Things New and Old

Ancient truths revealed in the Scriptures are often forgotten, disbelieved or distorted, and therefore lost in the passage of time. Such ancient truths when rediscovered and relearned are 'new' additions to the treasury of ancient truths.

Christ showed many new things to the disciples, things prophesied by the prophets of old but hijacked and perverted by the elders and their traditions, but which Christ reclaimed and returned to His people.

Many things taught by the Apostles of Christ have been perverted or substituted over the centuries. Such fundamental doctrines like salvation by grace and justification have been hijacked and perverted and repudiated by sincere Christians. These doctrines need to be reclaimed and restored to God's people.

There are things both new and old here. "Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things"
2Ti 2:7.

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

The work of a gospel preacher beautifully stated...

 

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The work of a gospel preacher beautifully stated...
Luke 1 - KJT
76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

 1. To give knowledge of salvation unto His people... not the information of how to get saved, but informing them the truth of their salvation by God's grace.
- Knowledge of salvation can only be given to those already spiritually alive! Spiritual things are spiritually discerned.
- Such knowledge is foolishness to the spiritually dead!

2. To give light to them that sit in darkness... light to expel the darkness of ignorance, and superstition and bondage to errors.
- Only the living can be enlightened with the truth. The dead need to be quickened!
- No one gives light to the dead... the dead needs no light!

3. To guide their feet into the way of peace... to know that God has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and to believe it is to enter into the way of peace with our Father.
- Again, only the living can be guided into the way of peace. The dead can't be guided; they need to be born by God.

Their salvation is by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us.

And please note, "HATH VISITED US" ... not "will visit us" if or when we believe! The good news is what God HAS DONE to save us; it is not an offer of what God will do if/when we meet some conditions.


And the Word was made flesh


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A popular fable...

Why do people end up believing in the fable of the eternal sonship of Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of the eternal God? 

John 1:1,14
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." 

1Timothy 2:5
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus..." 

Hebrews 13:8
"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."

Surely it is plain that yesterday had a beginning, i.e. when the Word was made flesh. Once the Word was made flesh, we have Christ Jesus the only begotten Son of God, the God-man, who has remained God-man ever since, the divine-human Being forever.

Surely it is plain that the man Christ Jesus did not exist before the Word was made flesh in time and dwelt among men. The Word was eternal.

Surely it is plain that the eternal Word, the one-natured divine Being, was made flesh in time, when He was joined to and united with humanity, and was begotten the Son of God, the dual-natured divine human Being.

Luke 1:35 "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."

What could be plainer - "... shall come upon thee... shall overshadow thee... shall be born... shall be called the Son of God." The Son of God came into being after the Word was made flesh by divine activities.

And the one-natured divine Being IS NOT THE SAME as the dual-natured divine-human Being. Most just equate the two. 

 

The just shall live by faith

It is, "The just shall live by faith."
It is NOT, "By faith, the condemned shall be justified."
The latter puts the cart before the horse!

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August 30, 2018

"The just shall live by faith" is such a simple statement but it has confounded multitudes of people, even the revered theologians.

Why? Prejudice, and soundbytism.

The just shall live by faith - have you understood?

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The just shall live by faith - the biblical fact versus the sola fideists' fable

Ro 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Ga 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

Heb 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

It is the just who shall live by faith, i.e. those whom God has justified that shall live by faith. Justification by God is the CAUSE and believing and living by faith is the EFFECT.

But the sola fideists - those who teach and believe that a man is justified before God by his faith alone - insist the very opposite, that the unjustified who live by faith is justified by God.

That's putting the cart before the horse, perverting the simple and repeated truth that 'the just shall live by faith' into a fable of 'the unjustified who believe is justified.'

The just shall live by faith.

The just shall live by faith.

The just shall live by faith.

But many read these words as:

By faith a condemned unjustified man is justified by God!!

The just (justified by God) WERE in their native state of condemnation and death. How did they become justified and live? It can't possibly be by their act of believing; for faith is IMPOSSIBLE when a man is STILL in his unjustified state, his native state of condemnation and death.

But first, how did a man get into that native state of condemnation and death? Here is the plain answer:

Read carefully please:

Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned... 17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

Here is stated in the plainest and simplest form THE GROUND and THE MANNER a man in his native state of condemnation of death is transferred into that gracious state of justification of life.

