Monthly Archives: March 2016

Communion

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1 Corinthians 10:16 KJVS
[16] The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

A good deal of the Christian world fails to understand completely or misunderstands the communion with the body and blood of Christ. Roman Catholicism views the bread and wine as the actual body and blood of Christ. There are a couple scripture verses that support this viewpoint but there is also deeper spiritual truths associated with communion that many fail to see. Let’s read a definition of the Greek word translated into the English word communion.

Thayer’s Definition
1. fellowship, association, community, communion, joint
a.participation, intercourse
the share which one has in anything, participation
b. intercourse, fellowship, intimacy

The deeper significance of communion was given by our Lord himself.

John 6:53-56 KJVS
[53] Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. [54] Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. [55] For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. [56] He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

Dwelleth in me, and I in him. Later in the gospel of John he had this to say.

John 17:23 KJVS
[23] I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

I in them and the Father in Jesus brings to my mind a mental image of the layout of the tabernacle in the wilderness and Herod’s Temple. As a side note, the gospel of John is the most theological complete gospel, because it was written after Apostle Paul received the revelation of the mystery of God. Which is Christ in you the hope of glory, . Those two scriptures in John, clearly point to the mystery of God.

Apostle Paul in Ephesians write this.

Ephesians 5:30-32 KJVS
[30] For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. [31] For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. [32] This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

One aspect of being in Christ it that we sit in heavenly places in Christ.

Ephesians 2:4-9 KJVS
[4] But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, [5] Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) [6] And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: [7] That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Since we sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, this opens up even deeper aspects of the crucifixion of Christ. Number one is that we partake of his sacrifice in a living way.

Romans 12:1 KJVS
[1] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Number two is that our Lord’s death is our death in God’s eyes. A key to begin to understand this, is to see animal sacrifice in the way a Jew viewed it under the law. Thayer’s definition for the Greek word translated into the English word propitiation in Ro 3:25.

Thayer’s Definition
a. used of the cover of the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies, which was sprinkled with the blood of the expiatory victim on the annual day of atonement (this rite signifying that the life of the people, the loss of which they had merited by their sins, was offered to God in the blood as the life of the victim, and that God by this ceremony was appeased and their sins expiated); hence the lid of expiation, the propitiatory

The sprinkling of our Lord’s blood represented OUR blood being shed, our death in payment for the penalties of OUR sin, and as such, God is appeased, Ro 6:23. But the offering of our Lord’s blood in heaven is for the forgiveness of sins past, once we are baptized into his death, Ro 3:26. That is the true nature and meaning of a sin sacrifice. We are reconciled to God, through the body of his, Jesus, flesh through death, Col 1:21-22 , precisely for that reason. More than a few times in the New Testament we are told that we are crucified with Christ, are we not baptized into his death by water baptism?

Romans 6:3-6 KJVS
[3] Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? [4] Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. [5] For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: [6] Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

These are not just figures of speech but a firm reality. The tendency to put the sacrifice and offerings for sin by Jesus Christ largely in the past tense, and as a substitution for us, negates the power of the cross in our lives. Since we sit in heavenly places in Christ, and are dead in Christ, we can be judged by God.

Hebrews 9:27 KJVS
[27] And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
1 Peter 4:17 KJVS
[17] For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

A verse in Romans points to the aim of our judgment through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, which points to the destruction of the flesh.

Romans 6:6 KJVS
[6] Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him , that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

That the body of sin might be destroyed was one of the early scriptures along the trail of my understanding of the work of the cross more fully. The subject matter of this article, up to this point, did not start to become apparent to me until about 15 years ago. Much pain and suffering over the course of 34 years ultimately led to what I know now. Let me explain. In 1984 I was in a car accident and broke two vertebrae in my neck in three pieces each. I was paralyzed for ten days but by the grace of God I walked again but have been saddled with weakness and moderate to severe chronic pain due to nerve damage from a spinal cord injury. A couple of events prior to the accident were unusual and ultimately led to the writing of this website. A couple of weeks before the accident a verse kept running through my head while daydreaming. I was boning hams second shift at a meat packing plant. It was line work and you stood along a moving conveyor belt removing the hip bones from sawed of portions of hogs above and below the hip joint as they came down the belt. Then the piece of meat was made into a ham. Plenty of time to daydream in a eight hour shift. The scripture was from Colossians.

