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Discussion Forum : Scriptures and Doctrine : Who is JESUS ?

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 Re: Who is JESUS ?

[b]~ Have we changed the Image of Jesus ? ~[/b]

[u]WHO IS JESUS ?[/u]
Everywhere you go, you meet "Christians" or "Christ"-ians ~ one who have taken on HIS name, to tell the world they identify and sometimes 'represent' HIM.

Awesome identification and 'Responsibility' , to say the least. Taking on such a Name is equal to becoming an Ambassador; representing a foreign power. You'd have to Know & be in agreement with that Power first.
Nothing wrong with identifying with or wishing to represent [u]The God[/u] , but are we sure we know just [u]WHO[/u] this is that we are "representing" ?

This is seldom really thought through by most who choose this title for themselves and as a representative...although we see WWJD a lot.
There are almost as many mental images of What JESUS is 'like', as there are folks calling themselves Christians. That's plain to see.
Some have Him still as a Babe in a Manger. While others have Him as a mealy mouthed Mushy-Love god of sorts who never rocks a boat (at least not 'theirs'.) Still others use Him as their excuse to act ugly {different from 'righteous' anger}.
You can see this more clearly if you question 1000 Christians, to find out what their Jesus "[u]Allows[/u]" them or 'others' to do, or not do....(of course, it's sometimes different~~what we allow for ourselves, and what we allow for others, no ? )....and by their responses, you will more then likely get close to 1000 different answers in the do's and don't's Dept..
What is this saying about our "Knowing" WHO we are representing ?

Christians, in general, fear to tread into this territory; because 'somehow' they know, that once they do, they will be targeted and labeled as a "Close minded~Know it all" and more then likely called a "Legalist and not -Loving."
Yet how can you represent or worship the Jesus of the Bible, if your image of Him is not fully formed from the Bible; taken as a Whole ?

To embark on a truthful and serious study of Christology (Knowing The Christ), one needs to lay their preconceived notions at the Alter, and start all over from scratch with their Bible in hand, [u]Only[/u], and just read and read and read and read.
Asking, while they read....whether it be Old Testament or New..... “How does this verse, or Chpt. reflect the Character of JESUS ?” ... realizing Jesus was/is the same "GOD" of the OLD Testament, Yes, that's right. The same God who did all those "Awesome" things back then,,,Like CREATE the Heavens & the Earth & all that we see, in just 6 days. The same GOD, who creates and then destroys ~ i.e. Sodom ~ the Flood ~ etc.
(Oops) ~~ Hard to think of our 'Sweet' Jesus doing such a thing. {Only to 'our' enemies maybe-hoy.} Or our "gentle" Holy Spirit being in on it too ? Oh my !

YES, HE IS SWEET AND GENTLE ! But not by earthly terminology or standards. {i.e. Rev.19:11 - 21} Not quite the Jesus we hear about from most folks today, is it.

HE ~ Jesus, is the Same GOD, Who spoke those Fiery Words through His Prophets; and through them worked miracles that weren't always "sweet", to say the least. And what of these "puffy-cute little angels" we see so much of today ? Woe !
Have these folks ever read the O.T. ? Nevertheless, the Greek word for Angel is in the Masculine gender. (Oops again~ya mean they ain't cutesy wootsey little girls or females with wings? (Oh no !!!)
No, these are God's messenger's and workers, who when seen by the prophets and others, fell face down in Holy fear ...and who destroyed cities at God's bidding. Yes, at God's bidding.

YET ~ with all the "[u]Terrible[/u]" acts of GOD/JESUS/Holy Spirit ~ He is PERFECT LOVE.
Not our earthly definition of "love", but His Perfect Love...called "Agape."

It is usually [b]There[/b], that Christians stumble, or find themselves arguing with each other; more then with any other attribute or "ology" concerning GOD and HIS Word /Jesus {Logos=The WORD=JESUS~John1. Granted it is difficult to be a Trinitarian {in the sense of ONE God in three persons},{"Elohim" in Hebrew was a Plural Name of God in the O.T. = the Trinity} but the problem comes when we make the expression ....... "3 distinct -Personalities" to mean 3 '[u]Different[/u]' Personalities.}

To some we have~~~~God, the Big Guy who does all the Heavies, ~~~ Jesus is the Love Only Guy ~ and the Holy Spirit ( sometimes mistakenly called ~"it"~ rather then 'He') is the one who we sometimes listen to {when we 'think' to ask His opinion}, Who's Supposed to lead us into ALL "Truth" {again~ If we ask} and Comforts us, when 'comfort' is what's needed~~ and for some,, He's the one who causes a person to do or act in a way at Church that they would never do, or act like, in the street or at work. Hmm ?

