In search of the Kingdom of God; Part 3... righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Rom 14:17 NET  For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

It is important to understand the context of Romans Chapter 14. I think it can best be explained by this passage; Rom 14:4-5  "Who are you to pass judgment on another’s servant? Before his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.  (5)  One person regards one day holier than other days, and another regards them all alike. Each must be fully convinced in his own mind." Paul is using Romans 14 to explain that religious practice is not a good indicator to judge one another. So when he says in verse 17 that the kingdom of God is NOT food and drink, I think it is safe to assume that he has a broader intent than food and drink. He is speaking of outward religious practices in general. He is not being critical of those who observe or perform outward religious practices. Rather, he is stating that they are not a proper standard for judging and judgment.

What does Paul say the kingdom of God does consist of? It is interesting that he states RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, and JOY in the Holy Spirit. What does that mean exactly? Well, here is a clue. Rom 5:1  Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Yes, imputed righteousness, being declared righteous by the faith of Jesus brings peace with God, and that in turn brings Joy. Those are the foundationally important elements in the kingdom of God. Without them, the kingdom of God will not be established. It is also important to notice the order... righteousness -> peace -> joy. If one is not resting completely in the gospel, and by gospel, I mean the finished work of Jesus Christ, there can be no peace.  We are declared righteousness based on the faith/faithfulness of Jesus. This is the most important thing to remember. God was in Christ, reconciling himself to the world, not counting sin. Further, he made Jesus, the one who did not even know sin to be made sin for humanity so that in turn humanity could be made the righteousness of God in Christ. This alone is the source of the peace. Therefore, the righteousness mentioned in Romans 14:17 is the righteousness of God. There really is no other righteousness.

There can be no real joy when there is constant fear. Religious practice is fear based. So much of current evangelical doctrine is based on being controlled by fear. Fear of not pleasing God; Fear of not really being saved; fear of being out of fellowship, and on and on. As the apostle John wrote, fear has torment, or more correctly, fear is torment. Understanding kingdom righteousness eliminates fear. Kingdom righteousness was bought and paid for by Jesus Christ. It is the righteousness that comes from his perfect faithfulness. He only did what the Father told him to do. He did that by faith and was faithful to the mission that he was sent to complete. He was willing to die... believing the Father... showing that death was not final. He was demonstrating that there is more, that there is eternal life.

He set the example of faithfulness and His Spirit enables us to apprehend this fact via the gospel message. Believing the gospel is the source of kingdom righteousness that leads to peace and ultimately joy.

In search of the kingdom... Part 2 the who, when, where and how of the kingdom

Luk 17:20-21  "Now at one point the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God was coming, so he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed,  (21)  nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

There are some important observations to be made about the Pharisees request and Jesus' answer. It is note worthy that Jesus did not say that this time the kingdom is not coming with signs and observation, and that will be at a future time. No, to the Pharisees, those trained in the Law of Moses, those expecting the millennial kingdom, those who at that time were ensconced in a fervor awaiting the Messiah and the messianic kingdom, he did not say that the kingdom would eventually come in a different way that could be easily observed. He rather answered that the kingdom was already in their midst. It was already among them. How so? Well the kingdom was everywhere the King was. Jesus was the King in their midst.

How then is it in our midst nowadays? The answer is simple. It is everywhere the King is. How then is the King among us? It is by the Spirit of Messiah, the Holy Spirit, the comforter, the teacher, the Spirit of God. Jesus offers clarity in this passage. Joh 18:36  Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” This was in answer to a question put forth by Pilate in his inquisition. Pilate asked him straight out if he was King of the Jews. Jesus made it clear to Pilate that the kingdom was not a kingdom with a parcel of land in the physical realm but rather a spiritual kingdom from a different reality/dimension.

