Judgment - Which One?

The Bible speaks of two Judgments. The white throne of Judgment and the Judgment seat of Christ

In the book of Revelation we read the account of the judgment of the dead. "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them." Revelation 20:11 From the context it is clear that the dead here are those who did not place their trust in christ. Their entire life is displayed for all to see and are finally judged. Their judgment is to be thrown into the lake of fire to join satan and his cohorts.

However 2 Corinthians 5:10 speaks of another judgmentfor the believers. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." This is the judgment for rewards. Believers are rewarded based on the material they built their work on. Whether rewarded or not all who finds their name in the book of Life are saved because "...there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, Romans 8:1-3. Neither is there any white throne of judgment or public humiliation because Jesus Christ our substitute already bore all the judgment and humiliation meant for us.

So friends take heart, Jesus has done everything on our behalf. There is nothing more we need to do. Cast all your burdens upon him and allow Him to steer you life the way he pleases for He promises that his yoke is light and easy.

There is no such thing as a Vaccum

Everyone of us is a unique creation created by Almighty God for a divine purpose. In the beginning God made a single man (Adam) and formed a woman (Eve) out of the man. They were fully grown adults and God initiated the institute of marriage; one woman for one man.

They were commanded to increase in number and rule the earth and all that is upon it. God gave them fruits for food and placed them in a garden. God also planted two trees in the middle of the garden; The Tree of Life that gave eternal life to those who ate of its fruit and The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad that brought death.. God commanded Adam and Eve never to eat from the second tree.

Adam and Eve had everything they possibly wanted. They were living in overflowing abundance.

God had given man a goal.

To multiply – they were told to get busy in the baby production department. You see Adam did not have to go to work to bring in the bacon. He could fully dedicate his attention to his young beautiful wife.

Adam was also to care for the garden, that was also an easy job – no weeds, no pests, no diseases, plenty of under ground water. No sweat there. God had placed them in the garden however he was also told to rule the entire earth. God had given Adam an outline of what was expected of him. It was upto Adam to decide how he executed his divine job.

Apparently both Adam and Eve had too much idle time. You know the saying – idle hands devil’s workshop. An idle mind also becomes the devil’s playground. Instead of eagerly getting on with their divine assignment, they idled about the garden thereby opening a window of opportunity to the deceiver.

There is one good thing you could say about Satan. He is never idle. He is always plotting and scheming. Both Adam and Eve fell right into the schemers trap and they died to their God. God had warned them they would die if they ate of the second tree. Man was created as a spirit being having a soul and living in a physical body. The spirit of man was God’s spirit breathed into him and kept him in fellowship, alive with God. When man broke faith with God man’s spirit became dead to God’s presence and death entered human body and all the other creations.

While meting out the punishment for the disobedience God also gave man a promise. God was not prepared to concede defeat to a cast out angel. He prophesied the birth of a savior who would restore man to his original rightful place-with God.

Ever since, satan and his demon cohorts have been torturing man kind with all kinds of diseases, plagues, disasters, torments, additions. Many of the afflictions and additions are the result of certain kinds of evil spirit. The spirit of infirmity, spirit of alcoholism, spirit of homosexuality, spirits of various kinds of abuses, spirit of adultery, etc. are demonic spirit oppressions that oppress people around the globe.

Man can be delivered of these spirits through the power in the Name of Jesus. However, care should be taken that the cast out spirit does not return seven times stronger to find the delivered person without a master. Every delivered individual should repent of their sins and receive Jesus Christ as their savior, and Lord. They must receive by faith the deliverance, healing and restoration that is available thru the death and shed blood of Jesus on the cross of Calvary. Then the spirit of the Lord will come and dwell with him. This way the delivered person becomes the blood brought possession of God and satan will have no hold on him.

Remember friends there is no such thing as vaccum in a person - either Jesus dwells there or satan. Choose Jesus every day.

No Fishing Allowed

Has the accuser been wispering things like, "Remember what you did, that sin you committed years ago?"

Every time you come under guilt for past forgiven sins its time to take up the sword of the Spirit and say, "I am justified—just as if it never happened." Psalm 103 says, "He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (verses 10–12).