Though this writing began with Christology ~ and now we've come to the Holy Spirit, some folks may be getting uncomfortable. There and Right there, is just one more symptom that our Christology is off. WHY ?
Because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and Christ.
No Difference !!!
How easily we forget. Whatever you believe JESUS wouldn't do ~ {if your Christology is Correct} then the Holy Spirit wouldn't do it either.
Whatever was done by God in the Bible; all 3 Persons of the Godhead were responsible.
Old and New Testament.....He's Elohim Still.

If Jesus wouldn't do it ; when He was here setting the example; or on
the day He sent HIS Spirit to His Disciples; then it's NOT from His Holy Spirit. Sounds simple enough.
So where did we get this modern day Mamby Pamby, allllll mush, no holiness Jesus, no striving for truth Jesus, that we see so much of today ? Or a Jesus that supposedly tells folks to go out and kill ??? Why are there almost as many Jesus' as there are "Christians" ? Why so many different beliefs ???

The answer is simple; but the solution is very difficult. It will mean alot of reading of the Bible only; by yourself ; with praying ,before, during and after reading. It will mean that you'll have to throw out many preconceived notions that you've had about Jesus/God & the Holy Spirit.
It will mean that you can no longer take one Scripture verse as your Proof Text, at the exclusion of the context and the rest of the Bible,,,,,,,,,,,and that before you quote that one verse as dogma...you'll have to know EVERY OTHER VERSE IN THE ENTIRE BIBLE THAT GOES ALONG WITH THAT ONE VERSE , AND THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SAME COIN, CALLED~"PROPER APOLOGETICS". This is the Berean way ~ the neglected way unfortunately.

Proper apologetics has been accurately called the "Both/And" of analogies... i.e. 'We work out our [u]own[/u] Salvation, But it is God which works in you, both to do and to will.' Both/And.
NO doctrine can be proved without this two sided coin or the Both/And of apologetics.

For each Belief....Every Verse in the Entire Bible must compliment that belief. In other words......If we believe a certain Doctrine .... we'd Better have a Truckload of Scripture to back it up. You must be certain that ,,,, if the Lord took your Doctrine and fed Every Scripture verse found, from cover to cover, that relates to it,,,and put all these verses into some sort of big computer ,,,, that, THAT particular "Doctrine" would come out, unequivocally. Tough test !

Some have already done this. One doctrine that fascinates folks a lot lately is the 'resurrection of the Saints'. Some have taken Every verse in the Entire Bible that relates to this event and the Last Days, and the Coming of the Lord ,,, and put them through 'that test' to come up with some surprising results.
The doctrine of Christology is to be treated no differently. But a repeated warning...... once you have Humbled yourself before God, with His Word in hand and your spirit freed to be shown By Him, The Truth....get ready for some heavy persecution.
Just a friendly warning. Be prepared to be called every name under the sun .... and by Christians too; because you've touched their pet Doctrine or Belief.

Whether it's Christology, or any other Biblical-ology or belief.
I don't say this in a lofty way ,,,, {God has thorns in the flesh and Stuff for that attitude},,, but this is said with sadness : a sadness that is actually very painful to one's heart .... because you desire that His Body be ONE ... as He and the Father are one ~ and the wounds received from a fellow Christian are much more, by far, painful then any other type wound you'll ever experience. Nothing to get "puffed up" about.

Now, though I would rather "not go there".....I must bring up here, the doctrine of John Calvin.
The once-saved-always-saved/easy believism belief has been seen in many forms and in many denominations and /or, individual Christian's beliefs, that formerly held a very true and strong 'doctrine of Salvation'.
Once again this is the grasping at some verses (singularly & not in context of the Chpt. or book) and at the exclusion of all other verses, to form a Doctrine. And I blame this doctrine especially for the lackadaisical walk of many Christians today. And why the Church has become to look so much more 'less' different then the world, to where even fornication is allowed, etc. ..... {"Be ye Holy, even as I am Holy, says the Lord".... no ? }
Why "Strive" to enter in, if no matter what "you're eternally secure" anyway ?
To end here, there's volumes that have already been written on proper apologetics, but the rule of thumb is: to find Every Verse, cover to cover, pertaining to the subject in question, before forming an opinion or belief.
I'd like to close with the "both/and" of God's/Jesus'/the Holy Spirit's 'Character' ...(so to speak.) [u]God is 100% LOVE/and 100% HOLY IN TRUTH[/u]
The 'Both/And' of these=Agape.
Unconditional, yet, through Holy Eyes.
If our balance (picture a scale, for measuring weights) , is off here {even in the slightest.....now that's a challenge, huh? }, [u]then every other belief, deed, behavior, our Witness/Testimony, our 'feelings', and the very Foundation of our Christianity will be [b]off.[/u][/b]
Something to really ponder and check into.
Bottomline: "GOD IS HOLY IN TRUTH" + "GOD IS LOVE"
And that is why Jesus had to die for us and why there is a Hell.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jesus said "I [u]AM[/u] the Truth" and "He [u]Is[/u] The Word". If you separate your knowledge of the Bible from the knowledge of Him ... or vice versa .... you've made two Jesus' already. He [u]is[/u] the Word of God.
You cannot know the Jesus of Bible until you know the Jesus [u]from[/u] the Bible...
From 'Genesis to Revelation'.
“[u][b]Jesus Christ , the Same; yesterday, today and forever.[/b][/u]”

 2006/4/2 21:49









 Re: God in the flesh.