Paul was the one who was charged with explaining the kingdom gospel to the Gentiles. This was after the resurrection, and after he had taken the gospel to the Jews first. When many of the Jews rejected the gospel he then was sent to the Gentiles as well. It is to the Gentiles in Galatia that Paul explains the nature of the kingdom and its capital. It is necessary to include a longer passage to get the message across. This is the Jerusalem that Jesus reigns in and is King. Gal 4:21-31  Tell me, you who want to be under the law, do you not understand the law?  (22)  For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman.  (23)  But one, the son by the slave woman, was born by natural descent, while the other, the son by the free woman, was born through the promise.  (24)  These things may be treated as an allegory, for these women represent two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai bearing children for slavery; this is Hagar.  (25)  Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.  (26)  But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.  (27)  For it is written: “Rejoice, O barren woman who does not bear children; break forth and shout, you who have no birth pains, because the children of the desolate woman are more numerous than those of the woman who has a husband.”  (28)  But you, brothers and sisters, are children of the promise like Isaac.  (29)  But just as at that time the one born by natural descent persecuted the one born according to the Spirit, so it is now.  (30)  But what does the scripture say? “Throw out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the son” of the free woman.  (31)  Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman but of the free woman. This is a kingdom that is not of the physical world but is present in the world. He even quotes Isaiah 54:1 as a proof text for the reality that the kingdom is a spiritual kingdom.

The above passage speaks of the New Jerusalem, the one that the author of Revelation saw coming down out of the sky. Rev 3:12  The one who conquers I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never depart from it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God (the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from my God), and my new name as well. It is obvious that Paul and John are referring to the same spiritual Jerusalem. It only makes sense that God would in fact redeem ALL of humanity. I am not anti-sematic or disparaging the Jews in any way. Jesus himself was a Jew. That fact is that God's kingdom is broader than any had anticipated. It is a spiritual kingdom in which all of humanity has been reconciled. God was in Christ, reconciling the WORLD to himself (2Cor 5.)

We then apprehend the kingdom by having faith in the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. The kingdom is now, the New Jerusalem is now! The question becomes, will you believe it? Will you walk in the reality of it?

In search of the kingdom... Part 1 kingdom righteousness

This will begin a series of posts that are entitled in search of the kingdom. The kingdom that is being searched for is the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. I have run into individuals that taught that there was a difference between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God but that is pure nonsense. In the gospel of Matthew Jesus is recorded as saying kingdom of heaven instead of the kingdom of God. The best theory that I have heard is that since Matthew was a primarily Jewish gospel, written to a strictly Jewish audience, and the fact that the Jews did not like using the name God for fear that it was too holy to utter, Jesus used heaven to alleviate that problem knowing that all knew that when he spoke of the kingdom of heaven he was in fact referring to the kingdom of God.

Mat 5:20  For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven!

What possible righteousness could go beyond, exceed, the righteousness of the experts in the law and the Pharisees? We get a clue from Paul's letter to the Philippians. The experts in the law were the scribes or the rabbis'.  Of course the Pharisees were a sect of Jews that strictly adhered to the law. So, it is safe to say that Jesus was referring to the righteousness that comes from observing the Law. However, look and read this... Php 3:6  In my zeal for God I persecuted the church. According to the righteousness stipulated in the law I was blameless. Paul states that as a scribe and Pharisee, he was blameless in the righteousness that is stipulated in the law. What possible righteousness could exceed or go beyond that you ask? The answer of course is the righteousness of God. Here is how Paul explained it, again in Philippians. Php 3:9  "and be found in him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but because I have the righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness – a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ’s faithfulness."

The righteousness that Jesus was alluding to was his righteousness that would only be bestowed on humanity after he had faithfully finished the work he came to do which was to believe God unto death and restore a right relationship with humanity as the "last Adam." Did I tell you that I have grown to love the NET bible? I did in an earlier post about the faith of, or faithfulness of Christ, but I must tell you again. I love the fact that my righteousness comes from Christ's faithfulness! Isn't that an awesome concept? It does not come from my adherence to the Law. It comes solely from Christ's faithfulness who was the representative human, or the last Adam. Again, as stated before in the blog posts on the faith of Christ, we apprehend this righteousness of Christ based on our faith that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself.

So then, here is an important fact about what the kingdom of God really is. First and foremost, it is established on the faithfulness/faith of Christ Jesus. You are really misled when you think that it is based on your faith in Christ. You merely apprehend the benefit that Christ provides by your faith in Him. Did I say it is already done? Did you shout when you heard? It is easy to see from this that current evangelical doctrine is off the mark when it comes to this most important part of what the kingdom is.

The kingdom is a place where people completely rest in the faithfulness of Christ Jesus.

