\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n FIRST IS THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS: “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these<\/em>” (Mark 12:29-31). <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n WHAT THEN IS LOVE? In a general sense love is benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men. While this IS from an older definition of Charity, which IS rendered in the King James Bible from the same Greek word agape<\/em> which IS generally rendered as Love, we should amend our own definition here to include the idea that in the reality of Love a man will accord to ALL men ALL things that he would accord to himself and to say that Love IS our thoughts and attitude of the equality of ALL men regardless of their outward nature or appearance…that ALL ARE equally children of Our One God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n PLUS THE EVER IMPORTANT AND HIGH IDEAL TAUGHT TO US BY THE CHRIST: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them<\/em>” (Matthew 7:12).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n We ended the last essay with some discussion on the eighth verse of chapter eight from Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. For us this IS one of the most important chapters from Paul’s voluminous writings and we refer to it frequently for our discussions on vanity<\/em>, on the adoption <\/em>and Redemption <\/strong><\/em>of men and on the current selection which defines the comportment of the man whose focus <\/em>IS on the Lord. This eighth verse IS, in our view, mistranslated or, better, translated according to doctrinal themes rather than the reality of the Greek words. Paul tells us that “`they that are in the flesh cannot please God<\/em>” and we noted that the doctrinal idea here IS that we can actually please the Lord as though the Lord IS a person with an emotional response. We cited The Bible in Basic English rendering of this verse to show the ideas that ARE attached when the rendering IS that we can <\/em>“please God<\/em>“. This version rendered Paul’s words to say “So that those who are in the flesh are not able to give pleasure to God<\/em>” and we should try to see that the idea of pleasing <\/em>God has the same connotation in much of the church. Researching the Greek word aresko<\/em>, we listed the defining ideas from the lexicon, Strong’s and Thayers and while ALL DO include pleasing <\/em>as a definition, it IS generally NOT the primary meaning. For our purposes we have accepted the Strong’s definition of aresko<\/em> which IS: to be agreeable (or by implication, to seek to be so)<\/em>9a<\/sup>. ThIs makes much more sense than pleasing <\/em>God DOES and it fits in with the overall theme that Paul has developed thus far in the eighth chapter. At the end of our last essay we rephrased Paul’s words to say “they that are in the flesh cannot “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God<\/em>” (Romans 8:1:14).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Paul next addresses his readers directly saying “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you<\/em>“. Paul makes the idea of NOT being “in the flesh<\/em>” contingent upon the idea that “the Spirit of God dwell in you<\/em>” and while most ALL doctrinal Christians will claim this, will claim that “the Spirit of God<\/em>” dwells <\/em>in them, they ignore the Master’s own criteria for this to be True. While the word dwell <\/em>here IS from a different Greek word than that which IS used in our trifecta<\/em><\/strong>, the idea remains the same. In our trifecta <\/strong><\/em>the idea IS from the Greek word mone <\/em>which IS understood in terms of abiding <\/em>and abode <\/em>while the word here IS oikeo <\/em>which simply means dwell<\/em>; there IS NO real difference in the impact of the ideas. Jesus criteria for this idea that “the Spirit of God dwell in you<\/em>” IS from the third part of our trifecta <\/em><\/strong>which we repeat here saying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n What we should see IS that the very idea that “the Spirit of God dwell in you<\/em>” IS part of the Master’s reward <\/em>for keeping His words<\/em>. While the specific phrase more aligns keeping His words<\/em> with our Love for the Lord, the whole of the selection clarifies that the reward <\/em>for Keeping His words<\/em> IS the Presence of God in one’s Life; a Presence which can be proven by our expression <\/em><\/strong>of the “fruit of the Spirit<\/em>” (Galatians 