asking Him where He would go, that they could not follow. He replied that they knew where He was going, and how to get there, but still, they were thinking of a literal physical 'place', and while He was going to a literal 'place, it sure wasn't physical; for He replied then, that they both, knew where He was going, and how they could follow. By saying that He was the Way to this 'place', He was simply telling them, as they should have remembered, that it was through Him alone, by 'partaking' of His Word, or Truth, that they would truly have life!
19 “A little while longer, and the world will see Me no longer, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day, you will know that I am in the Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and manifest Myself to him.”
Here again, in context, Jesus words were primarily for the comfort of His disciples, of the 1st century, but I think that as we can see throughout His teachings, that anyone, in any century, of any 'age', or epoch of Time; that believes on Him, thus partaking of Him, will have 'new eyes' with which they will be, and are, able to see spiritual Truth, and to partake of spiritual Life!
John 17:3
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”
Jesus makes this most important of statements, which I think is the crux of life; near the beginning of His intercessory prayer for his disciples, for our eternal benefit. Knowing God the Father, and Him through the Son ( for they are One ) is the only way to true life, as we have seen in so many passages in this little study.
You can't get much plainer than that!
John 1:1-4
1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
John pretty much says it all here; In Christ, as the Mediator of creation, alone is true ( spiritual, eternal ) life to be found! As Peter said in Acts 4:12, 'There is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved.”; salvation=new life=true life!
I John 1:1-3
1 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life- 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness, and declared to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us- 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.”
John expands his prior statement in his Gospel, adding a great more detail, by telling his 1st century audience, and through them, us. that not only was life in Him, and through Him, but He was that life that was manifested to John and his 'neighbors'!
I John 3:14
“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. “
John now tells his readers that love for the brethren in Christ is not only a requirement for true life; but that love for the brethren ( in Christ ) is what true, eternal life is!
I John 5:20
“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”
John wraps up his first epistle here, by telling his readers again, that not only are we given an understanding that He (life ) is in us, and we are in the Father, but that He and the Father are one God, and He is truly life itself!
II John 6
“This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.”
According to what John said here, in context with the rest of his writings, and indeed, with the rest of Scripture, on this subject; life, true life, that is, can be equated with obedience to His commandments, righteous, and love; in other words, Christ!
The Law & the Prophets
Genesis 1:1-4
1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.”
In this paper, I have but one main purpose; and that is to discern the meaning of life!
I will not, therefore, go into any discussion of whether Moses is here speaking of the creation of the physical universe, or 'merely' His covenant creation, but simply try to show, as I've already stated, that God's physical creation, whether it be covenantal or universal, is simply a 'type' of His 'new', or spiritual creation!
Genesis 2:7 & 9,10
7 “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
Without going into the Hebrew here, it is fairly obvious, to me anyway, that this 'breath of life' was simply consciousness, or what we deem as normal human existence. By no means can it be argued that Adam had true, eternal life, whether physically or spiritually, before the fall; because as we've already seen, in this study, and in Scripture itself; true, eternal life alone comes from a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, who interestingly enough, was typified, or signified, by the tree of life!
9 “And out of the ground the Lord God made made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four river heads.”
Interesting language, used here by Moses, particularly when you think of Jesus words in John 7:38 and Isaiah 55:1, although I could not find any particular verse in the Scriptures that say that, per se! There are however, several places that intimate that, especially considering the Christian's relationship with Christ, and dependence on Him for any righteousness worth it's salt!
Genesis 45:5 & 7
5 “But now, do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here: for God sent me before you to preserve life.” 7 “ And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”
I think we'd all agree that Joseph was a type of Christ, and that the life that Joseph was sent to preserve was what we think of as physical life. Just as the Jews of Christ's day, and even the Romans, to a point, thought that by crucifying Him that they would squelch His purpose, so Joseph's brothers thought that they were getting rid of their pesky little brother, once and for all; but they were all just fulfilling God's greater Purpose; to preserve Life!
Exodus 20:12
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”
As a child, I had no problem whatsoever with believing that our lives would actually be prolonged by obeying our parents, but as I've continued growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; I have come to see that, as I now believe; it's all about Christ, and our days upon the 'land' refers, not to physical life, upon some physical 'land, but to our spiritual life in Christ, or the 'rest' that still remained for those first century Christians that the writer of Hebrews addressed his letter to, in Hebrews 4:9!
I Samuel 16:7b
“For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
This passage, while it may seem not to have much to do with my subject. it actually has everything to do with it, because the point, or one of the points anyway; is that we have a tendency to look at things that we can 'see', and thus place almost equal, or even more sometimes, importance upon them, to the extent that we focus more upon our physical life sometimes, or things of this life, than upon our spiritual life in Christ, and the greater spiritual truth that it brings!
Psalm 1:3
“He shall be like a tree, planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth it's fruit in it's season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”
David here describes the happy estate of the righteous man, in very picturesque and symbolic language. This beautiful first Psalm of David's, tells us that those who trust in Christ, and His righteousness, will be 'planted' ( Isaiah 61:3 ) by the 'rivers of water'( Isaiah 66:12 ), and that their 'leaf', or life, shall never 'wither', or die ( John 11:25 )!
Psalm 16:10 & 11
10 “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will you allow Your holy One to see corruption. 11 You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
This passage is well-known as one of David's prophecies of the coming Messiah, or Anointed One, but it is also a prayer of thankfulness that there was more to life than just this physical existence, and that God would not not allow His holy ones, like David, to see corruption, although I daresay that David, and most or all of the Old Testament saints, did, in their physical death and burial; see corruption of their physical bodies.
I think that David is acknowledging here, that God had something else in store for His 'holy ones' than just this physical plane of existence that we know as life; and that one day ( aka. the 'last day' ) they would, once again, dwell with God!
Psalm 17:15
“As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.”
As we can see, from Moses' writings in Genesis, that man was created in the image of God, I think that David realized that he had lost that image or likeness, when Adam 'fell' in the Garden, but that he would one day awake in His likeness and righteousness, to true life with Him!”
Psalm 36:9
“For with You is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.”
In this Psalm, I believe that David is acknowledging that it is in God alone that we have life, not only on the physical plane, but on the spiritual as well, and that it is only in His Righteousness that we see light!
Psalm 37:5,6 & 18
5“Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. 6 He shall bring your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.”
In this Psalm, as we can see, upon further examination; David is comparing the fates, both temporal and eternal, of the righteous, or God's 'holy ones', in contrast to that of the wicked. David tells those of his 'generation' to commit their ways to Him, trust in His Righteousness, and He would bring it forth!
18 “The Lord knows the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever.”
I believe that David is saying here, not only that God knows, or as he says elsewhere, has numbered our days; but that God has set His love on the upright, and therefore, in the words of His Righteousness, in the Gospel of John, they shall 'never die'!
Psalm 88:3-5 & 10-12
3 “For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to the grave. 4 I am counted with those who go down to the pit; I am like a man who has no strength, 5 adrift among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom You remember no more, and who are cut off from Your hand.”
