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The Fall of Cain

In Genesis 4:7, God instructs Cain concerning the rules of his household. After God rejected the work of Cain’s hands as an offering, Cain was very angry. In response, God lays out the rule by which Cain is expected to govern his life.

And if you do good, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do good, sin lies at the opening, and its desire is unto you, and you are to rule over it – Genesis 4:7.

This is the first time in Scripture we are introduced to the sin nature. The sin nature describes the human nature bent by Adam’s fall. Through Adam’s trespass and sin, his nature became bent towards doing what is wrong, for although Eve was thoroughly deceived, Adam was not, 1 Timothy 2:14. Adam passed on this bent nature to his offspring, Genesis 5:3. Therefore, even though as humans we now inherently possess the knowledge of good and evil, we are all born with a nature that is separated from God in our spirit and bent towards wrong. However, with this knowledge, we are also to rule over our nature, not permit it to rule over us.

After Cain does not heed God’s instructions and slayed his brother as a sacrifice, he was punished. The works of his hand will no longer produce good, and he is to wander the earth, never possessing a homeland to reside in. In Cain’s response, we again encounter the sin nature when he states, “My perversity is greater than I can bear.”

And Cain said to the LORD, “My perversity is greater than I can bear.” Genesis 4:13.

In Genesis 4:7, the word for sin is in a specific […]

The Fall of Cain2024-04-25T06:26:34-07:00

Might (κράτος)

Might (κράτος) expresses the ability of resident strength, the quality of being able.

When the exorcists of the ruling religious party attempted to rebuke a malignantly evil spirit by using Jesus’ name, for they had seen the Apostles doing this, the spirit responded by first stating that he has an intuitive knowledge of Paul but not of them. He then proceeded to strip them naked and sent them running. This caused great fear in the city of Ephesus, and the Word of the Lord grew in the region.

thus, according to the might of the Lord, the Word increased and became strong – Acts 19:20.

As Christians, our eyes are opened to the truth so that we may know the hope of His calling, the riches of the proper opinion of His inheritance among the saints, and the exceeding greatness of his inherent ability towards us according to the working of the might of His strength, Ephesians 1:18-19. Wicked hands crucified Christ. In response to such malignantly evil work, God the Father raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand. He is now over all authorities and is the head of the Church, which is the new creation God made in raising Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:17. This was a display of the resident strength of His inherent ability.

When it comes to battling Satan, we are not called to rebuke demons or to exercise authority over them; instead, we are instructed to stand firm against them by the strength we have in the Lord. For it is in the might of His strength that we have victory, Ephesians 6:10. Our battle is not physical – of flesh and blood. It […]

Might (κράτος)2024-04-11T05:42:22-07:00

Obtaining by Experience Something Happening (τυγχάνω)

To obtain by experience something happening (τυγχάνω) expresses the concept of hitting the mark or attaining; therefore, that which has occurred or been accomplished. However, it does not convey the idea of something a person seeks to obtain or gain through effort. Instead, it is when something happens; therefore, they have acquired it.

When Jesus spoke of a man who was on his way to Jerusalem from Jericho, it happened to him that thieves stripped, wounded, and left him half dead, Luke 10:29. This was not something that the man sought to attain, in the sense of seeking out. Rather, this happened to him.

In attempting to deceive Jesus into saying something by which they could accuse Him, the Jews question Him about a woman who had seven brothers, who each died without a child. Therefore, as was customary, she became the wife of each brother to pass on their seed. They inquired whose wife she would be in the resurrection. In response, Jesus states that those who are worthy of the age have attained the resurrection out from the dead and, therefore, do not marry, for they are like the angels in this matter, Luke 20:35. The resurrection out from the dead has happened to them.

In Ephesus, Paul taught in the school of Tyrannus for two years. During this time, it happened to Paul that God worked miracles through him so that all of Asia heard of the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jew and Gentile, Acts 19:11. In seeking to persuade Felix to put Paul to death, Terullus speaks of the peace that has happened to them under his leadership, Acts 24:2. Experiencing something happening can relate to obtaining care, such […]

Obtaining by Experience Something Happening (τυγχάνω)2024-01-25T11:37:15-08:00

Lift up (αἴρω)

αἴρω (airo) means to lift up or bear. It is used for picking up a bed, baskets, fish, money, people, and many other objects. Therefore, by lifting up, you are bearing the weight. When not referring to an object, it is used of justice being stolen, the loss of life, and the lifting of sin.

When Christ informed a lame man that because his sins were forgiven, he could stand up and walk, the Jewish scribes said He was committing blasphemy. However, Jesus explained to them that He said, “The man’s sins are sent away.” so they would understand that He has the authority to forgive sins. Then He turned to the man and instructed him to lift up his bed and go home, to which the man did, Matthew 9:2-7.

Christ was manifested to lift our sins, 1 John 3:5. Through His work on the cross, while we were dead in our trespasses and sins, the Father made us alive in Christ, sending away (forgiving) our trespasses after wiping out the handwritten dogma against us, lifting it out of the way by nailing it to the cross, Colossians 2:14. Therefore, in Christ, the law has been completed and all who are in the Christ are counted to be righteous and not under the law, Romans 6:14. Just as a child is no longer under tutors and governors when he has completed his training, Galatians 4:1-2, so is a Christian when it comes to law. We are no longer to be inarticulate babblers that need the law to guide us. Instead, as sons, we must train our senses to know good and evil, Hebrews 5:14.

In response to Pilate seeking to release Jesus, for Pilate found nothing worthy […]

Lift up (αἴρω)2023-12-28T05:31:48-08:00

Image and Likeness

In the first chapter of Genesis, Scripture records that God states He would make man in His image and likeness, Genesis 1:26. However, by Genesis 5:3, after the fall of Adam, the likeness and image of humans is that of Adam, for he passed on his corrupt nature to his children, Genesis 5:3.

The concept of image (צֶ֫לֶם – tsĕ-lĕm) is that which has a similar appearance. When examining God’s appearance, we find that He dwells in light, 1 Timothy 6:16; therefore, when God created Adam, He wrapped him in light so that Adam would have a similar image. When Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree, they were stripped of this image, Genesis 3:7. It is worthy to note here that the word used in Genesis 3:7, often translated as naked (עֲרוּמִּ֔ים), actually means stripped (עֵֽירֻמִּ֖ם). They both knew they were stripped, for they could visibly see that they had lost their covering. However, this does not mean that the similarity to God was lost entirely to humans, for Adam was made in the image of God. This is why, after the Noahic flood in the dispensation of government, a new rule is placed upon the household that if a man sheds the blood of another man, his life is to be forfeit, Genesis 9:6. Although Adam was created in a state of innocence (not knowing good and evil) and resided in the garden during a time when there was no sin upon the earth, his offspring inherit his corrupt nature resulting from the penalties of spiritual and physical death for his trespass and sin, which brought death into this world, Romans 5:12, 17.

In the realm of false religions, an image refers to the […]

Image and Likeness2023-12-14T08:08:24-08:00
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