Abel a picture of Christ; Cain a picture of religion

Gen 4:1-5 KJV “Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the LORD."  (2)  Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.  (3)  And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD.  (4)  Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering,  (5)  but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.”

We know from John 5:39-40 and Luke 24:27, 44-45 that the scripture is all about Jesus. Seeing Jesus in the scripture becomes our joy because it reinforces the gospel of God’s mercy, love and grace.  Look at this familiar story from Genesis. Adam and Eve have two sons, Cain and Able, it is important to see the order in which they came. Cain came first and Abel came second. What does the Apostle Paul tell us? 1Co 15:46 KJV  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. Here we see a principle. The natural comes first and the spiritual comes after. Therefore, it is easy to see that Cain was a picture of the natural and Abel is a picture of the Spiritual. This is important in our seeing Jesus in ALL the scripture. This is a New Covenant way of looking at the scripture. It is not Old Covenant thinking. One of the problems that we face today is we have New Covenant prophecy and Old Covenant theology…. Let me repeat this for effect, “we have New Covenant prophecy and Old Covenant theology.”

Abel simply brought the first born lamb without spot and blemish. It was not from his effort at all. He had nothing to do with it. He simply offered what God had perfected. Cain however, was a tiller of the soil. He worked and toiled and sweat with his hands. He cultivated and watered and no doubt worked long hours. Abel tended the sheep and likely sat in the shade watching them. God grew the grass that fed them and provided the stream that watered them. I’m going somewhere here, pay attention.

Cain had the fruit and vegetables looking good, and all polished as he brought forth to the Lord the work of his hands. He wanted God to accept his good works. Abel on the other hand, simply chose what God had done and offered it to Him. This is really a picture of us. We want to bring to God the fruit of our hands instead of relying on the sacrifice that God made on our behalf. We want to add something to the finished work of Jesus. We refuse to allow our hearts and minds to be cleansed by faith and insist that we bring something of ours. This ends up being an affront to God… a slight to God. When we demand that we bring something to him so that he will reward our performance, no matter what it is, we in a sense are saying that we do not believe that Jesus blood was sufficient.

We need to go back and read the entire chapter of Isaiah 53. Let me pull out some of it. Isaiah 53 is a sovereign decree of God. Isa 53:12 KJV  “Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” God says that he will divide Him a portion with the great and that Jesus shall divide the spoil with the strong… strong what? those strong in faith in the finished work of Jesus… those who do not try to add anything, including old covenant obedience to the Law. Our obedience, our giving, our sacrifice, our praise all stems from the finished work of Jesus. He has spoiled the Devil and he will divide the spoils… will we believe???

Isn't it interesting that Cain (religious people) continue to KILL Abel (those trusting in Christ)... how?... they kill their spirits and cast them into bondage of religion.

The All in All

1Corinthians 15:28  “And when all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.”

I personally think that the fifteenth chapter of 1Corintians is mis-understood with too much read into it. We are now living in the days of the All in All. If God is our father and Jesus taught that metaphor to be truth, then our Father is the All in All. If you look at New Testament Prophecy in the way it was written, you will see that it was meant for the first century believers. It was pointing to the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews. You can find all of the many posts that show this at this link; it is the link that shows all of the posts that discuss and include eschatology.

The Psalmist said the following: (Psa 110:1)  “Here is the LORD's proclamation to my lord: "Sit down at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool!" Who were Jesus enemies? It was the Sanhedrin. It was the rulers and authorities, principalities and powers of second temple Judaism. How did God make Jesus enemies his footstool? He used Titus of Rome to destroy the temple and Jerusalem, and disperse the Jews away from Judea. Jesus enemies were in fact made his footstool in 70CE. He was exonerated. His prophecies were proven to be true. All things were put under his feet including death. The sting of death was sin. The power or strength of sin was the law. The last enemy was the death brought about by the law. Christ provided the victory over death with the assurance of eternal life. Once Jesus had proclaimed eternal life, had risen from the dead to prove it --- death lost its sting. But, when the temple was destroyed, the ministry of death was destroyed along with it, and all things, including his enemies and death were put under his feet.

That being the case, the kingdom has been turned over to the Father so that the Father is the All in All. Jesus prayer is answered; (John 17:23)  I in them and you in me — that they may be completely one, so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me. It is not necessary to see a distant eschatological future fulfillment. It is current reality. The kingdom is now and we are to be manifestly the children of God now. The fact is that we have become partakers of the divine nature and have been given all we need for life and godliness. The problem is that we must realize and believe it. This will only come as more and more people embrace the provision of God’s grace and rest in our eternal connection.