[b]The Same Throne[/b]

Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, [u]The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.[/u]
Isa 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Isa 66:1 Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?
{Psa 110:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Mat 22:41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
Mat 22:42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David.
Mat 22:43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,
Mat 22:44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?
Mat 22:45 If David then call him, Lord, how is he his son?
Mat 22:46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
Heb 1:13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? }

Eze 1:26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
Eze 1:27 And I saw as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.
Eze 1:28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spoke.

Rev 4:2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
Rev 4:3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

Rev 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Heb 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom.

Rev 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Rev 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Rev 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Rev 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
Rev 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Rev 22:1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of [u]the throne of God and of the Lamb.[/u]
Rev 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
{Notice these next to verses, how they go from plural to singular}
Rev 22:3 And there shall be no more curse: but [u]the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it[/u]; and [u]HIS[/u] servants shall serve [u]HIM[/u]:
Rev 22:4 And they shall see [u]HIS[/u] face; and [u]HIS[/u] name shall be in their foreheads.
Rev 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign forever and ever.

 2006/4/2 21:54









 Re: Who is JESUS ?

[b]The Alpha and the Omega ~ The First and the Last ~ The beginning and the end[/b]

Isaiah 44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

Isaiah 48:12 Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.

Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Rev 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
Rev 1:12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
Rev 1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

Rev 1:17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
Rev 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Rev 2:8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

Rev 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Rev 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

 2006/4/2 21:56









 Re: SEEK ME ~ Your Savior God.

Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with All your heart.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Pro 8:1 Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?
Pro 8:2 She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths.
Pro 8:3 She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.
Pro 8:4 Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.
Pro 8:5 O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.
Pro 8:6 Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things.
Pro 8:7 For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
Pro 8:8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. Pro 8:9 They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.
Pro 8:10 Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.
Pro 8:11 For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.
Pro 8:12 I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.
Pro 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
Pro 8:14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. Pro 8:15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.
Pro 8:16 By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.
Pro 8:17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.
Pro 8:18 Riches and honor are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.
Pro 8:19 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.
Pro 8:20 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:
Pro 8:21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.
Pro 8:22 The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
Pro 8:23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
Pro 8:24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.
Pro 8:25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:
Pro 8:26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.
Pro 8:27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:
Pro 8:28 When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:
Pro 8:29 When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:
Pro 8:30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;
Pro 8:31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.
Pro 8:32 Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.
Pro 8:33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.
Pro 8:34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
Pro 8:35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the LORD.
Pro 8:36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.

 2006/4/3 5:08









 Re: R.A. Torrey on ....

[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/articles/index.php?view=article&aid=2013]The Deity of Christ.[/url]

 2006/4/4 1:22









 Re: JESUS WE NEED YOU !

I went to sleep burdened in my soul again, wondering, have we left our Main focus.

That was the intent of this thread.

No matter what the discussion, HE needs to be central in our motives of why we post here.


JESUS ALWAYS AND ONLY AND FOREVER.


I'd like to post to this thread again, the many marvels of our LORD & KING.

Let's worship and magnify just HIM here together.

We'll never have personal Revival without Him being our Center point and Focus of all things.


If anyone knows of any good sermons that center on who GOD is, not just what He's done for us, but Who God in Christ 'is' and magnifies Him alone, I believe with all my heart, that we'll be lifting Him up to His deserved position and we can only reap the benefits of making Him central. Thank you to any who have such sermons. Amen.


We're all Christocentric and proud of it here.


All power and honor and glory belong to The Lamb. Holy, Holy, Holy is The Lamb, who was, and is and is to Come. Glory to His Name.

Let all who name His Name Rejoice and strengthen our bonds of being one body under One Head Only.
Joined and linked together for all of Eternity by Him and Him alone. To Him be all the Glory and Honor and Praise.

Bless you in His Name.

Annie~Anonymous

 2007/7/14 9:06









 Re: By R.A. Torrey ~

[b]The Christian Conception of God[/b]

God is light.
1 John 1:5

God is love.
1 John 4:8, 16

With God all things are possible.
Matthew 19:26

His understanding has no limit.
Psalm 147:5

We are to consider again today the Christian conception of God. We have seen that God is spirit, that God is a Person and that God has a personal interest and an active hand in the affairs of men today, that He sustains, governs and cares for the world He has created, and that He shapes the whole present history of the world.



I. The Infinite Perfection of God


The next thing to be noted about the Christian conception of God is that God is perfect and infinite in all His intellectual and moral attributes and in power.