Justified by the faith OF Christ and not faith IN Christ; Part 4

Gal 2:16 NET "yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified."

Heb 11:6 NET  "Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."

Think about the incarnation of God in Christ. Having been born into the world similar to all of humanity, he was born with no recollection that he was from God, or at least, if babies are born with that understanding they soon lose it, and do not ever communicate it or remember it beyond the time that language and thinking is formed. While the gospels explain that Jesus was bright and above average as a youngster (Luke 2:39-52) He did not receive the Spirit until his baptism. It is important to understand the humanity of Jesus to understand his mission. The Holy Spirit was the way in which the Father spoke to Jesus. The Holy Spirit enabled Jesus the human incarnation of God to perform the miracles, and be clairsentient, clairvoyant, claircognizant and clairaudient.

This is where Jesus' perfect faith came into play. It is the way in which he was the representative human that would completely and absolutely please God. In fact, the scripture records the Father saying "this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." When you examine that proclamation of God in light of Hebrews 11:6 it is easy to understand what Paul meant when he said that we were justified by the faithfulness/faith of Christ. First it is only faith that pleases God, and secondly, God says my beloved Son in whom I am WELL PLEASED! If faith is the only thing that pleases God, then it follows that if He was well pleased it would be by perfect faith, and the perfect faith is the faith/faithfulness of Jesus.

And, the scripture tells us that. John 8:28-29 NET  "Then Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak just what the Father taught me.  (29)  And the one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do those things that please him.” When you read the above passage from John chapter eight it should become crystal clear that Jesus had perfect faith, and that it was his perfect faith that was his perfect obedience. First, he did NOTHING on his own initiative but only what the Father taught him, and secondly, he ALWAYS, let me emphasize this, ALWAYS does/did the things that pleased the Father. This means that he always operated out of faith in what the Father was telling him, and thus had perfect faith.

Paul goes on to state that faith = obedience. Rom 1:5 NET  "Through him we have received grace and our apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles on behalf of his name." Jesus obedience was his perfect faith in what the Father told him, even unto death on the cross, and our obedience is believing what God did in the incarnation of Christ. It was the Holy Spirit, first given to Christ at his baptism, that enabled perfect faith for Christ, and it is Christ's faith that has enabled us to receive the same Spirit. The Holy Spirit enables us to apprehend the faith of Christ. Therefore, our obedience is to believe the gospel no matter what.

That means we must believe the gospel no matter what we see or do. God wants us to believe that He reconciled the world through Christ, that he is not counting sin, and that he has declared us to be the very righteousness of God based on Christ's faith. This is a tall order, and is a long ways from easy believism, a term devised by those truly ignorant of the true, pure gospel. Believing the gospel is anything but easy, and it was certainly not easy for Jesus to be the forerunner of such faith.

Links to the previous posts in this series.  Part 1  Part 2  Part 3

Justified by the faith OF Christ and not faith IN Christ; Part 3

Gal 2:16 NET Translation "yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified."

This is the third post in a series, and while I am not certain how many more posts will follow, I am certain that this subject is a most important concept in the message and mission of Jesus Christ, (Jeshua Hamashiach.) I include the Jewish name for Jesus to assure all that I am referring to the Jewish Messiah, the Saviour of the World.

For many years I have had to switch between translations of the bible. The reason for this was that some render a passage differently than I believe to be faithful to the original language. This has been especially true for the New Testament (the first century Greek Scriptures.) I believe I have found one that will allow me to switch no longer. It is the NET (New English Translation.) I have not read it completely or thoroughly at this point but in looking at the passages that I have had concerns about in the past it certainly passes muster.

In the above rendering of Galatians 2:16 the translators have rendered the faith of Christ as the faithfulness of Christ which I actually think is more accurate and it directly relates to Christ's faith. If one renders Gal 2:16 faith IN Christ Jesus then it speaks of something we do. If on the other hand, it is rendered the faithfulness or faith OF Christ Jesus, it is then something that God does through and in Christ. Paul states in 2Cor 5 that God was IN Christ reconciling the world to Himself and this certainly is in agreement with justification coming through the faithfulness OF Jesus Christ.

