Philippians 1:2
Grace is yours and peace with God our Father and Lord Master Messiah Y'shua.
At the beginning of last nights Bible Study, I asked the question, "What is Grace?", which prompted Ginger to say, "God's Riches At Christ's Expense.", followed by Debbie adding, "Undeserved Riches.". That's it! Grace is getting some kind of favor that we don't deserve. In our case, we get God's undeserved love, resulting in God going to great extremes to reconcile us back to him. We were indebted to him, because of our disobedience. We owed God a reconciliation sacrifice of ourselves, but God gave his one and only Son for us to offer him up to God, for our sins. Jesus said it.
"There is no greater love than for one to lay down his life for another."
That was the greatest undeserved example of Grace, known to man.
How about Peace? We throw words around, without knowing their true meaning. Peace is tranquility. Joe responded, "It's like a little baby nestled in his mothers arms. Not a care in the world, relying totally on his mother's love." That's a sweet and perfect description of peace with God, our Father. Rick responded with, "It's like the assuredness we get when place our faith, as adults, and coming to God, as children." That's a great Biblical connection to bring it home. Again, Jesus said,
"Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
Again, Sweet!!!
Now, back to the verse. Notice, in the Word for Word translation, it says,
"Grace is yours."
Wow!! What a very confirming statement, instead of the normal translated, "Grace and Peace, to you."
Rick and I both made the point that it sounds pretty presumptious of Paul, to say this. It sounds almost conditional and that Paul was conveying Grace and Peace, instead of God, everytime he wrote a letter. However, in the Greek, it's a resounding confirmation of Grace belonging to those who have given themselves over to the Lord. You are a saint and you have the Grace of God. Claim it as yours and Run with it. It is a very affirming confirmation of this fact.
"Peace WITH God, our Father", not FROM God, our Father. Again, the normal English almost makes it sound conditional, which it is not. Paul is really saying that you are God's children, showered with the Grace, provided by Jesus, now, live a tranquil child like existence with God, our Father.
"...and Lord Master Messiah Y'shua."
Who is the catalyst to this type of existence? Of course, the one and only Son of God, who was obedient unto death, to freely give his GRACE and PEACE providing sacrifice, on our behalf, Y'shua ha Mashiach, Jesus Christ, our lord. AMEN!!!!
Philippians 1:3-6
Thanking my God, at every thought of you. Every time, within all my prayers, on all your behalf, making requests joyfully, for your communion in the good news, from the first day until now.
Confident this entity that begun it's good work in you unto perfection until the day of Messiah Y'shua .
Look at the intimate Godlike love of Paul, towards the Phippians. This is the same love that you and I should have for each other, always including each other in our prayers. The type of Agape Love through which:
We should joyfully edify, build up each other intimately, as we would build our own self.
We should joyfully care about each other intimately, as we would care about our own self.
If one hurts we should all hurt, as if it was our own self in pain.
If this isn't the type of love that you feel for one another, it's time for a severe self evaluation. Get back to the love that brought our lord Jesus Christ to the cross, the altar of God.
In this verse, notice the word, communion, which is normally translated as partnership or participation, which falls severely short of the meaning the Spirit of God is trying to get across. The Greek word is a familiar word to most Christian. It is Koinonia. Actually, the word, Koinonia surprisingly means intercourse, which is the perfect word. As in intercourse, two people become one. This is the same model for all true Christians. We are one entity. Koinonia goes perfect with Jesus' commandment to love each other as ourselves.
With all that said, it brings us to the how. How do we love each other as ourselves? Honestly, it's not a natural human response. The answer is a supernatural one. Notice verse 6.
Confident this entity that begun it's good work in you unto perfection until the day of Messiah Y'shua .
Most English versions will erroneous and presumtiously insert "Being confident of this very thing, that he...". Almost implying an external influence on us. In reality, the Greek says it correctly. The one who begun IT'S good work, INSIDE YOU, is the Gift of God, his Holy Spirit. It is God's Holy Spirit that gives us the ability to live our lives as God wants us and perfects us until the day, Y'shua/Jesus comes back for us.