In this Psalm of the sons of Korah, Heman the Ezrahite laments the fact that, in this life, we feel sometimes like we are ready to perish, and that we have no hope, like those whom the Lord has 'cast off'!
10 “Will You work wonders for the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise You? Selah. 11 Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction?12 Shall Your wonders be known in the dark? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?”
I think that, beginning with this passage, Heman is remonstrating with his Lord, reminding Him, as both David and Moses had done, that those who perish in the grave, with no hope of arising, cannot bring praise, glory, and honour to His name, or, as Paul said in I Corinthians 15:19, 'we are of all men most pitiable'!
Psalm 118:6
“The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
The Psalmist realized, even before Christ quoted it, that man can only harm us in this life, or body; but cannot touch our true life, which is in God and Christ!
Psalm 119:25
“My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your word.”
Although David felt, from all the trials and persecutions that he underwent in this physical life, that he was no better than a dead man, he realized that it is God who alone can give revival, or new life, to this 'body of death,', which is destined to 'return to the dust from which it came'!
Psalm 119:50
“This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life.”
This was David's comfort, and should be ours, that even though we feel overwhelmed, even to the point of death, sometimes; by our trials and tribulations, which Paul told Timothy 'must come', God has given us that true life, which nothing and no one can take away!
Psalm 119:88
“Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, so that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.”
Realizing that he could do nothing once his life was over, and his physical body was relegated to the worms, David pleaded for his life, so that he could continually praise Him, and keep His statutes.
Psalm 119:92 & 93
92 “Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction.”
93 “I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have given me life.”
David expounds on what he told us earlier, in verse 50, by saying how God revives us, or gives us new, or true, life; by enabling us to keep His word, which Word is Christ, and His righteousness!
Psalm 119:76
“I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I do not forget Your commandments.”
I think that the Psalmist here realizes that, although he has gone astray, as we all do, from the words of life; God will bring him back because he trusts that it is in those words alone, that he has life!
Psalm 145:20
“The Lord preserves all who love Him, but the wicked He will destroy.”
This might be a little hard to explain clearly, but I believe that what the Psalmist is saying here; is that the Lord gives life ( true life ) to those who love Him, and show that love in the Way that we see it described in passages like Galatians 5:1, Romans 13:8-10, etc, but destroys those who do not love Him, even though they think that they are alive, for they are dead while they live, as Paul said in I Timothy 5!
Proverbs 2:18 & 19
18 “For her house leads down to death, and her paths to the dead; 19 None who go to her return, nor do they regain the paths of life.”
In the context of this statement; as throughout his Proverbs, Solomon is warning his son, and us, to stay away from the immoral woman, or person, as the case may be; by contrasting the two different paths that we need to choose between in this physical existence; the path that goes to the dead, in this case, to the house of the immoral woman, and the path of life, or the righteous Way!
Proverbs 3:18
“She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who retain her.”
In this beautiful and short passage, of which, in context, Solomon is speaking of the glories of wisdom, which is typical of Christ; he compares wisdom to true life!
Proverbs 6:23
“For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is a light; reproofs of instruction are the way of life.”
Solomon's father had previously written, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” Solomon is simply reiterating that fact here, and further emphasizing the fact that 'whom the Lord loves, He corrects, just as a father, the son in whom he delights ( Proverbs 3:12 )'.
Proverbs 10:11 & 16
11 “The mouth of the righteous is a well of life, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.”
This brings to mind passages like John 7:38, and Revelation 21:6; but it seems like what Solomon is saying here is that, if one's mouth is not made useless by wicked works, it is made a well of Righteousness!
16 “The labor of the righteous leads to life, the wages of the wicked to sin.”
Here, Solomon seems to be saying that if one is not controlled by, or 'under' sin; he is truly alive, thereby equating sin with death, and righteousness ( through Christ ) with life!
Proverbs 11:30
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.”
Back in chapter 3, Solomon wrote that wisdom was 'a tree of life'; but now he writes that our fruit, or obedience to God's commands, are a 'tree of life! Really, he is only reiterating what he had said before, because we know, that it is only through Christ, the true 'tree of life' and 'fountain of living waters', that we can 'bring forth fruit'!
Proverbs 13:12
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.”
Not to stray from the purpose of this paper, or to cause any to stumble; but I think that this statement can and must be applied to the hope that the saints under the Old Covenant, from Adam to Zacharias, from Abraham to Paul, had; and that was the coming Parousia of the 'desire of nations', Jesus Christ!
Proverbs 14:12 & 27
12 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but it's end is the way of death.”
Solomon is simply telling his readers here, that to follow our natural desires and inclinations, leads to nothing but death, he implies by this, that when we follow Christ's, or God' Way, we will have life.
27 “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death.”
Like John ( or rather, vice-versa ) in his 17th chapter, Solomon reminds his readers that , ultimately, it is through a saving knowledge of God, or Christ alone, that we have partaken, and do partake, of the fruit of the 'tree of life', which IS Christ!
Proverbs 16:22
“Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it, but the correction of fools is folly.”
Here again, Solomon likens understanding ( wisdom ) to true life, and further, that, the opposite of understand, or wisdom, is to 'answer a fool according to his folly', it's a waste of life!
Proverbs 22:4
“By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.”
It is a normal human tendency to 'physicalize' passages like this, and say that if you are poor, and without the physical wealth of this 'world' that one is either being 'chastised' by the Lord, or not one of His; but I think that Solomon is simply saying that the true riches, honor and life come from above, and are not the physical 'things' of this life, but are part of the greater spiritual reality that I spoke of earlier!
Proverbs 23:13 & 14
13 “Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. 14 You shall beat him with a rod, and deliver his soul from hell.'
I think that the most popular explanation of these first few lines here, and maybe the more succinct; is that if we discipline our children, it won't harm them to the point of death, but it looks like, in the last verse, that Solomon is touching upon the greater spiritual truth of the matter, by saying that, not only will our children not die if we discipline them correctly ( in the fear of the Lord ), but that they will not be relegated to hell if we do!
Proverbs 24:19 & 20
20 “Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the wicked; 20 for there will be no prospect for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.”
Obversely, I think Solomon is pointing out here, that if we do not envy the wicked, and thus try to emulate them; we will and do have a prospect ( hope ), and that our lamp, or life; will never be put out, or extinguished!
Isaiah 12:1-3
1 “And in that day you will say, 'O Lord, I will praise You; though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. 2 Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for YAH, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.' 3 Therefore with joy, you shall draw water from the wells of salvation.”
In the context of this hopeful and beautiful passage, Isaiah is recording God's words to the idolatrous physical descendants of Abraham, but I believe that we, as spiritual, and therefore, the truer descendants of Abraham, can also discern the greater spiritual truth of this passage, which, in the last few lines, should bring to mind other 'spiritual' passages like John 4:13,14, John 7:37,38, and Revelation 22: 1,17, among others in the Old Testament writings!
Isaiah 25:8
“He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken.”
While John quotes from this passage in his Revelation, using very physical language ( and there IS a great physical truth here ), Isaiah, I believe, is using this same physical language to describe the greater spiritual truth that, for the believer, or the inhabitant of 'this mountain', there IS no more death; God has wiped away every tear!
