For the Perfecting of the Saints

#Perfecting_of_the_saints

"And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ..." Eph 4:11-13.

Any hint on gospel regeneration?

Christ did say why He gave these teaching offices; there are four of them, each distinctly separated by a semicolon. The first three are extraordinary for the apostolic time; the only teaching office normative for the NT church is that of pastors and teachers; they are to do the work of the evangelists too. 2Ti 4:5 "But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry."

So, for what exact purpose did Christ give these men? It is for the perfecting of the saints.

Who are the saints?

Saints are God's own production - saints are those elect whom God has called out of their native state of sin and death to that of grace and salvation in Jesus Christ by His own free and sovereign will. They have been separated from sin and death unto grace and salvation in Christ.

These saints need the gospel ministry to perfect them, i.e to nurture them who are spiritual babes unto spiritual maturity or adulthood.

Where is the presumptuous idea of gospel regeneration... of preaching the gospel to assist God in producing His children?

Why is the pernicious lie of gospel regeneration so attractive and addictive to so many preachers? Any idea? 
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Dhong Ejnar Rue
I think one of the reasons for the prevailing gospel regeneration is the misunderstanding or lack of understanding on the con… See more

Sing F Lau
Many who insist they believe in total depravity are also earnest gospel regenerationists.

Reggie Lee
Sing, it's the confusion between regeneration and conversion

Dhong Ejnar Rue
Sing, that's also my observation based on my own experience. But with God's help in opening the hearts and minds of His children to understand the doctrine of grace fully, there's still hope for change in them.

Rrevelatory gift of knowledge

#revelatory_gift_of_knowledge

Have you ever marvelled at those Apostolic preachers who were so knowledgeable about the gospel of Jesus Christ, and preached it powerfully EVEN THOUGH they had only the OT Scriptures?

How did they understand the OT so well WITHOUT the light of the NT?

How does that 'knowledge' mentioned in 1Cor 13:8 jive with that unique phenomenon?

1Co 13:8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

We are absolutely foreign to the idea of having the OT as the only available Scriptures. We are so used to having the complete Scriptures, with the NT shedding dazzling light on the OT... that we don't appreciate the situation when there were only OT Scriptures.

Supposing we were living in the days of the Apostles, how much would we be able to understand the OT and preach Christ out of it?

But the Apostles were able to do that with amazing ease!

How did they understand the OT so well WITHOUT the light of the NT?

They were given the special gift of 'knowledge' mentioned in 1 Cor 13:8.

That 'special knowledge' has ceased! Why? The way to understand the OT has been permanently inscripturated in NT Scriptures!

Now it is:
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2Tim 2:15

A fuller exposition here:
https://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2023/11/prophecies-shall-fail-tongues-shall.html

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Bill Taylor
Amen!!!

Roger N Mary Stokes
Amen

Rommel Fesalbon Fababeir
Amen

Chris Hill
That's right! With the gift of knowledge, they wrote the New Testament. Now we have to study it, and pray that the Holy Spirit will enlighten our understanding.

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Theology is life indeed; it's life eternal, and life more abundantly.

Sir, what do you think of this statement: "theology is life."
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Let me share some thoughts

"Theology" is a compound word from theos-logos;
- theos is God,
- logos is the study of
- theology is the study of God, of His person and His works - works of creation, providence, and redemption; all three affect us directly and personally, both temporally and eternally.

John 17
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

To know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent is life eternal.

To know requires mental effort to study; disciplined effort to learn and acquire the truth concerning God and His works.

 "life eternal" is not the same as eternal life! The former occurs 4 times; each time it is conditioned upon some activities of man.

"eternal life" occurs no less than 26 times; it's freely bestowed by God's grace when man is dead in trespasses and sin.

John 10:10 KJV — The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Theology is life indeed; it's life eternal, and life more abundantly.

Therefore, LOVE theology; others carelessly and mindlessly loathe it. 

"... It shall not be pruned..."

"... It shall not be pruned..."

These are frightening words. Let them never be said of us. They are expressive of the Lord's displeasure and chastisement of His people.

Isaiah 5:6 KJV — And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

Plead that the heavenly Husbandman prunes you often. Absence of pruning is a sign of divine displeasure and judgment.

Pruning has its wonderful effect on fruitfulness. I witnessed this profound mystery today.

A wifeyma'am (feminine of husbandman?) pruned her mulberry plant extensively some while ago. I inspected the plant today and I was awed by what I saw; the whole plant is laden with new fruit.

Pruning is necessary unto fruitfulness.

Let the Lord's sharp secateurs do some needed pruning on each one of us.

John 15:
¶ I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Hebrews 12
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
¶ 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

Psalm 81:12
So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels. each one of us.

Damnable Heresies and Pernicious Ways

#Damnable
#Pernicious

Damnable: Subject to or worthy of divine condemnation. (OED)

Pernicious: ​having a very harmful effect on somebody or something, especially in a way that is gradual and not easily noticed. (OED).

Both words occur once only; they are translated from the same word apōleia. They are the two sides of the same fence put up by false teachers, i.e. the false doctrines.

What has bewitched many of God's children such that they choose to be indifferent to sound doctrines or speak disparagingly against them? I suspect the sound doctrines either expose their popular errors or tax their mentally lazy minds; I may be wrong. Maybe, they have been justly put off by doctrinaires who are ungodly, and unjustifiably conclude,  "what's the use of sound doctrines, just look at those ungodly doctrinaires!"

The serious nature of false doctrines should deserve the careful study and vigilant attention of God's children unto the sound doctrines.

2 Peter 2 KJB
1 ¶But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in #damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2 And many shall follow their #pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

Listen, teachers of falsehood don't come with horns and pitchforks. They are usually lovable and nice people, but cunning and subtle; they are smart at "good words and fair speeches."

Romans 16: KJT
18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

Ephesians 4 KJT
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.

If you are not grounded in the doctrines of the gospel of Christ, you will soon be following the pernicious ways of the teachers of falsehood.

2 Timothy 2 KJV
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

1 Timothy 4:1 KJT
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

God's children turning from sound doctrines to FABLES and DOCTRINES OF DEVILS is no fiction but harsh reality.