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Topic: Principles of Interpretation - long read
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epouraniois
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posted
Dear blessed Brother in Christ, your comments and additions are more than welcome and much appreciated.
Agape.
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Miguel
Advanced Member
Member # 47
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quote:
This is because of the degradation of the word from one language into another. But we can see how the same word can be translated using different words in our English. Likewise, the word “lend” is the same as the word “borrow” in the Hebrew. This is because one cannot lend something unless someone is willing to borrow. In this sense the words are dependant upon one another thru the action of the subject and object; they have a correspondence by necessity. So, by looking at the opposite usage, it is often beneficial to our understanding of how a word truly should be interpreted.
This is a very good point you have presented here.
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1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
These two scriptures should be the foundation (s) in our daily studies.
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2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
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This does not mean that all promises, hopes, and glories are for every person in every dispensation. For example, Isaiah has much to do with our edification, even though it was written to the Hebrews, and it is profitable if we extract from it with care, yet the “doctrine” was one of being under the law. We cannot just take everything it says and apply it to ourselves, and yet we may extract much good instruction from it. Take I Co13, the chapter on the nature of Christian love. This love can be applied across the line even though the epistle is pre Acts 28:28. Below the word “charity” is really the word love [agape]:
This is why it is so important to read the word of God alone and make it as much as important as the daily food you need to eat in order to keep thy self alive, so does the word of God bring forth by His grace everlasting life.
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Eph 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
(Eph 2:18 For through Jesus Christ you and I have access by One Spirit unto the Father.)
Changes in this verse done by MAC..
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In Ephesians 2:19, 20 we read our church is built upon the foundation of the apostils and prophets with Christ Jesus being the chief corner stone. These are our duties, but in a different order. We shall accept that the apostils and prophets were a foundation ministry which has finished. There are no more apostles, and no more prophets in the extra Biblical sense of the words. But they are succeeded by evangelists and teachers. We can read I Co12 and profit by them, but we haven’t got the supernatural “gifts” of that foundational ministry, the HS is not raising the dead, everyone steeped in ailments are not healed without question and so forth, neither are there Jews and Gentiles speaking clearly in various languages and dialects simultaneously proclaiming the kingdom is near for the hope of Israel, as was the common in that church era.
This and many other problems we are facing today with the local assemblies!
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Now this is not saying those who are in the flesh will not speak evil or deny Christ Jesus has come in the flesh. This is dealing with a being possessed by a spirit. It is telling us to test that occupying spirit to see if it is the HS from God, or some other spirit from the god of this world. For you see, every spiritual blessing will come into contact with the spiritual foe. Perhaps not even personally, maybe within a group. I submit that it is not good to attempt to exercise the practice of doctrine before becoming familiar with the doctrine. First the root, then the fruit if you will pardon my coliquity, but not the other way around. Above the HS is telling us, thru John, that God will not allow Satan to go so far as to let a person be tricked using a lying spirit by claiming Christ Jesus has come in the flesh. The occupying spirit needs be tested. Tongues, Biblically have the meaning of an un-naturally acquired language. One that isn't learned naturally, nor by human will or higher education.
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Christ said this Comforter would come and speak of Him. The gifts were to magnify the Lord. This means that they were understood clearly as they were moved to teach Biblical doctrine. Specifically, to teach Biblical doctrine concerning Israel receiving the kingdom which was then nigh at hand. It was for edification, understanding, comfort.
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The gifts were to magnify the Lord
Your are correct in saying that the gifts were to magnify the Lord and yet this is not the case in this world, the closer we get to His return which I believed we are at the final stage of Hi appearing men seek more and more to get or have Christ glory!
Psa 4:2 O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn My glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.
Isa 42:8 I AM the LORD: that is My name: and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images.
If we where to be judge according to these two verses God would not needed nothing more.
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Through the Spirit, or, by the Spirit, or, in the Spirit, but not “with” the Spirit. To be consistent with their translation they should have said: v5:18…be filled by the Spirit. If you pour water into a glass, you don’t say you are going to fill the glass with the pitcher. No, you say you fill the glass by the pitcher, and with the water. It was a grammatical error in v18 to use the word “with”.
Indeed, for it is “by” Him that we are justified.. The Spirit of Truth.
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God can fill us with any instrumentality He wishes, be it through the generosity of a friend or what ever, but through Christ, not the Holy Spirit in this verse. Nothing alters the fact that the gift inherently comes from God, even if Christ uses this world to bring something we need to us. We need to survive this world, but for His mighty purpose of redemption; we need spiritual knowledge too:
And this spiritual knowledge comes “by” the Holy Spirit that “by” the words of Christ our minds are renew to sanctification.