Isaiah 26:19
“Your dead shall live: together with my dead body, they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.”
In this very familiar 'resurrection' passage, Isaiah prophesies of the coming New Heavens and New Earth, also known as the New Jerusalem, or the Church ( catholic and invisible ) reminding them of the fact that Paul laments, in Romans chapter 7; that though, through the Law, they are dead, yet in the New Jerusalem, or the New Covenant-Christ, which Isaiah later records in chapter 65, God will create ' a rejoicing, and her people a joy'; in very poetic and flowery language, Isaiah says that they will live, prophesying, in a sense, Jesus' own words in John 8:52, and John 11:25 and 26!
Isaiah 33:16
“He will dwell on high; his place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; bread will be given him, his water will be sure.”
We've already seen, I think, from the passages that we've covered, both in the Old and New (er ) Testament writing, that the words 'water' and 'bread' are often indicative of the true life that we find in Christ alone; and the prophet, in this passage is telling his readers what will befall those whom God deems worthy, through Christ, to 'dwell with the devouring fire' and with 'everlasting burnings', in other words, with Christ and God in the spiritual New Jerusalem!
Isaiah 38:17
“Indeed, it was for my own peace that I had great bitterness; but You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.”
This beautiful passage comes in the midst of king Hezekiah's prayer of thanksgiving to God, after that he had recovered from a life-threatening illness, and while I will admit that the life that he received back again from the Lord's hand was his physical life; I think that Hezekiah realized that, as with our spiritual life, it is given to us because 'He has cast our sins behind His back'!
Isaiah 41:18
“I will open rivers in desolate heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.”
Here again, the Author describes the blessed conditions of those inhabitants of the hew heavens and new earth, or heirs of the New Covenant, in very physical language, which is typical of, as we've seen; the true life which comes through Christ alone!
Isaiah 43 19 & 20
19 “Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the desert and rivers in the desert. 20 The beast of the field will honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen.”
In language reminiscent of the Exodus, God assures His people that, in the coming Restoration that will be brought about by Messiah, they will be fed, not only through miraculous events, but also with the true life that, as John says, comes from the 'pure river of the water of life', or, Christ and His Holy Spirit!
Isaiah 44:3
“For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.”
Once again using very picturesque language to describe a spiritual truth; God revealed through Isaiah, what He would do in the last days,un-veiling the Life, or Light of the world, His Son Jesus Christ!
Isaiah 55:1-3
1“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. 3 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you-the sure mercies of David.”
In language that John re-uses in the Revelation, God describes, yet again, in language reminiscent of the description of the land of Canaan ( 'the land of milk and honey' ), and attesting to the fact that, throughout the Old Testament Scriptures in particular, wine is a symbol for blessing; the fact that our righteousness is not true righteousness ( as Isaiah says later in chapter 64, verse 6 ) and therefore our life ( physical existence ) is not the true life that only Christ in God gives; but that we need to partake of that spiritual food, that we cannot buy, and that He freely offers; in order that we might have life, and that more abundantly!
Conclusion
Although there is much more that could, and probably should be said here, I think I will end here by saying that I hope I have at least shown you a hint of the meaning of life, that our physical life is not the true life, but that it is only a physical picture, representing a greater spiritual reality, that is; life in and with Christ!
I would also encourage my readers, not to take me at my words, but to be a Berean, and study these, and the surrounding Scriptures, to see for themselves if that these things are so!
For His glory,
and in His service,
Charles Shank
A man that I was working for at the time, about 15 or so years ago; asked me, kinda out of the blue, one day, “Charlie; what IS the meaning of life?”. Without really thinking about it, because at that time, I wasn't as mature as today; I replied; “Jesus is the meaning of Life!”. Looking back at that statement today, and thinking of the profundity and brevity of it, I can't help thinking, “where did that come from?”, but it is obvious to me, that God was guiding my steps from day one!
“What is the meaning of life?” is a well-worn phrase that many people, from all walks of life, have asked themselves, and others, over the course of the years. It it a question that, in all it's deeper meaning, could have 'eternal' consequences!
The Bible, I think that most of us would agree, seems to say that in Jesus only, is 'life' to be found!
Maybe the better question would be, and this is the subject of this paper; “What is life?”! Is 'life' simply physical existence; is it blood coursing through the veins, being pumped by a beating heart? Or is 'life' a spiritual reality, which comes only through a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ?
I've said, in a previous paper, that I thought that national, physical ( after the flesh ) Israel was 'simply' a picture, or type, of the true 'Israel of God'! This statement was not meant, in any way, to demean the 'real' molding and making of the aforementioned people into His special people ( I Peter 1:7 ); for as Paul tells the church in Rome
( Romans 9:6 ), “ they are not all Israel ( spiritual, of God ) who are of Israel ( physical )”!
In the same way, the statement that I'm about to make, is not in any way to demean the trials and tribulations of this physical life; but I now believe that this physical life is 'simply' a picture, or type; of the spiritual life that only Christians have in Jesus!
Some may object to this, by saying, “ Well, even unbelievers have life”! I agree, but only on the 'physical' plane, and would even go so far as to say, with Paul, in Romans 7:9-11 and 8:10, 11; that physical life without Christ, is nothing but death! Paul further says, in I Timothy 5:6; that “she who lives in pleasure ( ie., for herself ) is dead while she lives”!
As you may have noticed; 'typology' has influenced me greatly in my writings, especially in the last few years! Typologically, therefore, I see this physical 'life' as a picture of the greater, spiritual 'life' in the same way that the 'Lord's Supper' or water baptism 'can' serve as a physical pictures of an inward spiritual reality!
According to Paul-Romans 6
In the first installment, I showed you what I think the meaning of 'life' is; now, let's take a look at what the apostle Paul thought it was.
In verse 4 of Romans chapter 6; Paul seems to equate righteousness with life.
“ Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in newness of life”.
This is what I like to term, a 'biblical parellelism'; you see this a lot in Scripture, especially in the Psalms, but as I continue to read and study the Scriptures, I'm noticing it more and more everywhere!
Some might take the next verse; and I must admit that I was one of those, to be saying that we will be ( physically ) raised from the ( physically ) dead, like Christ admittedly was, but I think that, taken in the context of the spiritual reality that Scripture is meant to portray; Paul is merely echoing what he just intimated in the previous verse!
“For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.
I don't think that Paul is here saying that if we have been baptized with water, we will ( or they would ) be resurrected in their physical bodies, like Christ was, but that if they had 'experienced' the baptism of the Holy Spirit, then they would also 'experience' the resurrection to Life, that Christ promised in John 14:6!
Paul ties the previous thoughts, in verses 4 and 5, together very nicely in verse 6;
“know this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin”.
Our 'old man', ie., our 'former conversation', or, way of life, was put to death ( buried ) with Him, or through Him, so that we may walk in newness of life, as 'slaves to Christ' ( 'we are not under Law, but under Grace' ), rather than slaves to sin!
Rather than give an exposition of the whole chapter, which maybe I should, but that is not my purpose here; I'll skip down to verse 11;
“Likewise, you also reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God, in Christ Jesus”.