Colossians 1:24 KJVS
[24] Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

I owned a hard copy of The Strong’s Concordance at the time and looked up the Greek word translated into the word “behind” and read that it meant lacking. A obvious question came to mind. What was lacking in the afflictions of Christ for his body’s sake? That question was a long time in being fully answered. The day of the accident a Christian woman called me and said she had a vivid dream the night before, in which I was involved in a car accident and was badly injured. She implored me to be careful. As the busy day progressed, the phone call slipped from my mind. Over a dozen hours later, I lay in a car that was upside down, paralyzed as a result of driving recklessly at a high rate of speed. Years later I came to realize the woman’s dream was prophetic. I was paralyzed for ten days and movement, sensation and strength slowly returned in the months ahead. Life became a struggle for me after that. It took three months of intensive Physical Therapy, while hospitalized, for me to be able to walk a hundred feet on my own. The left side of my body took a long time to return and to this day is weak with diminished movement and coordination. Raising two boys is demanding enough without a spinal cord injury. But while laying in bed paralyzed, I vowed to be responsible towards them and a loving father if the Lord would allow me to walk again. It was a effort for me as they grew older to coach baseball, go to sporting events and plays they were in, and the many parent teacher conferences. But as difficult as it was, it was very much a labor of love. We lived out in the country so thankfully there was little peer pressure from other kids. There are fewer bad influences on children who live in the country than children raised in the city. They are now in their 30’s, married with careers in software. One in engineering related software the other is a front end developer in webpage creation. It was not until they were in college that I again turned my attention to the study of scriptures. I had received the baptism of the Holy Ghost a couple years before the aforementioned car accident and it was a powerful experience, wherein I spoke in tongues. The two fused vertebrae from the 1984 injury to my neck were in bad shape and by the middle to late 90’s. There was 30% compression of my spinal cord from the warping of the two fused vertebrae from too much lifting over the years. As a result my whole body below that point tingled and burned. The surgeon preformed what is called a corpectomy and fused four vertebrae to correct this problem in 1997. He drilled and removed bone from the body of the two fused vertebrae to make more room for the spinal cord, inserted a cadaver bone to fill in some of the bone he removed and then screwed a plate made of titanium over the top, spanning C-4 to C-8. That procedure took 2 years to heal and I have been much weaker since. I spend a lot of time in bed and before I got a iPad I read the scriptures from a small vest pocket bible because it was light and easy to hold in my right or left hand. I can not read a full sized Bible or book in bed for any length of time without increasing pain and tingling. These small bibles have the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs in them. It has really been the last 15 years living alone that gave me the time to study the scriptures. Obviously the scriptures about suffering and afflictions jumped out at me in my daily reading and study of the Word. Due to reading from these vest pocket bibles I am well versed in the New Testament. I am a fast reader so I have read and continue reading the New Testament countless times, largely focusing on the epistles. Let me pick up where I left off with , now that I have given some background information that shows what motivated my study of the Word of God in light of suffering. That the body of sin might be destroyed brought questions to mind. What exactly did might be destroyed mean? How would the body of sin be destroyed? A good deal of Christian teachings does not definitively answer that question. I then noticed and after that became familiar with the importance of the mystery of God, Christ in you the hope of glory, in salvation. It took a long time, at least for me, to fill in the gaps. At night when pain kept me awake I would put verses together in my head and felt the unction, 1 Jn 2:20, 27, of the Holy Ghost teaching me. Often times I disagreed with the Spirit because of the doctrines of man, , that had indoctrinated me in the past. It was slow going because what I was seeing in the scriptures was not present on the internet and at times I feared the direction I was going in was heresy. And yet scriptures kept propelling me forward. I lived largely in isolation with plenty of time to study and read the scriptures but I have now come to realize that you cannot really understand a scripture unless God has worked the understanding of what that verse means into you. A lot of the times verses just stare back at you. Your just reading to be reading. And then there are times God does a mind trick on people that prevents them from understanding. Point in fact, the mystery of God, and scriptures related to the mystery.