Corrie ten Boom used to say. "God has taken our sin and thrown it into the sea of forgetfulness and posted a sign that says, 'No fishing allowed.' " You are justified. Just as if it never had happened.

"But I am like a green olive tree (thriving)in the house of God; I trust in and confidently rely on the loving-kindness and the mercy of God forever and ever.

I will thank You and confide in You forever, because You have done it [delivered me and kept me safe]. I will wait on, hope in and expect in Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your saints." Psalm 52:8-9 AMP


The wicked deceive themselves when they think to support themselves in power and wealth without God. But the Righteous shall be like green olive-trees for they trust in the abundance of God's riches and by faith and love dwell in the house of God.


To be as green olive-trees, we must live a life of faith and holy confidence in God and his grace. Praising God; and relying on His name alone will calm and quiet our spirits to patiently wait for the Lord's deliverance.

So I say a little prayer

“I pray that you are like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; trusting in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever; praising Him forever for what He has done; hoping in His name, for His name is good; and praising Him in the presence of His saints. Amen.”

Eduring Love

Lord,
There is so much happening in our world right now.
In the midst of it all, it’s so good know
You’re in control,
Your love is never ending,
And You provide for us.
As the trees turn colors and nights get cooler,
May we be reminded
That every season of our lives
Is a part of Your loving plan.
Amen

By Holly Garth

Divine Courtship

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:44

We love because he first loved us.1 John 4.19

God can woo you both intellectually and emotionally. Today let us be sensitive to his endearments.

Woman a Biblical Profile

Key Verse:

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. (Genesis 1:27)

Introduction

The book of Genesis records the beginning of the world, of man and woman, of sin and God's plan for salvation, and the formation of the nations.

Origin Of Woman

The first chapter of Genesis describes the creation of the world. The second chapter tells of the creation of mankind with a specific reference to woman in 1:27. The main references describing the origin of woman are Genesis chapter 2:

And the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept; and He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man.

And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh. (Genesis 2:18, 21-24)

The Bible reveals that woman was:

1. Created By God:
Genesis 2:7 states that man was created by God from the dust of the earth. God breathed into man (Adam) the breath of life, and he became a living soul. God decided it was not good for Adam to be alone (Genesis 2:22). God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, then He took one of his ribs and from it created the first woman who was named Eve.

Adam called his mate woman, which means "she-man" or "joined to man," because she was taken out of man. This is where the word "woman" originated.

2. Created In The Image Of God:

Genesis 1:26-27 documents that God created both male and female in His image:

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. (Genesis 1:26-27)


Mankind's First Responsibility

Adam and Eve were told by God to:

∙ Be fruitful.
∙ Multiply.
∙ Replenish the earth.
∙ Subdue the earth.
∙ Have dominion over every living thing on earth. (Genesis 1:28)

Interestingly God's first command to man and woman was to "be fruitful." Spiritual fruitfulness is a Biblical concept traced from this initial command to the final harvest among the nations prophesied in the closing book of Revelation.

Adam and Eve were to be fruitful in each area of their triune nature, physically, spiritually, and mentally as they replenished the earth, subdued and took dominion over it.

Woman's Relationship To God

Woman was created by God, in the image of God, with an eternal soul (Genesis 2:7) related to God in a special union. This relationship is spiritual because God is a spirit (John 4:24). God enjoyed a spiritual relationship with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:8). This union was broken due to man's fall into sin, but God provided a plan to restore man's spiritual relationship with his Creator.

Woman's Relationship To Man

The relationship of woman to man was one of:

1. LOVE:

The creation of woman from man is an example of the type of relationship that would later exist between Jesus Christ and the Church. While Adam slept, his side was opened and woman was created. Centuries later Jesus Christ hung on the cross for the sins of all mankind and through the great sleep of His death the Church was created. Christ's side was pierced with a spear and there came forth a creative flow of blood to redeem and water to purify the Church:

...Even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it;

That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word. (Ephesians 5:25-26)

The creation of woman speaks of a love relationship, similar to that which exists between Christ and the Church..

2. COMPANIONSHIP:

God said it was not good for man to be alone. He intended for man and woman to be companions.

