My late father wrote this book in the final years of his life. With my family; Georgia, Christos, & Stavros Georghiou, we honor him by publishing it. He was a professor of Physics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He understood two things well; science and faith. Come along his journey unfolding the Scripture through the original Greek text. He was fluent in reading and writing of Ancient Greek. We begin with my mother’s dedication of this book, the preface and 14 Chapters as written by my father, and conclude with more about his life.

Dedication

My late husband was very satisfied with his professional path as a Physicist. He was also very passionate about his faith and explaining the Scripture to help people understand the Bible better. Perhaps in another life he would have become a Greek Orthodox priest. As a young man he was very interested in religion and close to the teachers of theology. He talked about religion in the house trying to teach us, as he loved to teach and illustrate concepts, which he does so well in this book. He was a wonderful man and husband and will be dearly missed. ~ Georgia Georghiou

Preface

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)

Praise the Lord! You've picked up this book. In doing so, you have expressed interest in more deeply understanding and applying the Lord’s Word in your daily life. While there are many books on Scripture, faith, and/or devotions that help with daily application, I think this one is unique. Therefore, I need to tell you more about me and the Lord’s will. I don't only want to share the following pages with you, I was told to do so.

So who am I, and why am I sharing my story? I am a husband of 46 years, a father to 2 faith filled children, an uncle, and a pappou (grandfather in Greek) to a boy named Stavros…which has the Greek meaning of “the Cross,” named to glorify the Lord and the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. I spent 35 years as a Physicist at the University of Tennessee. Actually, a Faith filled Physicist, which I’ve come to realize throughout my life, is not very common. I remember the first time amongst many that I was asked, "How is it that a tenured professor and scientist has such strong faith when the vast majority of scientists are atheists?" For me physics is the basis by which all motion is explained…our faith in our higher being explains everything outside the physical, letting go of the objective. This belief stems from my roots…my culture…where a deep understanding of the Word of God and education in the ways of science are foundational.

I am Greek. I was born raised in a small farming village in the country of Cyprus—an island in the Eastern Mediterranean. I was one of 4 children, my father a hard working farmer, his life-long purpose to provide for his wife and 4 children, in making a better life for us and our futures. I grew up learning ancient Greek through my childhood and teenage years, in studying Greek history, philosophy, and my favorite subject, theology, as well as through the Greek Church. I learned the teachings of the Lord, and the New Testament, in its original and purest form, Ancient Greek. Being the only sibling that my family could financially afford to send to college, I completed my undergraduate studies in Athens. I realized that I had no choice but to take full advantage of the blessing that was put in my life to advance my education. At this point, my faith caught fire, in all my ways submitting to Him, and following the path that He created for me…which not only included full devotion to my studies, but also in my obligation as a disciple of Jesus Christ. I participated and led many Bible studies during my undergraduate years. They multiplied in participation over time, where The Holy Spirit greatly enhanced my Wisdom in the Word.

The Lord truly blessed me and I was able to receive a full scholarship in advancing my education toward a PhD in Manchester, England. Up to this point in my life, I had read, studied, and taught the Word of God from its original form, Ancient Greek. I vividly remember in 1966 realizing that if I wanted to connect with my fellow English colleagues and friends in the Lord’s Word, as I had with the Greeks in Athens, I needed to be well versed in the English translation. While some might think words are just words, between translations, I quickly realized how blessed I was to know and understand the Bible in its original form. I came to realize that while modern day translations to English have overall characterized the Bible accurately, there are departures from the original Greek that warranted a deeper understanding.

From those days in England and throughout my life, having read and studied the New Testament in Its original form, and then the English version, the Lord increasingly revealed to me insights from original Scripture. This has added clarity to my fundamental understanding of the Word, and has helped strengthen my faith.

As I continued to travel the Lord’s path in my life, I realized through prayer His will for me: to expand my evangelism of the Word beyond that of my family and close friends. I found encouragement from the charge of Paul to Timothy.

“Preach the Word, be versed in it, in season and out of season.” 2 Timothy 4:2

As believers in Jesus Christ, we are charged with emulating Him in all of His ways, keeping in mind that “…as He is, so are we in this world” 1 John 4:17

This, of course, is an impossible feat, as Jesus is the only one to have lived without sin. However, how can we strive to follow His Word and apply It to our lives daily? This can only be possible by maximizing our knowledge of the Word.Here is one example of the role that understanding the ancient Greek can have toward correct interpretation of Word and deepening our understanding and application toward our lives: Joy vs. Happiness. What is the difference? The answer can be revealed by understanding how the Lord characterized each in the Bible in its purest ancient Greek form.

In the New Testament there are more than 50 entries for hara, Greek for “joy,” and about as many for hairo, “to rejoice.” On the other hand, there actually is no entry for eftyhese, “happy,” or eftyhia, “happiness!” Eftyhia is a compound word−ef means “well” or “good,” and tyhe is “luck:” So, eftyhese or “happiness” literally means “having good luck,” relying on external factors in life. God wants us to trust and to rely on Him, not on luck−not on chance! In contrast, Joy is derived internally, directly from Him! So ask yourself, when are you “happy” vs. “joyful.” It’s quite a significant difference! The Lord considers us as being “co-workers or colleagues of God” (1 Corinthians 3:9).

To bring this to fruition, we will need to train ourselves so that we will know His ways. He is our Maker, and so we will need to have accessible to us the best manual, which is His Book, the Bible…and to enhance or understanding of recent translations in English with that of the original ancient Greek in its purest form. What a great honor it is for us to be called co-workers or colleagues of God! We have much work to do to glorify Him!

"In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" (James 2:17).

During my latter years as a professor, I led Bible studies for students who expressed interest in the Word, with emphasis on gaining a deeper understanding of Scripture through the lens of the original Greek language. Without proclaiming it so, over the years I increasingly became known as the faith filled physics professor. Students would schedule time during my office hours for further discussions about physics…as well as the Word. My own son when studying at the University would often hike across campus tracking me down to answer a Scripture question he and a friend debated about along the way. The joy that I felt during these days of my life was immeasurable. I continually experienced first-hand the presence of the Lord.

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matthew 18:20)

Throughout my life, I continued my discipleship with great fervor. However, over time, I felt greater zeal to ensure that I’ve fulfilled the Lord’s will for me on Earth. I wanted to please Him wholeheartedly. One day just a few years before my retirement, as I was returning from the University of Tennessee Library to my Physics Department office, I turned to God and said to Him: “Lord, you have given me a very small Bible study group. Nevertheless, you have also given me a very good understanding of your Word and the Greek language. Is there anything more you want me to do for you?” Immediately, I heard an audible voice that said,

“Write a book.” I also saw two hands holding an open book that was well illuminated.

As you read this book I encourage you to have your Bible nearby. As I refer to Scripture, you might receive great joy from reading more than the verses that I quote. Take notes, highlight, and treat it like your personal Bible study. Utilize it as the Lord guides you…for your own edification, as well as in sharing your learnings with others in your own discipleship of the Word…informal conversations with those close to you, or as a stimulus for group interactions and Bible studies.

Shall we begin?

The messages in this book reflect topics that the Lord has illuminated to me a deeper understanding and application of His Word from the original ancient Greek:

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Chapters

Chapter 1: What Does the Lord’s Prayer Really Say?

Chapter 2: Sin Under the Covenant of Grace

Chapter 3: Knowing God and Righteousness

Chapter 4: Only the Strong Will Make It to The Kingdom of God

Chapter 5: Divine Healing Through the Word of God

Chapter 6: Good Works

Chapter 7: The Position of the Believers in Christ

Chapter 8: Prosperity

Chapter 9: Jesus is the Road to the Father

Chapter 10: Resentment, Offense, and Bitterness R.O.B. You of Your Blessings in Christ

Chapter 11: The Apostle Paul- The “Barbarian”- Meets The Athenians- The “Dogs”

Chapter 12: The Joy of the Lord

Chapter 13: Fearing the Lord, and Fearing Man or Circumstances of the Devil

Chapter 14: God Longs to be Loved

Conclusion & More About Dr. Georghiou’s Life & Contribution

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Chapter 1: WHAT DOES THE LORD’S PRAYER REALLY SAY?

One may ask the question, “What could possibly be new regarding the Lord’s Prayer?” Millions of people all over the world recite it every Sunday; it is the best known prayer, and one that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself taught His disciples. However, some parts of this Prayer have not been appropriately translated from the Greek original. It is our aim to address these changes and to investigate their implications. For example, did Jesus say, “And lead us not into temptation?” And if He didn’t, what did He really say, and how does that change the meaning of this Prayer?

MATTHEW 6:9–13 This then is how you should pray: ‘Our Father who are in heaven, hallowed be Your Name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And bring us not into testing, but rescue us from the evil one.’

Matthew 6:9: …Our Father Who Are In Heaven… The Prayer starts with addressing God as “Our Father”. You see, under the Old Testament, OT, the Israelites did not call God their Father, because He considered them to be His servants (Leviticus 25:42). However, under the New Testament, NT, He is our Father and we, the believers, are His children. In fact, the implication is that we are sons of God. There was only one Man who called God His Father, and that was the Son of God—the Lord Jesus Christ. This claim by Jesus actually caused Him His life:

JOHN 5:17-18 And Jesus replied to them: ‘My Father continues to work to this day, and I too am working.’ Because of this statement, the Jews sought even more to kill him, for not only He was breaking the Sabbath but He was also calling God his own Father—making himself equal with God.

This took place at an early stage in the ministry of Jesus. Later on during His trial, Pilate said to the Jews that he found no valid charge for which to condemn Him. They replied: JOHN 19:7 …We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die because He made himself the Son of God. Soon after this exchange, Pilate sentenced Jesus to be crucified. The following two passages clearly state that as believers we are sons of God:

GALATIANS 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

ROMANS 8:14 Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

But what does it mean to be led by the Spirit of God? You see, the Lord God the Father and the Lord God the Son are not here on the earth—they are in heaven. Only the Lord God the Holy Spirit is here. The Holy Spirit is the Author of God’s Word: “For no prophecy ever originated from the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). He is also the Head Teacher. Without His guidance, we would not be able to understand even one verse from the Bible! Moreover, He is the Powerhouse of God the Father—the source of all power. Furthermore, He is the Administrator of the ministries of the believers.

We ought to invite Him then to always walk with us and lead us in all our activities. Because of our accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we have been re-born (or born-again or born from above), and God became our Father. For the unsaved, He is the Creator. We, however, are His children, future members of His Family. We find favor with Him because He is pleased with us. And in this, we are in good company with Jesus: Just after Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:17)—and also when He was being transfigured (Matthew 17:5)—God made the following pronouncement in an audible voice: “… This is my beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased.”

Let us strive then to be pleasing to our Father with our lives more and more every day, and to truly become the aroma of Christ to Him (2 Corinthians 2:15). Addressing God as “our Father” is a bold statement. As believers we are instructed to approach our Father’s throne:

“Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with confidence, to receive mercy and to find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

However, those who don’t know God, and yet address Him as “our Father”, sin against Him, because they make a false statement regarding their Creator. For the very essence of our faith is to know God the Father and the One He sent—Jesus Christ (John 17:3). As for the believers, they will inherit eternal life (Matthew 19:29) and the Kingdom of God (Matthew 25:34): “If we are children, then we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him” (Romans 8:17). Matthew 6:10: …Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven… After the Creation was completed, “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good…” (Genesis 1:31). He planted a garden, the Garden of Eden, and put Adam and Eve in it.

After they committed high treason by disobeying God’s instructions, He drove them out of the Garden—the Kingdom was lost (Genesis 3:23-24). The devil was then given authority by God over all the kingdoms of the earth. So the devil became “the ruler of this world”; he wanted to strike a deal with Jesus, and he said regarding the kingdoms, “… I will give you all this authority and their glory, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to whomever I want to” (Luke 4:6). Jesus rejected the devil’s offer. He came to earth the first time to defeat the devil and to grant His victory to the believers—and He did! He will come the second time to usher in His Kingdom. And so we pray for that to happen soon. But what is Jesus waiting for? Why does He not come right away?

Jesus, the former carpenter (Mark 6:3), is currently building places of residence in the New Jerusalem for the believers (John 14:2-3). When the New Jerusalem is filled up with believers, He will come and He will get married to the believers—to the Church:

“And I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2).

We need then to work hard in order to bring more people to Jesus, so that we will help populate the New Jerusalem. That is why Jesus spoke so often about bearing fruit. For example, He told the parable of the unproductive fig tree (Luke 13:6). Its owner asked the keeper of his vineyard to cut it off. This suggests that not bearing fruit is one reason why some people die prematurely. This is a very urgent matter: When Jesus sent His seventy disciples on an evangelizing mission, He instructed them as follows: “Do not carry a purse or bag or sandals, AND DO NOT GREET ANYONE ALONG THE ROAD (Luke 10:4). In other words, Jesus told them, “On the double, work enthusiastically!” There will be rejoicing in heaven in the presence of the angels when this renegade planet returns to God; God’s Kingdom will then come to it, and God’s will be done in it as it is in heaven.

“…Yes come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20)! Matthew 6:12: And Forgive Us Our Debts, As We Forgive Our Debtors Usually, this verse is rendered as “and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

“Trespass” sounds like being illegally on someone else’s property! In the first clause, the object of the verb in the Greek original is ὀφειλήματα—debts, and in the second clause it is ὀφειλέταις—debtors. The root “debt” also appears in many places in the NT. For example,

(a) in the parable of the unmerciful servant who owed a large amount of money to the king (Matthew 18:23), and

(b) in the reference Jesus made to those eighteen Jews who were killed when the Tower of Siloam fell on them; in that reference Jesus asked “…Do you think that they were greater debtors than all those who live in Jerusalem? I tell you not…” (Luke 13:4-

But what kind of debt did Jesus have in mind when He taught His disciples how to pray? We find the answer to this question in the following verse:

ROMANS 13:8 DO NOT OWE ANYBODY ANYTHING EXCEPT TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Now, that is the debt—the debt of loving—which we must keep on paying, without ever being able to pay it off! Here is another reference to the debt of loving:

1 JOHN 4:11 11 Beloved, since God so loved us, we have the debt of loving one another. The Apostle Paul commands us to “Do everything in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14).

So, when we say in the Lord’s Prayer, “And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors,” WE ARE ASKING GOD TO FORGIVE US FOR NOT ACTING IN LOVE TOWARD OTHERS, AND WE CONFESS THAT WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO DID NOT ACT IN LOVE TOWARD US.

There are a number of passages in the NT in which godly-love, ἀγάπη (agape), has been discussed. Chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians is a famous passage where the Apostle Paul analyzes the attributes of love. And the Apostle John covers it extensively in his First Letter. And yet, there is an aspect of love which, I believe, has not been emphasized enough: Praying for others.

During the time of the OT, the Israelites demanded from Samuel, the last Judge (Leader), to appoint a king for them like the kings of the surrounding nations. Samuel explained to them that they must have only one King, God Himself. At their insistence, he anointed a king but told them that that action of theirs constituted a terrible sin in the eyes of God. At this, the people became very fearful and asked Samuel to pray for them. Samuel then told them:

1 SAMUEL 12:23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you…

Sinning when we do not pray for others? Perhaps this sounds surprising. But this is what the Word of God says. My late mother, during her latest years, lived next to a busy road which was traveled by heavy trucks. She would tell me, “Son, when I see a heavy truck pass by, I pray for that man to reach safely his destination.” Now, that was a prayer that pleased God! And praying for each other is actually a prerequisite for obtaining healing:

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The energized prayer of a righteous man has a lot of power” (James 5:16). Matthew 6:13: And Bring Us Not Into Testing (first clause) Usually, this first clause of verse 13 is rendered as “And lead us not into temptation.” The object of the verb in the Greek original is πειρασμόν which originates from the verb πειράζω. This verb, depending on the context, can mean either “to test” or “to tempt.” In a number of places in the NT, it means “to test”.

For example, when the Jewish leaders questioned Jesus, hoping that He would say something they could use against Him, He said: “…Why do you test me, hypocrites?” (Matthew 22:18). Also, the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Test yourselves as to whether you are in the faith…” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

In the present situation, we have a verse which greatly helps us to determine whether in verse 13 of Matthew 6 πειράζω means “to test” or “to tempt”: “Let no one say when he is being tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, NOR DOES HE TEMPT ANYONE” (James 1:13). So, since the Scripture says that God does not tempt anyone, it makes no sense to ask Him not to tempt us! We therefore conclude that πειρασμός (from the verb πειράζω) in verse 13 of Matthew 6 means “testing”. The verb in the first clause of this verse is εἰσενέγκῃς= “to bring into”. So, the first clause of this verse reads: “And bring us not into testing”.

Here is a note on what we have done in the present case. Paul instructed young Timothy to be “…Correctly dividing the word of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). “Correctly dividing” means to find all the pieces of the evidence, and then appropriate them: This piece belongs here, and that piece belongs over there. This process can only be done through the guidance of the Holy Spirit who is the Head Teacher:

“And when he comes, the Spirit of truth, will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13).

In our text—Matthew 6:13—we are petitioning God not to subject us to testing. Consider a university course: A student could be exempted from having to take a number of tests in that course if he could demonstrate appropriate competence in it; that could be ascertained by administering a single test to the student—the so-called proficiency exam. God, of course, does not require us to prove that we are proficient in religiosity. He does require that we have a sound understanding of His Word, and that we are willing and obedient to serve Him.

In fact, we read in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to walk in.” So, before God even made us, He prepared an individual plan for every one of us, and He expects us to follow it. Some people are running here and there, supporting this cause and that cause, but neglecting to do what God has prepared for them to do in order to advance the cause of Christ: This cause is for His Kingdom to come and for His will to be done on earth. So, God may be testing a believer saying, “If I make an investment in him, how will he perform? Let me give him an opportunity so that he will be able to demonstrate that he can bear plentiful fruit. Will he put the interests of Christ first, or will he be like the believers the Apostle Paul referred to when he said in Philippians 2:21 that all of them were seeking their own interests, not the interests of Christ?”

Let us then do our best to excel in our “proficiency exam”, keeping in mind that: The closer we draw to God and the more we yield to Him to mold us into the image of Christ, THE LESS FREQUENTLY AND LESS SEVERELY GOD WILL BRING US INTO TESTING. God holds us responsible when we fail the test.

In Revelation 3:19 Jesus said, “Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.” Often, we try to do things our way rather than God’s way—we are undisciplined. Sometimes, we lose our enthusiasm and let our hearts become cold. He wants us to be fervent in our faith and in serving Him: “For which reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (2 Timothy 1:6). Testing helps us become more mature believers: “Not only so, but we also boast in our pressures, knowing that pressure produces perseverance; and perseverance, tested character; and tested character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4).

We also read in James 1:2-3 “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you face tests of many kinds, knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” Our ancestors Adam and Eve were subjected to a simple test: “…You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17).

They were living in the very presence of God; and yet they did not trust in Him enough to believe His Word! They surely died following their disobedience, but that was not all that happened: All their descendants also died, and are still dying! God considers His Word to be His Word of honor. He means what He says—His “…faithfulness reaches to the skies” (Psalm 57:10).

Adam and Eve, as well as Moses, found out the hard way that this is so. Moses had struck a rock in the desert at Horeb, as God had commanded him, and water came out for the people and their livestock to drink (Exodus 17:6). But later on, at the waters of Meribah, he was commanded to “…Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water…” (Numbers 20:8). Moses lost his temper, because of the quarreling of the Israelites with him, and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out and quenched the thirst of the people and their livestock. God was angry with Moses, because he disobeyed Him and did not speak to the rock but struck it with his staff instead. God wanted Moses to speak to the rock so that the awesome power of His Word could be manifested. Moses was punished for his disobedience:

“…Because you did not trust in Me enough to honor Me as Holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them” (Numbers 20:12).

Subsequently, Moses pleaded with God to let him go over and see the Promised Land. “‘…That is enough,’ the LORD said. ‘Do not speak to me anymore about this matter’” (Deuteronomy 3:26). Moses saw the Promised Land from afar, from Mount Nebo (Deuteronomy 34), and then he died there. It did not make any difference to God that Moses was the man whom He knew face to face (Deuteronomy 34:10), and who had performed awesome miracles in the land of Egypt:

“For there is no partiality with God” (Romans 2:11).

Moses was put to the test, and failed it—as Adam and Eve had done—with disastrous consequences in both cases! Let us look some more into testing as it appears in the Scripture.

Proverbs 17:3 reads, “…The LORD tests the heart”, and 1 Thessalonians 2:4 proclaims this message also. In the parable of the sower, Jesus referred to testing: “…In the time of testing they fall away” (Luke 8:13). Ezekiel 21:13 refers to the nation of Israel and reads “Testing will surely come…”

Some nine centuries earlier the Lord tested the Israelites in the desert on their way to the Promised Land, to see whether they would follow His instructions and commands (Exodus 16:4). Here is an interesting reason for which the Lord tested the Israelites: “If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, ‘Let us follow other gods’ (gods you have not known) ‘and let us worship them’, you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer.

THE LORD YOUR GOD IS TESTING YOU TO FIND OUT WHETHER YOU LOVE HIM WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL” (Deuteronomy 13:1–3).

This warns us not to be overly impressed by miraculous signs—perhaps the Lord is testing us! Let us recall that “…The gifts of God and His call are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). Such was the case with the Corinthians who, although they did not lack any spiritual gift (1 Corinthians 1:5–7), they were “carnal” believers. Although the gifts are irrevocable, eventually they will lose most of their power if the man who performs the miracles teaches a gospel other than the gospel of Jesus Christ. This will happen because the Lord the Holy Spirit, who is the Head Teacher, will be grieved, and He will stop teaching that man. At the time of the end, God will give the devil and his evil spirits the ability to perform great miraculous signs, even making fire to come down from heaven to earth (Revelation 13). Why will God give the devil this authority? He will do that because He is just: He gave His Son Jesus Christ the ability to perform great miraculous signs for three and a half years—the duration of Jesus’ ministry. Those signs constituted a confirmation of the fact that Jesus came to earth in the Name of the Father, and they won Him multitudes of believers. So, presumably, the devil asked God for equal time; in effect, he told God:

“Give me that ability for three and a half years (Revelation 13:5), and I will draw even greater crowds to my camp!”

That will be a time of SEVERE TESTING by the Lord Almighty: Men will need to have a strong faith in Him, and to ignore the gimmicks of the devil. Whoever passes that test, will make it to life eternal.

“…He who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22)

So, God puts us to the test—He is the Lord! We must not attempt to reverse the roles and put God Almighty to the test! We should not even consider doing such a thing—God has explicitly forbidden it (Deuteronomy 6:16; Luke 4:12); it shows arrogance and utter mistrust of God. Yet, the Israelites did just that when they were on their way to the Promised Land:

“…They tested the LORD saying, ‘Is the LORD among us or not?’” (Exodus 17:7)

Jesus Christ also was put to the test—by the religious leaders during His ministry. They asked Him:

(a) to show them a sign from heaven (Matthew 16:1),

(b) whether it was right to pay taxes to Caesar (Matthew 22:17), and

(c) whether it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife (Matthew 19:3).

He saw through their hypocrisy and rebuked them. He was put to the test even when He was on the cross!

“And those who were passing by blasphemed him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘Ha! You, who will destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself and come down from the cross!’ Likewise, the chief priests mocking him among themselves with the scribes were saying, ‘He saved others, but He cannot save himself! Let Christ the King of Israel come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe in Him.’ And those who were crucified with Him were making fun of Him” (Mark 15:29–32).

So the people as well as the religious leaders put the Creator to the test while He was still on the cross becoming sin (2 Corinthians 5:21) and cursed (Galatians 3:13) for us! Someone may ask, “What is wrong with asking for a miraculous sign that I may believe?” Actually that would be utterly wrong!

We read in 2 Corinthians 5:7: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” We live our lives then by faith. We also read in Romans 1:17, “…But the righteous will live by faith.” So, the righteous will inherit eternal life through his faith.

We recall the reproving of the unbelieving Thomas by the resurrected Jesus: “…Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). Matthew 6:13: But Rescue Us From The Evil One (second clause) The Prayer ends with the second clause of verse 13 of Matthew 6 that refers to the devil: “But rescue us from the evil one.” Here the verb in the Greek original is ρῦσαι, which is the imperative of ρύομαι; we render it as “to rescue” rather than “to deliver”, which is found in other translations. This has been done because “rescue” has a well-defined meaning—“save”—whereas “deliver”, although it can have the meaning of “rescue” or “save”, it also has a number of different additional meanings according to Webster’s Dictionary; these include the following: “speak” (such as “deliver a sermon”), “strike a blow”, “throw”, “distribute” (such as “deliver the mail”), “and assist in giving birth”.

The devil is our adversary, always trying to destroy our work and, if possible, to destroy us: “Be sober and vigilant; your adversary the devil prowls like a roaring lion seeking to devour someone” (1 Peter 5:8). In order for a fighter to defeat his enemy, he must be acquainted with him, and learn all about the weapons in his possession, his fighting techniques, his plans, and his psychological warfare; yes, the devil uses even psychology to discourage and render us ineffectual. However, the devil was defeated by the Lord Jesus Christ, and all who are in Him are victors over the devil.

Moreover, PSALM 25:14 reads: “THE LORD CONFIDES IN THOSE WHO FEAR HIM; he makes His covenant known to them.”

To confide means to tell something in confidence, that is, to tell something as a secret. This brings to mind an incident during the war between Israel and Aram (Syria): God confided in the prophet Elisha and revealed to him Aram’s strategies. With that information, the Israelites were able to win the victory over the Arameans (2 Kings 6:8–23). God then confides in the believers, revealing to them everything about the devil and his strategies. The King of Aram became very angry and tried to kill Elisha, but God protected him by filling the hills all around him with horses and chariots of fire! And so it is with the devil. As we have just seen above, the devil prowls like a roaring lion seeking to devour someone (1 Peter 5:8); but the Lord is a wall of fire around us and protects us (Zechariah 2:5)—literally, around Jerusalem, the future home of the believers (Revelation 21).

The devil is a toothless lion, for “…If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). Moreover, James 4:7 states, “Submit therefore yourselves to God, stand against the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Let us notice that the promises of Psalm 25:14, Romans 8:31, and James 4:7 are conditional. We will receive God’s blessings if: We fear (revere) Him, we love Him and serve Him wholeheartedly (so that He is pleased to be for us), and we submit ourselves to Him. The number of His thoughts about us exceeds the grains of the sand (Psalm 139:17-18), and He has engraved us on the palms of His hands (Isaiah 49:16). Yes, we mean so much to our heavenly Father!

The Apostle Paul instructs us in Ephesians 6:10–17 to put on the whole armor of God so that we can stand against the schemes of the devil. The armor consists of: Girding our waist with the truth, putting on the breastplate of righteousness, having our feet shod with the readiness of proclaiming the gospel of peace, taking the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. We see that all these are defensive weapons except the sword of the Spirit, which is an offensive weapon. On this matter Hebrews 4:12 states: “The Word of God is alive and active and sharper than any double-edged sword…”—and the devil cannot stand against it!

A particularly powerful passage regarding our enemies is that written by King David in Psalm 27:2, 3: “…When my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.”

This passage is also valid regarding the devil, for he is an enemy of ours—actually he is our archenemy! So when he attacks us, our hearts will not fear, and he will stumble and fall. Surprisingly, some claim that the Lord’s Prayer was for the disciples of Jesus, not for today’s Church. That cannot be true, because the Prayer addresses God as “Our Father”, which implies that those who address him in this manner are His children, whereas the disciples, like all Jews, were God’s servants (Leviticus 25:42), not God’s children.

The prayer then is for all born-again believers—all those who put their trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior—starting at Pentecost when the Lord the Holy Spirit first came to earth; this group included also the disciples of Jesus.

Finally, the NIV translation remarks that in some manuscripts verse 13 of Matthew 6 adds the following: “For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” However, because those manuscripts are late, that addition is not considered to be an integral part of the Prayer.

In Summary

The Lord’s Prayer is for the New Testament Church. Knowing God as our Father is an integral part of the Christian’s walk. Christianity is exemplified by Jesus Christ as a relationship worshiping the Father with full entry into His Presence by the work of the cross of Jesus Christ. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to endure the tests and fiery trials and pursue the Father relentlessly in faith. As Jesus walked on this earth He overcame by His relationship with and obedience to the Father. The Father expects nothing less from us as his Sons on this earth. By faith we are to obey the written Word with the commandment of love. This is to love God and love others as ourselves. As the Holy Spirit empowers us we are able to walk the way Jesus walked on this earth. The importance is not to seek the hand of God and what He can do for us. Our mission is to know the Father as a child knows their parents.

~

Chapter 2 SIN UNDER THE COVENANT OF GRACE

A general definition of sin is violating God’s instructions and commands. In the OT, there was an elaborate system of procedures, including animal sacrifices, the Israelites needed to adhere to. Primarily, sin was disobedience to the Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 5:1–21). There were rewards (blessings) for obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1–14) and punishments (curses) for disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15–68).

Atonement was done once a year through the sprinkling by the High Priest of the blood of animals on people. However, we read in the NT (Hebrews 10:4) that “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” (Nevertheless, he who OBEYS ALL the decrees and laws of God, will attain life—see Leviticus 18:5 and Romans 10:5; the problem is that nobody can keep all the decrees and laws at all times.)

Instead, Jesus offered Himself, in our place, as a sacrifice: “…The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from every sin” (1 John 1:7). This may be confusing to some readers. What happened? Did God change His mind? In Malachi 3:6 we read, “I the LORD do not change…” We also read in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ yesterday and today the same and forever.”

Since God did not change, for Him to have changed His plan for salvation, man must have rejected the Covenant. This is indeed what happened as was prophesied by Jeremiah:

JEREMIAH 31:31–33 ‘The time is coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, BECAUSE THEY BROKE MY COVENANT though I was a husband to them,’ declares the LORD. ‘This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.’

So God declared that Covenant null and void because of their disobedience. It had been established under the leadership of Moses, and the people reaffirmed it just before Joshua, who had succeeded Moses, died: “And the people said to Joshua, ‘We will serve the LORD our God and obey him’” (Joshua 24:24). However, the people continued their disobedience.

And So A New Covenant Was Established:

HEBREWS 7:22 By so much more has Jesus become a guarantor of a better covenant.

HEBREWS 8:6 But now he has received a different ministry, as mediator of a better covenant, which has been founded on better promises.

By calling the covenant “new,” he has made the first one old; and what is becoming old and aged is close to disappearing. What is then the definition of sin under the New Covenant? We know that:

ROMANS 10:4 Christ is the end of the law, giving righteousness to everyone who believes.

ROMANS 4:15 …For where there is no law there is no transgression either.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. It is clear then that a believer in Christ does not live under a set of rules and regulations, violation of which would incur punishment.

This information, important as it is, does not answer our question as to what constitutes sin. The NT makes it clear that sin is real. For example, we have the following statement of John the Baptist regarding Jesus:

“…Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29)

Also, the Apostle Paul writes, “For God made Him who had no sin to become sin, so that in Him we may become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

We learn what sin is from the following passages (with Jesus speaking):

JOHN 16:7–11 ‘But I tell you the truth. It is to your own interest for Me to go away. Because if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you; whereas if I go away, I will send Him to you. And when He comes, He will convict the world regarding sin and righteousness and judgment: REGARDING SIN, BECAUSE THEY DO NOT BELIEVE IN ME. Regarding righteousness, because I am going to my Father and you will not see Me anymore; and regarding judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.’

According to verse 9 then, SIN IS NOT BELIEVING IN JESUS. This is in complete agreement with 1 John 1:7: “…The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from every sin.” Those who believe in Jesus have their sins washed away with His precious blood—their clothes are not stained with sin anymore!

In the case of those eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them, Jesus said, “Or do you think that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were greater debtors than all those who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but if you do not repent, you too will all be lost” (Luke 13:4-5).

Unless they repent, they will not inherit eternal life. In the Greek original, “to repent” is μετανοῶ or μετανοέω: μετά refers to “change”, and νοῶ is from νοῦς, which is “mind”; μετανοῶ then means to change one’s mind; here the change of mind is with regard to accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior: That is the debt we all have—there are no great or little debtors! Those who refuse to make that mind-change will never see the face of God!

We now come to two very similar passages which at first glance are surprising:

1 JOHN 3:9 Everyone who has been born of God DOES NOT COMMIT SIN, because God’s seed remains in him; AND HE CANNOT SIN, because he has been born of God.

1 JOHN 5:18 We know that everyone who has been born of God DOES NOT SIN…

Verse 3:9 of 1 John says that a man who has been born of God, or born-again, CANNOT SIN. This is in harmony with the definition of sin: NOT BELIEVING IN JESUS (John 16:9). Verses 3:9 and 5:18 of 1 John say that a man who has been born-again does not sin. The King James Version, KJV, and the New King James Version, NKJV, of the NT render these two passages of 1 John as we render them here. The verb involved here in the Greek original is ἁμαρτάνω. The New International Version, NIV, renders this verb in these two passages as “to continue to sin” or “to go on sinning”; however, this verb is found in many passages in the NT, and it is properly rendered as “to sin”—as we have done here.

So then everyone who is born of God does not commit sin—literally, “does not do sin”. As we have just seen, the only way a born-again man can sin is by stopping to believe in Jesus. Is that possible? Let us look into it.

Verse 3:9 of 1 John explains that a born-again man does not commit sin BECAUSE GOD’S SEED REMAINS IN HIM. God’s seed is the Lord the Holy Spirit. So because the Holy Spirit lives in a born-again man, he does not commit sin. But why? Because “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16).

The Holy Spirit will talk to that man and reassure him that he is a child of God! And so a man who has undergone a spiritual re-birth will not deny Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior; consequently, he will not sin. However, some “believers” do decide to deny Jesus. How is that possible? The only way this could happen is for them not to have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior at the time of their “conversion”. The Holy Spirit is a Gentleman—He does not enter a man by force. He does that by invitation—and He knows when a confession of faith is genuine.

When the pressures of life push from all sides, I turn to God and thank Him for His Holy Spirit who bears witness that I am His child! Suddenly, my heart is filled with praise for God: My favorite Psalm is the following:

PSALM 103:1–5 Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His Holy Name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

For born-again believers—and that is the only kind acceptable to God (John 3:3)—the implication of NOT BEING COUNTED AS SINNERS is of paramount importance. In many places in the NT, the believers are called ἅγιοι in the Greek original, which means “saints”. And God commands us to become holy:

“…Become holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14)

God is so holy, no sinner can ever be in His presence! By accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we have become holy—sin no longer separates us from God. Jesus’ precious blood has washed away our sins and has opened for us the Road to salvation. (We discuss in another chapter the fact that Jesus is the only Road to the Father.) We should add that holiness refers both to our spirits and to our bodies:

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him; for the temple of God is holy, which you are” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which belong to God” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

We hear some people going around confessing that they are sinners. Well, apparently they are not aware that God will give them what they confess:

“For by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37).

In this regard, it is instructive to look at an incident that took place in the desert and had disastrous consequences for the Israelites. As they were going from Egypt to the Promised Land, all the people grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and they said to them:

“…If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert!” (Numbers 14:2).

God was very angry with the Israelites and said to them:

“‘As surely as I live,’ declares the LORD, ‘I WILL DO TO YOU THE VERY THINGS I HEARD YOU SAY: In this desert your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me’” (Numbers 14:28-29).

God then went on to tell them that they would be wandering in the desert for forty years until all of the adults died—more than one million people (Exodus 12:37); only Joshua and Caleb were spared because of their faithfulness. It was the next generation that entered the Promised Land. We see then that the Israelites were condemned to death because of their utterance!

When God looks at born-again believers, He sees them as His children who have been cleansed of their sins by the blood of Jesus and have been made holy; He wants them to serve Him by promoting the cause of Jesus, which is the coming of God’s Kingdom and the following of His will on earth as it is in heaven. God does not see the believers as sinners in filthy rags, begging Him for forgiveness. Let us then confess forgiveness and claim it—our Father is very pleased to have made it available to us!

Moreover, we read in Ephesians 2:6, “And raised us with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” What a great honor! Although we may occasionally “miss the mark” and take our spiritual eyes off Jesus and stumble, God is close to us to uphold us with His righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10).

Let us now look at the healing of a paralytic by Jesus. Imagine the scene: Multitudes were pressing from all sides trying to reach Jesus and be healed. Four friends of a paralytic, in an act of faith, carried him to the roof of the house where Jesus was, made an opening in it, and lowered him through it right in front of Jesus (Luke 5:17–26). Everyone present must had considered the paralytic very fortunate and expected Jesus to heal him right away. Jesus did not do that. Instead, He turned to him and told him, “…Man, your sins are forgiven you” (Luke 5:20). That statement must have sounded strange. Not so, however, if we consider the definition of sin: Not believing in Jesus. The paralytic believed in Jesus: He had demonstrated that by asking his friends to take him to Jesus. So, he had no sins—they were forgiven through faith in Jesus. The religious leaders who were present thought to themselves that Jesus was blaspheming, for God alone can forgive sins. Jesus perceived this in His spirit and asked them whether it was EASIER to tell the paralytic that his sins were forgiven, or to tell him to get up and walk (Luke 5:23).

But why did Jesus ask the leaders that question? The paralytic had put his trust in Jesus, and so his sins were forgiven. Since Jesus is the Healer, the paralytic was healed. So, forgiving his sins is EQUIVALENT to healing him. It is because of this equivalence that Jesus asked the religious leaders as to which one—forgiving sins or healing—was easier.

Let us pursue this further by considering the next verse:

LUKE 5:24 ‘But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he said to the paralytic, ‘I say to you, get up, take your mat and go home.’ In this verse, Jesus’ explicit intent was to demonstrate that “The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins;” to do this, Jesus said to the paralytic, “Get up, take your mat and go home.”

However, this logic does not appear to make much sense: What Jesus did, constituted a clear demonstration that He has authority to heal; it may also be considered to be a demonstration of having the authority to forgive sins, provided that these two authorities are equivalent. We see then that the present analysis provides a consistent understanding of verses 23 and 24 of Luke 5.

Another very revealing event in Jesus’ ministry was that of the healing of a disabled man at the Bethesda pool, which is recorded in John 5:1–15. A great number of disabled people lay there waiting for an angel to stir up the water from time to time. The first one to get into the pool was healed. A disabled man, who had waited there for thirty-eight years, was asked by Jesus if he wanted to be healed. The man told Jesus that he did not have anybody to help him get into the water in time, and so to be healed. Jesus healed him right away. The encounter continued:

JOHN 5:14 Later, Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, ‘See, you have become well. SIN NO MORE LEST SOMETHING WORSE HAPPEN TO YOU.’

Now, this is a command that needs a careful analysis. If we use the common definition of sin as being the violation of one or more of the Ten Commandments, the statement of Jesus here will mean that the man was disabled because of the sins he had committed. Well, that does not make much sense: A loving and compassionate God does not go around striking people with infirmities, sicknesses, and diseases. Let us recall that the proper definition of sin is “not believing in Jesus” (John 16:9). Let us see then how this definition of sin takes us out of this difficulty. Jesus commanded the man to SIN NO MORE. In effect then, Jesus commanded the man TO STOP HIS UNBELIEF IN HIM. You see, the man did not ask Jesus to heal him although Jesus had asked him whether he wanted to be healed. In fact, he did not even know who had healed him; he found out later on when he met Jesus again. Jesus added, “Lest something worse happen to you.” What did Jesus mean with that statement? If the man continued in his unbelief in Jesus, he would not attain eternal life; and that would have been much worse than having his infirmity—for it would last forever.

We see then that on the basis of the proper definition of sin we can explain very well what Jesus said in this passage. We are instructed to imitate Christ in our life (1 Corinthians 11:1). Let us now then look into this matter.

HEBREWS 3:1 …Fully understand the apostle and high priest of our confession, Christ Jesus. This understanding may be attained by constantly fixing our mind on Jesus. As believers, we ought to think like Jesus thinks—to have His mind (1 Corinthians 2:16).

HEBREWS 12:2 says: Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith…

Here we are instructed to have our spiritual eyes fixed on Jesus, and thus to become one spirit with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17). By having the mind and the spirit of Jesus—the Man who never sinned—WE WILL TRULY IMITATE JESUS AND BECOME FREE OF SIN!

The following passage addresses more explicitly liberation from sin:

JOHN 8:34–36 Jesus answered them, ‘I truly tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. But a slave does not dwell in the house forever; a son dwells forever. THEREFORE IF THE SON LIBERATES YOU, YOU WILL BE TRULY LIBERATED.’

Here Jesus is speaking, and He says that he is the Liberator. Interestingly, in four verses earlier, verse 32, Jesus said, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will liberate you.” So, the question arises as to which one is the liberator, Jesus or the truth. It turns out that both are; this is so because Jesus also said that He is the truth:

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the road and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me’” (John 14:6).

The coming of the liberation was prophesied some eight centuries earlier by Isaiah: “…For where is the wrath of the oppressor? THE COWERING PRISONERS WILL SOON BE SET FREE; THEY WILL NOT DIE IN THEIR DUNGEON, NOR WILL THEY LACK BREAD” (Isaiah 51:13-14).

We are not prisoners of sin anymore! Our Lord Jesus Christ has liberated us. Having done that, He held a Victory Parade (Colossians 2:15), a so-called Θρίαμβος in Greek (from which “Triumph” is derived), like the Triumphs used to be held by victorious Roman generals; so the whole Universe saw the spectacle of the defeated devil and his evil spirits. It pleased Him to share the victory with us, thereby rendering us triumphant.

“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD” (Psalm 150:6)

Hallelujah!

In Summary

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour we receive the nature of God in our spirit. The victory of Jesus Christ on the cross not only guarantees us salvation but also healing. It is up to every believer to accept salvation as God will not force anyone to be saved. When we are saved the Father gives us His Spirit to dwell in our spirit. The same principle applies to healing. God will not force any of his blessings on us, however we have to believe and receive them. Through the Gospels we find examples of Jesus asking religious leaders which is easier to forgive sins or heal others. Actually, both are the same, a gift. Believe you receive and you shall have. It is His will that all become saved and healed. This is a gift He holds out to humanity on a daily basis. The work was completed on the cross already. Will you receive Him as Lord Saviour and Healer today?

~

Chapter 3 KNOWING GOD AND RIGHTEOUSNESS

During the 34 years as a Professor of Physics at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, occasionally I witnessed the following scene: Students, two by two, waiting at a street corner, asking passersby the question, “Do you know Jesus Christ?” The response varied from complete indifference, to genuine interest for more information, or to an expression of annoyance such as, “It is none of your business.” However, regardless of how one feels about this ministering approach, the answer to this question determines the final destination of man: Therefore, this is a matter of life or death! This is not just my opinion. Jesus said so as it is recorded in the Bible:

JOHN 17:3 AND THIS IS ETERNAL LIFE: THAT THEY MAY KNOW YOU, THE ONLY TRUE GOD, AND JESUS CHRIST, WHOM YOU HAVE SENT.

The verb which we translate here as “to know” is γινώσκω in the Greek original—γιγνώσκω in Classical Greek; there cannot be any ambiguity in what Jesus said regarding eternal life: No one will inherit eternal life unless he knows God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, who came to earth in the Name of the Father. How can one get to know Jesus? By faith, for it is impossible to please God without it (Hebrews 11:6); and we need to please God before He will reveal His Son to us.

ROMANS 1:17 …As it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’

We see then that the righteous—those who have the right standing before God—will attain eternal life because of their faith.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:7 For by faith we walk, not by sight. We live our life by the guidance of our faith, not by what our physical senses tell us.

Day by day we walk with Jesus, always getting to know Him better and better. In that process, we will be attaining a fuller understanding of the attributes of the believers in Christ; these include the following: We are His brothers—we have the same Father as He has. We are His friends (Luke 12:4; John 15:14). We are priests (1 Peter 2:9)—He is our High Priest (Hebrews 3:1). We are joint heirs with Him to the Kingdom of God (Romans 8:17). We are His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20)—He came in the Name of the Father (Matthew 21:9).

Suppose that my wife and I would very much like to attend a social event which would also be attended by the President of the United States. Now, I would expect that it would be hard to receive two tickets to that event because of high demand. Suppose that I have a very close friend who is one of the organizers of the event. I would then have a very good chance to receive the tickets. Well, the analogy may not be perfect, but this is what happens when a person knows Jesus: That person is granted direct access to the Father with 100% certainty. You see, regarding forgiveness of sins and salvation, IT IS REALLY WHOM YOU KNOW!

The fact that inheritance of eternal life is attained through knowledge of Jesus Christ was prophesied by Isaiah about eight centuries before the ministry of Jesus on earth. Isaiah received the following revelation regarding the “righteous servant,” who is the Messiah, that is Jesus Christ:

“After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; BY KNOWLEDGE OF HIM MY RIGHTEOUS SERVANT WILL JUSTIFY MANY, AND HE WILL BEAR THEIR INIQUITIES” (Isaiah 53:11).

Well, eight centuries is a long time. “No word that has been spoken by God will be impossible with him to fulfill” (Luke 1:37). The Bible contains many prophecies, a number of which refer to Jesus Christ. It is hard to understand why so many people do not consider those prophecies regarding Jesus, all of which were fulfilled in Him, to provide compelling evidence for His divine nature and lordship.

Through the years when I was a Professor of Physics, there were some students who visited me in my office and we had discussions on faith. Some of them asked me to translate some passages from the Greek original text of the NT. I was always very careful not to initiate the conversation—I would leave that up to the student. I remember a particular young man who had a thirst for knowledge, and so we had some discussions. He was almost convinced of the truth of the Good News, but he wanted to look up the prophecies in the Old Testament that referred to Jesus and to examine their fulfillment. He graduated and found a job in another state. Several years later he and some members of his family were visiting Knoxville, and he asked me to join them for dinner. He was telling me that he was happy with his job, and then told me excitedly that he became a believer. He added that he was satisfied with the fulfillment of the prophecies regarding Jesus. The seed of the Word of God found a good soil in his heart!

This searching of the Scriptures brings to mind what the people of Berea (a city in Northern Greece) did when Paul and Silas visited their town after having been to Thessalonica

Acts 17:11 “They were of more noble character than the Thessalonians; they received the word with great eagerness, and every day searched the scriptures to see if what Paul said was true.”

Now, there were prophecies for two events in connection with the coming of the Messiah, the fulfillment of which the Jewish leaders missed. The first one had to do with the birthplace of Jesus. They had read in Micah 5:2, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are of old, from days of eternity.” So, the leaders were confident that the Messiah was going to be born in Bethlehem. However, they did not know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem where His parents, Joseph and Mary, had traveled from Nazareth in Galilee to participate in the census that was held by Caesar Augustus; Bethlehem was the town of King David, Joseph’s ancestor (Luke 2:1–7).

The following exchange between Nicodemus and the leaders took place (John 7:50–52): “Nicodemus who had gone to Jesus earlier during a night, being one of them, said to them: ‘Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he is doing’? They replied and said to him: ‘Are you from Galilee, too? Investigate and you will see that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.’”

The leaders thought that they had figured things out very well. However, there was a piece of information they did not have, and that made all the difference: They lacked knowledge about the birthplace of Jesus. In those days, there were no news media which would interview Jesus about His origins!

There was also another matter in which the religious leaders missed it. They expected the prophet Elijah to come before the coming of the Messiah (see Malachi 4:5). Jesus Himself addressed this matter out in the open, speaking to a crowd:

“For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come” (Matthew 11:13-14).

The leaders did not listen at that time. They had complete confidence in their knowledge. Their lack of correct knowledge cost them dearly: They lost eternal life! The prophecy in Hosea 4:6, “…My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge,” was fulfilled.

Why were the Jewish leaders incapable of receiving knowledge from Jesus? Well, this is what happens when someone becomes resentful, offended, and bitter. We discuss this matter more extensively in another chapter. A prime example is presented by the homecoming of Jesus. The people of Nazareth were so offended in Jesus that they almost threw Him down a cliff to kill Him (Luke 4:29). As a result, Jesus COULD NOT HEAL their sick (Mark 6:5): The healing power was there with Jesus, but they could not receive it because their hearts were so bitter—fully defiled by bitterness (Hebrews 12:15)!

In ancient Athens there was a man by the name of Solon. He lived from about 630 to 555 B.C. He was one of the seven wise men of Greece, and he became the lawgiver of Athens. He wrote its constitution through which he protected the economic interests of the lowest class of citizens and introduced democratic reforms. One of the mottos of Solon was the following: “I grow old always learning many things.” A literal translation is: “I grow old and I am always being taught many things.” Life was teaching Solon a lot. He recognized the importance of knowledge and refused to become narrow-minded—like the Jewish religious leaders.

Returning to our theme of eternal life being to know God and His Son Jesus Christ, we note that we can know God by obeying His Word.

Proverbs 4:20–22 says, “My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.”

This may be confusing to some readers. They may not be sure whether salvation is obtained by knowing Jesus or by obeying His Word, which is the Bible. However, there is no contradiction at all here: The Bible is the written Word of God and Jesus is the living Word of God as we read at the very beginning of the Gospel of John:

JOHN 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

We now come to a startling passage of Scripture (Jesus is speaking):

MATTHEW 7:21–23 Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and drive out demons in your name, and perform many miracles in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.’

They did not know Jesus, and so Jesus did not know them. Who were those? Well, and here is the big surprise, they were people who performed many miracles, prophesied, and cast out demons; and they did all these works in the name of Jesus! Yet, they did not make it to the Kingdom of Heaven, because they did not know Jesus, and therefore they were unrighteous—they did not have the right standing before God. These considerations should make us cautious in honoring people for their ministries. The Judge is only One, the Lord Jesus Christ, who says,

“Behold, I come quickly, and my recompense is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work” (Revelation 22:12).

At that time, the motives of the hearts will be revealed, thereby assuring appropriate praise for every person (1 Corinthians 4:5). How did they perform those great works if they did not know Jesus? If a false preacher proclaims the Word of God, and one man opens his heart and receives it, that man will be on his way to salvation, the unbelief of the preacher notwithstanding. Here is further information on this matter:

“For the gifts of God and His call are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29).

God will not change His mind and take back the gifts He already gave. Now, if that preacher continues in his unbelief, his ministry will slowly dry up because one can be false to oneself for only so long. The Corinthians were a very good example in this regard. From the two letters of the Apostle Paul to them, it is clear that they were carnal Christians. Nevertheless, they had every spiritual gift:

“So that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed” (1 Corinthians 1:7).

Paul in his Letter to the Philippians (see 1:15–17) writes that, while he was imprisoned in Rome, some preached the Gospel out of jealousy and rivalry whereas others preached it out of goodwill. In verse 18 he then says: “But what does it matter? Whichever way, either from false motives or true, Christ is preached. In this, I rejoice and I will rejoice.” There are those who have zeal for God but they do not know Him.

Here is Paul in his Letter to the Romans, 10:1-2: “Brothers, the desires of my heart and my prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be led to salvation; for I bear witness for them that they have zeal for God that is not based on full knowledge.”

The Greek word here, which is translated as “full knowledge”, is ἐπίγνωσις. As Proverbs 19:2 says, “It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.” Romans 9:16 asserts, “So then it is not of him who wants to or of him who is running, but of God that shows mercy.”