Colossians 1:26-27
[26] Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: [27] To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Ephesians 1:18 KJVS
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

God has to will a individual to know what is the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you the hope of glory. The knowledge pertaining to the word mystery points to when in time the Lord appears in the clouds and gathers his Saints unto himself at the seventh trumpet.

1 Corinthians 15:51-54 KJVS
[51] Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, [52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. [53] For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. [54] So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

But prior to that, you have to be equipped, made worthy to reign with Jesus Christ for a thousand years, Rev 20:6, by having your heart purified by faith and die to the lusts of the flesh. Romans12:1, along with the many verses about suffering, all pointed to a aspect of theology that initially piqued my interest which I first noticed prior to the car accident that dramatically changed my life. Then verses in Hebrews grabbed my attention. The whole book of Hebrews is rife with symbolism surrounding Jesus Christ as the High Priest of the New Testament in contrast with the Old Testament tabernacle High Priest and the day of atonement sacrifice. I have read and studied verses in Hebrews countless times, especially the 10th chapter. Subject matter that many teachers of the law and other men misunderstand and misinterpret. Specifically interpreting types and shadows of the OT tabernacle and applying them to NT theology, erroneously using them to show how we are to approach God.

Hebrews 13:9-14 KJVS
[9] Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. [10] We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. [11] For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. [12] Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. [13] Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. [14] For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.

There was a altar outside the camp of the tribes of Israel in the wilderness and then later a altar outside the ceremonial clean area surrounding Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem, where the bodies of the various sin sacrifices were burned because they were considered unclean. This altar is only indirectly mentioned one other time in the New Testament.

Hebrews 9:13-14 KJVS
[13] For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: [14] How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Purge your moral conscience from dead works points to Hebrews 13:9, that states it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace, not by any works of righteousness which we have done. I view Jesus offering himself without spot to God in concert with the following verses.

Hebrews 9:27-28 KJVS
[27] And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: [28] So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Hebrews 10:14 KJVS
[14] For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
2 Co 5:21 KJVS
[21] For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Hebrews 2:10-11 KJVS
[10] For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. [11] For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
Hebrews 10:10 KJVS
[10] By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all .

Few Christians are aware of the symbolism involving the offering of the body of a sin sacrifice on a altar outside the camp. I view the body prepared for Jesus Christ in He10:5, as the body of Christ. Since we were chosen in him before the foundation of the world, Eph 1:4 . By extension the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and the offering of his blood and body represent our blood and body, due to the fact we in him, Eph 5:30-32. There again is the word mystery, pointing to the union of Jesus Christ with his body the church. The Christ in you hope of glory. The types and shadows one can draw largely from within the book of Hebrews regarding the law, need to be governed by this.

Hebrews 10:1 KJVS
[1] For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

You have to be careful of how you extrapolate meaning from types and shadow of the Old Testament Law and apply them to New Testament theology. Because these types and shadows from the law are not the very image of the sacrifice and offerings for sin that Jesus Christ was and is. Obviously there is no actual altar where the collective body of sin, of the body of Christ, is being burned up by fire. There need not be because of He 10:1. There are a few verses that mention fire as a symbol in connection with sanctification.

Matthew 3:11-12 KJVS
[11] I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: [12] Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

The chaff is a metaphor for the flesh. The sufferings in life is the fire.

1 Pe 4:12-13 KJVS
[12] Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: [13] But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

This verse points to the partaking that the body of Christ have in the sufferings of Christ. Apostle Paul in the verses pasted below, calls it the fellowship of his suffering and the word fellowship is translated from the same Greek word that is translated into the word communion in 1 Co 10:16. Which is the verse I used to start this article.

Philippians 3:9-11 KJVS
[9] And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: [10] That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; [11] If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

The aim or goal of suffering is given not only by Apostle Peter but also by Apostle Paul. Ceasing from sin and denying ungodliness and worldly lusts.