I think that Paul is just reiterating his thoughts, by telling them, in other words, “work out your own salvation”, ie., prove it, show it, act like you believe, or 'practice what you preach'!
Paul ends chapter six, by saying that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”!
Romans 7
Paul, in verse 4 of chapter 7, re-articulates what he told the Roman church in verse 11 of chapter 6;
“Therefore my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another- to Him who was raised from the dead, that you may bear fruit to God.”
Again, it's hard not to give a full exposition here, but I believe that Paul is simply saying, as above, that we have died and been buried with Christ, to sin, that we may be married to, or placed 'under' another, and that our bearing fruit is a 'sign of life'!
Moving on, to verses 9 through 11; which are a bit hard to understand, I think, Paul writes;
I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 9 and the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death, 11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it, killed me”.
I think that Paul here, is speaking of Adam the progenitor of the race, in a corporate sense, as a son of Adam; when he says that 'I was alive, once, without sin' Lets go back for a bit and see where he might get this idea from; In verse 8 of chapter 3 of Genesis, Moses implies, because it is not recorded here, that God had been used to walking in the midst of the Garden, presumably with Adam and Eve, yet on this particular day, the day of the Fall; they tried to hide from the presence of the Lord!
Now; I said all that, to say this; Adam, from all appearances, and from tradition, was created without sin, yet, reading back in verses 16 and 17 of chapter 2, we see that God gave him one simple command, 'Don't eat', and Paul tells us that when this command came, sin revived, as recorded in chapter 3 and he died, and through him; all his progeny, including Paul!
Paul goes on to ask, in verses 13 and 14, whether the Law had become death; but answers his own question by stating that the Law was good, and that his sin was 'proved' by the Law, to be just what it was;' exceeding sin'! He explains why the Law was incompatible with his human nature; it was of a 'spiritual' nature, while his was a 'carnal' one!
When Paul lamentably asks, in verse 24, 'who will deliver me from this body of death?' , he answers his own question, again, by saying that Christ has, so that 'with the mind, he would serve the Law of God, but with the flesh, or the body, the law of sin.
Romans 8
We are all well aware that 'there is therefore now no condemnation those who are in Christ Jesus, to those who do no walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit ( of life )', which has 'set us free from the law of sin and death' as Paul writes in Romans 8:1 and 2.
In verse 5 here, Paul seems to differentiate between those who live according to the flesh, and those who live according to the Spirit, as, in other words, do David and Solomon, in the Psalm and the Proverbs and the book of Ecclesiastes.
In verse 6, however Paul comes to the point, I believe, when he says;
“For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace!
I think what Paul is saying here, as in other places, is that for one to 'set their mind on the things of the flesh', or to live in, or for pleasure is nothing but ( spiritual ) death, even while one is ( physically ) alive.
In verse 10 of this chapter, Paul writes, after clearing up a seeming contradiction-that 'those who are in the flesh cannot please God', but that we are 'not in the flesh, but in the Spirit';
“And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life, because of righteousness”.
I think that the following verse is one passage that some like to point to for 'proof' for a physical resurrection:
“But if the spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you”
but I believe that, taken in context, not only with chapter 8 here, but also with the rest of what Scripture has to say on the resurrection; Paul is merely saying that God would, or had, given life to those who walk according to the Spirit ( those 'in' Christ ) , rather than those who live according to the flesh!
Paul further says, in verse 13 ( echoing the words of Christ in Matthew 16:25 ); that those who live according to the flesh will die, and that those who, by the Spirit, put to death the deeds of the body, they will live, cementing, or reiterating what he had said in the previous verse, and elsewhere in his writings, that if you live for yourself; it's not really life, but death: The only way to truly live, is in the Spirit!
Romans 14:17
“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”
Just one quick note on this passage: Paul intimates, indeed almost outright proclaims, as Jesus does in Luke 17:21 and John 18:36; that the kingdom of God does not consist of physical things, like eating and drinking, but of spiritual realities like righteousness through Christ alone ( Isaiah 64:6 ) and peace and joy!
I Corinthians 15
Again; this most famous of resurrection passages could bear a more thorough exegesis, but for the present; I will just make a few comments.
22 “For as in Adam all die, even so, in Christ, all shall be made alive”.
I think, rather than a physical meaning; Paul has a more spiritual meaning in mind, because he is echoing what he said back in Romans 8, verse 10, that our body ( flesh ) is dead because of sin, but we are made alive in the Spirit, once again emphasizing that the spiritual reality is of more import than the physical!
33 “Do not be deceived; evil company corrupts good habits”
34 “Awake to righteousness and do not sin.....................”
For the longest time, these two verses had me 'hornswaggled'; 'Why”, I asked myself, 'are these two verses smack-dab in the middle of a resurrection passage?'
When I began to look at things from a more spiritual point of view, taking my focus off the physical, I realized that these two verses are the turning point, or the point of differentiation, between Paul's discussion of Christ's physical resurrection, and our spiritual resurrection!
I believe that Paul is saying, not unlike what we've already seen; is that our resurrection, being the 'greater work' maybe, that Jesus talked about, in John 14:12, is also a realization, or awareness, within ourselves, that our righteousness, as Isaiah mentioned previously, won't 'cut it', but that we must awaken to the Righteousness that comes only through faith in Christ!
Skipping ahead to verse 42; Paul tells us that, “the body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption”.
Now, I know that a lot of people, including me, up until a couple of years ago, take this passage, and others like it, to be indicative of a physical resurrection, but I think that, when taken in the context of passages like Romans 8:6-10, and in Paul's other writings on this subject; it's fairly obvious, to me anyway, that he is speaking more of spiritual corruption, with which Old Covenant Israel was rife, rather than of our corruptible, physical bodies.
He goes on, in the next few verses, to reiterate this fact, using more of that 'biblical parallelism' I was talking about, and ending up in verse 44, saying that, “it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body', and verse 45, saying that “the first man Adam became a living being, the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.”
Just a few notes on verse 44 and 45 before we go on: while traditionally, the phrase 'it is sown', is taken to mean that of our physical bodies, at death, being buried; I think that if we take a closer look at Paul's usage of the physical imagery of sowing seeds in the ground, the seed dieing, and then becoming something better, in verses 36 through 38, and his overall principle ( from verse 46 ) of 'first the natural, and afterward the spiritual'; we'll see that he is simply pointing out the fact that we 'must be born again' as Jesus pointed out in John 3!
II Corinthians 2
Beginning in verse 15; Paul is pointing out the difference between the believer and the unbeliever, or as Solomon points out so often in the Proverbs, the 'wise man' and 'the fool'.
“For we are to God, the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to the one, we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life.”
Paul's point here, I think, besides obvious allusions, once again, to John 3; is first of all, that we are witnesses to all men, and second, that the physical life, lived without Christ, is no life at all, but is simply a spiritually dead person, headed for an irrevocably final death!
Galatians 2
20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Here; Paul is simply echoing what he said back in Romans 6:4-6 and 11, and reiterating, in other words, what he wrote in Romans 7:17-23, that it is not in the flesh that we really and truly experience life, although I'm sure some would argue that point with me, but that we only experience true Life through the Way, the Truth, and the Life; Christ Jesus!