These days, we see so many people running here and there, supporting this cause and that cause, but knowing very little about those causes and what is the will of God. Sometimes, they try to help God out, not realizing that God is always in control. Zeal and ignorance is a dangerous mixture. We see what is currently happening in the international arena where ignorance and fanaticism are threatening to pit two major religions, one against another, forgetting in the process that:

1 JOHN 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.

This is then how we can tell whether someone knows God: If he has the love of God (agape) in his heart. John amplifies this matter further:

1 JOHN 2:3-4 And in this we know that we have come to know him, if we obey His commands. The man who says, ‘I know Him,’ but does not obey His commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Fittingly, here is how a liar is defined:

1 JOHN 2:22-23 Who is the liar? Is it not he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? Such a man is the antichrist, he denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either.

We know that liars will not make it to the Kingdom of God.(Revelation 21:8). When we know God and walk in His will for our lives, we will feel His Presence. We all have our moments of anxieties. Here is a sure way for obtaining peace and assurance: Turn to God and say to Him, “Thank you Father for giving me the Holy Spirit, who dwells in me and, as your Word says in Romans 8:16, He bears witness with my spirit that I am your child.” The moment you finish praying this, you will feel the warmth of God overfilling your heart! Start then praising Him in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Returning to the lack of knowledge, a very good example of a man who was very zealous for God but did not have good knowledge of Him, was the Apostle Paul before his conversion—he was known then as Saul. He persecuted the believers throwing them into prison, with some of them punished by death. He had gotten letters from the religious leaders in Jerusalem and he was on his way to Damascus, Syria, to arrest more believers and bring them in chains to Jerusalem. It is interesting here to note that Paul was able to do that without violating the territorial integrity of Syria because both Syria and Israel were parts of the Roman Empire, and so there were no borders between those two countries. In retrospect, this was one factor that greatly facilitated the spreading of the Gospel after the establishment of the Church. The other factor was the existence of one common language—many people knew Greek and the New Testament was written in Greek.

Returning to Paul, as he was approaching Damascus he saw a very bright light and heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” Jesus revealed Himself to Paul and had a believer named Ananias lay hands on him so that his sight was restored and he was filled with the Holy Spirit. This account is recorded in Acts 9:1–19 and 22:3–21. It is revealing here how Paul was ordained into his ministry. It was done through an ordinary, but nevertheless devout believer (Acts 22:12), rather than through James, or Peter, or John who were considered to be the pillars of the Church (Galatians 2:9). This should not be surprising because as believers we are a holy and a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:5, 9)—yes, we are priests and Jesus is the High Priest:

Hebrews 3:1 says, “…Fully understand the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus.”

Knowing God gives us such an exhilarating feeling—we want to share this knowledge with others. Now, it is possible that someone might think that we are boasting, and we know that God does not like a proud man; in fact, 1 Peter 5:5 says, “…God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” It turns out that we do not need to be concerned about this matter. “This is what the LORD says:

‘Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: THAT HE UNDERSTANDS AND KNOWS ME, that I am the LORD who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

The essence of this passage also appears in the NT,

“…Let him who boasts boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31).

So we can “boast” that we understand and know God, always acknowledging that

“Every good giving and every perfect gift comes down from above from the Father of lights, for whom there is no variableness or shadow of turning” (James 1:17).

Sometimes, it is hard to contain our enthusiasm as we get to know God better and feel His Presence! The Bible commands us to “…Boil in the spirit…” (Romans 12:11). Now, when you boil water, physics teaches us that there is an unstable equilibrium between liquid water and water gas (the water vapor). As a result, there are frequent and large-size motions in the water. And so when we boil in the spirit, our movements and actions may appear funny! Who provides the fire inside us so that we can boil in the Spirit?

The Apostle Paul, writing to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:6-7 says, “For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but a Spirit of Force, of Love and of Prudence.”

The gift, which Paul says that was inside Timothy, is the Lord the Holy Spirit, who appeared as tongues of fire on the day of Pentecost (Acts chapter 2). He is providing the fuel for our spiritual boiling! We need to fan into flame that fire through praise, worship and thanksgiving. Let us now have a look at the dire consequences of not having understanding of God. The Israelites, from time to time, turned away from their God and worshiped idols. God called them stiff-necked for being stubborn and disobedient to Him (Exodus 33:3). He sent His prophets to give them warnings:

Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge…” Also Hosea 4:14 says, “…A people without understanding will come to ruin!”

Moreover, Isaiah 27:11 says, “…For this is a people without understanding; so their Maker has no compassion on them, and their Creator shows them no favor.”

How would then someone be able to stand if God withholds His mercies from him and is not pleased with him? Sadly, that will not be possible! God places emphasis on getting to know Him by establishing and nourishing a personal relationship with Him. He wants us to have sweet fellowship with Him. The Apostle Paul has aptly captured the focus of our attention in his letter to the Colossians:

COLOSSIANS 1:9-10 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not ceased praying for you, asking GOD TO FILL YOU WITH THE FULL KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WILL IN ALL WISDOM AND SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING. And we pray that you live in a manner worthy of the Lord and pleasing to Him in everything, bearing fruit in every good work and GROWING IN THE FULL KNOWLEDGE OF GOD.

As we noted before, “full knowledge” is the translation of the Greek word ἐπίγνωσις. Here it is then: We need to aim at attaining full knowledge of God’s will for us and full knowledge of God as a Person. We cannot rely on half-truths, for we will then become half-learners: Someone said that a half-learner is a person who walks in a dark tunnel and sees a ray of light and gets excited about it thinking that he saw the whole sun! There is certainly some arrogance associated with such an attitude! The Holy Spirit, who dwells in us, is the Head Teacher, who will reveal to us all truth.

Jesus is speaking in the following passage: JOHN 16:13–15 When He comes, the Spirit of truth, will lead you to all truth; for He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will make known to you what is to come. He will glorify me, for He will take from what is Mine and make it known to you. All that the Father has is Mine; that is why I said He will take from what is Mine and make it known to you.

It is very risky to live in half-truth rather than in full knowledge. The Apostle Paul, in his second Letter to Timothy, warned about this, “…They will gather around them a great number of teachers to teach what their itching ears want to hear; they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn to myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

Doing so will grieve the Holy Spirit and may lead to a spiritual famine, as we read in Amos 8:11-12: “The days are coming, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, SEARCHING FOR THE WORD OF THE LORD, BUT THEY WILL NOT FIND IT.’

This is nothing short of spiritual bankruptcy! As Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked; whatever man sows, that he will reap.”

Where does then one start from in his search for knowledge? Proverbs 1:7 gives the answer: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge…”

“Fear” here means “reverence.” God does not want us to be afraid of Him. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence in order to receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

It does not say “let us then approach the throne of grace trembling with fear!” Why does one gain knowledge by revering God? He does so because “THE LORD CONFIDES IN THOSE WHO FEAR HIM; He makes His Covenant known to them” (Psalm 25:14). Webster’s Dictionary defines “to confide” as “to show confidence by imparting secrets” or “to tell confidentially.” God reveals His secrets confidentially to those who revere Him—they become His confidants!

Imagine God taking us in His confidence, teaching us His covenant of grace and revealing to us even His secrets! That will truly lead us to FULL KNOWLEDGE! Regarding His Father’s teaching, Jesus said, “It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who hears the Father and learns comes to me” (John 6:45).

GOD THEN TEACHES EVERYONE—He does not show favoritism (Romans 2:11); he who has a seeking heart is drawn to Jesus. Jesus has revealed that the Father does His teaching through the Holy Spirit, who dwells in the heart of every believer, and is the Head Teacher:

“I have said these things while I am still with you; but the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:25-26).

God is eager to teach the believers and have fellowship with them:

JEREMIAH 33:3 Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

This is His promise; and we know that He will keep it, “For great is His love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD” (Psalm 117:2).

A famous case of confiding is recorded in 2 Kings 6:8–23. Aram was at war with Israel, and the prophet Elisha was prophetically confiding in the king of Israel with regard to all the military preparations, plans, and moves of the king of Aram. The king became enraged and initially thought that there was a spy in his own army. When he learned the truth, he launched an intense search to capture Elisha. The account goes on to tell us about God filling the hills with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha in order to protect him. You see, God confided in the king of Israel through Elisha, for He had decreed that Israel would be rescued from the Arameans. So, we can exclaim with the Apostle Paul (Romans 8:31): “…If God is on our side, who can be against us?”

So far we have not talked about wisdom. What is it, and how does it differ from spiritual knowledge? In 1 Kings, chapter 3, Solomon asked God for wisdom to govern the Israelites. In general, wisdom is mental—intellectual—knowledge. As such, wisdom is very different from spiritual knowledge, which refers to our ability to understand the things of God. The Bible says that wisdom is available to us as a gift from God:

James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who simply gives to all WITHOUT MAKING FUN OF THEM, and it will be given to him.”

In all my years as a university professor I had a rule that I instructed myself never to forget: To treat every student with respect and to never make fun of a student when he asked a question. Students are generally afraid of physics—especially the pre-medical students. Some of them saw me privately in my office and told me that they did not ask questions in class because they were afraid they would ask some “stupid questions.” I assured them and the whole class that there are no “stupid questions.” I would always be careful to be very gentle in how I would handle every question. However, it took me a number of years before I understood that the phrase “without making fun of them” was what the Apostle James said in 1:5.

It is to be noted that the verb here in the Greek original is ὀνειδίζω—the same one used in Matthew 27:44 and in Mark 15:32 regarding the making fun of Jesus by the robbers who were crucified with Him. A student would not be very embarrassed if I told him that his explanation of a particular physical phenomenon is not right, but he would be very discouraged if I made fun of him for asking a particular question. In fact, had I done that to only one student, that would have been enough for all the students of that class to virtually not ask any more questions for the rest of the academic semester! Are we not glad that God does not make fun of us when we recognize our inability to conduct our daily activities without His help? In verses 6–8 James adds that we would receive wisdom only if we believe and do not doubt. God does not hold in high regard the wisdom of this world.

In 1 Corinthians 1:19-20 we read, “For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the intelligence of the intelligent.’

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” Paul adds in verses 22 and 23, “For Jews demand a miraculous sign and Greeks seek wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Greeks.”

Also, we read in 1 Corinthians 3:19-20: “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God. For it is written, ‘He catches the wise in their craftiness’; and again, ‘The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.’”

The following statement of Jesus is very revealing on this matter:

“At that time, Jesus rejoiced in spirit and said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes; yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in your sight’” (Luke 10:21).

Paul referred to “…the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3). So wisdom, education or a high I.Q. are not necessary for understanding the things of God: All it takes is trusting in Him unconditionally—and even babes can do that! In this regard, Proverbs 3:5, 6 instructs us as follows: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

I remember discussing, a few years ago, with a lady, who is a friend of our family, some aspects of the Christian faith. I remarked, “Well, we can look up this particular matter in the Letter of the Apostle Paul to the Athenians.” She responded, “I am not familiar with that Letter.” I smiled and told her that such a Letter does not exist; we both laughed—she did not mind my joking! Seriously speaking, why didn’t Paul write a Letter to the Athenians? After all, Athens was famous for its civilization! He spent only a few days in Athens—and very few people believed (Acts 17:16–34). This happened because IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO REACH GOD THROUGH THE MIND.

Acts 17:32 says, “When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them mocked, and some said, We will hear you again on this matter.”

They never did! After that, Paul left them and went to neighboring Corinth, where he spent 18 months teaching the Word of God and winning many souls to Christ. Later on, he wrote two letters to the church he had established in Corinth, 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. So, the Corinthians, infamous for their vice and immoral worship of Venus (or Aphrodite), the goddess of sensuous love, returned to God; by contrast, the Athenians, famous for their knowledge and wisdom, turned their backs to God!

However, some 2000 years later, Athens, with a greater metropolitan area that houses 4 million people, is overwhelmingly filled with believers to the glory of God. For the seed Paul had sown, God’s Word, is imperishable (1 Peter 1:23)—it lives through the ages!

Hallelujah!

In Summary

Our focus in our Christian walk is to know the Father God. This takes faith on our part knowing He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. It is imperative to keep a tender heart, forgiving ourselves and others to prevent resentment. Having bitterness will block the power of God from operating. The Word of God tells us that we perish due to lack of knowledge. To truly know Him we have to study the Word of God. We are encouraged to flan the flame of God through praise, worship and thanksgiving. This is a daily experience. Furthermore, in the daily affairs of life our Heavenly Father invites us to ask Him for wisdom and will give freely to those who ask. He is a giver, not a taker. Today will you ask Him and seek Him with all your heart?

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Chapter 4 ONLY THE STRONG WILL MAKE IT TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD

“How great is Your power, O LORD,” my late mother used to exclaim with her hands raised up to God. Indeed, He is the Almighty! Here we explore the awesome power that is available to every believer and its role in salvation.

We start with the following Scripture (with Jesus speaking):

MATTHEW 11:12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven is suffering violence, and powerful men are seizing it. (The verb in the Greek original that is translated here as “seize” is ἁρπάζω.)

The meaning of this verse does not seem to be clear; it seems to say that some people force their way into the Kingdom of Heaven. As we will see, this is the case! Let us listen to what Jesus said about entering the Kingdom:

LUKE 13:23-24 Someone asked him, ‘Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?’ He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will try to enter BUT THEY WILL NOT HAVE ENOUGH POWER.’

So, any time someone is trying to enter the Kingdom, there is a struggle—someone else opposes him. Who is that opponent? None else but the devil! In 1 Peter 5:8 we read:

1 PETER 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert; your adversary the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking to devour someone.

The devil was an anointed guardian cherub, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty (see Ezekiel 28:11–15). He rebelled against God and said in his heart, “I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14). So God said, “Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.” (Ezekiel 28:17).

Jesus saw in His Spirit the fall of the devil upon the return of His seventy disciples from their successful mission, during which even the evil spirits submitted to them in the Name of Jesus:

“…I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” (Luke 10:18)

Although God threw the devil to earth, He nevertheless gave him a dominion: He made him “the ruler of this world.” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11) His authority over this world is so well-established that even Jesus recognized it as such. During the temptation of Jesus, the devil took Him to a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world. Then the devil said to Jesus:

LUKE 4:6–8 ‘…I will give you all their authority and glory, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. Therefore, if you worship me, it will all be yours.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Get behind me Satan; for it is written: You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only you shall serve.’

Because of the fact that the devil is the ruler of this world, the Scripture says:

“…Do you not know that the friendship with the world is enmity toward God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” (James 4:4)

We ought to be in the world but not of the world! The devil is very jealous: He does not want to lose any of his citizens to God. If someone tries on his own to become a future citizen of heaven, he is destined to failure! The devil is too strong for him, because when we were born we were his servants. Adam and Eve introduced sin in this world—they committed high treason. They, and we as their descendants, became citizens of the kingdom that is ruled by the devil. Who would take us out of this terrible situation? Thank God, the Lord Jesus Christ did!

As the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:21-22: Through one man, Adam, death came, and through another Man, Jesus Christ, life has come.

Here is the reason it was so important that Jesus had to come to earth as a Man: Jesus, as a Man, defeated the devil on our behalf. In effect, we the believers have defeated the devil. We should not misunderstand when we say that Jesus came as a Man. He was, of course, God also, for He never ceased to be God. However, when He was on the earth, He did not use His powers as God.

In this regard, we read in Philippians 2:6–11, “Who, being in the form of God, did not consider being equal with God something to be seized, but emptied Himself taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness, and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself by becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross; and because of this God highly exalted Him and granted Him a Name that is above every name, so that in the Name of Jesus every knee shall bow of everything in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”

The statement that Jesus did not use His powers as God may surprise some readers. They may ask, “How could Jesus perform those awesome miracles without using those powers?” He did so through the awesome power of the Holy Spirit with whom He was filled beyond measure (John 3:34). In other words, He was given, by the Holy Spirit, ALL THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS. The Holy Spirit gives to every believer some spiritual gifts to enable him to fulfill the call God has placed on his ministry. (1 Corinthians 12:8–11)

It will take a number of believers to perform a number of different works, whereas Jesus could perform all works by Himself. Jesus has given the believers full authority over the devil and his works:

LUKE 10:19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and on all the force of the enemy, and nothing will harm you.

JOHN 14:12 I truly tell you, whoever believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and even greater works than these he will do, because I am going to my Father.

We can do greater works than Jesus did! This is an amazing statement! Which works can we the believers do that are greater than the works of Jesus? Let us then make a comparison between these two sets of works.

We read in Acts 10:38 regarding Jesus, “…Who went around doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him.”

This Scripture supports the statement we made above that Jesus did not use His powers as God to perform His works: God filled Him with the Holy Spirit beyond measure (John 3:34), and that empowered Him to do His works. Jesus’ works consisted of teaching the Word of God, and healing all the sick people who came to Him—including raising from the dead the daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:35–43), the only son of the widow at Nain (Luke 7:11–17), and Lazarus (John 11:1–44). From the discussion above, we can see that the works of the apostles—of the believers—appear to be of the same as the works of Jesus—teaching the Word of God and healing the sick—including raising people from the dead. So we need to look carefully at the works of the believers to discern the difference between them and those of Jesus.

During the time that Jesus was on the earth, the Holy Spirit was absent from the earth—He was in heaven. Therefore, salvation at that time could not be obtained, because salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit. Salvation became possible starting at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came—and still is—on the earth. When Jesus then said “and even greater works than these he (a believer) will do,” He was referring to the work of salvation; that is the greatest work: The re-birth of the spirit of a man, and his reconciliation to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20) Jesus qualified His statement by saying “because I am going to My Father” (John 14:12).

Unless Jesus went to heaven to be with His Father, the Holy Spirit would not have come to earth. A person is brought to Christ by hearing the Good News being proclaimed, or preached, or taught by a believer who is an ambassador of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), for faith comes by hearing the Word of God. (Romans 10:17) Indeed then we do even greater works—we lead people to salvation—than the works which were done by Jesus during His ministry on the earth! What a great honor has been bestowed upon us the believers by our gracious Father!

Hallelujah!

Returning to our discussion in regard to the dominion of the devil over this world, the question may be asked, “Why couldn’t God simply take that dominion back?” God would not do that because He would not want to go back on His Word. You see, God considers His Word to be His Word of Honor! He promised the devil that dominion, and He kept His promise. However, God did not promise the devil that He would defend his dominion. So a Man—Jesus Christ—filled with the Holy Spirit beyond measure, waged war against him, defeated him, and took away his dominion over this world. Consequently, everyone who accepts that Man as his Liberator is truly liberated from the jurisdiction of the devil:

JOHN 8:36 Therefore if the Son liberates you, you will be truly liberated. Now, as we said, God kept His promise to the devil; and He expects us to keep all our promises. This is illustrated in the following incident, which is taken from the Book of Ezekiel: 17:11–21. During the Babylonian captivity, the king of Babylon took a member of the Jewish royal family and appointed him as king. The king rebelled against the king of Babylon and sent envoys to Egypt seeking military support. Verse 16 says: ‘As surely as I live,’ declares the Sovereign LORD, ‘he shall die in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, WHOSE OATH HE DESPISED AND WHOSE TREATY HE BROKE!’

One would have thought that seeking support from Egypt to liberate his own country was the patriotic thing to do. Because the king violated the oath he had taken and the treaty he had signed, God’s wrath was aroused.

Let us have a look at the humanity of Jesus. He emptied Himself of all the blessings that He had when He was with His Father, and was, in turn, filled with the Holy Spirit beyond measure. (John 3:34) He came to earth as a poor Man!

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that He became poor for you though He was rich, so that you through His poverty you may become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9)

Jesus had no place He could call home: “…Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” (Matthew 8:20)

Many women were following Jesus in His ministry providing financial assistance from their own means. (Luke 8:1–3) Although at one time, Jesus miraculously fed 5,000 people (not counting the women and children) (Matthew 14:13–21), and 4,000 at another time (Matthew 15:32–39), he did not miraculously make food appear for Him or for His disciples.

During the temptation of Jesus by the devil, Jesus became hungry, and the devil urged Him to tell the stones to miraculously become bread. Jesus refused to do that and said to the devil,

“…Man will not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)

We also read in John 4:7–42 that, when Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, “His disciples had gone into the city TO BUY FOOD.” (verse 8) Such incidents are also informative on the emphasis human nature places on material things: Some of the people Jesus had fed miraculously intended to mob Him—they wanted to make Him their king so that He would continue giving them bread miraculously. (John 6:15; 6:26).

Regarding the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well, He was talking about the Living Water (John 4:10), whereas she asked Him to give her material water so that she would not get thirsty, nor come to the well to draw it. (John 4:15)

When Jesus during His ministry healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, the Pharisees said that He performed that miracle by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that is, the devil. Jesus said to them that, if that were true, the kingdom of the devil would not have been able to stand. He then added,

MATTHEW 12:28-29 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. ‘OR HOW CAN SOMEONE ENTER THE HOUSE OF A STRONG MAN AND SEIZE HIS POSSESSIONS UNLESS HE FIRST TIES UP THE STRONG MAN? AND THEN HE WILL PLUNDER HIS HOUSE.

Let us recall that a man, upon his birth, lives in a kingdom whose prince is the devil, on account of the original sin committed by our ancestors Adam and Eve. The “strong man” in Matthew 12 verse 29 refers to the devil. So a man who wants to become a citizen of the Kingdom of God, MUST FIRST BE ABLE TO BIND THE DEVIL. BUT HOW CAN A MAN DO THAT? HE CAN BIND THE DEVIL ONLY IF HE INVOKES THE NAME OF THE MAN WHO DEFEATED THE DEVIL! THAT MAN IS THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND HE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO WON THE VICTORY OVER THE DEVIL!

Have you visualized the administrative structure of the kingdom of the devil? Like any other kingdom, it has a king (a ruler in the present case), and different offices, positions, authorities, powers, services (with emphasis on intelligence to spy on the believers and to spread misinformation), and so on. We read what happened to that structure following the defeat of the devil by the Lord Jesus Christ:

Colossians 2:15 HAVING DESPOILED THE POWERS AND THE AUTHORITIES, HE MADE A PUBLIC SPECTACLE OF THEM, CARRYING THEM AS PRISONERS DURING HIS TRIUMPH, THROUGH HIS CROSS.

Webster’s Dictionary renders “to despoil” as “to plunder,” “to strip.” So Jesus did as He taught in Matthew 12:29, which was quoted above: He plundered the kingdom of the devil, and stripped him, which Webster’s renders as “made him naked.” THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES ON! The Lord Jesus was not through with the devil yet: Verse 15 of Colossians 2 adds that Jesus held a Triumph (Θρίαμβος in Greek, from which the verb θριαμβεύω, used here in verse 15, is derived). Triumph was a victory parade that was held by the Romans to celebrate the glory of the general upon his return from the conquest. He would ride in a chariot, with the prisoners walking in front of him; the most spectacular part of the parade was the presence of the defeated king and his officials.

During the Triumph of the Lord Jesus Christ, the devil was walking in front of his demons, all of them in shackles, stripped of their positions and weapons. What a spectacle for the whole Universe to watch! What a great victory for the Lord Jesus Christ, which was accomplished through His cross! After His glorious resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples and said to them:

“…All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” (Matthew 28:18).

All the authority the devil had has been taken away from him and given to Jesus. His Father, in whose Name He had come, authorized Him. As we noted earlier, He, in turn, has shared His authority with the believers. Here is the actual reference:

LUKE 10:19 BEHOLD, I GIVE YOU THE AUTHORITY TO TRAMPLE ON SNAKES AND SCORPIONS AND ON ALL THE FORCE OF THE ENEMY, AND NOTHING WILL HARM YOU.

THE DEVIL THEN IS A DEFEATED FOE! Jesus is the Victor, and through Him, we are victors also! Shout this so that the devil will hear it and know that you know it! Recall also that 2 CORINTHIANS 5:20 SAYS: WE ARE THEREFORE AMBASSADORS OF CHRIST… Yes, we represent Jesus! Now, when someone is proposed by the President of the United States to become ambassador to a particular country, he or she has to go through a Congressional hearing because it is a very responsible position: The representation of the Government of the United States in that country. How much more responsible is, therefore, our position as ambassadors of Christ?

How can then someone fight successfully against the devil and enter the Kingdom of God? We are urged in Ephesians 6:13–18 to put on the full armor of God: The belt of truth around the waist, the breastplate of righteousness, the preparedness of our feet for proclaiming the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, WHICH IS THE WORD OF GOD. We notice that, from all these components of the full armor, the only offensive one is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. We learn more about the Word from

HEBREWS 4:12 For the Word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, and penetrates up to the separation of the soul from the spirit, and of joints from the marrow; it judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

How powerful and effective a weapon God’s Word is! The Apostle Paul elaborated further on this matter:

ROMANS 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the FORCE of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, first for the Jew, and then for the Gentile.

The Greek word which is rendered here as “force” is δύναμις. It is usually mistranslated as “power.” Δύναμις has the same origin as “dynamic” and “dynamite.” In English characters, it is “dynamis.” Unfortunately, a number of people write it, erroneously, as “dunamis.”

WE LEARN IN PHYSICS THAT IN ORDER TO DO WORK, YOU MUST APPLY A FORCE. What the Apostle Paul is telling us in this verse then is that the Bible is the force that does the job, that is, it is the weapon one uses to bind the devil and force his way into the Kingdom of God: ONE CANNOT ENTER THE KINGDOM WITHOUT APPLYING A FORCE—AND THAT FORCE IS THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

Going back to the mistranslation of δύναμις as “power,” a man can be very powerful, but his power would be useless unless if he uses it—and he can do that by applying a force. We note that “power” in Greek is a different word, ἰσχύς. Let us also bring up the example of the light bulb. The unit that is being used for power is the Watt—symbol W. So, a 75 W light bulb is rated for 75 Watts. As long as the light bulb is not plugged into an electrical outlet, the bulb does not emit light. When we do plug it into an outlet, an electric force is exerted on the electrons that make them flow through the metallic filament of the bulb; as a result of this flow, the filament becomes hot and emits light. SO, WE SEE AGAIN THAT IT IS THE FORCE THAT DOES THE WORK!

Paul further adds:

1 CORINTHIANS 1:18 For the Word of the cross is foolishness to those who are being lost, but to us who are being saved it is the force of God.

In the movie Star Wars, a famous phrase was, “MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!” The force will be with us when we use the Bible, which is the written Word of God and an awesome weapon, to fight the devil. The Word of God is very powerful—the Bible says that JESUS “…SUSTAINS ALL THINGS THROUGH THE FORCE OF HIS SPOKEN WORD …” (Hebrews 1:3)

His Word is very forceful! Physics tells us that the celestial bodies, such as the sun, the earth and the moon, are being held in their trajectories through the gravitational forces which they exert on each other through the empty space! These forces become larger as the product of the weights (more appropriately the masses) of the two interacting bodies is increased. This scientific discovery was made by Isaac Newton only some three centuries ago.

On the other hand, as we have just seen (Hebrews 1:3), the Bible said some 20 centuries ago that Jesus SUSTAINS EVERYTHING—which means that He also sustains the trajectories of the celestial bodies—through a FORCE that stems from His spoken Word; for He spoke all the celestial bodies into existence, and He ordained the gravitational forces to govern their motions. He governs the whole Universe with His mouth!

Interestingly, the stability of the motions and positions of the celestial bodies has been found to require a very large total mass for the Universe. However, science can account for only about 10% of that mass. In order to explain the missing 90% of the mass, scientists have invoked the existence of black holes, which are objects of extremely high mass density. These objects received their name because of the following consideration: As a result of the very strong gravitational attraction in a black hole, light cannot escape from it, and so we cannot see it; therefore, it appears black. Currently, the existence of these holes constitutes only a hypothesis. In any case, when Jesus returns to earth, “…The forces that are holding together the celestial bodies will be shaken.” (Luke 21:26) A new order will then be established in the Universe!

It is also revealing that the angel Gabriel said to Mary, the mother of Jesus, the following:

“For no spoken word of God will lose its force.” (Luke 1:37)

How could it lose it? It could not, because it is eternal. At times, we find it so discouraging, for we spend much time and make a great effort in discussing salvation with nonbelievers without a tangible result. However, this Scripture should be very encouraging to us, because it says that the Word of God is always effective. We do our part in sowing it and watering it and leave it up to God to take care of it. After all, He is the Farmer (John 15:1)—in fact, He is the Super farmer who gives the increase:

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” (1 Corinthians 3:6)

James teaches us about energized prayer. James 5:16 says: “…The energized petition of a righteous man is very powerful.”

The Greek word for “energized” is ἐνεργουμένη, and it has the same origin as “energy.” This word reminds us of the Energizer Bunny: Its batteries are advertised as having a lot of energy, and so “They are going, and going, and going…!” We see then that God answers an energized prayer. Paul also teaches us on this subject:

“Now to Him who is able to do infinitely more than all we ask or think, according to the force that is being energized in us, to Him the glory in the Church in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Now, notice what this passage says: When the prayer is energized, God will give us, as an answer to our prayer, much more that we asked Him for or we can even imagine! The more fervent our prayer is, the greater is the response of God to it. Notice also that this passage talks about an energized force—and, as you will recall, it is the force that does the work and accomplishes the task. We can energize our prayer by thanking God for all His blessings, by praising Him, by worshiping Him, and by rededicating ourselves to His service—putting the interests of Christ first rather than our own interests.

We should especially thank God for not giving us “…A spirit of cowardice, but a spirit of force, of love and of prudence.” (2 Timothy 1:7) That spirit is the Lord the Holy Spirit who dwells in every believer. He is the source of all power, the glorious arm of power of God Almighty:

“…Where is he who set his Holy Spirit among them, who sent HIS GLORIOUS ARM OF POWER to be at Moses’ right hand, who divided the waters before them, to gain for himself everlasting renown, who led them through the depths? Like a horse in open country, they did not stumble.” (Isaiah 63:11–13)

It is through the Holy Spirit that the Lord Almighty created the world and raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. He is greater than the ruler of this world—the devil. (1 John 4:4)

It is revealing what the angel of the LORD said to the prophet Zechariah regarding Zerubbabel who was rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem following the Babylonian captivity:

“So, he said to me, ‘This is the Word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘NOT BY MIGHT NOR BY POWER, BUT BY MY SPIRIT,’ says the LORD Almighty.’ ‘What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!”(Zechariah 4:6-7)

Also inspiring is the deliverance of Judah and Jerusalem, when Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah, from an approaching vast army.

“Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly. He said:

‘Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. FOR THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS, BUT GOD’S.” (2 Chronicles 20:14-15)

The Lord Almighty is ready to fight our battles through the Lord His Holy Spirit if we can only trust in Him fully and unconditionally! To Him belongs all glory, now and forevermore! Let me add a short note here regarding the way I tend to refer to the Holy Spirit. Because in the Greek original the Holy Spirit is of neuter gender, the Father has instructed me through my spirit to remember that the Holy Spirit is a Person, and that He is Lord. This is clearly stated twice in 2 Corinthians 3:17-18. So, from time to time, I refer to Him as “the Lord the Holy Spirit” to emphasize this attribute. The believers are marked men! They are marked by the devil because they are on their way to God’s Kingdom.

There is a war going on the earth. The devil is not giving up. He is desperate, because he knows that the time is short for the return of the Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, who defeated him. One would have thought that the devil has learned his lesson after Jesus defeated him, put him in shackles, and paraded him during His Triumph, for the whole Universe to see! The devil is not very bright. A very good example of that is the fact that he incited the Jews to crucify Jesus, not realizing that by doing so he was advancing the cause of Jesus!

A number of years ago, I had a personal revelation regarding the devil: I was driving, and I had just denounced the interference of the devil with regard to a particular matter, when I heard an audible voice that said “THE DEVIL IS STUPID!” I looked around, in the car and outside the car, but there was nobody. It was clearly of divine origin! I have experienced other incidents of hearing an audible voice, and one case of seeing a vision, and I refer to some of them in other chapters of this book. So, the devil, with his very limited intelligence, continues doing what he knows best: He is a liar—his name in the Greek original, διάβολος, means “slanderer.” Jesus said of the devil:

“…He was a murderer from the beginning, and he did not stand in the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he does so according to his very own nature, for HE IS A LIAR AND THE FATHER OF LIES” (John 8:44).

The devil always contradicts God. He did that in the very beginning when he told Eve “you will not surely die” if she were to eat from the tree in the middle of the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 3) Unfortunately, she believed him, with disastrous results for the entire human race! Only those who are with the Victor, the Lord Jesus Christ, can bind the devil and plunder his kingdom. The Victor is depicted in Revelation 1:16 as having a sharp double-edged sword coming out of His mouth, which is the Word of God. (Ephesians 6:17)

Those who have Jesus’ Word and obey it will make it to His Kingdom, because Jesus has AUTHORIZED THEM TO DO SO. They are the strong ones! The Apostle Paul commands the believers:

1 CORINTHIANS 16:13 Be alert, stand in the faith, BE BRAVE, BE STRONG! To the strong ones Jesus promised: REVELATION 21:6-7 ‘…To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. HE WHO WINS THE VICTORY, WILL INHERIT ALL THESE THINGS, AND I WILL BE HIS GOD AND HE WILL BE MY SON.

By contrast, the weak ones, those who have not accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, will be excluded from the NEW JERUSALEM:

REVELATION 21:8 But for the cowards, the unbelieving, the abominable, the murderers, the sexually immoral, the sorcerers, the idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.’

Appropriately, the cowards are at the top of the list of those who will be excluded. We find a very good example of a command to be strong and courageous in Joshua. He was the man who was about to succeed Moses as the leader of the Israelites. The Lord spoke to Joshua and commanded him:

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the Law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. HAVE I NOT COMMANDED YOU? BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS…” (Joshua 1:7–9)

It is very revealing that in verse 7 Moses commands Joshua to be strong and very courageous, and immediately in the next verse Moses commands Joshua to obey the Law, and to meditate on it day and night. For it was from the Word of God (the Old Testament or the Law at the time of Joshua) that Joshua could draw strength and courage. Interestingly, an Old Testament copy which I am using has singled out this verse as the most interesting by quoting it just below its title.

We find a similar text in the charge that King David gave to his son Solomon:

“…So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his Ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go.” (1 Kings 2:2-3)

Let us now talk about a great source of strength that is available to the believers. During the exile to Babylon, Nehemiah, a cupbearer of King Artaxerxes, requested permission and financial support to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem that had been destroyed. The King approved the request and appointed him governor. Despite strong opposition, he succeeded in having the wall rebuilt in the short time period of 52 days. Nehemiah and Ezra the scribe and priest assembled then the people, and Ezra read the book of the Law of Moses all day long. The people were deeply repentant and kept on weeping and mourning. Nehemiah consoled them and said to them:

“…DO NOT GRIEVE, FOR THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH.” (Nehemiah 8:10)

No wonder then the Bible urges us to rejoice: “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord…” (Philippians 3:1) “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4) “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks for everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18) “My brothers, consider it all joy when you face various tests.” (James 1:2)

Jesus, just before His crucifixion, prayed to the Father for His disciples to have His joy in its fullness in their hearts:

“But now I am coming to you, and I say these things while I am in the world so that they may have MY JOY in its fullness in them.” (John 17:13)

Now we can clearly see the point: When we rejoice regardless of the circumstances, we demonstrate our complete reliance on and trust in the Lord, and He strengthens us through His glorious arm of power— the Lord the Holy Spirit. (Isaiah 63:11-12) The strengthening the believers receive is not only spiritual but also mental, and physical:

“…the cheerful heart has a continual feast.” (Proverbs 15:15) “A cheerful heart is good medicine…” (Proverbs 17:22)

Modern medical science agrees completely with these claims!

Let us now look more into the victory of Jesus over the devil. A key reference is the following verse:

LUKE 10:22 …ALL THINGS HAVE BEEN HANDED OVER TO ME BY MY FATHER…

Another key reference comes from the words of Jesus to His disciples following His resurrection:

MATTHEW 28:16–18 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had instructed them to go. And when they saw him, they worshiped him, but some hesitated. And Jesus approached them and said to them, ‘ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME.’

It is clear then that Jesus won a complete victory over the devil. We read in Hebrews 2:14-15 (referring to Jesus): “…So that through his death he may abolish him who had the power of death—that is, the devil—and to free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death.”

The verb that is rendered here as “abolish” is καταργῶ in the Greek original. Other renderings are: ‘To do away with, to cease.’ Let us explore further the matter of death. Death has been rendered powerless:

“Where, O death, is your sting? Where, O Hades, is your victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55)

Nevertheless, in 1 Corinthians 15:25-26, we read, “For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be abolished is death.”

These passages appear to contradict one another: Has Jesus abolished death, or has He not? Well, we know that people are still dying. So, Jesus has not abolished the physical death—not yet! He has abolished the spiritual death:

Jesus said, “I truly say to you, if anyone keeps my Word, he will never face death.” (John 8:51)

So a Christian in good standing—a doer of the Word, not just a hearer of the Word—will never face spiritual death, which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8) The physical death is the first death. A quick comment here about keeping the Word of Jesus: We are under grace, but “…Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from sin.” (2 Timothy 2:19)

The following question arises regarding the physical death: Does Jesus have authority over it, and if He does, why didn’t He abolish it? Well, the present analysis has shown that all authority has been given to Jesus. So, yes, He has authority over the physical death. Why then didn’t He activate this authority?

Let us suppose that He did activate this authority. Then, here on earth, there would be two classes of people. The first class would encompass only the believers, who would live forever. The second class would encompass only the unbelievers, whose average life span would be as it currently is here on earth: In the United States, it is roughly 87 years for women and 83 years for men. Now, considering the great human desire to have a long life span, we would then expect that the vast majority of the unbelievers would just switch to the class of believers so that they too could live forever. However, such a switching would not be motivated by faith, but by an ulterior motive—by longevity.

The Scripture says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight,” (2 Corinthians 5:7) and “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:17).

Jesus is waiting before He activates His authority over the physical death. Waiting for what? Here this matter becomes even more interesting. Jesus is waiting until the New Jerusalem is filled up with believers.

Jesus said in John 14:2, “In my Father’s house there are many places of residence; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.”

When the New Jerusalem is filled to capacity, it will come down to earth as the bride of the bridegroom—Jesus. We read in Revelation 21:2–4: “And I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be NO MORE DEATH or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.”

With regard to Jesus preparing a place of residence for every believer, I remember a dear lady from our church, who was quite old and was admitted to an assisted-living facility. I would often visit her there, and I would encourage her by reminding her of the promises of God. She grew impatient the last week or so of her life, and she would persistently ask me, “When will God take me to Him?” I answered her question by saying, “When God is ready,” but that did not ease her anxiety. Then, when her condition started worsening, I told her, “Your new house in heaven is now ready, and they are just moving in the furniture!” She was very happy to hear that answer: It helped make heaven more real to her! A few days later, she went to be with the Lord. During the sermon on the Sunday following her death, the congregation was told what I had told her regarding the furniture for her house in heaven, and they reacted with a loud laughter!

In Summary

Victory has been given to us by the finished work on the cross by Jesus Christ. My 11-year-old grandson recently visited a church with his aunt in Knoxville. When told about the struggles people have in life he simply responded, ‘that is stupid, the devil is already defeated.’ We do have struggles in this life and face many trials. Jesus said we would have trouble in this world, however He told us to be of good cheer as He has overcome the world. Again, by faith, in every battle, we appropriate the victory given to us by Jesus Christ: death, hell and the grave. Through the eyes of a child we can see the unwavering belief in what the Word of God tells us, we have full victory in every situation through Jesus Christ. This takes unwavering faith in God in every situation regardless of what our 5 senses tell us. Keep believing even when the situation does not change automatically. God is faithful.

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Chapter 5 DIVINE HEALING THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD

“I will give a hundred dollar bill to anyone who can provide me with convincing evidence of a divine healing,” recently a preacher said on a major Christian radio network. This is a preacher who passed away a number of years ago when a hundred dollar bill had a much greater value than it now has. This statement though is still being broadcast as part of a daily program which the organization that sprang up as the successor of his ministry has going on. I was very surprised to hear that statement, because the Lord Jesus Christ spent most of His ministry healing people—to the point that He did not even have time to eat! His family actually thought that He was out of His mind, and they wanted to take charge of Him (Mark 3:21)!

We also know that when our Lord the Father looks at us the believers, He sees Jesus, as the following verse states:

1 JOHN 4:17 17 In this the love among us has been perfected, so that we will have confidence on the Day of Judgment, BECAUSE IN THIS WORLD WE ARE LIKE HIM.

Since in this world we are like Jesus, and Jesus was a GREAT HEALER when He was on the earth, it stands to reason that we should be able to claim the promises of God regarding divine healing. In this chapter we explore this topic. We start with a passage from the Gospel of Matthew:

MATTHEW 8:16-17 When evening came, they brought to him many who were demon-possessed, and he drove out the spirits with his Word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, who said: HE TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED OUR DISEASES

In the Old Testament, infirmities and diseases were consequences of curses, which were punishments for disobeying the Law (Deuteronomy 28:15–68). But Jesus took all the curses on Himself—He actually became a curse for us:

GALATIANS 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law BY BECOMING A CURSE FOR US, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

The verb which is translated “redeemed”, in the Greek original is ἐξηγόρασεν, which means that Christ actually bought us from someone whose subjects we were: We were prisoners and CHRIST PAID A RANSOM to free us from captivity. And to whom did He pay that price? He paid that price to the ruler of this world, the devil! As we have explained in another chapter, after Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, they were expelled from the Garden, and they and all their descendants became citizens of the kingdom of the devil.

And how did Jesus pay the ransom? By being “hung on a tree”, that is, through the cross. When we say that Jesus paid the price to the devil for our liberation, we do not literally mean that He did that. What Jesus did was to satisfy the Law of Universal Justice that God the Father had established. He had to shed His precious blood on the cross in order to cleanse us from our sins (1 John 1:7), the consequences of our rebellion against God. The satisfaction of the Law of Universal Justice is the reason that the plea of Jesus for the cup of crucifixion to be taken away from Him by His Father went unanswered. Had God exempted Jesus from having to go through the crucifixion, the devil would have posted a complaint—so to speak—that God violated the Law of Universal Justice. And God does not want that to happen, because He is the God of Justice. You see, God cares very much about the reputation that His Name has. In effect, God told Jesus: “Son, there is no other way; you have to go through with the crucifixion!” This is further explained below.

According to Universal Justice, the devil was given by God dominion over us because our ancestors Adam and Eve committed high treason against God by listening to the devil. God could not go back on His Word and accept sinful men to be His children, His citizens. He could not do that because man is spiritually dead when he is born. But, if a man could defeat the devil, then the authority would be taken away from the devil and would be given to man—to all men. This is what was done by Jesus. He did that as a Man by dying on the cross—we deserved to die, but Jesus died on our behalf. What sacrifices of goats and bulls could never do, the precious blood of Jesus did—to cleanse us from all sins (1 John 1:7) and so to open the way for our acceptance as children of God. He became our Father, and we became His “sons” (Romans 8:14), “…Heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ…” (Romans 8:17).

Following His glorious resurrection, Jesus  ascended to His Father and presented His precious blood, as the High Priest, for our salvation:

“Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood he entered the Holy of Holies once for all, having obtained eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12). That Jesus is currently our High Priest, we read in Hebrews 3:1, “…Fully understand the apostle and high priest of our confession, Christ Jesus.”

The liberation of the ransomed prisoners from the “oppressor” was prophesied by Isaiah:

“The RANSOMED of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass, that you forget the LORD your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? FOR WHERE IS THE WRATH OF THE OPPRESSOR? THE COWERING PRISONERS WILL SOON BE SET FREE; they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread. For I am the LORD your God, who churns up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD Almighty is his name” (Isaiah 51:11–15).

What a glorious prophesying of the joyous new era that was launched by the Lord Jesus, who came in the Name of the Lord our God, His Father and our Father!

So far, this analysis has established that Jesus took on Himself all our infirmities and carried all our diseases (Matthew 8:17). Notice that the two verbs in Matthew 8:17 are in the PAST TENSE. They are not in the future tense—we are not waiting for Him to do that, HE HAS ALREADY DONE IT, He “took” and “carried”. And how did He do that? Through His suffering. More specifically, He did that as we read in the following verse:

1 PETER 2:24 Who himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, so that we, having died to sins, may live for righteousness; THROUGH WHOSE WOUNDS YOU WERE HEALED.

The wounds were mainly those from the nails used for the crucifixion, and those from the terrible scourging before the crucifixion. Through the precious blood of Jesus that flowed from those wounds we “were healed.” Again, the past tense of the verb, “were,” is used. Now, we know that “…The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from every sin.” (1 John 1:7) That is not what 1 Peter 2:24 says: It says that the blood (from His wounds) has healed us. Is one of these two statements false? No, both statements are true, as we can readily see from the considerations that follow below. In some of the healings Jesus performed He said to the person “your faith has saved you.” (Mark 5:34) Here are three miracles in which Jesus said this:

1. The healing of the woman with the issue of blood. She was hemorrhaging for twelve years, and she had spent on many medical doctors all her savings, in the process growing worse. She fought the large crowd, touched the cloak of Jesus, and was healed instantly. (Luke 8:43-48)

2. The healing of the blind man at Jericho. (Mark 10:52) He was a blind beggar who continued calling on Jesus to heal him despite the fact that he was rebuked by many and was told to be quiet. Jesus restored his sight after he had expressed his strong desire to be healed.

3. The healing of the ten lepers. Jesus said this to one of them, a Samaritan, who came back to Jesus to give glory to God. (Luke 17:19) They had called out in a loud voice “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”

   There were also other miracles in which the verb “save” was used with the meaning of “heal.”

   One was the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. (Luke 8:50) Jesus said to Jairus, “…Do not be afraid, only believe, and she will be saved.”

   Another miracle was the resurrection of Lazarus. (John 11:12) The disciples of Jesus misunderstood what He meant when He said, “Our friend Lazarus is asleep,” and so they said to Jesus, “…Lord, if he sleeps, he will be saved.”

   James 5:15 also uses “save” to mean “heal”: “And the prayer of faith will save the sick man…” This was the case regarding the healing of a lame beggar.

   (Acts 4:9) In the Greek original, the verb for “save” is σώζω. This is the verb used for people who have been born-again and are therefore on their way to become citizens of the Kingdom of God. As we have just established, “to save” also means “to heal”; in the miracles to which we have just referred, “save” means to be set free from the bondage of hemorrhaging, blindness, leprosy, death, sickness, and infirmity.

   THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS CLEANSES US FROM ALL SINS AND HEALS US FROM ALL INFIRMITIES, SICKNESSES, AND DISEASES.

   Let us visualize what happened at the cross. Jesus took on Himself all our sins—He became sin for us, “For [God] made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that we may become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

   Imagine that! He took on Himself all the sins of the whole world, past, present, and future! No wonder then that His Father forsook Him! (Matthew 27:46) When the Father looked at Jesus on the cross, all He could see were sins! In addition, Jesus on the cross took upon Himself all the curses—in fact He became a curse for us (Galatians 3:13); by doing so, He carried all the infirmities, sicknesses, and diseases of the whole world! Consequently then, Jesus became SPIRITUALLY SIN AND PHYSICALLY MALADY.

   Isaiah prophesied His disfiguring:

   “See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him—HIS APPEARANCE WAS SO DISFIGURED BEYOND THAT OF ANY MAN AND HIS FORM MARRED BEYOND HUMAN LIKENESS.” (Isaiah 52:13-14)

   The movie The Passion of the Christ depicted dramatically this disfiguring! Jesus suffered so much on the cross and was so disfigured by becoming sin and curse for us, thereby receiving from His Father “…ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH.” (Matthew 28:18) He spent most of His ministry healing people. He did not have any favorites—He healed them all:

   MATTHEW 12:14–16 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Him. Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from there. A large crowd followed Him; HE HEALED THEM ALL, and warned them not to reveal who He was.

   He put His heart into HIS healing ministry; to the point of not having time to even eat (as was mentioned above).

   The speech of Peter to the Gentiles is very instructive about the healing ministry of Jesus:

   ACTS 10:37-38 You know what has happened throughout Judea, starting from Galilee after the baptism that John preached— how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with force, and how He went around doing good and HEALING ALL WHO WERE OPPRESSED BY THE DEVIL, because God was with Him.

   In the Greek original, the verb that is rendered here as “oppressed” is καταδυναστευομένους. We see from this passage who is the father of all sicknesses, diseases, and infirmities: The devil, not God! THE DEVIL USES THESE MALADIES TO OPPRESS PEOPLE! We should not allow him to oppress us. Jesus is still in the healing business. Healing belongs to the believers! Let us listen to the words of Jesus on this matter:

   JOHN 14:12 I truly tell you, whoever believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and even greater works than these he will do, because I am going to my Father.

   This is an amazing statement: The believers can perform the miracles Jesus performed and even greater miracles than these! But you see, we hear so much negative teaching on divine healing, and we become timid. So, we see only very few divine healings in our time. This allows the devil to continue oppressing the believers without encountering much opposition. Yet, Jesus also said:

   LUKE 10:19 BEHOLD, I GIVE YOU THE AUTHORITY TO TRAMPLE ON SNAKES AND SCORPIONS AND ON ALL THE FORCE OF THE ENEMY, AND NOTHING WILL HARM YOU.

   So, Jesus has given us full authority over the devil and his works! There is a major radio network that teaches people to rejoice and to thank God for having been afflicted with sicknesses and diseases. They are taught to thank God that it is His will for them to be sick. This is very hard to understand. I do not know of any human father (or mother) who wants his children to be sick and, when they are sick, he thanks God for it! Jesus healed ALL WHO WERE SICK. In fact, the New Testament does not record a single case in which a person asked Jesus to heal him or her, and Jesus refused the request.

   Let us look at the case of a leper who wanted Jesus to make him clean.

   MARK 1:40–42 A leper came to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down before him and saying, ‘If you want to, you can make me clean.’ Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched him and said to him, ‘I WANT TO, BE CLEAN.’ And immediately, the leprosy left him and he was cleaned.

   Yes, Jesus always wants to heal us! And He can! And He will, if we trust in Him unconditionally! Let us now have a further look at the promises of God in the Old Testament regarding health. Proverbs 4:20–22 says:

   “My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to MY WORDS. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for THEY ARE LIFE to those who find them and HEALTH TO A MAN’S WHOLE BODY.”

   Psalm 107:20 says, “He sent forth his Word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.”

   We see that the emphasis in the Old Testament is on the Word of God. How does this relate to the emphasis in the New Testament? We have seen in Matthew 8:17 that Jesus took our infirmities and carried our diseases. This verse was spoken by Isaiah the prophet some eight centuries B.C., and its prophecy was fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. In 1 Peter 2:24 we have seen that through the wounds of Jesus we were healed. In the New Testament the emphasis is on Jesus. There appears then to be a disagreement between the two Testaments. We know, however, that “…The Scripture cannot be broken.” (John 10:35).

   Now, in John 1:1 we read,

   “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” So, we see that Jesus is the Living Word of God.

   The source of healing is Jesus, AND HEALING IS REALIZED THROUGH THE PROMISES OF GOD IN THE BIBLE, WHICH IS THE WRITTEN WORD OF GOD.

   How does the Word of God give us the healing power? Well, chapter 6 of the Letter to the Ephesians describes the armor of God for the believer. We see there that the only offensive weapon is the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, which is the Word of God. (verse 17) In this connection, we should also recall Hebrews 4:12 that says that the Word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. Furthermore, in Revelation 1:16 Jesus appears having a sharp double-edged sword coming out of His mouth: The Living Word has in His Mouth the Written Word.

