What's in your mind? The key to faith and Christian living

What's in your mind? The key to faith and Christian living.

The core of your faith and of Christian living is based upon what's in your mind. Are you operating in a mind that is renewed by the Word of God and based on the principles of spiritual wisdom and truth or are you still functioning with a darkened mind that is based upon worldly knowledge and vanity? That's quite a contrasting picture, not so. Well, let me confirm this with two contrasting scriptures in the epistle of Ephesians that says the same thing.

Eph 4:17-20  This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in THE VANITY OF THEIR MIND,  (18)  Having the understanding DARKENED, being alienated from the life of God through the IGNORANCE that is in them, because of the BLINDNESS of their heart:  (19)  Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.  (20)  But ye have not so learned Christ;

Paul writes, but you have not so learned Christ. What is it to learn Christ? Well, if the above statement is being without Christ in edification, then what is it to learn Christ? Paul already provided the answer to this question in chapter 1:

Eph 1:17-19  That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the KNOWLEDGE of him:  (18)  The eyes of your UNDERSTANDING being ENLIGHTENED; that ye MAY KNOW what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,  (19)  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Fellowship and friendship are good. Praise and worship are important. Prayer and intercession are of great value. But there is something that far exceeds the scope of these activities. It is reading and studying the Word of God. To gain in knowledge of the rightly divided Word is the core of your life and strength. It increases faith, it feeds you with truth, it fills you with God's Spirit, it empowers you to walk worthy of the Lord, it's the armour to war against the enemy. Increasing in knowledge of spiritual truth is the most important, yet the most undervalued activity in most Christian's lives. Let's see what value the Bible places upon this.

The epistle of Romans is the foundation of our faith. Several times in chapters 6 to 8, Paul asks the reader if they know certain things:

• Rom 6:3  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
• Rom 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
• Rom 6:9  Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
• Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
• Rom 6:16  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
• Rom 7:1  Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?
• Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
• Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 

Until you know these things, you are not educated or walking in the principles that stablish your faith and empower you to yield in obedience unto righteousness, delivering you from sin and fruitlessness, Rom 6:16-17. 

The Spirit of God in His Word and the Spirit of Christ in Life

The Spirit of God in His Word and the Spirit of Christ in Life

Read the following passage and note the capitalized text.

Rom 8:5-9  For they that are after the flesh DO MIND the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit [DO MIND] the things of the Spirit.  (6)  For to be CARNALLY MINDED is death; but to be SPIRITUALLY MINDED is life and peace.  (7)  Because the CARNAL MIND is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  (8)  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.  (9)  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the SPIRIT OF GOD dwell in you. Now if any man have not the SPIRIT OF CHRIST, he is none of his.

We have the state of carnal mindedness and the state of spiritual mindedness. In addition, we have reference to the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. In the context of this passage, what is the Spirit of God compared to the Spirit of Christ? Here is my interpretation:

• The SPIRIT [WORD] OF GOD is the wisdom and knowledge of God that comes by His Word.
• The SPIRIT OF CHRIST is the salvation life of God that comes by trusting in Christ.

Continuing with this passage in Romans,

Rom 8:10-11  And if CHRIST BE IN YOU [to be justified (saved)], the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  (11)  But if the SPIRIT [WORD] OF HIM [GOD] that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

That FORM of Doctrine (Part 3 - Transform)

That FORM of Doctrine (Part 3 - Transform)

Start this lesson series at with the Introduction here.

Transform (Grk: metamorphis) 

The Lord has given us a form of doctrine through the pen of Paul. His 13-epistles are a curriculum, a structure of ordered content that is designed to inform us of God and His will and ways for this dispensation. We can neglect this doctrine concerning God’s will and ways and walk around in the vanity of our own mind, darkened in our understanding, and completely ignorant of the life of God and His plans for us, or we can choose to study this doctrine and allow it to become informed within us, which will lead us to the next step in this study; becoming transformed by the renewing of our mind.

By default, we are in the image of the world. Our mind is in vanity, focused only on this life which is temporary and fleeting. As we become informed of our doctrine, we open ourselves up to be transformed (transported, translated) into a new way of thinking and living, and in essence, to reveal to us a new image of life in Christ.

It is the information of spiritual knowledge within our mind that helps us to connect with, and discern, the spiritual things of God. Without this information, all we have is carnal, emotional religion, that comes from the imaginations of men who have darkened understandings to the truth of God, Eph.4:17-8.

The need to divide, or cut, or handle, the Word is paramount to understanding its true context

The need to divide, or cut, or handle, the Word is paramount to understanding its true context

STATEMENT:

Your post about rightly dividing prophecy from mystery reminds me of a story about 6 blind men arguing about what an elephant was like. the poem, “The Blind Men and the Elephant” by John Saxe. In the poem, each blind man had grabbed a different part of the elephant and was vigorously defending his position. The man who had the leg declared the elephant was like a tree, the one who had the ear said he was like a fan, the one who had the trunk asserted he was like a snake, and so forth. So too, Christians can grab different verses in the New Testament and begin arguing—as if the Bible could contradict itself. That is not how to establish truth in the Christian world. The Bible is God-breathed and does not contradict itself. God’s people are to “rightly handle,” the Word and the words in it, and not wage useless word battles with them. The Bible can be wrongly believed and taught, and it can also be wrongly used as a weapon against other people.