Ephesians 5
14 “Therefore He says, ' Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light'.”
Again, this passage may be taken in a physical sense, to be referring to a 'bodily' resurrection, and indeed Paul uses the language of Daniel 12:2 and Isaiah 26:19, but when taken in, not only the immediate, but of the rest of his writings; Paul is simply repeating what he has been saying all along, and I believe, what I've written in a previous paper; that our awakening from sleep, or rising from the dead, is merely speaking of the greater spiritual reality of being transformed, or changed, into His image, once again, and seeking His Righteousness, rather than our own, which is, as Isaiah says; are 'as filthy rags'!
Philippians 3
8 “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for who I have suffered the loss of all thing, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if by any means, I may attain to the resurrection of the dead.”
This statement, in the context of the chapter, comes directly after Paul's bit of 'boasting' that he feels compelled to do, in light, I think, of Solomon's advice in Proverbs 26:5, and tells us that we should count all of our physical accomplishments, or inheritance as useless, in order to 'walk in newness of life', in Christ Jesus, and the glory of our spiritual inheritance, or life, in Him!
In the last two verses that I've quoted; Paul is again equating our attainment of the righteousness of Christ with life, not that Paul had already attained, or been perfected, but, as he says in verse 12, “I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has already laid hold of me', that is, life, and that more abundant!
Colossians 2
11 “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.”
While this passage may not ordinarily be though of as a resurrection passage; I would argue that it is plainly as much so as I Corinthians 15, in that Paul reiterates here what he said already in Romans and I Corinthians, that we if we were buried ( as Paul puts it, 'since' ) with Christ, through baptism into His death ( think of the connotations of that! ), we have ( already ) been raised with Him!
According to Jesus & John
Matthew 4:4
“But He answered and said, It is written 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God'.”
The context of this statement being, of course, the temptation by the devil in the wilderness; this was Jesus' answer to the temptation to turn stones into bread, since He had fasted for forty days prior to, and in preparation for, this first recorded temptation that Jesus underwent during His human existence.
The temptation, as not just a human being, but also God, with the power to turn a mere stone into bread, for which He obviously would have been craving by this time, would have been great; but, not only did Jesus answer His tempter with Scripture, but reminded him that a man's life does not consist of physical things, like bread, but of spiritual truth, the word of God!
Matthew 6:25
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about what you will eat or what you will drink: nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”
This quote comes in the midst of Jesus' famous 'Sermon on the Mount', and just prior to the equally famous 'Seek first the Kingdom' statement. I think that when Jesus said that life is more than food and the body more than clothing; He was saying that, not only will our heavenly Father supply all our needs, when we focus on His (spiritual ) Kingdom, but also emphasizes the fact, as I've mentioned before, and will again; that true life is not physical existence, upkept by such physical things as food, drink, and clothing, but true life consists of seeking first His ( spiritual ) Kingdom, and His Righteousness!
Matthew 9:24 & John 11:11
“He said to them, 'Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping'.”
“These things He said, and after that, He said to them, 'Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up'.”
I have a few comments that I could make here, but begging your pardon; I would like instead, to pose you a question;
Why did Jesus, in both of these passages, say that these people were not dead, but sleeping?
Matthew 10:28
“And do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. But rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell”.
Jesus, in the context of this fearful, and yet comforting statement, is speaking to His twelve disciples before He sent them out to propagate His Word, and is simply reminding them, in my opinion, that their enemies could take their physical lives, but that they could never take their true life, or their soul; only the Creator, God, could do that!
Matthew 12:31 & 32
31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men,” 32 “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come.”
This passage, while wholly applicable only to His 1st century audience; tells me that forgiveness is synonymous with true life, while the lack thereof, as He says in the latter parts of verse 31 and 32, is death! This is reiterated in chapter 18, verses 34 and 35.
Matthew 16:25
“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it”.
In this passage, Jesus echoed what He had previously said in chapter 10, verse 39, immediately following His injunction to 'take up your cross, and follow Me'. In context then, He is instructing those who would truly live: to deny, or put to death, their selfish ambitions, and to follow after Him, and His righteousness, as He said in verse 33 of chapter 6 of Matthew!
Matthew 18:8 & 9
8 “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, than having two, to be cast into hell fire.”
These two verses, besides being enigmatic and hard to understand; are probably among the most grossly mis-interpreted! If one was to apply literal, and traditional, meaning to these verses, not only do we see a somewhat sadistic picture of our loving Father, but we also have a conundrum before us; if we truly would follow Christ, and truly live; we must NEVER sin again, or else start chopping of those body parts that lead us to sin!
No; I'm not condoning suicide, or even self-mutilation ( as some I think, have ignorantly done ); I am saying, along with Christ and Paul, that we must put to death the deeds of the body, or we will never enter into true life, in Christ!
John 3:5 & 6
5 “Jesus answered, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
This statement Jesus made in answer to Nicodemus' question of how a man could be reborn. Nicodemus' question, as I've treated in another paper, was based upon his focus upon the things of this life, or the physical; and Jesus was telling him that, as He is recorded in the Matthew passage that was previously mentioned, as saying, 'Is life not more than food and the body more than clothing?', life does not consist merely of the physical aspects of 'this' life, but of the spiritual aspects of being born of the Spirit, to new life in Christ, where we take up our cross daily, and continually put to death the deeds of the body!
John 4:10, 13 & 14
10 “ Jesus answered and said to her, 'If you knew the gift of God,, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink',you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water”
13 “Jesus answered and said to her, 'Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water, springing up into everlasting life.”
These statements of Jesus', of course, come at the beginning of His discourse with and to, the woman at the well in Samaria. This woman, as we can see, had the same problem 'seeing' as Nicodemus did, in the previous chapter. She thought, at first, that this was a mere man, a Jew no less, that was saying that He could draw physical, material water from same well, or another even; that would quench a man's thirst for the rest of his physical life, but Jesus was telling her, as He told Nicodemus, that the water that He was speaking of was not mere 'water' like that which men could draw from a well, but that this 'water' was in fact, the gift of God, Himself!
Jesus goes on to say, as later in the Scriptures, that this 'water', or Gift of God would become a fountain of life within him, not only implying that he who received this Gift would inherit eternal ( spiritual ) life, but in my opinion, that this 'water of Life' would become in him a 'fountain of Life' to the 'world', or those whom God has given to the Son out of the 'world, those for whom Christ prayed, in John 17!
John 5:21, 24 & 25
21 “For as the Father raises the dead, and gives life to them, even so, the Son gives life to whom He will.”
In the first verse that I've quoted here, I was thinking that there could be a little of that 'first the physical, then the spiritual' connection going on here, but upon further reflection, I think that it's just another case of 'biblical parallelism', although I think that the idea that God's raising of the physically dead, from the widow's son ( of Zarephath ) to Lazarus to Jesus; was a 'type' of the spiritual resurrection that we 'experience' when we are born again from above, of and by the Spirit!
24 “Most assuredly I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. 25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.”