   Isaiah prophesied about the slaying power of Jesus’ mouth in Isaiah 11:4, “…With the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked,” and in Isaiah 49:2, “[God] made [Jesus’] mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of His hand He hid me; He made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in His quiver.” (These two verses, spoken by Isaiah the prophet, were fulfilled in the person of Jesus.) In addition, Hosea 6:5 refers to the slaying power of God’s mouth, “…I killed you [Ephraim and Judah] with the Words of my mouth…” On this matter, I had a personal revelation from God: I was at my home, and I was talking with God, asking Him to keep me free of diseases and sicknesses. Suddenly, I heard an audible voice that said:

   “SLAY THEM WITH MY WORD!”

   I looked around to see if there was somebody present who spoke, but I was alone. God was gracious enough to reveal to me how to destroy all diseases and sicknesses, which are the work of the devil. This command of the Lord our Father is in perfect agreement with the analysis that is presented in this paragraph—to slay all maladies with God’s Word, which is equivalent to slaying them with the SWORD OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. The Lord the Holy Spirit is the Powerhouse of God—His glorious arm of power (Isaiah 63:11-12). Who can stand against Him? No one can, and certainly not the devil who is a defeated foe!

   “SLAY THEM WITH MY WORD!” What a powerful command! This is a very good reason to regularly study the Word of God—not only for salvation and edification but also for healing.

   Colossians 3:16 states “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly…”

   When the Word of Christ does dwell in us richly, we will be able to fight off the attacks of the devil as Jesus did by telling him “It is written…” Make no mistake about it: Although the devil does not and cannot have a deep understanding of the Bible, he has a great memorization of it, and he can throw passages at you, as he unsuccessfully tried to do with Jesus, (Matthew 4:1–11), aimed at defeating you. Don’t allow him to succeed! Know how to answer him. In order to successfully do that, you must be grounded in the Word of God. If you do not do that, then when you need it and reach out to get it, you would not find it. It is hoped that you will find useful the Bible passages presented in this chapter, and that you will use them as part of your weaponry to claim your healing in THE NAME OF YOUR PERSONAL PHYSICIAN, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!

   As we have seen above, the devil, not God, is the father of all infirmities, sicknesses, and diseases. The healing of the woman who was bent over for eighteen years is an excellent example of this fact.

   Luke 13:12-13 says, “When Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, ‘Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.’ He laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight and glorified God. Now, the ruler of the synagogue became indignant and said to the people not to come on the Sabbath to be healed. Verses 15 and 16 say, “The Lord then responded to him and said, ‘Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath unbind his ox or donkey from the stall and take it out to water it? Should not this woman then, being a daughter of Abraham, WHOM SATAN HAS BOUND FOR EIGHTEEN YEARS, BE UNBOUND FROM THIS BONDAGE ON THE SABBATH DAY?”

   The verb in Greek which is being rendered here as “unbind” is λύω. So, infirmity is a kind of bondage, slavery. The believer needs to talk to the devil and denounce it: “Devil, in the Name of Jesus, I hereby break the bondage to this infirmity. The Lord Jesus, my personal Physician, has set me free. As the Bible says in John 8:36, “Since the Son has liberated me, I am truly liberated from this bondage!” This denouncement is also applicable to sicknesses and diseases. All three of them are products of the devil—and the believer should have nothing to do with them! The devil can keep them for himself!

   Now, God the Father is the Farmer (John 15:1), the One who gives the increase. (1 Corinthians 3:6) Jesus said in Matthew 15:13, “…Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted.” All maladies, being products of the devil, will be uprooted! Because of this ownership of these products, God has given the gifts of healing to some believers. (1 Corinthians 12:9)

   Unfortunately, there are many believers, and also some preachers, who do not believe in divine healing. I do not understand how they can brush aside so many references to the Holy Scripture on divine healing. Some of the preachers have devised a nice-sounding rationale: “Divine healing is not a part of this dispensation.” The way I understand this statement to mean is that God decided to turn off the “spigot” of healing blessings to men—so to speak—after Jesus ascended to heaven. Why would He do that? Where in the Bible does it say that He did that? In any case, 1 Peter 2:24, “…Through whose wounds you were healed,” was written after Jesus’ ascension to His Father, and so it belongs today to the Body of Christ, the Church.

   If God does not intend for us to have access to divine healing, why did He give us “gifts of healing” in 1 Corinthians 12:9, which, again, was written after Jesus’ ascension? Healing through anointing a sick man with oil by the elders of the Church and praying over him is another avenue that is open to the believers. (James 5:14-15)

   Let us also not forget the many miracles that were performed by the apostles in the early Church. Acts 5:15-16 says, “So that people brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and mats, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, AND THEY WERE ALL HEALED.”

   We also recall the raising from the dead of Tabitha by Peter (Acts 9:36–43), and Eutychus by Paul, (Acts 20:9–12) As we said earlier, unfortunately, some preachers discourage believers who believe in divine healing, and even teach them to thank God for the sicknesses with which they are afflicted. However, there is no Biblical support for such a teaching.

   What are the PREREQUISITES FOR RECEIVING AND KEEPING ONE’S HEALING? Isaiah 58:6–8 is a pertinent and very powerful passage:

   “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: To loose the chains of INJUSTICE and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and BREAK EVERY YOKE? Is it not TO SHARE YOUR FOOD WITH THE HUNGRY and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, AND YOUR HEALING WILL QUICKLY APPEAR…” Then verse 9 adds “…If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the POINTING FINGER AND MALICIOUS TALK.”

   There you have it then: To promote and implement justice, to help the poor, and to shun the pointing of the finger and malicious talk. All of these requirements can be summed up as “WALK IN LOVE TOWARD EVERYBODY!” When you do that, “Your healing will quickly appear.”

   Let us look into some other matters which affect the ability to receive and keep divine healing. One such matter is when we do not pray for others. James 5:16 says: “Confess your sins to each other, and PRAY FOR EACH OTHER SO THAT YOU MAY BE HEALED. The energized prayer of a righteous man is very powerful!” We must love one another enough to pray for one another so that we will receive our divine healing.  Samuel, in 1 Samuel 12:23, told the Israelites, “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you…”

   Yes, it is a sin against the Lord not to pray for someone who we know that needs a prayer. An interesting piece of statistic has recently appeared in the Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine, Mayo Foundation, 2007. They found that the most commonly used complementary and alternative therapy is prayer: 43% said that they pray for their own health. However, only 25% pray for the health of others. So, although it is very encouraging that almost one in two people believe in the healing power of prayer, more needs to be done in praying for others.

   Another matter that interferes with divine healing is being offended, resentful, or bitter. We all recall situations on TV in which there was some strong arguing between two persons, and one of them said to the other, “I resent that!” A resentful, offended or bitter man feels no peace inside him, but has a strong negative feeling toward someone else that can approach hatred.

   We read in Hebrews 12:14-15: “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. Looking carefully that no one falls short of the grace of God, that no root of bitterness grows up to cause trouble, and by this MANY ARE DEFILED.”

   This passage talks about “root of bitterness”—bitterness grows a root in the heart of the man that harbors that feeling. Only the love of Christ can uproot that root of bitterness, and restore someone to holiness, “Without which no one will see the Lord.” When Jesus returned to His hometown, Nazareth, His fellowmen were offended at Him. Because of that, Jesus “COULD NOT DO ANY MIRACLES THERE…” (Mark 6:5), except to heal a few sick people. Imagine that! The flow of healing power was interrupted because they were offended at Him! We further discuss being offended, resentful or bitter in another chapter.

   Furthermore, there is an additional matter to consider in connection with KEEPING ONE’S HEALING. This is exemplified by the healing of the woman with the issue of blood. Jesus healed her AND COMMANDED HER:

   “…GO IN PEACE AND BE HEALTHY, FREE OF YOUR SCOURGE” (Mark 5:34).

   Here the verb “be” in Greek is ἴσθι, the imperative of εἰμί, “I am”. You see, it is the responsibility of the man/woman who is healed to keep his/her healing. He can do that by having peace within himself regarding his healing. This means that he should not doubt his healing. It must register in his mind that Jesus has healed him. He must not have anxiety and fear that symptoms will return. Sometimes, his faith in his healing will be tested by the re-appearance of some of the symptoms.

   Actually, they are lies, products of the devil, who is a liar and the father of lies, John 8:44. He must reject them and thank his Father for the healing that he received from Jesus. He should keep on praising the Lord for His love, kindness, and grace, which He is constantly extending to all who trust in Him unconditionally; for the battle is not his, but God’s. (2 Chronicles 20:15) “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” (Psalm 84:11) Healing is a “good thing”—He will help us to receive it and keep it!

   Let me, if I may, emphasize that we should have no fear of losing our healing. Fear is a terrible sin, for it implies that we do not fully trust in God.

   In fact, we read in Romans 8:15, “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.”

   As we see from this verse, a fearful person is a slave to that fear. We discuss fear in another chapter. There we conclude that the suffering of Job was the consequence of being very fearful (Job 3:25-26)—apparently regarding the safety of his children. (Job 1:4-5) We did not receive slavery to fear, but we received sonship, a title that was previously reserved exclusively for the Lord Jesus Christ. What a great honor!  Jesus was crucified because He called Himself “The Son of God”: During His trial, the Jewish leaders said “…We have a law, and according to our law he must die, because He made himself the Son of God.” (John 19:7).

   As sons of God, we ought to recall what is written in Philippians 4:13: “I have power in everything through Christ who strengthens me.” In the Greek original, the verb of interest here is ἰσχύω, which the NKJV and NIV render as “I can do”; more appropriate renderings are “to have power,” or “to prevail,” which emphasize the fact that there is a war going on!

   No discussion of divine healing can be complete without referring to the case of the Apostle Paul, who spoke about a thorn in his flesh. (The Greek for “thorn” is σκὀλοψ.)

   “In order for me not to become conceited because of the great revelations, it was given to me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me, so that I do not become conceited. I pleaded three times with the Lord for it to depart from me.  He told me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my force is perfected in weakness…” (2 Corinthians 12:7–9)

   What was the nature of that “thorn”? The answers that have been given to this question have generated a controversy. However, remember that Scripture explains Scripture. In the Bible, there are only two references to a thorn in the human body.

   The first reference to the thorn is Numbers 33:55. God told the Israelites that, if they did not drive out the inhabitants of the neighboring lands, “…Those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides…”

   The second reference is Joshua 23:13. God instructed the Israelites not to intermarry with the surrounding nations, for otherwise “…They will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes…”

   These references suggest that Paul’s “thorn in my flesh” probably does not refer to a physical ailment, but rather to something that hindered his ministry. He was a very proud man (see particularly 2 Corinthians, chapters 11 and 12), and he encountered a lot of opposition at every place he went to; perhaps either one was the thorn in the flesh. What about God’s response to Paul’s request to have the thorn taken away? What did God mean when He said, “My grace is sufficient?” Some people think that God meant “I have given you enough grace—do not ask for more.” No, God will not do that in such an arbitrary way!

   On the contrary, Psalm 84:11, which we have quoted above, says, “…No good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” We may also want to refer to Ephesians 3:20: “To him who can do much more than all we ask or think, according to the force that is being energized in us.”

   Instead, what God most probably meant with the statement “My grace is sufficient” was for Paul to follow Hebrews 4:16: “Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, in order to receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

   God was telling Paul to approach His throne with boldness to receive the answer to his petition. If pride were involved, Paul would run into a problem because “…God opposes the proud, but GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” (1 Peter 5:5) God was telling Paul to check on his pride. Some people may be surprised at the analysis presented here, because the Apostle Paul performed many miracles, and he was a great Apostle. He certainly was. He also had weaknesses.

   In any case, we should be careful not to allow whatever uncertainties there are in the meaning of “thorn” to weaken our faith in divine healing. In this chapter, we have covered divine healing through the Word of God. God can also heal through other ways. One of them is through anointing the sick man with oil and praying over him.

   Our reference is to James 5:14–16: “Is anyone of you sick? He should call the elders of the church, and have them pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up. Even if he had sinned, he will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other, and pray for each other, so that you may be healed; the energized prayer of a righteous man is very powerful.”

   Healing can also take place by laying hands on the sick. Jesus used this way of healing in some of His miracles (Mark 6:5; 8:23. Luke 4:40;13:13). We read in Mark 16:15–20 that Jesus, just before His ascension into heaven, said to His disciples the following:

   MARK 16:15–20 ‘… Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and gets baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. AND THESE SIGNS WILL FOLLOW THOSE WHO BELIEVE: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will take up snakes; and if they drink some deadly poison, it will not harm them; THEY WILL LAY HANDS ON SICK PEOPLE, AND THEY WILL RECOVER.’ After the Lord had spoken to them, he ascended into heaven and sat at the right hand of God. Then they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming his Word through the signs that followed. Amen.

   This passage refers to another way of healing, and states that the BELIEVERS themselves can heal others by laying hands on them; the message then that this passage conveys is also relevant regarding the question as to whether divine healing currently operates—a matter which we discussed earlier in this chapter. Moreover, verse 20 says that the signs performed by the believers confirm the Word of God. God honors highly the believers by working with them—this passage says that He is our co-worker, συνεργός in the Greek original. Another way through which the Lord Almighty heals is through the movement of the Lord the Holy Spirit. It happens more frequently when a large number of believers come together to worship and praise the Lord.

   Healing is instantaneous. The Holy Spirit is Lord (2 Corinthians 3:17-18), and moves as He wishes. We read in John 3:8, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” The Lord moves with healing power, for He is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” (Psalm 103:8)

   Since in this world we are like Jesus (1 John 4:17), and Jesus’ body is perfectly healthy, He wants our bodies to be perfectly healthy too! I find the healing of Hezekiah, King of Judah, to be very inspirational.

   Let us follow its account in 2 Kings 20:1–6: “In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, ‘This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.’ Hezekiah TURNED HIS FACE TO THE WALL AND PRAYED TO THE LORD, ‘Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.’ Hezekiah wept bitterly. Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the Word of the LORD came to him: ‘Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. I WILL ADD FIFTEEN YEARS TO YOUR LIFE. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the King of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’”

   God went ahead and healed him. Hezekiah’s actions ware remarkable: Instead of seeking human help, he turned his face to the wall and prayed—all he could see with his spiritual eyes was God. He relied 100% on God for his healing and offered a fervent prayer. The New Testament “language”, James 5:16, which we have quoted above, is very pertinent here: “…The energized prayer of a righteous man is very powerful.” It certainly is!

   In closing this chapter, we need to note that there are two steps in the healing process. The first step regards the actual occurrence of the healing. That step takes place instantly, for the Word of God never fails! The moment the believer confesses his healing in the Name of Jesus, the healing takes place.

   The second step regards the manifestation of the healing. That is where many people miss it. The believer confesses his healing, but the diseased part of his body still looks, feels, and functions as it did before that confession. The devil puts unbelief in the mind of the believer, telling him, “See for yourself, there is no healing!” That is when the believer must stand firm, persevere, confess his faith, and reject the words of the devil. I find the following little prayer to be very effective: “Father, thank you for my healing. I know that it has already taken place because your Word promises it, and you are always faithful to your Word. (Psalm 57:10) I ask, Father, that the full manifestation in the physical also takes place, so that that particular part of my body looks, feels, and functions fine; and help me to use this healing to promote my ministry, as you have ordained it, for the glorification of your Holy Name. Thank you, Father. I pray in the Name of your beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, my personal Physician, and for His sake for I am a citizen of His Kingdom.”

   Yes, come, Lord Jesus!

   In Summary:

   In this chapter a very provocative statement was made ‘Slay them with My Word.’ This is a reminder that the Word of God is a sword and a weapon for every Christian to use in battle. This weapon literally cuts off sickness and disease. How do we use the sword? Simply state the Scripture and believe. More was expounded on regarding what blocks healing. Some may ask how can we be perfect? There is encouragement in the Word of God regarding this.

   1John 1:7 If we walk in the Light, as He is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another and the Blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.

   Simple, just walk in the Light of God’s Word that you know!

   ~

   Chapter 6: GOOD WORKS

   What is our mission here on earth? Why did God create us and place us here? These are questions of fundamental importance. Someone may say that life on earth is not really of importance because we know our destination, which is to be in heaven with God. Someone else may say that the purpose of this life is to keep on becoming better followers of the Ten Commandments day by day. Both answers sound very spiritual, but are they? Let us look into this matter.

   Romans 10:17 says, “Therefore, faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the spoken word of God.” Verse 14 says, “how can they call on Him of whom they have not heard?”

   So, it is clear that people need to hear the Word of God before they can believe. Therefore, there is a lot of work that believers need to do to spread the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ. Another quick reference is to the Lord’s Prayer. We say, “Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We need to be preparing the way for the coming of Jesus and for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven; in other words, we need to advance the cause of Christ, which is for this planet to stop being a rebel planet that is being run by the devil. Jesus commanded the believers to, “Let your waists be girded and your lamps burning.” (Luke 12:35)

   Let us then address the subject of doing good works. Here is a verse of Scripture that goes a long way in answering the questions we have posed above:

   EPHESIANS 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to walk in.

   This verse says that God is our Maker who created us in order to do good works. It does not tell us what good works are—we will discuss this below. Interestingly, it says that we are supposed to walk in good works.

   JOHN 14:6 Jesus said to him, ‘I AM THE ROAD and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.’

   So, the road to the Father is Jesus Christ. After a believer is born-again, he walks with Jesus. This verse and Ephesians 2:10 then say that the believer in his walk with Jesus needs to work for Him, doing what the Father prepared in advance for him to do. The noun in the Greek original, which is rendered here as “road”, is ὁδός. In the NKJV and the NIV, it is rendered as “way,” which can have a number of different meanings. Interestingly, ὁδός in Matthew 7:13-14 is properly rendered as “road” in the NIV, but improperly rendered as “way” in the NKJV.

   The following verse parallels Ephesians 2:10:

   JOHN 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, and for your fruit to last, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.

   The first thing we notice in this verse is that no one can possibly boast that he chose Jesus. No, he didn’t! Jesus chose him. This should be accepted as the answer to the question “Who are the chosen people of God under the New Testament—the covenant of grace?” The chosen people are the born-again believers—Jesus chose them! This then is the charge of Jesus to His followers: “GO AND BEAR FRUIT!” The following verse expresses the depth of the commitment to do good works that Jesus expects from us:

   HEBREWS 10:24 Let us fix our thoughts on urging one another unto a paroxysm of love and good works. “Paroxysm” is from the Greek word παροξυσμός: παρά means “in excess” and ὀξὐνω means “to sharpen.” It is a sudden expression of powerful emotion that cannot be controlled. We encounter this noun in Acts 15:39 with reference to the strong disagreement that led to the separation between the Apostles Paul and Barnabas. The verb παροξύνομαι appears in Acts 17:16 with reference to the distress that Paul felt upon seeing Athens to be full of idols; it also appears in 1 Corinthians 13:5 with reference to love not being easily angered. In view of these considerations, Hebrews 10:24 then says that a believer ought to totally put his heart into producing an atmosphere conducive to loving others and producing good works. It is a command TO SERVE THE LORD PASSIONATELY! Let us talk then about the production of the fruit. We first note that God is the FARMER.

   We first encounter this in Genesis 2:8, “Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.” We subsequently encounter this in John 15:1, and we will talk more about this later on below.

   Our next passage is 1 CORINTHIANS 3:5–15 “Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but servants through whom you believed as the Lord gave to each? I planted, Apollos watered, but GOD GAVE THE INCREASE. Therefore, neither he who plants is anything nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. He who plants and he who waters are one and the same, and each will receive his own recompense according to his own labor. For we are CO-WORKERS OF GOD; you are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God, which was given to me, as a wise architect I have laid a foundation, on which someone else is building. But let each one be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any other foundation than the one that has already been laid, which is Jesus Christ. If someone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will become clear; for the Day of Judgment will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test the work of everyone. If the work that someone built survives, he will receive his recompense. If someone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but as someone who escapes through fire.”

   This passage says that God is the Farmer who takes care of the good works by giving the growth that results in a plentiful harvest. We plant, water and harvest, and in so doing we promote the cause of Jesus, which is to keep on winning souls for His upcoming Kingdom. God honors us highly by calling us His co-workers (verse 9: see also Mark 16:20). What a contrast with the term “servants” that He was using to refer to the Israelites in the OT! This passage also emphasizes that the foundation on which we are building is none else but Jesus Christ Himself. Our works will be tested with fire and, if are found to be based on God’s incorruptible Word (1 Peter 1:23), we will receive our recompense that will last throughout eternity!

   In fact, we are part of the Body of Christ and we receive our spiritual nourishment and our ability to bear fruit directly from Him. Let us follow His words in John 15:1–8. I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer. He cuts off every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every branch that bears fruit he prunes so that it will bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, if it does not remain in the vine, neither can you if you do not remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who remains in me and I in him, will bear much fruit, for without me you cannot do anything. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that was thrown away and withered; they gather such branches and throw them into the fire and they are burned. If you remain in Me and my words remain in you, you can ask whatever you want and will be done for you. In this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so you will become My disciples.

   By remaining in Christ and HIS WORDS REMAINING IN US, we can remain productive, for “...Our ability is from God” (2 Corinthians 3:5); and “I have power in everything through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). In fact, in this world, we are just like Jesus (1 John 4:17). We can therefore see the importance of feeding daily on the Word of God, and of heeding Paul’s exhortation, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly...” (Colossians 3:16). What a great combination: The Living Word of God, Jesus Christ (John 1:1), and the written Word of God, the Bible—the instruction manual for our lives!

   A cautionary note is in order regarding the passage from John 15, which we quoted above: Verse 2 says that every branch of the vine (Jesus) that does not bear fruit will be cut off. Therefore, fruitfulness is not optional, but mandatory! The penalty for unfruitfulness is very severe indeed! Let us consider the following passage from the parable of the sower:

   “But the seed on good soil stands for those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, MASTER IT, and bear fruit in patience” (Luke 8:15).

   Therefore, in order for a man to be fruitful, he must master the Word of God. This means to know it very well so that he can use it as needed in different circumstances. It should be noted that the verb, which we render here as “to master”, is κατέχω in the Greek original. The renderings of this verb by the NIV and the NKJV are “to retain” and “to keep”, respectively. These renderings are quite different from our rendering: Retaining or keeping the Word of God are good, but for someone to master it, he will need to study it and to meditate on it SO THAT HE CAN DEVELOP COMPETENCE IN IT.

   Well, for 34 years I taught Physics as a Professor at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. During my office hours, students would come to see me seeking help with how to study best. I would explain to them that, as education experts tell us, there are two levels of learning. At the first level, a student understands the reasoning of the material during the lecture. At the second level, a student can deliver the answer to a question on the material that was taught. This second level necessitates a very good understanding of the material: The student must make the material part of himself. And as I used to tell my students, “In that case no one can take it away from you because you master it!” The great physicist Isaac Newton was once asked how he was able to make such great discoveries. He said that a major reason was the fact that he thought continually about the subject he was researching. Therefore, we ought to think about the Word of God continually! The Bible instructs us to pray continually:

   “Rejoice always, pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17).

   We recognize, of course, that from the practical point of view we would not be able to continually think about or study the Bible. What we mean is that we should systematically study it and seek in it answers to the questions and problems that arise in our daily lives. Similarly, praying continually means to talk with our Father often, thank Him, worship Him, praise Him and petition Him. And we are instructed to do everything joyfully. With regard to Bible study, did you know that you can finish reading the whole NT in about six months by reading about one and a half chapters every day? Let us now look into salvation and see if it has any relationship with good works. This is a controversial subject. May the Lord the Holy Spirit, the Head Teacher, guide us to all truth regarding this matter.

   For John 3:27 says: “John [the Baptist] answered and said, ‘A MAN CANNOT RECEIVE ANYTHING UNLESS IT HAS BEEN GIVEN TO HIM FROM HEAVEN.’” The Apostle Paul wrote the following passage, which is quoted very often:

   EPHESIANS 2:4–10 But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love for us with which he loved us, even when we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved; and raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, in order that he might show in the coming ages the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. FOR BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED THROUGH FAITH; AND THIS IS NOT OF YOURSELVES, IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD, NOT OF WORKS, LEST SOMEONE MAY BOAST. FOR WE ARE HIS WORKMANSHIP, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS TO DO GOOD WORKS, WHICH GOD PREPARED IN ADVANCE FOR US TO WALK IN.

   This passage clearly states that we are saved by grace, not by works. And in the following passage we are urged to approach the throne of grace with confidence and receive God’s blessings:

   “Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, to receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

   So, grace is ours—we are saved by it, and we live by it! The Apostle James, on the other hand, argues about the importance of works:

   JAMES 2:14–26 What is the profit, my brothers, if someone says that he has faith, but he does not have works? Can faith possibly save him? If a brother or sister is naked and without daily food, and one of you says to him, ‘Go in peace, keep warm and well-fed,’ but does not give him the necessities of the body, what would be the profit? SIMILARLY, AND FAITH, IF IT DOES NOT HAVE WORKS, IT IS DEAD BY ITSELF. But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith from your works, and I will show you my faith from my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well; even the demons believe and shudder. But do you want to know, you foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father considered righteous through works when he brought his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith was working together with his works, and his faith was perfected through the works. And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called a friend of God. YOU SEE THEN THAT A MAN IS RENDERED RIGHTEOUS BY WORKS, AND NOT BY FAITH ALONE. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot rendered righteous by works when she received the spies and sent them off in a different road? FOR AS THE BODY WITHOUT THE SPIRIT IS DEAD, SO FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD.

   James then says that works are needed for salvation. This appears to contradict what Paul says regarding this matter—that salvation is by grace, not by works. So, who is right, Paul or James? Now, James was a pillar of the Church in Jerusalem (Galatians 2:9), and Paul..., well he wrote at least 25 percent of the NT! Certainly, both had great credentials. However, the Head Teacher of the Word of God is the Lord the Holy Spirit, as we read in 2 Peter 1:21: “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” Since, then, both James and Paul were moved by the Holy Spirit, they should have said the same thing, for the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth:

   “However, when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth...” (John 16:13)

   How then, can we get out of this dilemma? We will do well, here, to remember that “Scripture explains Scripture!” Here is a key reference:

   JOHN 6:28-29 Then they said to him, ‘What must we do in order to do the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘THIS IS THE WORK OF GOD, FOR YOU TO BELIEVE IN THE ONE HE SENT.’

   So, when we believe in Jesus, we do the work of God. Someone may say, “Wait a minute! This sounds very much like what Paul said—being saved by grace, which became available to us upon believing in Jesus.” While this is correct, it turns out that it is not the whole story. Let us consider then the matter of faith:

   JAMES 2:19 You believe that there is one God. You do well; even the demons believe and shudder.

   In a number of cases, Jesus drove out demons from men. The demon-possessed man would fall on his knees in front of Jesus, and the demons in that man would acknowledge Jesus as being the Son of God (Mark 3:11). So, the demons professed Jesus as the Son of God and even worshiped Him! It does sound like what someone would say and do who is professing faith in Jesus—a person in the process of salvation. Not so! What is the difference between these two cases?

   THE DIFFERENCE IS HUGE—and here it is: Although the demons acknowledged and worshiped Jesus, they did not call Him “Lord”, and they DID NOT EXPRESS THEIR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE HIM. In fact, the devil and his demons are constantly fighting against the believers, trying to frustrate the work which the believers are doing for God. Here is what Jesus had to say about serving Him:

   LUKE 6:46 Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord’, and do not do what I say?

   MATTHEW 7:21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

   James 1:22 says on this matter, “But become doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

   This is the reason we call Jesus, “Lord”: He is our Boss. When we call Him “Lord”, we promise to obey Him and serve Him. An abstract, “theoretical” faith, which stems from someone’s mind rather than from deep down inside his heart, is a phony faith. FOR SALVATION, WORKS ARE NECESSARY IN ORDER TO VALIDATE FAITH—to prove that there is substance behind it. As an old question goes, “Where is the beef?”

   For faith to be real, it must be accompanied by action! So, we see that BOTH PAUL AND JAMES ARE RIGHT, as they should be. We may summarize the discussion we have offered here with the following statement: “WE ARE SAVED BY FAITH THAT WORKS.” We cited above 2 Peter 1:21 regarding the fact that the Word of God is without error. Here is another reference that makes also a connection with doing good works:

   “All scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for instruction in righteousness, so that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

   And in order for someone to be of good use to the Lord, he must be a holy vessel, cleansed from all unrighteousness:

   “In a large house, there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore, if someone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful to the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:20-21).

   Jesus performed great miracles during His earthly ministry. We may inquire then as to which kind of miracles the believers can perform. He said to His disciples: “I truly tell you, whoever believes in me, the works that I do he will do also, and greater works than these he will do, because I am going to my Father” (John 14:12)!

   We can do even greater works than Jesus did! Well, Jesus raised from the dead the daughter of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue (Mark 5:22), the son of the widow at Nain (Luke 7:11), and His friend Lazarus (John 11:17). On the other hand, the Apostles Peter and Paul raised one person each from the dead: Peter raised a woman named Tabitha at Joppa (Acts 9:36), and Paul raised a young man named Eutychus at Troas (Acts 20:9). But these two great miracles just match the miracles that Jesus did.

   What other miracle could possibly be greater than raising the dead? THE GREATEST MIRACLE IS WHEN SOMEONE BECOMES BORN-AGAIN. And nobody was born-again before Jesus shed His precious blood on the cross! So, bringing others to the Family of God, through the acceptance of Jesus as their Lord and Savior, is the greatest miracle: Their dead spirits are given life. The Lord the Holy Spirit makes His home in their hearts. He is the greater one (1 John 4:4), the glorious ARM OF POWER of the Lord Almighty (Isaiah 63:11-12). They become sons of God (Galatians 3:26), a title that was previously exclusively bestowed on the Lord Jesus Christ. His disciples were not born-again before His crucifixion.

   This is the reason they had such a weak faith and they could not comprehend God’s plan of salvation. For, “...Man cannot receive anything unless it is given to him from heaven” (John 3:27): And the Giver is the Holy Spirit, whom the disciples did not have before the crucifixion. Following His glorious resurrection, Jesus appeared to HIS FEAR-STRICKEN DISCIPLES and gave them the Holy Spirit:

   JOHN 20:21-22 Again Jesus said to them, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, and I am sending you.’ Having said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’ That was the moment the eleven disciples were born-again. We read in Acts 1:4, 5: “And while he was eating with them, he commanded them, ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the fulfillment of the promise of the Father which you heard from me, that John baptized in water, but in a few days YOU WILL BE BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.’”

   He also told them to wait in Jerusalem until they were clothed with force from on high (Luke 24:49)—and by that He meant the all-powerful Holy Spirit (see Acts 1:8). And “CLOTHED WITH FORCE” THEY WERE ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST!

   “And suddenly, a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire which were divided and sat on each of them. AND ALL OF THEM WERE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit was giving them utterance” (Acts 2:2–4).

   Those 120 original believers were greatly emboldened through the infilling or baptism of the Holy Spirit. What a contrast with the fear-stricken disciples before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit! The disciples zealously taught and preached the Word of God in the temple, and performed great miracles and wonders (Acts 5:12). And the Church underwent a phenomenal growth! This is the work then that we can do which is greater than the work of the Lord Jesus. He has honored us so highly by assigning to us our mission to reach out to millions of people by proclaiming to them His Good News of salvation. He said that we will do this greater work because He was going to His Father (John 14:12); He explained this in John 16:7 as follows:

   “But I tell you the truth, it is to your interest that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”

   So, the Holy Spirit could not come to dwell in the believers as long as Jesus was here on the earth. The coming of the Holy Spirit, God’s glorious arm of power (Isaiah 63:11-12), made all the difference! The involvement of the believers in the salvation process is of crucial importance, for salvation comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17)—and so we need to teach it and proclaim it!

   By doing good works, we please our Father in that we advance the cause of Christ and we bankrupt the devil. And that should be good enough reason to do them. But are there any direct benefits to the believer? There must be, because 1 Timothy 4:8 says, “...Godliness is beneficial in everything, having promises for both the present life and for the future life.” And what are these promises? Jesus said in this regard:

   REVELATION 22:12 ‘Behold, I am coming swiftly, AND MY RECOMPENSE IS WITH ME, TO GIVE TO EVERYONE ACCORDING TO HIS WORK.’

   You see, for a non-believer, Judgment will be permanent separation from God. By contrast, for a believer, Judgment will be the giving account of his life to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul was speaking to believers when he said, “...For we will all stand before the Judgment seat of Christ.

   For it is written, ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me, and every tongue will confess to God.’ So then each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:10–12).

   For the believers then IT WILL BE A JUDGMENT OF RECOMPENSE, as we have just seen in Revelation 22:12; this verse also says that THE RECOMPENSE WILL BE GIVEN ACCORDING TO THE WORKS OF EACH BELIEVER.

   And Revelation 14:13 gives us further insight: “Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘so that they may rest from their labors, and THEIR WORKS WILL FOLLOW THEM.’”

   So, their works are an integral part of them: Their works will go any place they themselves go. Imagine introducing a believer to a group of people and saying, “Here is brother so and so, who did this..., and that...and that..., and that... for the Lord.” Our works will accompany us because they are very precious to the Lord—as we said earlier, He actually created us so that we will do those works in our lives (Ephesians 2:10).

   In fact, in the Kingdom of God, there will be different classes of people, which will range from the least ones to the greatest ones—from those who will have a lowly rank to those who will have a high rank. Now, I realize that this statement will be found to be surprising by a good number of people—and so, we need to see what the Bible says about it.

   Matthew 11:11 and Luke 7:28 shed plenty of light on this matter—the two accounts are virtually identical. Here is Matthew’s account: “I truly tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; BUT HE WHO IS LEAST IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS GREATER THAN HE.”

   We have further insightful information from Matthew 5:19. “Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same, WILL BE CALLED LEAST IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN; but whoever practices and teaches them WILL BE CALLED GREAT IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.”

   Another relevant reference is found in Matthew 18:4. The disciples asked Jesus who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. Jesus set a child in the midst of them and said, “Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the GREATEST in the kingdom of heaven.”

   Let us now look into unfruitfulness and its consequences. A parable of Jesus that comes to mind is that of the talents, which is recorded in Matthew 25:14–30. (In a parallel manner, Luke records the parable of the ten minas, 19:11–27.):

   A man gave talents to three of his servants. To the first one, he gave five talents, to the second two talents, and to the third one talent—each according to his ability. The first two servants put their talents to work and gained five and two more talents, respectively. However, the third servant dug a hole in the ground and hid his talent. The master greatly rewarded the first two servants, but he was angry with the third unproductive servant: He had the talent taken from him and given to the servant who had the ten talents. Furthermore, he had him thrown into the outer darkness where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

   The punishment for unfruitfulness then is very severe. In the Greek original “unfruitful” is ἄκαρπος: The prefix “α” often means “no”, and “καρπός” means “fruit”. Jude 12 likens unfruitful people to “clouds without rain” and to “autumn trees”.

   A good example of unfruitfulness is presented by the drone bees. Drones are male bees, and their only function is to mate with the queen of the bee colony in order to fertilize her. About 20 drones are successful in mating with the queen, and they die following that act. The rest of the drones sit around in the hive feeding themselves but doing no work. All the work of the hive is done by the worker bees, which are female but sterile: This includes building the hive and bringing in the nectar from flowers, which is converted into honey. In the autumn then, as the winter is approaching, the worker bees decide that enough food was already wasted in allowing the drones to keep on feeding themselves; and so, they attack the drones, which have no sting, and drag them out of the hive—never to be allowed to re-enter it. Their fate is freezing or starving to death. Where I grew up, people would routinely refer to lazy individuals as “drones”, which I think is a befitting characterization!

   Jesus made the following statement regarding unfruitfulness:

   “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:10; 7:19). He also spoke about this matter in a parable. “Then he told this parable: A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he went seeking fruit on it, and he found none. Then he said to the keeper of the vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have been coming seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I do not find any. Cut it down. Why let it use up the soil?’ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, leave it alone for this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, fine; if it does not, after that you can cut it down’” (Luke 13:6–9).

   These passages clearly tell us what the punishment is for unfruitfulness. God is merciful and hears intercessory prayer to be patient with an individual until he changes his ways, walks in God’s will for him, and serves Him. As the Apostle James says, “...The energized prayer of a righteous man is very powerful” (James 5:16). But if that individual continues in his ways and remains unfruitful, then divine judgment may fall on him, and his life may be cut off: He may suffer premature death. We need to be very careful so that nobody misunderstands what we are saying here. We do not intend to play God. The Judge is only One: The Lord Jesus Christ. It is not our business what the cause of death of an individual is. And there could be a number of causes. What we are saying here is that unfruitfulness is one of the causes of premature death. We make this statement on the truthfulness of the Word of God.

   It so happened that on this matter I have also been given a personal revelation. I had returned home from a large, week-long faith meeting, having prayed continually during the 12-hour car trip. Without divulging any details, I was earnestly praying for an assembly of believers who were encountering a number of serious difficulties. I cried out to God and I said, “Lord, why are they having these problems?” Suddenly, I heard an audible voice that said, “They deemphasize the Holy Spirit, and they will die prematurely.” I quickly looked around to see who had spoken—there was nobody present. The Lord in His mercy gave me a “word of wisdom”.

   With regard to the reference to the Holy Spirit, we should recall that He is the Administrator of the ministries of the believers. He supervises and directs our walk with God and our task of carrying out works to advance the cause of Jesus Christ: This primarily consists of the coming of His Kingdom and of the following of His will on earth as it is in heaven—as the Lord’s Prayer says. And I am praying often for that group of believers, asking the Lord to help them to emphasize the Lord the Holy Spirit in their lives.

   Four years after I was given that message, the Lord spoke to me in an audible voice again, and this time He gave me a “word of knowledge”: He said to me, “I have withdrawn the Holy Spirit from...” (He said the name of that assembly of believers.) Immediately, I started praying, “No, Lord. How can they function without your Holy Spirit? Have mercy on them, O Lord!” The Holy Spirit not being with them has the consequence of their becoming a dead assembly—with no “fruit of the Spirit” being produced. Let us have a look at that fruit:

   ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). And verse 25 says: “If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit.”

   As believers, we ought to be led by Him (Romans 8:14). We see then that a rich variety of fruits are being produced in an assembly where the Holy Spirit is welcome and present, and the believers follow His lead. I frequently pray for the Holy Spirit to be restored to that dead assembly so that life will be brought to its members—for the Holy Spirit is the Giver of life (Romans 8:11). We should add here that the “word of wisdom” and the “word of knowledge” are gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8); the former refers to events that will happen in the future, whereas the latter refers to events that have already taken place.

   Returning to the teaching of Jesus on unfruitfulness, there was an incident with a fig tree which is of interest to us here. This is recorded in Matthew 21:18–22 and Mark 11:12–14; 20, 21. Here is Matthew’s account:

   “Now in the morning, as he was returning to the city, he felt hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it, and found nothing on it except leaves, and said to it, ‘May you never bear fruit again!’ And immediately, the fig tree withered.”

   We read in Mark’s account that it was not the season for figs. So, Jesus used the fig tree just as a demonstration of the consequences of unfruitfulness and, equally important, as a demonstration of the power of faith. In fact, both accounts, and especially Mark’s account, continue on this latter point: Verses 23–26 in Mark’s account are very powerful—and we discuss them in another chapter. Often, people refer to the fig tree in this incident as the “cursed fig tree”. Peter called that tree as such (Mark 11:21). However, Jesus could not curse—He never did—because we are commanded not to: “Bless those who persecute you, bless and DO NOT CURSE” (Romans 12:14).

   Jesus likened harvesting wheat to saving souls. Here are His words in John 4:35- 36:

   “Do you not say ‘four more months until the harvest’? Behold, I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already ripe for harvest. And the reaper receives recompense and GATHERS FRUIT FOR ETERNAL LIFE, so that the sower and the reaper rejoice together.”

   And we gather only with Jesus, for he said that “...He who does not gather with me scatters” (Matthew 12:30). He made a call for more workers, and that call is applicable to the present times as well: “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest’” (Matthew 9:37-38).

   I have a couple of stories on harvesting wheat which I like to relate. I grew up in an agricultural area on the island of Cyprus, which is about 250 miles Northwest of Israel. At the time of Jesus, Israel had an agricultural economy—it still does to a good extent. He would look at the fields in the summer and, as far as He could see, they were filled with ripened wheat. When I was a little boy, wheat harvesting was done pretty much as it was done at the time of Jesus—nowadays the whole procedure is mechanized. Typically, a farmer would have a number of fields, depending on how wealthy he was, at different distances and directions around the little town—he would not have a single farm. The farmers would work in the fields during the day and would return to town in late afternoon. Wheat would be cut with a sickle, tied into sheaves, and transported to the town mainly by using donkeys. The sheaves would be tied on the donkey with a rope in a number of rounds. Occasionally, the donkey would lose his footing and he would just sit down on the road; he would not be able to get up because of the load he was carrying. Moses actually commanded the Israelites to help their brothers if that happened to their donkeys (Deuteronomy 22:4). After unloading the donkey, one would ride it back to the field to repeat the trip.

   A wooden threshing sledge, with many sharp stones underneath it, would thresh the wheat in the threshing floor, with the ox or the donkey going around and around. Most of the time, the animal would be muzzled, because otherwise it could eat too much grain, which combined with water could result in serious bloating. Late at an afternoon, with a gentle wind blowing, we would have some hired workers help us to winnow the threshed wheat: One would throw it up at an angle of about 45 degrees relative to the ground, and so the chaff, being much lighter than the grain, would separate from it.

   In the OT, there are many references to “threshing”. My favorite one is Isaiah 41:15- 16:

   “See, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff. You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up, and a gale will blow them away. But you will rejoice in the LORD and glory in the Holy One of Israel.”

   These are great promises, and they belong to all the believers! We have two references to “winnowing” in the NT, Matthew 3:12 and Luke 3:17; both depict Jesus holding a winnowing-shovel, to separate the wheat from the chaff—the saved from the unsaved.

   My second story relates to the urgency of bringing in the crop. My late parents had a particular field in a hilly area the soil of which was not very fertile. One year, when I was about 12 years old, they sowed wheat in it. Being busy as they were at harvest time, they belatedly realized that the wheat had dried up so much that it was not possible to harvest it; had they tried, the heads of the wheat would open up, and the wheat would spill on the ground. The only way to harvest that wheat was to do it with the first light in the morning: The heads would then be wet with dew, and so they would not open up. So, my parents decided to work very early in the morning. The day before, they were working in another field of ours, and they sent a message through a neighbor to my paternal grandmother about their plans. However, they had no food or bedding supplies. The plan called for me to take those supplies to them. The problem was that I had not gone before to that field in the hilly area.

   Now, we did have another field close to that one in the hilly area. With which I was very familiar, and I knew how to go to it. So, my grandmother loaded a donkey with the supplies and instructed me to take them to that other field. Then I was told to prompt the donkey to go to the left, cross a dry riverbed and go up to that hill. It turned out that the donkey knew very well the way—donkeys are very intelligent animals, a fact many people are not aware of! If you prompt them to do something unsafe, they would not obey—they would not budge no matter what! They are unlike horses which rush into battle without any hesitation! And so, the wheat was harvested from that field, and the crop was saved.

   This is then the lesson for us from this little story: God’s call is urgent: BRING IN THE CROP BEFORE IT IS SPILLED AND IS TRAMPLED DOWN AND LOST. Let us then follow the Lord’s plans for our lives and be willing and obedient to serve Him fruitfully.

   MATTHEW 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

   As we are expecting the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, let our waists be girded and our lamps burning (Luke 12:35), eagerly awaiting to hear His heart-warming words:

   MATTHEW 25:21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things. ENTER INTO THE JOY OF YOUR MASTER.’

   This passage is from the parable of the talents. Jesus’ aim was to refer to the account we will all give of ourselves to Him before His Judgment Seat. Because we are righteous, God gave us talents which we need to continue using to the very end of our lives:

   “They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him’” (Psalm 92:14- 15).

   We should be filled with spiritual vitality—striving to avoid becoming “dead wood”! We cannot have two retirements—one from our job and another from serving the Lord! And let every work of ours continue being done to God’s glory—as we exclaim with the psalmist:

   “NOT TO US, O LORD, NOT TO US BUT TO YOUR NAME BE THE GLORY, because of your love and faithfulness” (Psalm 115:1)!

   ~

   Chapter 7: THE POSITION OF THE BELIEVERS IN CHRIST

   Jesus is the Name above all names. Before Him, every knee will bow; and every tongue will confess Him as Lord (Philippians 2:8–11). That includes all saved and all unsaved people. What a Name! No wonder He is depicted in Revelation 19:12 as having on His head “many crowns”. He has many names, titles, and attributes, because He won the victory over the devil through the shedding of His precious blood and His glorious resurrection. The Father was pleased to give Him all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).

   We know that He is our Savior and our Lord, but is He keeping His authority to Himself? No, He is not! In fact, He gave the believers full authority over the devil, thereby making him a defeated foe of theirs (Luke 10:19)! Still, how do the believers relate to Jesus? Is the relationship like that of a servant to a boss? Does Jesus share His attributes with the believers? The Holy Scripture is rich in answers to questions on this topic.

   In what follows, we will systematically explore these answers. Here is an exciting preview:

   “In this, love has been made complete among us, that we will have confidence on the Day of Judgment, FOR IN THIS WORLD WE ARE LIKE HIM” (1 John 4:17).

   Some people are very interested in how we will look like and what we will be doing in the world to come. And that is all right. But we are here, on earth, and there is plenty of work that we have been assigned to do. I find it very exciting that right now, in this world, I am just like Jesus! By correctly dividing the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15), we will show here that as believers WE ARE WHATEVER JESUS IS, BUT HE HAS BEEN THAT FIRST! Jesus is the Only Begotten Son of God—and the Believers are the Adopted Sons of God and the Brothers of Jesus.

   During the trial of Jesus, the Jewish leaders said,

   “...We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made himself the Son of God” (John 19:7).

   The believers are also sons of God, as we read in the following two verses:

   “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Romans 8:14). “For all of you are sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 3:26). However, Jesus is the only Begotten Son of God (John 3:18), whereas the believers are adopted sons of God (Romans 8:15):

   “For you have not received a spirit of slavery again to fear, but you have received a SPIRIT OF ADOPTION, by whom we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’”

   The fact that Jesus is the Son of God and we are also sons of God implies that the believers are brothers of Jesus. Jesus Himself said, “‘…Do not be afraid. Go and tell MY BROTHERS to go to Galilee. There they will see me’” (Matthew 28:10). We also read in Hebrews 2:12 (from a prophecy of King David in Psalm 22:22 regarding Jesus): “He says, ‘I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises.’”

   The other matter of interest here is that all the believers are brothers; this follows from the fact that they have the same Father. Indeed, they are called “brothers” throughout the NT. John 1:12 constitutes a strong statement of the fact that the believers are children of God: “And to all who received Him, to those who believe in His Name, HE GAVE THE AUTHORITY TO BECOME CHILDREN OF GOD.” He bestowed on us this authority! What a great honor!

   Jesus is the High Priest—and the Believers are Priests “...Fully understand the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus” (Hebrews 3:1).

   “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).

   And in 1 Peter 2:9 we read: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation...”

   So, as believers, we are A HOLY AND ROYAL PRIESTHOOD SERVING GOD, WITH JESUS AS THE HIGH PRIEST! This priesthood was prophesied by Isaiah some eight centuries B.C.: “And you will be called priests of the LORD, you will be named ministers of our God...” (Isaiah 61:6).

   It could be argued that the promise of priesthood to the believers is for the future, when Jesus establishes His Kingdom on earth. This is not the case, for we read in Revelation 21:22 that in the world to come, when Jesus returns, there will be no temple: “And I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” The city here is the New Jerusalem. Then Jesus will cease being the High Priest, for we will see God Almighty face-to-face—a temple will not be needed any more to offer spiritual sacrifices!

   Notice also the tense of the verb in 1 Peter 2:5 and 2:9: It is present tense—it designates something that already is a fact, not something that will happen in the future. So we presently are a holy and royal priesthood. Some people miss it because they forget to check on the tense of the verb. And what are the duties of the believers as priests?

   HEBREWS 13:15-16 Through Him, therefore, let us always offer to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well-pleased.

   In the OT, under the law of Moses, the high priest carried the blood of animals into the Holy of Holies as a sin offering, and had the bodies burned (Hebrews 13:11). In the NT we see that we are instructed to offer spiritual sacrifices to God in the form of praising Him—the fruit of our lips; we are also instructed to do good, following the example of Jesus who “...Went about doing good...” (Acts 10:38). We note that doing good is discussed in the chapter for Good Works. Presently, Jesus, as the High Priest INTERCEDES for the believers: “...Who is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us” (Romans 8:34). We also read in Hebrews 7:25, “Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, living forever to intercede for them.”

   God the Father will never deny His Son any of His requests on behalf of the believers, for the Father is well-pleased with His Son (Matthew 3:17). And the believers, as priests, intercede for others as they are instructed in 1 Timothy 2:1–5:

   “Therefore, I ask you first of all that supplications, prayers, INTERCESSIONS, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and those in authority, that we may live a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and ONE MEDIATOR between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

   Notice that, whereas Jesus intercedes for the believers, the believers intercede for other believers and for non-believers as well. Is then Jesus doing anything for the non-believers? Yes, He is: As we have just read in 1 Timothy 2:5, Jesus is the Mediator between God and men; and once they accept Him as Savior and Lord, he becomes their Intercessor! But, how about intercession by our loved ones who are with the Lord? A reference that is often cited in this regard is Hebrews 12:1-2:

   “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every weight and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith...”

   As we can see, there is no reference to intercession in this passage. On the contrary, the emphasis is on Jesus: Let us fix our spiritual eyes on Him! This brings to my memory a particular story that I heard. Two fellows were discussing this matter, and one of them asked the other: “Suppose you wanted to secure two tickets for an event that would be attended by the President of the United States. Wouldn’t you, if you could, try to do that by contacting someone who works for the President?” The other fellow answered: “Not if the President is my father!” And this is really the point: We have open access 24/7 to our Father through our Lord Jesus Christ. We don’t need and we don’t have another intercessor.

   We read in Hebrews 4:16 the following with regard to Jesus being our High Priest: “Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, in order to receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

   That is all we need to do—just approach the throne of grace boldly in the Name of Jesus! Jesus is King of Kings—and the Believers Will Reign as Kings with Him After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, wise men came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2). During His trial, He told Pilate, “...My Kingdom is not of this world...” (John 18:36). In the next verse we read, “‘Are you a king then?’ Pilate said. Jesus answered, ‘You are right in saying that I am a king. For this I have been born and for this I have come into the world, in order to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice’” (John 18:37). And in John 19:15 Pilate asked the Jews, “...Shall I crucify your king?...”

   It is clear then that Jesus came to earth as the King of the Jews. After His glorious resurrection, He was given by His Father the title of “...King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16)! It is interesting to note here that the title “King of the Jews” that Jesus possessed is consistent with His statement, “...I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). Although He came to this world to sacrifice Himself for its salvation, He restricted His earthly ministry to Israel, with only one recorded visit to the region of Tyre and Sidon in Phoenicia, North of Israel (Matthew 15:21; Mark 7:24). (Many people from these two cities also came to Israel to hear the teaching of Jesus and to be healed by Him (Mark 3:8; Luke 6:17)).