5:22). This IS the reality of Jesus’ words saying \u201cYe shall know them by their fruits<\/em>\u201c which He repeats saying \u201cby their fruits ye shall know them<\/em>\u201c (Matthew 7:16, 20). While some doctrinal Christians will find reasons to NOT put ALL of this together, their arguments ARE but carnal attempts to show that they have the “Spirit of God<\/em>“. Our point here IS that the Master offers us a guidepost in the third part of our trifecta<\/em><\/strong>; the criteria set forth IS both clear and readily understandable but IS at the same time ignored by most ALL of the church through their doctrines. Much of the church tells the people that the Lord ‘comes to live in a person’ whensoever he ‘accepts’ Jesus as Lord and savior. The simple rebuttal to this IS simply where IS the fruit<\/em>? Where IS the “fruit of righteousness<\/em>” (James 3:18); where IS the fruit <\/em>of which Paul tells us that “the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth<\/em>” (Ephesians 5:9)? Again, \u201cYe shall know them by their fruits<\/em>\u201c and \u201cby their fruits ye shall know them<\/em>\u201c. Without such expression <\/strong><\/em>of the “fruit of the Spirit<\/em>” then, one IS yet “in the flesh<\/em>” and we should understand that our sporadic expressions <\/strong><\/em>of goodness <\/em>DO NOT qualify us as those that Truly have “the Spirit of God dwell in you<\/em>“. Here again we must try to see that ONLY a man Truly KNOWS if he has “the Spirit of God<\/em>“; NO one can search another’s heart <\/strong><\/em>with any degree of certainty save for measuring <\/em>for oneself their expressed <\/em><\/strong>fruits<\/em> and, to be sure, this IS NOT measured <\/em>against a single deed or even multiple good deeds but rather against the fullness of one’s comportment. Examples abound in such figures as Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paul goes on to tell us of those that DO who have “the Spirit of God dwell in you<\/em>” saying “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness<\/em>“. In these words we have a most misunderstood concept. For most of the church the idea IS taken to mean that in some ‘mysterious<\/em>‘ way “the Spirit of Christ<\/em>” comes into the Life of a Christian so that they believe that “the Spirit of God dwell in you<\/em>“. The fallacy here IS that if “the Spirit of God dwell in you<\/em>“, “if Christ be in you<\/em>“, why IS there NO outward effect save for perhaps the euphoria one may experience when one IS first ‘saved<\/em>‘. The reality IS and must be that “if Christ be in you<\/em>” there must be a change in one’s comportment, one’s thoughts, one’s attitudes, and one’s actions. This IS what Paul means in saying that “the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness<\/em>“. As a standalone statement these words ARE of little use but they ARE used to support the doctrinal ideas that tell men that whensoever one IS ‘saved<\/em>‘, whensoever one ‘accepts’ Jesus as Lord and savior, that they rather automatically have “the Spirit of God dwell in you<\/em>“. But Paul DOES NOT leave us in this state as his next statements show us what it means to have “the Spirit of Christ<\/em>” as well as its effect upon the carnal and mundane lives of men. Before we go on however it IS important that we see the deeper reality of Paul’s words in this particular verse. First we have the idea that “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his<\/em>“; here the idea should be focused <\/em>on the reality of our Repentance <\/em><\/strong>and Transformation<\/strong><\/em>. It IS through our Repentance<\/strong><\/em>, rightly understood to be: Such a virtuous alteration of the mind and purpose as begets a like virtuous change in the life and practice<\/em> 4<\/sup> as Vincent shows us, that we allow for the awakening <\/em>of “the Spirit of Christ<\/em>” in the heart <\/strong><\/em>of the Repentant <\/em><\/strong>man. It IS this awakening <\/em>of the Christ Within, the “Christ in you, the hope of glory<\/em>” (Colossians 1:27) as Paul frames this, that both allows for our True Repentance <\/strong><\/em>and Transformation<\/em><\/strong>, and for that like virtuous change in the life and practice<\/em>. This last part IS the part of importance as the idea here must be that the Life changes, one’s motivation changes, and his focus <\/em>moves off of the self and onto the things of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It IS in this shift of focus <\/em>that “the body is dead<\/em>” and we should understand