Jesus reiterates here, what He said in the last passage that I quoted; that those who receive the Gift of God, seek after His righteousness, and follow His commands, or Word, will have the true life, the life that never ends, for, as He says above, we have 'passed from ( spiritual ) death to ( spiritual ) life!
This may belong to another paper, but Jesus' words in the last verse ( 25 ); tell us plainly that the 'resurrection' that He is speaking of, that already was, at the time of His statement, is the spiritual resurrection that those hearing ( understanding ) His word and believing in Him who sent the Life had already 'experienced, and those who would yet experience it!
John 6:27, 40, 48-51 & 63
27 “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”
The context that this statement of Jesus', of course, comes directly after He had rendered the physical sign, of which He Himself was the anti-type; of the 'feeding of the five thousand'. The crowd had sought after Him because they had been physically satisfied by this miracle, and wished to be fed again, but Jesus told them, in no uncertain terms, that this 'sign' that He had performed was simply food that perishes, but rather, as he told the woman at the well, for the food which I 9 the Son of Man ) will give, so that you will never hunger ( or thirst ) again, but have everlasting ( spiritual ) life!
40 “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in Him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Although this statement benefited primarily those 1st century believers to whom the statement was made, I think that it is applicable down through the ages, to those who, not only see, but perceive ( understand ) that Jesus is the Son of God, and trust in Him for that food that does not perish, or, His Righteousness!
48 “I am the bread of life.” 49 “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and are dead. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it, and not die..”
51 “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever, and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
Jesus pointed out to His audience that, although this 'manna', in the strictest and most literal sense, did come from heaven, it was still the food ( physical ) that perishes, because their fathers (ancestors ) were dead, whereas He was the true Bead (of life ) from Heaven, that would not perish, but gave everlasting life, so that they need never ' thirst', or seek after the food that perishes, again!
Jesus goes on, in the next six verses, to explain to them that, unless they partook of His Life, or His flesh, they would not have life, but would die as there fathers did, in the wilderness!
63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words which I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”
Here, Jesus simply reiterates, again, that the true life is that which comes from above ( spiritual ), and not that which comes of being born of the flesh ( physical ), for, as He told Nicodemus, 'that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and ( or but ) that which is born of the Spirit ( which alone gives true life ) is spirit!
John 7:37 & 38
37 “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.”
This statement Jesus made on the last day of the feast of tabernacles, a fact which is telling, in and of itself, to the assembled multitude, most likely made up of both Jews and Gentiles, in reiteration of the words that He had spoken to them in the previous chapter, saying, in much the same words that He spoke to the woman at the well, that he who would drink of Him, or listen to ( obey ) the words that He spoke; as I've said before, and will probably say again, not only would a fountain of living waters spring up within him, but out of him would flow those same waters ( the Life of Christ, true life ), to quench the spiritual thirst of a barren and dying, or dead, land!
John 10:9 & 10
9 “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
This passage, like others I've quoted, while more immediately relevant to His 1st century audience, maybe; is simply reiterating the fact that if we partake of Christ, and enter by Him, as indeed we must enter by Him; there is no other way, we will have true life, and that to the extent that we will never thirst or hunger again!
John 11:25 & 26
25 “Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And he who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
This saying of Jesus, of course, come right in the middle of the record of the 'resurrection' of Lazarus, and Jesus is pointing out, in answer to Martha's statement that she believes that Lazarus will live again ( resurrection ), that He is the resurrection! In other words, He was saying; Martha, resurrection is not a part of, or unto physical life; resurrection is believing ( trusting ) in Me, and My righteousness, unto eternal ( true ) life!
John 14:6, 19-21
6 “Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me'.”
Jesus made this statement to His disciples when they were asking Him where He would go, that they could not follow. He replied that they knew where He was going, and how to get there, but still, they were thinking of a literal physical 'place', and while He was going to a literal 'place, it sure wasn't physical; for He replied then, that they both, knew where He was going, and how they could follow. By saying that He was the Way to this 'place', He was simply telling them, as they should have remembered, that it was through Him alone, by 'partaking' of His Word, or Truth, that they would truly have life!
19 “A little while longer, and the world will see Me no longer, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day, you will know that I am in the Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and manifest Myself to him.”
Here again, in context, Jesus words were primarily for the comfort of His disciples, of the 1st century, but I think that as we can see throughout His teachings, that anyone, in any century, of any 'age', or epoch of Time; that believes on Him, thus partaking of Him, will have 'new eyes' with which they will be, and are, able to see spiritual Truth, and to partake of spiritual Life!
John 17:3
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”
Jesus makes this most important of statements, which I think is the crux of life; near the beginning of His intercessory prayer for his disciples, for our eternal benefit. Knowing God the Father, and Him through the Son ( for they are One ) is the only way to true life, as we have seen in so many passages in this little study.
You can't get much plainer than that!
John 1:1-4
1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
John pretty much says it all here; In Christ, as the Mediator of creation, alone is true ( spiritual, eternal ) life to be found! As Peter said in Acts 4:12, 'There is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved.”; salvation=new life=true life!
I John 1:1-3
1 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life- 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness, and declared to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us- 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.”
John expands his prior statement in his Gospel, adding a great more detail, by telling his 1st century audience, and through them, us. that not only was life in Him, and through Him, but He was that life that was manifested to John and his 'neighbors'!
I John 3:14
“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. “
John now tells his readers that love for the brethren in Christ is not only a requirement for true life; but that love for the brethren ( in Christ ) is what true, eternal life is!
I John 5:20
“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”
John wraps up his first epistle here, by telling his readers again, that not only are we given an understanding that He (life ) is in us, and we are in the Father, but that He and the Father are one God, and He is truly life itself!
II John 6
“This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.”
According to what John said here, in context with the rest of his writings, and indeed, with the rest of Scripture, on this subject; life, true life, that is, can be equated with obedience to His commandments, righteous, and love; in other words, Christ!
The Law & the Prophets
Genesis 1:1-4
1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.”
In this paper, I have but one main purpose; and that is to discern the meaning of life!
I will not, therefore, go into any discussion of whether Moses is here speaking of the creation of the physical universe, or 'merely' His covenant creation, but simply try to show, as I've already stated, that God's physical creation, whether it be covenantal or universal, is simply a 'type' of His 'new', or spiritual creation!
Genesis 2:7 & 9,10
7 “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
Without going into the Hebrew here, it is fairly obvious, to me anyway, that this 'breath of life' was simply consciousness, or what we deem as normal human existence. By no means can it be argued that Adam had true, eternal life, whether physically or spiritually, before the fall; because as we've already seen, in this study, and in Scripture itself; true, eternal life alone comes from a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, who interestingly enough, was typified, or signified, by the tree of life!
9 “And out of the ground the Lord God made made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four river heads.”
Interesting language, used here by Moses, particularly when you think of Jesus words in John 7:38 and Isaiah 55:1, although I could not find any particular verse in the Scriptures that say that, per se! There are however, several places that intimate that, especially considering the Christian's relationship with Christ, and dependence on Him for any righteousness worth it's salt!