   It was Peter later on during the early stages of the Church who brought the Good News to the Gentiles—to the Roman centurion Cornelius, his relatives, and close friends at Caesarea (Acts chapter 10). Some circumcised believers were very unhappy that Peter went into the house of uncircumcised men and actually ate with them. After Peter explained to them that the Holy Spirit came upon those Gentiles too, all objections were put to rest. We see then how the emphasis shifted in the teaching of the Good News as the audience changed from the Jews, who were under the Law of Moses, to the Gentiles, who were not under that Law. The shift was also from being a circumcised Jew to receiving the Holy Spirit. During the earthly ministry of Jesus, not even one believer received the Holy Spirit; the 11 disciples of Jesus received the Holy Spirit after His resurrection (John 20:21, 22). And the filling with the Holy Spirit (also called baptism in the Holy Spirit) took place on the day of Pentecost (Acts chapter 2).

   The other apostle who brought the Word of God to the nations (or Gentiles) was Paul, who was previously called Saul. He had a rocky start after his conversion that took place on his way to Damascus: The Jews wanted him dead, and so the believers sent him off to Tarsus, his hometown. Later on, Paul undertook three missionary journeys (the first one with the Apostle Barnabas) and preached God’s Word in Cyprus, Western Asia Minor (present Western Turkey), Macedonia, Greece, and Rome. He was truly the Apostle of the nations!

   So far we have established that Jesus came to earth as the “King of the Jews”, and, following His victory over the devil, is currently the “King of kings and Lord of lords.” What is then the rank of the believers? Our first reference is Revelation 5:10:

   “And you made them KINGS AND PRIESTS TO OUR GOD, AND THEY WILL REIGN ON THE EARTH.”

   Here, “you” refers to Jesus, and “them” refers to the believers. We go next to Revelation 22:5, “And there will be no night anymore, and no need of a lamp or light of the sun, for the Lord God will illuminate them, AND THEY WILL REIGN AS KINGS for ever and ever.” Again, here “them” and “they” refer to the believers.

   The third reference is 2 Timothy 2:12, “If we endure, WE WILL REIGN AS KINGS JOINTLY WITH HIM...” Here, “we” refers to the believers, and “HIM” refers to JESUS. These references make it clear that we the believers will reign as kings jointly with the Lord Jesus Christ.

   Jesus is the Heir to the Kingdom of God—and the Believers are Joint Heirs with Him “In the past God having spoken to our fathers through the prophets at many times and in many ways, in these last days he has spoken to us through HIS SON, WHOM HE APPOINTED HEIR OF ALL THINGS, and through whom he also made the Universe” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

   So, the Father has given His Son everything He has—He made Him His heir! The Father did that because He is very pleased with His Son: Upon completion of Jesus’ baptism, He came out of the Jordan, “And behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased.’” Matthew 3:17

   With regard to the believers, Galatians 3:29 says, “And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and HEIRS ACCORDING TO THE PROMISE.”

   Furthermore, “So that having become righteous by his grace, WE MAY BECOME HEIRS HAVING THE HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE” (Titus 3:7).

   And so this analysis reaches here its highest point: “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if we are children, then WE ARE HEIRS, HEIRS OF GOD AND JOINT HEIRS WITH CHRIST, if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also share in his glory” (Romans 8:16-17).

   I just love the 8th chapter of Romans; don’t you? It is full of God’s power! Allow me here to relate a little story. Some years back, I recall that we were invited with my wife to a wedding in a major city. We drove some eight hours to it and parked at the hotel where we were staying. From there, it was a short walk, about ten minutes, to the church where the wedding ceremony was to take place. As we started walking, I noticed a young man, whom I knew well, also walking toward that church. All of a sudden, I was strongly prompted by the Holy Spirit to talk to him about the riches that are in the 8th chapter of the Letter to the Romans; this was an unusual prompting for me, but I followed it without any hesitation.

   Immediately, I started excitedly to explain to him the different themes in that Romans 8 chapter: There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (verse 1); those who are led by the Holy Spirit are sons of God (verse 14); the Holy Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (verse 16); nature is eagerly waiting for the sons of God to be revealed (verse 19); all things work together for good to those who love God (verse 28); those He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers (verse 29); we are more than conquerors in everything (verse 37); and nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (verses 38 and 39). The young man listened politely, smiled and nodded several times but did not say anything. However, regardless of his response, the seed was sowed—and we know that the Word of God is imperishable and lives forever (1 Peter 1:23)!

   Returning to our main theme, Jesus is the heir and we the believers are joint heirs with Him. And what are we inheriting? The Kingdom of God, of course! We will see the face of God, we will live in His very own presence, He will illuminate us—He will make His face shine upon us—and we will reign forever as kings (Revelation 22:4-5). And every believer will hear Jesus say to him, “…Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. ENTER THE JOY OF YOUR MASTER” (Matthew 25:21). Yes, he will put us in charge of many things! We will keep very busy serving and praising the Lord for ever and ever!

   Jesus Came to Earth Representing the Father—and the Believers Represent Jesus as His Ambassadors “The next day the great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting ‘Hosanna’, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, THE KING OF ISRAEL!’ Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it, as it is written: ‘Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming seating on a donkey’s colt’” (John 12:12–15).

   So, Jesus, the King of Israel, came in the Name of the Lord, that is, He came representing God the Father. But, why did God the Father send a representative? Why didn’t God Himself come to earth? This, in effect, is what Philip, a disciple of Jesus, asked Him as we read in John 14:8:

   “Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.’” Jesus answered in the next verse that “...Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father...”

   —thereby confirming that He came as the representative of the Father, and that He and the Father are One. The Father could not come to earth because of two reasons: First, we know that the redemptive ministry of Jesus was carried out through the shedding of His precious blood:

   “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, AND THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST, HIS SON, CLEANSES US FROM EVERY SIN” (1 John 1:7).

   So, had the Father taken up the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ, the Father would have to offer His own blood, which is impossible! The second reason the Father could not come to us is that He is all Holy: No human being can see Him and remain alive (Exodus 33:20). This is the reason God commanded Moses to keep all the Israelites and all the animals away from Mount Sinai when God descended on it in order to give Moses the Ten Commandments.

   And Jesus came as a Man, because it was through a man, Adam, that sin came to this world, and it took another Man to bring to us the victory over sin and over its originator, the devil. He became poor although He was rich, so that we may become rich through his poverty (2 Corinthians 8:9). He emptied Himself of all glory, came in the form of a humble servant, and became obedient unto death—even death on a cross! Because of this, God gave Him a Name which is above all names, so that everything in the Universe will bow before Him and confess Him as Lord to the glory of His Father (Philippians 2:7–11).

   Jesus then came representing His Father to prepare the way for the restoration of the Kingdom of God on the earth. And what role do the believers play in this? We find the answer in the following verse:

   2 CORINTHIANS 5:20 WE ARE THEREFORE AMBASSADORS OF CHRIST as though God were pleading through us: We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

   Ever since the fall of the human race in the Garden of Eden, men are born AS ENEMIES OF GOD. He is appealing to them to be reconciled to Him and to return to Him: “Who wants all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).

   We read in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32) that his father saw him while he was a great distance off. He then ran and embraced him and kissed him. God is eagerly waiting for all unsaved people to return to Him, and He sends believers as His emissaries—His agents or ambassadors—to minister to them. God views this mission as a partnership and honors the workers highly by calling them His co-workers (1 Corinthians 3:9).

   The primary mission of the ambassadors of Jesus Christ, as we have just seen above in 2 Corinthians 5:20, is to preach to the unsaved the Good News, and plead with them to stop being enemies of God and to become friends of God through Jesus Christ. The Bible says that an unsaved man comes to Christ through hearing the Word of God. The ambassador proclaims the Word, and the unsaved believes into salvation through conviction by the Holy Spirit.

   The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 10:17, “Therefore, faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the spoken word of God.”

   And Jesus Christ said, “It is written in the Prophets, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who hears the Father and learns from him comes to me” (John 6:45). We are commanded: “Preach the word, be prepared in season and out of season...” (2 Timothy 4:2).

   We need then to be ready to serve the Lord not only in situations that appear suitable, such as in church or during a Bible study session, but also in other situations that appear unsuitable, as the Holy Spirit moves. I have noticed that, when I proclaim the Word of God at an inopportune time, often the Holy Spirit in me rejoices; this is what Paul referred to in 2 Timothy 1:6 as FANNING INTO GLOW THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!

   The United States is represented in virtually every foreign country in the world by an ambassador. When the ambassador discusses with the government of the country, to which he has been sent, matters of mutual interest, he does not say, “This is my position on this matter.” On the contrary, he says, “This is the position of my government.” Also, if our ambassador does not do his homework on the matter under discussion, not much progress would be made in those talks. He would say, “Sorry, but I am not sure what the position of my government is on this matter.” By analogy, the ambassador of Christ ought to stay close to God and feed on His Word, so that he would represent Jesus in an accurate and informative way. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 provides very useful instruction on this matter: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is beneficial for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God MAY BE PERFECT, THOROUGHLY EQUIPPED for every good work.”

   Here are some additional matters that pertain to ambassadorships:

   An ambassador puts the interests of the country he represents first, not his own interests. An ambassador of Jesus Christ ought to act in a similar manner for he is an agent of Christ. Philippians 2:21 brings this matter to our attention:

   “For everyone seeks his own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.” Let us therefore put His interests first, for every one of us must appear before His awesome Judgment Seat to give an account of his life to Him (Romans 14:10).

   As we saw earlier, we will then hear Him say to us, “...Well done good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21).

   Ambassadors do not run for office—they are chosen. Jesus said to his disciples: You did not choose me but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit...” (John 15:16). They are chosen and appointed at His pleasure—for He is the “...King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16)!

   Ambassadors are vested with full authority by their governments. And so are the ambassadors of Christ—they are fully authorized by Christ:

   “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and on all the force of the enemy, and nothing will harm you” (Luke 10:19).

   The enemy, of course, is the devil. We trample on all his ability and authority, and there is nothing he can do about it! We need to say this to the devil, and to claim all the power that has been given to us by our King! Any disrespect or insult against an ambassador is disrespect or insult against his government. Similarly, any inappropriate behavior toward an ambassador of Christ reflects directly on Christ. Romans 12:19 tells us how to handle such a situation:

   “Do not take revenge, beloved, but leave place for [God’s] wrath, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.”

   We ought to leave such a matter to God. We are citizens of His Kingdom, and He will take care of us, for we are His. We must not become offended, or resentful, or bitter, for such emotions—especially bitterness—would defile us (Hebrews 12:15).

   An apt example of insult and its consequences is an incident that involved King David. The king of the Ammonites died, and David sent a delegation to the king’s son, the new king, to express his sympathy. However, the king got bad advice from his advisers who considered David’s delegates to be spies. So, he shaved off half of each man’s beard and cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks, and sent them away. When David was informed of this mistreatment, he took it as a personal humiliation. He attacked the Ammonites with his entire army and defeated them. This incident is recorded in 2 Samuel, chapter 10.

   Jesus is the Firstborn from the Dead—and the Believers are Born-Again from the Dead

   COLOSSIANS 1:18 And he is the head of the body, of the Church; he is the beginning, THE FIRSTBORN FROM THE DEAD, so that he may become the first in everything.

   REVELATION 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, THE FIRSTBORN FROM THE DEAD, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and washed us from our sins in his blood. “THE FIRSTBORN FROM THE DEAD”: This is a surprising expression! In the Greek original, the word for “firstborn” is πρωτότοκος: Πρῶτος means “first”, and τόκος is from the verb τίκτω, which means to “give birth to”. Notice that it does not say “first-resurrected”—but it says “firstborn”.

   Now, let us see what actually happened at the cross:

   2 CORINTHIANS 5:21 For [God] made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that we may become the righteousness of God in Him.

   GALATIANS 3:13 Christ bought us up from the curse of the law, by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’

   MATTHEW 27:46 And at about the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, Lima sabachthani?’, that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’

   So, we see that Jesus not only took on Himself our sins, but He actually BECAME SIN FOR US. Now, this is extremely remarkable! The spirit of the only Begotten Son of God was saturated with my sins, your sins, and the sins of the whole world. Imagine the most appalling sin that a person committed or may commit: Even that sin was put on the spirit of Jesus! In addition, Jesus became a curse for us: Curses were punishments for disobeying God’s commands (Deuteronomy 28:15–68). And finally, even His own Father forsook Him! In effect then, God turned His Face away from Jesus because, being such a Holy God, He couldn’t look at Jesus who at that moment personified sin. God promised those who acknowledge Him that “...I will not leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5)—and His faithfulness endures forever (Psalm 117:2); and yet, he forsook His only Begotten Son, because He had become sin.

   I often pray to God to make His Face shine upon me—for were He to turn His Face away from me I would be dismayed. Imagine then the suffering of Jesus at that moment! We interpret then the expression “firstborn from the dead” as follows: When Jesus died physically, His Spirit, which was saturated with sin, was born-again by the action of the Holy Spirit. The Bible refers to the rebirth of the Spirit of Jesus in 1 Peter 3:18-19:

   “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit; through which also he went and preached to the spirits in prison.”

   We note here that both the NKJV and the NIV write in verse 18 “Spirit” that refers to the Holy Spirit; however, the Greek original text writes “spirit” that refers to the spirit of Christ. It is clear from the Greek text that in this verse a contrast is being drawn between the flesh and the spirit of Jesus. Jesus was the first to be born-again in the spirit, for He is first in everything! After that, everyone who accepts Him as Savior and Lord becomes born in the spirit—born-again—and joins His Family. Interestingly, no one was saved during the earthly ministry of Jesus; we discuss this matter in the chapter on Good Works.

   The following two verses pertain to the spiritual rebirth:

   “...I tell you the truth, if someone is not born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3); that was Jesus speaking to Nicodemus, Israel’s teacher (verse 10), who was bewildered hearing Jesus speak on the new birth.

   Also, the Apostle Peter writes, “You have been born-again not of perishable seed but imperishable, through the living word of God that remains forever” (1 Peter 1:23).

   Jesus is the Bridegroom—The Believers are His Bride-To-Be Jesus Christ as Bridegroom does not appear to be a very popular subject of discussion. But the Bible does talk about it. There is a passage about it that is recorded in all three synoptic Gospels: Matthew 9:14-15; Mark 2:18–20; and Luke 5:33–35. Here is the account of Matthew:

   MATTHEW 9:14-15 then the disciples of John came to him and said, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.’

   John the Baptist also referred to Jesus as the Bridegroom (John 3:29-30). It is clear then that Jesus is the Bridegroom. This brings up the question, “And who is the bride?” For there cannot be a bridegroom without a bride! In fact, in Greek, “bridegroom” is νυμφίος and “bride” is νύμφη—both words have the same origin. We get the answer to this question from the Book of Revelation:

   REVELATION 21:1-2 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no more sea. And I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

   REVELATION 21:9–11 And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke to me and said, ‘COME, I WILL SHOW YOU THE BRIDE, THE WIFE OF THE LAMB.’ And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Its brilliance was like that of a very precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.

   So, the bride of the Lamb will be the New Jerusalem. Presently, the New Jerusalem is being filled up with believers. Jesus said, “In my Father’s house there are many places of residence; if it were not so, I would have told you. I GO THERE TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and receive you to Myself, so that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3).

   When the New Jerusalem is filled to capacity with believers, it will come down to earth. We read in Revelation 19:7-8: “Let us be glad and rejoice and give him glory, for the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear, FOR FINE LINEN REPRESENTS THE RIGHTEOUS ACTS OF THE SAINTS.”

   The Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, will present to His Father the believers—the “saints”—whom He washed in His precious blood and rendered righteous: They are called righteous because they have the right standing before the Father. And the Father, being well-pleased with His Son, will marry Him to the believers: They will then become His Bride, both individually and collectively. That will be the most majestic wedding that has ever taken place—appropriate for the “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16)! And what a joyous supper that will be! Blessed are those who will be invited to it (Revelation 19:9)!

   So far, we have established that Jesus is the Bridegroom, and that he will get married to the believers upon His return to earth. This event will take place in the future. But, what is the present status of the believers? 2 Corinthians 11:2 answers this question:

   “I am jealous for you with God’s jealousy, because I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I may present you as a pure virgin to him.”

   And how is that promise made? It is made through the Holy Spirit who is given to the believers as a deposit guaranteeing their upcoming final union with Jesus Christ—their wedding; the following three passages establish this fact:

   EPHESIANS 1:13-14 In whom you also were included after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. In whom having believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, WHO IS A DEPOSIT GUARANTEEING OUR INHERITANCE until the liberation of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

   2 CORINTHIANS 1:22 Who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts AS A DEPOSIT.

   2 CORINTHIANS 5:5 Now it is God who also has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit AS A DEPOSIT.

   The Greek word which is translated in the above three passages as “deposit” is ἀρραβών; another word for it is “earnest”, which according to the Webster’s Dictionary is “anything which gives assurance, pledge, promise or indication of what is to follow.” So, God gave us His Holy Spirit to seal us as being His own—to set us apart and mark us as members of His Family. That way, the Salvation Plan was established. God accepted our declaration that we changed camps—we denounced citizenship in the kingdom of the devil and accepted citizenship in His Kingdom; and He promised us union with Christ—a glorious wedding (Revelation 21:9, 10)!

   It is interesting to note that ἀρραβών in Modern Greek means the engagement ring the young man gives to the young woman to promise her that in due time he will marry her. So, we can then say that God gave us His Holy Spirit as the engagement ring—we are presently engaged to the Lord Jesus Christ! Before concluding this section, there are some matters which we need to address regarding the passage of Matthew 9:14–17, part of which we quoted at the start of this section. In verse 15 Jesus stated that He is the Bridegroom. We proceeded then and discussed this statement in connection with the believers. Let us first quote this passage in its entirety:

   MATTHEW 9:14–17 Then the disciples of John came to him and said, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, and the tear will be made worse. Nor do they pour wine into old wineskins, or otherwise the wineskins will burst, the wine will be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved…’

   So then, what is the connection among these matters—patching up old garments and storing wine in old wineskins, and frequent fasting? Jesus was telling them that the old system for salvation, which was based on keeping the Law of Moses and involved more than 500 regulations and rituals they had to follow in order to please God, was done away with. This is a new era! “Jesus replied and said to him, ‘I tell you the truth, if someone is not born from above, he would not be able to see the Kingdom of God’” (John 3:3). In order for a man to be able to see the Kingdom of God, he must be born again—his spirit must be regenerated and become new; otherwise, he would remain spiritually blind, and thus not able to see.

   Thus, man becomes a new creation, as we also read in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW CREATION. THE OLD THINGS HAVE PASSED AWAY, BEHOLD, EVERYTHING HAS BECOME NEW.”

   Obeying the Law and making changes to their rituals, such as more frequent fasting, wouldn’t do it; in fact it would ruin it, because it would give a false hope of salvation, for fasting is not intended to please God but to subdue the desires of our flesh. Similarly, putting new wine into old wineskins would ruin them and spill the wine—combining the grace of God with the legalism of the Law is not possible. Here is an example: A major question the early Church faced was whether circumcision was necessary for salvation. After considerable discussion, the Apostle Paul went so far to say that whoever is circumcised puts himself under the old system for salvation, and therefore he has fallen from grace (Galatians 5:1–12).

   Jesus Considers the Believers to be His Friends

   JOHN 15:14-15 YOU ARE MY FRIENDS if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any more, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; rather, I called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I heard from my Father.

   It certainly is a great honor to be called a friend of Jesus! Note, however, that being a friend of Jesus is conditional upon serving Him. In fact, a number of verses earlier in that same chapter (John 15:1-2) we are warned that a fruitless man, like a fruitless branch of the vine—Jesus—is in danger of being cut off. In the OT, the only person who was called the friend of God was Abraham.

   “And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness,’ and he was called a friend of God” (James 2:23).

   We see then that Abraham did serve God by believing in Him: He was even willing to sacrifice Isaac, his only son. Abraham is called the father of all those who come to God by faith (Romans 4:11). In Greek, “friend” is φίλος, and the corresponding verb is φιλῶ (-έω), which means to love. This type of love, however, is not the spiritual love, ἀγάπη—agape—but rather the love associated with friendship: Let us call it “friendship-love”. The love referred to in John 16:27 is this kind of love:

   “For the Father himself loves you because, you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.”

   And we know that God loves us with agape also: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

   In this regard, there is an interesting incident that happened involving Jesus and Peter. Jesus, using agape, asked Peter twice if he loves Him more than the other disciples did. Twice Peter answered and said that he did love Him—but Peter used friendship-love in his answers. Finally, Jesus, seeing that Peter could not relate to agape, repeated again the question by using friendship-love—and Peter answered again in the affirmative (see John 21:15–19). Peter did not know agape because he had not yet received the Holy Spirit who is the Giver of love: “...For the agape of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit whom he has given us” (Romans 5:5). Peter did receive the Holy Spirit later on from the resurrected Christ (John 20:22) and he was filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2)—and that set him afire! Praise be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and forevermore!

   Jesus has been Given All Authority in Heaven and on Earth—and The Believers are More Than Conquerors

   We saw in the beginning of this chapter that Jesus said, “...All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). Paul, in Ephesians 1:19–23, captured beautifully the essence of this “authority”:

   “And what is the exceeding magnitude of his force for us who believe according to the working of the might of his power, which he energized in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, above every principality and authority and force and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the future one. And he subjected all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”

   Jesus Christ has been given A NAME THAT IS ABOVE ALL NAMES, so that every knee in the Universe will bow before Him, and every tongue will confess Him as Lord to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9–11).

   Jesus gave to His disciples and, by extension, to every believer full authority over the devil: “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the force of the enemy, and nothing will harm you” (Luke 10:19). With such a sweeping authority, the believers can conquer all the strongholds of the devil—the defeated foe!

   “But in all these things WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

   We have discussed the authority of the believer in the chapter on Divine Healing. Here, let us quote John 14:12:

   “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also, and greater works than these he will do, for I am going to my Father.”

   Jesus meant that, unless He ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit would not come to earth. Now, the “greater works” Jesus spoke about refer to salvation, which no one obtained during the ministry of Jesus on earth. We are, indeed, highly honored to be “co-workers” of God in the soul-winning mission of ours (1 Corinthians 3:9-10)! Jesus is the Light of the World—and the Believers are the Light of the World also.

   Before Jesus came to earth, the only nation to which God had revealed Himself was Israel. However, even the Israelites were rebellious and stiff-necked. Jesus came to do away with the spiritual darkness that prevailed in the world. Isaiah prophesied about this:

   ISAIAH 42:6-7 I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people AND A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

   So, what happened? Was this prophecy of Isaiah fulfilled? It most certainly was fulfilled:

   JOHN 8:12 Then Jesus spoke again to them saying: ‘I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD; whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of Life.’

   And what about the believers? Do they have a role to play in this illumination? They most certainly have:

   MATTHEW 5:14–16 You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

   We also read in PHILIPPIANS 2:15 So that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like STARS in the world.

   The word which is translated here as “stars” is φωστῆρες. Interestingly, in Modern Greek this word metaphorically means someone who is highly learned: Being so, he would radiate plenty of light—knowledge. We shine like stars; but, unlike Jesus who is like the sun having its own light, we are like the planets in our solar system which receive their light from the sun! We see then that we must not keep the light to ourselves but, like stars, use it to illuminate the world; we further see that this should be done through good works. As we have seen in the chapter on Good Works, God has prepared good works for us to do in our lives. And he wants to fulfill His purpose for our lives.

   The Believers are Members of the Body of Jesus, have His Spirit and His Mind and are His Aroma to God

   EPHESIANS 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones.

   1 CORINTHIANS 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

   So, the sum of all believers constitutes the Body of Christ, the Church. And every individual believer is part of His Body. There is one Body with many members, just like our bodies have many parts. And like different parts of our bodies have different functions, so do the different members of the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12–31).

   ROMANS 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him. The Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of God the Father and dwells in the spirit of all believers, represents the Spirit of Christ.

   Christ dwells in the spirit of every believer.

   1 CORINTHIANS 2:16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But WE HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST.

   This means that we ought to think like Jesus thinks. And how did Jesus think when He was here on earth? Well, He was willing and obedient—even unto death on a cross—to carry out the plan His Father had prepared for Him. And so we ought to work toward advancing the cause of Jesus, which is for the Kingdom of God to come and for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven (as we say in the Lord’s prayer).

   2 CORINTHIANS 2:15 For WE ARE TO GOD THE AROMA OF CHRIST among those who are being saved and among those who are being lost. With our behavior and actions, are we then generating a spiritual atmosphere conducive to edification of other believers and to salvation of unsaved ones? Or have we conformed to the world with its spiritual misery?

   In the introduction to this chapter, we referred to 1 John 4:17. It is instructive to quote it again here: “In this, love has been made complete among us, that we will have confidence on the Day of Judgment, FOR IN THIS WORLD WE ARE LIKE HIM.” This statement is reinforced by 2 Timothy 2:13: “If we are faithless, he remains faithful; HE CANNOT DISOWN HIMSELF.” There is no doubt then that the believers ARE EXACTLY LIKE JESUS! The tense of the verb is present, not future: It is so now—when God looks at us He sees Jesus!

   In this chapter, we have discussed all the different attributes of Jesus, and have seen that whatever Jesus is, the believers are also, but with one stipulation: JESUS HAS BEEN AND ALWAYS IS FIRST IN EVERYTHING: “And he is the head of the Body, of the Church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he may become THE FIRST IN EVERYTHING” (Colossians 1:18).

   Let us have a quick look at the different attributes of the believers as they relate to Jesus. The Believers Are: Adopted Sons of God, Brothers of His—He is the Only Begotten Son of God. Priests—He Presently is the High Priest Future Kings—He is King of Kings Joint Heirs with Him to the Kingdom of God His Ambassadors—He came to Earth representing God the Father Born-Again from the Dead—He is the Firstborn from the Dead His Bride-To-Be—He is the Bridegroom Friends of Him More Than Conquerors—He has been given All Authority in Heaven and on Earth The Light of the World—He is that also Members of His Body His Aroma to God The Believers Also Have: His Spirit His Mind.

   In view of these great attributes of the believers, the Father loves them so much that He promised them His Kingdom: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is well-pleased to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32). This promise is guaranteed by the faithfulness of the Father—that reaches to the skies (Psalm 57:10). At the present time, in this life, God has already highly honored the believers by seating them with Christ in heaven:

   “And he raised us up with Christ Jesus and seated us with him in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6).

   The sad thing is that the Body of Christ, the Church, has claimed only a very small fraction of what God has prepared for us and wants us to have in this life. God commands us to stop being ignorant of our rights and privileges, for otherwise our fruitfulness will continue to be very low, yielding a little fruit here and a little fruit there. Fruitfulness is not optional: God created us for good works which He prepared, before He even made us, for us to do in our lives (Ephesians 2:10). We have been warned that unfruitful branches of the Vine—Jesus Christ—will face a severe penalty: They will be cut off from the Vine (John 15:2)!

   In Summary

   Every born again believer is as Jesus is in this world. The redemptive work on the cross gave us all identity of Jesus as well as His benefits. It is the calling of God for us to enlighten the world and show them who Jesus is. There is a plan of God that reaches to eternity for each believer. The future for all Christians is bigger than we can imagine!

   Chapter 8: PROSPERITY

   Nowadays, “prosperity” is a very controversial concept. There are some whose ministry places emphasis on money and again on money. But God is not and must not be treated as a money machine! The prayer the Lord Jesus taught His disciples does not mention money: It just asks for our daily bread. But it does state what our mission is here on earth—to promote the coming of the Kingdom of God and the following of His will on earth as it is in heaven. Is prosperity then not a part of God's plan for us? And can a rich man be saved? The answers to questions such as these greatly impact the life of man on earth. The well-being of whole nations, many millions of people, is seriously impaired because of their distorted thinking on wealth and its acquisition. This is a fulfillment of the prophecy we read in Hosea 4:14:

   “A people without understanding will come to ruin!”

   In this chapter, we address these matters by correctly dividing God's Word (2 Timothy 2:15), and then appropriating and synthesizing so that a clear picture emerges through the guidance of the Lord the Holy Spirit, the Head Teacher. The roots of Christian faith lie in the OT.

   Let us then look first at the promises of God regarding our subject of prosperity under the Law of Moses. Our first reference is from Deuteronomy (Greek Δευτερονόμιον), where Moses explained for the second (Greek Δεύτερος) time the Law (Greek Νόμος) to the Israelites:

   DEUTERONOMY 28:3–13 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land He is giving you. The LORD will establish you as His holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. THE LORD WILL GRANT YOU ABUNDANT PROSPERITY—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you. The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. YOU WILL LEND TO MANY NATIONS BUT WILL BORROW FROM NONE. THE LORD WILL MAKE YOU THE HEAD, NOT THE TAIL. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE AT THE TOP, NEVER AT THE BOTTOM.

   These are all great promises. Coming, as I do, from a farming family, I am also touched by the promise of blessing the barns and the kneading trough. I love homemade bread—my late mother baked very good bread, and so does my wife; my body demands it every day—its daily bread! We would have with my wife a great dinner at some friends' house or at a restaurant, and often the first thing I would do when we return home would be to go to our kitchen and have some slices of bread. I attempt to hide this from my wife, but I am usually caught and instructed to have more food next time so that I would not need the bread! Nevertheless, she makes sure that our homemade bread supply is continuous throughout the year! Now, that is a blessing from the Lord, for as we will recall,

   “Every good and perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of lights, for Whom there is no variableness or a shadow of a turn” (James 1:17).

   In the book of Joshua we find more promises:

   JOSHUA 1:7-8 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, that you may be careful to do everything written in it. THEN YOU WILL BE PROSPEROUS AND SUCCESSFUL.

   And to whom did God make all these promises that are mentioned in the above two passages? To the Israelites, who repeatedly violated the Covenant they had made with God, so that He ultimately revoked it (Jeremiah 31:31), and replaced it with a better Covenant THAT IS FOUNDED ON BETTER PROMISES (Hebrews 8:6): Yes, it is the New Testament (NT), that is not written with the blood of bulls and goats, as the Old Testament (OT) was, but with the precious Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ! As a result, God honored us the believers highly,

   “And he raised us up with Christ Jesus and seated us with Him in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 2:6).

   We discuss in detail the attributes of the believers in relation to those of Jesus in another chapter. We briefly mention them here:

   The Believers Are:

   Adopted Sons of God,

   Brothers Of His—He Is The Only Begotten Son Of God

   Priests—He Presently Is The High Priest Future Kings—He Is King Of Kings

   Joint Heirs With Him To The Kingdom Of God

   His Ambassadors—He Came To Earth Representing God The Father

   Born-Again From The Dead—He Is The Firstborn From The Dead

   His Bride-To-Be—He Is The Bridegroom

   Friends Of Him

   More Than Conquerors—He Has Been Given All Authority In Heaven And On Earth

   The Light Of The World—He Is That

   Members Of His Body

   His Aroma To God

   The Believers Also Have: His Spirit & His Mind

   Since the NT is based on better promises than the OT, and the believers in Christ have all these wonderful attributes whereas the Israelites were mere servants of God, the blessings for the believers should be indescribable! And indeed they are:

   “But as it is written, ‘Eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love him’” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

   Let us listen to the Master as He reassures us of the promises of His Father to us:

   MATTHEW 6:25–34 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or gather in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? And why do you worry about clothes? Take a lesson from the lilies of the field how they grow; they do not toil or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was dressed like one of them. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. BUT SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE ADDED UNTO YOU. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

   Each day has sufficient trouble of its own. Jesus has explained very clearly in this passage how benevolent our Father is. He will provide for us everything as we follow His plan for our life and walk in His ways, trusting in Him with all our heart (Proverbs 3:5). We ought to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; this must be our focus. Righteousness is the right standing before God; we achieve it through being washed with the precious Blood of Jesus Christ. We recite in church every Sunday the verse from the Lord’s Prayer that says, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

   Our mission then is the restoration of the Kingdom of God and of the following of His will on earth. The Kingdom of God was here on earth, but we lost it because our ancestors, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God and committed high treason.

   HEBREWS 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, for everyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that HE RECOMPENSES THOSE WHO EARNESTLY SEEK HIM.

   The word, which we translate here as “recompenses”, in the Greek original is μισθαποδότης: It is from μισθός, which means “wages”, and the verb ἀποδίδωμι, which means “TO RENDER WHAT IS DUE.” The NKJV and the NIV translate μισθαποδότης in terms of “rewarder” and “rewards”, respectively. We see that the proper rendering, which we have introduced here, helps us to clearly see how much God values our work—He actually pays us what is due us. And He honors us by calling us His co-workers (1 Corinthians 3:9). In fact, He created us in Jesus Christ for good works, which He prepared in advance for us to do in our lives (Ephesians 2:10).

   God does not just give us a reward: Instead, He pays us—HE RECOMPENSES US. However, there is a large accumulation of PAYCHECKS WAITING TO BE PICKED UP—THEIR OWNERS WOULD NOT CLAIM THEM! They don’t know that they are due a pay. This reminds us of a similar situation with the IRS: It has a large number of refund checks that cannot be delivered to their rightful owners because of incomplete or missing addresses. Only, in the case of the believers, the problem is not with the addresses but with incomplete and plainly wrong ideas that unfortunately some preachers have taught them about prosperity. If they continue being ignorant and misinformed, God will give their paychecks to other believers who have full knowledge—Greek ἐπίγνωσις—of God and of His blessings; furthermore, they are willing to put them to work, thereby advancing the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ.

   By analogy, in the parable of the talents, this is what the master did with the talent of the fellow who hid it in the ground: It was taken from him and was given to the other fellow, who had put his five talents to work and gained five more (Matthew 25:14–30).

   GOD’S PROMISES ARE CONDITIONAL: “If you…, then you will receive…” Let us see then what it takes to claim what is rightfully ours:

   1 TIMOTHY 4:8 For physical exercise benefits a little, BUT GODLINESS IS BENEFICIAL IN EVERYTHING, holding promises for both the present life and for the future life.

   We first notice that the promises of godliness are both for now and for the world to come. Furthermore, the benefits are FOR EVERYTHING. They include spiritual benefits—we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit as a deposit, who has granted us the title of sons of God and the promise of eternal life. Moreover, they include physical benefits—we have been blessed with healthy bodies and minds. They also include financial benefits. The benefits are boundless—they are beyond our imagination. The passage of 1 Corinthians 2:9, which we quoted earlier in this chapter, is also pertinent here:

   “But as it is written, ‘Eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him.’”

   Now, what is godliness? Being godly is defined by the Webster’s Dictionary as “devoutly conforming to the will of God.” You see, godly does not just mean to follow a moral code—such as the Ten Commandments. The true meaning includes walking in God’s will for our lives and working for Him. He has a plan for the life of every believer, which He prepared before the believer was even born (Ephesians 2:10).

   PSALM 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; NO GOOD THING DOES HE WITHHOLD FROM THOSE WHOSE WALK IS BLAMELESS.

   We see again that walking in God’s way opens the storehouse of God, and we are showered with all of His blessings. He honors us, and we find favor in His majestic eyes.

   2 CHRONICLES 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him…

   When our hearts are right toward God, we receive strength from Him. And we need the help of God constantly because we are marked men: The devil constantly devises plans against us.

   ISAIAH 1:19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land.

   Serving God carries the promise of having the best blessings! God has a plan for us, and we need to act according to it and to carry it out. Jesus Christ gave us the supreme example of obedience:

   He was obedient unto death, even death on a cross. And as a result, God gave Him a highly exalted name, so that every knee will bow before Him and every tongue will confess Him as Lord for the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:8–11).

   PSALM 37:4 DELIGHT YOURSELF IN THE LORD AND HE WILL GIVE YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART.

   And how do we delight in the Lord? We do that by loving Him. And how should we love Him? We find the answer in Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, and Luke 10:27. Luke’s account reads as follows:

   “He answered and said, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your power and with all your mind, and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

   A note regarding “power”: The Greek word is ἰσχύς. (In the NKJV and the NIV, it is translated as “strength”.) In Physics, one multiplies the power of a man with the time interval during which he applies his power, in order to calculate the work that he does. We recall that God created us to work for Him (Ephesians 2:10). And regarding the “soul”, in the Greek original it is ψυχή which means “life”.

   The passage of Luke 10:27 then commands us to *LOVE THE LORD WITH ALL OUR HEART, LIFE, POWER, AND MIND—*THAT IS, WITH ALL OUR BEING!

   Now, when a young man is in love with a young woman, he is very emotional about it. He is overwhelmed with his feelings for her, and he is willing to do anything to please her. One wonders then why so many believers exhibit complete lack of emotion in their worship of God. Such love appears to be of the intellectual kind—coming from the mind, not from the heart. Are we not commanded to “Praise Him with tambourine and dancing…?” (Psalm 150:4).

   We read also in 2 Samuel 6:12–23 that during the ceremony of bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, King David disrobed and danced before the LORD with all his might. His wife Michal, a daughter of the deposed King Saul, despised him in her heart for that; as a result, God closed up her womb and she ultimately died childless—something that was considered disgraceful. In many places in the OT, especially in the Psalms, we find the expression “SHOUT FOR JOY”. Also, in many places in the NT we are urged to be filled with joy. Here are some examples:

   “But I am coming to you now, and I am saying these things in the world so that THEY MAY HAVE MY JOY IN ITS FULLNESS IN THEM” (John 17:13).

   “REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS, AGAIN I WILL SAY: REJOICE!” (Philippians 4:4).

   “Whom you love although you have not seen him, in whom you believe and ARE LEAPING WITH JOY WHICH IS INEXPRESSIBLE AND GLORIOUS although you do not see him now” (1 Peter 1:8).

   We need to be careful here so that there can be no misunderstandings. We are not saying that our actions should be governed by feelings. Certainly not! If we were to do that, then we would be walking according to the flesh, which is not Scriptural. Feelings do come from the flesh, but the flesh needs to obey our minds that are being renewed (Romans 12:2). Here, we have been expounding on how to delight ourselves in the Lord. Let us now continue with the larger theme that addresses what it takes to claim what is rightfully ours.

   LUKE 18:28–30 Then Peter said, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” And he said to them, “Truly I say to you, that there is no one who has left home or parents or brothers or wife or children for the sake of the Kingdom of God, who will not receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”

   Whoever puts Christ first in his life, will be paid back many times more than what cost him in advancing the Kingdom of God; actually, Matthew 19:29 and Mark 10:30, instead of “many times as much,” write “one hundred times as much.” What a great promise! It is noteworthy that this promise not only applies to the life to come but IT ALSO APPLIES TO THE PRESENT LIFE.

   I wonder how those who reject prosperity for this life can accommodate these words of Jesus Christ! For we know that “No spoken word of God will lose its force” (Luke 1:37).

   EPHESIANS 3:20-21 And to the One who can do much more than we ask or think according to the force that is being energized in us, to Him be the glory in the church through Christ Jesus in all generations for ever and ever. Amen.

   We see here that in order to reap an abundance of benefits—beyond our imagination—we need to energize the force that is in us; that force is the Lord the Holy Spirit. We need to set Him afire, as we are instructed in 2 Timothy 1:6: “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands.”

   We set the Holy Spirit afire when we offer thanksgiving to God, worship Him, and walk in His ways and in His will for our lives. The Holy Spirit is the Administrator of our ministries. He is grieved when we disobey Him:

   “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God through whom you have been sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30).

   We talk about being sealed with the Holy Spirit in the chapter on the position of the believers.

   JOHN 1:16 And from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.

   Yes, we have received many facets of grace: Eternal life, rebirth, son-hood, heirs to the Kingdom of God, ambassadors of Jesus Christ, future kings… And how do we receive grace? We are instructed how to do that in Hebrews 4:16:

   “Let us therefore COME WITH CONFIDENCE TO THE THRONE OF GRACE, to receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

   So, we must come before God with confidence in order to receive. For the man who comes with doubt in his heart will receive nothing:

   “But let him ask in faith, having no doubt; for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6–8).

   JOHN 10:10 The thief does not come but to steal, and to kill and to destroy; I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE, AND THAT THEY MAY HAVE A SURPLUS [OF BLESSINGS].

   Here, Jesus is the Good Shepherd, “they” are His sheep (the believers), and the “thief” is the devil. In the NKJV and the NIV, the second clause of the second sentence is rendered as “and that they may have it more abundantly”, and as “and have it to the full”, respectively. These renderings are not appropriate. This is so because περισσόν (“surplus”)—the Greek word in the aforementioned clause that is of interest to us—is neuter. By contrast, ζωήν (“life”) in the first clause of the second sentence is feminine. So, περισσόν does not refer to ζωήν, that is, we cannot say περισσόν ζωήν. We could say περισσήν (which is feminine) ζωήν, but that is not what the Greek original text says.

   What Jesus then said in this often-quoted verse is that He grants eternal life to all who accept Him as their Lord and Savior; moreover, the believers receive an abundance of blessings—they never run out of them! They have a surplus of all the blessings of God in this life and in the life to come! They have more than enough! Jesus wants the believers—His brothers—TO REJOICE IN HIS BOUNTY! We see then that this rendering enriches our understanding of the benefits of the believers. One more note: The believers receive the benefits because they are sheep of the Good Shepherd—Jesus: They listen to His voice, He knows them, they know Him and they follow Him (John 10:14-27).

   In connection with the “surplus”, we have an additional reference:

   PHILIPPIANS 4:19 And my God will meet every need of yours ACCORDING TO HIS RICHES in glory in Christ Jesus.

   God then gives according to His riches. And because His riches are inexhaustible, He can meet all the needs of the believers. And again, the believers receive because they are “in Christ Jesus”—they belong to Him and they work for Him.

   Currently, there is a debate going on as to whether God wants the believers to prosper. We have shown here that God certainly wants the believers to prosper and to have an abundance of blessings.

   As Proverbs 13:21 says, “…Prosperity is the reward of the righteous.”

   Also, Psalm 103:2 says, “Praise the LORD, O my soul, and FORGET NOT ALL HIS BENEFITS.”

   Faith is associated with very attractive fringe benefits:

   “Who forgives all your sins and HEALS ALL YOUR DISEASES, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that YOUR YOUTH IS RENEWED LIKE THE EAGLE’S” (Psalm 103:2–5).

   Who would not want to join a Family that extends such great benefits to its members?

   A number of years back, when the economy of our country was flourishing, I had a personal revelation on the matter of prosperity. I had had a demanding day and felt physically tired. In the evening, I took a shower and felt rested. So, I turned to God and said, “Thank you Lord for the relaxation.” Immediately, I heard an audible voice that said, “YOU WILL LIVE IN LUXURY, NOT IN MISERY.” I looked around to see who spoke, but there was nobody present. The Lord graciously spoke to me in the physical realm. The promise of living in luxury implies having the best of things. And God coupled this promise to the promise of not living in misery: At that time, I interpreted this revelation to mean that our country will go through trying times, with a segment of the population having financial difficulties—“living in misery.” It is very reassuring to have a personal revelation from the Lord promising His blessings. However, I realize that some people may question the occurrence of this revelation.

   Therefore, let us further investigate this matter. One could ask the question as to whether the believers have in the NT spiritual gifts pertaining to revelations. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:8 about the gifts of the word of wisdom and of the word of knowledge. The gift of the word of wisdom pertains to an event that has not taken place yet—it will take place in the future. On the other hand, the gift of the word of knowledge pertains to events that have already taken place.

   In the incident I have just discussed here, the gift of the word of wisdom was in operation. In some other chapters, I discuss other situations in which one of these gifts or both of them operated together. But does the Scripture support such a revelation in the “physical” realm, for example, through a human voice? It most certainly does! We have the example of Paul (originally called “Saul”), who was on his way to Damascus with plans to arrest believers and bring them to Jerusalem. He heard the voice of Jesus and saw a blinding light (Acts 9). Paul had another revelation when he was in the hands of the Romans: Jesus appeared to him, encouraged him, and told him that he must also testify about Him in Rome (Acts 23:11).

   We also have the case of Apostle Peter, who saw a sheet that had all kinds of four-footed animals, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds being let down from heaven to earth. The Lord told him “kill and eat”. He refused and told the Lord that he had never eaten anything impure or unclean. The voice then told him not to call impure what God has made clean. This happened three times, and then the sheet was taken back to heaven (Acts 10). In another revelation, an angel was sent and instructed Peter to get out of prison (Acts 12:1–19). It could be argued that those revelations were made to Paul and Peter because they were Apostles. This is not so: We read in 1 John 4:17: “…Because we are like him in this world”. Here “him” refers to Jesus. If then in this world we are like Jesus, surely we are like the Apostles!

   Besides, we find in the NT other people who also received revelations. These include: Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist (Luke 1); Mary the mother of Jesus (Luke 1); and Ananias, whom God used as His instrument to have Paul’s vision (that was impaired at his conversion on the road to Damascus) restored, and to fill him with the Holy Spirit (Acts 9).

   Returning to the revelation I received, it was actually fulfilled some 10 years later when the country fell into a deep recession: A national unemployment rate of about 10%, enormous financial deficits, widespread house foreclosures, erratic stock markets, banks and automobile companies facing imminent bankruptcy and being rescued by governmental “stimulus packages”, the devastation brought about by the hurricane Katrina, the major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and more.

   Returning to our main theme of prosperity, we may ask whether Jesus Christ’s life on earth was prosperous. After all, He is our Master and therefore we should follow Him. We often hear the statement, “Jesus was poor, but despite this some Christians teach prosperity.” Well, it is true that Jesus was not rich; one can even say that He was poor. In Matthew 8:19-20 we read:

   “Then a scribe came and said to him, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’”

   And when Peter was asked by the tax collectors whether Jesus had paid the temple tax (Matthew 17:24), Jesus did not have the money to pay for it; instead, He sent Peter to the lake to catch a fish in which he would find a coin to pay the tax for both of them. Jesus and His disciples were constantly busy, often overwhelmed by huge crowds, teaching them and healing them, not finding even a few minutes to eat (Mark 3:20).

   “When his own people heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of His mind’” (Mark 3:21).

   They had no radio or TV program through which to raise funds! They were supported financially by a large group of faithful women, who followed them (Luke 8:1–3). How fortunate those women were! They were partners of not just a faith ministry, but of the ministry of Jesus Christ! Their recompense will be great in the Kingdom of God! And they were with Jesus when He went to the cross (Matthew 27:55), loving Him to the very end!

   We have a direct statement that addresses the question as to whether Jesus was poor during His earthly ministry.

   2 CORINTHIANS 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that FOR YOUR SAKES HE BECAME POOR THOUGH HE WAS RICH SO THAT YOU MAY BECOME RICH THROUGH HIS POVERTY.

   Yes, He became poor, and through His poverty we have become rich! Here, “rich” refers to all aspects of our lives: Rich spiritually in joining the Family of God and having the assurance of eternal life, rich health-wise in having a healthy body and a healthy mind, and rich financially. Let us recall that in the OT poverty was punishment for a violation of the Law of Moses. Anyone who disobeyed that Law WAS CURSED.

   We discussed in the beginning of this chapter the matter of blessings, which were the rewards for obeying God, through a reference to Deuteronomy 28:1–14. That same chapter also lists the curses in verses 15–68, which would befall anyone who would disobey God.

   Here are some verses, Deuteronomy 28:43-44 “The alien who lives among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower. He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him. He will be the head, BUT YOU WILL BE THE TAIL.”

   Deuteronomy 28:47-48 “Because you did not serve the LORD your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, therefore in hunger and thirst, IN NAKEDNESS AND DIRE POVERTY, you will serve the enemies the LORD sends against you. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you.” (The curses also include diseases, see, for example, verses 21 and 22.)

   In the NT, we read GALATIANS 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law BY BECOMING A CURSE FOR US, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

   Imagine that! No curse can befall us, because all of our curses have befallen Jesus. In fact, Jesus became a curse for us! And since curses are the consequences of sins, Jesus took upon Himself all of our sins, and He even became sin for us:

   2 CORINTHIANS 5:21 For Him who knew no sin GOD MADE SIN FOR US, so that we may become the righteousness of God in Him.

   And so the Spirit of Jesus became saturated with sin—our sins and the sins of the whole world! The punishment was death, but Jesus died for us so that we may have eternal life:

   “…And the Blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin” (1 John 1:7).

   I am so glad we don’t live under the Law, aren’t you? We were prisoners and Jesus has set us free:

   JOHN 8:36 Therefore if the Son liberates you, you will be truly liberated.

   Glory be to God, Jesus’ Father and our Father, now and forevermore! Let us take this opportunity to emphasize that here we are talking about the core of our faith: Our faith revolves around the person of Jesus. It is the divine nature of Jesus that gave His Blood its awesome cleansing power. No other faith system has found another road that leads to the Father. Jesus is the only Road—all other roads lead to eternal separation from God. Here are the words of Jesus:

   “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the road and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6).

   The Greek word for “road” is ὁδός. Unfortunately, both the NKJV and the NIV have interpreted it as “way”. Jesus is the road we must follow in life. “Jesus then spoke again to them and said, ‘I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’” (John 8:12). We discuss further this matter in the chapter titled, “Jesus The Only Road To The Father”.

   Let us recall the incident in which a man asked Jesus what he needed to do in order for him to inherit eternal life. It turned out that he had kept the Ten Commandments from a young age. Jesus told him that he needed to sell everything he had, give it to the poor, and then to follow Him. At this, the man went away very sad because he had great possessions. Let us follow what happened next (Mark 10:23–27):

   “Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How difficult it is for those who have riches to enter the Kingdom of God!’ The disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus responded again and said to them, ‘Children, HOW DIFFICULT IT IS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE PUT THEIR CONFIDENCE IN RICHES TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God!’ The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, ‘Who then can be saved?’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For men, this is impossible, but not for God; for all things are possible for God.’”

   The problem then is not with having riches, but in putting one’s confidence or trust in riches. The parable of the Rich Fool is very relevant here: He planned to tear down his barns and build bigger ones, and then to enjoy life for many years to come (Luke 12:16–21). He did not acknowledge God—who gave him the blessings—and left Him out of his plans. The parable ends with verse 21: “So it will be with everyone who stores up treasures for himself and does not become rich in God.” He did not enrich himself in knowing and worshiping God, studying His Word, and serving Him—yielding much fruit.

   Jesus addressed storing up of material goods in Matthew 6:19–21 also:

   “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. Rather, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. FOR WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS, THERE YOUR HEART WILL BE ALSO.”

   As it was remarked above, the Rich Fool did not acknowledge God. We should make it our constant practice to acknowledge Him as the source of all of our blessings, and to rely on Him. We read in the Proverbs:

   PROVERBS 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

   Yes, God wants us to rely on Him and be wholly dependent on Him. Jesus taught on this matter: “I tell you the truth, if you do not change and become like little children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3-4).

   Many people miss the point here by thinking that this passage says that we must become as innocent as little children in order to enter the Kingdom of God. This interpretation does not make much sense because the next verse talks about being humble “like this little child”. (We discuss this matter below.) Besides, little children are not innocent! Upon birth, they carry the Original Sin, which is subsequently washed away with the Blood of Jesus when the child reaches the accountability age (about 10 years old) and he/she accepts Jesus Christ as his/her Lord and Savior.

   Psychologists and educators tell us that unsupervised children are much crueler toward other children than adults are toward other adults. And they try to play one adult against another. I recall a situation with our grandson Stavros, when he was about two years old. He misbehaved, and his grandma reprimanded him. He turned and said to me in the sweetest voice that I had known him to have, “I love you grandpa;” then he turned toward his grandma to make sure that she heard him! Now, do not misunderstand me. I love children, but I believe that we should apply discipline in a loving manner: Reason with them, teach them things, encourage them when they are obedient, and correct them when they are disobedient.

