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Laying Hold of Eternal Life

Godliness with contentment is great gain. Yet, some seek to deceive the saints by teaching that financial gain is a means of godliness. This false doctrine is also known as the prosperity gospel. The fondness of money is a root of all wrong, and those who follow after it will stray from the faith in their greed, 1 Timothy 6:3-10. Therefore, we are to put away the fondness of money and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and objectivity of mind, 1 Timothy 6:11, for in doing so, we will take hold of eternal life, 1 Timothy 6:12. Those who are rich in this present age are not to be high minded, trusting in uncertain riches; rather, they are to do good works, being rich in proper works, generous, fellowshipping, so that they store up for themselves a proper foundation for the time to come, taking hold of eternal life, 1 Timothy 6:17-19, for those who determine to be wealthy fall into temptation and a snare, leading them into many harmful and foolish desires, 1 Timothy 6:5.

A person who continues a lifestyle of sin after being saved is not taking hold of eternal life. We are to lay aside the things of the old man and put on the new, Colossians 3:9-10, while abstaining from fleshly desires that war against our soul (emotions), 1 Peter 2:11. Although sin does not take away the salvation of the one who is saved, for nothing can separate us from the love of God, Romans 8:39, it still needs to be dealt with. One who is clean only needs to wash his feet, John 13:10. Unfortunately, many saints walk around with filthy feet because they continue to walk in […]

Laying Hold of Eternal Life2023-12-14T07:52:56-08:00

Scandalize (σκανδαλίζω)

Scandalize is to shockingly offend a person’s moral sensibility.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks of a man scandalizing himself when he looks at a woman for the purpose of desiring her for adultery, for in doing so he has already committed adultery in his heart, Matthew 5:28.  The kingdom of the heavens is what Jesus is preaching. After the Messiah comes, is cut off, the Temple is desecrated by Satan, and the Messiah returns in glory, He sets up a Kingdom that will last for 1000 years, Daniel 9:24-27. In setting up this kingdom, God makes a new covenant with Israel in which He writes His law within their heart, Jeremiah 31:33. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus is giving instructions concerning the rules of this kingdom, not for today. This man scandalizes himself because he intentionally violated the law of God that is written in his heart by acting upon a thought to desire another woman by glancing at her for this purpose. Unlike under the Mosaic Law where the act of adultery, which is a sin, would be punished, he is held liable for scandalizing himself by using his members in a way that is contrary to what he knows is right even though the physical act of adultery has not been committed, for sin and scandalizing are not the same thing. This is not referring to today, for we are in a period of time in which we must learn the law of God, which for the Church is to live by grace through faith. Therefore, such desires, although we may strongly desire not to have them, do not scandalize us, for we expect to have to deal with […]

Scandalize (σκανδαλίζω)2023-12-23T11:33:57-08:00

Wrath (ὀργή)

Wrath(ὀργή) is an outward expression of anger.

There are many times recorded in Scripture and human history of God’s wrath coming upon a people which brought their destruction, such as with Sodom and Gomorrah. Therefore, the concept of the wrath of God is often focused on the coming tribulation period, in which His wrath will be poured out in full upon the ungodly, Revelation 11:18, or swift destruction coming upon the unrighteous. However, this is not the only way in which the wrath of God is manifested. An aspect of God’s wrath is being displayed today upon the ungodly and unrighteous men who hold down the truth in unrighteousness, Romans 1:18. God is permitting them to continue in their corrupt ways, turning them over to an unapproved mind and to the uncleanness of the lust of their hearts to dishonor their bodies among themselves, receiving in themselves the punishment for such an immoral lifestyle, and filling up to the full their judgment. Therefore, in reality, they are not getting away with their corruption. This is in stark contrast to how God deals with a Christian who is acting in an unbecoming way. He will discipline us, allowing sickness, being crippled, and even death if we continue in a sinful lifestyle, for He will not allow us to be condemned with the world; therefore, when we are judged we are child-trained to correct our actions, 1 Corinthians 11:30-32. As Christians, we are not appointed unto any quality of God’s wrath, 1 Thessalonians 5:9. However, those who reject the truth are by nature the children of wrath, Ephesians 2:3.

Although the wickedness of this world today makes us very angry, especially when they lie, cheat, and use deception and […]

Wrath (ὀργή)2023-11-25T07:39:30-08:00

Wavering (διστάζω)

The concept of doubt is expressed in a couple of different ways in Scripture, and they are important to distinguish between each other. There is doubt that describes someone who is wavering (διστάζω); having two sides, and doubt that is a result of justifying a way around (διακρίνω).

Wavering is when a person is unsure, or lacking confidence. It was this type of doubting that happened to Peter after he stepped out of the boat onto the sea with Christ in Matthew 14:31 that caused him to start sinking. After the resurrection of Christ, the 11 disciples were wavering, even after seeing Him, Matthew 28:17. Wavering is not a sin but does express only having a little faith. Being of little faith is often seen in relation to how God cares for us, Matthew 6:30.

The term for doubt that could cause a Christian to sin because they are doing something while doubting is a word that means to thoroughly judge or discern (διακρίνω). “Discerning” is the positive aspect of this word where “doubt” is the negative meaning. When Abraham believed God, he did not doubt in unbelief what God was saying; rather, he took Him at His Word, Romans 4:18. He did not attempt to justify his way around what God said. If a Christian does something while doubting, they can sin, Romans 14:23. However, this is not the same as wavering or being unsure. Thoroughly judging (doubting) is being used to justify one’s actions rather than taking God at His word. In the case of food, it would be coming up with a reason to be permitted to eat something that otherwise would defile your conscience before God, such as on a special occasion, or […]

Wavering (διστάζω)2023-11-25T07:37:40-08:00

The Human Nature and How it Relates to Adam and the Christ

In discussing the human nature, there are major theological differences, especially in the realm of the spirit and soul. These disagreements are not discussed in this paper but will certainly influence the reader’s perception of what is stated. The author highly encourages the reader challenges their own thinking on this matter by solely relying on Scripture rather than theology to strengthen their understanding of and confidence in the truth regarding the human nature. This paper in no way implies, supports, suggest, or reveals that there is any change in the clear separation of the pre-Testament, Israel, Church, or Millennial Kingdom saints. These groups of believers have different promises with different content to their salvation and will always be distinct.

Where does the human soul and spirit come from? We know that the body comes from the parents, but what about the other parts of the human nature? To understand this, we are going to examine what Scripture reveals about where the body, soul, and spirit originate from and how this unique creation of God propagates, along with the fact that even though we share in our nature, we are individuals and personally liable to God.

In the creation of humans, we have two stories in Scripture that give us details on our beginning. These stories are not in contrast to one another; rather, the second one gives us more details on what God did in creating humans. In Genesis 1, we are given an overview of the renovation of the earth and the creation of Adam. God created humans; male and female1, yet He did not create both male and female. As we examine chapter two of Genesis, we find that Adam is […]

The Human Nature and How it Relates to Adam and the Christ2023-11-25T15:06:39-08:00
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