The sole ground is the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF ONE... the legal basis of the justification of life is the righteousness of One, Jesus Christ (not your faith!!!). This is LEGAL Imputation of Christ's righteousness; it took place at the cross... just as the legal imputation of Adam's sin occurred at the fall.

The sole manner is the free grace of God... God freely applies the righteousness of Christ to an individual elect personally at the effectual calling unto grace and salvation. This is VITAL Application of Christ's righteousness to an elect personally... just as the vital application of condemnation is applied to a man at conception; a man is conceived in sin.

Only when the righteousness of Christ has been APPLIED to an elect personally, i.e. when God HAS JUSTIFIED him, that he is capable of believing. His act of believing EVIDENCES his justified state by the free grace of God based wholly and solely upon the righteousness of Christ.

But BOTH the Calvinists and their first cousins Arminians INSIST that they are justified by God WHEN they believe in Christ... their justification by God is conditioned upon their faith!

Sheep - Lost but Found




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#Sheep_Lost_But_Found
Aug 30, 2019

The sheep are those elected by God and entrusted to Christ for Him to redeem them. They are His people, given to Him by God.

This happened before time, i.e. in eternity.

The sheep given to Christ were LOST sheep; they were separated and alienated from God because of their fall in, and with Adam. In time, they are conceived in sin; by nature, they are in their native state of sin and death, deserving the just and righteous condemnation of God.

Christ Jesus, the appointed Redeemer and Mediator, the eternal Word made flesh, lived and died in the stead of His sheep. He secured the righteousness for his sheep through His sinless life of perfect obedience to all the laws of God on behalf of His sheep. He secured forgiveness for His sheep through His sacrificial and atoning death in their stead, thus bearing the just and holy wrath of God upon their sins.

Good shepherd indeed; there is not another. Amen. Christ didn't even use the comparative 'better' because there is none else; He is the solitary Shepherd, the One and Only.

Based on the righteousness He secured for His sheep, eternal life is given to them.

Sin, the transgression of God's law, brings death;
Righteousness, the obedience to God's law, secured life.

The righteousness of Christ is the ground for the Justification of Life, even as the sin of Adam was the ground of the Condemnation of Death, Rim 5:18.

This righteousness of God's own provision is legally imputed to all the elect, freely, at the cross; and it's vitally applied to each elect,  freely, at the effectual calling to grace and salvation in Christ Jesus. The effectual call enables a FOUND sheep to answer the gospel call administered through the ministry of the word; answering the gospel call leads to initial conversion, a conversion that continues to the end of life on earth.

Just a few thoughts on the precious passage of Scripture, John 10:11.

Romans 5:18 KJV
Therefore as
by the offence of one
judgment came upon all men to condemnation;
(i.e. all men represented by Adam)
even so
by the righteousness of one,
the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
(i.e. all men represented by the Second and Last Adam.)

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

But David tarried still at Jerusalem

"But David tarried still at Jerusalem.'

Oh, what a powerful warning of being in the wrong place,
neglecting our duty towards our LORD.

".... But David tarried still at Jerusalem..."

2 Samuel 11
1 And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.
2 And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
3 And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
4 And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.
5 And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.

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What a timely warning!
"... but I tarried still at work while I should be home with my family."
"... but I tarried still at a game while I should be assembled with the saints."
"... but I tarried still at self while I should be moving along with the Lord."
"... but I tarried still at fable while I should hurry towards the truth."
"... but I tarried still with sound-byte while I should switch on my mind."

Beware of tarrying/loitering at the wrong place while neglecting our duty towards the Lord. Be busy in the Lord's business; it will save us painful messes and disasters.

Sunday, August 6, 2023

Life eternal and Eternal life


 

#life_eternal #eternal_life

Not a few carelessly equate the two, including some intelligent theologians. What do you think of the two terms, are they synonymous?

Let us observe that the term "life eternal" is used a total of 4 times in the KJT in the following passages:

1. Mt 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

2. John 4:36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

3. John 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

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

It looks like much WORK is involved in attaining unto life eternal!
- because the sheep did this... this... this... to the least of Christ's brethren, "inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world... into life eternal."

- because he hates his life in this world, he keeps it unto life eternal.

- because he gathers fruit unto life eternal.

- because life eternal involves the activities of knowing the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent.

But what did I do to attain eternal life? Zilch; I was quickened to eternal life while I was dead in trespasses and sins. 

What do you think?
Tell us if you know your Bible.

Thank you.