   Returning to our text of Matthew chapter 18, verse 4 says that we ought to humble ourselves like children. And how do children humble themselves? They do that by being completely dependent on their parents to have all their needs met. No matter how much they try to be independent, it is a humbling experience for them when they are very hungry or cold and shivering, and they realize that there is nothing much they can do to meet those needs! That is how God wants us to be—to be humble before Him and completely dependent on Him! Our daughter Alexia told us that when she was about five years old, she was worrying what would happen to her if her mother and I died. She had a dream in which I was sitting next to her mother, embracing her. Her mother’s hair and my hair were gray—implying that we were quite old. She told us that when she woke up from that dream, all her worries had disappeared: She knew that she could depend on us to take care of her for many years to come!

   We have an instructive case of taking one’s eyes off the Lord, in an incident that took place close to the end of the life of King David. He wanted to know how strong his army was, and so he ordered a census of his fighting men over the objections of his commanders. He relied on the strength of his army instead of relying on God. This is the same David who had praised the Lord many times in the Psalms for giving him strength. Let us look at a few examples:

   “I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge…” (Psalm 18:1-2).

   “You armed me with strength for battle…” (Psalm 18:39).

   “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped…” (Psalm 28:7).

   Upon completion of the census, David realized that he had sinned greatly, and asked the Lord to forgive him. God asked him to choose his punishment, and he chose a plague that killed seventy thousand of the people (2 Samuel 24). Yes, our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29); He commands us to be wholly dependent on Him! He will not share His glory with anyone else.

   Knowing then what we as believers now know about prosperity and how to acquire it, what kind of impact does this faith of ours have on the well-being of the country in which we live? Does it make a positive contribution to the prosperity of our nation? The answer is a resounding “yes”! Jesus, although He was rich, became poor and offered Himself as a sacrifice so that the floodgates of the storehouse of God were thrown wide open, and we are being showered with abundant blessings!

   No wonder then SO MANY CHRISTIAN NATIONS, INCLUDING OUR NATION, ARE WEALTHY: THEY ARE BLESSED! WE, AS BELIEVERS, ARE GOOD CITIZENS, FOR WE BRING GOD’S BLESSINGS TO OUR NATION! Let us make a comparison with Oriental nations where Hinduism or Buddhism is prevalent. These religions teach the concepts of karma and reincarnation: A person passes through many consecutive lives striving to reach perfection. Karma dictates that the quality of the life of an individual is determined by whether that individual did good or bad deeds in his/her previous life: Everyone receives according to what he/she “deserves.” And so in the Orient, many millions of people have a passive and fatalistic outlook in life, not endeavoring to improve their financial status, BELIEVING THAT THEY DESERVE TO BE POOR AND TO BE AFFLICTED WITH AILMENTS, because of the bad deeds they had done in their previous lives. The economy of those nations is seriously impaired because of the belief in karma and reincarnation.

   In India, the “untouchable” alone number more than 150 million: These constitute the lowest caste, and are considered to be “impure”. They live in utter poverty. The Bible rejects the concepts of both karma and reincarnation. Instead of the karma, the Bible assures us that there is a sovereign God who is compassionate and forgiving:

   “Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with confidence, in order to receive mercy and to find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

   So, He is also a gracious God, giving us blessings that we do not deserve, and a merciful God, not administering deserved punishment. And the Bible explicitly rejects reincarnation:

   “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

   We discuss in this chapter what it takes to claim what is rightfully ours. Let us now see how to ask our Father about our benefits.

   MATTHEW 7:7–11 Ask, and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who seeks finds, and to him who knocks the door will be opened. Or which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? And if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? Therefore if you being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father, who is in heaven, give good gifts to those who ask Him?

   The analogy is perfect: Like fathers take care of their children, our heavenly Father will take care of us. All we need to do is ask. This brings us back to what we have just discussed above: We must be wholly dependent on Him, and trust in Him without trying to figure out how He could do that. So often, we try to enter through doors, but we find them to be shut. Let us listen to these words of Jesus:

   “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These are the words of Him who is Holy and True, who holds the key of David, WHO OPENS AND NO ONE WILL SHUT, AND SHUTS AND NO ONE WILL OPEN’” (Revelation 3:7).

   He will open doors for us—He will make the impossible possible! Through the Lord the Holy Spirit, the glorious arm of power of the Lord Almighty (Isaiah 63:11-12), we can even move mountains! This brings us to another great passage from the Word of God:

   MARK 11:23–26 I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Get up and throw yourself into the sea’, and does not doubt in his heart BUT BELIEVES THAT WHAT HE SAYS HAPPENS, HE WILL HAVE WHATEVER HE SAYS. Therefore I say to you, all things you ask for in prayer, believe that you receive them, and they will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father who is in heaven may also forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.

   We can receive when we do not doubt. Doubting is a terrible sin! This is so because when we doubt that our Father will give us what we ask Him for in our prayer, we show that we doubt that He cares for us and that He is able to do it: Doubt implies lack of faith. Notice also that God says in Mark 11 verse 25, “And when you stand praying, …forgive.” So, He couples His response to our prayer with our forgiving others their transgressions against us. An impure heart, full with offense, resentment, and bitterness, has no standing before God (Luke 4:16–30; Hebrews 12:15).

   Instead, we need to have a heart full with love—Greek ἀγάπη (agape)—for God is love (1 John 4:8). James also writes about doubting: “Let him ask in faith, having no doubt. For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6–8).

   That God sometimes does not answer our prayers should not discourage us: It could simply be because we did not ask in accordance with God’s will for us. The more we treasure God’s Word in our hearts (Colossians 3:16), and we know Him (John 17:3) and draw close to Him (James 4:8), the more we will be able to discern God’s will.

   Jesus always prayed to God without saying “If it is your will”, because He knew the perfect will of His Father. There was, however, an exception: The last night, on the Mount of Olives, just before He was arrested. “He said, ‘Father, if it is your will, take this cup away from me; nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done’” (Luke 22:42). He was in agony, with His sweat running like drops of blood! He started taking on Himself all the sins and all the curses of the whole world. So, he was acting in the flesh at that time, and that is why He said to His Father, “If it is your will”. The lesson for us then is to act in our spirit, where the Lord the Holy Spirit dwells. And we should be waiting patiently: The Lord knows the best timing for giving us His blessings.

   In closing this chapter, let us listen to John: “Beloved, I pray that you prosper in all things, and be in good health, as your life prospers” (3 John verse 2).

   Let us also listen to the following promise of God (Jeremiah 29:11): “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

   Let it be so, O Lord!

   In Summary:

   It is God’s will for us to prosper in all areas of our lives. The key to living a full life of abundance is putting God and His purposes first. He is our Heavenly Father who freely gives us all things. Prosperity is knowing Him in a real relational level. Think of how you know an earthly father on earth or father figure. The communication involves talking, listening, hugging, sometimes kissing on the cheek. Our Heavenly Father seeks this relationship with his children on earth. Let us seek Him first and He will add all things to us. He wants to! He just does not want us to put things before Him giving them more importance seeking to be fulfilled and satisfied by anything except for relationship with our living Creator and Father.

   ~

   Chapter 9: JESUS IS THE ONLY ROAD TO THE FATHER

   Jesus Christ said, “…No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). But, what does He mean when He says “through Me”? Would it be enough if someone were to just get excited and enthusiastic about Him and accept Him as Lord and Savior, without changing his way of life? Is the popular saying, “Once saved, always saved”, true? Or does Jesus demand a commitment, or a loyalty?

   According to the NKJV and the NIV, in that same verse of John 14:6, Jesus also said, “I am the way…” But, what does “way” mean? Does it mean that Jesus is the only method through which man’s salvation is accomplished? Now, “way” has many other meanings—the Webster’s Dictionary lists at least 20 of them! And what does the Greek original text say on this matter?

   In our analysis, we need to keep in mind that the Word of God is very precise in its meaning! Therefore, this matter needs to be dealt with diligently. We begin with chapter 10 of John, where Jesus likens the believers to sheep and Himself to the Good Shepherd. Let us listen to the Master:

   JOHN 10:1–5 ‘I tell you the truth, he who does not enter the sheep pen through the gate, but climbs in through another place, is a thief and a robber; but He who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to His voice. He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. And when He brings out his own sheep, He goes before them, and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice; however, they will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.’

   The Master continues: JOHN 10:11–16 ‘I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. But the hired man, not being the shepherd and with the sheep not being his own, sees the wolf coming and abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hired man runs away because he is a hired man and does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My sheep and I am known by My sheep, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father, and I lay down My life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice, and there will be one flock and one Shepherd.’

   Now, why did Jesus liken Himself to the Good Shepherd, and not to a learned man, for example, to a philosopher? Well, King David, whose offspring Jesus was (Romans 15:12), was a young shepherd at the time when he killed Goliath (1 Samuel 17). Moreover, the first to visit baby Jesus were some shepherds who were keeping watch over their flocks (Luke 2). God bestowed this honor on men who had very little education (if any).

   I come from an agricultural area and I remember that to still be true for shepherds. In fact, when I was a teenager, if a young son were lazy in school, his parents would ask him, “What are you going to become in life, a shepherd?” You see, no one can find salvation through head-knowledge. The Bible says, “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God. For it is written, ‘He catches the wise in their craftiness’; and again, ‘The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile’” (1 Corinthians 3:19-20).

   God wants it that way, lest someone would boast that, being very smart, he figured out how to be saved by relying on his own wisdom. No, that could not and would not happen, for salvation is a free gift from our gracious Father (Ephesians 2:8-9). And why did Jesus in His metaphor choose to tend sheep rather than any other kind of animals? Sheep are very gentle and utterly defenseless. They get scared very easily, and then run away. And it is as Jesus said: They recognize the voice of the shepherd and follow Him, trusting in Him completely and unconditionally for their protection. Now, that is the way Jesus wants us to trust in Him!

   And why didn’t Jesus refer to a herd of goats instead? Well, goats do not tend to follow the goatherd and to depend on him for protection. We recall that, in the parable of Judgment (Matthew 25), the goats represent the unsaved people, whereas the sheep represent the saved people—the ones who did follow the Good Shepherd.

   There is an additional little detail that separates the sheep from the goats. The sheep eat from plants in a gentle manner by cutting off small pieces at a bite, without disturbing the roots of the plant. In effect, such a cutting promotes further growth—much like pruning! By contrast, the goats bite firmly, and, in a rather jerky manner, pull the plant upward and uproot it—they are quite destructive! Verses 12 and 13 of the 10th chapter of John, quoted above, say that the hired man does not care for the sheep, and that, when the wolf comes, he abandons the sheep and runs away. And who are those hired shepherds? They are those pastors whose hearts, unfortunately, are not fully devoted to their profession. For them, being a pastor is just like any other job. They go through the motions and say the appropriate words, but their hearts are far from God and from the flock. They don’t really care for the congregation—and they don’t teach its members how to defend themselves from the “roaring lion”:

   “Be sober, be vigilant; your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking to devour someone.” (1 Peter 5:8).

   As a result, many become an easy prey to the devil! However, we must constantly keep the following fact in mind: “…We will all stand before the Judgment seat of Christ” (Romans 14:10). Yes, that will be the time to give an account of our actions to Him (Romans 14:12). The Judge is coming—He is even at the door! A brief comment here regarding verse 16 of chapter 10 of John that was quoted above: Jesus says that He has other sheep that are not of His sheep pen, and that He will bring them together with His sheep. He is referring to the Gentiles—those who are not Jews.

   In Matthew 15:24, Jesus stated, “…I was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

   With His statement in John 10:16 then, Jesus made available the ROAD to salvation to the whole world, whom the Father loves so much (John 3:16)! This plan was implemented following the charge of Jesus (the Great Commission) to His disciples just before His ascension to heaven:

   “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I commanded you; and behold I am with you always, to the end of the age. Amen” (Matthew 28:19, 20).

   And we read in Mark 16:20, “Then they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.”

   Jesus has still more to say in chapter 10 of John: JOHN 10:7–10 Jesus said to them again, ‘I tell you the truth, I am the gate of the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I AM THE GATE. WHOEVER ENTERS THROUGH ME WILL BE SAVED, and he will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE, AND THAT THEY MAY HAVE A SURPLUS [OF BLESSINGS].’

   So, Jesus is the gate through which man passes to salvation and attains access to the Father. Jesus came to bring us life. In addition, He has brought us “A SURPLUS”. We discuss this clause, “AND HAVE A SURPLUS”, in the chapter on Prosperity. As is explained there, the NKJV and the NIV render this clause as “and that they may have it more abundantly”, and “and have it to the full”, respectively, with “it” referring to “life”. In the Greek original, the relevant word here is περισσὀν, which is neuter, and therefore it cannot refer to “life”—ζωήν in Greek—because ζωήν is feminine. Περισσὀν means “surplus”. So, Jesus brought us A SURPLUS OF BLESSINGS—an abundance of blessings belongs to us both in this life and in the life to come! What a great promise! We the believers rejoice being on Jesus’ team—don’t you want to join us if you don’t already know Him?

   Now, the gate is in fact narrow:

   “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter, and WILL NOT BE POWERFUL ENOUGH” (Luke 13:24).

   The gate is unique: It does not accommodate other faiths. On the contrary, it demands loyalty to the person of Jesus—even to the point of denying oneself; we discuss this matter below. This verse also says that only the strong will be able to pass through the narrow gate and thereby attain salvation. With the help of the Lord the Holy Spirit, who is the Glorious Arm of Power of Almighty God (Isaiah 63:11-12), and dwells in the hearts of the believers, they are able to overcome the resistance that is being put up by the devil. We have discussed this matter in detail in the chapter titled Only The Strong Will Make It To The Kingdom Of God.

   So, we now are ready to ask the question, “Is salvation an event that happens instantaneously or is it a continual process?” This is a controversial topic, one that I believe has given rise to misunderstandings that have led many to continue living a worldly life—devoid of holiness. God commands us to become holy:

   “PURSUE PEACE WITH ALL PEOPLE, AND HOLINESS, WITHOUT WHICH NO ONE WILL SEE THE LORD” (Hebrews 12:14). Therefore, this is a matter of eternal life or eternal separation from God, and so we need to address it earnestly.

   In our study we cannot just take a Bible verse and run with it. The statement “If you have a Bible verse on this, then it is all right” is popular. But it is not safe to do that. Rather, we should be considering the weight of the evidence, and “…CORRECTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF THE TRUTH” (2 Timothy 2:15). This means to determine what belongs where. Then, by putting all the pieces together, we will be able to solve the puzzle! We are aware of the fact that we cannot do this on our own, for it is written, “…No man can receive anything unless it is given to him from heaven” (John 3:27). And it does not matter who the man is who said what, for God does not show partiality (Romans 2:11). We thank God that the Head Teacher, the Lord the Holy Spirit, dwells in our spirits and instructs us. Now, when a student has difficulty with a subject, he gets a tutor, which is a very costly thing to do.

   In my 34 years as a Professor of Physics at the University of Tennessee—Knoxville, I saw how that cost has increased with the pass of time. It is now more than $25 per hour! By contrast, God has provided a Tutor in us (we don’t need to travel somewhere to meet with Him), free of charge and available 24/7—as the current figure of speech goes! Shouldn’t we then listen to His instruction? And let us always give Him reason to rejoice, never to grieve (Ephesians 4:30).

   Ever since the commitment of high treason by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the spirit of man became dead. However, it is made alive upon acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This is referred to as “born from above”, “born-again”, or “born of the Spirit”.

   The central reference is JOHN 3:3 Jesus replied and said to him, ‘I tell you the truth, if one is not born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’

   At that moment, God sends His Holy Spirit to dwell in the spirit of the new believer. As we have just said, the Holy Spirit is the Head Teacher. He is also the Comforter, the Glorious Arm of Power of God (Isaiah 63:11-12), the Giver of Life, and the Administrator of the ministry of the believer. The Holy Spirit is given to the believers as A DEPOSIT (Ephesians 1:13-14) guaranteeing their upcoming final union with Jesus Christ—their wedding to Him. We have extensively discussed this matter in the chapter on The Position Of The Believers In Christ.

   Jesus made a statement in His conversation with His disciples which has far-reaching implications:

   JOHN 14:2–6 ‘In my Father’s home there are many places of residence. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, again I will come and take you to be with me, so that you also will be where I am. And you know where I am going, and you know the ROAD.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going, and how can we know the road?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I AM THE ROAD AND THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME.’

   Of crucial importance in understanding this passage is the word “road.” In the Greek original it is ὁδός. Jesus said to His disciples that He was going to His Father to prepare a place for them. AND HE SAID TO THEM THAT THEY KNEW THE ROAD THAT WOULD TAKE THEM TO THE FATHER. When Thomas said that they didn’t know the road, Jesus said to them that HE IS THE ROAD. As was indicated in the introduction to this chapter, both the NKJV and the NIV interpret ὁδός as “way”. Unfortunately, “way” has many different meanings, which renders this interpretation ambiguous.

   There is a large number of references in the NT to the word ὁδός with the literal meaning of “road”. Here are references to the Gospels:

   MATTHEW:2:12; 4:15; 10:5; 22:9.

   MARK:6:8; 8:27; 9:33; 10:52; 11:8.

   LUKE:8:5; 8:12; 9:3; 10:4; 11:6; 12:58; 14:23; 24:32.

   For example, Mark 11:8 refers to the triumphant entry of Jesus to Jerusalem, and reads as follows:

   “Many people spread their clothes on the road, while others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road.”

   And Luke 10:4 refers to the seventy disciples Jesus sent ahead of Him: “Do not take a purse or bag or sandals, and do not greet anyone along the road.” On the other hand, ὁδός has also been used in the NT metaphorically to designate the Christian teaching or faith.

   Here are references from the Acts: 9:2; 16:17; 18:25; 19:9; 19:23; 22:4; 24:14.

   In order to determine the meaning of ὁδός in the John 14:6 verse, we need to look at the context. That verse states, in part, that no one comes to the Father except through Jesus. “Comes” implies that traveling is involved. We have an additional reference that is helpful here—Matthew 7:14: “But narrow is the gate and difficult is the ὁδός that leads to life, and few are those who find it!” This verse refers to a man, who is in the process of being saved by traveling on a difficult road and passing through a narrow gate. This analysis then implies that ὁδός in John 14:6 and in Matthew 7:14 should be rendered as “ROAD”.

   The implications of Jesus being the ROAD are of fundamental importance to the faith and the lives of the believers. JESUS IS THE ROAD WHICH WE NEED TO FOLLOW DAY AFTER DAY. Jesus did not say that He came to establish a new religion. He was sent by His Father to reclaim the Kingdom that was lost because of the fact that Adam and Eve committed high treason in the Garden of Eden. There are many other roads, that is, religions, in the world. Some of them may actually be very enticing. But none of them leads to the Father: “And salvation is found in no one else; nor is there any other name under heaven given to men through which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

   I recall a particular incident that involved two dear ladies who drove from Tennessee to Atlanta to attend a theater play. They spent the night at some friends’ house, and the following morning they started driving back home. Soon, they realized that the scenery looked somewhat different. So, they stopped at a gas station to inquire as to whether they were going in the right direction. The fellow there told them, “Ladies, if you continue going in this direction, you will end up in Florida, not in Tennessee!” It turned out that they were following interstate 75 South—they needed to follow interstate 75 North instead! They themselves got a good laugh out of that, and promptly made sure to take the right road!

   We are journeying in life, following the road map, with the guidance of the Word of God, as is illuminated by the Holy Spirit. God knit together wonderfully every one of us in his mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-14). He is our destination. We yearn to be with our Father! The journey to reach Him offers great opportunities for rejoicing and for growing in our faith and knowledge of Him; moreover, we draw from “the true Vine”, the Lord Jesus Christ (John 15:1), the strength and the nourishment that allows us to bring forth fruit. Let us explore the ROAD which we are following as believers:

   COLOSSIANS 2:6–8 Therefore as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, walk in Him, rooted and being built up in Him and established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. See to it that no one carries you off as captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world and not according to Christ. We ought to walk in Christ—in union with Him—and not fall victim to the way the world thinks.

   Paul uses a strong term as he refers to philosophy: The verb he uses in Greek, συλαγωγῶ(-έω), which originates from σῦλον, booty, and ἄγω, which means to lead or carry, that Greek verb of Paul means “to carry off captive”. This has the connotation of enslaving. Christ has liberated us from attempting in vain to rationalize this world according to philosophy, that is, head-knowledge. Instead, we are instructed in this passage to rely on our faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, we are instructed to walk by faith:

   2 CORINTHIANS 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.

   Chapter 11 of Hebrews provides an inspirational coverage of the obedience, the suffering and the hope of great men of faith, including Abraham, who believed God and became the father of many nations. If we claim that we are in Jesus, there must be no difference between our walk and Jesus’ walk—they must be identical:

   1 JOHN 2:5-6 …In this we know that we are in Him: 6 Whoever says that remains in Him ought to WALK AS HE WALKED.

   And how did Jesus walk? EPHESIANS 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

   This is it then: Jesus walked in love, and we must walk in love also. So many times we keep on petitioning God for something, but we receive no answer. We need to check on our love. God made us to be lovers! His awesome power is released when we act in love! The ROAD is very well illuminated:

   JOHN 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them saying, ‘I am the light of the world; whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of Life.’

   Jesus then is the light of the world, and the believers are the light of the world also (Matthew 5:14). But there is a very important difference: Jesus is like the sun that has its own light, whereas the believers are like the planets in our solar system that have no light of their own but receive their light from the sun. In Revelation 1:14–16, John says of his vision of Jesus: “…His eyes were like a flame of fire, and His feet were like fine brass glowing in a furnace…, and His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.” We cannot continue to walk in darkness any more, for we are children of light:

   EPHESIANS 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; WALK AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT. Let us have a look at the service we ought to offer God during our walk on the ROAD:

   EPHESIANS 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance for us to walk in.

   There is so much which we need to do for the Lord. In fact, He has a shortage of workers. Unfortunately, so much of what we do centers around us, not around Jesus. We must put Jesus’ interests first, and listen to His call: “…The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38).

   Someone may say, “I am old now. Let the young take over the responsibility.” However, unlike old fruit trees that produce very little fruit, the righteous can produce plenty of fruit in their old age: “They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green” (Psalm 92:14). They will have their youth “…Renewed like eagle’s” (Psalm 103:5). By trusting in the Lord, they “…Will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles…” (Isaiah 40:31).

   As we have just seen, we are “children of light”. We are commanded: “In a similar manner, let your light shine before men, that they MAY SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Jesus said in John 14:12 that we will do even greater works than the works He did. And yet, He did so many works that, if books were written detailing them, the whole world would not have enough room to accommodate them (John 21:25)!

   We will do greater works than Jesus did? Yes, that is what the Word of God says! He healed multitudes from sicknesses, diseases, and infirmities—He even raised people from the dead—and fed with a few loaves and a few small fish thousands of people: About 5,000 men, besides women and children at one setting (Matthew 14), and about 4,000 at another setting (Matthew 15). (Interestingly the feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle of Jesus that is reported in all four gospels.) That would seem to cover all the types of miracles that can be done. Not quite. There is a miracle that is even greater, and that is to lead people to the ROAD of salvation. Not even one person was led to that ROAD before the passion of Jesus, because the Holy Spirit had not yet been sent by the Father to the earth. We the believers are the ambassadors of Jesus, representing Him in leading men to reconciliation to the Father (2 Corinthians 5:20) and to spiritual rebirth (John 3:3). We discuss extensively Good Works in another chapter.

   We are taking a journey, walking on the illuminated ROAD, busily doing good works FOR THE GLORY OF THE FATHER. As we have seen above, the ROAD is difficult; and so, in order for our walk to be successful, we will need a lot of wisdom. There is considerable uncertainty among the believers as to what wisdom is. Wisdom is not knowledge. Rather, wisdom may be considered to be prudence in using knowledge: It has to do with good judgment.

   EPHESIANS 5:15 See very well then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise.

   And if we lack wisdom, all we would need to do is ask God for it, and it will be given to us (James 1:5).

   There is much confusion among the believers regarding salvation and the timing of its conferment on the believer. Consequently, this matter is controversial. Many follow the saying, “Once saved, always saved” (or “once in grace, always in grace”). But are these statements correct? Before we examine in detail what the Word of God says on this matter, let us have a look at some references in the form of an introduction.

   The first reference is Romans 10:9, “For if you confess with your mouth that ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED.” We see that here the tense used for God’s promise is future, “you will be saved”. It is NOT present tense: It does NOT say, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is Lord is saved.”

   The second reference of interest to us is from that same chapter of Romans 10, but verse 13, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord WILL BE SAVED.” Again, the tense for God’s promise is future, “Will be saved.” It is NOT present tense: It does NOT say, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord is saved.”

   Our third reference is Romans 5:10, “For if being enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, HOW MUCH MORE HAVING BEEN RECONCILED WE WILL BE SAVED THROUGH HIS LIFE!”

   We see that we have been reconciled to God, but, again, salvation is a future event: “We will be saved.” Luke 8:13 on the parable of the sower is also very enlightening, “Those on the rock are the ones who when they hear they receive the word with joy, but they have no root. THEY BELIEVE FOR A WHILE, BUT IN THE TIME OF TESTING THEY FALL AWAY.”

   You see, if they were saved at the moment they believed, they would have been saved forever—but Jesus said that they were not saved! They started walking on the ROAD—with Jesus—but when they were put to the test, they failed it and fell away.

   Let us investigate further what the Word of God instructs us on the topic of salvation. Truly, this topic is at the core of our faith, and so our investigation will be carried out diligently. I urge you to empty your mind of all preconceived ideas on this topic, and ask the Lord the Holy Spirit, who is the Head Teacher, to guide us to all the truth. Let us rightfully divide the Word of the truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

   1 CORINTHIANS 1:18 For the Word of the Cross for those who are perishing is foolishness, but to us WHO ARE BEING SAVED it is the force of God.

   This verse clearly projects the message, “WE ARE BEING SAVED”, which implies that SALVATION IS A PROCESS. The following three additional references reinforce this message:

   2 CORINTHIANS 2:15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ, among those WHO ARE BEING SAVED and those who are perishing.

   1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-2 Now, brothers, I remind you of the Gospel I preached to you, which you received and in which you stood, through which you are saved IF YOU HOLD FAST THE WORD I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

   So salvation is conditional—it will take place if we hold fast God’s Word. Moreover, HEBREWS 1:14 Are not all [angels] ministering spirits sent to serve those WHO WILL INHERIT SALVATION?

   This verse says that salvation will be inherited—it is a matter for the future. Here is solid instruction on continuing to walk on the ROAD to salvation:

   MATTHEW 10:22 ‘And you will be hated by all men because of My Name, but HE WHO ENDURES TO THE END WILL BE SAVED.’

   This statement makes it very clear: There is and there will be a lot of hatred directed at the believers. If a believer does not encounter opposition and even hatred in his ministry, it is probably because his ministry does not harm the cause of the devil, which is to have this world continue to be rebellious toward God. It is very sad, but frequently fierce opposition and hatred come from believers—even from members of one’s church. And this grieves the Holy Spirit. The journey is difficult, but this verse says that it must be completed “to the end” in order for someone to attain salvation.

   This message is reaffirmed by Luke 21:19 and by Hebrews 3:14:

   LUKE 21:19 ‘IN YOUR ENDURANCE YOU WILL GAIN YOUR LIVES’

   HEBREWS 3:14 For we have become partakers of Christ, if, of course, WE HOLD FIRMLY TILL THE END THE CONFIDENCE WE HAD AT FIRST.

   The faith of Timothy, an associate of the Apostle Paul, is of interest to us in this discussion on salvation. He was a young man who confessed faith in Jesus Christ through the ministry of Paul. Paul (2 Timothy 1:6) and the elders (1 Timothy 4:14) ordained him as a teacher of the Word of God by laying on of hands; he then joined Paul in his missionary journeys.

   Finally, he apparently became the pastor of the church in Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3). He is the co-author with Paul of the following Epistles (Letters): 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon. Well, his achievements sound very impressive! And Paul thought very highly of him (Philippians 2:19–23).

   One would expect then that surely Timothy “was saved”. However, that is not what the Word of God says: In 1 Timothy 4:16 Paul wrote the following to him:

   1 TIMOTHY 4:16 Watch carefully yourself and your teaching, PERSEVERE IN THEM. FOR BY DOING THIS, YOU WILL SAVE BOTH YOURSELF AND THOSE WHO HEAR YOU.

   We see that in “you will save both yourself…” the tense of the verb is FUTURE, not present. This analysis then shows that salvation is a process, and as such, it is attained at the end of the journey of life through perseverance. And here is an additional verse with far-reaching implications for how one attains salvation:

   PHILIPPIANS 2:12 Therefore my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but now much more in my absence, WORK OUT YOUR SALVATION WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING.

   I presume that some readers will be surprised to read this verse. Nevertheless, it is in the Bible! It says that we need to continually work out our salvation in order to ultimately attain it. It is a process and needs a lot of work! And how are we to “work out” our salvation?

   1 JOHN 2:17 And the world and its desire pass away, but he who does the will of God lives forever.

   LUKE 8:21 ‘…My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.’

   LUKE 6:46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

   MATTHEW 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

   These verses then make it clear that the answer to the question we have just posed, “How are we to work out our salvation?” is straightforward: By doing the will of our Father who is in heaven. As we discussed earlier in this chapter, we were created to do good works in our lives (Ephesians 2:10). Many will be terribly disappointed when the door to heaven is shut thereby denying them entry to the Kingdom. Calling upon the Name of Jesus will not help, because THEIR FAITH WAS NOT VALIDATED by their being willing and obedient to do the will of the Father!

   In Titus 1:16 Paul wrote, “They confess knowing God, but by their works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient and unfit for every good work.” Appropriately, we also read in James 2:26, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so and faith without works is dead.”

   One may ask in this regard the following question: “How was the faith of one of the two criminals, who were crucified with Jesus, validated?” It was validated through serving God: He rebuked the other criminal, who was blaspheming Jesus, and witnessed to him by calling Jesus “Lord” and by recognizing Him as King of a future Kingdom. “…Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42).

   Often, Romans 10:9 is invoked regarding salvation: “That if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” This verse refers to a potential believer. His faith is validated by his declaration that Jesus is the Lord of his life. That means that Jesus is his Master. And what does the Master demand of him? John chapter 14 provides the answer:

   JOHN 14:15 ‘If you love Me, you will obey My commands.’

   JOHN 14:21 ‘Whoever has My commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me…’

   JOHN 14:23 ‘…If anyone loves Me, he will obey My Word…’

   JOHN 14:24 ‘He who does not love Me, does not obey My words…’

   So we must love our Master and His Word. And what does His Word say?

   JOHN 15:16 ‘You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and BEAR FRUIT—and for your fruit to remain…’

   Bearing fruit then validates one’s faith. The Matthew passage, chapter 7, from which we have earlier quoted verse 21, goes on to say in verses 22 and 23: “Many will say to me on that Day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons, and in your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them that ‘I NEVER KNEW YOU. Depart from me you evildoers.’”

   Although the people these verses refer to spoke and invoked the Word of God, and in response others believed and experienced a miracle, for example, healing, they themselves were not sincere in their faith: THEY NEVER STARTED THE JOURNEY ON THE ROAD TO SALVATION, and so they continued doing evil—they were evildoers. Someone may say, “But they even prophesied; what about that?” Well, the Lord the Holy Spirit moves in ways He decides, using believers or even nonbelievers.

   Even Caiaphas, the high priest at the time of Jesus’ passion, prophesied about the redemptive ministry of Jesus: “‘And you do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish!’ He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year HE PROPHESIED that Jesus would die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but to also gather together the scattered children of God and make them one” (John 11:50–52).

   Saul, the first king of Israel, is another example of the Holy Spirit’s work even with men who do not know God. God had deposed Saul from being the king and anointed David in his place. Saul was in hot pursuit of David, and three times he sent men to capture him in Naioth at Ramah. But every time, the men prophesied instead. Let us follow the story in 1 Samuel 19:23-24: “So, Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the SPIRIT OF GOD CAME EVEN UPON HIM, AND HE WALKED ALONG PROPHESYING until he came to Naioth. He stripped off his robes and also prophesied in Samuel’s presence. He lay that way all that day and night…”

   And so David was able to flee from Naioth. Truly, our God works in mysterious ways! For the sake of completeness, we should add that during the OT times, the Holy Spirit was not here on earth but ordinarily He would fall upon the high priest, the king, or the prophet. That is why John 11:51, which we have just quoted, says “But [Caiaphas] being high priest that year he prophesied”. And as we have just seen, that also happened to Saul who was the king at that time (1 Samuel 21:15)—despite the fact that he had been deposed.

   That occasionally the Holy Spirit would also fall upon ordinary people is evidenced by the fact that the men Saul had sent three times to capture David did not do that but they prophesied instead (1 Samuel 19:20-21). Let me make here an additional comment. Sometimes God allows a false prophet to make a prophecy that is actually fulfilled. Addressing the Israelites, God said that in that case He is testing them to find out whether they love Him with all their heart and with all their soul, or they will follow that prophet in his false teaching (Deuteronomy 13:1–5). People tend to be fascinated by prophets and prophecies! However, we see that we must be very careful, for God is testing us! The case of the Corinthians is quite pertinent to this discussion. They had ALL the kinds of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 1:7), but they were worldly believers nevertheless (1 Corinthians 3:3-4); this is because the gifts of God are irrevocable—God will not change His mind about them and recall them (Romans 11:29).

   If the man who received the gift becomes disobedient, he will still keep the gift, but it will gradually lose its power. Let us now listen to the Good Shepherd calling His sheep:

   MATTHEW 16:24–26 Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If someone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life, he will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake, will find it. For what would profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his life? Or what would a man give in exchange for his life?’

   Before we discuss this passage, we should note that in the Greek original, the word for life is ψυχή. Some translations render it as “soul”. There is a lot of confusion about the meaning of “soul”. Many people think that, upon the death of a believer, his soul leaves his body and goes to heaven. Actually, it is not the soul of a man that leaves his body but his spirit. Man has a body, a mind, and a spirit. The spirit of a believer is where the Holy Spirit dwells. The soul of a man is actually his very own biological existence, or his life. The crucifixion of Jesus sheds light on this discussion:

   Matthew 27:50 and John 19:30 report that Jesus “…Gave up his spirit.” And according to Luke 23:46, Jesus said, “…Father, into your hands I commit my spirit…” (Mark 15:37 simply says that “…Jesus breathed his last.”) Significantly, none of the four accounts refers to “the soul.” Other relevant incidents include the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus—about which we read in *Luke 8:55, “And her spirit returned…”—*and the visit of Jesus, before His resurrection, to the spirits in prison (1 Peter 3:19). It is clear then that it is the spirit of a believer that goes to heaven.

   Let us now look at the passage we have quoted above from Matthew 16:24–26: IT IS A COSTLY DECISION TO BECOME A FOLLOWER OF JESUS! One must “deny himself”. This is a very difficult thing to do, because He demands of us to put Him first in our lives. Our tendency is to put ourselves first. Recall the request of the Apostles James and John (the sons of Zebedee) for one of them to sit at His right and the other at His left in His glory (Mark 10:35–45). Recall also the pertinent words of the Apostle Paul, who at one point in his ministry said,

   “For everyone seeks his own interests, not the interests of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:21).

   The second thing that Jesus demands of a believer is “to take up his cross”. Only the worst felons were executed by crucifixion. It was a shameful and very painful death. He suffered tremendously to the point that His appearance was disfigured beyond human recognition (Isaiah 52:14). We read in Galatians 3:13

   “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’”

   But since curses were punishment for sins (Deuteronomy 28:15–68), and Jesus was sinless, why did He become accursed? He became that for our curses, for He took upon Himself our sins and, in fact, He became sin for us: “For God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we may become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

   Taking up His cross then means to suffer for Him. Our very own faith is a gift from God, as is our suffering for Christ: “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him” (Philippians 1:29).

   The devil is trying very hard through his agents to vilify the believers, malign them, destroy their reputation, and render them ineffective. But we thank God that the greater one, the Lord the Holy Spirit, is in us (1 John 4:4) strengthening us and sustaining us. Let us then crucify all our fleshly desires, so that we can truly say, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me…” (Galatians 2:20).

   Jesus makes a third important point in the form of a question—verse 26 of Matthew 16: What good would it be if a man were to gain the whole world but lose eternal life? We should not store up treasures on earth, but in heaven. For, as Job acknowledged, “…Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart…” (Job 1:21). It is true: we will not be able to take anything with us when we leave this world! Let us therefore fully understand Jesus (Hebrews 3:1), fix our spiritual eyes on Him (Hebrews 12:2) and serve Him fruitfully. So, when we appear before His Judgment Seat to give account of our lives (2 Corinthians 5:10), the Master will say to every one of us: “…Well done good and faithful servant. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things. Enter the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21).

   The Master has more to say on the cost of following Him:

   MATTHEW 10:37 ‘Whoever loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and whoever loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of me.’

   The cost then is very high: We must love Jesus more than we love the members of our own family. That is indeed a very high standard! But we should not be surprised about this. After all, we have been commanded:

   “And love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your life and with all your mind and with all your power…” (Mark 12:30).

   How many believers can honestly say that they love God this way—loving Him with all their being, and more than they love their own family? Not many. Nevertheless, that is the standard we must aspire to meet! Here are more demands the Master makes of those who are considering making a commitment to Him:

   LUKE 9:59–62 He said to another man, ‘Follow me.’ But the man said, ‘Lord, first allow me to go and bury my father.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ Another man said, ‘I will follow you, Lord, but first allow me to go and say good-bye to my family.’ Jesus said to him, ‘No one who has put his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’

   Both requests were very reasonable: Let me first go and bury my father and let me first say good-bye to my family. But no, that is not acceptable. Jesus wants us to put Him first! That is what the twelve disciples of Jesus did when He called them: They left everything and followed Him (Matthew 4:18–22)—they did not look back. We recall what happened to Lot’s wife, as she and her family were fleeing Sodom that was about to be destroyed: She looked back, and she instantly became a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26). We are instructed to forget what lies behind and strain toward what is ahead (Philippians 3:13). Verse 62 of Luke 9, which we have just quoted above, uses a metaphor from farming. In old times, one would use a wooden plow, which was fitted with a sharp metallic piece, the plowshare, driven by oxen. To draw straight furrows, my late father, who was a farmer, would exert pressure on the plow and keep the oxen on a straight path. Were he to look back, the furrow would end up being in a zigzag line, which would be unfit for sowing seed. Jesus said then that a worker who does not keep his spiritual eyes fixed on Him is unfit for service in His Kingdom.

   Jesus is not looking for followers who would be enthusiastic in the beginning but would not do proper planning. He brought up the example of a man who wanted to build a tower (Luke 14:28–30). He laid the foundation, but soon ran out of money and could not complete the structure. He had not counted the cost before he started building that tower. And so, a prospective believer must first count the cost, and make a 100% commitment to serve Jesus, before he would start his walk with Him—his walk on the ROAD that leads to the Father. I still remember an incident, which happened when I was a teenager, similar to that Jesus described: Stopping the building of a house because of not having counted the cost. And people in that little town made fun of that family—just as Jesus had said in His parable. We need then to first count the cost: Jesus is calling us to accept Him not only as our Savior but also as our Lord—that means the Boss or Master of our lives whom we promise to obey and serve!

   And what does the Master promise to those who follow Him? Does He promise His followers that they will live a life free of trouble? Not so! He actually promises trouble!

   JOHN 16*:*33 ‘I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will experience pressures, but take courage—I HAVE DEFEATED THE WORLD.’

   Pressures! Don’t we all have them and plenty of them? We discussed earlier in this chapter the hatred of the world toward the believers (Matthew 10:22 and 24:9). The Apostle John also has some words on hatred: “Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brothers. He who does not love his brother remains in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him (1 John 3:13–15).

   In his second letter to Timothy, Paul’s words are very appropriate for the current times: “And all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted; but evil men and deceivers will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:12, 13).

   God then promises us persecutions! And Jesus made it very clear that we will be persecuted: “…If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also…” (John 15:20). (As was pointed out earlier in this chapter, if someone is not persecuted for his ministry, most probably it is because the devil does not find him to be a threat to his kingdom—and so the devil leaves him alone.) But we thank God that victory is ours in Christ.

   As we read in Romans 8:37, “But in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” In the armor of God, the only offensive weapon is the Word of God: “…And the sword of the Spirit which is the spoken word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). Imagine how powerful the Word of God is: It is the sword of the all-powerful Holy Spirit who lives in us! Hallelujah!

   Let us get to know better our Good Shepherd. You may be quite surprised at some of His personality traits!

   It is often stated that Jesus was “meek” during His ministry. Our reference here is Matthew 11:29. The Greek word is πρᾱος, which means “gentle”. The NIV and the NKJV render it “gentle”, but the KJV renders it “meek”. And most of the preachers depict Jesus as being meek, which according to the Webster’s Dictionary means too submissive or spineless. Jesus was not spineless! He was mostly quiet during His trial. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7), but He had come for that very purpose—to offer Himself as a ransom for the whole world. But during His ministry He was very courageous. He confronted and argued with the Jewish religious leaders, and called them “hypocrites” (Matthew 15:7), and “brood of vipers” (Matthew 12:34). Moreover, He made a whip and overturned the tables of the merchants in the temple, and drove the sheep and cattle out of it (John 2:15–17).

   He spoke with authority and was very strong and courageous during His Passion—despite the fact that He was carrying upon Himself all the sins and all the curses of all humanity! To be strong and courageous was the charge that was also given to Joshua, who had just succeeded Moses as the leader of the Israelites (Joshua 1:6, 7); moreover, that was the charge that was given to Solomon, before he succeeded his father David as king (1 Chronicles 22:13). God commands us to be strong and courageous. In fact, those who lack courage—the cowardly—top the list of those who will not make it to the Kingdom of God (Revelation 21:8). Let us therefore refrain from calling Jesus “meek”! The following two passages are strongly indicative of Jesus’ mission:

   LUKE 12:49 ‘I CAME TO PUT FIRE ON THE EARTH, and how I wish it were already kindled.’

   And Jesus did indeed set the earth on fire! “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28-29).

   He profoundly impacted humanity and society. He greatly elevated the social status of women and the worth of every individual. He extended salvation also to the Gentiles—He called His people those who were not His people (Romans 9:25)—thereby eliciting praise by many nations. And He set free those in darkness (Isaiah 49:9) and gave them the Light of Life (John 8:12).

   MATTHEW 10:34–36 ‘Do not think that I came to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace but a SWORD. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and the enemies of a man will be members of his own household.’

   You may find these words to be very surprising. After all, isn’t Jesus the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)? And didn’t the angels sing “peace on earth” the night when Jesus was born (Luke 2:14)? It is true that Jesus is the Prince of Peace who therefore came to bring peace. It is also true that He came to bring a sword. Let us explain. He brought peace between God and man: Man stopped being the enemy of God and was reconciled to Him (Romans 5:10)—thereby becoming a member of His Family. Jesus also brought a division and a sword—His Name is very controversial.

   As Simeon, a devout and righteous man, prophesied to the Mother of baby Jesus, He will be “…A disputed sign” (Luke 2:34). Also, as Isaiah prophesied, “…He will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall…” (Isaiah 8:14). He is the focus of our faith—the only ROAD that leads to the Father: Many people find this offensive. Whole families are divided on account of Him! But why is Jesus necessary and sufficient in order to reach the Father? The Father is too holy to come to the earth, because this is a fallen world that is saturated with sin. Jesus came as a Man on behalf of the Father:

   “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD…” (Psalms 118:26).

   He offered Himself as a sacrifice for our salvation. IT TAKES THE CLEANSING POWER OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF GOD THE SON TO CLEANSE THE SINS OF ALL HUMANITY!

   Let us talk a little bit more about God’s peace. His peace is very precious. Here is a beautiful passage on it: “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. AND THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4–7).

   This is the peace that Jesus has brought to us. We have all gone through situations in which we were very anxious, with recurring thoughts that created anxiety in our hearts. Those are the times when we most need peace. The problem is with our mind, and this is the reason why God instructs us to renew it:

   “And do not conform to this world, but be transformed through the renewing of your mind…” (Romans 12:2).

   It is so reassuring that God provides for us His peace that surpasses all human understanding in Christ to guard our minds. I have found the following approach to be very effective. It goes like this:

   “My mind, be quiet and get renewed by paying attention to what the Holy Spirit is saying to you. Trust fully the Lord to take care of whatever has been troubling you: Cast it upon the Lord for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). Receive His peace that no human mind can comprehend. And give the Lord praise, now and forevermore. Thank you, Father. In Jesus’ Name and for His sake, for I am a citizen of Your Kingdom and my name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Amen.”

   Jesus was neither a social activist nor a political activist. To the man who asked Him to tell his brother to divide the inheritance with him, Jesus said that He was not appointed to be a judge or an arbiter (Luke 12:13-14). He did not go around acting as an advocate of the oppressed or the disadvantaged, although He did teach the crowds the need to help the poor. Many were very disappointed in Him because He did not turn out to be the liberator of Israel from the Romans, as they expected the Messiah to be (Luke 24:21). He respected and obeyed the Roman authority: When the Jewish religious leaders tried to trick Him by asking Him whether it was right to pay taxes to Caesar, He made the now-famous statement, “…Therefore give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God” (Luke 20:25). There we have it: He taught the separation of Church and State!

   One wonders why Jesus made that statement. After all, the Romans had subjugated the Israelites and were ruling them ruthlessly. Recall the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD—with no stone of the temple remaining on another stone, in fulfillment of a prophecy by Jesus (Matthew 24:2). Understanding the rationale of Jesus will give us the key to understanding God’s command regarding our attitude toward civil authorities:

   “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for no authority exists except that which has been established by God; and the authorities that exist have been established by God. Therefore, WHOEVER OPPOSES THE AUTHORITY IS OPPOSING THE COMMAND OF GOD; and those who oppose will bring judgment on themselves” (Romans 13:1, 2).

   So, the authority of the Romans over Israel had been established by God; and Jesus therefore would not violate the command of God by disobeying the Romans.

   Let us also point out that, despite the fact that Jesus had a parody of a trial by the Romans, He did not question the fairness of Pilate—the Judge—or his authority. In fact, regarding the latter, he told Pilate that he would have no authority over Him had it not been given to him by God (John 19:11). Currently, there is considerable dissatisfaction with the judiciary in the United States. God however is telling us that the authority of this system comes from Him; and so we must respect its members. Otherwise, we would end up opposing God—may that never happen!

   Sometimes we get excited about a particular issue and lose perspective, and think that God needs our help! But God is always in command, in charge and in control! To His Holy Name be the glory both now and forevermore! He wants us to pray for all the members of our judiciary—they are His instrument—that they will be responsive to His will. Let us do that, and we will then see God move in miraculous ways to heal the divisions in our nation. Yes, He can even change the judicial philosophy of the Justices of the Supreme Court, as I understand has happened with one of them in the current Court.

   The obedience to civil authorities actually extends also to our boss at our work. “And whatever you do, work with all your heart, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23). My favorite saying on this matter is to work as hard and enthusiastically as you would if you were the owner of the business you are currently working for, and to contribute much to its prosperity. After all, you are working for Jesus—He is your Boss as this passage of Scripture says! Can you imagine what would happen at the work place if the people of God were to adopt this attitude? They would truly know us then by our good fruits, would they not (Matthew 5:16)?

   I urge you to adopt it today at your work, and to recommend it to your Christian fellow workers too, for as we have seen it is God’s command. It is very sad to witness and hear about so many cases of resentment and bitterness at the work place directed at the boss. But we the believers are different: We are “…A chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special people…” (1 Peter 2:9). Respect is also due to: Parents by their children, teachers by their students, priests or ministers, the President, judges, members of Congress, police…

   I presume that some of the readers are surprised by the present analysis. Well, it is in the Bible, and it is very simple. God has a plan for every nation. Depending on how obedient to God and how willing to serve Him a particular nation is, HE MAKES PLANS TO BRING THAT NATION HIGH OR LOW—to make it the head or the tail. Therefore, He gives to that nation leaders who will lead it either to success and prosperity or to failure and ultimately to poverty. That is why the Word of God instructs us to pray for those in authority over us (1 Timothy 2:1–3), to submit to them (Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13-14), and to honor them (1 Peter 2:17). They are God’s servants for our benefit (Romans 13:4). And the Word of God also says, “…Do not speak evil of the ruler of your people” (Acts 23:5).

   It has taken me a long time to understand these matters. Now then that I do understand that the civil authorities are instruments of God, I have promised myself to always respect them. And so I never refer to the President of the United States with his last name—I preface it with “President”: For example, “President Bush”. I can disagree with him on a particular policy of his, and I can explain why I disagree, but I leave it at that! No hard feelings, no “badmouthing”! I do hope that I am not misunderstood: This is not being wishy-washy, but rather being obedient to God! Let us be known to our community for our good works and for our zeal in advancing the cause of Jesus—for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth. Let us be like the Lord Jesus “…who went around doing good…” (Acts 10:38).

   We can dramatically change the current perception which the world has of some believers as being reactionaries, judgmental and trying to impose their own morality on the world, to desiring to draw the world to Jesus! After all, transformation of our society to a more moral one would not result in the salvation of even one person, for it is knowing Jesus and trusting in Him that saves. And so the prominent exhibition of the Ten Commandments in public places and buildings would not advance the cause of Jesus.

   Let our motto be “Who wants all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). I am convinced that this Scriptural approach will prove to be very effective. I strongly suggest that we adopt it to the glory of the Lord our God. The Lord the Holy Spirit, the greater one who lives in us (1 John 4:4), will certainly accomplish it if we are willing and obedient to Him: And who can stand up against Him, the glorious arm of power of God Almighty (Isaiah 63:11-12)? No one!

   Let us talk some more about our walk with Jesus. One way to visualize it is as following Him in His footsteps (1 Peter 2:21). Imagine an open rural area where it had just snowed, and you go out for a walk. Well, your shoes will make marks on the snow, which actually could be used to locate you. That is how we are to follow Jesus. Another way to depict our walk is as being yoked to Him:

   “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Lift up My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your lives. For My yoke is soft and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30).

   In old times, a pair of oxen was yoked together to draw the plow. The farmer was holding a long stick that had a goad at the other end. When one of the oxen was not going on a straight line or was falling behind, it would make it hard for the necks of both oxen—they were in danger of getting injured. The farmer would then use the goad to bring that ox back in synchrony with the other ox. So, we are yoked to Jesus, and we are walking together with Him. Sometimes we need to feel the goad so that we would correct our walk and bring it back to be in step with Jesus’ walk. It is a painful, but effective, way!

   As Hebrews 12:6 says, “For the Lord disciplines whomever He loves, and whips everyone He accepts as a son.”

   God’s business is an urgent business! Everything else must wait! The first part of the Lord’s Prayer deals with God’s business, His cause: “Let Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). The remaining part deals with things which we ask God for our own benefit. When Jesus sent His seventy disciples to heal the sick and to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of God, He instructed them, “…And do not greet anyone on the road” (Luke 10:4).

   Imagine that! Their business was so urgent, they did not have a moment to even say, “Hi”! And, as we pointed out above, to the man who wanted to first go and bury his father before he could follow Jesus, and to the other man who wanted to first go and say good-bye to his family, in effect, He told them to set their priorities right (Luke 9:59–62). Our focus then is on reestablishing the Kingdom of God on earth. The Kingdom was originally here, but Adam and Eve disobeyed God and listened to the devil, thereby losing the Kingdom. Then the devil became the prince of this world. Jesus came to this world and defeated the devil and gave us the victory over him.

