Jesus washes a person’s foot, He washes their feet. What? Dirty feet, what does it mean? It means feet uncovered without shoes, feet touching dirt or debris. It alludes to the person’s earthly travels, both saved and unsaved men and women. It seems that we cannot help touch dirt, and accumulate it throughout our day. God gave to Moses the law in order to bring to his attention the reality of dirty feet. That law was like a mirror of constant reminder that the feet were indeed dirty. But some men, like Paul, found a way to keep that mirror without having to relate to it. Paul said, “I was alive without the law once.” In Romans 7:9 . He was referring to a time when the law was not relevant to his life, though he owned it. The Jews were committed the oracles of the law in Romans 3/2.…
Healing at the Cross Posts
Whom He loves, He chastens. What of it? Chasten is from the Latin “castus”, “pure,” “chaste ;” and to chasten is, properly, to purify. Originally meant “to bring up a child, Hence, to instruct; To discipline or correct.” The word is not synonymous with punish, since it always implies an infliction which contemplates the subject’s amendment” Vincent “For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” Hebrews 12:3 He that endured is Christ. As we consider Christ in his dying, suffering on our behalf, suffering for us and as us: it is a picture of love. It is a picture of justice, but justice suffered by another on our behalf. Christ was our substitute, dying in our place. And taking us with Him not only in death but in burial, resurrection, ascension and session. Our consideration of Him is…
Boats enable a person to float atop the water. Some sub-marine type boats give a person underwater access. A person with diving gear can spend several hours under water, breathing as if on land. As far as I know, however, none have acquired gills. None can adapt to an under water environment in the complete sense of making it home. A biological transformation would have to take place. In a similar manner, the Kingdom of God presents a challenge. Not a water-world but a Spirit world, God’s domain is not accessed by flesh and blood. Again, a transformation must occur, a new-birth. Yes indeed, a new nature only can experience fully the domain of spirits, both darkness and light. A simple analogy, yes, but the above explains many of our relationship issues as well as our discerning. Paul admitted in 1Corinthians 13, that “For now we see through a glass,…
Ezekiel44:23 And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. So, that the juridical authority of the priests was purely of a moral kind, can be maintained only by rejecting 2Chronicles_17:7-9 and 2Chronicles_19:5-11 as unhistorical. Pulpit Commentary Also in the third year of his reign he sent to his princes, … to teach in the cities of Judah. And with them he sent Levites, And they taught in Judah, and had the book of the law of the Lord with them, and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people. 2Chronicles 17:7-9 names omitted. The meaning is—he sent orders to his princes to see to it that Judah was taught by the Levites. “And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city, And said…
I do not set aside, disesteem, neutralize, violate, cast off, despise, disannul, frustrate, bring to nought, or reject the Grace of God. I do not, and I must not. ” frustration must be properly understood. A word from JA Pike helps us here. “What we do within the given limitations, brought about by our own fault, the fault of others, or otherwise, does have to do very definitely with the will of God. And the reason we have gotten the impression that God wills the evil is that the Saints have generally made such a good show of turning sow’s ears into silk purses, have produced such amazing goodness out of evil situations , that we have turned around and credited God with the evil that made possible so much good. But this is to bring God in at the wrong point. He is to be credited with the grace…
The bond of peace creates unity, which finds expression in the Holy Spirit. from Ephesians 4:1-3 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: Ephesians 2:13-16 The blood of Christ makes us nigh — “squeezes together” those who were at a distance. The hedge, (middle wall) was the whole Mosaic economy which separated Jew from Gentile. Vincent. This was the enmity, now abolished, one new man results, and peace. The bond of…
Twice in Psalm 42 the Psalmist cries out, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” V. 5 and 11. Strange thought and strange wording, a man speaks to his own soul, but from where? It must be that the Word of God has brought about the separation of soul from spirit as spoken in Hebrews 4:12 There the Word is “quick” and powerful and pierces to the “dividing asunder” of soul and spirit… Nevertheless, the psalmist is observing the self-bending down of his own soul — it seems to have a mind of its own. Paul appears to speak from this same kind of separation in his letter to the Romans.: “Now if I do that I would not, it is no…
The sweet psalmist prayed to God, ” Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. ” from Psalm 51 a psalm of David. Never can a man do either of David’s requests but both are, nevertheless, required for fellowship with God and the God-graced life from above. For God to be the initiator and source of our life should be no surprise. He is the beginning and ending of all things. A powerful relief for us, the faithful God meets our broken hearts as we draw nigh to Him. “If we confess our sins, He is Faithful…” Thank you Lord, you are always there! ” …and just.” Thank you Lord, that you are operating justly in all of your actions towards us. “to forgive us our sins.” Forgiveness means remission, the taking away of all of my wrong attitudes, my wrong thinking, my rebellions,…
“…according as He did choose us in Him before the foundation of the world, for our being holy and unblemished before Him, in love.” Ephesians 1:4 The First aorist middle indicative indicates that He chose us out for Himself — yes, the simple fact of it — before the foundation of the world. Not that we “should be” set apart, unblemished before him, in love, future tense. No, the assumption is that it is an actual fact already, accomplished in Him before the foundation of the World. “Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who did bless us in every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” Ephesians 1:3 The aorist participle here indicates simply, prior action. Notice he did bless us ‘in’ every spiritual blessing “in” the heavenly places in Christ. The word “with — KJV”. is a wrong translation. Friends, let’s talk about…
“It is all grace that we have been saved. And it is all grace that God has kept us. He has allowed us to go through many transitions. No one can even remotely comprehend the grace that God has provided for life.” Carl H. Stevens Some people are “backed to the wall because they resist receiving something they do not deserve.” The word of God says, “beware, lest we be led away by the error of the wicked. We must, grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2Peter 3:18) ” The believer is saved by grace and begins his new life with God at the mercy seat. Understanding this , divine goodness and mercy follow him all the days of his life.” Psalm 23 God the Father has been satisfied: ” we are dead and our life his hid with Christ in God.”…