1 Pe 4:1-2 KJVS
[1] Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; [2] That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
Titus 2:11-12 KJVS
[11] For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, [12] Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

The Greek word translated into the English word teaching in verse 12 is also translated into the different forms of chastise as these words appear in the New Testament. Chastisement involves suffering.

1 Co 11:30-32 KJVS
[30] For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. [31] For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. [32] But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

KJVS
[6] For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. [7] If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? [11] Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

God scourges the sons he loves and all the powers that be in this world are of God, Romans 13. If you do wrong they do not bear the sword in vain. So chastisement by God may or may not appear to be coming directly from him. It can come from civil authorities for your amendment. It took me over 20 years to realize that the car accident in which I was so badly hurt in, was a chastisement by God. I was driving much faster than the posted speed limit, listening to hard rock music. Extremely irresponsible for a man with a wife and two sons. There were other, personal things, going on in my life that the small still voice of the Spirit was cautioning me to stop that I ignored. If it sounds like I am being too hard on myself, I am not. There is One who can be very hard on us for a very good reason.

Hebrews 12:28-29 KJVS
[28] Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: [29] For our God is a consuming fire.

This article is just a bare bones approach in showing the role suffering plays in salvation. The first nine articles on the home page goes into deeper detail regarding this matter. Ideally they should be read in the order. There are articles that follow after these articles that delve into other aspects of New Testament doctrine.

God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation

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2 Thessalonians 2:13 KJVS
[13] But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

A few related verses come mind in Ephesians and a verse in 2 Timothy.

Ephesians 1:4-5,11 KJVS
[4] According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: [5] Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, [11] In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
2 Timothy 1:9 KJVS
[9] Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

“Having predestinated us” in Eph 1:5 can only be viewed in the strictest sense. The Strong’s definition for the Greek word that is translated into the English word “predestinates”.
to predetermine, decide beforehand
in the NT of God decreeing from eternity
to foreordain, appoint beforehand

Given some thought, predestination is not based on God looking ahead and seeing who would choose to serve Him. Since God himself justifies and sanctifies the ungodly, our salvation is not based on any works of righteousness we have done, Titus 3:5-7. Then how can one claim predestination is based on a work of man or result of man’s effort in any way. There are some people who prefer that important doctrinal matters be confirmed out of the mouth of two or three witnesses. I am of course referring to the doctrine of predestination by the foreknowledge of God. Let us see what the Word of God, our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, had to say regarding the matter.

John 15:16 KJVS
[16] Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

John 6:39,44 KJVS
[39] And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. [44] No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

The second witness of course is the Apostle Paul and the two scriptures from his epistles cited in the beginning of the article. A third witness being Apostle Peter and I personally like the contrast of the two groups of people mentioned, one group appointed to be disobedient and the other group to be a chosen royal priesthood, Ro 9:21.

1 Peter 2:7-9 KJVS
[7] Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, [8] And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. [9] But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

I believe in what the scripture verses themselves state, rather than the doctrines of man based on a few scriptures surrounded with human reasonings. A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing as the old saying goes and this holds to be true with the Word of God. The members of the body of Christ were chosen in him before the foundation of the world, and were ordained to walk in good works, and those good works are due to God’s workmanship in the body of Christ, Eph 2:10. There are those who like to associate various concepts in the bible with prominent men in the past, who started their own churches based on certain doctrines. So if you mention the above verses and say you believe in predestination by foreknowledge , Ro 8:29, in regards to the body of Christ, some people will say that you are a Calvinist. One might respond to this remark by pointing out that Calvin did not believe in Universal Reconciliation, which the scriptures also point to. But a response like that is so off the wall to most Christians, that the conversation usually proceeds no further. These types of conversations are generally fruitless and vain, in the sense that if a dialogue does develop, it usually becomes a conflict between egos. There are some people who so very strongly hold onto the concept of free will, that they can not move past the point of their having “chosen” Jesus Christ as their personal savior. One has to wonder if this is fundamentally a base form of idol worship. Worship of the power of ones own will. You can show a person who believes they chose Jesus as their “personal savior”, all the above scriptures and yet they will come back to this one verse.

Romans 10:9 KJVS
[9] That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

One should always keep in mind that the sum of God’s word is truth, Ps 119:160.