   He will come to earth for the second time to activate His victory and reestablish His Kingdom. And what is Jesus waiting for before He returns? He is in heaven preparing a place of residence for every believer (John 14:2). How appropriate! The former carpenter is preparing homes for the believers! He will return to earth when the New Jerusalem is completely filled with believers. Then the wedding of Jesus to the believers will take place (Revelation 19:7; 21:9-10). What a celebration that will be! “…Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb…” (Revelation 19:9). I look forward to that supper, don’t you?

   We spoke earlier about the fact that the gate is narrow, and that many will seek to enter but they will not be powerful enough (Luke 13:24). Also, in the following verse we see that the ROAD is difficult and, in fact, ONLY A FEW WILL FIND IT:

   MATTHEW 7:14 But narrow is the gate and DIFFICULT IS THE ROAD THAT LEADS TO LIFE, AND FEW ARE THOSE WHO FIND IT!

   It is not surprising that the ROAD is not an easy one, because it is not fun being marked men! The devil will not stop devising plans against us, but we thank God that the devil is a defeated foe. And difficulties ought to help us develop endurance and character (Romans 5:3-4), with Jesus holding us securely by His hand in our walk (John 10:28). We are facing pressures, but are not distressed (2 Corinthians 4:8)—having instead Jesus’ joy in its fullness in our hearts (John 17:13). The statement of Jesus that only a few will make it to His Kingdom is disturbing. Jesus did not say that “some” will make it. Instead, He said “a few” will.

   Currently, some 80% of Americans call themselves “Christians”. There is some disagreement in the reported statistics for weekly church attendance: The numbers range from 26% to 40%. But even if we accept the 26% lower limit, it would mean that roughly 80 million people are regularly attending weekly services. And many—not a few—have publicly confessed Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Something appears not to be right here. Let us look more closely into this matter. A frequently-cited verse is Romans 10:17:

   “Therefore, faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the spoken Word of God.”

   And who is speaking here? It could be a preacher or a believer during a discussion or a Bible study session. As we have seen earlier in this chapter, the Holy Spirit moves as He wills. He moved through a murderous high priest during the trial of Jesus, a king who had been deposed by God, and some ordinary men who were soldiers. The Holy Spirit can teach and convict a person who does not know God. In fact, the Bible says that there is a certain day for that, which is called “Today”: “So, as the Holy Spirit says,

   ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion during the time of testing in the desert’” (Hebrews 3:7-8).

   More light on this matter is shed by John 6:45 It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY WILL ALL BE TAUGHT BY GOD. EVERYONE WHO LISTENS TO THE FATHER AND LEARNS COMES TO ME.’

   (Jesus is speaking here.) This verse is very revealing: GOD TEACHES EVERYONE about salvation. He is very fair—He gives everyone the opportunity to choose salvation. He does not exclude even one person—He teaches them all. He searches minds and hearts (Psalm 7:9) and knows those who belong to Him (2 Timothy 2:19). THOSE WHO DO, RESPOND TO HIS TEACHING, AND HE DRAWS THEM TO JESUS. And so the statement of Jesus in Matthew 22:14, “FOR MANY ARE INVITED, BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN”, is fulfilled. Yes, the invitation was extended to many, but most of them did not accept it—they rejected it with catastrophic consequences! Only a few accepted it.

   Let us continue our in-depth investigation of this matter, which determines the well-being of multitudes through eternity! At the moment of “decision”, the Lord our God knows whether the person is sincerely—genuinely—accepting Jesus as his/her Lord and Savior. If the decision is genuine, God then gives that person His Holy Spirit as a deposit—as a guarantee that that person belongs to Him (Ephesians 1:13-14). And so the question, “Once saved, always saved?” does not even come up. It is the wrong question to ask. Instead, the correct question to ask is, “Is this decision genuine?” For those whose decision is genuine, the promise of Jesus is very reassuring:

   “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give them Eternal Life. AND THEY WILL NEVER BE LOST. AND NO ONE CAN SNATCH THEM OUT OF MY HAND” (John 10:27, 28).

   THEY WILL ENDURE TO THE END, AND SO THEY WILL BE SAVED (Matthew 10:22).

   Jesus said that He knows them. They are on fire, serving Him with pleasure, putting His interests first and TURNING AWAY FROM THEIR SINS after they repent and confess them. The HOLY SPIRIT emphasizes in my spirit the “turning away from their sins.”

   “Repent” in the Greek original is μετανοῶ(-έω) from μετά, which means “change of”, and νοῶ (-έω) which means “to think”. So, μετανοῶ means “to change my thinking”: We need to change our way of thinking. Alternatively, one could think of it as renewing one’s mind (Romans 12:2). We hear very little about REPENTANCE in the United States. But the message of repentance is central to our salvation. Here is how the Apostle Paul summarized the emphasis of his ministry during his defense before king Agrippa:

   “Therefore, king Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. But first to those in Damascus and to those in Jerusalem, in all Judea, and to the Gentiles, I declared that they should REPENT and return to God, and do good works befitting REPENTANCE” (Acts 26:19-20).

   Good works validate the genuineness of our repentance. These were not Paul’s ideas, but Jesus’ commands, which were revealed to him in a vision by Jesus Himself (Galatians 1:12)!

   Let us briefly go back to 2 Timothy 2:19, which we quoted above: “…The Lord knows those who belong to him…” In the Greek original, the verb for “to know” is γινώσκω (or γιγνώσκω in the classical Greek). In this verse, actually the tense of the verb is past—ἔγνων: “The Lord knew those who belong to Him.” So, God knew them before they even made the decision to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. This may be considered to relate to predestination, a highly controversial issue.

   The most relevant passage is Romans 8:29: “For those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…” The following very brief comments, I believe, give a satisfactory perspective. God, being omniscient, certainly has foreknowledge of everything, including the future members of His family. I suggest that we don’t go off on a tangent philosophizing on this matter: As we have said earlier in this chapter, God is not very complimentary of philosophers! He did not make us robot-like, but He made us in His own image (Genesis 1:27), and thus He endowed us with free will. We are totally responsible, as free agents, to accept or reject Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

   Let us now go back to the subject we have been discussing. Those who continue living in unconfessed sin cannot expect to make it to the Kingdom of God. The Apostle Paul made this very clear:

   “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral (Greek πόρνοι from which pornography is derived), nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminates, nor homosexuals, nor greedy, nor thieves, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor plunderers will inherit the kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

   “For make sure you know the following: No sexually immoral (πόρνος), or impure, or greedy man—who is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” Ephesians 5:5.

   And then Paul adds:

   LET NO ONE DECEIVE YOU WITH EMPTY WORDS, Ephesians 5:6

   And the rest of verse 6 reads as follows: “For because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”

   It is very clear then: The door to the Kingdom of God will be shut to any habitual sinner. The reassurance that is very often given, “You will not lose your salvation”, constitutes just empty words. Millions of people have been given this false reassurance that is based on man’s—not God’s—authority! They live habitually in sin, without responding to the conviction by the Holy Spirit to repent and confess it, to have it washed away with the precious Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and to turn away from it. No wonder THE RATES OF ABORTION AND DIVORCE AMONG BELIEVERS ARE THE SAME AS THE RATES AMONG NONBELIEVERS! Therefore, the faith of many does not impact their lives, and so verse 6 says here that the wrath of God is aroused.

   We also see in the Letter to the Hebrews, chapter 10, the dire consequences of living in sin. Verses 26 and 27 say: “For if we willingly keep on sinning after we have received the full knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume those who oppose God.” And verse 31 says: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” O, I do hope and pray that these words are heeded by all who are reading them, so that they do not find themselves in such a situation!

   The believers frequently bring up the fact that God loves them—and they should because God’s love is a very important aspect of their relationship with Him. However, it should be also said that God loves all that He has made. His very own nature is love (1 John 4:8). He even loves the whole world (John 3:16), despite the fact that He instructs us repeatedly in the Bible not to be of the world. So, there must be an additional, special aspect of the relationship between a believer and God.

   As Jesus came out of the water following His baptism in the Jordan, God said in an audible voice, “…This is my beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:17). And God repeated that same statement later on during the transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:5). God was well-pleased with Jesus because Jesus was obedient to Him and, ultimately, went through His Passion and became sin (2 Corinthians 5:21) and curse (Galatians 3:13) for the whole world:

   PHILIPPIANS 2:9–11 Because of this, God highly exalted Him and granted Him the Name that is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

   And God promises to shower us with his blessings AS WE PLEASE HIM BY BEING OBEDIENT TO HIM: “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land” (Isaiah 1:19).

   We see then that the concern is not whether God loves us—He does anyway (John 3:16)—but whether He is pleased with our service to Him. It would then seem to be more appropriate to retitle that popular song “Jesus Loves Me, This I Know”, to “Jesus Is Well-Pleased With Me, This I Know!” The Apostle Paul likened his actions in his walk on the ROAD to the action of an athlete who is running a race or is boxing:

   “Therefore I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as one who beats the air, but I beat my body and bring it into subjection, LEST HAVING PREACHED TO OTHERS I MYSELF BECOME DISQUALIFIED” (1 Corinthians 9:26-27).

   Imagine that! The great Apostle Paul was very concerned that, despite his great ministry to the Lord Jesus Christ, finally he would not make it to the Kingdom of God. And so he continued walking on the ROAD to salvation—working out his salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). Toward the end of his life, he made the following pronouncement:

   “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Well, the crown of righteousness is laid up in store for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that Day—and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

   He endured to the end, as Jesus had commanded (Matthew 10:22), and so he was finally saved. He is now walking, and all the believers will ultimately be walking, on the Great Street of the New Jerusalem, which is of pure gold (Revelation 21:21). Consider this: Since even the Apostle Paul, who has written more than a quarter of the NT, had to endure to the end in order to attain salvation, should we not also do likewise rather than take salvation for granted? I don’t know about you, but I myself most certainly have endured and I plan to endure!

   Imagine now that you are driving on an interstate road, and you see a billboard that reads:

   DON’T GET LOST!

   JESUS IS THE ONLY ROAD

   TO THE FATHER.

   Would it not be fantastic if billboards with this message were to spring up throughout the United States? The churches in a particular community could undertake this ministry jointly by making contributions to this project, which could be called “Marketing The Word Of God!” It will be God’s business—aiming at winning souls to the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us pray that God will commission and motivate His people through the Lord His Holy Spirit to carry out this project. It would certainly put the devil—that defeated foe—on the run! And let us then exclaim, “Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to Your Name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness” (Psalm 115:1)!

   As a brief epilogue to this chapter, I would like to say that the matter of salvation, being at the very core of our faith and also being controversial, has been approached here by considering the relevant evidence that Scripture provides. There has not been any “picking and choosing”—and there shouldn’t be for any matter that pertains to faith.

   The ultimate responsibility for salvation rests with the individual—not with an author, nor with a pastor, nor with a theologian, nor with anyone else! Our Father, the Lord Almighty, has done His part by giving us the ROAD—the Lord Jesus Christ—that leads to Him. He instructed us to walk with Jesus, carrying His yoke (Matthew 11:29), to the end of our lives, when the crown of righteousness—of having the right standing before God—will be awarded to us. May the analysis we have presented here advance the cause of the Lord our God—the coming of His Kingdom and the following of His will on earth as it is in heaven! Hallelujah!

   In Summary:

   Salvation of easy! We are the sheep of His Pasture meaning we enter in by Jesus and rest/eat/play/hang out in the field where Jesus our Shepherd resides. He cares for us prodding when we are to move and and letting us rest as well. The prodding means obedience to His Word which is loving Him and loving others. Our lives are meant to be lived for Him in His field for His Glory. Let’s rest in His Presence, obey Him and draw others to Him filling up Heaven by letting others see and experience Him when they interact with us.

   ~

   Chapter 10: RESENTMENT, OFFENSE AND BITTERNESS R.O.B. YOU OF YOUR BLESSINGS IN CHRIST

   We speak in another chapter about Jesus being πρᾱος, which unfortunately is frequently misinterpreted as “meek”. We said there that πρᾱος means “gentle”. In that context, Jesus also said:

   “You heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’. But I tell you not to resist an evil man. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:38-39). (This message is also reported in Luke 6:29.)

   What did Jesus mean when he said that we ought to turn the other cheek? Did He literally mean that we should not defend ourselves, but to become a doormat instead? Or did He mean for us not to allow poisonous emotions to control our lives? Does the Bible provide answers to these questions? Well, we would expect the Bible, being the manual for our lives, to provide clear answers to these questions. And why have millions of people missed it so far?

   John 3:27 tells us why: “…Man cannot receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven.” The knowledge is available to us. All one needs to do is “Ask and it will be given to him, seek and he will find, and knock and the door will be opened to him” (Matthew 7:7). It requires our desiring to search and find—it will not fall into our lap like ripe figs as we just sit there being idle! After all, the Word of God is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12)!

   In the OT, we find the following two references to striking a man on his cheek: JOB 16:10 Men open their mouths to jeer at Me; THEY STRIKE MY CHEEK IN SCORN and unite together against Me.

   Job speaks figuratively here, for as we would recall, lepers were not allowed to live within the town limits, and nobody would touch them. Our second reference is

   LAMENTATIONS 3:30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, AND LET HIM BE FILLED WITH DISGRACE.

   It can be deduced from verse 25 (not quoted here) that “him” in verse 30 refers to one who hopes in the Lord and seeks Him. Verse 30 then is seen to instruct believers to offer their cheeks to those who strike them. This is very similar to Matthew 5:39 (which we have discussed above), in which Jesus instructs us to turn the other cheek. What Job 16:10 and Lamentations 3:30 clearly establish is that in Israel STRIKING A MAN ON THE CHEEK WAS DONE TO SCORN AND DISGRACE HIM.

   What Jesus says then in Matthew 5:39 is that when others scorn us, disgrace us, despise us, are contemptuous of us, “assassinate” our reputation, vilify us and do not even acknowledge our presence, we should not return the insult. We should not be resentful, offended, or bitter. We should let them continue in their folly, and engulf them with ἀγάπη—Greek for godly love.

   Some of the readers may consider this statement to be too passive. However, as we will see below, by responding this way we are protecting our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. In addition, we behave the way Ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ ought to behave! The reference to our Ambassador status is

   2 Corinthians 5:20: “We are therefore ambassadors of Christ…”

   You see, as an American Ambassador represents our country in a foreign country, so we the believers represent the Lord Jesus Christ to nonbelievers. We are citizens of His Kingdom, and He is our King. We ought to study the Word of God, and become well-informed about it, so that when the occasion arises—when the Lord the Holy Spirit opens a door for us—we will be ready to present to nonbelievers the positions of our “Government” on any matter that pertains to our faith. Sadly, we sometimes become a stumbling-block to nonbelievers, and this grieves the Holy Spirit. In that case, we will need to respond to His conviction, repent, and ask God’s forgiveness and help to change our ways.

   The homecoming of Jesus provides interesting insights into the consequences of being offended. The incident was reported in Matthew 13:53–58; Mark 6:1–6; and Luke 4:16–30. Here is Mark’s account:

   MARK 6:1–6 And He came out of there and went to His hometown, with his disciples following Him. And when the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and many who were hearing Him were amazed saying, ‘Where did this man get these things from? And what is this wisdom that has been given to Him, and how such miracles are performed by his hands? Is He not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?’ AND THEY WERE OFFENDED AT HIM. And Jesus said to them, ‘Only in his hometown, and among his relatives, and in his own house is a prophet without honor.’ AND HE COULD NOT DO ANY MIRACLES THERE, except lay His hands on a few sick people and heal them. And He was amazed at their unbelief.

   The Jews were amazed not only at the great miracles Jesus had performed in other places of Israel, but also at the wisdom He exhibited. John 7:15 gives us an insight into that: “And the Jews were amazed saying, ‘How did He learn without having studied?’” In Mark chapter 6 says that they “were scandalized”, which in the Greek original is ἐσκανδαλίζοντο: This means that they “were offended” at Him.

   Let us add here that, at the time of Jesus, there were no schools in the sense that we currently know them. Rather, learning was accomplished through a private teacher or a tutor. For example, the Apostle Paul studied under the great teacher Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). And what was the result of their being offended at Jesus? We read in Mark chapter 6 that Jesus could not do any miracles there. Imagine that!

   Certainly, Jesus still possessed the healing power—He will never lose that power! However, the people of Nazareth—His hometown—closed their hearts to Him and, as a consequence, they could not receive His blessings: The transfer of the blessings from the Master to them was blocked. That is what happens every time we get offended: We cannot receive. It is like what happens when an electrical cord is accidentally cut: The flow of electrical current stops, and the appliance cannot receive electrical energy.

   Let us also consider the following example: We are watching on TV a preacher as he delivers a sermon, and we don’t like his mannerisms, or we don’t agree with a particular point he has just made. If we get offended at him, our immediate urge would be to voice loudly our disapproval and change the channel. From my experience, I can tell you this: If you are looking for the perfect preacher, teacher, or pastor on TV, you will certainly miss out on some very nourishing spiritual food. God works in mysterious ways, and He uses imperfect people—we are all imperfect—to teach us. It is probably not accidental that you are watching that program—perhaps God wants to convey a message to you through it.

   Luke 4:25–30 reports on an ugly incident that took place during the homecoming of Jesus. He told the crowds that during the three and a half years of the drought, Elijah the prophet was not sent to a Jewish but to a Gentile widow in the area of Sidon. And at the time of Elisha the prophet, although there were many lepers in Israel, not one of them was healed; only Naaman, the commander-in-chief of the Syrian army, was healed. With these two accounts Jesus implied that God was withholding His favor from the Israelites and granting it to the Gentiles. Upon hearing these two accounts, “all the people were filled with anger” and took Jesus to the brow of the hill on which the town was built to throw Him down the cliff and kill Him.

   What a disappointing and, at the same time, frightening homecoming Jesus had! And what drove that mob to attempt to murder the Author of Life? It was the fact that their hearts were filled with anger. They lost control of their minds because they allowed the flesh to take complete control of their actions. They were resentful, offended, and bitter at the words of Jesus. Actually, we have a revealing acronym here—by taking the first letter of each of these three words—THAT READS:

   R.O.B., (Resentful, Offended, Bitter) AND THAT IS WHAT THESE EMOTIONS CAN DO:

   THEY ROB THE MAN WHO HARBORS THEM OF HIS BLESSINGS!

   This very poisonous combination constitutes a very heavy baggage for anyone to carry—we talk about its effects later on below. We have just seen that it deprived the people of Nazareth of the healing miracles of Jesus, and transformed them into potential murderers!

   The following reference elaborates on bitterness:

   HEBREWS 12:15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no ROOT OF BITTERNESS grows up to cause trouble and through it many become DEFILED.

   We see then that bitterness grows roots in the heart of the person who harbors it. This means that it takes control of that heart AND KEEPS ON GROWING. It truly enslaves that person. As the Apostle Peter put it quite aptly, “…For a man becomes a slave to whatever has defeated him” (2 Peter 2:19).

   Hebrews 12:15 says further that the man who has a root of bitterness in his heart becomes “DEFILED”. The verb here in the Greek original is μιαίνομαι. It has the connotation of becoming impure, or unclean or unholy. “Holy” in Greek is ἃγιος. Often in the NT the believers are called ἃγιοι, which is the plural of ἃγιος and means “saints”. God commands us to “…Become Holy, because I am Holy” (1 Peter 1:16). In the Hebrews quotation we have been studying, the preceding verse—verse 14—gives us a strong warning: “Pursue peace with all people, and HOLINESS WITHOUT WHICH NO ONE WILL SEE THE LORD”.

   By putting these pieces of information together, we then learn that whoever harbors a root of bitterness becomes defiled or unholy, which, in turn, excludes that person from inheriting eternal life. Now, that is a stiff penalty to pay. Nevertheless, that is what will happen because the Word of God says so. But why is bitterness such a grave sin, which condemns a person to eternal separation from God? It is because bitterness leads to unforgiveness. There is no room for God’s love in an unforgiving heart.

   We read in Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive men their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, neither will your Father forgive your sins.” And a man who dies in his sins will never see the face of God! Paul urges us in Ephesians 4:31 to avoid all poisonous emotions: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and blasphemy, along with all wickedness.”

   An offended and embittered man will not relent. “An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city, and disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel” (Proverbs 18:19). He will not let go. He wishes misfortune, poverty, and suffering to the man who offended him. He will not rest until he sees that man punished. Although he may appear calm, he is boiling inside him. Again and again his mind revolves around the matter that infuriated him. He frets about it, not paying attention to the warning that the Word of God has given us:

   “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; DO NOT FRET—IT LEADS ONLY TO EVIL” (Psalm 37:8).

   He is like a volcano that usually erupts without much warning, and is uncontrollable. Ultimately, resentment, offense, and bitterness often lead to HATRED, which is a highly toxic emotion. The person becomes completely controlled by hostility and seeks revenge—EVEN MURDER. In the United States, “Hate Crime Legislation” has recently been enacted for protection from such a violent activity.

   The Bible uses strong words on hatred. “Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brothers. He who does not love the brother remains in death. ANYONE WHO HATES HIS BROTHER IS A MURDERER, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:13–15).

   Personally, I am not surprised if the world hates the believers. But I am surprised that a man who is harboring hatred in his heart is a murderer. Now, that man did not commit a murder, and yet the NT says that he is a murderer. A court of the United States of America would find him innocent, and so would the Law of Moses—the Ten Commandments. Nevertheless, the Judge, the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom we will all give an account of our lives (2 Corinthians 5:10), will find him guilty.

   This is part of the higher standard under which we live as believers; the full account of this standard, as was given to us by Jesus, is reported in chapter 5 of Matthew. Jesus taught that every evil which comes out of the heart of a man defiles him. Reference to committing adultery exemplifies clearly this standard: “You have heard that it was said long ago, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that anyone who looks at a woman lustily has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28).

   With regards to anger, Jesus said the following: “You have heard that it was said long ago, ‘Do not commit murder, and anyone who commits murder will be guilty in the judgment.’ But I say to you anyone who becomes angry with his brother without paying close attention will be guilty in the judgment…” (Matthew 5:21-22). But what does it mean “to pay close attention”? In order to find the answer to this question, we will need to look into the situations which made Jesus angry, and then follow His example. Jesus’ anger was directed at the religious leaders, not at ordinary people. Here are some occasions in which He became angry:

   (1) Jesus visited the temple and saw that it had been transformed into a market place. His wrath flared up. He made a whip, drove the animals out of it, and overturned the tables of the money changers. His anger was RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION. A holy place had been desecrated and He felt the need to restore it to its proper condition and function (John 2:13–17).

   (2) The Pharisees said that Jesus was performing the awesome miracles and wonders through Beelzeboul (Matthew 12:22–32), the prince of the demons—Satan (Matthew 12:24). With this statement, the Pharisees insulted the Holy Spirit through whom Jesus was actually driving out the demons. And Jesus stated that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven either in this world or in the world to come (Matthew 12:31-32). And so Jesus was moved with righteous indignation at the Pharisees.

   (3) The religious leaders, again and again, showed complete lack of compassion for the people who came on the Sabbath to be healed. Because of that, Jesus was righteously indignant.

   (4) That was also His reaction when the leaders were attempting to put Him to the test, trying to trap Him into saying something for which they would report Him to the Romans (Matthew 22:15–22).

   (5) He was also righteously indignant at the leaders who asked Him to show them a sign from heaven: They were oblivious to God’s Word, “…The righteous will live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4).

   (6) And in Matthew 23:13–33 and in Luke 11:42–53 Jesus expressed His righteous indignation at the teachers of the law and the Pharisees by pronouncing woes against them. He called them hypocrites, whitewashed tombs, blind, snakes and brood of vipers. He enumerated their wicked actions, which included the following: Neglecting justice, mercy, and the love of God, taking away the key to the knowledge of God thereby hindering those who were entering the Kingdom of God, doing everything for a show, and devouring widows’ houses and making lengthy prayers in order to appear godly.

   We see then that the righteous indignation of Jesus in all of these situations was stirred up by a flagrant violation of God’s will. In modern times, the righteous indignation of believers may be stirred up by actions such as insulting God, maligning and ridiculing God’s Word and His plan for salvation, and persecuting believers and depriving them of their rights.

   Returning to the Matthew 5:21-22 passage, in the Greek original, the word that is rendered here “without paying close attention” is εἰκῆ: This passage means that, before we get angry with someone, we have to pay close attention and examine very carefully whether, in the particular situation under consideration, there exists a serious spiritual reason that justifies righteous indignation—and this is the only kind of anger we are allowed to express.

   We should add here that this examination should not be done hastily: James 1:19 instructs us to be “slow to become angry.” The NKJV renders εἰκῆ as “without a cause,” and the NIV omits it altogether but in a footnote it adds “without cause”; this rendering is surprising, for it says that there is anger that is directed at someone without a cause. However, since anger is a strong emotion, it needs to be triggered by some cause.

   For how long then should a person remain angry? Ephesians 4:26 gives us the answer: “Be angry, and do not sin; do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.”

   We gain understanding of how deeply Jesus was moved in the spirit, when He drove out the animals and overthrew the tables of the money changers in the temple, from John 2:17: “And his disciples remembered that it is written, ‘Zeal for your house will eat me up.’”

   Righteous indignation then is an all-consuming emotion that needs to be controlled; it should not last through the night, and it should always be followed by expression of agape, which is godly love—the person at whom the indignation was directed should be reassured that it was done in love. It should be pointed out that righteous indignation is different from moral indignation, which aims at defending a moral code.

   Actually, some other religions have a moral code similar to the Christian moral code. Our aim is not to promote morality but to proclaim the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ, so that more workers will come forth and labor in His vineyard—to advance His cause which is the coming of His Kingdom and the following of His will on earth as it is in heaven.

   In order to complete this discussion, we should add that, when a particular anger does not meet the criterion we have just established for being righteous indignation, it would be categorized as carnal or worldly anger. That is the kind of anger Jesus referred to in the Matthew 5:21-22 passage. It is a highly poisonous emotion which, like offense, resentment, and bitterness, must be avoided. In fact, in that passage Jesus equated the sentence for the worldly anger to the sentence for murder. That emotion overwhelms the man, unleashes its poison throughout his whole being, clouds his judgment, and defiles him.

   The 1 John 3:14 verse, which we have discussed above, says that we will inherit eternal life through love, and that he who does not love others remains in death. And Jesus commanded us, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who act despitefully toward you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

   Interestingly, the command to love is also found in the OT: Leviticus 19:18 “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” In this command the entire Law is summed up (Galatians 5:14). And so it now becomes clear why a man whose heart is full of ungodly anger or hatred will not see the face of God—because he lacks love. Let us look at this in the following way: The man who lacks love cannot see the face of God because God is love (1 John 4:8)!

   Some people may find this analysis confusing, because they have the wrong impression that the OT teaches revenge—an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. However, it is not true that the OT teaches this as a general rule. It teaches that if someone goes to court and gives false testimony (that is, if he is a false witness), and as a result of that testimony the accused man would have lost an eye, the eye of the false witness must be gouged. And if the accused man would have lost a hand, the hand of the false witness must be cutoff.

   This matter is covered in Deuteronomy 19:16–21. Verse 21 reads as follows: “Show no pity: Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” You see, at the time of the OT, if someone, for example, were to be convicted of stealing, he would have had his hand cut off. This is still practiced in some countries—notably in Saudi Arabia. So, Leviticus 19:18, which teaches love toward one’s neighbors and avoidance of seeking revenge, does not contradict Deuteronomy 19:21. It would not have made any sense to teach in one book of the Bible, in Leviticus, one thing, and then to teach the opposite in another book, in Deuteronomy.

   Rather, Deuteronomy talks about punishment of a false witness which was by a court, whereas Leviticus talks about how one person should interact with other persons. And yet, millions of people are not aware of these facts, and often think that God’s command to the Israelites was for them to take revenge.

   Truly, the unfolding of God’s Word gives light (Psalm 119:130)—and this is the very purpose of the present book that you are reading! It is very reassuring to know that in a world that is in turmoil, facing financial, energy, political, environmental, military, and other crises, God’s Word shines like a very precious stone!

   What about revenge then? Is not the man who has wronged another man by gossiping, spreading lies, and destroying that other man’s reputation, guilty? Yes, he is guilty and deserves to be punished. We find the answer in the Manual of Life, the Bible. It is like when you buy a new car: It comes with an Owner’s Manual. God has made us: He has knit every one of us together wonderfully in his mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-14), and has given us the Bible to guide us in how to live our lives.

   The Bible is an amazing Book. The more we draw from it, the richer it becomes—it is the inexhaustible source of knowledge! We first note that we ought to bless, and to wish in our hearts the best for those who act against us:

   “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who are rejoicing, and mourn with those who are mourning” (Romans 12:14-15).

   We should never rejoice over other people’s difficulties and suffering: God detests that. An instructive example is found in the OT regarding the complete destruction of Ammon as a nation, because the Ammonites had rejoiced at the immense suffering of the Israelites (Ezekiel 25:1–7). Verses 6 and 7 read, “…Because you have clapped your hands and stamped your feet, rejoicing with all the malice of your heart against the land of Israel, therefore I will… give you as plunder to the nations…”

   Here is now the instruction regarding revenge:

   ROMANS 12:19 Beloved, do not take revenge, BUT GIVE PLACE TO WRATH, for it is written, ‘VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,’ SAYS THE LORD.

   We are commanded not to take revenge, but to give place to wrath instead. This means to leave the matter completely in the hands of God: He will administer justice and punishment through his wrath. We are not judges. The Judge is only One, the Lord Jesus Christ: His Father appointed Him as such. He is our Mediator, who offered Himself as a sacrifice for our salvation, and is now the High Priest in the Heavenly Temple interceding with the Father on our behalf. We belong to Him. Anyone who persecutes us and mistreats us will have to deal with Him. He keeps us like the Apple of His Eye (Deuteronomy 32:10). And He does not forget us—He has engraved us on the palms of His Hands (Isaiah 49:15-16).

   God’s instructions to us regarding revenge go further: “Therefore if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For, by doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be defeated by evil, but defeat evil with good” (Romans 12:21).

   What about feeding your enemies? Is this realistic, or is it setting the bar too high? Actually, this is quite realistic. The Bible is a practical Book. The statement regarding the feeding of our enemies is completely in line with the words of Jesus regarding love: “But I say to you, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES…” (Matthew 5:44).

   Note though the practical explanation of why we should feed our enemies. Our enemies become perplexed about it. They cannot believe their eyes! We are engulfing them with love, and so they ask themselves, “Is this for real?” And when they realize that it is for real, they ask, “Why is he doing this? What is so different about him?” Therefore, this is a great way to witness—by being obedient to God’s command to “defeat evil with good” (Romans 12:21). Instead of seeking revenge, we should ensure that we obey also the following command of God: “And do not give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:27). The devil must not be given place in any aspect of the life of a believer.

   When I was very young, I remember that, when in a conversation reference was made to the devil, we would use the expression “the one who is out of here”. He is not welcome—we make no room for him! He wants us to harbor in our hearts offense, resentment, bitterness, hatred, and unforgiveness. We ought to resist those urgings, “So that Satan does not gain advantage over us. For we are not ignorant of his schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:11).

   In Greek, the verb for “gaining advantage” is πλεονεκτῶ(-έω). It has the same origin as πλεονεξία, which means greed. So, the devil starts with gaining a 1st advantage—by our giving him place in one aspect of our lives. This starts the process, and he tries to gain 2nd, 3rd, 4th… advantages over other aspects of our lives. He does not give up, and he is never satisfied—he is greedy about it. But we thank God that the Lord His Holy Spirit reveals the schemes of the devil to us, so that “we are not ignorant of his schemes”, as we have just seen in 2 Corinthians; this gives us advantage over the devil, and we are led to victory! The Holy Spirit does that by confiding in us when we fear the LORD (Psalm 25:14); fearing the Lord means to view Him as the awesome God that He is, and to revere Him.

   As the last book of the OT—Malachi—says in 4:2, “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.”

   If you have worked in farming, as I did in my teens, you will know how joyfully the calves leap when they are released from the stall: That is how we the believers, who revere the Lord, ought to express our joy! Let us then revere our Lord exclaiming, “Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness” (Psalm 115:1).

   Hallelujah!

   Regarding the concept of gaining advantage, we find an interesting analogy with the game of tennis. When the two players have scored at least three points each, and both players have the same number of points, the score is said to be “deuce”. Then, the player who wins the next point is said to have “advantage”. Let us call that player Jim. The umpire then announces, “advantage Jim”. If Jim goes on and wins the next point, he then wins that particular “game”. (“Games” constitute “sets”, and “sets” constitute a “match”.) Every believer should therefore strive to always hear “advantage… (the believer’s name)” in his clashes with the devil. And when he realizes that he has allowed the devil to gain advantage over him, let him turn quickly to the Father for help to reverse the situation so that the devil does not score! That is why the Scripture instructs us to be on our guard (1 Peter 5:8).

   Let us have a look at the sequence of the development of the toxic emotions we have been examining. First comes the emotion associated with being offended. That is generated when someone takes a particular remark or action personally, and he feels insulted. It may have to do with his family, or with himself: For example, his behavior, his character, his set of values or his professional success. Then the emotional upsetting may grow, and the man may become resentful: He holds a remark or an action against the person who made the remark or undertook the action.

   The presence of a strong negative emotion may be manifested with the familiar statement “I resent this remark.” The strength of the emotion, if it is cultivated, grows and blossoms into bitterness. At that stage, it develops roots in the heart of the man who harbors it. We have previously noted that resentment, offense, and bitterness form the acronym R. O. B.—they rob the man who is possessed by them of his blessings in Christ. As we also noted earlier, associated with these emotions is unforgiveness. We then have another acronym that reads:

   R.O.B.U., (Resentment, Offense, Bitterness, Unforgiveness) THEY CAN ROB YOU OF YOUR BLESSINGS IF YOU HARBOR THEM.

   This is just a little game to perhaps help us remember how costly these worldly emotional conditions are. Next in the sequence of emotional development is hatred: It controls the whole being of the man, and seeks revenge as the only action that could possibly satisfy him—or so it falsely promises! The spiritual health of that man suffers greatly because he does not forgive, and so his sins cannot be forgiven either (Matthew 6:14-15): He is in danger of facing the wrath of God Who is a Consuming Fire (Hebrews 12:29).

   And what about his physical and mental health? In this regard, there is mounting medical evidence that there exists a strong mind-body connection. In response to poisonous emotions, the body produces some chemicals, including the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones are beneficial to the body in small amounts or when released in high concentrations for a short time period. However, high concentrations for a prolonged time period appear to have ill effects on the body. Currently, the evidence is empirical, lacking a cause-effect basis at the molecular level.

   We should keep in mind, however, that such a situation is not unusual in medicine, in view of the complexity of the processes that operate in the human body. The effects of these hormones appear to be associated with a number of ailments and conditions, including the following: chronic headaches, chronic back pain, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, heart problems, suppression of the immune system and depression. What does the Word of God then say about the effects on the human body of strong negative emotions? Now, some readers may think that this is too much to ask—they think that the Bible is silent on this matter. However, the Bible is not silent.

   Here is a relevant passage:

   1 TIMOTHY 4:7-8 Have nothing to do with godless and old wives’ tales, but train yourself in godliness. For physical training is of LITTLE BENEFIT, BUT GODLINESS IS BENEFICIAL IN EVERYTHING, holding promises for both this life and for the future life.

   It is known that exercise can reduce stress. Millions of people, including many who are climbing the ladder of professional success, live very stressful lives. A considerable percentage of them use exercise as their drug.

   With the same aggressiveness with which they pursue professional success, they follow an exercise program. It is well-established that during intense exercise, endorphins are secreted by the brain into the bloodstream. These chemicals have pain-relieving properties. They do that by blocking the signal the body sends through the nerves to inform the brain of the presence of pain at a particular body location. They also relieve anxiety and depression, and generate a feeling of well-being. Endorphins resemble the opiates in reducing pain and producing a feeling of well-being. In effect then, endorphins play the role of a natural narcotic: For people under stress, intense exercise produces an opiate shot!

   I recall a number of years ago, on a very cold day, it had snowed and we also had a bad case of ice formation that made walking very difficult. A colleague of mine complained that he could not run under those conditions. Jokingly, I said to him: “I don’t have any sympathy for someone whose major problem is that he cannot run because of bad weather!” For him, however, running meant much more than just exercising.

   I also recall an incident that involved a fellow who was trying to run a marathon race. Before the race, he cut off the part of each shoe that was directly above his toes. He thought that by doing that he would alleviate the pressure on his toes from the pounding. Some 20 miles into the race, he looked at his feet in utter disbelief: The region where the upper part of the shoes had been cut off was sharp, and as a result it cut into his feet. There was considerable bleeding, but he felt no pain. The secreted endorphins did a great job in killing the pain, but in the process the brain was not informed of the occurring injury!

   Verse 8 of our reference, 1 Timothy 4, says that physical training is only of little value. This is so because it only treats the symptoms of stress, and not its causes. (Nevertheless, we should add that exercise is beneficial to the overall health of the body.) The problem, however, is not physical, but mental and, ultimately, spiritual! The worst enemy of a man is his own mind. The mind is a physical, worldly thing that tends to desire the things of this world. This is the reason the Scripture says:

   ROMANS 12:2 And do not conform to this world, but be transformed through the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, and pleasing and perfect will of God.

   A believer needs to have his mind renewed, so that it does not fight against the will of his spirit, but operates in harmony with it. And how does one renew his mind? He does that by constantly feeding on the Word of God and filling his mind with God’s instructions and promises. In the process, he acquires more and more the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) and gets trained in godliness—as our reference of 1 Timothy 4:7 instructs us to do.

   Let us recall again that we have discussed what 1 Timothy 4:8 says about physical training: It is of little value. Verse 8 also says that the benefits of living a godly life extend to “EVERYTHING”, for this life and for the life to come. Living for God opens the floodgates of His storehouse and shower the believer with all of His blessings! “Everything” means ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE: Therefore, those aspects include the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health! A person who lives a godly life will be led by the Holy Spirit to reject offense, resentment, bitterness, hatred, and unforgiveness, for all of these certainly are not the fruit of the Holy Spirit but are the fruit of the flesh (Galatians 5:19–21).

   In view of the known linkage between physical and mental health, that person will be healed from ailments and conditions we mentioned earlier, which include the following: chronic headaches, chronic back pain, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, heart problems, suppression of the immune system and depression. You see, a godly life is greatly rewarded! Is it not remarkable how wise God’s instructions are?

   He commanded us to do everything in love (1 Corinthians 16:14). There is no room for poisonous emotions in a heart that loves as God loves: Unconditionally, unfailingly and undeservingly! He knows what is best for our overall well-being. Indeed, statistical analyses find that people of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ live a longer, more joyful life. Let us then join the Apostle Paul in exclaiming, “O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God…” (Romans 11:33)!

   Let us look into the Scripture and identify individuals who faced difficult situations and, (1) they allowed themselves to be offended, or (2) they refused to allow themselves to be offended. Both kinds of situations provide very useful lessons for us in our fight against poisonous emotions. We will first start with individuals who were offended.

   We have already looked into the homecoming of Jesus, and saw that the people of Nazareth were offended at Him. As a result, no healing power could flow from Jesus to them. In Mark 6:6 we read that “He was amazed at their unbelief”. I can understand His amazement: Rejecting Him! He was the Great Healer, who had healed multitudes in other parts of Israel—and yet they were rejecting Him!

   Furthermore, He must have known quite well every inhabitant of little Nazareth—and yet they were intent on murdering Him! That was not the only time Jesus encountered unbelief and fierce opposition. He had a number of contentious encounters with the Jewish religious leaders. He denounced the fact that they violated the Word of God in order to uphold their traditions. He called them hypocrites, brood of vipers, whitewashed tombs, blind… And he rebuked them for not entering the Kingdom of God, but hindering those who were entering. (See especially chapter 23 of Matthew and chapter 11 of Luke.) They trained some of their people, and sent them to start arguments with Jesus intending to trap Him, so that they could accuse Him to the Romans (Luke 11:53, 54).

   Despite the fact that they witnessed many miracles performed by Jesus, they could not believe in Him: Their hearts were filled with poisonous emotions, even with hatred, and that left no room for the Holy Spirit of God. They held meetings to plan His death, and finally succeeded in putting Him to death after a trial conducted by Pilate, the spineless, crowd-pleasing Roman Governor. Clearly, the religious leaders allowed the devil to gain advantage over them!

   Two of the disciples of Jesus, James and John, were brothers—the sons of Zebedee. Jesus called them Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder (Mark 3:17). They apparently had a very bad temper for Jesus to call them that name! And there is one recorded incident in which they certainly let that temper explode (Luke 9:51–56). Jesus was heading toward Jerusalem with His disciples, and He sent some messengers ahead of Him to make accommodation arrangements. The local Samaritan people refused to serve them because they were Jews. Traditionally, there was considerable animosity between the Samaritans and the Jews, and because of that there were no dealings between them.

   Upon seeing that attitude, James and John became angry and asked Jesus, “‘…Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?’ But Jesus turned and rebuked them and said, ‘You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.’ And they went to another village” (Luke 9 verses 54–56). We see that Jesus called attention to His mission—the salvation of mankind—whereas James and John allowed themselves to be offended. Imagine the disciples going around calling fire down from heaven and instantly burning people to death! On the contrary, Jesus had love for all people: We read in Acts 10:38 that he “…Went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”

   On a particular Sabbath, Jesus saw a man who was blind from birth, and He healed him (John 9:1–41). The Pharisees were offended, because no work was allowed on the Sabbath. They kept on asking the man to explain to them how his eyes were opened. He countered by asking them whether they wanted to become Jesus’ disciples. He went on to teach them that if Jesus were not from God, He would not have been able to perform that awesome miracle. That did it! They couldn’t take it anymore. Verse 34 reveals why they failed in their faith: “They replied and said to him, ‘You were steeped in sin at birth, AND YOU TEACH US?’ And they threw him out.” How dared he teach them? They were the teachers—they taught others! They were insulted, offended, and arrogant! The truth was right there, in front of their own eyes: A man born blind who had his vision restored. And yet, they remained in their unbelief. Their flesh took control of them, and that made it impossible for them to receive knowledge and faith from the healed man. We miss so much when we filter the information according to its source rather than according to its own intrinsic value!

   The parable of the prodigal son is rich in instruction. When discussing this parable, one usually concentrates on the prodigal son, who spent his wealth wastefully and sinfully (Luke 15:11–32). His father saw him from afar, ran to him, embraced him, and kissed him. Next, he gave orders to kill the fattened calf and prepare a banquet to celebrate the return of his son whom he had considered lost. The older son came from his field and, when he found out about the return of his brother, he became very angry and refused to go in. His father pleaded with him.

   “But he replied and said to his father, ‘Look, all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your orders; and yet you never gave me a young goat so that I would celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours, who has squandered your wealth with prostitutes, came, you had the fattened calf killed for him.’ His father said to him, ‘My son, you are always with me, AND EVERYTHING I HAVE IS YOURS. But we had to celebrate and be glad, for this brother of yours was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found.’”

   So, the older brother was offended at his brother. Moreover, he was offended at his father. He was a hard-working and obedient son, and yet he never celebrated with his friends. He had rights—especially so as the firstborn of the family—but he never exercised them! He was a millionaire, but he never knew it! Unfortunately, this is quite common with believers.

   We read in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that He became poor for you although He was rich, so that you may become rich through his poverty.” Jesus Christ has made available to us everything He has. But those who get offended CANNOT RECEIVE the spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, and financial blessings, which He would very much like to grant them!

   Stephen, a man full of the grace and power of God who performed great miracles and wonders, was a member of the early church at Jerusalem. In fact, he was one of the seven chosen to oversee the distribution of food to the members of the Church. He encountered tremendous opposition by the Jews who seized him and brought him before the Jewish Sanhedrin (Council). His arrest, the account he gave before the Sanhedrin, and his stoning to death are recorded in Acts 6:8–15; 7:1–60.

   Just before he started his lengthy account, “All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen and saw his face to be like the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15). But that did not stop them—they continued with their murderous intentions. In his account, Stephen called them stiff-necked, traitors, and murderers of the Lord Jesus Christ. At that, they became indignant, gnashed their teeth at him, and dragged him out of the city, where they stoned him to death. By opening their hearts to fury, they were blinded with offense to such an extent that even the vision they had of an angelic face did not deter them from committing a murder! Stephen’s last words revealed his forgiving spirit: “…Lord, do not hold this sin against them…”

   The Apostle Barnabas was the mentor of the Apostle Paul. After his conversion, Paul went to Jerusalem and tried unsuccessfully to meet with the Apostles who were suspicious of him. The meeting took place only after Barnabas took him to the Apostles (Acts 9:26–29). (At that time, Paul was called Saul.)

   After learning of plans by some Jews to kill Paul, the disciples sent him off to Tarsus, his hometown. Paul remained there up until the time when there was a spiritual awakening at Antioch, with a great number of people believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. At that time, the Church at Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch; he then traveled to Tarsus and brought Paul to Antioch (Acts 11:22–26). Barnabas and Paul undertook together the first missionary journey, with John Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, accompanying them. During that journey, John Mark left the two Apostles and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13).

   Sometime later, Paul and Barnabas discussed the idea of undertaking a second journey to visit the churches they had established during their first journey. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them, but Paul disagreed with that, because John Mark had deserted them during the first journey. Their disagreement was so sharp that they parted from one another (Acts 15:36–41). Barnabas took John Mark and sailed for Cyprus, whereas Paul chose Silas and traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

   This is an unfortunate incident. It is difficult to understand why their disagreement was so sharp. Was there any competition between Paul and Barnabas as to who was in charge—who was the decision-maker? We will never know the answer to this question in this world. One thing is certain: The cause of the Lord Jesus Christ did suffer because of that incident. Barnabas’ ministry suffered because of its more limited scope.

   And Paul’s ministry must have also suffered because it was deprived of the contribution of Barnabas, “…A good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith…” (Acts 11:24). Through his ministry, before he even had met Paul, he brought a great number of people to the Lord (Acts 11:24). The lesson for us from this incident is not to allow the flesh to take control of our actions, and to always put the interests of Jesus first. As for that young man John Mark, he went on to become a co-worker of Paul (2 Timothy 4:11), and to write the Gospel according to Mark.

   This reminds me of the parable of the two sons: The father said to his first son, “…Son, go today and work in my vineyard.’ The son replied and said, ‘I don’t want to.’ But later on he changed his mind and went. The father then went to his second son and said the same thing. He replied and said, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go” (Matthew 21:28–30). John Mark deserted the two Apostles during their missionary journey, but later on he certainly put the interests of Christ first, to the glory of God, the Lord Almighty, our loving Father!

   Going over to the OT, the first case we will be discussing is that of Cain and Abel. They were brothers, the sons of Adam and Eve. They were born after Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden. Cain and Abel made offerings to the Lord—and Abel’s offering pleased God because he was upright, whereas Cain’s offering did not please God because he was not upright. We read in Genesis 4:5 that “…Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.” He asked Abel to go out with him to the field, where he killed him. And so murder was introduced into the human race. And what drove Cain to murder his brother? Jealousy did: He wanted to find favor with God as his brother had.

   We see that, in this particular case, jealousy led to anger, which in turn led to murder. But why is jealousy bad in general? That is so because when we are jealous we desire what belongs to another person. And who gave that other person the thing we desire? God did: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, for whom there is no variableness or shadow of turn” (James 1:17).

   So, when we covet something, and covetousness is forbidden by the tenth Commandment (Deuteronomy 5:21), we become resentful toward God who chose to bless that other person with that blessing. If being offended at a human being is bad, as it is, how much worse it is being offended at God Himself! Below, we will be talking more about jealousy—king Saul’s jealousy of David.

   As the Israelites were going through the desert, a major rebellion took place against the authority of Moses, and the stipulation God had made that only Aaron, his sons and their descendants were to be priests (Numbers 16). The rebels—250 Levites—grumbled against Moses that he was lording it over the Israelites, and that he had not brought them to a land flowing with milk and honey, after they had left Egypt that was flowing with milk and honey. When the rebels attempted to burn incense before the Lord (a priestly function), the earth opened up and swallowed them with their households and their possessions! Grumbling and defying authority established by God arouse the wrath of God, who is a Consuming Fire (Deuteronomy 4:24)—and yes, He is a Consuming Fire under the NT as well as is attested in Hebrews 12:29.

   Another incident took place later on at the waters of Meribah (Numbers 20:1–13). The people quarreled with Moses and Aaron, complaining bitterly about the lack of water for themselves and their livestock. The LORD said to Moses, “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. SPEAK TO THAT ROCK BEFORE THEIR EYES AND IT WILL POUR OUT ITS WATER. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink” (Numbers 20:8). Then Moses raised his arm AND STRUCK THE ROCK TWICE WITH HIS STAFF. Water gushed out, “He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, ‘Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?’ and the community and their livestock drank” (Numbers 20:10-11). However, that was not the end of that incident: It did not have a happy ending as we can see from the next verse:

   NUMBERS 20:12 But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, YOU WILL NOT BRING THIS COMMUNITY INTO THE LAND I GIVE THEM.’

   Now, Moses did bring water out of that rock for the people and their livestock to drink as God had commanded him, did he not? Why was the LORD then angry with him? The LORD said, “You did not trust in Me enough to honor Me as Holy in the sight of the Israelites.” What did the LORD mean by that statement? The LORD means precisely what He says: He had told Moses to “Speak to that rock…” However, Moses did not speak to that rock—instead he struck it twice with his staff. And that was his disobedience.

   Moses exhibited only partial obedience to God. But God demands full obedience. He wanted Moses to speak to that rock so that water would have gushed out of it, and the people would have honored and glorified His Holy Name for the awesome power of His Spoken Word! The punishment of Moses was very severe: God did not allow him to bring His people to the Promised Land. God had him climb Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah so that he could have a look at it from afar, and then he died there (Deuteronomy 34). The gathering of people in opposition to Moses and Aaron, and their quarreling with the Lord made Moses angry. With anger clouding his mental function, he called the people “rebels,” and acted precipitously in striking the rock.

   Moses was a great man who had served the Lord for many years. He was chosen and commissioned by God to lead His people from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land. He performed many miracles and wonders in the land of Egypt, and had the honor of being called “the man of God” (Deuteronomy 33:1). And yet he was banished from entering the Promised Land because of disobedience. Subsequently, Moses asked God to reconsider: “‘…That is enough,’ the LORD said. ‘Do not speak to me anymore about this matter’” (Deuteronomy 3:26).

   God did not relent, even concerning Moses—His own man! And as God had said, Aaron also died without entering the Promised Land—his death preceded that of Moses (Numbers 20:22–29). This incident provides a very instructive lesson for us to be fully obedient to God, and to not allow “our blood to boil up,” which could give rise to the generation of poisonous emotions.

   Samuel was the last Judge (Leader) over Israel. When he was old, the Israelites said to him that neither of his two sons could succeed him because they were not walking in his ways. And so they asked him to appoint a king over them. Samuel explained to them that they already had a King—God! However, the people insisted on their request, and so Samuel anointed Saul as their king. The army of the Philistines and the army of the Israelites were facing each other for battle, with the Philistines being by far much more numerous and better equipped (1 Samuel 13).

   This situation caused a panic among the Israelites, who hid in caves, pits, cisterns, thickets and among the rocks. Alarmingly, some of the men of Israel were scattering, but Samuel had not yet come to make an offering to the Lord as he and Saul had agreed (1 Samuel 10:8). In desperation, Saul took things into his own hands, and went ahead and made the offering. Just as he was completing it, Samuel arrived. Samuel was very disappointed in Saul, and he rebuked him because he had not kept the command of the Lord to wait for him before making the offering.