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Satisfying is the word “filling” in the above. “not in any honor to the filling of the flesh”. So, if our idea of sanctification is what we don’t do, we can easily be puffed up, satisfying the flesh, so instead our sanctification is a Holy thing. Sanctification can only look to, and draw from, the risen, ascended Christ.
This is accomplishing “by” the wonderful justification of God.
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Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Few things in this verses;
1. Led
2. By
3. Spirit
4. Itself
5. Beareth
6. Are
7. Sons
We are always learning until His return………….
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Romans 9:11-24
Our Eschatology may vary even our Ecclesiology may be disputed among us but our Soteriology most assume a singularity and exclusivity which in biblical term is known as Quote; "The Narrow Way" and Quote!
Posts: 2792 | From: Stockton,Ca | Registered: Jun 2002
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epouraniois
unregistered
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posted
If we read the whole of the book as if it is only allegory, that whatever we read has some other meaning which WE must thenafter apply, then we can never be sure that we have the correct interpretation because it throws the door wide open to human opinion, and that is the very thing we wish to avoid when we open up this great Book.
The only purpose of opening the Book is to receive God's opinion and we shant be doing that if we add what we think to what God is telling us. In other words, we need to learn to let God speak for Himself. If we need to add even one word of our own, then it is a sure sign we have departed from truth.
Principles of Interpretation
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 4:13
The measure-
Of the stature-
Of the fullness-
Of the Christ-
When words are translated from one language to another, there is a breaking down, in a sense, of the meaning and usage. A word rarely, if ever, becomes clearer, but becomes less exact when translated. Greek is a most mathematically exact language. There are 24 different words for the word “the” in the Greek; the masculine, feminine, plural, singular, nominative, genitive, etc. This means you can mix up all the words in a sentence and you would still know what was said. But in English if we say Bill hit John, then turned it around, it would appear that John hit Bill, but the original meaning would not be lost in the Greek because of the causative that would be included. Basically, our English has the ends of the words cut off, so we are always explaining what we mean when we say something. There must be harmony in the Greek; you can’t have a feminine “faith” and a neuter “gift” as in the following example, and expect that the subject moves from faith to the gift. In Eph 2:8, we are told “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”.
No Greek writer would ever say that a feminine faith is a neuter gift. So it cannot be saying faith is the gift of God, it must be saying something else. What is it saying? It is saying then, that thru grace by faith, salvation is a gift. Another example is the “faith of Abraham”. We should not read this as us having Abraham’s faith. No one can have another person’s faith, but we can have a faith that is likened unto the “faith of Abraham”, and thus we know that a Figure of Speech is being employeed. Now, when the translators originally began working on the Greek, it was not the Greek doing the work, but the Hebrews translating for their own understanding into the Greek. There were already, as we know from the man Ezra, few who could read Hebrew. So, when they translated the words “Sons of God” in Genesis 6; they translated the word into the word “angels”. To the Hebrews, it was understood that angels came down and took of the daughters of men [Jude & II Peter]. They understood these beings to be angels and they translated it as such. The point here, is that we often need to go back to the original, as far as we are able, to get the understanding of the ancients.
Sometimes we also need to find the opposite word usage in order to see what the Holy Spirit has actually said. For instance, the word “report” is the same as the word “hearing”. But we don’t say the gun had a loud hearing, we say the gun had a loud report. We could say we gave the speaker a good hearing, but in English the meaning would change if we said we gave the speaker a good report. This is because of the degradation of the word from one language into another. But we can see how the same word can be translated using different words in our English. Likewise, the word “lend” is the same as the word “borrow” in the Hebrew. This is because one cannot lend something unless someone is willing to borrow. In this sense the words are dependant upon one another thru the action of the subject and object; they have a correspondence by necessity. So, by looking at the opposite usage, it is often beneficial to our understanding of how a word truly should be interpreted.
Now, we know that we are not under the OT law of the daily sacrifice. That was one dispensation held under this world age. So we have ages, and within these are dispensations. We are told there was a world [age] that then was, and that this world [age] will be rolled up like a scroll and put away. Within this world age, there are separate dispensations, or lines that cannot be crossed when speaking of specific aspects of God’s outworking with man. For the purpose of this study, I will make some blanket statements, which I will not seek to prove; but we shall look into those matters which strictly pertain to this paper. We shall want to use three aspects, based upon the following Biblical principles.