3. HELPFULNESS:

God said He would create a "help meet" for man (Genesis 2:18). The same Hebrew word for help meet, Azyer, occurs forty times in the Old Testament and is often used to speak of God as helper of His people. The word does not mean subjection, as God is certainly not subject to man. Rather, it pictures a giving, loving, caring, relationship of help similar to that which exists between God and man.

4. COMMITMENT:

Genesis 2:24 speaks of the relationship of commitment between man and woman. The man is to:

Leave his father and mother: Mental commitment.
Cleave unto his wife: Emotional commitment.
They shall be one flesh: Physical commitment.

Love, companionship, commitment, and a mutual helping relationship are qualities of the union God designed between man and woman.

Godly Parenting P.A.T.H. part two

If you enjoyed the first part of Tommy Hilliker's article on Godly parenting I am sure you are interested in reading the second part - 'God’s P.A.T.H. for parenting: part two'.

This is a must read for all parents and future parents. Hilliker concludes the article with the last two letters in P.A.T.H., Training and Helping.

Click the title of this post to read the second part of God's P.A.T.H. for parenting

What ways are we training our children intentionally?
How are we helping our children develop godly habits?

Copy and paste the link below to access the article if clicking on the title of this blog does not work for you.

http://legacy.pastors.com/rwmt/article.asp?ArtID=11427

Godly Parenting thru P. A. T. H.

Are we as parents helping our children to set the right path for their lives. All parents ask this question at some time or the other. Everything we say, do, and don't do speak volumes to our children. Tommy Hilliker of Saddleback Church's recently wrote a great article titled 'God’s P.A.T.H. for parenting: part one' about helping our children find the right path.


P.A.T.H. includes four key directions:

Provide a spiritual foundation for your family.
Accept your children unconditionally.
Train them intentionally.
Help them develop healthy godly habits.

Guys this is a must read. To access the article just click on the title of this post. To navigate back to my blog click on the back button on the top left hand corner of the page you are reading.


You can also copy and paste the link below to read the article. Let me know if you enjoyed/found the article useful.

http://legacy.pastors.com/rwmt/article.asp?ArtID=11427

part two of the article will also be be posted soon.

Why did Christ take human form?

Let us examine the Scripture and see just one of the purposes. The first book of John (1 John 3:8) as well as the Book of Hebrews (Hebrews 2:14) speaks of the main purpose that Christ was manifested. Here too I have followed my usual practice of referring more than one version to get a clear picture of the original intent of the Biblical writers.

 1 John 3:8 [But] he who commits sin [who practices evildoing] is of the devil [takes his character from the evil one], for the devil has sinned (violated the divine law) from the beginning. The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done]. (AMP)


 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.(NIV)


 So, my dear children, don't let anyone divert you from the truth. It's the person who acts right who is right, just as we see it lived out in our righteous Messiah. Those who make a practice of sin are straight from the Devil, the pioneer in the practice of sin. The Son of God entered the scene to abolish the Devil's ways. (1 John 3.7-8 MSG)

Here we see that God came and dwelled among us in the visible so that He may undo all the works of the evil one.

 Hebrews 2:14 Since, therefore, [these His] children share in flesh and blood [in the physical nature of human beings], He [Himself] in a similar manner partook of the same [nature], that by [going through] death He might bring to nought and make of no effect him who had the power of death--that is, the devil—(AMP)

 Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it's logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil's hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death. (Hebrews 2:14 -15 MSG)

 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil (NIV)

The verse in Hebrews confirms that Christ Jesus had to take the same form as man to destroy the evil one’s strangle hold over His children.

Alleluia to the Lord.

Why can the demonic realm "not touch us"?

To answer this question it is best to examine two key verses in the Bible -1 John 4:4 & 1 John 5:18. I have quoted four different Bible versions viz. NIV, KJV, AMP & MSG for in-depth understanding.


 1 John 4:4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (NIV)

 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. (KJV)

 Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him] and have [already] defeated and overcome them [the agents of the antichrist], because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world. (AMP)

 My dear children, you come from God and belong to God. You have already won a big victory over those false teachers, for the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world. These people belong to the Christ-denying world. They talk the world's language and the world eats it up. But we come from God and belong to God. Anyone who knows God understands us and listens. The person who has nothing to do with God will, of course, not listen to us. This is another test for telling the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of deception. (1 John 4:4-6 MSG)

The above verse makes it clear that those who are in Christ have victory over the demonic realm.