   The second incident of partial obedience by Saul (recorded in 1 Samuel 15) occurred when the Lord commanded the Israelites to totally destroy the Amalekites because they had waylaid the Israelites as they were coming up from Egypt. The instructions were very clear, “…Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys” (verse 3).

   However, Saul’s army captured the king of the Amalekites but did not kill him, and also kept the best animals while they destroyed only those that were “despised and weak” (verse 9). When confronted by Samuel, Saul defended his actions saying that he did obey the Lord, and that the best animals were spared so that they would be offered to the Lord.

   Samuel then pronounced God’s judgment: “…To obey is better than sacrifice… BECAUSE YOU HAVE REJECTED THE WORD OF THE LORD, HE HAS REJECTED YOU AS KING” (verses 22 and 23).

   The partial obedience of Saul parallels that of Moses, which we have just discussed above: Saul lost the kingdom and Moses lost the Promised Land. Both were heavy prices to pay for not fully respecting and obeying the Word of God. However, the toxic emotions induced in these two cases were different: As we have seen, Moses got into trouble because he became angry with the Israelites. But what about Saul—what kind of toxic emotion clouded his thinking? Seeing his men to be quaking with fear, and some of them to be deserting their ranks, Saul apparently was overcome by fear.

   Fear can be a paralyzing emotion and is the opposite of faith—it shows a lack of trust in God to take care of whatever is causing it. Being fearful constitutes a serious sin which appropriately heads the list of those sins that will prevent entrance to the Kingdom of God (Revelation 21:8): God will not allow a person who does not trust in Him to enter His Kingdom—it is a matter of having a trusting relationship with the Father!

   Subsequently, Samuel anointed David king of Israel (1 Samuel 16). That was the state of affairs when young David fought and killed Goliath—the incident that caused Saul to harbor considerable hostility toward David. Let us follow the narrative in 1 Samuel 18:6–9: “When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet king Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with tambourines and flutes. As they danced, they sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”

   Saul was VERY ANGRY; this refrain GALLED HIM. “They credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?” And from that time on SAUL KEPT A JEALOUS EYE ON DAVID.” So, Saul was galled. Gall is very bitter, and so “galled him” means that he became embittered—he developed bitterness of spirit! That is a very toxic emotion! That made him insecure—he became afraid that David would get the kingdom from him—and jealous of David. The combination of these two emotions led him to develop hatred in his heart toward David, to the point of trying to kill him:

   “…Saul had a spear in his hand and he hurled it, saying to himself, ‘I will pin David to the wall.’ But David eluded him twice” (verses 10 and 11 of 1 Samuel 18). Soon after that, David was on the run, with Saul in hot pursuit of him. Finally, David sought refuge with the Philistines—he and his men were given Ziklag and settled there. The final act took place in a battle between the Israelites and the Philistines (1 Samuel 31).

   Saul was critically wounded and fell on his own sword and died; his sons were also killed. Moreover, the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan abandoned their towns and fled; and the Philistines occupied them. How tragic the end of Saul’s life was! If David and his men were part of the army of Israel, Israel would have been victorious, and Saul and his sons along with a large number of Israelites would not have died or become refugees.

   THIS IS WHAT JEALOUSY AND HATRED CAN DO TO A PERSON AND TO A NATION!

   When the Ark of the Covenant was being brought to Jerusalem, the Israelites had a great celebration that was accompanied by many offerings to God. David joined the people in rejoicing by dancing “…Before the LORD with all his might” (2 Samuel 6:14). Michal, a daughter of Saul, who was a wife of David, saw him dancing from a window and “…She despised him in her heart” (2 Samuel 6:16). When David came home, she met him and said to him that he had disrobed and danced “…As any vulgar fellow would” (verse 20). That Scripture passage ends as follows: “And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death” (verse 23).

   Her womb was closed up, and she remained childless. Being childless was considered in that culture to be disgraceful. We have a reference to that in Genesis 30:23 When Rachel, a wife of Jacob, ultimately had a child—Joseph—she said*, “…God has taken away my disgrace.”* Michal suffered that punishment for despising her husband. She had defiled herself by being embittered toward him—a man to whom she owed love instead! For in the eyes of the Lord, the Scripture says that husband and wife become one flesh (Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:31). David also deserved respect—not despising—for he was the LORD’S anointed (the king). Michal missed the mark on both counts and went through life disgraced. The poisonous emotions she harbored stole her joy!

   Jonah was a prophet who was sent by God to the city of Nineveh to preach against its wickedness. But he refused to go, and later on explained his refusal by telling God the following: “…I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity” (Jonah 4:2). He sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

   During the voyage, they encountered a fierce storm, and, following the casting of lots, he was thrown overboard, thereby calming the raging sea. Jonah was then swallowed by a great fish that the Lord provided, and while in it he offered a prayer to the Lord. At the command of the Lord, the fish vomited Jonah onto dry land. God then sent him a second time to Nineveh with the message, “…Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned” (Jonah 3:4).

   The inhabitants of Nineveh repented and turned from their evil ways, and as a result God relented and did not destroy them. This made Jonah greatly displeased and angry. He then sat down at a place east of the city and waited to see what would happen to it. Happily for Jonah, God provided a vine to grow over him and provide shade for his head. However, at dawn the next day, God provided a worm which chewed the vine so that it withered. A scorching east wind blew, and he grew faint.

   To the question of God as to whether he had a right to be angry about the vine, he said he did, and added: “I am angry enough to die.” God rebuked him for not caring about a great city of more than a hundred and twenty thousand people, whereas he was concerned about a vine which he neither tended nor made grow. The prophet behaved as a proud, egotistic, insensitive, hard-hearted, devoid-of-love man. He was offended at God for being compassionate, gracious and loving. Consequently, he became ANGRY AT GOD. Now, to be offended and angry at a man is bad enough, but to be offended and angry at God? He certainly crossed the line! And yet God was compassionate enough to have a dialogue with him, even when his heart was filled with toxic emotions. He is truly a loving Father—may glory, praise and thanksgiving be to Him both now and forevermore!

   Naaman was the commander-in-chief of the Syrian army, a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy (2 Kings 5). At the suggestion of a Jewish young girl, a servant of Naaman’s wife, his master sent him to the prophet Elisha to get healed. When Elisha was informed that Naaman had arrived at the door of his house, he sent a messenger to tell him to go and wash himself seven times in the Jordan so that he would be healed.

   “But Naaman went away ANGRY and said, ‘I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?’ SO HE TURNED AND WENT OFF IN A RAGE” (2 Kings 5:11, 12).

   He finally listened to his servants and went and washed himself in the Jordan and got healed—“…His flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy” (verse 14). He certainly had a lot of pride: He expected Elisha to come out to him—not to just send a messenger to him. He even had visualized how Elisha would heal him: By waving his hand over the spot, not by washing in the Jordan as the prophet had instructed him to do. And he added that Damascus’ rivers are better than Israel’s rivers—thereby exhibiting his complete ignorance of how healing is received.

   He was all puffed up, angry and full of rage. Being offended at Elisha, as he was, he could not receive healing from him: Recall that being offended breaks down the communication at the spiritual level between the two men involved, and as a result the offended man is robbed of blessings that he could otherwise receive from the other man. And regarding pride, we read in 1 Peter 5:5, “…God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” The man who is opposed by God Himself will certainly fail in everything he does!

   So far, we have identified individuals in the NT and OT who were offended and embittered, and examined the consequences which harboring these poisonous emotions had for their lives. We will now look at individuals who, despite the difficult situations they were facing, opted not to become offended.

   Jesus and His disciples were traveling from Judea to Galilee. His disciples had gone to the town of Sychar in Samaria to buy food. Jesus, being tired from the journey, sat by the well Jacob had given to his son Joseph (John 4). When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus asked her for a drink. She pointed out to Him that the Samaritans had no dealings with the Jews, and so she expressed her surprise to Him that He asked her for a drink. What ensued was truly remarkable! Jesus offered her “living water” provided that she would go and call her husband to come. Following her reply that she had no husband, Jesus prophetically said to her that she had had five husbands, and the man she had at that time was not her husband. So, that Samaritan woman had two reasons to get offended at Jesus:

   First, because He—a Jew—asked her—a Samaritan—for a drink. Second, because He interfered with her private life—that she had had a number of husbands, and that at that time she was living in sin. And so, what did she do? She was not offended and, amazingly enough, she initiated a spiritual dialogue with Jesus: “The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but You say that Jerusalem is the place where we must worship’” (John 4:19-20).

   In His reply to her, Jesus said, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). To her reply that Christ the Messiah was coming who would “explain everything to us”, Jesus said to her that He is the Messiah. From all people, Jesus chose to reveal to her—a despised Samaritan who was living an immoral life—His true identity! She refused to entertain the poisonous emotions of offense, resentment and bitterness. She had a thirsty heart—looking for the “living water”! And so she ran to that town, and said to the people: “Come and see a man who told me everything I did. Could this be the Christ (John 4:29)?”

   She evangelized her whole community! She was not even ashamed of using the fact that He “told me everything I did” in order to draw the people to Christ! And many believed in Him! What an enthusiastic and bold worker she was! We truly serve a God who “…Recompenses those who seek Him out” (Hebrews 11:6)!

   Jesus traveled outside Israel, to the region of Tyre and Sidon (Matthew 15:21–28). A Canaanite woman from that region followed Him crying out, “…Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me. My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.” Jesus replied and said to her that His ministry was limited to Israel. To this, she said, “Lord, help me!’ Then Jesus replied and said, ‘It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.’ And she said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’” At that, Jesus commended her for her great faith, and granted her the healing of her daughter.

   We see that Jesus called her “a dog”. That is not complimentary, is it? Psalm 22 is enlightening on this matter:

   PSALM 22:16-20 ‘DOGS HAVE surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, THEY HAVE PIERCED MY HANDS AND MY FEET. Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life FROM THE POWER OF THE DOGS.’

   Who were the “dogs” in these two verses? They were the Roman soldiers, who surrounded Jesus and pierced His hands and feet. They were the ones with full power over the crucifixion of Jesus. The Jews were the chosen people of God; all others were considered to be worthless, and so they called them “dogs”. Now, dogs at that time were not receiving the care they are currently receiving. They were surviving, as our Matthew 15:27 text says, on the crumbs that fell from their masters’ table. So, Jesus told that Canaanite woman that she was worthless, no better than a mere dog! And what was her response? Did she tell Him off? Did she demand an apology? No, she did not. She did not allow herself to be controlled by the flesh and to become offended. Instead, she accepted that characterization, watching out not to be distracted from keeping her spiritual eyes fixed on the Healer of her daughter. And so she passed the test, and her daughter received her healing—Hallelujah!

   Joseph was one of the sons of Jacob, whom he loved more than any of his other sons because he had been born to him in his old age. As an expression of his love for Joseph, Jacob made a richly ornamented robe for him. Joseph had two dreams, which he told his brothers: They clearly meant that he would reign over them as well as over his parents. Our text of Genesis 37 says thrice that his brothers hated him because of his dreams and of the robe his father had made for him.

   Hatred may lead to murder, and in this case it almost did. Joseph’s brothers had a change of heart and pulled him up out of the dry cistern in which they had thrown him, and sold him for eight ounces of silver to a group of Ismaelites who happened to be passing by. They, in turn, sold him to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard. Subsequently, he was imprisoned on the false accusation by Potiphar’s wife that he made sexual advances to her (Genesis 39). Sometime later, Pharaoh had two dreams (Genesis 41).

   When the Egyptian magicians and wise men could not interpret them, Joseph, on the recommendation of Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer whose dream Joseph had earlier interpreted, was taken out of the prison and brought to Pharaoh. He was able to interpret the dreams: Egypt was about to have seven years of great abundance, which were to be followed by seven years of famine. On hearing the interpretation, Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of all Egypt, second in authority to Pharaoh himself! During the seven years of abundance, Joseph stored up grain in the cities, which he sold to the Egyptians in the ensuing seven years of famine. It turned out that the famine was in the land of Canaan also, where Jacob lived with his family.

   And so he sent all his sons except Benjamin—the youngest of them—to Egypt to buy grain. Joseph recognized his brothers but they did not recognize him (Genesis 42). He revealed his identity to them on their second journey (Genesis 45), and made arrangements with Pharaoh for his entire family to move to Egypt (Genesis 46). And that is how the community of Israelites was established in Egypt, which ultimately Moses led through the wilderness in their journey to the Promised Land. Joseph’s brothers had treated him out of hatred, but he refused to take revenge against them; instead, he opened his heart wide to them and treated them with love:

   GENESIS 45:5–8 ‘And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, IT WAS NOT YOU WHO SENT ME HERE, BUT GOD…’

   He turned things around, and told his brothers that, when they sold him as a slave, they were fulfilling the plan of God! His motto was: “Do not be defeated by evil, but defeat evil with good” (Romans 12:21). Let this be our motto also, to the glory of God our Father!

   We considered earlier in this chapter the hot pursuit of David by Saul in order to kill him. What was then the attitude of David toward Saul? Did he respond in kind? Actually, David had two opportunities to kill Saul. In the first incident (1 Samuel 24), Saul entered a cave to relieve himself; far back in that cave David and his men were hiding. David crept up unnoticed and cut off a piece of Saul’s robe. After Saul had left the cave and went his way, David called out to him and told him what had happened, and added: “…I will not lift my hand against my master, because he is the LORD’s anointed” (1 Samuel 24:10).

   Saul was very apologetic, told David that one day he will be the king of Israel, and then abandoned the pursuit of David. Sometime later, however, Saul resumed the pursuit of David. In the second incident (1 Samuel 26), David and Abishai—one of his men—penetrated Saul’s camp while he and his men were asleep. They took Saul’s spear and jug of water and left. When they had gone some distance away, David called out to Abner, the commander-in-chief of Saul’s army, and to Saul’s army and told them what had happened and that he had again spared Saul’s life;

   David also repeated his promise that he would not lay a hand on the LORD’S anointed. This was a remarkable promise, in view of the fact that God had rejected Saul as king, because he had been only partially obedient to Him, and He had Samuel anoint David as king. David left punishment in the hands of God: God says, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay…” (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19).

   David left room for God’s wrath (as Paul subsequently wrote in Romans 12:19). He reasoned that “…The LORD himself will strike him; either his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish” (1 Samuel 26:10); the latter did actually happen (1 Samuel 31). David did not just pay lip service in recognizing Saul as the king—he actually meant it. Shortly after Saul had lost the battle against the Philistines and he had committed suicide, a young man arrived and brought the news to David. As proof of Saul’s death, he brought Saul’s crown and band on his arm. In the account he gave, he lied in saying that he himself had killed Saul in response to a request by Saul who had been critically wounded. He thought that he was bringing David good news—the death of his enemy. Instead, David rebuked him and had him executed right away for ostensibly having killed the LORD’S anointed (2 Samuel 1).

   This incident reminds us of the words of Jesus, “For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37). And after becoming king, David showed compassion to Saul’s family as he had promised him. He had the murderers of Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth executed (2 Samuel 4). He also had the lame son of Jonathan, a son of Saul, who had died in the battle against the Philistines, eat at his table for life like one of the king’s sons; moreover, he had all the land of his grandfather Saul restored to him (2 Samuel 9). David found favor in God’s eyes for being obedient to Him: “…I have found David the son of Jesse a man after my own heart, who will do all my will” (Acts 13:22). Like Joseph, David defeated evil with good, thereby presenting us with a great example to follow in our lives.

   In Summary:

   Forgive, do not hold resentment as this blocks our fellowship with Him.

   ~

   Chapter 11

   THE APOSTLE PAUL—THE “BARBARIAN”—MEETS THE ATHENIANS—THE “DOGS”

   This is indeed a strange title! Certainly, the Apostle Paul, who wrote about a quarter of the NT, was not a barbarian! And the Athenians, known for their culture and knowledge, certainly were not dogs! One of the mottos of the ancient Athenians was, “Anyone who is a non-Greek is a barbarian,” that is, an uncivilized. The Jews believed that they were the chosen people of God—and that was true—whereas the Athenians, who were idolaters, were considered to be dogs, that is, vile. When the Apostle Paul then visited Athens (Acts 17:16–34), a tremendous clash took place between the way that leads to faith in God, and that of human reasoning. You see, it was not a clash between religion and reasoning, for those Greeks were deeply religious.

   They had many gods, with Zeus being the chief god. Religion had not helped them to find God—it never does. No, it was rather a clash between knowing God and human wisdom. The Athenians were famous for their philosophy—but philosophy failed them miserably. Those 19 verses in the Book of Acts constitute the only account we have of the visit of Paul in Athens. Paul did not subsequently visit the Athenians or write any letters to them. From what we know, no church was organized in Athens following Paul’s visit. As we will see, only some individuals accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior in Athens following the presentation Paul made before the Areopagus—the Supreme Court of Athens.

   Why was Paul’s visit so short—apparently a few days only—and the crop of believers so small? This is quite puzzling in view of his long stay—for a year and a half—and of the large crop of believers in Corinth, which was his next stop in his journey (ACTS 18); we may add that subsequently Paul wrote two letters to the Corinthians. An in-depth analysis of these matters enriches our understanding of God’s ways.

   At the times of the OT and NT, dogs were considered to be unclean and vile animals. (This is in contrast to the caring treatment they receive nowadays.) Here are some examples. Mephibosheth, a grandson of king Saul, referred to himself as a “dead dog” (2 Samuel 9:8). That characterization was also made of Shimei, who cursed king David, threw stones at him, and showered him with dirt during Absalom’s revolt (2 Samuel 16:9). Also Hazael, a high Syrian official, referred to himself as “a mere dog” (2 Kings 8:13). In the NT, we read that Jesus said, “Do not give dogs what is sacred…” (Matthew 7:6). And the Apostle Paul referred to evildoers as “dogs” (Philippians 3:2). “Dogs” are also excluded from entering the New Jerusalem (Revelation 22:15). The Jews treated the Gentiles with distain, calling them “dogs”:

   In Psalm 22:16 we read, “Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.” And in Psalm 22:20 we read, “Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs.”

   These are references to Jesus during His crucifixion, with “dogs” referring to Pilate and the Roman soldiers. We also have another reference to the Gentiles as “dogs” in the incident that involved a Canaanite woman, a Gentile, and Jesus. Jesus called her a “dog” (Matthew 15:26), but she refused to be offended by that characterization, thereby securing the healing of her daughter. We discuss this incident in another chapter. During the trial of Jesus, the Jews did not enter the Praetorium (the Palace) because of the Sabbath, lest they would get defiled (John 18:28) by coming in contact with the “dogs”—the Romans.

   The Romans had conquered Athens in the second century BC. At the time of Jesus, Athens was a free city-state under the Roman Empire. It had reached its zenith—experienced its Golden Age—some five centuries earlier. Nevertheless, it was still a great center of knowledge, philosophy, and culture, with unsurpassed schools. It was a city whose inheritance included great men, such as Pericles, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aeschylus.

   No other culture made as great a contribution to the world civilization as that city-state made. And so they looked down upon non-Greeks, calling them “barbarians”. But, as we will see, they were open-minded, and they engaged Paul in a discussion regarding his faith. However, they couldn’t communicate well with him, because he was talking from his heart, whereas they were talking from human wisdom. These are two very different ways of communication that do not connect with each other: The former makes use of the spirit, whereas the latter makes use of the mind (the flesh); the knowledge is acquired through revelation versus through the intellect.

   Paul’s visit in Athens was preceded by his visit in Thessalonica and Berea in Northern Greece (Acts 17:1–15). He was persecuted by some Jews at Thessalonica, who traveled to Berea and continued their persecution there. Paul felt a strong emotion—paroxysm, παροξυσμός in Greek—to see that Athens was full of idols. That emotion was a “righteous indignation”, a topic we discuss in detail in another chapter. He had discussions with both Jews and Greeks, especially with the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers, some of whom characterized him as a “babbler” (ACTS 17:18). The Epicurean teaching emphasized the achievement of pleasure, whereas the Stoic teaching emphasized apathy—the suppression of all emotions. Luke, the writer of the Acts, says that the Athenians were spending all of their time discussing the latest ideas (ACTS 17:21).

   Paul’s teaching intrigued them, and so they asked him to explain it to them. In his address, Paul said that he had seen in Athens an altar with the inscription To The Unknown God. And so, he seized that opportunity to present to them the plan of salvation through Jesus Christ—the Son of that unknown God. Paul proceeded to make a statement of fundamental importance to the brotherhood of men:

   ACTS 17:26 He made from one blood every nation of men to inhabit all the earth; he ordained the times and the borders within which they live.

   By saying that all nations were made by God from the same blood, Paul was saying to the Athenians that God is our Creator. Furthermore, by saying that each nation lives in borders ordained by God, Paul, in effect, was teaching them that THEY SHOULD NOT CONSIDER HIM TO BE “A BARBARIAN” ON ACCOUNT OF THE BORDERS OF HIS NATION. He had already taken the step of ceasing to call the Greeks “dogs”: He highly honored them by associating with them and by formally addressing them in their own Supreme Court—actions that were forbidden by the Jewish law! He was then asking them to take the step of considering him “civilized”, not “barbarian”. What a noble idea! Paul continued:

   ACTS 17:28 ‘For in him we live, and move, and exist,’ as some of your poets have said, ‘for we are from his genes.’

   Here, Paul makes two points: First, he affirms our utter dependence on God. Everything we do and we have—even our very existence—comes from God! Second, WE ARE FROM THE GENES OF GOD. We have divine genes! How did this happen? It happened in an instant, at the moment we accepted and confessed Jesus as our Lord and Savior: We joined the family of God, and we were born again—in a spiritual re-birth (John 3:3)! And in the next verse, number 29 of Acts 17, Paul repeats the statement that we have the genes of God; that way, he establishes this truth, for “…Every spoken word will be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (2 Corinthians 13:1).

   Then, the moment came to talk about God’s judgment: It will be carried out by a man (Jesus) He has appointed. “…He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). The Athenians in the Areopagus kept quiet up to that point. But no more: The resurrection of the dead was too much for them, not only to believe, but to even consider. Some of them were rude—they mocked Paul. Some others were more polite and said to him, “…We will hear you again on this matter” (ACTS 17:32); but that did not happen. These were the last words exchanged between the Athenians and Paul. “Some men became followers of Paul and believed…” (ACTS 17:34). Notably, one of them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus. And this brings us to the end of chapter 17.

   The next chapter starts as follows: “After these things, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.” (ACTS 18) So, Paul’s visit to Athens lasted for only a few days, and the crop of new believers was only meager. From what we know, no church was organized by Paul in Athens. Why not? What went wrong? Why didn’t Paul persist in his visit? He did persist in his visits to so many other places. Why not do that in Athens also? Surely he had a good reason not to extend his visit. After all, Paul was guided by the Holy Spirit in his ministry.

   So, we may rephrase the question as follows: Why did the Holy Spirit cut that visit so short? And why, by contrast, was Paul’s visit to Corinth so long, a year and a half (Acts 18:11), and so productive—yielding many believers. The Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and said to him that a multitude belonged to Him in Corinth (ACTS 18:10). The Lord had not done that in Athens. Why not? After all, it is Athens we are talking about! Although it had reached its zenith some five centuries earlier, it was still the intellectual capital of the world. The greatest minds were there. Why wouldn’t the Lord the Holy Spirit move mightily and bring some of them to the Lord Jesus Christ? Why was that door slammed shut?

   We are impressed by great minds, but what about God? Is He impressed by them? Close to the time of the passion of Jesus, some Greeks approached Philip and asked to see Him (John 12:20). Philip told Andrew about this, and both brought those Greeks to Jesus. Now, one would think that Jesus would consider it an honor that some Greeks sought an audience with Him. But Jesus was not impressed. With His eyes firmly fixed on His mission, “Jesus replied and said to them:

   ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified’” (verse 23 of John 12).

   We discuss in another chapter the subject of wisdom. Our discussion here will complement the one made there. Wisdom refers to mental knowledge. It does not refer to spiritual or revelation knowledge, for that is a matter of our spirit (or our heart). In His pleasure, God ordained faith to be one of His gifts:

   “Because it has been given to you the gift of not only believing in Christ, but to also suffer for Him” (Philippians 1:29).

   “For by grace you have been saved, through faith; and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

   You see, we don’t attain faith through our mental ability. Otherwise, only the brightest would be saved, for they would be the only ones who could figure out the method to achieve salvation. On the contrary, God’s Word says:

   PSALM 119:130 The unfolding of Your Words gives light; IT GIVES UNDERSTANDING TO THE SIMPLE.

   Both the NKJV and the NIV render the last word of this verse as “simple”. The Septuagint renders it νηπίοις, “babes”; Jesus made a similar statement:

   LUKE 10:21 At that time, Jesus rejoiced in His spirit and said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to νηπίοις; yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight.’

   So, even a baby or a grown-up of limited mental ability can understand God’s plan of salvation, for that is a gift from God.

   The 1:18–31 and 3:18–20 passages of 1 Corinthians are very helpful in comprehending how God views human wisdom. We read in 1:25, “For what appears as foolishness of God is wiser than men’s wisdom…”. Verses 3:19, and 1:22-23, present a clash between two views of foolishness: “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God…” versus “Because Jews ask for a miraculous sign and Greeks seek wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, which is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Greeks.”

   God says that human wisdom is foolishness, but the Greeks say that the sacrifice of Christ is foolishness. There can be no bridging of the gap between these two views. God demands total surrender, and compliance with His plan for salvation—nothing short of it! The wisdom of the Greeks could not do it:

   “Because since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message proclaimed to save those who believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21). In fact, “Professing to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22).

   Let us have a look into the life of Solomon. He was a son of king David, who succeeded him as king of Israel. Solomon asked God to give him wisdom in order to govern his people, and God did (1 Kings 3). “Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom” (1 Kings 4:34).

   One would expect that such a wise man would have the most joyous life in the world. Not so. As long as he followed God, Israel had peace and prosperity. However, he married many wives from neighboring nations, who, in his old age, turned his heart after other gods (1 Kings 11:1–13). In response, God raised up three adversaries against him (1 Kings 11:14–40). He had it all, but he had a life devoid of joy.

   Overall, Solomon was a great disappointment. His own words say so. Although some doubt that Solomon was the author of Ecclesiastes, there is strong evidence that he was. For example, in 1Kings 1:1 both the NIV and NKJV versions refer to the author as “son of David, king in Jerusalem”. Also, 1 Kings 1:16 refers to the great wisdom of the author: “I thought to myself, ‘Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.’” Well, Solomon’s theme in Ecclesiastes is that everything is meaningless (according to the NIV) or all is vanity (according to the NKJV):

   ECCLESIASTES 1:2 ‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.’

   He uses the word “meaningless” (or “vanity”) more than 30 times! His whole life had no meaning—it counted to nothing! Wisdom—mental knowledge—did not fill up the emptiness Solomon had in his heart. This is in perfect agreement with Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 3:20, “And again, ‘THE LORD KNOWS THE THOUGHTS OF THE WISE, THAT THEY ARE FUTILE.’”

   When Paul was falsely accused for bringing people of Greek descent into the temple area in Jerusalem (Acts 21), he was arrested but was allowed to address the crowd that had gathered (ACTS 22). They became quiet and listened to Paul’s reflection on his life and ministry, until he said the following regarding a vision of the Lord:

   ACTS 22:21 Then he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ They then shouted that he was not fit to live. They could not tolerate someone who was planning to go to the Gentiles and preach to them—he had to die! Paul was to face a trial before the Jewish Sanhedrin (Council), but was transferred to Caesarea because of a plot by some Jews to kill him. There, he faced two trials before Governors Felix and Festus, and a hearing before king Agrippa who was visiting Festus. Ultimately, Paul was sent to Rome to stand trial because he had appealed to Caesar.

   Through his ministry, he had brought multitudes of Gentiles to Christ. The reaching out to the Gentiles was initiated when the Roman centurion Cornelius invited Peter to visit him at Caesarea. Following is an account of that incident: Cornelius had a vision in which God instructed him to send men to Joppa in order to bring Peter to his house (Acts 10). Cornelius complied with that instruction. The following day, Peter went on the roof to pray. He fell into a trance and saw a large sheet that was being lowered by its four corners. In it there were a number of four-footed animals, beasts, reptiles, and birds.

   He heard a voice that said, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat.” Peter replied that he never ate anything impure or unclean. The voice spoke again and said to Peter not to consider impure what God had made clean. That scene was repeated two more times, and then the sheet was taken up back to heaven. Just as Peter was wondering what that vision meant, the men Cornelius had sent arrived and delivered Cornelius’ message to Peter. Peter accepted the invitation, and when he entered the house of Cornelius, he found a large gathering of people. Peter addressed them and

   ACTS 10:28 He said to them, ‘You know well that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with a man from another nation or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.’

   Then Peter said: ACTS 10:34-35 …I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism. But in every nation whoever fears him and does what is right is accepted by him.’

   ACTS 10:44–46 While Peter was speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were hearing the Word. And the circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God…

   All this happened at Caesarea. When Peter returned to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers said to him, “‘…You entered the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them’” (Acts 11:3). Then Peter explained to them what had happened, including the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles. And he added: **“**Then I remembered what the Lord had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 11:16). Peter concluded his speech as follows:

   ACTS 11:17–21 ‘So, if God gave them the same gift as he gave us upon believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?’ When they heard these things, they became quiet and praised God saying, ‘Therefore God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance unto life.’ Now those who had been scattered because of the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one else but to the Jews only. However, some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and preached to the Hellenists, telling them the Good News about the Lord Jesus. And the Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. (The Hellenists were not of Greek ancestry, but they adopted the Greek language and way of life.)

   The church in Jerusalem became aware of the spiritual awakening that was taking place in Antioch, and sent Barnabas there. He brought many people to the Lord in Antioch (Acts 11:24). Then he went to Tarsus in Asia Minor to look for Saul—later on renamed Paul (Acts 13:9). He found him, and both went to Antioch, where for a whole year they taught a great number of people (Acts 11:26). Then, “While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ So, after fasting and praying and laying hands on them, they sent them off” (Acts 13:2-3).

   Their first stop was Cyprus—Barnabas’ native island—where the first conversion of a high civilian official—the Roman proconsul—took place (ACTS 13:12), and where Saul was renamed Paul. Then they continued on to Asia Minor, where they evangelized both Jews and Gentiles, in what is known as the first missionary journey of Paul. Later on, Paul made the following pronouncements in letters he wrote to churches he had established:

   1 CORINTHIANS 12:13 ‘For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink.’

   GALATIANS 3:28 ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’

   COLOSSIANS 3:11 ‘Where there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and is in all.’

   Furthermore, we read in Ephesians 2:14 “For He is our peace, who has made the two one and has broken down the middle wall of separation.”

   Here the “two” are the Jews and the Gentiles: They are not separated any more. Instead, they have peace—the hostility between them has been abolished (Ephesians 2:15). The prophecy of Jesus, the Shepherd, regarding His sheep was fulfilled:

   “I have other sheep also that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:16). The Jews and the Gentiles have indeed formed one flock! Returning to the references cited above, there are no “barbarians” any more, and there is no distinction between slave or free, male or female—they are all one in Jesus Christ.

   The “dogs” are now sons of God through Jesus Christ: “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus: For those of you who were baptized in Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27). As we discuss in another chapter, the title “Son of God” belongs exclusively to Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, He is sharing that title with the believers—those who have accepted Him as their Lord and Savior and are serving Him!

   “Then Jesus spoke to them again and said: ‘I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’” (John 8:12). And of His disciples, He said: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). Jesus is the Light, and so are we! In a dark and dying world, we are to shine our light brightly and bring people from darkness to light: “Let your light so shine before men, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

   Another attribute Jesus used for the believers is salt: “You are the salt of the earth…” (Matthew 5:13). Now, what does the salt do? It preserves things so that they don’t get spoiled. Meats are preserved well by salt—most of the germs do not grow under high salt conditions. Salt is also used to season food. Life is uninteresting and boring without Christ—without an exciting purpose in life, not knowing which road to follow: As we discuss in another chapter, there is only ONE ROAD that leads to the Father—The Lord Jesus Christ! We the believers need to be well-versed in the Word of God, so that we would “market” it to others—we ought to make it appealing to others.

   The Apostle Paul wrote, “Let your conversation be always with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:6). He is the one I would call a good ambassador of Christ, for let us recall that every believer represents Christ as one of His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20); befittingly, the believers are also God’s co-workers (1 Corinthians 3:9).

   Another effect of salt is to induce thirst. Cows are known to love licking blocks of salt, and so herdsmen use them to increase the thirst of cows; the cows then drink plenty of water and produce much milk. Deer hunters also use the desire of salt by deer—they love salt so much, they forget that they are a target! Do we, by the way we conduct ourselves, induce others to become thirsty for the Word of God and for joining His Family? Jesus’ invitation is extended to all: “…If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink” (John 7:37). Jesus has the Living Water (John 4:10). Whoever drinks from it will never thirst (John 4:14).

   There are a number of other attributes for the believers—we discuss them in another chapter. Christ has abolished the separation into “barbarians” and “dogs” and made us ADOPTED CHILDREN OF HIS FATHER! And for this we rejoice!

   Hallelujah!

   In Summary:

   We are created as one humanity in Christ Jesus with no separation between us. God is our Father and loves us. His will is for us to know Him, prosper and show His great love to the world. His will is for all to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. We are the sheep of His pasture taken care of by Him daily.

   ~

   Chapter 12: THE JOY OF THE LORD

   The American dream is “to be happy”. Now, we would expect the Bible to talk about “happy” and “happiness”. Surprisingly, in the Greek original of the NT there is no reference to εὐτυχής, “happy”, or to εὐτυχία, “happiness”. In some places, the NKJV renders μακάριος from the Greek original in the NT as “happy”. Also, in some places the NIV renders xαρά as “happiness”. However, the proper renderings are μακάριος, “blessed”, and xαρά, “joy”. Overall, there are more than 50 entries for xαρά, and about as many for χαίρω, “to rejoice”.

   As we are going to see, being joyful has its benefits. The Bible says that we cannot have any strength in the absence of joy. Imagine that! We would be rendered powerless if we were not joyful! Moreover, the Bible says that joy is beneficial to our health. In view of these serious consequences of lacking joy, it is important for us to get to understand what joy is all about, how we can attain it, cultivate it, and keep it.

   As we have just noted, “happiness” in Greek is εὐτυχία. This is a compound word, from εὐ, “good”, and τύχη, “luck”. Εὐτυχία then means “good luck”. And a lot of people believe in luck. They believe that things are happening randomly, and that there is no divine intervention. It is therefore imperative for believers to renounce luck, and to recognize and acknowledge God as being the Creator and the Controller of everything that is happening on earth. Happiness is a feeling, an emotion, that is induced and controlled by circumstances and experiences. However, human desires cannot be satisfied, because they are of the flesh: They have the tendency to increase in both intensity and number, and to take control of the person who is harboring them. Those of us who are old enough remember the era of the hippies. Their motto was, “If it feels good, do it! Don’t worry, be happy!” Predictably, their movement didn’t lead anywhere!

   On the other hand, joy comes from the inside of a man, from his heart, where his spirit resides. Joy is always present regardless of circumstances. It is the wish of Jesus that the believers have all His joy in them. In His prayer in John 17:13, He said, “I am coming to you now, and I say these things while I am still in the world so that they may have my joy in its fullness in them.” The believers rejoice because they receive: “…Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be in its fullness” (John 16:24). And “…No one will take away your joy” (16:22): It is ours to keep, for we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37).

   Let us examine the relationship between joy and strength. For this, we turn to the Book of Nehemiah. He was a cupbearer to the Persian King Artaxerxes. The king granted him permission to visit Jerusalem and rebuild the wall and its gates. He also appointed him governor of the Persian province of Judah. He faced strong opposition to the rebuilding, which he addressed prudently and bravely. He equipped the workers with weapons, and ordered them not to change their clothes, but to be constantly on their guard.

   Remarkably, it only took 52 days to complete the rebuilding (Nehemiah 6:15). At that time, all the people assembled and listened attentively to the Book of the Law as it was being read by Ezra the priest and scribe. The Levites instructed the people in the Law:

   “They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read” (Nehemiah 8:8). “Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, ‘This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law” (Nehemiah 8:9).

   NEHEMIAH 8:10–12 Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, FOR THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH’ The Levites calmed all the people, saying, ‘Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve.’ Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate WITH GREAT JOY, BECAUSE THEY NOW UNDERSTOOD THE WORDS THAT HAD BEEN MADE KNOWN TO THEM. “…

   From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. AND THEIR JOY WAS VERY GREAT (Nehemiah 8:17).

   These passages bring forth two important points: First, the Levites taught the people the meaning of what Ezra was reading from the Book of the Law. He did not just read it and somehow that made it all right as far as God was concerned. For what counts is what is in the heart; and one cannot store God’s Word in his heart unless and until he first understands it. Second, Nehemiah instructed the people, telling them that the joy of the Lord is their strength.

   A man that lacks joy has a sad heart—he does not have much strength: “A CHEERFUL HEART IS GOOD MEDICINE, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22). The believer has a cheerful heart and a continual feast by treasuring the joy of the Lord in his heart! And that promotes good health! We need to emphasize that although these passages are from the OT, they are still valid for us under the NT. In fact, rejoicing is not an option, but rather a command:

   PHILIPPIANS 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

   1 THESSALONIANS 5:16–18 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in everything, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

   ROMANS 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

   The believers then should rejoice always, regardless of circumstances. And what this reference to Romans says is that we ought to share the joy of others, and to be sympathetic toward those who are suffering. Surprisingly, people find it much easier to console others in their suffering than to share the joy of others. Apparently, that behavior has its root in jealousy. Jealousy is a terrible sin, because it shows resentment toward the other person, and ultimately toward God who is the One who gave that blessing. We have seen that we must rejoice constantly in order to have strength and good health. But, what else should motivate us to keep on being joyful?

   A joyful man is grateful to God for all the blessings He has given him. The greatest blessing is revealed in the following verse: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). In many places in the Bible, God instructs His people not to follow the world. In fact, we read in James 4:4: “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that the friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”

   And yet, out of love He gave His only Begotten Son in order to bring salvation to the world! What a great gift! Jesus has become the Road to heaven: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the road and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6). In addition to being our Savior, Jesus is our King and Lord—He rules over us, and we must serve Him. Moreover, He is our Brother, and our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14)—offering our petitions to His Father; and the Father will never reject even a single petition Jesus approves and makes to Him.

   God has prepared much more for us, both in this life and in the life to come:

   1 CORINTHIANS 2:9 But as it is written, ‘Eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and have not entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’

   Jesus said, “The thief comes only in order to steal, to kill and to destroy; I came so that they may have life, and have a surplus of blessings” (John 10:10).

   In view of the rich blessings of God, we ought to greatly rejoice and praise Him.

   The Psalms are rich in joyous praising of God. Here are some quotations from them:

   PSALM 20:5 We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the Name of our God. May the LORD grant all your requests.

   PSALM 66:1-2 Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious!

   PSALM 40:3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.

   PSALM 95:1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

   PSALM 100:2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.

   PSALM 150:3–6 Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise Him with the harp and lyre, praise Him with tambourine and dancing, praise Him with the strings and flute, praise Him with the clash of cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.

   A pertinent Chinese proverb comes to mind: “A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.” It has a theme—a message—that it wants to share with others. And so, it sings! The message the believers have is one of inexpressible and glorious joy (1 Peter 1:8). Paul captured the essence of this message in the following passage:

   “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And everything you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:16,-17). (A similar passage appears in Ephesians 5:18–20.)

   The above passages—and many others—establish that music has a place in worship. Unfortunately, a number of churches have gone either to the one extreme of having mainly music or to the other extreme of having very little music. James addresses trials in connection with joy. Since, as we have seen, Paul instructs us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16 to rejoice always, it follows that we ought to also rejoice for facing trials. And that is what James says:

   “My brothers, consider it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” James 1:2-3

   Trials then help us to endure and patiently trust in God. He knows what He is doing and He is always in control, in charge and in command. He is helping us to strengthen our faith in Him, as He is preparing us to do for Him what He has planned for us. The trials will last for as long as it takes us to do His will. Then we will be able to look back and understand God’s purpose, and to develop a deeper relationship with Him. In the early Church, we find that the Apostles indeed considered it all joy to suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ.

   In that respect, they followed the instruction of Jesus—see below in Matthew 5:11- 12. In chapter 5 of the Acts, we read that they performed great miracles and wonders, and taught the people in the temple courts. Out of jealousy, the religious leaders arrested them and threw them into jail. The Apostles were miraculously released from jail, and resumed teaching in the temple courts. The leaders became furious and were planning to put them to death, but, after being flogged, they were released through the intervention of the highly respected teacher Gamaliel. The following passage describes their actions following their release:

   ACTS 5:41-42 They left from the presence of the Council rejoicing because they were counted worthy of suffering disgrace for His Name. Every day, in the temple and from house to house they did not cease teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

   The ministry of Paul and Silas at Philippi in Macedonia presents another example of being joyful under suffering for the Name of Jesus. Paul drove out of a slave girl a spirit of divination, thereby depriving her owners their hope of profiting:

   ACTS 16:23–25 After they laid many floggings on them, they threw them into prison, and the jailer was commanded to keep them securely. Having received such orders, he put them into the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. But at midnight PAUL AND SILAS WERE PRAYING AND SINGING HYMNS to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Paul and Silas had been severely flogged, and had their feet fastened in the stocks, but they were singing praises to God!

   They considered it all joy to suffer for the cause of Jesus! Suddenly, a violent earthquake threw open the prison doors and woke up the jailer. That same night Paul and Silas evangelized him. He was filled with joy because he and his family believed in God (ACTS 16:34). The Master forewarned us and encouraged us:

   MATTHEW 5:11-12 ‘Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great will be your recompense in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.’ (A similar passage appears in Luke 6:22, 23.)

   JOHN 16:33 ‘In the world you will have pressure, but take heart, I have defeated the world.’

   They will try to destroy our reputation, they will persecute us and we will face pressures. But—and here is the source of our courage—Jesus has defeated the devil, and He has given us the victory, thereby making us more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). Here is more encouragement from the Master:

   LUKE 10:17–20 Then the seventy returned with joy saying, ‘Lord even the demons submit to us in your Name.’ And he said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, and over all the force of the enemy, and nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits submit to you, but REJOICE THAT YOUR NAMES HAVE BEEN WRITTEN IN HEAVEN.’

   At that time, JESUS WAS FILLED WITH JOY, and thanked His Father for hiding these things from those who consider themselves wise and prudent, and revealing them to babes.

   “Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, ‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you are seeing. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you are seeing, but they did not see them, and to hear what you are hearing, but they did not hear them’” (Luke 10:23-24).

   These are indeed great reasons to exceedingly rejoice! Indeed, let us rejoice that we are future citizens of heaven. That is the greatest promise God has made to us! We will then see Him face to face, and we will be serving Him and praising Him for ever and ever.

   We read in Acts 8:26–40 of an Ethiopian official who rejoiced upon having his name written in the Book of Life. He was returning to Ethiopia from Jerusalem where he had gone to worship. The Holy Spirit sent Philip to stay near the chariot of the Ethiopian. Philip then asked him if he understood what he was reading from the book of Isaiah. Eagerly, the Ethiopian asked for help in understanding the passage he was reading. Philip seized that opportunity to share with him the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ. And when they came to some water, Philip baptized him. Suddenly, the Holy Spirit took Philip away, and the Ethiopian went on his way REJOICING. For him, the following exclamation would have been quite befitting the occasion:

   “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24)!

   Paul considers the Kingdom of God to be a matter of righteousness, peace, and JOY:

   “For the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).

   Righteousness is having the right standing before God. You see, the human race fell from grace because of the fact that Adam and Eve committed high treason by disobeying God in the Garden of Eden. They were driven out of the Garden, and so man became separated from God, and sinful. Consequently, man, on his own, has no standing before God, because God is Holy, and therefore no sinful man can approach Him. Jesus Christ took a human form in order to bridge the gap between God and man. He is the Road, the only Road, to the Father. He paid the price with His own life so that He could render man righteous:

   “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

   The second attribute in Romans 14:17 is peace. Through his fall, man became an enemy of God. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, man was reconciled to God, and so peace was achieved (Romans 5:10). On the night Jesus was born, the angels sang “peace on earth”—on this rebel planet! The peace of God is very precious—there is no substitute for it:

   PHILIPPIANS 4:4–7 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known by all men. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything through prayer and petition with thanksgiving make known your requests to God. And the peace of God, that surpasses all human understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

   The third attribute in Romans 14:17 is joy: The Kingdom of God is a matter of joy. This is in perfect agreement with the Luke 10:20 verse we have discussed above: We rejoice because we are future citizens of heaven according to the promises of Jesus. And Jesus also said, “In my Father’s house there are many places of residence. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with Me, so that you will be where I am” (John 14:2-3).

   So, Jesus is preparing places of residence for the believers in the New Jerusalem. And we will reign as kings forever and ever (Revelation 22:5)!

   Yes, come Lord Jesus, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS (Revelation 19:16)!

   “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD” (Psalm 150:6).

   In Galatians 5:22, Paul considers joy as a fruit of the Spirit. God is in the farming business. Jesus said, “I am the true vine and my Father is the farmer. He cuts off every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:1-2).

   It is painful to prune some branches, but that is what it takes to have a healthy tree that yields plentiful fruit. “Because we are God’s co-workers, God’s field, God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:9).

   It is through us that He does His farming. However, although we sow, plant, and water, he is the One who gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6). And He is the Lord of the harvest (Matthew 9:38). There is an urgency: “…The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few” (Matthew 9:37). And so, we rejoice as we help to bring in the crop! It may be confusing because we saw that joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22)—rather than a fruit of the Father. This should not be confusing: God the Father and God the Son are in heaven; only God the Holy Spirit is here on earth representing them: He came on the day of the Pentecost (Acts 2).

   There are some people who don’t even know how to rejoice! Consider the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32). The younger son asked his father for his share of the estate. After he squandered his wealth, he came to his senses and returned to his father. While he was still far away, his father saw him and ran and embraced him and kissed him. The father had him dressed with the best robe, and had a ring put on his finger. Then he had the fattened calf killed, and had a feast to celebrate the return of his son. Meanwhile, the older son returned from the field, and when he found out the reason for the celebration, he refused to go in although his father pleaded with him.

   “He replied and said to his father: ‘Look! For so many years I have worked as a slave for you and never disobeyed you, and yet you never gave me a young goat in order to have a good time with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, AND ALL THAT I HAVE IS YOURS. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found’” (Luke 15:29–32).

   Usually, readers of this parable focus their attention on the younger son. Here we are more interested in the older son. He became offended, resentful and embittered—all of which are destructive emotions. He did not even know that all of the Father’s blessings were his in this life. Unfortunately, many believers find themselves to be in that situation.

   Jesus said: “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).

   They do not receive because they do not ask, they do not find because they do not seek, and the door is not opened to them because they do not knock. They do not know the Father; consequently, they even consider their service to Him as slaving for Him. Let us instead then draw close to God and delight having sweet fellowship with Him, following Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Our joy will then abound, and so will our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

   Receiving certainly brings pleasure. But what about giving? Do we derive pleasure from giving? Do we sometimes give grudgingly? Let us see what the Word of God says about this matter. Verse 7 of chapter 9 in 2 Corinthians sets the standard for giving: “Everyone should give what he decided in his heart, not with sadness or because he has to, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Joyfully we receive, and joyfully we give from what God has placed in our stewardship.

   In the parable of the talents, a man who was going on a journey entrusted his property to his servants. To one he gave five talents, to another two talents and to another one talent. The servants who received the five or the two talents put the money to work and gained five and two talents more, respectively. But the servant who received the one talent dug a hole in the ground and hid it. When the master of the servants returned, he settled accounts with them. To each of the servants who had received the five or the two talents, he said:

   MATTHEW 25:21-23 ‘…Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; ENTER INTO THE JOY OF YOUR MASTER.’

   But the master had the servant who had received the one talent thrown outside into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (verse 30). You see, there will be no trial for those who belong to the Lord:

   “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life, and he does not come into judgment, but he has passed over from death to life” (John 5:24).

   “So then each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).

   And God will recompense each according to this faithfulness and obedience to Him. What an exhilarating occasion that will be—being exceedingly glad in the presence of the Lord forever and ever!

   The night Jesus was born, an angel appeared to some shepherds and announced to them: “…Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of GREAT JOY, that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10).

   “And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men with whom He is well-pleased’” (Luke 2:13-14).

   And the shepherds went and worshiped baby Jesus and spread the news about Him. Another group of men who worshiped baby Jesus were the three Magi—the wise men. The Greek original text describes their joy in very strong terms: “And when they saw the star they rejoiced with a great joy, exceedingly” (Matthew 2:10).

   They came from a faraway place to worship the newly-born King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16)! We don’t need to travel far to find Him. By faith we joyfully accept Him. He then comes into our hearts through the Lord the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God the Father!

   We have addressed rejoicing by the believers. But does God rejoice Himself? This brings up the more general question as to whether God has emotions. The answer is in the affirmative. Following the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, His Father spoke in an audible voice and said that He was well-pleased with the Son (Matthew 3:17); and in many places in the OT God expressed through the prophets His displeasure with the disobedient, stiff-necked Israelites.

   We also read in Psalm 2:4-5 about His laughter, anger and wrath.

   With regard to rejoicing, Psalm 147:11 says, “The LORD delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” Here to fear God means to revere Him.

   Our God is a loving God. He loves the whole world (John 3:16), and, in fact, His very own Nature is Love (1 John 4:8)—a very strong emotion. We ought not be surprised that God has emotions: Since we, having being made by God in His image (Genesis 1:27) through the use of His very own DNA (Acts 17:28-29), have emotions, it follows that God must have emotions also!

   Let us exclaim every day then what the writer of Psalm 118:24 says: “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!”

   For indeed the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10)!

   In Summary:

   Our Father in heaven is full of joy and it is His will for us to be filled with His Presence and be joyful. The Word of God does talk a lot about joy that does not depend on any circumstances or emotional state. God wants us to have all that we need and desire to live fruitful lives for Him. This is His will. Let us remind one another to ask Him for what we need so our joy will indeed be full!

   ~

   Chapter 13: FEARING THE LORD, AND FEARING MAN OR CIRCUMSTANCES OR THE DEVIL

   In this chapter we develop two different themes. The first one is fearing the Lord. This means to revere Him—to show respect for Him. It also means to stand in awe before Him, for He is the awesome God—the only God. The second theme is being fearful—having fear in one’s heart. Now, that would not be good, because it would imply that one does not trust in God to take care of him. In fact, we will see that the Scripture clearly states that those who are fearful—“coward”—will not make it to the Kingdom of God. Perhaps many will be surprised to find out that Job was not sinless after all!

   The Scripture does not say that he was sinless—it just says that Job did not sin in anything he said. We will see that the Scripture also says that Job had a heart filled with fear, and so fear opened the door to the devil to attack him. Let us then start with the concept of fearing the Lord. What is God’s response when believers do that?

   PSALM 147:11 The LORD delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.

   The answer then to our question is that He is very pleased. And because of that, the believers find favor in His Majestic Eyes, for as it is stated in Psalm 33:18, “But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.”

   And so, they become His confidants:

   PSALM 25:14 The LORD confides in those who fear Him; he makes His covenant known to them. He teaches them the covenant which He established with them through His Holy Spirit, who is the Head Teacher. And those who are eager and willing learn, and so their knowledge is increased.

   Befittingly, PROVERBS 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

   We know that God loves all that He has made. But those who fear Him, He greatly loves:

   PSALM 103:11–13 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.