Genesis 45:5 & 7
5 “But now, do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here: for God sent me before you to preserve life.” 7 “ And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”
I think we'd all agree that Joseph was a type of Christ, and that the life that Joseph was sent to preserve was what we think of as physical life. Just as the Jews of Christ's day, and even the Romans, to a point, thought that by crucifying Him that they would squelch His purpose, so Joseph's brothers thought that they were getting rid of their pesky little brother, once and for all; but they were all just fulfilling God's greater Purpose; to preserve Life!
Exodus 20:12
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”
As a child, I had no problem whatsoever with believing that our lives would actually be prolonged by obeying our parents, but as I've continued growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; I have come to see that, as I now believe; it's all about Christ, and our days upon the 'land' refers, not to physical life, upon some physical 'land, but to our spiritual life in Christ, or the 'rest' that still remained for those first century Christians that the writer of Hebrews addressed his letter to, in Hebrews 4:9!
I Samuel 16:7b
“For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
This passage, while it may seem not to have much to do with my subject. it actually has everything to do with it, because the point, or one of the points anyway; is that we have a tendency to look at things that we can 'see', and thus place almost equal, or even more sometimes, importance upon them, to the extent that we focus more upon our physical life sometimes, or things of this life, than upon our spiritual life in Christ, and the greater spiritual truth that it brings!
Psalm 1:3
“He shall be like a tree, planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth it's fruit in it's season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”
David here describes the happy estate of the righteous man, in very picturesque and symbolic language. This beautiful first Psalm of David's, tells us that those who trust in Christ, and His righteousness, will be 'planted' ( Isaiah 61:3 ) by the 'rivers of water'( Isaiah 66:12 ), and that their 'leaf', or life, shall never 'wither', or die ( John 11:25 )!
Psalm 16:10 & 11
10 “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will you allow Your holy One to see corruption. 11 You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
This passage is well-known as one of David's prophecies of the coming Messiah, or Anointed One, but it is also a prayer of thankfulness that there was more to life than just this physical existence, and that God would not not allow His holy ones, like David, to see corruption, although I daresay that David, and most or all of the Old Testament saints, did, in their physical death and burial; see corruption of their physical bodies.
I think that David is acknowledging here, that God had something else in store for His 'holy ones' than just this physical plane of existence that we know as life; and that one day ( aka. the 'last day' ) they would, once again, dwell with God!
Psalm 17:15
“As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.”
As we can see, from Moses' writings in Genesis, that man was created in the image of God, I think that David realized that he had lost that image or likeness, when Adam 'fell' in the Garden, but that he would one day awake in His likeness and righteousness, to true life with Him!”
Psalm 36:9
“For with You is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.”
In this Psalm, I believe that David is acknowledging that it is in God alone that we have life, not only on the physical plane, but on the spiritual as well, and that it is only in His Righteousness that we see light!
Psalm 37:5,6 & 18
5“Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. 6 He shall bring your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.”
In this Psalm, as we can see, upon further examination; David is comparing the fates, both temporal and eternal, of the righteous, or God's 'holy ones', in contrast to that of the wicked. David tells those of his 'generation' to commit their ways to Him, trust in His Righteousness, and He would bring it forth!
18 “The Lord knows the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever.”
I believe that David is saying here, not only that God knows, or as he says elsewhere, has numbered our days; but that God has set His love on the upright, and therefore, in the words of His Righteousness, in the Gospel of John, they shall 'never die'!
Psalm 88:3-5 & 10-12
3 “For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to the grave. 4 I am counted with those who go down to the pit; I am like a man who has no strength, 5 adrift among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom You remember no more, and who are cut off from Your hand.”
In this Psalm of the sons of Korah, Heman the Ezrahite laments the fact that, in this life, we feel sometimes like we are ready to perish, and that we have no hope, like those whom the Lord has 'cast off'!
10 “Will You work wonders for the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise You? Selah. 11 Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction?12 Shall Your wonders be known in the dark? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?”
I think that, beginning with this passage, Heman is remonstrating with his Lord, reminding Him, as both David and Moses had done, that those who perish in the grave, with no hope of arising, cannot bring praise, glory, and honour to His name, or, as Paul said in I Corinthians 15:19, 'we are of all men most pitiable'!
Psalm 118:6
“The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
The Psalmist realized, even before Christ quoted it, that man can only harm us in this life, or body; but cannot touch our true life, which is in God and Christ!
Psalm 119:25
“My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your word.”
Although David felt, from all the trials and persecutions that he underwent in this physical life, that he was no better than a dead man, he realized that it is God who alone can give revival, or new life, to this 'body of death,', which is destined to 'return to the dust from which it came'!
Psalm 119:50
“This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life.”
This was David's comfort, and should be ours, that even though we feel overwhelmed, even to the point of death, sometimes; by our trials and tribulations, which Paul told Timothy 'must come', God has given us that true life, which nothing and no one can take away!
Psalm 119:88
“Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, so that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.”
Realizing that he could do nothing once his life was over, and his physical body was relegated to the worms, David pleaded for his life, so that he could continually praise Him, and keep His statutes.
Psalm 119:92 & 93
92 “Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction.”
93 “I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have given me life.”
David expounds on what he told us earlier, in verse 50, by saying how God revives us, or gives us new, or true, life; by enabling us to keep His word, which Word is Christ, and His righteousness!
Psalm 119:76
“I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I do not forget Your commandments.”
I think that the Psalmist here realizes that, although he has gone astray, as we all do, from the words of life; God will bring him back because he trusts that it is in those words alone, that he has life!
Psalm 145:20
“The Lord preserves all who love Him, but the wicked He will destroy.”
This might be a little hard to explain clearly, but I believe that what the Psalmist is saying here; is that the Lord gives life ( true life ) to those who love Him, and show that love in the Way that we see it described in passages like Galatians 5:1, Romans 13:8-10, etc, but destroys those who do not love Him, even though they think that they are alive, for they are dead while they live, as Paul said in I Timothy 5!
Proverbs 2:18 & 19
18 “For her house leads down to death, and her paths to the dead; 19 None who go to her return, nor do they regain the paths of life.”
In the context of this statement; as throughout his Proverbs, Solomon is warning his son, and us, to stay away from the immoral woman, or person, as the case may be; by contrasting the two different paths that we need to choose between in this physical existence; the path that goes to the dead, in this case, to the house of the immoral woman, and the path of life, or the righteous Way!
Proverbs 3:18
“She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who retain her.”
In this beautiful and short passage, of which, in context, Solomon is speaking of the glories of wisdom, which is typical of Christ; he compares wisdom to true life!
Proverbs 6:23
“For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is a light; reproofs of instruction are the way of life.”
Solomon's father had previously written, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” Solomon is simply reiterating that fact here, and further emphasizing the fact that 'whom the Lord loves, He corrects, just as a father, the son in whom he delights ( Proverbs 3:12 )'.
Proverbs 10:11 & 16
11 “The mouth of the righteous is a well of life, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.”
This brings to mind passages like John 7:38, and Revelation 21:6; but it seems like what Solomon is saying here is that, if one's mouth is not made useless by wicked works, it is made a well of Righteousness!