1. First of all, fix your attention on our first text: "God is light." These three words form a marvelously beautiful and overwhelmingly impressive statement of the truth. They set forth the Absolute Holiness and Perfect Wisdom of God. The words need rather to be meditated on than to be expounded. "In Him there is no darkness at all." That is to say, in Him there is no darkness of error, no darkness of ignorance, no darkness of sin, no darkness of moral imperfection or of intellectual imperfection of any kind. The three words, "God is light," form one of the most beautiful, one of the most striking, and one of the most stupendous statements of truth that ever was penned.

2. To come to things more specific, the God of the Bible is omnipotent. This great truth comes out again and again in the Word of God. One direct statement of this great truth especially, striking because of the connection in which it is found, occurs in Jeremiah 32:17, 27, "Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you." Here it is Jeremiah who makes the statement, but in the 27th verse it is the LORD Himself who says: "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?"

In Job 42:2, we read these words of Job, when at last he has been brought to see and to recognize the true nature of the LORD: "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted." In Matthew 19:26, our Lord Jesus says: "With God all things are possible." Taking these passages together, we are plainly taught by our Lord Himself, and by others, that God can do all things, that nothing is too hard for Him, that all things are possible with Him. In a word, that God is omnipotent. A very impressive passage setting forth this same great truth is Psalm 33:6-9, "By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm."

Here we see God by the mere utterance of His voice bringing to pass anything that He desires to be brought to pass. We find this same lofty conception of God in the very first chapter of the Bible, that chapter that so many people who imagine themselves scholarly are telling us is outgrown and not up to date, yet which contains some of the sublimest utterances that ever were written, unmatched by anything that any philosopher or scientist or platform orator is saying today. The very first words of that chapter read: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1), a description of the origin of things that has never been matched for simplicity, excellency and depth; and two verses farther down, in the third verse, we read: "And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." These words need no comment.

There is here a excellency of thought in the setting forth of the omnipotence of God's mere word before which any truly intelligent and alert soul will stand in wonder and awe. There is nothing in poetry or in philosophical dissertation, ancient or modern, that for one moment can be put in comparison with these sublime words. Over and over again, it is brought out in the Word of God that all nature is absolutely subject to His will. For example, we see this in Psalm 107:25-29, "For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits' end. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed."

Another description of a similar character is found in Nahum 1:3-6, "The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade. The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it. Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him." What a picture we have here of the omnipotence and awful majesty of God!

Not only is nature represented as being absolutely subject to God's will and word, but men also are represented as being absolutely subject to His will and word. For example, we read in James 4:12-15, "There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you--who are you to judge your neighbor? Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.'"

Happy is the man who voluntarily subjects himself to God's will and Word, but whether we voluntarily subject ourselves to God's will and Word or not, we are subject to His will and Word whether we believe it or not. The angels also are subject to His will and Word (Hebrews 1:13, 14), and even Satan himself, although entirely against his own will, is absolutely subject to the will and Word of God, as is evident from Job 1:12 and Job 2:6.

The exercise of God's omnipotence is limited by His own wise and holy and loving will. God can do anything, but will do only that which infinite wisdom and holiness and love dictate. This comes out, for example, in Isaiah 59:1, 2, "Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear."

3. The God of the Bible is also omniscient. In 1 John 3:20, we read, "He [God] knows everything." Turning to the Old Testament, in Psalm 147:5, we read, "Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit." The literal translation of the last clause of this passage is, "Of his understanding there is no number." In these passages it is plainly declared that "God knows everything" and that "His understanding is infinite." In Job 37:16, Elihu, the messenger of God, is represented as saying that the LORD is "perfect in knowledge." In Acts 15:18, we read that God knows all His works and all things from the beginning of the world. Known to Him is everything from the vastest to the minutest detail. In Psalm 147:4, we are told, "He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name." While in Matthew 10:29, we are told that not one sparrow will fall to the ground apart from the will of God. The stars in all their stupendous magnitude and the sparrows in all their insignificance are all equally in His mind.

We are told further that everything has a part in His purpose and plan. In Acts 3:17, 18, the Apostle Peter says of the crucifixion of our Lord, the wickedest act in all the history of the human race: "Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer." In Acts 2:23, Peter declared on the day of Pentecost (although the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus was the wickedest act in all history) that, nevertheless, the Lord Jesus was "handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge." According to the Psalmist (Psalm 76:10), God takes the acts of the wickedest men into His plans and makes the wrath of men praise Him, and the remainder of wrath He restrains. Even the present war [World War I] with all its horrors, with all its atrocities, with all its abominations and all its nameless wickednesses, was foreknown of God and taken into His own gracious plan of the ages; and He will make every event in this war, even the most shocking things designed by the vilest conspiracy of unprincipled men, utterly inhuman and beastly and devil-inspired men, work together for good to those who love God, for those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

The whole plan of the ages, not merely of the centuries, but of the immeasurable ages of God, and every man's part in it, has been known to God from all eternity. This is made very clear in Ephesians 1:9-12,

He made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

And in Ephesians 3:4-9, we read,

In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.