Further, Romans chapter five falls into line with the concept of the faithfulness of Christ. Rom 5:18 NET  "Consequently, just as condemnation for all people came through one transgression, so too through the one righteous act came righteousness leading to life for all people." Adams unfaithfulness resulted in death and condemnation, and Jesus Christ's faithfulness resulted in life and justification. In both cases the first and last Adam, the faithfulness or unfaithfulness of the one ended up affecting the many or all.

This is why John's gospel becomes key in this. Especially in chapters 7-17 one finds details of the faith/faithfulness of Jesus Christ. In reading this passage it becomes obvious that Jesus faithfulness/faith was indeed perfect, which in turn, was a perfect offering to God making Jesus the perfect sacrifice. Now understand this. It was not a sacrifice to appease God, but rather, a sacrifice to appease the conscience of humanity. This is why the Christus Victor atonement view is so important. Jesus Christ's faithfulness/faith was victorious over Satan's attempt to  destroy humanity with Adam's unfaithfulness/faithlessness.

In fact, the writings of Paul and the gospel of John unite to show a consolidated view of God's actions in redemption and salvation. In this view it is God who initiates and God who completes redemption. Humanity has nothing to do with it except to apprehend it by faith. Yes, this shows radical grace, and it is in fact this radical grace that transformed the world in the first century, Acts 17:6. It was this concept that turned the world upside down.

As I have stated in the past two posts in this series, make of it what you will, as for me and my house we will believe the gospel!

Links to the other two posts in this series...    Part 1  Part 2

Justified by the faith OF Christ and not faith IN Christ; Part 2

Gal 2:16 KJV  Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

This is a follow-up to a recent post that I wrote. I will provide a link at the end of this post so that you can read both if you like. Also, as always, I am happy to have comments or reactions to this post. The Calvinists have pointed out since their conception that if we are saved by our faith in Christ then, our faith would in fact be a necessary work. They use then the rationale that the Holy Spirit enables our faith and so it is not by us, and to a degree it is true. However, it is more liberating than Calvinism suggests. We were simply saved by Jesus' faith. Notice the previous sentence is saved by Jesus' faith period.

Paul points out several times in several ways that Jesus' obedience to the Father was what made him a worthy Savior. He even writes about the obedience of faith. My wife was once told by the Spirit, and (I believe her to be a prophet)... that, and I am quoting what she heard in the Spirit... "faith IS obedience." This came after being given supernaturally the verse found in Isa 7:9 AMP,  "And the head (capital) of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son [King Pekah]. If you will not believe [and trust in God and His message], be assured that you will not be established."'" This was an answer to a fleece. After this the Spirit spoke the words "faith is obedience."

However, only the faith of Jesus was the faith that led to eternal salvation for all. As stated in the first post of this series, it was Jesus perfect faith that made him perfectly obedient in the eyes of the Father, and qualified him to be the "Last Adam." The New Testament teaches that Jesus was the ultimate representative of humanity. Paul points out that there was the first representative of humanity, Adam, which means man, and Jesus, the Last Adam, whos name means salvation.

The further, and I believe ultimate proof of this, is found in the following two passages of scripture. The first is Heb 11:6 AMP  "But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him." and the second passage is Joh 8:29 AMP  "And He who sent Me is [always] with Me; He has not left Me alone, because I always do what pleases Him." First we know that without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE God, and secondly we know that Jesus ALWAYS DOES WHAT PLEASES HIM. This alone is proof positive of the source of Jesus perfect obedience. It was indeed his perfect faith, and not his perfect obedience to the letter of the Law.

Our faith in Christ is the vehicle that apprehends the faith of Christ. We become certain that we are saved by Christ's perfect faith by believing the gospel message. And, what is the gospel you ask? It is that God was in Christ, yes Christ Jesus is the incarnation of God, and in this incarnate state God reconciled the WORLD to himself not counting trespasses, sins. And further, he made the one who knew no sin, that is who always believed God, to be made sin for us that we in turn might become the righteousness of God in him. Period.

This is a very liberating message and it is the true, pure, pristine gospel of Christ. It is the one that turned the world upside down in the first century. Make of it what you will, as for me and my house we will believe the gospel!