16 “The labor of the righteous leads to life, the wages of the wicked to sin.”
Here, Solomon seems to be saying that if one is not controlled by, or 'under' sin; he is truly alive, thereby equating sin with death, and righteousness ( through Christ ) with life!
Proverbs 11:30
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.”
Back in chapter 3, Solomon wrote that wisdom was 'a tree of life'; but now he writes that our fruit, or obedience to God's commands, are a 'tree of life! Really, he is only reiterating what he had said before, because we know, that it is only through Christ, the true 'tree of life' and 'fountain of living waters', that we can 'bring forth fruit'!
Proverbs 13:12
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.”
Not to stray from the purpose of this paper, or to cause any to stumble; but I think that this statement can and must be applied to the hope that the saints under the Old Covenant, from Adam to Zacharias, from Abraham to Paul, had; and that was the coming Parousia of the 'desire of nations', Jesus Christ!
Proverbs 14:12 & 27
12 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but it's end is the way of death.”
Solomon is simply telling his readers here, that to follow our natural desires and inclinations, leads to nothing but death, he implies by this, that when we follow Christ's, or God' Way, we will have life.
27 “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death.”
Like John ( or rather, vice-versa ) in his 17th chapter, Solomon reminds his readers that , ultimately, it is through a saving knowledge of God, or Christ alone, that we have partaken, and do partake, of the fruit of the 'tree of life', which IS Christ!
Proverbs 16:22
“Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it, but the correction of fools is folly.”
Here again, Solomon likens understanding ( wisdom ) to true life, and further, that, the opposite of understand, or wisdom, is to 'answer a fool according to his folly', it's a waste of life!
Proverbs 22:4
“By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.”
It is a normal human tendency to 'physicalize' passages like this, and say that if you are poor, and without the physical wealth of this 'world' that one is either being 'chastised' by the Lord, or not one of His; but I think that Solomon is simply saying that the true riches, honor and life come from above, and are not the physical 'things' of this life, but are part of the greater spiritual reality that I spoke of earlier!
Proverbs 23:13 & 14
13 “Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. 14 You shall beat him with a rod, and deliver his soul from hell.'
I think that the most popular explanation of these first few lines here, and maybe the more succinct; is that if we discipline our children, it won't harm them to the point of death, but it looks like, in the last verse, that Solomon is touching upon the greater spiritual truth of the matter, by saying that, not only will our children not die if we discipline them correctly ( in the fear of the Lord ), but that they will not be relegated to hell if we do!
Proverbs 24:19 & 20
20 “Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the wicked; 20 for there will be no prospect for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.”
Obversely, I think Solomon is pointing out here, that if we do not envy the wicked, and thus try to emulate them; we will and do have a prospect ( hope ), and that our lamp, or life; will never be put out, or extinguished!
Isaiah 12:1-3
1 “And in that day you will say, 'O Lord, I will praise You; though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. 2 Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for YAH, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.' 3 Therefore with joy, you shall draw water from the wells of salvation.”
In the context of this hopeful and beautiful passage, Isaiah is recording God's words to the idolatrous physical descendants of Abraham, but I believe that we, as spiritual, and therefore, the truer descendants of Abraham, can also discern the greater spiritual truth of this passage, which, in the last few lines, should bring to mind other 'spiritual' passages like John 4:13,14, John 7:37,38, and Revelation 22: 1,17, among others in the Old Testament writings!
Isaiah 25:8
“He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken.”
While John quotes from this passage in his Revelation, using very physical language ( and there IS a great physical truth here ), Isaiah, I believe, is using this same physical language to describe the greater spiritual truth that, for the believer, or the inhabitant of 'this mountain', there IS no more death; God has wiped away every tear!
Isaiah 26:19
“Your dead shall live: together with my dead body, they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.”
In this very familiar 'resurrection' passage, Isaiah prophesies of the coming New Heavens and New Earth, also known as the New Jerusalem, or the Church ( catholic and invisible ) reminding them of the fact that Paul laments, in Romans chapter 7; that though, through the Law, they are dead, yet in the New Jerusalem, or the New Covenant-Christ, which Isaiah later records in chapter 65, God will create ' a rejoicing, and her people a joy'; in very poetic and flowery language, Isaiah says that they will live, prophesying, in a sense, Jesus' own words in John 8:52, and John 11:25 and 26!
Isaiah 33:16
“He will dwell on high; his place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; bread will be given him, his water will be sure.”
We've already seen, I think, from the passages that we've covered, both in the Old and New (er ) Testament writing, that the words 'water' and 'bread' are often indicative of the true life that we find in Christ alone; and the prophet, in this passage is telling his readers what will befall those whom God deems worthy, through Christ, to 'dwell with the devouring fire' and with 'everlasting burnings', in other words, with Christ and God in the spiritual New Jerusalem!
Isaiah 38:17
“Indeed, it was for my own peace that I had great bitterness; but You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.”
This beautiful passage comes in the midst of king Hezekiah's prayer of thanksgiving to God, after that he had recovered from a life-threatening illness, and while I will admit that the life that he received back again from the Lord's hand was his physical life; I think that Hezekiah realized that, as with our spiritual life, it is given to us because 'He has cast our sins behind His back'!
Isaiah 41:18
“I will open rivers in desolate heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.”
Here again, the Author describes the blessed conditions of those inhabitants of the hew heavens and new earth, or heirs of the New Covenant, in very physical language, which is typical of, as we've seen; the true life which comes through Christ alone!
Isaiah 43 19 & 20
19 “Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the desert and rivers in the desert. 20 The beast of the field will honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen.”
In language reminiscent of the Exodus, God assures His people that, in the coming Restoration that will be brought about by Messiah, they will be fed, not only through miraculous events, but also with the true life that, as John says, comes from the 'pure river of the water of life', or, Christ and His Holy Spirit!
Isaiah 44:3
“For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.”
Once again using very picturesque language to describe a spiritual truth; God revealed through Isaiah, what He would do in the last days,un-veiling the Life, or Light of the world, His Son Jesus Christ!
Isaiah 55:1-3
1“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. 3 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you-the sure mercies of David.”
In language that John re-uses in the Revelation, God describes, yet again, in language reminiscent of the description of the land of Canaan ( 'the land of milk and honey' ), and attesting to the fact that, throughout the Old Testament Scriptures in particular, wine is a symbol for blessing; the fact that our righteousness is not true righteousness ( as Isaiah says later in chapter 64, verse 6 ) and therefore our life ( physical existence ) is not the true life that only Christ in God gives; but that we need to partake of that spiritual food, that we cannot buy, and that He freely offers; in order that we might have life, and that more abundantly!
Conclusion
Although there is much more that could, and probably should be said here, I think I will end here by saying that I hope I have at least shown you a hint of the meaning of life, that our physical life is not the true life, but that it is only a physical picture, representing a greater spiritual reality, that is; life in and with Christ!
I would also encourage my readers, not to take me at my words, but to be a Berean, and study these, and the surrounding Scriptures, to see for themselves if that these things are so!
For His glory,
and in His service,
Charles Shank
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