God has no after-thoughts. Everything is seen, known, purposed, and planned from the outset. Well may we exclaim: "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" (Romans 11:33). God knows from all eternity what He will do through all eternity.

4. God is also absolutely and infinitely holy. This is a point of central and fundamental importance in the Bible conception of God. It comes out in our first text: "God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." When he wrote these words John gave them as the summary of "This is the message we have heard from Him [God]" (1 John 1:5). In Isaiah 6:3, in the vision of the LORD which was given to Isaiah in the year that King Uzziah died, the "seraphim," or "burning ones," burning in their own intense holiness, are represented as standing before the LORD with covered faces and covered feet, and constantly crying, "Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD Almighty." And in 1 Peter 1:16, God cries to us, "Be holy, because I am holy."

This thought of the infinite and awe-inspiring holiness of God pervades the entire Bible. It underlies everything in the Bible. The entire Mosaic system is built on and about this fundamental and central truth. Its system of washings; the divisions of the tabernacle; the divisions of the people into ordinary Israelites, Levites, priests and high priests, who were permitted different degrees of approach to God under strictly defined conditions; insistence on sacrifices of blood as the necessary medium of approach to God; God's directions to Moses in Exodus 3:5, to Joshua in Joshua 5:15; the punishment of Uzziah in 2 Chronicles 26:16-26; the strict orders to Israel in regard to approaching Sinai when the LORD came down on it; the doom of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram in Numbers 16:1- 33; and the destruction of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10:1-3--all these were intended to teach, emphasize, and burn into the minds and hearts of the Israelites the fundamental truth that God is holy, unapproachably holy.

The truth that God is holy is the fundamental truth of the Bible, of the Old Testament and the New Testament, of both the Jewish religion and the Christian religion. It is the preeminent factor in the Christian conception of God. There is no fact in the Christian conception of God that needs more to be emphasized in our day than the fact of the absolute, unqualified, and uncompromising holiness of God. That is the chief note lacking in Christian Science, Occultism, Buddhism, New Thought, the New Theology, and all the base but boasted cults of the day. That great truth underlies those fundamental doctrines of the Bible--the Atonement by Shed Blood, and Justification by Faith. The doctrine of the holiness of God is the keystone in the arch of Christian truth.

5. God is also love. This truth is declared in one of our texts. The words, "God is love," are found twice in the same chapter (1 John 4:8, 16). This truth is essentially the same truth as that "God is light" and "God is holy," for the very essence of true holiness is love, and "light" is "love" and "love" is "light."

6. Furthermore, God is not only perfect in His intellectual and moral attributes and in power, He is also omnipresent. This thought of God comes out in both the Old Testament and the New. In Psalm 139:7-10, we read: "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." There is no place where one can flee from God's presence, for God is everywhere. This great truth is set forth in a remarkable way in Jeremiah 23:23, 24, "'Am I only a God nearby,' declares the LORD, 'and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?' declares the LORD. 'Do not I fill heaven and earth?' declares the LORD."

We have seen that God has a local habitation, that there is a place where He exists and manifests Himself in a way in which He does not manifest Himself everywhere; but while we insist on that clearly revealed truth, we must also never lose sight of the fact that God is everywhere. We find this same truth set forth by Paul in his sermon to the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers on Mars Hill, Acts 17:24-28,

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. "For in him we live and move and have our being." As some of your own poets have said, "We are his offspring."

From these passages we see that God is everywhere. He is in all parts of the universe and near each individual. In Him each individual lives and moves and has his being.

7. There is one other thought in the Christian conception of God that needs to be placed alongside of His omnipresence, and that is His eternity. God is eternal. His existence had no beginning and will have no ending; He always was, always is, and always shall be. God is not only everywhere present in space, He is everywhere present in time. This conception of God appears constantly in the Bible. We are told in Genesis 21:33 that Abraham called "upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God." In Isaiah 40:28 we read this description of the LORD: "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom." Here again He is called "The everlasting God." Habakkuk, 1:12, sets forth the same conception of God. He says, "O LORD, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One."

The Psalmist gives us the same representation of God in Psalm 90:2, 4, "Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night." We have the same representation of God in Psalm 102:24-27, "I said: 'Do not take me away, O my God, in the midst of my days; your years go on through all generations. In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.'"

The very name of God, His covenant name, LORD, sets forth His eternity. He is the eternal "I am," the One who is, was, and ever shall be (Exodus 3:14, 15).

II. There Is One God


One more fact about the Christian conception of God remains to be mentioned, and that is: There is but one God. The unity of God comes out again and again in both the Old Testament and the New. For example, we read in Deuteronomy 4:35, "the LORD is God; besides Him there is no other." And in Deuteronomy 6:4 we read, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one." Turning to the New Testament in 1 Timothy 2:5, we read, "There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." And in Mark 12:29 our Lord Jesus Himself says, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one."