Have you ever notice that the one who inspired the men of the Bible, to write the Bible, goes to great lengths not to get the Glory that is due the Father. Why? Because there isn't a separate entity called the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God, himself, that dwells inside of us all, in the same way that his fulness dwelled and continues to dwell inside, the only man, who sits at God's right hand, Jesus Christ.
Hi Keith,
ReplyDeleteI have a little booklet called 'His Grace is Sufficient.' and at the beginning of it I state the word 'Grace' as meaning 'God Rescuing All Creation Eternally.'
The book is made up of my views on this and my testimonies, but I know that God has chosen to do this through His Son being sacrificed for our sins.
I enjoyed reading your post and your group's contributions.
Hello to all, from Ireland.
Hey Brenda, I think it's cool that you have a book, that you have written, concerning your views and thoughts about Grace. For me, I think that it important to write these things down, to solidify them in my mind and to be a testimony to your love for God. I was talking to Tim, last night. He has sold a few of his books. I urged him to get out and publicize his book. It's not so much about what you get out of your publication, but it's a way that God uses these things to engage us to actively do his will.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being part of this group, a friend and sister is Christ. I will pass on your comments to the group. Thanks!!
I used to take them to car boot sales along with my poems/pics and I started a small business, but after a while I believe the Lord spoke to me through 'Freely you have received freely give. ' I was then led to set up my blog. ' I Does still have many left in my workroom. I will know what to do with them one day.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you regarding Tim's books. God has many ways of reaching people, and it is 'obedience' to do what He leads all to do.
ReplyDeleteAll my life, I have been told that it is Jesus that is within me. Are you saying that is not true? After reading your post, I started looking for places where it says that Jesus is the one living within me. I could not find any. Help me out please . I really want to know if I’m going down the right path.
ReplyDeleteAnother good post Keith. I especially like the two sections about koinonia meaning intercourse and the entity living inside you. I've heard the intercourse reference before and thought it was right on the money on describing the God-Believer relationship. Why do you think the scholars who are a lot smarter than you (no insult intended) or me shy away from it. Do you think it's because of the sexual connotations? Do they think that we are that weak? Also, the entity living in me. That is so cool. I like it. Again Good Post.
ReplyDeleteJacquie, Galations 2:20 says "“I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” I think this verse is telling us that Christ lives in His believers. The Christian life is not a matter of behaving like Christ, but of allowing Christ Himself to live in and through us.
ReplyDeleteThanks for calling me out Keith :)
ReplyDeleteMy book is being talked about in my circle of friends. It is on Amazon. Spiritual Gifts
I have emailed my closest friends. I have posted the link a few places. I am not doing it for money. I am hoping it does well only because I want people to know more about the gifts. I would love to do a follow up but I also want feedback on it so I can address issues with a second book if needed. I am not for sure if people want to know about them. Many deny and/or are scared to study them. I have only sold 12 and have given away about 6 of them. Ten percent of profit goes to a friend in Utah who is trying to build a church in the middle of the Mormon stronghold.
Thanks for the platform Keith :) God told me to post it here :) To reach the 45,000 people that have come here.
In all seriousness I hope small study groups want more.
Jaquie,
ReplyDeleteI find it strange that someone else could tell you that Jesus was living in you all your life. The Bible has so many scriptures that tell us that salvation is a process that we have to work out ourselves after being born again of God's Holy Spirit. It is only that Word itself, which is a living Word, that can tell us where we are in Christ. Brothers and sisters in Christ can encourage us, but it is the Lord Who knows who are His (2 Timothy 2 v.19.) We have to repent, believe and be baptized before we can become children of God, first being fed with the milk of the Word and then, as we grow in Christ, the strong meat.
We are also told that no man can come to Christ except he is called by God (John ch. 6 v.44, and that no man can come to God except through Christ John ch. 14 v.6.
There is a time for everything, and God has a perfect plan because He wants all to be saved.
I know that there was a plan for my salvation, my life was completely changed when I became born again and started to be taught by the Holy Spirit, which has been teaching me and correcting me for many years and still is, and without that Spirit within me I would not have the strength to combat the enemy.
All I have done here Jaquie is shared some of the scriptures that have encouraged me in my walk with the Lord. It is nice to meet you. God bless you as you walk with Him too.