Philippians 1:29 KJVS
[29] For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Ephesians 2:8 KJVS
[8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

The scriptures state clearly that the very belief in Jesus Christ that a man possesses, was given to that man by God, as a gift. That alone would support the doctrine of predestination by foreknowledge. If a man is not able to generate belief or faith by his own free will, then God is the determining force behind that faith, and it is up to God to choose and call a man. That is what the scriptures state. I have not been educated formally in theology and have largely avoided delving into theology and the various doctrines of man via the Internet. Some time ago I had a crisis of faith due to chronic pain from a spinal cord injury and my inability to understand sound doctrine, largely due to the cunning craftiness of the winds of doctrine of man, Eph 4:14. I was chastised by God for questioning the faith given me and told to study to show myself approved. I decided then to strictly rely on what the New Testament scriptures state, as all doctrine and theology is, or should be, based on scripture. Due to four fused vertebrae in my neck, it is difficult for me to read in bed. I spend more time in bed than the average person due to pain and weakness. In the past I have used several small New Testament vest pocket bibles, that are easy to hold with just the thumb and index finger, while laying in bed. I am more hi-tech now and have a iPad with the Strong’s Concordance. I am a fast reader so for years, when I lay down due to pain and weakness, I would read a epistle or part of a gospel. I have become very familiar with the New Testament but no matter how familiar you become, you still need the Spirit of God teaching you the deep things of God, Jn14:26, 1 Co 2:10&11. The New Testament is the new will and testament of Jesus Christ dividing his inheritance with the members of his body, the body of Christ, He 9:15-17.

Galatians 3:16-17,29 KJVS
[16] Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. [17] And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. [29] And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Let us be clear about one thing, as it states in verse 17, the law of Moses did not disannul the promises God made to Abraham and his singular seed, Jesus Christ. There is far too much focus by the Christian churchs today with the Covenant of the law. The words covenant and testament can have and do have subtle different meaning but are translated from the same Greek word.

Strong’s Number
G1242
Original Word
διαθήκη
Transliterated Word
diathēkē
Phonetic Spelling
dee-ath-ay’-kay
Parts of Speech
Noun Feminine
Definition
a disposition, arrangement, of any sort, which one wishes to be valid, the last disposition which one makes of his earthly possessions after his death, a testament or will
a compact, a covenant, a testament
God’s covenant with Noah, etc

It is often confusing to try and separate the two words and their meanings in the different verses but the word testament at times refers to a last will and testament bequeathing Abrahams inheritance to his seed, Jesus Christ. That inheritance, is to rule and reign over the world during the thousand year kingdom of God, Ro 4:13, Re 20:6. Start to finish, God predestinates those He foreknew, calls them, justifies and sanctifies them and when the time comes will glorify the members of the body of Christ.

Romans 8:29-30 KJVS
[29] For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. [30] Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

I think the problem lies in the fact that the modern theology of today’s major denominations in the Christian world, misunderstands grace and the function of grace. Grace teaches and chastises us, Titus 2:11&12, He 12:6, and washes us with the regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, Titus 3:4-7. So it is God working from within and without, changing a man and making him righteous. All of this instruction and purifying of the heart of man, by God, is to prepare priests and kings, who will rule and reign with Jesus Christ for a thousand years, Re 20:6, during the age to come. This is the inheritance mentioned in the Ephesians 1:11, Ga 3:16&18. There will be no place for the flesh, no place for ego in those called by God for that monumental role in history. To imagine in some fashion that man could intrinsically accomplish this by himself, with his own effort and make the necessary changes within himself for this role, directly counters what scriptures state. Not only that, it runs counter to what we observe in recorded history, most especially today, with wars of exploitation by the strong and wealthy over the weak. It is hard to have faith at times, of having a part of this grand and noble inheritance in the future, especially when you are being scourged and undergoing trials and temptations. But we are exhorted and told in many verses in the New Testament, to have a active partnership in the process of being made worthy of our inheritance.

2 Peter 1:3-7,9-11 KJVS
[3] According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: [4] Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. [5] And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; [6] And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; [7] And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. [9] But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. [10] Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: [11] For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.