1.
Isa 28:13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
In the above our hero is being dismantled by the rulers [priests] of Jerusalem for teaching with the above method. They are giving him grief because their followers are no longer coming to their sermons, as they have turned to the teacher who teaches them properly, our hero, with understanding is using Biblical principles. Christ reinforces the warning whereon we should be careful, which is the purpose of this study, that we should learn to rightly divide the word of God:
Mat 21:44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
2.
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
3.
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
I write this for myself as well as for you; knowing how difficult it is to transition from understanding doctrine to effectual walking in the newness of life, and serve in the newness of spirit with out the blemishes that so often characterize the best in the world. So we have laid out three principles, and we shall attempt to glean some truth by using them to seek the truth through two or three examples. First, let it be marked that there is a unity we are to seek, and a unity we are to keep. This sounds easy, but it is not practiced much. The unity we are to seek was told to us prior Acts 28:28, and the unity we are to keep is told to us afterwards. This is a dividing line:
Act 28:28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is [now] sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.
Before this demarcation, there were both Jew and Gentile being preached from within the same ranks. Discord and resentment was present, as this period of time and administration [dispensation] was merely a shadow of things to shortly come. The Jews could not accept even being within close approximation to those who ate food that was to them an abomination, and they certainly didn’t want to become contaminated by them, little lone accept that God would offer salvation and equality to these outside heathen nations. They also realized there was no way to follow into this new era without some sort of unification. We are speaking of converts here, not just some Jews and some Gentiles. Simply put, there could be no way to co-exist without compromise, which I believe can be likened to a birth pang, because the message was not compromise, but unity. So, pre Acts 28:28, seven of Paul’s epistles were on one side of the dividing line while seven are on this side, and called in the Bible a “dispensation”. On the one side we have I and II Corinthians, Hebrews, Galatians, Romans and I and II Thessalonians. On this side we have Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, Titus, and I and II Timothy. Fourteen epistles in total. Now:
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
This does not mean that all promises, hopes, and glories are for every person in every dispensation. For example, Isaiah has much to do with our edification, even though it was written to the Hebrews, and it is profitable if we extract from it with care, yet the “doctrine” was one of being under the law. We cannot just take everything it says and apply it to ourselves, and yet we may extract much good instruction from it. Take I Co13, the chapter on the nature of Christian love. This love can be applied across the line even though the epistle is pre Acts 28:28. Below the word “charity” is really the word love [agape]:
1Co 13:4 Charity [love] suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
1Co 13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
1Co 13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
1Co 13:7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
We shall be looking at a couple of subjects and attempt to uncover the meaning of a word, applying right division to see if these boundaries actually exist in reality, or can they be crossed? I have chosen a controversial topic, in keeping with the unity of the Spirit, we shall begin by taking a look into spiritual blessings and blessings of the spirit.
Eph 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
It should be first noted that there are not two spirits of God, but one Spirit, being the Holy Spirit, who is God in the highest human expression. So, Paul had to write to these Corinthians just to get them to realize the people needed some sort of order so they may hear and learn the written word and the Gospel. Again, before the dispositional dividing line of Acts 28:28, we are told the same thing; whatever the gift, it is from the one Spirit:
1Co 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
In Ephesians we read of the one body, and in I Co12 we read also that their church has been called the one body before. And all spiritual gifts come from one origin:
1Co 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
1Co 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.
1Co 12:6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
Straightaway we have a unity of Spirit and at the same time diversities of operations. In verse 1 it warns us that we should not be “ignorant”, so we begin the chapter with a warning to sharpen up for this teaching. Then in verse 27 we are given a list of gifts. Some of these are also taught after the dispensational line to the church of the Mystery. Note too, that in this church, the members are not equal, and the instruction is that they themselves are nevertheless, one body of believers.
1Co 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
1Co 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
Notice Paul placeing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd on the order. and in verse 29 he puts it in the same order again: Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? Should we include ourselves in this chapter of gifts? It begins with spiritual gifts and ends on the same note. Do we have each and every one of these? Is that what we see in the church today? Below we see, after the Acts 28:28 dividing line, a different order.
Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
In Ephesians 2:19, 20 we read our church is built upon the foundation of the apostils and prophets with Christ Jesus being the chief corner stone. These are our duties, but in a different order. We shall accept that the apostils and prophets were a foundation ministry which has finished. There are no more apostles, and no more prophets in the extra Biblical sense of the words. But they are succeeded by evangelists and teachers. We can read I Co12 and profit by them, but we haven’t got the supernatural “gifts” of that foundational ministry, the HS is not raising the dead, everyone steeped in ailments are not healed without question or rejection and so forth, neither are there Jews and Gentiles speaking clearly in various languages and dialects simultaneously proclaiming the kingdom is near for the hope of Israel, as was the common in that church era.
1Jo 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1Jo 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
Now this is not saying those who are in the flesh will not speak evil or deny Christ Jesus has come in the flesh. This is dealing with a being possessed by a spirit. It is telling us to test that occupying spirit to see if it is the HS from God, or some other spirit from the god of this world. For you see, every spiritual blessing will come into contact with the spiritual foe. Perhaps not even personally, maybe within a group. I submit that it is not good to attempt to exercise the practice of doctrine before becoming familiar with the doctrine. First the root, then the fruit if you will pardon my coliquity, but not the other way around. Above the HS is telling us, thru John, that God will not allow Satan to go so far as to let a person be tricked using a lying spirit by claiming Christ Jesus has come in the flesh. The occupying spirit needs be tested. Tongues, Biblically have the meaning of an un-naturally acquired language. One that isn't learned naturally, nor by human will or higher education.
1Co 12:8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
This is speaking of a spiritual gift, not the naturally obtained language. Remember Paul said he would rather speak 5 words in a known language than 10,000 words in an unknown tongue. [I personally think that learning a 2nd language is a God given gift. Some do mathematics, some paint…]
When the HS comes upon a person it is called an anointing. When a person is anointed, they know all things within the framework of the gift. In v8 above, one gift is wisdom and another is knowledge. But at the now present time, we must study to show ourselves approved. Notice that this instruction is in the church of the Mystery, the partition, that middle wall of partition has been broken down as per Eph 2. In II Timothy, written after Acts 28:28, is the instruction to study for this approval. Paul reminds us that no matter what the gift is, with out love, it profits nothing. It is not stated that the “gifts” are what we should strive for; very far from it, but the unity of the Spirit, which is the one body, with Christ at the head, we read as being our calling. Paul says we can only see as in a mirror enigmatically, in the Greek. Now this is the apostle Paul telling us these things! How much more should this apply to us, and to take heed of his instruction with all due diligence and right division.
1Co 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
In Philippians 1:20 Paul tells us Christ shall be magnified thru Paul. Paul had the authority to command those of the church, yet he beseeches them often to take heed, or pay attention.
1Co 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
When dealing with spiritual gifts, we must keep this in mind, and test the spirit if one enters us. This is not the same as questioning an angel like we find elsewhere in the Bible. Acts, chapters 12, 13, and 14 speak about spiritual things, some of which were the gifts to show forth unto the Jews that God had not foresaken them, tha the kingdom offer was still present in His longsuffering and mercy if they would just have the aftermind to turn again unto the Lord. Paul tells us the gifts are used for and by understanding:
1Co 14:15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
1Co 14:2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.
Of course, if no one can understand what is said, then no one can make a claim like that, can they, with any meaning? Of coursel not, they are just guessing and saying what makes them feel good. Self edification? Is that some great doctrine we are to be found doing? When one would speak in “tongues”, it was for edification and for understanding, for comfort and exhortation [instruction].
Christ said this Comforter would come and speak of Him. The gifts were to magnify the Lord. This means that they were understood clearly as they were moved to teach Biblical doctrine. Specifically, to teach Biblical doctrine concerning Israel receiving the kingdom which was then nigh at hand. It was for edification, understanding, comfort.
1Co 14:3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
This next verse is offered up for a test to see if the speaking in tongues, as practiced in Acts, crosses the dispensational boundary. We necessarily desire the truth, and need to know if it does.
Eph 5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
“be filled with the Spirit” If you are familiar with prepositions, you should notice that the word “with” begs a question. It should be, and is so translated “by” elsewhere. [this is what we came here for]
Eph 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Eph 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Through the Spirit, or, by the Spirit, or, in the Spirit, but not “with” the Spirit. To be consistent with their translation they should have said: v5:18…be filled by the Spirit. If you pour water into a glass, you don’t say you are going to fill the glass with the pitcher. No, you say you fill the glass by the pitcher, and with the water. It was a grammatical error in v18 to use the word “with”.