ANSWER:

Thanks for your input. I have no doubt that many denominational churches today handle the Word incorrectly, twisting the Word to fit their church creed or traditions instead of truly studying the Word to find out what God’s will and purpose for the Body of Christ truly is. Thus, your analogy is true for people who take parts of God’s Word and change it fit their purpose and views, essentially creating it into something like what you describe with the elephant's anatomy.

The price of ignorance and the glory of knowledge in the word of God.

The price of ignorance and the glory of knowledge in the word of God.

What is the biggest hindrance to spiritual growth and maturity? Unbelief? No! It's ignorance of the word of God.

Rom 10:3  For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Eph 4:18  Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

The bible says that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. So, you don't have to hear the word of God to be in unbelief, you just have to not hear it. The root of unbelief is ignorance of the word. Paul said, "I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief." Ignorance fosters unbelief.

DM#8: Dead to the law

Doctrine of the Mysteries #8

Dead to the law

We have determined that Romans chapter 6 is an incredibly important, mile-marker chapter. It sets a strong precedent for a believer who is committed to learning and living the mystery doctrine. After telling us that through faith in the gospel of grace, we have justification and access to the grace of God, Paul immediately gets into the details of what we should know, and how we should start to think. He places a responsibility upon us to learn a few things which are intended to renew our pattern of thought, things that will help us to understand our new position in Christ, and spiritual truths that will become cornerstones within the foundation he will lay throughout Romans.

Having informed us that we are dead to sin, Paul enlightens us of our relationship with the law. There are a few surprises in store for the uninformed reader.  

Rom 6:15-17  What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.  (16)  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?  (17)  But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

SPIRITUAL LESSONS

Paul uses that statement again, “God forbid!” He is cautioning you not to think carnally. We cannot reason spiritual truth in a carnal mind. We must consider what we are being taught from our new positional stance with God, through Jesus Christ.

Paul's Gentile Curriculum Explained (Romans to Galatians - The Milk)

Paul's Gentile Curriculum Explained (Romans to Galatians - The Milk)

Recently, I was asked by a friend to elaborate on Paul's 9-church epistles as a spiritual curriculum for the grace believer. I ended up making a video of it; at least the Romans to Galatians part. The rest to follow in subsequent videos. This post is just to advertise the video series and provide you with some encouragement to get back into the Word.

Not many people know this, but the 9-church letters of Paul (Rom. to Thess.) can be seen as a study curriculum for the grace believer. The curriculum guides the believer through a process of growth in Christ, renewing the mind and becoming educated on spiritual things. Although one can read any of Paul's letters, it is highly recommended to study the letters in the given order as provided in the Bible.

This video explains the first part of the curriculum (Rom. to Gal.) and details the validity and importance of it.

If you enjoyed the video, please share it with others too. TX

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO

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.

As grace believers, what is our primary objective? (Part 5)

Studying the Bible in the correct context

Start this series of posts with: Part 1

I stand firm on the fact that our primary objective, as grace believers, is to come to a knowledge of God’s Word. However, I also understand that we live our lives, day by day, bearing responsibilities, and being pulled into different directions due to demands, circumstances, and issues of life. So how do we balance the two? Well, the key to note is that 1Tim.2:4 does not have a deadline. We do not need to learn ALL truth and be experts in Bible doctrine before we can be used of the Lord. Life does not stop because we first have to learn ALL truth! No. The Lord provides us the opportunities daily, to encourage and edify others based on the measure of truth we know at our personal levels. We can offer ourselves as living sacrifices to the Lord daily, allowing the truth of the Word within us, to make us ambassadors of God’s kingdom, and reconcilers who show God’s love and forgiveness to others.

Even as babes in Christ, new believers can share the gospel with others through their testimony. However, our objective is to grow steadily in knowledge, not all at once, but daily, over our lifetime, so that we can increase in our responsibility of ambassadorship and in our ministry of reconciliation. Every grace believer can be a light for God’s kingdom, but when it comes to teaching others about God’s Word, this is when proper knowledge is very important. This is when the truth we know either approves us or disapproves us before God. Let me explain.

As grace believers, what is our primary objective? (Part 4)

Paul’s Encouragement to Increase in Knowledge and Understanding

Start this series of posts with: Part 1

Paul’s letters are full of statements that encourage one to learn, to increase in one’s knowledge of God’s Word, and to gain understanding of it, so that it embeds in one’s heart and becomes part of the outflow of one’s life, in thinking, reasoning, speech, and actions. You cannot go far in Paul’s epistles and not read statements that encourage growth and increasing in knowledge and understanding.

