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Faith

Scripture defines faith (πίστις) as the substance of that which is hoped for, the conviction of accomplished deeds not seen in Hebrews 11:1. It is therefore not an attitude or belief that is dictated by probability, that is wishful thinking based upon a desire, want, or need; rather, it is a conviction based upon a promise.

Substance is referring to the underlying essence by which something exists. Christ is the exact image of God in the flesh. Through His life the fundamental nature of God was made visible to humans, Hebrews 1:3.

Conviction is the act of presenting evidence to persuade a person’s mind to believe in the truth. This evidence is established upon accomplished deeds that are not seen. We see this demonstrated in the actions of God when He determined to show the heirs of promise the immutability of His determination by giving two immutable facts, it is impossible for God to lie and making an oath based upon His word, Hebrews 6:13-18. The conviction of faith is therefore based upon the facts related to accomplished deeds that God has done.

Therefore, faith is the essence of that which is hoped for, and by the conviction based upon the facts of the promise that hope is based upon, the individual expressing belief will act according to their confidence in the person making the promise.

Many times in Scripture Jesus called out the faith of those around Him, especially of those who would not normally have faith. When a Centurion, a Gentile, asked Jesus to heal his servant, he expressed faith in the fact that Christ is the Messiah promised to the Jews by only asking that Jesus speaks the words, for one who is of authority only […]

Faith2023-12-14T08:12:55-08:00

Good (ἀγαθός)

Good is a word that describes activity that is beneficial, wholesome, and sufficient to be acceptable for its purpose. It is used to describe humans, trees, treasures, speaking, and most of all God.

Although humans can do good, only God is good (Luke 18:19), for goodness is an aspect of His nature. However, even though humans are not good by nature, we do know the difference between good and evil and can choose to produce good things in our lives rather than malignantly wicked things (Romans 2:15). The heart is the center of a human, where the person resides. It is within here that we will store up good treasures to use later, or malignantly evil ones to use against others (Matthew 12:35). What we allow to remain in our minds and within our hearts directly impacts our actions; therefore, our weapons are not fleshly, but are mighty in God for the pulling down of those strongholds within us that raise themselves up against the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:4-6), by which we destroy the evil treasures, so our storehouse is filled with good.

Although the law is good, we do not live by it because through it is the full experiential knowledge of the sin nature (Romans 7:12-13) and rather than giving us victory over it, it becomes the sin natures strength against us (1 Corinthians 15:56). Trying to do good by law leads us into frustration and the realization that within our flesh no good dwells, for as soon as we desire to do good, we find that we lack the ability to do it through our flesh (Romans 7:18-19), and we end up doing things that lack in character, which we do not […]

Good (ἀγαθός)2023-11-25T07:54:10-08:00

Framing of the Mind (φρονέω)

In koine Greek the mind is described in several ways giving great detail in the process, result, and even state of the mind. Often translated as “setting the mind”, “Framing the mind” focuses on the boundaries we set within our minds based upon our opinions. It is therefore the opinions we build within our minds concerning everything around us, including ourselves, beliefs that directly affect our attitude and actions.

Peter is rebuked for not having a proper frame of mind concerning the things of God when He says the death of Christ will not happen – And He turned to Peter, “Get behind me, adversary, you are a scandal to me because you do not frame your mind on the things of God but on the things of men (Matthew 16:21). The first time Paul was in Rome, he spoke with the Jews in the area concerning why he was a prisoner. Hearing from him, they sought to learn what his views were on what they consider a sect. That is, what is frame of mind was concerning this sect of The Way. (But we think it proper towards hearing you, that which you frame your mind, for indeed concerning this sect, it is known to us that everywhere it is spoken against – Acts 28:19).

Because the framing of the mind is based upon the opinion we hold of ourselves and others, it directly affects our actions. A mind that is framed on the flesh produces death, but a mind framed on the Spirit works out life and peace (Romans 8:5). We are not to have a high frame of mind, but are to be of the same frame of mind with other Christians (Romans 12:16). […]

Framing of the Mind (φρονέω)2023-11-25T08:13:22-08:00

Marking Off the Bounds (προορίζω)

Often translated as “predestined”, it is a word that means boundaries or region (Matthew 4:13), with a preposition added to express something that is done beforehand. It does not inherently imply a destination, but a boundary or area; therefore, using “predestine” to define it adds a meaning that does not exist in the original word.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of theological baggage that has been added to this word. It is used to imply that God predetermined who would be saved and therefore who would not. However, when we keep it in context, we find that this is not true. The first thing we need to do is remove the erroneous definition of “predestined” and use the proper definition, “marking off the bounds beforehand”. Then we need to pay attention to context, especially with the difference in singular and plural subjects.

We see a good example of the proper use of this word when Peter was defending himself and John before the leaders of Israel for preaching the resurrected Christ because he uses “marked off beforehand” when discussing what they were permitted to do to the Messiah concerning the plans of the leaders.

… to do as much as your hand and your determinate will marked off beforehand to come to be – Acts 4:28.

They had already set boundaries concerning what they were planning on doing with Christ before they sent the guards to arrest Him on the night in which He was betrayed.

In Romans, God’s plan is laid out for us in how, according to His purpose, He calls because those who He foreknew He marked off their bounds. They are not predestined to salvation, but according to His purpose, those that will be saved will […]

Marking Off the Bounds (προορίζω)2023-11-25T08:04:18-08:00
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