Col 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
[the “one body” is still in mind here, and the epistle is on the Mystery side of the dispensational line]
Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
“The word of Christ” is the witness to the Spirit to us. In one letter, he tells us the spiritual gifts are given by the Spirit, and on the other side in another letter, Paul doesn’t speak about the Spirit, but tells us what the Spirit fills you with, “the word of Christ”. Written to two separate churches. In Ephesians there is no indication that we should be filled with Pentecostal gifts, but that we should be filled with “the word of Christ” as we allow the outworking of the Spirit to fill us with the word of Christ. Let us look at this word “filled”, because we should think that if we should be filled with gifts of the Pentecostal gifts, there would be at least some reference to it after Acts 28:28. Looking at the end of Eph 1, Christ has risen from the dead, and sits at the right hand, in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. The question put forth for us is, should we constrain this word [filleth] to the Pentecostal gifts or apply them to Eph 4:10?
Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
And below we have a very different context:
Phi 4:18 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.
He is full, but not of the Holy Spirit. Below, the word “supply” is the same word “fill”.
Phi 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
God can fill us with any instrumentality He wishes, be it through the generosity of a friend or what ever, but through Christ, not the Holy Spirit in this verse. Nothing alters the fact that the gift inherently comes from God, even if Christ uses this world to bring something we need to us. We need to survive this world, but for His mighty purpose of redemption; we need spiritual knowledge too:
Col 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
Filled with the knowledge of His will. That is a sound filling, & a portion of a prayer, but not related to the gifts of the Pentecost. Not to mention that in Acts 2:5 we are told it was a regular Jewish Feast where no Gentiles were present and totally unrelated to any “church”. [Of course, the gifts were given to Jew and Gentile for a time, and it was getting out of hand and Paul gave instruction for keeping everything organized at Corinth, THEN.]
Col 2:20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
Col 2:21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
Col 2:22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
Col 2:23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
Satisfying is the word “filling” in the above. “not in any honour to the filling of the flesh”. So, if our idea of sanctification is what we don’t do, we can easily be puffed up, satisfying the flesh, so instead our sanctification is a Holy thing. Sanctification can only look to, and draw from, the risen, ascended Christ.
Col 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
We can see that we should be filled with something, that is for sure. For the truth cannot be received in any other form apart from our blessed risen Christ who sends His truth forth to call us.
Rom 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
There it is, all sorted out for us. There is no possibility of the flesh entering into those things of the spirit. Its seems we should do well to watch out for these things, knowing the enemy desires it be us who remain confused, mixing spiritual with literal, and crossing dispensational boundaries, where we are then found to be no longer keeping the unity of the Spirit.
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
They are led because of their callings. For they have not received the spirit of bondage… This brings into the picture, that there is another kind of spirit that sometimes means the essence of a thing. Such as spiritually Sodom and Egypt, that is to say, Jerusalem had practically become as they. Here, they had received the spirit of adoption where they cry Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit : so there is the witness. [we covered the three adoptions in another paper] The spirit of adoption means that they don’t have the reality yet, but do have that earnest of the promise, which is where our hope comes into focus, bringing us back to Ephesians, and this side of that line.
Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, -
The firstfruits of the Spirit is the spirit of adoption, they have it in earnest and next we hear of the reality”
Rom 8:23- continued- even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
The reality is the waiting for the redemption of the body. Lets see how Paul makes an entrance:
2Co 1:13 For we write none other things unto you, than what ye read or acknowledge; and I trust ye shall acknowledge even to the end;
2Co 1:14 As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus.
2Co 1:15 And in this confidence I was minded to come unto you before, that ye might have a second benefit;
2Co 1:16 And to pass by you into Macedonia, and to come again out of Macedonia unto you, and of you to be brought on my way toward Judaea.
2Co 1:17 When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay?
Paul is telling them he always has the reservation of according to the will of God, so he cannot make absolute promises. We know that the HS is sure though. We should also be in the 'as the Lord will' mode. Wishing that we should do something or other in our lives, but above all placing our assurance in the “hope” of our calling, which is centered and anchored in the one LORD of which we are members of the one body because of “acknowledgement”! Below he tells them the Word does not change, because in the above he said he could not say for certain, but if the Lord wills, he will personally visit. Let us look to see that it is the anointing which is being established.
2Co 1:19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.
2Co 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
2Co 1:21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
2Co 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
Now these at this church had something we don’t have. If we look back we can see that they were established and anointed. Below we have the word “confirmed”. It is the same word as “establish” above.