 1 John 5:18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. (NIV)

 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. (KJV)

 We know [absolutely] that anyone born of God does not [deliberately and knowingly] practice committing sin, but the One Who was begotten of God carefully watches over and protects him [Christ's divine presence within him preserves him against the evil], and the wicked one does not lay hold (get a grip) on him or touch [him]. (AMP)

 We know that none of the God-begotten makes a practice of sin—fatal sin. The God-begotten are also the God-protected. The Evil One can't lay a hand on them. We know that we are held firm by God; it's only the people of the world who continue in the grip of the Evil One. And we know that the Son of God came so we could recognize and understand the truth of God—what a gift!—and we are living in the Truth itself, in God's Son, Jesus Christ. This Jesus is both True God and Real Life. Dear children, be on guard against all clever facsimiles. (1 John 5:18-21MSG)

So if we have victory over the demonic realm, how can it overcome or “touch us”? Dear beloved in Christ it can not!

The Creation Of Woman

Many people and incidents of the Old Testament are "types" of spiritual truths revealed in the New Testament. When we speak of a Biblical type, we refer to the fact that certain incidents recorded in the Scripture are not only important in themselves, but are examples of even greater spiritual truths. The study of types is an important form of Bible study.

The creation of woman from man is an example of the type of relationship that would later exist between Jesus Christ and the Church. While Adam slept, his side was opened and woman was created. Down the centuries Jesus Christ hung on the cross for the sins of all mankind. Through the great sleep of His death the Church was created. Christ's side was pierced with a spear and there came forth a creative flow of blood to redeem and water to purify the Church:

...just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,

to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
(Ephesians 5:25-26)

The creation of woman speaks of the love (agape) relationship, similar to that which exists between Christ and the Church. This is a deep, enduring, spiritual love, not a sensual relationship based on external charm or beauty.

So sisters, today forget not the Love that FATHER has for you.

Modesty in Church

In a recent article of Zion’s Messiah Magazine contributor Tikva Michael wrote, “The goal behind dressing modestly is to help others focus on our character and inner beauty without being distracted by what we wear”. He continued, "“Modesty helps us find the Godly spark in ourselves and in others. The manner in which we dress, speak, and conduct ourselves encourages this process. . .”

Modesty is a trait that is certainly admirable and sits well on christians and non-christains alike. It is more so in our conversations and dressing. I was motivated to speak out on this because of the constant snide remarks one hears as well as my personal observations on the blatant lack of modesty in dressing in our churches -both traditional as well as new generational.

Let me leave you with this verse in 1 Cor 10.23-24 where Paul speaks of a believer's freedom - "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

Shalom

Blessings for Obedience

Deuteronomy 28

1 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God:

3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.

4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.

5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.

6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

7 The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.

8 The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.

9 The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. 10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. 11 The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you.

12 The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. 13 The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. 14 Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.

Man a Tripartite Being

Man a Tripartite Being

A.     Introduction

The Bible which is the Word of God expressly reveals that man is a tripartite being. There are many passages in both the Old and New Testament that clearly substantiate that man is of three parts.

 

In the biblical account of the three-step creation of man in Genesis 2:7 we read, "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 soul". This corroborates the view.

 

Ø                  Genesis 2:7a "the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground." (KJV) - With this act, God formed man's body.

Ø                  Genesis 2:7b "and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life." (KJV) With this act, God created man's spirit.

"Breath" is derived from the Hebrew word "neshamah" which means  "spirit". God's breathing into man the breath of life produced man's spirit. Zechariah 12:1 tells us that just as Jehovah stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundation of the earth, He also formed the spirit of man within him.

Ø                  Genesis 2:7c "and the man became a living soul." (KJV)

The soul (man's intrinsic person) was the issue of the breath of God entering into the nostrils of the body of dust.

Coming to the New Testament, 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Again Hebrews 4:12 specifies "The word of God is living and operative and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow." All three parts are once again articulated: the joints and marrow pertain to the body, and the soul is explicitly stated separate from the spirit.