But we must bear in mind the character of the Divine Unity. It is clearly revealed in the Bible that in this Divine Unity, in this one Godhead, there is a multiplicity of persons. This comes out in a variety of ways.

1. First of all, the Hebrew word translated "one" in these various passages denotes a compound unity, not a simple unity (1 Corinthians 3:6-8; 12:13; John 17:22, 23; Galatians 3:28).

2. In the second place, the Old Testament word most frequently used for God is a plural noun. The Hebrew grammarians and lexicographers tried to explain this by saying that it was the "pluralis majestatis," (Greek) but the very simple explanation is that the Hebrews, in spite of their intense monotheism, used a plural name for God because there is a plurality of persons in the one Godhead.

3. More striking yet, as a proof of the plurality of persons in the one Godhead, is the fact that God Himself uses plural pronouns in speaking of Himself. For example, in the first chapter of the Bible, Genesis 1:26, we read that God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness." And in Genesis 11:7, He is further recorded as saying: "Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." In Genesis 3:22, we read: "And the LORD God said, 'The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.'" And in that wonderful vision to which reference has already been made, in which Isaiah saw the LORD, we read this statement of Isaiah's, 6:8, "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'"

4. Another illustration of the plurality of persons in the one Godhead in the Old Testament conception of God is found in Zechariah 2:10-11, where the LORD speaks of Himself as sent by the LORD in these words: "'Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,' declares the LORD. 'Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.'" Here the LORD clearly speaks of Himself as sent by the LORD, thus clearly indicating two persons in the Deity.

5. Another indication of the plurality of persons in the Godhead in the Old Testament conception of God is found in the fact that "the Angel of the LORD" in the Old Testament is at the same time distinguished from, and identified with, the LORD.

6. This same thought of the plurality of persons in the one Godhead is brought out in John 1:1, where we reach the very climax of this thought. Here we are told in so many words: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." When we study the Deity of Christ and the Personality and Deity of the Holy Spirit, we shall see that the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit are clearly designated as Divine beings and at the same time distinguished from one another, and from God the Father. So it is clear that in the Christian conception of God, while there is but one God, there is a multiplicity of persons in the one Godhead.

This conception of God runs through the whole Bible, is from the first chapter of Genesis to the last chapter of Revelation. It is one of the many marvelous illustrations of the Divine unity of the Book. How wonderful is this Book, in that the unity of thought on this very profound doctrine pervades it throughout! It is a clear indication that the Bible is the Word of God. It contains a profounder philosophy than is found in any human philosophy, ancient or modern, and the only way to account for it is that God Himself is the author of this incomparable philosophy. What a wondrous God we have! How we ought to meditate on His Person! With what awe, and, at the same time, with what delight we should come into His presence and bow before Him in adoring contemplation of the wonder and beauty and majesty and glory of His being!

 2007/7/14 9:21









 Re: 1Corth. 2:2

1Co 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

[b]The Transcendent Value of the Knowledge of Christ
The Transcendent Value of the Knowledge of Christ

by T. Austin-Sparks[/b]

"I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.", (Philippians 3:8).

"For to me to live is Christ...", (Philippians 1:21).

"The excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus." Clearly that means that the knowledge of Christ in the case of the Apostle Paul far transcended all other knowledge. For him it was a knowledge that outstripped in its value all other knowledge which he had had or conceived himself capable of having. He sets the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord over against every other thing, and just as the candle light pales when the sun shines, so for him the most powerful light and glory which man is capable of experiencing faded in the presence of Christ Jesus his Lord.

Such words were not just words in the case of Paul. This was not some fine flourish of language. Coming from such a man as he was, they carried tremendous weight, not because of who he was, but because of the life out of which the words sprang.

Really to get something of the power and the strength — the depth, the fulness, the wonder of this phrase, of this language — it is necessary to turn to contemplate this man’s life and to see the background of his words. Words are of value in proportion to the reality of a man’s history — the history that lies behind his words and relates to his words. We may say things, but those things may be worthless, because there is nothing behind them in ourselves. Or we may say things, and those things may carry with them tremendous weight of meaning and value because of what lies behind them in the person of the speaker. We must remember, then, that when Paul said these words, he was practically at the end of his earthly course, and that a whole life crammed with spiritual history lay behind every syllable. But what a life! Everything culminated and was gathered up into these final utterances.

[b]Paul’s Sufferings[/b]

Look at him personally. Here is a man, worn and feeble, upon whom there has broken, and upon whom there has rolled waves — mighty and continuous waves of every kind of suffering that you could think of if you sat down to try to catalogue the sufferings of man: a victim of gross perjury, the prey of many contending enmities; a broken and enfeebled physical frame; in circumstances of deep affliction; vexed with hundreds, possibly thousands, of opponents; having very few real friends now remaining.