Brenda, I’m a firm believer that books, evangelizing, prayer, etc. are all ways that God gives us to participate in his will, to be obedient, according to his will.
ReplyDeleteThat is right Keith, as long as we search the scriptures to see if what is being said to us is true and lines up with the Word of God.
DeleteJacque, I agree with both Chris and Brenda. Jesus, the Word of God, does live within us. Our daily intake of gods word helps us to grow in Christ. The gift of God’s Holy Spirit, the entity of God that dwells within all true believers, gives us the power of God in our lives to pursue that goal, to become B’nai Elohim, Sons of God. That’s a great question! Thank you! I hope you continue to engage with us God Bless!
ReplyDeleteTim, that’s what brothers are for. I am happy that I can be a little part of helping you and your goal of serving God. Of course, the over 40,000 visitors here has been over the last two years. According To the stats, we average about 800 per month. I hope those will investigate your book and pursue God’s well as you have and with you. To the stats, we average about 800 per month. I hope those will investigate your book and pursue God’s well as you have and with you.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Tim, what are your thoughts about the post?
ReplyDeletePost is fine. I can't add anything to it. Although I didn't read it because it's way too long, kind of like the Bible itself.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, nothing to add, although I as read Phil 1:6, I didn't see it as "external" as in "not part of us". I read it as "not by us" as not by the flesh, therefore remaining true to the translation you used. Because it still says the work is IN us. I don't see a reason to disregard the NIV version (not defending it but saying it is sufficient).
Is this a gathering at home or skype or online study? Could you use those things for live audiences?
:-) LOL Tim
ReplyDeleteJust curious, do you think that your interpretation of Philippians 1:6 is based on what you know of the Bible and what is says about the Holy Spirit or do you think that it was internal, based on the text alone. We had this same discussion the other night at Bible Study.
By the way, our small group is a small, in home, group, that has met every Wednesday evening, for almost 15 years. Even though we started as a small group, from one local church, we are still together, going to different churches. I believe it's a testimony to our dedication to digging deep into God's Word. We meet at 7pm, talk a few minutes about our week, prayer and worship, then about 1.5 hrs of indepth study and discussion, ending with prayer. We usually get out between 9:00-9:15 You are welcome to join us.
Thank you everyone for your answer.
ReplyDeleteHi Jacquie, did the answers satisfy your question?
ReplyDeleteHi Keith. Sorry for not responding sooner. Yes, I sat down with my husband Paul and we discussed your post. He was going to comment but he’s been busy. He agrees with most of what you say. He said good post. Thank you. Can’t wait for your next post.
ReplyDeleteNo problem. I’m glad you guys are studying the Bible for yourselves with the Spirit.
ReplyDeleteHi Keith, I'm looking for the most purist English translation of the Bible, as I'm concerned about the many that aren't true to God's word. My mum (Brenda Rees) told me about you, so was hoping you would be able to help.
ReplyDeleteKeith,
ReplyDeleteMaybe a little of both I guess. There are some things that I feel are "in" me and then I feel some things I am "led" to.
Above all nothing is "of" me. I have no wisdom beyond what is shown me or already in me.
I hope that made sense.
Hi Steve, Sorry for Taking so long to answer. The last three days, we have been out of cell range and no internet. Thanks for coming over.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the best Bible is the one the God helps you translate from the original tongue. If you really want the original meaning of his Word. Go into prayer, Open up a Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek dictionary with an inter linear Bible and let God’s Spirit lead into the meaning of his Word. A good online interlinear Bible tool is The Blue Letter Bible. Here is the link.
The Blue Letter Bible
It’s very very unfortunate and amazng how most translations were done with an implied bias, but the one that I have found with least translational errors is The Complete Jewish Bible for the Old Testament and The Aramaic Bible for the New Testament. Here is the link where you can get both versions. I still recommend that you keep an interlinear Bible by your side to keep them honest.
The Bible Hub
I’m glad you came over. I hope you stay around and participate in our Bible Study.
Your mom has been a great help and defender of the faith. Of course you already knew that. 😎 God Bless and Good Luck.