 

God used two kinds of materials to make man—the dust for making man's body and the breath of life for producing man's spirit. When these two things came together, man became a living soul. That means the soul is the issue of the breath of life getting into the physical body of man.

 

The Word of God points out in 1 Cor. 3:16 that we are God's temple. The three parts of man can thus be compared to the three parts of the temple - the Outer Court, The Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. Today as the temple of God we are its three parts: our body corresponds to the outer court, our soul to the holy place, and our human spirit to the Holy of Holies, which is the very residence of Christ and God's presence.

B.    Three Parts of Man

The three parts of man, namely, the spirit, soul, and body functions in different spheres. Of the three parts, the first and most crucial is the spirit.  The spirit enables man to communicate with God. With his human spirit, man can worship, serve, and know God intuitively. The soul  of a man is that part which forms his personality. Finally, the physical body with its five senses enables man to relate to the physical world.

I)        The Human Spirit

Our human spirit is also composed of three parts: the conscience, fellowship, and intuition. The conscience enables us to perceive right from wrong and as a result it either condemns or justifies us. Through the fellowship, we are able to contact God and commune with Him. Finally, through the intuition God imparts within us a particular sense or knowledge that is independent of reason, circumstance or precedent. These three faculties of the spirit: conscience, fellowship, and intuition are clearly described in Scripture.

i.         Conscience

The primary or leading part of the spirit is the conscience. In Romans 9:1 Paul testifies, "My conscience bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit." In Romans 8:16 it is, "The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit". The Spirit of God witnesses with our human spirit, yet at the same time our conscience witnesses with the Holy Spirit. Thus we can see by association that the conscience must be part of the human spirit.

ii.       Fellowship

In John 4:24 Christ Himself says, "God is Spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth". Worshipping God is altogether a matter of contacting God in fellowship. Ephesians 6:18 speaks of another form of fellowship with God, "pray in the  spirit on all occasions…,". These verses help us conclude that fellowship is a component of the human spirit.

iii.      Intuition

Let us search the Scriptures about intuition being also a part of the spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:11 says, "For who among men knows the things of man, except the spirit of man which is in him?" This verse shows us that there are things which only the spirit of man knows, and which the soul is unable to know. Intuition has the capacity to know and discern apart from human reason or experience. For example, in the gospel of Mark the scribes were silently reasoning within their hearts about the Lord's statement, "Child, your sins are forgiven." How does Jesus respond to the reasoning within their hearts? "Immediately Jesus, knowing fully in His spirit that they were reasoning this way within themselves, said to them, Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?" (Mark 2:8). The spirit can have an inner sense and knowledge independent of reason or outward circumstances upon which the soul relies.

II)      The Soul

The soul or the "person" of man, is similarly composed of three parts: the mind, the will and the emotion. God's Word proves this clearly and definitively.

  i.      The mind

In  Ps.139:14 the Psalmist exults, "I will praise You, ……… Your works are wonderful, and my soul knows it well". Knowledge pertains to the mind. In addition, Lamentations 3:20 says, "My soul remembers them well and is bowed down within me." To remember is another function of the mind. These verses clearly indicate that there is a part of the soul that knows and remembers; this part is the mind.

ii.      The will

The will is also part of the soul. Job says, "So that my soul would choose strangulation and death rather than my bones" (Job 7:15). He also said, "My soul refuses to touch them…" (6:7). Choosing and refusing are functions of the will, a part of the soul.

iii.      Emotion

In Song of Songs 1:7, the Shulamite speaks to her beloved, "Tell me, you whom my soul loves." In 2 Samuel 5:8 David says,  "………..who are hated by David's soul…." Later in Psalm 86:4, David with a different feeling exclaims: "Cause the soul of Your servant to rejoice…" Since love, hate and rejoicing are clearly expressions of the emotions, it is obvious that the emotion is part of the soul.