In Romans, the foundational epistle that establishes us in ‘the faith’, Paul immediately starts to fire up our minds, compelling us to think upon things, or to know things, coercing our learning and understanding. Have a look at the following statements that we encounter so early in the mystery curriculum,

As grace believers, what is our primary objective? (Part 3)

As grace believers, what is our primary objective? (Part 3)

Start this series of posts with: Part 1

No knowledge, no understanding, no foundation

The key verse in this series confirms that after we come to salvation, it is God’s will that we come to a knowledge of the truth, 1Tim.2:4. Isn’t it interesting that God’s one desire for us, having been saved, is not to get busy with any activities, no matter how spiritual or noble they might appear to be, but to sit down, to quiet our minds, and to study His Word.

2Tim.2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 

Why is this so?

As grace believers, what is our primary objective? (Part 2)

As grace believers, what is our primary objective? (Part 2)

Start this series of posts with: Part 1

In the first part of this series, I motivated the fact that the single most important thing to do, after getting saved, is to spend time in the Word of God and gain the knowledge of the Word rightly divided. In upcoming parts, I will also deal with points instructing why this is important, what happens when we do, and God’s will and purpose for us in doing this.

In this post I want to focus on what is milk and what is meat. As previously mentioned, a babe in Christ cannot be fed meat. So, it becomes really important to know what milk is in the Word, and where we will find the solid food. In this regard, we will find that God’s Word is so perfectly designed. As with the nine Hebrew epistles, Hebrews to Revelation, Paul’s nine church epistles to the Gentiles are also arranged in a form of curriculum, starting with Romans to 2-Thessalonians. It shouldn’t be surprising to note that these Gentile letters, for us in this dispensation of grace, start with a letter called Romans and the Jewish letters, for the Jewish believers in the tribulation, start with a letter called Hebrews. God could not have made this distinction clearer.

Two biblical doctrines given at two separate times for two different purposes.

Two biblical doctrines given at two separate times for two different purposes.

When one studies the bible, cross referencing scripture and comparing verses between Paul’s writings and the rest of the bible, the evidence is overwhelming that the risen Lord Jesus Christ revealed to Paul a completely different doctrine from that which was written in the prophets. In this short post, I simply want to highlight one glaring piece of evidence, out of a myriad of others, to bring your attention to the fact that we need to know and understand these different doctrines and interpret the bible in accordance with this understanding.

The first two verses below inform of knowledge given since the creation of the world. The latter three speak of knowledge that was kept secret (or hidden) since the creation of the world. There can be no objection to the timing within these statements. Prophecy was given since the world began, but Paul’s mystery doctrine was kept secret at that time, and only written about and taught when it was revealed to Paul.

What does ‘working out our salvation in fear and trembling’ really mean?

What does ‘working out our salvation in fear and trembling’ really mean?

Php 2:12-13  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.  13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

To keep this short, let me get straight to the point. “Working out our own salvation” is not us doing good works to justify our salvation. It is not acts of kindness. It is not giving money to the church. It is not activities of any kind that make us feel we did something right or good. To put it bluntly, it is not any type of ‘physical’ actions that we do in this world that ‘works out our salvation’. How can I know this and confirm this? Well, consider this to start with. If our salvation is ALREADY SECURE in Christ (Rom.3:21-28), just by us believing in Jesus and trusting His death, burial, and resurrection (1Cor.15:1-4), then what is this ‘work’ I must do in fear and trembling? What can this ‘work’ do to contribute any more to a salvation I have that is ALREADY 100% SECURE? That does not make sense! In this regard, the ‘work’ being mentioned here has a different context than, to earn, or contribute to, or justify, salvation.

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.

The Stages of Christ's Ascension and Return (Part 9)

Verses often do not provide timeline context

I'd like to draw your attention to an important concept before we get into the next stage of Christ's return. This concept will become relevant as we continue in this study.

It is crucial to understand that verses often do not provide timeline context. As we study and piece multiple scripture together, one would gain the information necessary to discover if there is, and if any, what the timeline is between verses. Let's have a look at what I'm referring to in our key verses,

1 Thess.4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  

1 Cor.15:51-52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed [raptured], 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:

The Bible still has SECRETS!

The Bible still has SECRETS!

With regards to the gospel of our salvation, there is absolutely no doubts about the clarity of the message that we all need to hear and respond to. But, there are other parts of the bible that we will never fully understand. There will always be several interpretations, by several different persons, on certain passages of scripture. Which passages you might ask? That's easy to answer. Passages that deal with trans-dispensational events, and passages that deal with future events. Since these parts of scripture deal with happenings in the past or the future, there will never be perfect consensus on these, so we don't know exactly how things developed, or will play out. Anyone is welcome to dispute this (heeding the advice in 2 Tim.2:23), but for me, it is a fact that settles it.

The Word of God is God's Words The very words we read in the Bible, were put there, not by the creativity of man, not by his interpretation of spiritual things, and not by his wisdom, but by the very direction and purpose of God Himself.

S-A: (Eph1-13) What this verse does not say

Scripture Analysis: (Eph.1:13) A powerful verse, not only in what it says, but in what it does NOT say!