He has placed on record some of his experiences of adversity. They run like this: In afflictions, in necessities, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; chastened, sorrowful, poor, having nothing; in prisons, in stripes above measure, in deaths often; "Five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils from my countrymen, in perils from the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in labour and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Besides those things which are without, there is that which presses upon me daily — anxiety for all the churches"., (2 Corinthians 11:24-28).

There are many other touches as to the experiences of this man of God. He lightly refers to them and passes on: "I who am rude of speech" (that is what some had said about him): "I who am despicable in presence" (again, what some had said about him). The yes and the no man — that is, the man who vacillates, who at one time says yes and at another time no. Sending requests to a beloved yokefellow, he says: "Bring the cloak which I left at Troas", clearly showing that he was knowing coldness.

If you look among his writings and in his history, you accumulate a tremendous amount that points to his history of suffering, of trial, of adversity. In the end he says: "All they in Asia have turned away from me"; "Only Luke is with me."

Then we see what he had given up for that; see that for which this is the exchange from the human side. He tells us what his natural advantages were — how that he had a reason and occasion to boast more than any other.

[b]Paul’s Sacrifices[/b]

"If any man thinks to have confidence in the flesh, I yet more (more than any man): circumcised the eighth day (i.e., he was born a Jew; he was not a proselyte), of the stock of Israel (not a graft, but the original stock), of the tribe of Benjamin (After the name of the tribe, the next most distinguished name is that of Saul, the first king, who was of the tribe of Benjamin), a Hebrew of Hebrews: as touching the law, a Pharisee; as touching zeal, persecuting the Church.", (Philippians 3:4-6).

All of that represented position, advantage, influence, reputation — something in this world that provides a basis of honour and success, a name and a place among men. He had exchanged that for all this of which we have spoken and much more.

How does Paul feel about it? See the extremes in this man’s life: the extreme, on the one hand, of honour and earthly glory — that in which men pride themselves, that which from this world’s standpoint was to his advantage. It went a long way. On the other hand is the opposite extreme. Think of it! A man like that, standing out amongst men in a place of conspicuous honour and privilege and influence, yet beaten with rods, thrashed with a whip, flung into prison, stoned, and all the rest. How does he feel about the exchange? What is his attitude to the whole thing? At the end of a life like that, how does he sum it up?

"Rejoice in the Lord", rejoice, rejoice! You say: There is something behind these words! These are no empty words. Put a history, an experience, like that behind an utterance, and the utterance counts for something. It is amazing.

If we stayed long enough to meditate upon it, it is calculated to bring us down to our knees in shame. There is no complaining, no repining here; no saying: "I have given up everything (and it is a big 'everything') for Christ, and look what He has brought me to — see what I have got!" No! There is not a sound or a sign of complaining about it all.

If he says, "Sorrowing" (and he does), he immediately couples with it: "Yet always rejoicing." If he says, "As having nothing", immediately he says, "Possessing all things." If he says "As poor", he instantly says, "And yet making many rich." His attitude toward the whole thing is not one of complaint, but rather the opposite — glorying, rejoicing, and bidding others rejoice. Alone, forsaken, enemies all around, his lifework being torn to pieces by those enemies, universally suspected, all friends leaving him, alone in prison — rejoicing, glorying, exulting.

[b]The Excellence of Knowing Christ Jesus[/b]

This goes a long way beyond us. But what is the explanation? It is the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus. The knowledge of Christ — to know Christ as He may be known; to know Christ as He is open to be known; to know Christ as He desires to make Himself known; that is the explanation and Paul had come into that in large measure.

He is saying this, in other words: It is possible to know Christ in such a way that, although to begin with you may lose everything in this world that is precious in the eyes of men, you have something infinitely more; and to go on with, it is possible so to know Christ that no matter how many may be the forms of suffering, how deep may be the suffering, how inexplicable may be some experiences, how continuous — right on to the end — the adversity may be, yet that knowledge of Christ is something which keeps you above and well above so that you are not submerged. Although these mighty seas of sorrow and suffering and adversity may throw their weight against you, they break; they do not break you, they break on you. It is possible to know Christ like that. That is what he is saying, if we understand him aright.

Most of us will have to confess that too often the problem has shaken us; the suffering has brought clouds of questionings and doubts into our hearts; we have not stood up to it like this. But our object is not just to see Paul doing this thing, neither is it to measure ourselves to a disadvantage at the side of Paul; but it is to see that Paul’s Christ is our Christ, and what was possible to Paul is possible to us that Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever; He is a Christ who is knowable in exactly the same way that Paul knew Him.

[b]Christ as the Dynamic of Life[/b]

What is the way to this knowledge? On the one hand, there is our side, and I think the answer is: "For me to live is Christ." How will you know Christ in fulness? How will you know Him as He can be known: Only on this basis, that for you to live is Christ. What does that mean?

