That I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead

That I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead

Php 3:7-14  But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.  (8)  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,  (9)  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:  (10)  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;  (11)  If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.  (12)  Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.  (13)  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,  (14)  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

What does Paul mean when he says, “attaining unto the resurrection of the dead”? What is the resurrection of the dead? Well, it might not be what you think! Paul is not talking about being raised from the dead at the rapture. No! The rapture is not the context of this passage, neither does it even fit into the truths that he is teaching the Philippians. So, let’s do some bible study to see exactly what Paul is talking about.

DM#12: Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind

Doctrine of the Mysteries #12

The Roman epistle is the foundation laying epistle for the grace believer. It lays four cornerstones that will stablish the believer in ‘the faith’; and set them up to build upon this foundation with the doctrine presented in the rest of Paul’s letters.

The first cornerstone of the Romans foundation is understanding God’s righteousness opposed to the depravity of men. The second is understanding God’s free justification and grace through faith in Christ. The third is to gain knowledge of God’s dispensational wisdom and His purpose for both Israel’s prophecy program and the mysteries of the Body of Christ. In the fourth and last cornerstone, from chapter 12, Paul lays out the characteristics and outcomes of the application of his doctrine in the grace believer.

Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind 

Rom 12:1-2  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  (2)  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

As grace believers, what is our primary objective? (Part 6)

As grace believers, what is our primary objective? (Part 6)

Start this series of posts with: Part 1

Up till this point we have discussed the following regarding our primary objective as grace believers.

• We have dealt with the fact that, after we get saved, it is God’s will for us to come to the knowledge of the truth.
• We have looked at what is milk and what is meat in Paul’s epistles.
• We investigated the fact that without knowledge, there is no understanding of God, and without knowledge, there is no stable foundation of truth in our lives.
• After that, I revealed that Pauls church epistles are a curriculum that prepares us for an eternal purpose. The first part of the curriculum informs us of Christ in us, and the second part instructs us concerning who we are in Christ.
• In part 5, we determined that to teach God’s Word, one needs to grow in knowledge and understanding concerning rightly dividing the Word of truth. The Bible can only be understood in the correct context when it is rightly divided, and it is imperative to teach it in this form to avoid skewing the truth and leading people astray.

What is ‘the faith’ and ‘obedience of faith’

What is ‘the faith’ and ‘obedience of faith’

In the epistle of Romans, Paul lays out the foundational doctrine of the grace believer. He writes about the key elements of our faith, how to walk effectually in the faith, and what the resulting fruits of living in that faith would be. Before the dispensation of grace, Israel had to walk in obedience to the rigid letter of the Mosaic law, Exo 31:18; Exo 32:16, but now, grace believers are expected to walk in obedience to a new doctrine, not of the letter, but of the spirit, Rom 7:6, imparted into their hearts by the Word of God.

THE FAITH

Learning and adapting your life to the advice in Romans 5-8

Below is a comment from a reader based on the following post: 

• https://thebigpicturelink.blogspot.com/2023/08/stop-clinging-to-law-and-get-filled.html

The message of God’s tremendous grace is easy to confuse with a gospel that allows sin without consequences. I must struggle with sin as Paul describes in Rom 7, to try to live holy within the guard rails, not swerving toward either a gospel that allows sin, nor a gospel of salvation by works.

My Supportive Comment:

If you read Rom 5–8 slowly and in one sitting, you will find that is summarizes like this:

Rom 5 - We are justified (declared innocent) freely by the blood of Jesus Christ (Rom.5:1) when we believe in Jesus, trusting in the cross work for our salvation. This salvation is unconditional and permanent. Trusting in Christ saves you instantaneously and absolutely. Why? Because our innocence is declared by God through the righteousness of His Son, and not by our righteousness. We are saved by the obedience of Christ, not by our own.

The Four Cornerstones of Romans (Part 5: Gaining Knowledge)

Start this post series from the beginning, here.

The Four Cornerstones of Romans (Part 5: Gaining Knowledge)

Keep in mind that this post is a small part of a greater study. To understand this part in its proper context, one must evaluate it based on the full context of the whole study.

We are advancing through the understanding of the second cornerstone of the Romans foundation. This cornerstone deals with God’s grace, and this post follows the understanding that grace starts with justification. What is justification? It is the absolute salvation of a person by the grace of God through their faith in Jesus Christ. The following verse puts justification in a perfect summary,

Rom 4:5  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

The Book of Romans: Our Spiritual Establishment and Solid Foundation

Romans is a foundational book, providing a believer with the fundamental doctrine of salvation, justification, and positional sanctification through the cross of Christ. Yet, the more I read it, the more I see how the truth it presents is structured to detach and separate us from this world, and prepare us to receive a mystery revelation regarding God's plans for our redemption, to the glory of Jesus Christ. 

We are only officially informed of the details of this mystery, in other letters, and in particular, that of Ephesians, but even in Romans, Paul lays out in our doctrine, details that are aimed at getting our minds and focus off of this world and its vanity, and set on the faith that there is something greater ahead, a mystery that is going to be revealed, and that cannot compare to what we currently have here.

So, Romans is meant to draw us away from this world, and activate our faith, so that we can see what God has planned for us from before the foundations of this world (Eph.1:4). Let's have a look at some key statements and verses that prove this point.