Isn’t it  a shame to be waiting for what is already here? If believers would corporately re-enforce one another in resting in God’s grace, it would be possible to experience the All in All continually. It is so simple… all that we need to do is shift our paradigm.

What were Jesus’ commandments?

1John 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

What does Jesus mean when he says keep my commandments? Does he mean keep the Decalogue (Ten Commandments?) I have heard and read so many people that teach exactly this. How can one square this with Colossians 2:13-14? If God canceled the written code and nailed it to the cross, how can Jesus mean that keeping his commandments is keeping the Decalogue? The answer is that it cannot or the text contradicts itself. Either God canceled the written code through Christ or Jesus demands that we keep the Decalogue, it cannot be both.

Let me try to unpack this a little. Those who say that Jesus commandments and the Decalogue are one in the same thing assume this because they see the entire scripture as the word of God. However, we have proven beyond doubt with overwhelming scriptural evidence that Jesus and his first century followers redefined the *word of God* to mean the gospel. This is the only way that one can square John 14:15 with Colossians 2:13-14. So then, what are Jesus commands anyway? The answer to this question is clearly stated in 1John 3:23-24  “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.  (24)  Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.”

While I will admit that loving one another is covered in the Decalogue, it must be seen in light of grace producing love. That is what Paul meant when he spoke of faith working through love. Faith in God’s grace produces love for God. Resting in this fact provides the ability to love one another. It is not a situation of read and do, rather it is a situation built on trust and love. That is, trusting in God’s grace provides the ability to rest, and resting produces the love for God that will lead to true love of others. The evangelical world has this process exactly backwards and it will not work backwards… not ever! They adamantly claim they are right in this when they are wrong.

It is best understood by the difference between the *law of the Spirit of life* and the *law of sin and death.* It is essentially the same law. The difference comes in the operation of obedience. The law of sin and death resides in a read and do mentality. The law of the Spirit of life resides in trusting in God’s grace for no condemnation… not ever! The law of sin and death produces fear. The law of the Spirit of life produces love. The reason that the law of the Spirit of life produces love is directly because there is no condemnation… not ever!

Jesus said this: John 3:17-18  “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  (18)  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” It should be plain as day. Evangelical dogma and doctrine distorts and convolutes a concept that is so simple.

Who do people say that I am? Christ Jesus of Nazareth, the first born unique Son of God

If you read these blogs from start to finish you will find that there are shades of new age thought in my Christian doctrine… don’t be scared. :) The reason for this is that I believe that there is some merit in a lot of new age… more eastern theology. There is one place that I adamantly disagree with new age theology, and it is focused on who Jesus of Nazareth really is. Let me state it clearly once for all time. I see Jesus as the Christ, the unique firstborn Son of God. I see him as the incarnation of God. Therefore, he is uniquely the Son of God in a way that NO OTHER person can be. I realize that there is a very mystical element to Colossians 1:27. Yes, we have Christ in us mystically via His Holy Spirit, but we are not the Christ as Jesus was and is the Christ.

We are not and never will be the redeemer. Certainly, we can aid in making people aware of the fact that they are redeemed. We are not now and never will be the reconciler. Certainly, our main mission is to proclaim that people have been reconciled to God, but God reconciled the world to himself with and in Jesus of Nazareth. We are not now nor will we ever be seated at the right hand of Majesty. In other words, Jesus of Nazareth was and is God incarnate in a way that none of us can be.

Now with that made clear I will say that we are much more powerful spiritually than most of us know and accept. There is an ALMOST infinite ability at our fingertips.  The mystical capabilities that we possess are manifestly limitless. We just do not choose to tap our natural power. I think it is because we are too afraid of new age mysticism and do not want to acknowledge some of our superpowers.

These superpowers that I speak of deal in the spiritual realm to affect the natural realm. They reside in all areas of life. They can affect healing, wealth, relationships and many other aspects of our lives. It is found in the concept in the Proverbs… as he thinks… so is he. The question becomes what does one consider important? What is the focus of the mind and heart? It is very difficult to control our thoughts but, in so doing there is great power. This is the place where new age thought can be beneficial. Especially in meditative prayer; there are many ways to pray and meditate, and mystical Christianity along with experience are an important part of our overall spiritual growth. It makes sense in my view to use some meditative principles in prayer. If you become totally relaxed you can find it easy to begin to comprehend the presence of God. After all, we are taught that we are divine because of Jesus the Christ. As he was/is in the world so are we. I challenge you to begin meditative prayer. However, keep your focus on Jesus.