1Co 1:4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;
1Co 1:5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;
1Co 1:6 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: [by faith]
1Co 1:12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
Aside of their boasting, This is referring to the anointed company. We aren’t to think of Christ, but the anointed one here mentioned, Paul had the anointing on him. The word Christ is a veiled way of saying the anointed, but again, the subject is not Christ, but that Christ has filled them by the anointing and with His Word.
1Jo 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
This just can’t apply to us, or there is something wrong with us if this is supposed to be our position. We need teachers. We have none that are anointed and have been taught “all things” by the HS, having no need of any man to teach us. But they did during the Acts!
Before the line of division they had these things happening amongst them who did have faith. Without exception every believer had some gift or other manifestly showing forth to the Jews the kingdom was 'at hand'.
This was prior Acts 28:28; our line of demarcation. When the supernatural gifts were given, they had the seal, and the earnest. They had the confirmation of the HS by the gifts and they received the anointing. What we have in the church of the Mystery in Ephesians is the seal and the earnest, but nothing else crossed over. We don’t have the confirmation by the anointing, we still have need for somebody to teach us. And in the prayer,
Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
A wise and redeeming Spirit, this is what we need. How do we get it? That is another study, but here is a start for it: it is mentioned it in the “unity” study. It is on the tail of the above verse. It should read, “for the acknowledgement of Him”. He is not saying He is going to keep piling on the knowledge, but rather He gives no more until it becomes visabilly fruitful, for that is what the acknowledgment brings, it brings forth the fruit from the root established by doctrine.
Absorb Eph 1:3-14, as truth is only truth in the fullest sense when it is acknowledged. He would pray that they should be given knowledge and revelation thru Paul’s own spirit of eager reliability, if you will permit my words there. Paul is not praying they receive the HS, which had otherwise granted these gifts in the previous church era, which were really just over his shoulder, but that we should receive knowledge and instruction thereby obtaining wisdom. Not gifts. Wisdom.
It has been said that many who understand simply do not acknowledge, because if they did, it would change their entire belief system. It is almost like they understand it all too well, and chose to part from God’s word; which, I suppose, is what those doctrines of man are, which we are so warned about. The unity of the Spirit is a radical thing. It breaks down that which desires to stand on its own.
Rom 15:19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
In the time present, this verse and this word “power” is also used to show the Pentecostal tongue is for today. But we have no mighty signs and wonders in our time. I ask you, are you enduring sound doctrine, or are you mixing dispensational truths from one side to the other. The question is, what is the meaning of the one Spirit of Ephesians 4?
We have looked into several passages which reflect the gifts of the spirit in relation to the Pentecostal gifts and found none to exists in this study. Study it deeper for your self and see if you can find any relationship to those gifts on the pre Acts side of the middle wall of partition and the Church of the Mystery. There is a good reason they do not cross that line. We mustn’t fool ourselves, we walk by faith and not by sight, in the bond of His peace, which is the blood on the cross.
Lets look at that word “peace”.
Cheerio in the Greek, and shalom in the Hebrew. They both mean to bring to an end. Peace is not the absence of war in the Bible, it is something far more. It is the conclusion of something, the bringing together two things, while putting away some other thing. In the Biblical sense, it is the consequence of redemption, and the fulness of God. Lets prove it quickly, I will not commentate much for space.
Paul uses the words grace be unto you and peace in Christ Jesus. This combines both benedictions of greeting by the Hebrew and the Greek.
Joh 20:19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
God points us to His hands, showing us the redemption, the connective work in which peace comes.
1Ki 9:25 And three times in a year did Solomon offer burnt offerings and peace offerings upon the altar which he built unto the LORD, and he burnt incense upon the altar that was before the LORD. So he finished the house.
The word “finished” is the word “peace” above. And the word “full” below.
Gen 15:16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
Deu 25:15 But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Above the “perfect” measure is peace.
Lev 6:5 Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering.
He shall restore it gives us the word “peace”.
Lev 5:15 If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering:
Lev 5:16 And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him.
Above, peace is by restoration and exchange. The word peace is not present, but the reality of completion towards it is offered for our understanding.
Exo 22:5 If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed in another man's field; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution.
To finish to fill, to restore, to make restitution. So, peace is a righteous thing, something deep and wonderful. The chastisement of us was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed. We could get really deep into this, but this should be enough to demonstrate how to study a topic, by following subject and object, placing line upon line, verse upon verse, precept upon precept, rightly dividing by dispensation, placing spiritual with spiritual…, and we are to keep it [safe], as if for our very life.
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Eph 2:14
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