III) The Body

The body of man with its five senses is that part which contacts the physical world. God provided man the body for his existence in the physical realm. Originally created as a pure and undefiled body it changed nature after the fall. It became the fallen flesh full of lust. Hence, Paul bemoans in Romans 7:18, "For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, nothing good dwells"

v     The Heart – Soul plus the Conscience (The Leading Part of the Spirit)

Man's heart, according to the Scripture, is a composition of all the parts of the soul plus the primary part of the spirit, namely the conscience.

§         The Mind - part of the heart

Genesis 6:5 reads, "And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Furthermore, Matthew 9:4 reports, "Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?" Both "thoughts" and "thinking" relate to the mind as a part of the soul, while simultaneously a part of the heart.

§         The Will - part of the heart

Acts 11:23: "Who, when he arrived and saw the grace of God, rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain with the Lord with purpose of heart."

Hebrews 4:12 speaks of the Word's ability to discern, "the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Both "purpose" and "intentions" are functions of the will, indicating that the will is part of the heart.

§         The Emotion - part of the heart

In John 16:6, Jesus tells His disciples, "But because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart." The Lord continues, "Therefore you also now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you." Since "sorrow" and "rejoicing" are human emotions, it indicates that man's emotional faculty is also part of the heart. Thus we can see that the soul (mind, will, and emotion) is part of the heart of a man.

§         The Conscience - part of the heart

The leading part of the spirit, the conscience,  according to the Word is also integrally related to the heart. Hebrews 10:22 strongly links these two: "Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience." Additionally, 1 John 3:20 warns, "Because if our heart blames us, it is because God is greater than our heart and knows all things." Blame and condemnation are the primary functions of the conscience, proving that our conscience is part of our heart. Therefore we can safely conclude from all the above scripture references that a man's heart consists of the conscience, in addition to the three parts of the soul.

C.    Function of the different parts of man

Genesis 1:26 clearly indicates that God created man in His own image and likeness with the intention of being expressed and represented through man. Therefore, each part of man (spirit, soul and body) was created for a specific function in relation to God's purpose and plan.

I)       Function of the spirit

   i.     To contact God

Jesus exhorts in John 4:24, "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness." To worship God is to actually contact Him. The Greek word used here literally means, "to come forward and kiss." To kiss is to make intimate contact with another person. So in John 4:24 Jesus is actually telling us that we are to make intimate contact with God through our human spirit.

 ii.     To Receive God

We initially receive God when we are born anew. According to John 3:6 this new birth takes place in our spirit, "…that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." Not only does our spirit function to receive God initially; it continues to function to receive God as the Spirit for the rest of our Christian walk. Ezekiel 36:26 says,  "I will also give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you." God gives us a new heart to love Him as well as a new spirit to receive Him.

iii.     To Contain God

Finally, our spirit functions to contain God. 2 Timothy 4:22 says, "The Lord be with your spirit." The Lord makes His abode within our spirit. Therefore we can see that our spirit functions as a container of God.

II)    The Function of the Soul

The primary function of the soul of man is to express and reflect the Lord. We can see this expressed in the Gospel of Luke. In response to Elizabeth's blessing, Mary exclaimed, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has exulted in God my Savior" (Lk 1. 46-47). The joy in Mary's spirit was expressed through her soul.

2 Corinthians 3:18 says, "But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit." Our soul is like a mirror designed to behold and reflect Christ.

III) The Function of the Body

Man's physical body is God's provision for his existence within the physical realm. It is the organ for man's existence.

D.    The Three Parts of Man flawed by the Fall of Man

Created with a spirit to receive God, a soul to express God, and a body to maintain his existence, Adam before his fall possessed a tremendous potential to express and represent God. However, Satan came in to picture damaging and ultimately annulling the proper function of each of man's three parts. The disobedience and transgression of Adam resulted in the corruption of all three parts of his being, thereby preventing man from fulfilling God's purpose.

All three parts of man were adversely affected by the fall: First, his soul was contaminated; second, his body was transmuted into the sinful flesh; and third, his spirit was deadened. We must be aware of the tactics employed by God's enemy to corrupt man's soul (mind, emotion, and will) so that we may be well equipped to discern the strategies he continues to employ to keep man from receiving and enjoying God and thereby expressing and representing Him.