Who do people say that I am? Christ and the culture he came to

This is a part of the series of posts “Moving toward a holistic theology.” ; Christology

Matthew 16:15-16  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  (16)  Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

As I stated in the last post, I see Jesus as God incarnate. That means that Jesus is God made flesh. I went on to point out that in the risen Jesus all of the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily. The incarnation necessitates the entrance into a specific historical time. In other words, Jesus came at a particular time in history to a specific location and culture. So often, people overlook this very important point when reading and interpreting the scripture and draw conclusions that do not necessarily follow.

Christ was born an Israelite, a Jew in the first century CE. This was a time when the Roman Empire had political control over the entire area. The culture was a mixture of Hellenized Jews and Roman Military occupiers. The main influence of the culture was second temple Judaism. Many leaders in second temple Judaism were expecting an imminent end of the age and fulfillment of the Old Testament Prophets. The terms they used to describe the idea was *this age* and *the age to come.* Daniel chapter nine was chronologically due to happen any time, i.e., it was expected to be fulfilled in the first century. Jesus came to a culture that eschatology was very important in all of their thinking.

Roman civilization accepted slavery as a matter of course. Throughout the Roman Empire immorality thrived. In spite of this, Jesus came to the Jews, a very religious and moral people by comparison. Who did he criticize? The answer to that question should be very instructive. Jesus was critical of religious people. His strongest criticism was toward the religious leaders and theologians of the day. He criticized them for being judgmental, self-righteous, and proud. His whole concept of being in the world but not of the world saw the world as religious people. He did not define the world as Christians today define the world. He was not speaking of the pagan world. To Him, the world was Judaism; the unbelieving Jews were the unbelieving world. Jesus stated that he came to the Jews and the Jews alone; (Mat 15:24  So he answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.") This is something that is greatly overlooked by theologians. The gospel went to the Gentiles only after it had first been delivered exclusively to the Jews.

These are facts that we must consider when we think about who Jesus was and is. As I reflect on my scripture study in view of evangelical orthodox doctrine and dogma I am astounded at the way in which they have completely missed the mark. One could say that the bulk of Christian doctrine has missed Christ completely. If they had not missed Him they would not think that the *world* is bars and nightclubs. They would not self-righteously judge so many groups of people. They would get rid of their religious pride.

Finally, they would also realize when reading the New Testament that Jesus was almost always speaking to Jews who were under the Law of Moses. Right after Jesus told the Jews that they were searching the scripture to find life when in fact they should be searching it to find him he said the following; John 5:45  "Do not suppose that I will accuse you before the Father. The one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope. It saddens me that these words still ring true today. Christianity claims the name of Jesus Christ but they put their hope in Moses!

Who do people say that I am?

This is a part of the series of posts “Moving toward a holistic theology.” ; Christology

Mat 16:13-16  Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"  (14)  And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  (15)  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  (16)  Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Who is Jesus of Nazareth? This becomes a very important aspect of any Christian systematic theology. It is a question that must be answered in detail. As I have stated in the past and as the blog posts show, I have a very high Christology. What has informed my opinion and belief when it comes to Christ Jesus? I will say first and foremost that it is a solely redemptive, Jesus of Nazareth centric, lens in scripture interpretation. One of the key passages of the Old Testament Prophets that is descriptive of Jesus and his role is Isaiah 9:6-7.  “(6)For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  (7)  Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.”

In the above description one can see the fullness of the God Head. The Wonderful Counselor is the Holy Spirit, Everlasting Father is God the Father, and the Prince of Peace is the Incarnation. Mighty God describes the fullness of the God Head in one. While Jesus had an earthly ministry, one can clearly see the Trinitarian aspect of God in operation. At his baptism  Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended on him, and the Father announced from heaven this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Paul then goes on to say in Colossians the following; Chapter 2, verse 9.  “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,” Paul states that in the risen Jesus, the fullness of the deity dwells bodily. That is counselor, father, and prince of peace. That makes up the mighty God. There you have it, in my Christology, Jesus is God.

Now while I do not think that one has to be baptized in Jesus name only (I will explain this in future posts), I do think that the Oneness Pentecostals are on to something when viewing the trinity. The entire 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians is interesting to me. At the time of the writing Jesus was seated at the right hand of the Father awaiting his enemies to be made his foot stool. Think for a minute. Who were really Jesus enemies? Yes, that it is correct. His enemies were the unbelieving Jews. They are the ones that were set on killing him and were the ones that got him killed. In other words, He was awaiting the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. That would be the time when his enemies were put under his feet. The last enemy death, the Old Covenant, was put under his feet and now He is the all in all.

Yes, there is a lot more to cover but enough for today :)!