Paul went into Arabia for three years after he met Christ on the way to Damascus, and during those three years he had ample time in solitude to face the implications of his new relationship. For him it became perfectly clear in the course of three solitary years that it was going to cost him everything. All these issues were faced out then. For him it became simply and ultimately a matter of life and death. It meant this: Everything I have on this earth — in this world — has got to be held for the Lord, for Christ; and if, in the course of my relationship to Him, all or any of these things have got to go, then I settle that now. If it means suffering, persecution, and death itself, I come there now — I accept it all — so that for me to live will not be home, family, friends, reputation, acceptance, influence; but if it means none of these things at all — rather, the loss of all things — then the very motive of my being in this world will be none of these things, but only Christ, Christ the dynamic of life!

In other words Paul would say: "For me to be on this earth simply means Christ! I will accept with gratitude what He may give! If He gives something or allows me to retain something here, I will be grateful for it; but if all has to go, then it does not make any difference. Christ — and only Christ — is the object, the dynamic, the motive of my being on this earth!"

When we have settled things like that — when it is really brought to that conclusiveness of issue — that for us to live is Christ, then the Lord has a very open way to become everything to us. Is it not true in our case that too often our relationship to the Lord, our Christian life — our being Christians and being brought into difficulty, resulting in suffering has led us to stand still or draw back for a minute and say: "Ah, well, I did not expect that it would mean this! I do not know that I am prepared for that!" Something like that has very often happened with us, has it not? Suffering the loss of all things is easy language, but really only a man who has put everything once and for all into the balances can know Christ in fulness — utter fulness — and say: "I suffer the loss of all things for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ."

It just means this: the utterness of Christ to us requires our utterness for Him. If we are holding anything instead of Christ — apart from Christ, contrary to Christ — we are limiting our own knowledge of Christ.

That is one side — our side: "For me to live is Christ." We have failed — we have broken down in this matter. And yet our hearts are bent and set upon one thing (I trust they are)... that when we have passed this way, which we pass only once, the eternal verdict will be that our having lived was Christ. It is a solemn thing to bring into view: What is going to be the effect of my having passed this way? Unto what have I lived? What will the end of my life represent as the result of my years? What will eternity show — and what will time show — as to the value of my having gone this way?

When we are utterly for the Lord like that, it gives the Lord the opportunity of the other side — the divine side: [i]"The eyes of your understanding being enlightened... to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge... that God may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him."[/i]

I am sure that if the human side is right and there is utterness for the Lord, the divine side will be all right. But between the two there comes a test — there comes a point where the whole issue of life is focused upon one full-orbed decision: Am I going to be in this world with any interests of my own whatever, or is it going to be, no matter what it costs and what the way may be, just Christ? That is very often headed up in a practical test — not a mental test — and not whether the Lord asks us to say a thing... but to do it. Everything as to our knowledge of Christ in fulness hangs upon an act — sometimes one act that commits us.

We may recognise the implications: ostracism, persecution, defaming, misrepresentation, suspicion, loss of influence, loss of reputation, loss of place — launched out in a way in which comparatively few will go with us and in which we shall be misunderstood. That may be the way of the challenge of the Lord and of His highest interests. The question is: Are we going to stand back and say, "No, I cannot go that way"? Or is it going to be: "For me to live is Christ"? If so, and we put that into the required act, we shall know the excellency of Christ and have the most excellent knowledge of Christ — Christ excelling. May it be so with all of us."

 2007/7/14 17:32
BrokenOne
Member



Joined: 2007/6/7
Posts: 429
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

 Re:

Quote:
It is possible to know Christ in such a way that, although to begin with you may lose everything in this world that is precious in the eyes of men, you have something infinitely more; and to go on with, it is possible so to know Christ that no matter how many may be the forms of suffering, how deep may be the suffering, how inexplicable may be some experiences, how continuous — right on to the end — the adversity may be, yet that knowledge of Christ is something which keeps you above and well above so that you are not submerged. Although these mighty seas of sorrow and suffering and adversity may throw their weight against you, they break; they do not break you, they break on you. It is possible to know Christ like that.



Quote:
Suffering the loss of all things is easy language, but really only a man who has put everything once and for all into the balances can know Christ in fulness — utter fulness — and say: "I suffer the loss of all things for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ."


Quote:
the utterness of Christ to us requires our utterness for Him. If we are holding anything instead of Christ — apart from Christ, contrary to Christ — we are limiting our own knowledge of Christ.



Thank you for this Annie. It blessed me greatly.

Danielle


_________________
Danielle

 2007/7/14 17:49Profile









 Re: Thank You!

Danielle, I posted somewhere on here yesterday, that since I've been 'back' on line for the fourth time in 5 years, already my view is being "clouded".

It is you that I need to Thank, for your vision through poems.

You are the one who has cleaned my lens and brought me back to my senses.

I've wanted to post your poems to this thread but I can tell all to go to Devotional Thoughts and read them.

Also just posted on Pastorfrin's thread today about these poems and those of others on the Devotional Thoughts section.

You are Heaven sent to SI Broken one.


Bless you for helping me to 'see' afresh & again. {tear}


with my heart. annie

 2007/7/14 20:19





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