I)       The Human Soul contaminated by Satan's thought, feeling and will

In Genesis 3:1 Satan in the form of a serpent  began the process of contaminating man's soul by injecting the human mind with doubt: "Did God really say, You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?" By responding Eve opened the door of her soul to the serpent. The serpent went on to assure Eve, "You shall not surely die!" By this time poison had infiltrated her mind, causing her to doubt God's Word.

Secondly man's emotion came under attack. The contamination of man's emotion led man to begin to dislike God. In this stage, the serpent sowed a seed of resentment into Eve by lying to her about God's motive: "God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil" - Genesis 3:5. This incited Eve's emotions. She felt that God was withholding something good from her. Thus, the human emotion that was created to love God was poisoned instead with an actual dislike for God.

The third stage of the contamination of man's soul took place in his will, enticing man to choose the satanic tree of knowledge of good and evil rather than the divine tree of life. Genesis 3:6 records, "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make oneself wise, she took of its fruit and ate." This consummated the contamination of the human soul.

II)    The Human Body Transmuted into the Flesh

The body as originally created by God was a pure vessel created in God's image and likeness. However, this pure body changed in nature into the fallen flesh when a foreign element called Sin was introduced through the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This indwelling sin, now resides in man's flesh. This is why Paul says in Romans 7:5,17, " For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. ………Now then it is no longer I that work it out, but sin that dwells in me." (KJV)

 

III) The Spirit Deadened

The ultimate consequence of man's fall was that his spirit was deadened.  Thus man become insulated from God and the God-contacting function of our spirit was deadened. Therefore, Ephesians 2:1 says, "And you, though dead in your offenses and sins," refers to our fallen, deadened, state before we are saved. Since our body and soul are alive, this verse must certainly refer to our human spirit.

Thus, we can see that each of the three parts of man was damaged by the fall. The entire soul (mind, emotion, and will) was contaminated, the body changed in nature, and the spirit was deadened. This hopeless state of man set the stage for God's salvation to restore man in all of the three parts!

E.     God's Salvation for the Three Parts of Man

The three-fold contamination of man is counteracted by God's three-fold purification. God's complete salvation encompasses man's entire being and restores the three parts of man to their proper function. God starts from man's innermost part (the human spirit) and spreads outward through the soul to the body until every effect of the fall is reversed, every trace of the fall is erased, and man is filled with the life of God in each of his three parts.

I)       Regeneration in our Spirit

As the first step of God's salvation, He regenerates man's spirit. When we first repent of our sins and receive Christ as our savior, our deadened spirit is made alive. Ephesians 2:5 explains, "Even when we were dead in offenses, [God] made us alive together with Christ." Our new enlivened spirit then begins to sense God and to contact God. Through this contact, not only is our spirit's function restored, but the divine life of God is also added to it (Romans 8:10).

II)    Transformation in our Soul

As a result of regeneration in our spirit, a change in life begins to take place in our being. God's life with its divine nature has been added to our human spirit. Following this, God desires that this change of life would continue by gradually spreading into our mind, emotion, and will. It is often found that we may have Christ in our spirit, yet our mind, emotion, and will remain the same. For this reason, we need Christ to grow and expand continually from our spirit into our soul, a process the Bible calls transformation.

Christ carries out this transforming work through the indwelling Holy Spirit, beginning with the renewing of our mind mentioned in Romans 12:2: "be transformed by the renewing of the mind." As a result of this daily renewing process, we begin to think as God thinks, love as He loves, and choose as He chooses. Eventually we will resemble God; that is, we will be conformed to the image of God. This is why 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, "we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit." Thus, through God's salvation of our soul, not only is the contamination of Satan negated, but we are transformed into the glorious image of Christ. This is a lifelong process.

III) Transfiguration of our Body

The culmination of God's salvation process will be the transfiguring of our mortal body, as described in 1 Corinthians 15:52-53: " In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye…we will be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." Philippians 3:21 also speaks of our transfiguration: "Who will transfigure the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of His glory.

F.     Conclusion

Thus we see that in His salvation, God first regenerated our spirit (John 3:6), now is transforming our soul (Rom. 12:2), and in consummation will transfigure our body, making us the same as Christ in all three parts of our being.