Thanks for the reply Keith. I do have a copy of Strongs exhaustive concordance of the Bible with Hebrew, Chaldee and Greek dictionaries. That is great but it would be nice and useful to have a Bible with pure translation from ancient Hebrew. I will check out the links you sent me and once again thanks for your reply. I have a few questions that I would like to put to you for your opinion on things to do with the Bible but all in the right time. :-)
DeleteAnytime, my brother. Have fun!
DeleteHey Tim. I found a lot of how we interpret is based on our own inherent bias and what we’ve been taught in the church. I find it very refreshing to allow God’s Spirit to teach anew and try to distance ourselves from those traditional thoughts.
ReplyDeleteKeith,
ReplyDeleteSometimes I feel as though you have a major issue with the church. Now, I understand about some things they (we) do because I have been through some of it, as you may know. But just because it was taught in the church doesn't mean we got it wrong. Just because it is traditional doesn't mean we have to distance ourselves from that teaching. After all what you're doing for your study group is what many "traditional" churches had done hundreds of years ago and developed into a new "denomination". Such as Alexander Campbell broke away from some of the traditional settings if you will and started a renewal movement called the Restoration movement. Even Calvin and Luther broke from traditional Catholicism.
My point is that just because it is taught in church doesn't mean we have to abandon it. Yes, many things I were taught in church I feel in my older years is still correct. Yes, I love hearing new ways of hearing the word and thoughts that may have been lost throughout the years. I love going back to the ORIGINAL language and seeing the things that were hidden right in front of us. But none of that negates church teaching automatically.
I don't want to be personal here on the net but some may wonder...are you against the church the way that it is? 100%? Or just certain things?
I can't believe that God's temple (us) could be so off the path that we're lost. That's what it seems like you are saying. Not just misunderstanding, or even just unfulfilled, but lost.
I hope that is not the case.
I attend a group which gather together and are all learning gradually from interacting. God's word can not go out and come back void and I find that 'discussion' is lovely providing there are no arguments.
ReplyDeleteAs we grow in the Lord we become more 'educated' as a child of God, all we have to watch out for is the enemy trying to deceive us.
As stated in Ephesians ch 6 v.12:- 'For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.'
I find Hebrews ch. 12 v. 2 is a very encouraging verse:-
'Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right side of God's throne.'
Tim, you are reading too much into my comments. However, I think there’s a big difference between the Remnant, whom God has reserved in every generation, and today’s establishment church.
ReplyDeleteThe Remnant are the True Believers. Even though some of the Remnant do go to today’s establishment church, not all that attend these churches are the Remnant. Further more, the large amount of the Remnant do not go to today's establishment church, for obvious reasons. I won’t say more than that other than that Satan is alive and well within today’s establishment church.
With that said, tradition, in itself, is not bad, but when it circumvents the Word of God, it’s really bad and that’s the problem.
Tradition isn’t so much a problem as far as salvation goes. However, it’s a major roadblock to developing a close relationship with God. If you wonder why you are stagnant in your growth, sometimes you need to step back and take a look at what you are and what you are surrounding yourself with.
Potential true believers are leaving the establishment church in droves and we wonder why. The answer, in most cases, is traditional errant teaching and the Spirit is not part of that. I'm not going to get into a big discussion as to what are the errant traditional teachings within today's establishment church. All you have to do is check your Bible and compare the teachings and ask yourself, "Am I part of this and Am I perpetuating it?".
So many of us have spent our whole lives, within today's establishment church and have become too comfortable with the errant teachings and actually make excuses for them and actually defend them.
Again, salvation comes only through our faith in the work done by God through Christ on the cross and through his resurrection. However, many of us either still are babes in the Word or we are not encouraging other believers to develop our relationship through his Word. How? By winking at these errant traditional teachings and saying, "Oh, they're not that bad." If you are a true believer, part of the Remnant of God, then you would shun all of it and follow God's Word alone.
I hope that clears my position up.
I always like our frank discussions.
Hi Brenda. Yes, Bible Study should be Bible discussion. It is when we interact with each other that the Truth Of God’s Word come forth. If you’re in a group where all you do is teach or listen, the Spirit is not engaged.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that God’s Word does not go out and come back fruitless. However, the rest of the verse tells us that it’s primary goal is to do God’s Will. Keep in mind that God’s Will encompasses many things other than edification.
Amen, I totally agree.
Delete