Link to the first of the series, 

What my love for my Pet Yorkie Zeke teaches me about the Father's love

1Jn 3:1a  "See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children"

Jesus introduced the fact that we are God's children and He is our Father. In fact, Jesus called Him Abba Father, which is similar to our affectionate term "papa." My wife calls me papa when ever she is referring to my relationship to Zeke and quite frankly, I consider myself his papa. I spoil him and love him and in my eyes he really can do no wrong.... even when he does wrong :)

I make this point because when we think of God as our father, I think we make the analogy of a loving human father, and that is fine to do, but God is so far above us that the comparison breaks down in reality. This is why I think that my love for Zeke, and my relationship with him is so instructive in understanding the Father's love for me and for you.

Zeke can be very selfish and yet, still I love him. I am getting to the age where I take naps frequently, and Zeke usually takes them with me. If he is laying on the bed, in front of my pillow, often times he will not move, and if he does it is with pained reluctance, and yet still I love him.

He will make messes sometimes and I just clean them up and still I love him. Why, because the things he is doing are just natural to him being a dog.  Occasionally he will tear up paper some where and I simply clean it up and continue to love him with all of my heart. Why, because he is just doing what he was created to do and I love him because I have chosen to love him and he has a special place in my heart.

I often hear the Spirit reminding me of the Father's love for me as I think about my love for Zeke in the various circumstances that come up. Right now he is curled up at my feet laying content because he knows that I love him, I feed and water him, I protect him from danger, I take him to the vet to keep him well. I have no way of knowing exactly what his cognitive capabilities are, a lot of the time he seems to be able to understand more that one would think he can, but none the less, because I am a human with speech, and the ability to drive and work, and because I am in a position to take care of him it seems that I am advanced in capability beyond him, not to the degree of course, but not unlike the Father's superiority over me.

I have no ill will against him at all. I have no desire to punish him. I merely want him to be safe and secure and to trust and love me. That, I believe is exactly the way the Father feels about you and me. I am writing this because I want to be able to express the way that I believe the Father truly loves us and rebuff the idea that he is out to punish at every instance. That He demands perfect obedience and adherence to the Law.

So, there is a lot to learn from my love for Zeke, and I hope you have benefited from my insight.

Justified by the faith OF Christ and not faith IN Christ.

Gal 2:16 KJV  "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."

Here is one of the most important passages of scripture in the New Testament, the Apostolic Greek Scriptures of the first century. This is one passage where I am a King James Only kind of guy. The reason is that only the King James and the Young's Literal Translation get this verse right as it was written. One thing is certain. Paul did not mean that we are justified by faith in Christ, but rather that we are justified by the faith of Christ or Christ's faith. This is clear in the Greek passages. Of course, there is the fact that it is in the genitive case. But, there is evidence in Paul's grammar that he is speaking of justification coming through the faith OF Christ and not faith IN Christ. It comes in this explanation; "even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law" Our faith in Christ does not justify us because we were already justified by the faith of Christ.

Paul says this in Rom 5:18-19 CSB  "So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is justification leading to life for everyone.  (19)  For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous." The one righteous act was Jesus' perfect faith in the Father. We read in one place that "without faith it is impossible to please him," and then in another place we read that God said, "this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. It was Christ's faith in the Father that justified all men, just the same way as Adam's unbelief  made all humanity sinners.

So you ask, what about our faith in Christ? That is a great question. The answer is our faith apprehends the beneficial effect of Christ's faith. Our faith, assures us that the gospel message is correct, and that God was in fact in Christ reconciling the world to Himself not counting trespasses. Our faith grabs on to the benefit of Christ's faith to give us peace with God based upon being justified by the faith of Christ. Look at Rom 5:1  "Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Peace with God through Jesus... hmnn… of course that is peace with God through the perfect faith of Jesus.

It is not the works of the law that justifies. In fact, we cannot be justified by our adherence or obedience to the law. We HAVE been justified by the faith OF Christ, and our faith apprehends the fact plain and simple.

If you look for further proof of this again I'll quote the KJV. Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. We live and have eternal life because of the faith OF Christ. Paul goes on in the next verse of Galatians 2 to explain that if righteousness comes from the Law then Christ died for nothing.

This is the gospel. Make of it what you will.
As for me and my house, we will rejoice in the grace of God!!!

Link to part two of this post.