Jesus and the Fig Tree

The past few weeks I have been observing a pepper plant that's growing near my kitchen. At first I thought hey its growing strong maybe I can soon pluck a few peppers for my early morning chutneys. (My daughter's favourite - green pepper chutney)It stared blooming and every morning I would eagerly look for some signs of baby peppers. The plant continued to grow tall, bushy and was covered in blooms however the one thing it lacked was pepper. So what good is a pepper plant without peppers. All these weeks I have been patient but my thoughts kept turning to an incident in the Book. I am becoming very impatient with the pepper plant in my kitchen yard. So I have decided to see what Jesus did when He faced a similar situation. Come take a journey with me thru the Word of God.

Matthew 21:18-22
Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered.
When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked.

Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

Mark 11:12-14, 19-25
The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard him say it.

When evening came, they went out of the city.

In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!"

"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, `Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."
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Why did Jesus curse the fig tree, when figs weren't in season and miraculously cause it to wither ?

It has been ascertained by various scholars that Jesus was crucified during the first days of April. Toward the end of March leaves begin to appear on fig trees. Coincident with this, and sometimes even before, there appears quite a crop of small knobs, not the real figs, but a kind of early forerunner. These small figs are the size of green almonds and are eaten by peasants and others when hungry. These precursors of the true figs are called taqsh in Palestinian Arabic. Their appearance is a harbinger of the fully formed appearance of the true fig some six weeks later. So, as Mark says, the time for figs had not yet come. But if the leaves appear without any taqsh, that is a sure sign that there will be no figs either. Since Jesus found "nothing but leaves" - leaves without any taqsh- he knew that "it was an absolutely hopeless, fruitless fig tree" and said as much.

Jesus - the Great Teacher - could not miss out on such an opportune teaching moment. Jesus' teaching methodology often involved parables and word pictures and this fig tree incident was an acted-out parable which Jesus used to teach His disciples an important truth.

Jesus illustrated the principle of faith to his disciples through the parable. He assured them that If the disciples had such faith, they too could do such things as withering fig trees and moving mountains (Matthew 17:21-22, Mark 11:22-25). . It is also likely that Jesus, knowing in advance that his disciples would be surprised by the quick effect his curse had, used the fig tree to provoke their reaction and thus make the lesson about faith more memorable.

The fig tree had leaves on it and from a distance it gave the appearance of being fruitful. But upon closer examination it became clear that there was no fruit on it at all. By cursing the fig tree Jesus taught his disciples that God will also judge those who give an outer appearance of fruitfulness but in fact are not fruitful. This parable is fair warning to all professing Christians to examine their lives. In John 15: 1-8 Jesus speaks of ‘bearing much fruit’ as an outward symbol of being His disciples.

It is also significant that the account of Jesus' cleansing of the temple in Mark's Gospel (Mark 11:15-18) is sandwiched between the two sections of Scripture dealing with the fig tree (verses 12-14 and 19-25) Certain scholars have suggested that perhaps Jesus was teaching that from afar the Jewish temple and its sacrificial activities looked fine. However up close it symbolized mere religion lacking substance and bearing no spiritual fruit. It was ripe for judgment.

The fig tree is often used in the bible to represent Israel. Israel professed to be faithful to God and fruitful as a nation, but it was faithless and fruitless. Israel even rejected Jesus the long awaited Messiah. Israel was thus ripe for (withering) judgment. The withering of the fig tree could also be seen as a foreshadowing of the destruction of Israel as a nation in a few years time.

When did the fig tree wither?

The potential problem here is that Matthew says the fig tree withered immediately, while Mark says the disciples saw the withered tree the next day only. Here is a possible sequence of events that reconciles the two accounts:

On the morning after the Triumphal Entry, Jesus and the disciples return to Jerusalem. On the way, Jesus sees a fig tree some distance from the road. He goes to it to check for figs, while the disciples continue on the road. Jesus curses the fig tree and the disciples hear him. The fig tree withers, but the disciples have passed the tree and haven’t yet noticed that it withered.

Jesus and the disciples return to Bethany in the evening; likely it's too dark to see the tree. The next morning, they return to Jerusalem along the same road. As they near the withered fig tree, Peter points it out, and the disciples express amazement that it's already withered.