   So, those who fear Him become blameless, because He has taken all their confessed sins far away—as far as the east is from the west; they are not to be found—it is as if they never happened! We see then that those who fear the Lord are greatly blessed. In fact, there is a special reason why this is so:

   ISAIAH 33:6 He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE KEY TO THIS TREASURE.

   Imagine that! What a great promise! Fearing the Lord gives the believers the key to His treasure. By just opening His treasure, the believers are showered with all His blessings—richly and abundantly! It is His pleasure to give them that key, because He is pleased with them. Perfectly in line with this reference are the promises of God:

   Psalm 34:9, “Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing,”

   Proverbs 22:4, “Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life.”

   Let us look at some more blessings for those who fear the Lord:

   PSALM 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them.

   The angels are the guards of the believers. They protect them from dangers.

   Psalm 91, 9–12 addresses this matter: “If you make the Most High your dwelling—even the LORD, who is my refuge—then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”

   In fact, during the temptation of Jesus, the devil quoted verses 11 and 12 of this passage to induce Jesus to jump from the highest point of the temple (Matthew 4:6). Yes, the devil quoted Scripture to tempt Jesus! He talks the “language” of every believer and uses the approaches that appeal to that believer. And what was Jesus’ response? “…It is also written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test’” (Matthew 4:7).

   The Word of God is a great weapon: “For the word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates up to the separation of soul and spirit…” (Hebrews 4:12). Also, “‘Is not my word like fire,’ declares the LORD, ‘and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?’” (Jeremiah 23:29).

   The devil cannot stand against such a weapon—he is a defeated foe! And there is a promise for the mercy of God, that is, for His compassion in not giving us the punishment we deserve:

   LUKE 1:50 And His mercy extends from generation to generation to those who fear Him. His mercy is a lasting one—it runs in the family—it is inherited.

   Those who fear the Lord then receive a wonderful benefit. His promises also extend to our life span, our health, and our life itself:

   PROVERBS 10:27 The fear of the LORD adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.

   PROVERBS 3:7-8 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

   Everybody wants to live a long, healthy life. We see that fearing the Lord is a prerequisite to that. Proverbs 14:27 and 19:23 are also relevant to this theme: “The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.” And “The fear of the LORD leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.”

   And here is an uplifting passage:

   PSALM 112:1–4 Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in His commands. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.

   We read in the third chapter of Malachi about God’s displeasure with the Israelites who were saying that in vain they carried out God’s requirements. They concluded that “…Certainly the evildoers prosper…” (Malachi 3:15). Let us follow the text starting with verse 16: “Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honor His Name. ‘They will be mine,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not’” (Malachi 3:16–18).

   Those who fear the Lord will be His—and He will spare them from trouble! “Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere Him” (Psalm 33:8). This is a very natural thing to do, for He is the One who has made the world! In a parallel manner, this reminds us of the exhortation

   “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD” (Psalm 150:6).

   The fear of the Lord is to be strongly desired: “Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD” (Proverbs 23:17).

   Fearing the Lord is a virtue: “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised” (Proverbs 31:30).

   And fearing the Lord is to be taught: “Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD” (Psalm 34:11).

   All the attributes of Jesus belong to the believers—we discuss this matter in another chapter; but He is always first. And so we expect Him to be also first in fearing the Lord—and He is:

   “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD—AND HE WILL DELIGHT IN THE FEAR OF THE LORD…” (Isaiah 11:1–3).

   Let us turn now to the themes of fearing man or circumstances or the devil. God has made promises regarding this subject:

   ISAIAH 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

   So God says that all we need to do is lean on His righteous hand—it is strong enough to support us and help us. In Isaiah chapter 51, God reminds the Israelites in verse 2 that Abraham was only one, and yet He “made him many.” And then, starting with verse 12, He continues as follows:

   ISAIAH 51:12–14 I, even I, am He who comforts you. WHO ARE YOU THAT YOU FEAR MORTAL MEN, the sons of men, who are but grass, that you forget the LORD your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? For where is the wrath of the oppressor? The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread.

   God asks the question, “…Who are you that fear mortal men…?” In other words, God says that the believers have a standing before Him. He proclaims the liberation of the prisoners from the dungeon.

   That was a prophecy for the liberation which Jesus has brought us through His victory over the devil: “…Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17).

   The oppressor—the devil—is powerless (verse 13 of Isaiah 51). God urges us to rise up and claim the rights He has given us in Christ! We are victors in Christ—more than conquerors (Romans 8:37)—and the devil is a defeated foe! There is no reason for us to fear the devil! And so we say:

   PSALM 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

   We therefore see that we do not walk through the valley of death, but through the valley of the shadow of death: We walk through what appears to be death, but we know that ultimately we will obtain LIFE! For there is no death for the believers—they will live forever in God’s presence!

   Boldly we proclaim that we have an awesome HELPER:

   PSALM 118:7 The LORD is with me; He is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies.

   PSALM 27:3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.

   We may ask, “Who is giving us the fear?” Well, let us search the Scriptures and see what they say about this. By doing so we find that the following reference gives us a direct answer:

   2 TIMOTHY 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but of force and love and prudence.

   So, we know that God did not give us a spirit of fear. THEREFORE FEAR COMES FROM THE ENEMY, THE DEVIL, AND AS SUCH WE MUST REJECT IT. God has given us a spirit of “force”; the Greek word here is δύναμις. As we discuss in another chapter, we learn in physics that it is through the application of a force that one does work. God then has given us the force—the tool—with which we can do work.

   On the other hand, both the NKJV and the NIV render δύναμις as “power”. However, in Greek “power” is ἰσχύς, which is “the rate at which a force does work,” and so it is different from “force”. Moreover, this verse says that God has equipped us with the ability to love and to be prudent. And the spirit the Scripture refers to here is, of course, the Holy Spirit. And what does fear do to the man who harbors it? The Scripture says that it enslaves him:

   ROMANS 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption, in which we cry ‘Abba, Father.’

   Fear then becomes that man’s master. But, glory be to God, we have received the spirit of adoption! So we are children of God (John 1:12)—sons of God (Romans 8:14). The believer then needs to keep his spiritual eyes fixed on Jesus, the Author and Perfector of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), and to fully understand the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 3:1).

   A prominent case of being fearful is presented by Job. It is usually believed that Job did not sin against God. It turns out that this statement is not accurate. We read in Job 2:10, “…In all this, JOB DID NOT SIN IN WHAT HE SAID.” But another possible way to sin was by nurturing fear in his heart. Job did speak about that sin he committed:

   JOB 3:24–26 For sighing comes to me instead of food; my groans pour out like water. WHAT I FEARED HAS COME UPON ME; WHAT I DREADED HAS HAPPENED TO ME. I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.

   This is from the NIV version. The Septuagint version reads as follows: For sighing comes before my food, and I weep oppressed by fear. FOR THE FEAR WHICH I CULTIVATED HAS COME UPON ME, THE FEAR I DREADED HAS MET ME. I have no peace, no quietness, no rest, and wrath has come upon me.

   We can see then that both renderings of these three verses, and especially that by the Septuagint version, clearly show that Job was overwhelmed by fear. The Septuagint version states Job3:25 that “…The fear which I cultivated has come upon me…:” He took care of fear, and so it grew in his heart day after day—it had found fertile soil!

   That was the sin committed by Job: Not trusting in God fully and unconditionally; and that opened his heart to the devil, who filled it with fear. What was then Job fearful of? The text does not answer this question explicitly. We read in Job 1:4-5 that his children would come together from time to time to feast and drink wine. Following such a gathering, Job would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them thinking, “…Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ This was Job’s regular custom.”

   Perhaps then he was fearful about the safety of his children. In just one day, he lost everything he had: His children were killed by a “mighty wind” (chapter 1), his whole body was afflicted with painful sores (JOB 2), and he lost all his possessions (JOB 1). The only other remaining member of his family was his wife, who did not provide any consolation to him: “His wife said to him, ‘Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!’” (JOB2). Ultimately, God healed Job, and blessed him with the same number of children he had before, and with more possessions than those he had before (JOB 42).

   Apparently, Job had become a slave of the fear of his children dying. In this regard, we read in Hebrews 2:14-15, “…So that by his death he may ABOLISH the one who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and FREE THOSE WHO ALL THEIR LIVES WERE HELD IN SLAVERY BY THE FEAR OF DEATH.”

   We praise and thank Jesus who liberated us from the fear of death by abolishing the devil, that is, rendering him powerless. Indeed, His very purpose of coming to earth was to grant us LIFE: “…I came so that they may have life, and have a surplus of blessings” (John 10:10).

   As we discuss in another chapter, only those who are strong and courageous will make it to the Kingdom of God. And leadership requires strength and courage: When Joshua succeeded Moses as the leader of the Israelites, the Lord commanded him to be strong and courageous—not to be terrified or discouraged (Joshua 1:9).

   Also, when Solomon was about to succeed David, his father, as king over Israel, David commanded him as follows: “…So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires…” (1 Kings 2:2-3).

   As we read in Revelation 21:8, “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars will have their part in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” It is noteworthy that the cowardly head the list of those who will be excluded from the New Jerusalem in the Kingdom of God.

   In this context, it is of interest to look into an incident that took place in the region of the Gadarenes (Luke 8:26–39). A demon-possessed man, who was terrorizing that region, “Upon seeing Jesus, cried out and fell to Jesus’ feet shouting, ‘What is there between me and you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me’” (Luke 8:28).

   The demons asked Jesus to allow them to go into a herd of pigs that was feeding there. He allowed them, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank of the lake and drowned. When those who were tending the pigs saw what had happened, went to the fields and to the town and reported it. The people then went to Jesus, and saw the demon-possessed man sitting at His feet dressed and in his right mind; they also heard how he was healed. And all the people asked Jesus to leave them, “…Because they were overcome with great fear…” (Luke 8:37).

   Notably, ALL the people rejected Jesus. They opened their minds to the lies of the devil, and thereby they allowed fear to overwhelm them. This is to be contrasted with the response of the people of the town of Sychar in Samaria, where Jesus had an insightful conversation with a Samaritan woman (John 4:4–42). In that case, the people asked Jesus to stay with them—and He did stay for two days. The despised Samaritans welcomed Him with open arms, whereas the Jews rejected Him with calamitous results—loss of the opportunity to obtain LIFE and to join God’s Family! This is what fear can do to a person! And how does one drive out fear?

   1 JOHN 4:18 There is no fear in love, but the perfect love drives out fear, for fear is associated with punishment; and he who fears has not been perfected in love.

   This verse says that whoever is fearful does not have a very good knowledge of God—who is the Perfect Love (1 John 4:8). God considers fear to be a sin: The fearful man does not trust in God fully, but tries to do things on his own, leaving God out of that process.

   HEBREWS 10:38 But the righteous will live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My Soul will not be pleased with him.

   “If he shrinks back” means “if he becomes fearful”; and that would not please God. The righteous then NEED TO REPLACE FEAR WITH FAITH in God’s power and ability. He is always in charge—always in control—helping those who put their trust in Him. This way, the righteous are truly liberated from the fear of punishment for committed sins: “If therefore the Son liberates you, you will be truly liberated” (John 8:36).

   An explosion on an offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010 killed 11 BP workers and resulted in the worst oil spill in the United States history. The wildlife and the fishing and tourism industries in the region were devastated. A large number of ships and boats were put to work in order to “fish out” the balls of oil with nets. (The balls are formed because oil is a hydrophobic—afraid of water—substance. Oil then prefers to associate with oil rather than with water, and so it becomes segregated.)

   Some five months before the oil spill had started, I was reading the story regarding the Apostle Peter who went fishing after Jesus had been raised from the dead (John 21:1–14). Six other disciples of Jesus followed Peter. They labored all night, but caught nothing. In the morning Jesus appeared to them on the shore and asked them whether they had any fish. When they told Him that they did not, He instructed them to throw their net on the right side of the boat. Upon doing that, they caught a large number of large fish—a total of 153 of them.

   As I was reading this account, I turned to God and said, “Lord, I understand that the disciples had a large catch on that day; and so, why are we given the exact number of the fish they caught? An approximate number would have been sufficient. Is there any special meaning to the number 153?” Yes, God had a plan for that number: About three months before the oil well was “killed”, while I was alone doing some reading, suddenly the Holy Spirit spoke to my spirit and said that the total number of days it was going to take to “kill” that well was 153. By starting then the counting from the date of the explosion on the drilling rig—April 20, 2010—we find September 19, 2010 to be the predicted date for the “killing” of the well!

   I was very relaxed as September 19 was approaching—I did not even think about it. I confidently knew that the matter had already been settled! On Saturday, September 18, the news media reported that the following day, Sunday September 19, BP would make an important announcement regarding that oil well. And so on that day, I heard what I already knew about three months earlier: As it had been foretold, that well was “killed” on September 19, 2010! Hallelujah! What an exhilarating feeling I experienced following the occurrence of that miraculous sign! God’s presence became virtually palpable! He appointed that miracle some 20 centuries earlier, and it has pleased Him to reveal its fulfillment in our time, for edification and salvation!

   This spiritual gift of foretelling happenings is what the Apostle Paul called the gift “Of the Word of Wisdom” (1 Corinthians 12:8). We also read from 1 Corinthians 12:11 that “All the gifts operate by one and the same Spirit, distributing them to each one individually as He wills.” So, all the gifts are the work of the Holy Spirit.

   The following incident (Matthew 12:22–32) provides insight into this matter: Jesus was driving out demons, and the Pharisees were telling the crowd that He was doing that by the power of Satan. By contrast, Jesus was telling them that He was doing that by the power of the Holy Spirit. He also warned them: “And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, neither in this life nor in the life to come” (Matthew 12:32).

   This is the unforgivable sin! The Apostle John said regarding it that there is a sin that leads to (spiritual) death, and that one should not even pray for the man who committed it (1 John 5:16): He remains condemned forever! Actually, the devil cannot foretell anything. All the foretelling belongs to the Lord: “The secret things belong to the LORD…” (Deuteronomy 29:29).

   I find it amazing how easily one could come very close to losing his salvation! Unfortunately, many believers, instead of rejoicing when the Holy Spirit moves miraculously, as He did in connection with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, ascribe the happening to a mere coincidence or to a figment of the imagination. However, statistically, the probability of being a coincidence is extremely small. For the record, I had communicated that foreknowledge to all the members of my family, to a couple of family friends and to a fellow professor at the University of Tennessee and friend of mine; that was done toward the end of June, 2010—shortly after the foreknowledge had been revealed to me.

   God commands us: “Do not extinguish the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19); “Do not despise prophecies” (1 Thessalonians 5:20). “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30). In the eighth century BC, the prophet Hosea wrote, “…The prophet is considered a fool, the inspired man a maniac” (Hosea 9:7). Sadly, this is still so after nearly 30 centuries!

   And so what was the purpose of foretelling the exact time needed to “kill” that oil well? The engineers, who were working on the problem, could not predict, even approximately, how long that time was going to be. However there is One who knew how to devise the proper solution of the problem, and then to successfully implement it down to the minute detail as he had foretold. For example, the calculation of the days to the killing of the well had to take into account the fact that it contained three months with 31 days each. God has the knowledge and ability to do that, and even much more! What a glorious God we serve!

   “…The great, mighty and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love…” (Nehemiah 9:32).

   “Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom” (Psalm 145:3).

   In the OT, God made pronouncements on foretellings and their fulfillment. Here are some of them from Isaiah:

   “I am the LORD; that is My Name! I WILL NOT GIVE MY GLORY TO ANOTHER OR MY PRAISE TO IDOLS. See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; BEFORE THEY SPRING INTO BEING I ANNOUNCE THEM TO YOU” (42:8- 9). “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I MAKE KNOWN THE END FROM THE BEGINNING, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill My purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do” (46:9–11). “I foretold the former things long ago, My mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass” (48:3).

   The incident in the Gulf of Mexico is also a clear sign of the existence of God—of God being real.

   “I am God and there is no other…” (Isaiah 46:9).

   “I make known the end from the beginning…” (Isaiah 46:10). God is calling us to put our trust in Him.

   He is the One who chose to give us the present miraculous sign. We did not ask Him for it, for that would have displeased Him—because of putting Him to the test. Moreover, the foretelling demonstrates that God controls everything—He commands the whole Universe! He spoke it into existence and has full authority over it. And this brings glory to Him. He wants it all for Himself—He will not give it to anyone else (Isaiah 42:8).

   “Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to Your Name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness” (Psalm 115:1).

   Befittingly, “…The LORD, whose name is jealous, is a jealous God” (Exodus 34:14).

   The fulfillment of the foretelling also leads us to recognize the fact that there are no “little details” in the Scripture: I had asked God whether the number 153 had any particular significance. And so He taught me that everything in His Word is significant. Moreover, this incident has taught me that, unless I ask God about a particular need of mine, He will not meet it: Jesus said,

   “Ask and it will be given to you…” (Matthew 7:7).

   We cannot receive unless we ask. We cannot just say, “God knows my needs, and so I do not need to ask Him about them.” We must show God that we are wholly dependent on Him.

   Finally, this miraculous sign then STRENGTHENS OUR FAITH—WHICH IS THE OPPOSITE OF FEAR—AND HELPS US TO REFUSE THE HARBORING OF ANY FEARS, thereby shutting the door of our mind to the devil.

   Let us now look at some other incidents in which there was an interplay between fear and faith.

   Luke 1:5–25 reports on the appearance of Gabriel, an angel of the Lord, to Zacharias to announce to him the conception of John the Baptist by Elizabeth, Zacharias’ wife. The angel urged Zacharias to stop being afraid. When Zacharias expressed doubt about the feasibility of the conception, Gabriel struck him silent until the baby was born. Six months after this incident, Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce to her the conception of Jesus. In his greeting, Gabriel said to Mary not to be afraid, and explained to her that she would conceive through the Holy Spirit. Unlike Zacharias, who expressed doubt about the conception and let himself to be gripped with fear (Luke 1:12), Mary said to the angel,

   “…Behold, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your spoken word…”—which was God’s Word.

   Mary had a strong faith in God and she replaced fear with faith. This incident regarding Mary is reported in Luke 1:26–38.

   Another incident took place when Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue, from the dead. Jesus was walking toward the house of Jairus, when someone came from that house and said to him that his daughter had died. Jesus turned to Jairus and said:

   “…Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be healed” (Luke 8:50).

   Jesus proceeded to go to Jairus’ house where he brought her back to life. But why did Jesus say that to Jairus? He said that because, had Jairus doubted God and had allowed fear to enter his mind, his daughter would not have been healed. Let us add here that this is how many lose their healing as the symptoms of a disease come back: They lose heart—and give place to the devil in their health. Instead, they need to praise God, and to continue living by faith (Hebrews 10:38). It should be noted that those “symptoms” represent a desperate attempt by the devil—a thief (John 10:10) and the father of lies (John 8:44)—who is intent on stealing the healing: Those “symptoms” are nothing else but lies!

   A dramatic incident took place when Jesus was walking on the water of the lake in a storm, and asked Peter to walk toward Him (Matthew 14:22–33). Peter did that. As long as he had his eyes fixed on Jesus, the walk went alright. But when Peter saw the strong wind, he became afraid and started to sink, and cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus did save Peter, and then told him: “…You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Faith is so powerful, it can even move mountains (Matthew 21:21)—and it is the most potent antidote for fear!

   We also have the incident of John having a vision in which he saw Jesus in His glory. John became afraid and fell to Jesus’ feet as a dead man (Revelation 1:17). Jesus then touched him with His right hand and told him not to be afraid.

   We may ask the question then whether fear can literally kill a man. This actually happened in an incident in the OT. His name was Nabal, a very wealthy man who had property at Carmel (1 Samuel 25). Now, David and his men were out in the neighboring Desert of Maon, hiding from king Saul who was pursuing him. At the time of shearing of Nabal’s sheep, David sent some of his men to greet Nabal and to request some food from him. Nabal insulted David and sent his men back empty-handed. David became very angry and very offended; he took 400 of his men and was going toward Carmel with the intension of killing all the males in Nabal’s household. Abigail, Nabal’s wife, was informed of this, and so she took some food supplies, and she was going toward the region where David and his men were staying.

   As she was going into a mountain ravine, she met David as he was descending toward her. She fell to David’s feet and begged him to overlook Nabal’s insults, and to accept the food supplies she was bringing. After David accepted Abigail’s apology and the food she had brought, she returned home, where she found Nabal to be holding a great banquet and to be very drunk. In the morning, she told him all about that incident. Upon hearing the intension of David, “…His heart failed him and he became like a stone. About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal and he died” (1 Samuel 25:37-38).

   I recall a story which they say was a true one. Some co-workers of a fellow conspired to scare him just for fun. In the morning, soon after they started working, one by one approached him and expressed concern for his health. That fellow became paler as the day progressed, and late in the afternoon they had to take him to the emergency room. Those fellows ought to have known better than that. Fear is not something we can play with!

   What are then the physiological effects of fear? Fear is a poisonous emotion during which stress hormones are released by the brain into the blood stream. These can cause heart problems as well as problems with the immune system. A very dangerous elevation of the blood pressure can take place. Here we explain how this elevation takes place. When a man is overwhelmed by fear, his blood vessels constrict, and so their radius R is reduced. This is done by the body in order to reduce any blood loss from an impending danger.

   Now, physics tells us that, on the basis of Poiseuille’s equation (for a constant blood flow rate) the blood pressure is approximately proportional to: Here R4=R·R·R·R, where a dot indicates multiplication. Let us work with relative values. Take R=1 in the absence of fear. When the man has an intense fear, let the radius R of his blood vessels decrease by 10%. This means that R is reduced from 1 to 0.9. We call the radius in the absence of fear R1, and the radius in the presence of fear R2. So, we have

   =  = 1 in the absence of fear, and

   =  = 1.5 in the presence of fear.

   We see then that in the presence of fear the blood pressure increases by a factor of  = 1.5 in order to keep the blood flow rate constant. If we take a value of 120 for the blood pressure in the absence of fear, the blood pressure in the presence of fear would then be equal to 120×1.5= 180. Similarly, for the cases of 15% and 20% decreases in the radius R, the blood pressure is found to increase by a factor of 1.9 and 2.4, respectively. The resulting blood pressures would be equal to 120×1.9= 230 and 120×2.4= 290. All of these values of the blood pressure are extremely high—signifying a potentially fatal danger for that individual.

   Jesus warned us of difficulties and pressures in our lives: “…In the world, you will have pressure, but take courage, I have defeated the world” (John 16:33).

   The closer we draw to God and the more fruitful we become by serving Him, the angrier the devil becomes. The Scripture warns us: “Be sober, be alert; your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). But Jesus reassured us about our victory:

   “Do not let your heart be bewildered; believe in God, and also believe in Me” (John 14:1).

   With the current global financial crisis, the hearts of many millions of people throughout the world are indeed bewildered, not knowing in which direction the economy is going. But we are victors because we are with Jesus, the Victor, the “…KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:16). Currently, He is seated at the right hand of the Father and presents, as our High Priest (Hebrews 3:1), our prayers to Him. His return to earth would appear to be imminent, in view of the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy that it will take place when “…Many will go here and there to increase knowledge” (Daniel 12:4). This is the NIV rendering. The NKJV rendering is “…Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

   Indeed, traveling, and especially knowledge, has undergone very large increases in the last few decades. At the time of Jesus’ return, the forces that hold together the celestial bodies will be shaken, and men will be AT THE VERGE OF DYING BECAUSE OF FEAR (Luke 21:26). But the believers need not be afraid—they will take courage from knowing that their redemption will be drawing near (Luke 21:28).

   Let us briefly look at the lives of some believers, who refused to fear man or circumstances:

   Moses faced Pharaoh of Egypt fearlessly and demanded of him to let his people go. God gave Moses the ability to perform great miracles and wonders, but Pharaoh was stiff-necked. Eventually, he let the Israelites go, but he changed his mind and went after them. However, God performed a mighty miracle by separating the waters of the Red Sea, so that the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground. When the Egyptians tried to go through the sea also, the waters flowed back and drowned them all (Exodus 14).

   Moses led the Israelites through the desert for forty years. They often grumbled against him, and in one incident he said: “…They are almost ready to stone me” (Exodus 17:4). Also, in the incident regarding the men Moses sent to spy the land of Canaan, all the people talked about stoning Moses, Aaron, Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 14:10).

   In another incident, God told Moses to speak to the rock for water to come out of it. However, exasperated as he was because of their grumbling and quarreling with him, he struck the rock twice with his staff. Water did come out of that rock, but God was displeased with Moses for striking the rock in violation of His command to speak to the rock instead. As a result of this disobedience, God said to Moses and Aaron: “…You will not bring this community into the land I give them” (Numbers 20:12).

   God wanted to demonstrate to the Israelites the awesome power of His Word, but Moses missed it. Nevertheless, Moses had accomplished a monumental task: He led about 600,000 men—a total of some two million souls with the inclusion of women and children—plus large droves of livestock through the desert for forty years (Exodus 12:37-38). And he did that in the face of strong opposition by his own people. He was indeed a fearless leader!

   When the Israelites were approaching the land of Canaan, Moses sent twelve men, one from each tribe, to spy it so that they would conquer it. They came back, and ten of them gave a bad report (Numbers 13). They said that the cities were fortified and, in effect, there were giants in the land—with themselves looking like grasshoppers. However, Joshua and Caleb, the other two spies, gave a good report—they said that the Israelites were able to take possession of the land:

   “…And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up…” (Numbers 14:9).

   Ultimately, Joshua and Caleb were the only men from that generation who entered the Promised Land; everybody else died in the desert because of their disobedience (Numbers 14). Joshua succeeded Moses as the new leader and led the new generation—those below twenty years old—to the Promised Land. The ten spies were overwhelmed by fearing the people of Canaan, but Joshua and Caleb were fearless because they wholeheartedly put their trust in God.

   Gideon, a Judge (Ruler) of Israel, was instructed by God to select only 300 men from his army of thirty-two thousand for the fight against the Midianites (Judges 7). God wanted it that way so that no one could boast over the victory. The selection of the 300 men was done in two stages: First Gideon said to his men that all of those who trembled with fear could leave. So twenty-two thousand left.

   Gideon then selected the 300 out of the remaining ten thousand from the way they drank water: All 300 lapped the water with their tongues like a dog. The Israelites were facing a formidable enemy: Indeed, the army of the Midianites and those of their allies had settled in the valley, thick as locusts, and their camels were countless as the sand on the seashore. Nevertheless, Gideon and his minuscule army of 300 men fought fearlessly in obedience to God and won the victory!

   The story of David and Goliath is well known. Here we briefly comment on it in the context of being fearless. David was only a teenager when he fought against Goliath. Samuel had anointed David king over Israel (1 Samuel 16), but Saul was still the king, although God had rejected him because of his disobedience. The army of Israel was facing the army of the Philistines. Every day Goliath, a gigantic figure, was addressing the Israelites in a defying manner, and all the Israelites “…Ran from him in great fear” (1 Samuel 17:24).

   He had been terrorizing the whole nation of Israel! In his talk with king Saul, David said: “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God” (1 Samuel 17:36). Goliath had put on his whole armor. In contrast, David equipped himself with a sling and five smooth stones. He said to Goliath: “…I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Samuel 17:45). And David added: “…The battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands” (1 Samuel 17:47).

   David slung a stone at Goliath that struck him on the forehead. He fell face down on the ground, and then David took Goliath’s sword and killed him with it. What the army of Israel could not do, a fearless teenager did, because he drew strength and ability from the Lord! God’s promise of protection was fulfilled: “The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven” (Deuteronomy 28:7)!

   Turning now to the NT, in the early Church at Jerusalem, the Apostles were energized by the resurrection of Jesus Christ and by His appearance to them. Every day, they were teaching the people in the temple courts. The religious leaders were filled with jealousy, and they arrested them and put them in the public jail. In the night, an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. The angel said to the Apostles to go to the temple courts and teach the people. Early the following day, they went to the temple courts and resumed the teaching of the people. When the religious leaders ordered them to stop teaching in the Name of Jesus, the Apostles fearlessly responded as follows:

   “...We must obey God rather than men!” (Acts 5:29).

   Hearing this, the leaders became furious and wanted to put them to death. Their lives were spared only through the intervention of Gamaliel, a teacher respected by all people. So, they flogged and threatened the Apostles and let them go.

   “The Apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been counted worthy of being disgraced for his Name. Every day in the temple courts, and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and proclaiming the Good News that Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 5:41-42).

   How courageous the hearts of the Apostles proved to be under tremendous pressure!

   Stephen, one of the seven deacons chosen for overseeing the distribution of food, was “…A man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit…” (Acts 6:5). Some Jews brought false charges against him, and he fearlessly made an inspiring and defiant speech before the Sanhedrin (Acts 7:1–60). Upon hearing what Stephen was saying, the people became greatly offended, and “They stopped their ears, and crying out with a loud voice rushed at him in one accord, dragged him out of the city, and began to stone him…” (Acts 7:57-58).

   They became so offended, that even having seen the appearance of Stephen’s face to be like that of an angel just before he gave his speech (Acts 6:15), did not dissuade them from carrying out their murderous intentions. This is reminiscent of Proverbs 18:19: “An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city…”

   The Apostle Paul is a towering figure in the NT. He was a Pharisee who enthusiastically persecuted the believers. He was converted while he was on his way to Damascus to take some believers as prisoners to Jerusalem. Suddenly, a light from heaven flashed around him that temporarily blinded him and a voice said,

   “…Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4).

   The Lord spoke to Ananias, a believer from Damascus, informing him that Saul—later on renamed Paul in Cyprus during his first missionary journey with Barnabas (Acts 13:9)—would be His chosen instrument to carry His Name before the Gentiles and before the people of Israel. The Lord sent Ananias to the house where Saul was staying, where he laid hands on Saul and said to him:

   “…Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:17).

   Saul was then baptized, and took some food and was strengthen.

   Saul—Paul—undertook three missionary journeys and established churches in Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Greece. He also wrote letters to the churches, which constitute some 25% of all the writings of the NT. When Paul and Silas at Philippi were severely flogged and thrown into prison, where their feet were fastened in the stocks at midnight, they were praying and singing hymns to God. Imagine that! Their backs were bleeding profusely from the floggings and their feet were fastened in the stocks, and yet they were praising God! How many of the believers would do that under those circumstances? Not many.

   A great miracle ensued: The doors of the prison were thrown open and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer with his entire family accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and were baptized (Acts 16:22–40). In another incident, on his way to Rome to appear for trial before Caesar, Paul was shipwrecked at the island of Malta (Acts chapters 27 and 28). There, a viper fastened itself on Paul’s hand. He showed no fear, but simply shook the viper off his hand and suffered no ill effects! He trusted God to keep him healthy—and He did!

   He enumerated his sufferings in his second letter to the Corinthians 11:24–29: “Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one, three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I undertook journeys by walking often, in dangers from rivers, in dangers from robbers, in dangers from my countrymen, in dangers from Gentiles, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the wilderness, in dangers in the sea, in dangers from false brothers; in labor and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness; besides other things, the daily pressure and attacks by my opponents, and my care for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who stumbles and falls, and I do not suffer immensely?”

   Jesus reserved His harshest words for the religious leaders, and especially for the Pharisees. Nevertheless, here is a repentant Pharisee who worked fearlessly and tirelessly in the vineyard of the Lord Jesus Christ and brought forth a plentiful harvest!

   In this chapter, we have discussed four themes regarding fear: Fearing the Lord, that is, revering Him, and not fearing people or circumstances or the devil.

   PSALM 112:1–8 Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in His commands. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. HE WILL HAVE NO FEAR OF BAD NEWS; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end HE WILL LOOK IN TRIUMPH ON HIS FOES.

   Now, that is a man worth of making our role model!

   In Summary

   The key to overcoming fear of people or circumstances is to realize the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. What matters in life is what the God of the universe thinks, not people. It is better to have the accolades of the Creator of the universe than human beings. We cannot have both according to Scripture. Let us live our lives for His Glory in communion with the Holy Spirit, obeying His Word daily. This is a faith filled life that is free from fear!

   ~

   Chapter 14: GOD LONGS TO BE LOVED

   Now, this is a strange title! Since God created everybody and everything, He is self-sufficient and therefore we would expect that He does not need our love. It turns out that this is not so. We are going to see that this has to do with the fact that the born-again believers are His children, made in His own image and possessing His own spiritual make-up, spiritual DNA.

   The Scripture says to love God with all our being. That means to get to know Him, to worship Him, to praise Him, to have fellowship with Him, and to serve Him. God loves us so much that He gave His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice for our salvation. He longs for the love of His children! As we will see, our Father is a jealous God. He wants us to love Him and to put Him first in our lives, even ahead of our own family!

   Here is a command of God to love Him:

   LUKE 10:27...Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your life and with all your power and with all your mind…

   So, we are commanded to love the Lord our God with everything we have. Jesus said that this is the most important commandment (Mark 12:28–30). The first way with which we must love God is with all our heart. The heart is where the Holy Spirit and the spirit of a man dwell. We must therefore be fully responsive to the Holy Spirit as He instructs us to love God with all our spirit.

   It is the spirit of a believer, which is immortal, that goes to heaven when he dies. This statement may surprise some readers; commonly, it is taught that it is the soul that goes to heaven. Actually, the soul constitutes the second way with which we must love God according to Luke 10:27: The Greek word for soul is ψυχή, which we translate as “life”. We must therefore love God with all our lives.

   We read from Acts 17:28, “For in Him we live and move and have our being…”

   So we are completely dependent on God for all aspects of our lives. God is the One who gives us breath, and thereby keeps us alive and active. Let us then give to God all the glory. We may paraphrase Psalm 150:6, “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD…” and say, “Let everything that has breath love the LORD…”

   Here is evidence that supports our statement that it is the spirit of a man, not his soul, that goes to heaven after his death:

   The first piece of evidence is from Matthew 27:50—the death of the Lord Jesus: “And Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and gave up his spirit.”

   The second piece of evidence is from the incident in which Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead. We read from Luke 8:55, “And her spirit returned, and she immediately got up, and he commanded that she be given something to eat.”

   The third piece of evidence is from the stoning of Stephen to death: “And they were stoning Stephen as he was praying and saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit’” (Acts 7:59).

   The fourth piece of evidence is from the incident of a believer who was having sexual relations with his father’s wife: “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, with the force of our Lord Jesus Christ, hand over this man to Satan so that the flesh may be destroyed and the spirit be saved on the day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Corinthians 5:4-5).

   The fifth piece of evidence that it is the spirit of a believer that goes to heaven after his death is from Ecclesiastes 12:7: “…And the spirit returns to God who gave it.”

   Returning to Luke 10:27, the third way with which we must love God is with all our power. This means with all our physical, mental and spiritual powers. The source of all these three types of power is the Lord the Holy Spirit who, as we have said, dwells in the heart of the believer. He is the Comforter, the Glorious Arm of Power of the Lord Almighty (Isaiah 63:11-12), the Giver of Live, the Head Teacher and the Administrator of the ministries of the believers.

   It is through Him that God raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. John reminds the believers that “…Greater is the one who is in you than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Here the greater One is the Holy Spirit, and the one in the world is the devil, who is a defeated foe. The fourth way we are commanded by Jesus to love God is with all our mind (Luke 10:27).

   Now, when someone becomes born-again, his spirit is reborn but his mind is not, because it is made of flesh. He must therefore renew his mind: “And do not conform to this world, but be transformed through the renewing of your mind…” (Romans 12:2). Hebrews 3:1 instructs us how to do that: “…Fully understand the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus.” One’s goal ought to be to attain the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), that is, for Jesus to be his role model for all the aspects of his life. Let us see then what the Word of God teaches us on how to love God:

   JOHN 14:15 If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.

   JOHN 14:21 Whoever has My commands and keeps them, he is the one who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.

   JOHN 14:23-24 Jesus replied and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, will keep My Word, and my Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep my words; and the word you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

   We see then that the necessary condition for someone to love Jesus is for him to keep His Word. He wanted to make sure that He conveyed clearly this message in the above verses of 15, 21 and 23 of John 14, and so He said in verse 24, “HE WHO DOES NOT LOVE ME DOES NOT KEEP MY WORDS.”

   So, when Jesus sees someone violating His Word, He makes a note that that person does not love Him. This is a strong statement, but that is how Jesus works. We should add that we have been discussing the subject of “loving Jesus”. By extension, these statements apply also to the subject of “loving God the Father”, because Jesus came to earth in the Name of God the Father, that is, as the representative of God (Matthew 21:9); moreover, Jesus said that anyone who has seen Him has seen the Father (John 14:9). He also said that He is in the Father and the Father is in Him (John 14:10).

   So loving God involves a commitment and a practical demonstration of submission to God’s authority—by keeping His commandments. Here is another look at this matter: “My children, let us not love in word or in tongue but in work and in truth” (1 John 3:18). So then by just saying that we love God would not do it. What are needed are works done “in truth”.

   Now, truth is the Word of God: “Sanctify them in your truth; Your Word is Truth” (John 17:17). So the validation of love is through works done according to the Word of God. We see then that 1 John 3:18 reaches the same requirement for demonstrating one’s love for God as the passages from chapter 14 of John do, which we have considered above. Here is further insight into this matter:

   1 JOHN 4:19–21 We love Him because He first loved us. If someone says “I love God”, but hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: Whoever loves God must love his brother also.

   We have seen above that our confession of loving God must be validated on the basis of God’s Word. Well, this passage here from 1 John is asking whether we love our brother. If we don’t have love for him, we would not be able to have love for God. “But,” it may be asked, “What is love?” Actually, the proper question to be asked is, “Who is Love?” The Scripture says that God personifies love:

   1 JOHN 4:8 He who does not love has not known God, because God is love.

   There, we point out that knowing God is the essence of our faith:

   JOHN 17:3 And this is eternal life, to know you the only true God and the one you sent Jesus Christ.

   So, 1 John 4:8, in light of John 17:3, says that whoever does not love cannot have eternal life. This is stated explicitly in 1 John 4:16: “…God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God, and God in him.” This leads us to 1 Corinthians chapter 13, where Paul writes about love. The first verse reads as follows:

   “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.”

   He goes on to say in the next verse that if I have all knowledge and all faith so that I can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. Even if I give everything I have to the poor and become a martyr for Jesus, but have not love, I am nothing. How hopeless it is when someone harbors unforgiveness, offense, resentment and bitterness in his heart! These poisonous emotions defile a man and enslave him. A man who lacks love and has a heart full with these emotions is unacceptable to God. Nobody unholy can stand in the presence of our Holy God! When we act in love toward others, we reach God, the personification of love. With a pure heart—full with love—we will reap the promise of Jesus, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). Yes, we will see Him face to face in the world to come! Hallelujah!

   Now, since God is love, His very own Nature is love! So He can have all the love He wants; and all the love we have for Him is not really ours, it is His, for He is our Maker. Why can He not then reach out and seize it? It is because He has given us a free will, and so He wants our love for Him to come from our own hearts. Moreover, He made us in His own Image (Genesis 1:27), and GAVE US HIS OWN SPIRITUAL MAKE-UP (Acts 17:28-29).

   I find this truly amazing: We are the Image of God and WE HAVE HIS OWN SPIRITUAL GENES—HIS OWN SPIRITUAL DNA! This being so, He desires love as much as we desire love—love is in His spiritual DNA as it is in our spiritual DNA! As biological fathers love their children and long for their love, so He loves His children and longs for their love! Here is a case of God LONGING for one of His “sons”—the half tribe of Ephraim:

   JEREMIAH 31:20 ‘Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore MY HEART YEARNS FOR HIM; I have great compassion for him, declares the LORD.’

   And, of course, we have the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32). After considerable time and suffering, he decided to return to his father. While he was still a large distance away, his father saw him and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. The father had been intently searching the road for the return of his son: He longed for his love!

   And so does our Heavenly Father for our love! And God exclaims,

   “‘…Return to Me, and I will return to you,’ says the LORD Almighty” (Malachi 3:7).

   God has the emotions we have:

   “…Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity” (Joel 2:13).

   So far we have considered the unconditional, undeserving, unfailing and very precious love that He has for the believers. But God does not love only the believers—He loves all human beings:

   “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

   God can also be pleased: When John the Baptist baptized Jesus (Matthew 3:17), and also when Jesus was transfigured (Matthew 17:5), God spoke and said: “…This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” There are also in the NT other references to God being pleased: See, for example, 1 Corinthians 1:21, and Galatians 1:15. And there are many such references in the OT: See, for example, 1 Samuel 12:22; 1 Kings 3:10.

   God can also be displeased. When King David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and had Uriah, her husband, killed, as we read in 2 Samuel 11:27, “…The thing David had done displeased the LORD.” Then God incited Absalom, one of David’s sons, to conspire against his father. David, his household, and all the people left Jerusalem and went to the countryside. Absalom was killed in an ensuing battle, and so David’s throne was restored (2 Samuel 15–18). Nevertheless, displeasing God had dire consequences!

   God can also feel anger and wrath (Numbers 14:28-29; Psalm 2:5; Matthew 21:12; Hebrews 3:11), as well as grief and pain (Genesis 6:6; 2 Samuel 18). He is also a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). We also read in Hebrews 12:6: “For the Lord disciplines whomever He loves, and whips everyone he admits as a son.”

   This is then what we should expect—disciplining and whipping; of course, these two actions involve expressions of emotions, both from the believer as well as from the Corrector—God. I presume that some readers will be surprised—even shocked—when they read this. However, God has actually applied this treatment to His Son in order for Him to be perfected through suffering (Hebrews 2:10).

   In this regard, Jesus said, “Therefore be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Being perfect is therefore a command—not an option. How then do we become perfect? Hebrews 12:2 provides the answer: “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith…” The Perfecter will then perfect our faith in God when we keep our spiritual eyes fixed on Him.

   We serve a jealous God: “Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Exodus 34:14).

   He will not share our love with anybody else. He sealed the believers and gave them the Holy Spirit as a guarantee (2 Corinthians 1:22). The wedding of Jesus to the body of the believers will take place at the time of the end (Revelation 21:2).

   And God has a sense of humor: He can laugh; see, for example, Psalm 2:4, and Psalm 37:13. Jesus, when He was on the earth, had a sense of humor also: In some occasions, Jesus ended His teaching with the statement, “…Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 13:43). In effect Jesus was telling the crowds, “Did I give you ears in order to use them to see, or to smell, or to taste or to touch? No, I gave them to you in order to hear; use them then to listen to what I am teaching you.”

   The Scripture does not say what the response of the crowds was to this humorous statement of Jesus. In a similar fashion, Jesus says in all of His letters to the seven churches in Asia Minor: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:29)!

   God gives us His love bountifully: “…The love of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). He loves us so much that He constantly thinks about us:

   PSALM 139:17-18 How precious concerning me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand…

   And as a further reassurance, we read:

   ISAIAH 49:16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands…

   This is perfectly consistent with God’s promise, “…I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

   What a loving Father we have! He very much wants to engulf us with His love. However, He wants us to make the first move:

   “Draw close to God, and He will draw close to you…” (James 4:8).

   Being a jealous God (Exodus 34:14), He wants us to love Him with passion: We read in the letter of Jesus to the Church in Ephesus, “But I hold against you that you have forsaken your first love” (Revelation 2:4).

   The excitement the believers in that Church had experienced at the time of their conversion was not there anymore. (We may add that, unfortunately, this is also happening to the love between husbands and wives in the majority of marriages—the divorce rate is about 60%. We are rejoicing knowing that we will be joined with Jesus upon His return, as His bride—Revelation 21:9, 10—filled with everlasting love for our Father; and there will be no divorce in the world to come!)

   Furthermore, we read in the letter of Jesus to the Church in Laodicea: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15, 16).

   Lukewarm love is cerebral—controlled by the mind. The heart, where the Lord the Holy Spirit dwells, plays no role in it, and so it is not acceptable to God; He is sick to His stomach with it! Paul urged young Timothy to work toward attaining a hot faith: “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (2 Timothy 1:6).

   The gift referred to here is the Lord the Holy Spirit. We recall that on Pentecost the coming of the Holy Spirit was manifested by the appearance of tongues of fire that rested on the apostles and on all the believers who were present (Acts 2:3-4). And Hebrews 10:24 speaks of “paroxysm of love”; now, this very strong emotion can only be experienced by someone who is fervent in his spirit. As the return of Jesus is drawing close, and the love of many is growing cold (Matthew 24:12), let us listen to the Holy Spirit as He is teaching us about the paroxysm of love!

   So far, the love we have been talking about is agape—ἀγάπη in Greek; it is the “godly-love”. In addition, there is the “friendship-love”—φιλία in Greek. Jesus referred to both types of love. Here is a particularly interesting passage for friendship-love:

   MATTHEW 10:37 Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of me; and anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of me.

   We see here the longing of Jesus, the Son of God, for friendship-love from the believers. HE WANTS US TO BE HIS FRIENDS—HIS BEST FRIENDS! How many believers could truthfully say that they put Jesus first in their friendship-love? Not a high percentage!

   Now that the concept of “friendship-love” has been introduced, let us briefly look into the love between God the Father and Jesus the Son. We cited earlier the statement made by the Father revealing the identity of Jesus (Matthew 3:17; 17:5): “…This is my beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased.” The root of “beloved” in Greek is “agape”—“godly-love”. But what about friendship-love between the Father and the Son? Is there such a bond between them? Does God view Jesus as His best Friend? He certainly does! Using friendship-love, Jesus said: “For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything that He does…” (John 5:20)

   Abraham possessed a great faith; because of that, he was highly honored: “…To be the father of all who believe though they have not been circumcised…” (Romans 4:11).

   “And the Scripture was fulfilled that says ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness,’ and he was called A FRIEND OF GOD” (James 2:23).

   What a privilege it is to be the father of all believers in Christ and a friend of God! But what about the believers themselves? Are they considered to be friends of God? Jesus said to his disciples in John 16:27, “For God Himself loves you [with friendship-love], because you have loved Me [with friendship-love]…” And so the believers share with Abraham, their father, the privilege of being “friends of God”!

   There was an incident that involved Jesus and Peter in the contexts of agape and friendship-love (John 21:15–19). Jesus, using agape, asked Peter twice whether he loved Him. Peter replied to both questions and said that he had friendship-love for Jesus. The third time, Jesus asked Peter whether he had friendship-love for Him, and Peter replied and said that he did have it. Peter could not have known agape, because he had not yet received the Holy Spirit. He and the other disciples of Jesus were subsequently filled with the Holy Spirit—on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2).

   As we have seen above from Romans 5:5, it is the Holy Spirit who brings the love (agape) of God to the new believers: He pours it abundantly into their hearts. As an excellent teacher that Jesus was, He did not lecture Peter on the difference between agape and friendship-love, because He wanted to avoid discouraging him; and so He used friendship-love the third time He asked the question. Having been a teacher myself—a university professor—I appreciate the importance of encouragement in the learning process.

   God deserves our reverence, glory, praise, worship and love for many reasons. The following two are at the top of the list: He became our Father by giving us re-birth, thereby opening for us the Road to His Kingdom. Moreover, He is constantly meeting all our needs:

   “And my God will meet ALL your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

   Let us note that God will meet all our needs according to His riches; now, since God’s riches are inexhaustible, we can safely conclude that there is no limit as to how richly He promises to do that! Indeed, we read in 1 Corinthians 2:9:

   “However, as it is written, ‘Eye has not seen and ear has not heard and no human mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

   But the mere fact that God is our Father should suffice to justify our love for Him. This is also true concerning our biological fathers (and mothers): A father deserves love and utmost respect by his children—he does not need to earn them. Unfortunately, some people are not aware of this, and they treat their fathers (and mothers) badly, or they altogether forget about them in their old age.

   When we all appear before the Judgment Seat of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10), the children will give an account of how they treated their fathers, and the fathers will give an account of how they treated their children. However, these two accounts will be independent of each other: So, a son will not be able to justify any mistreatment of his father as being the result of having been mistreated by his father at an earlier time.

   Actually, this matter is addressed by the fifth Commandment, which is the only Commandment with a promise (Deuteronomy 5:16): It instructs us to honor our father and mother so that we may have a long and good life. Note that this Commandment is not conditional—it does not say, for example, “Honor your father and mother if they had been good to you!”

   Since the relationship between a child and his father ought to be such, should not the relationship between a believer and God—his Father—be even more so? Certainly God deserves the unconditional love of His children—He does not need to earn it! And if occasionally things don’t go our way in our life, we cannot afford to let our love for our Father become lukewarm. As we have seen earlier in Revelation 3:15-16, Jesus said that He would vomit out of his mouth anyone who is lukewarm in his relationship with Him!

   In Summary:

   Truly God our Father longs for a relationship with His children. He is a good listener and wants to commune with us daily. He is love and His love is poured out in every believer’s spirit. With this love let us love Him back.

   ~

   Conclusion

   The return of the Lord Jesus Christ is near and eminent. The world is lost, full of fear and turmoil. The purpose of this book is to provoke the believer in Christ to find joy in a real, tangible relationship with the Holy Spirit. Only then when humanity sees the reality of this relationship with the Living God, will they see and know Him. Knowing Him is like knowing a human being. In our relationships we spend time with one another, we talk, listen, share etc.

   Make the Holy Spirit the focus of your day. Ask Him what His purpose is and focus. There are many distractions in life to keep us from the real meaning of life. In the end we will all pass away and leave a legacy. It will be nice to enter Heaven known by the Heavenly Father. As we get to know Him on earth we will only continue our relationship with Him when we arrive in heaven. Humanity is empty and is seeking to fill themselves with many vices. Only God can fulfill a human being. This book talks about relationship, love and living a faith filled purposeful life. We hope the reading of the book has enlightened you to want to know Him more!

Author Biography

Professor Emeritus Solon Georghiou earned a bachelor’s in physics from the University of Athens in 1962, followed by a M.S. (1965) and Ph.D. (1968) in photo-physics from the University of Manchester. Before joining the UT Physics faculty in 1973, he was a postdoc at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and at Johns Hopkins University. Georghiou’s specialty was molecular biophysics, with special emphasis on the physical properties of DNA. He was known as a passionate teacher, and by his own estimate he taught well over 3,000 students, many of them pre-med majors. He once said that “if we wanted to have a family doctor who was not my student, we had to work hard.” To transfer knowledge, he believed, was sacred. He also served as academic advisor in the department for two decades. He retired from the physics faculty in spring 2007. Since then, he embarked on translating Biblical texts from the ancient Greek, which he was fluent in from his education growing up in Cyprus.

In his retirement years, he completed his book honoring his faith in his Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. From studying Scripture in the Ancient Greek text, he was enlightened to know God and walk closely with Him. He was survived by his wife, Georgia Georghiou, two children, Alexia & Christos and grandson Stavros.

Through the lenses of a scientist who studied DNA, watching various substances interact, we find insight. Faith is the substance of the things hoped for, the evidenced of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1. It is time to know our God, and through Dr. Georghiou's insights with the original Ancient Greek texts, we can find understanding of God's Word in unique and refreshing ways. Through storytelling, the reader is brought into realities of God's desire to be with us. God is waiting on humanity to receive His love, and believe in His goodness through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. He will not force His love & salvation on anyone. This is readily available for all who are willing to receive. Reach out and trust God today in the midst of crisis. Be inspired by this incredible work meant for this moment in human history and time. Be inspired to know Him, and refreshed with insightful lessons given by a child of God, who was gifted with brilliance in mind and humility of heart. Dr. Georghiou understood his need for redemption, showing gratitude with this end of life work. He passed away December 2, 2015, after a gradual decline in health.