that the idea that this death <\/em>IS “because of sin<\/em>” IS in reference to our carnal focus <\/em>and NOT the common ideas which sin <\/em>provokes. The idea that “Christ be in you<\/em>” has naught to DO with the doctrinal affirmations that one may make, the idea that “Christ be in you<\/em>” has ONLY to DO with the third part of our trifecta<\/em><\/strong> where, through our Repentance<\/em><\/strong>, we DO begin to strive <\/em>to keep His words<\/em>. It IS in keeping His words<\/em> that we attest to our agape <\/em>Love for God and Christ and it IS to those keeping His words<\/em> that the Master tells us that “we will come unto him, and make our abode with him<\/em>“….hence the idea that “Christ be in you<\/em>“. Save for the mysteries <\/em>of Life itself, the mystery <\/em>of the Godhead and mankind’s relationship to God, there IS NO mystery <\/em>in Paul’s words here. Paul shows us the reality of the mystery <\/em>as “Christ in you, the hope of glory<\/em>” and the whole of his statement will help to show us that there IS a criteria and that criteria IS as the Master defines it in our trifecta<\/em><\/strong>. Paul tells us “Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory<\/em>” (Colossians 1:25-27). Let us try to understand Paul’s words here beginning with the idea that “I am made a minister<\/em>“; the Greek word ginomai <\/em>which IS rendered as “am made<\/em>” IS defined by Strong’s as: to become (come into being), used with great latitude (literal, figurative, intensive, etc.)<\/em>9a<\/sup>. While one may think that the message IS that God made Paul a minister<\/em>, the reality IS that he became <\/em>a minister <\/em>or that he came into being<\/em> as a minister <\/em>“according to the dispensation of God<\/em>“; this we will get to next. First however we should address the Greek word diakonos<\/em> which IS rendered as minister <\/em>and which has certain doctrinal ideas attached to it. The word IS defined by Thayer’s as: one who executes the commands of another, especially of a master<\/em>; examples ARE given as a servant, attendant, minister<\/em>9<\/sup>. The primary idea IS of course that of the servant <\/em>and the Master uses this idea in such sayings as “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant<\/em>” (Matthew 23:11) and “For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among* you as he that serveth<\/em>” (Luke 22:27). In the first example the Master IS telling His disciples that even the greatest must be a servant <\/em>while in the second Jesus IS referring to Himself as the servant<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The message so far IS that Paul became <\/em>a servant <\/em>“according to the dispensation of God<\/em>” and here we have what can be a confusing thought. The Greek word that IS rendered as dispensation <\/em>IS oikonomia<\/em>\u00a0which Strong’s defines as: administration <\/em>(of a household or estate)9a<\/sup>. Using this we can see that it IS “according to the Up to this point Paul has been speaking about the “Spirit of Christ<\/em>” and “if Christ be in you<\/em>“. Next he turns his attention to the fullness of the Godhead saying “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you<\/em>“. This IS now in line with the Master’s words from our trifecta <\/strong><\/em>where we read that “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him<\/em>“. Note that the idea here IS that “my Father will love him, and we <\/strong>will come unto him, and make <\/em>our <\/em><\/strong>abode with him<\/em>” showing us that the Father and the Son ARE ever together in ALL things. Paul picks this up in the saying at hand as he speaks about the Father as “the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead<\/em>” so that the conversation now includes both the Father and the Son dwelling <\/em>in a man. Paul’s point becomes that regardless of whether we see the Father or the Son in our hearts<\/em><\/strong>, both ARE endlessly together and they will perforce “quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you<\/em>“. Let’s explore these words. The KEY word here IS quicken <\/em>which IS from the Greek word zoopoieo<\/em>; Strong’s defines the idea simply as: to (re-)vitalize (literally or figuratively)<\/em>. The idea of vitalize <\/em>DOES help us to somewhat understand Paul’s point. It IS the Spirit in man, the realized <\/em>Spirit IS a more accurate idea, that vitalizes <\/em>the mortal body<\/em> and we should see this in two ways. First it IS the Spirit and the Soul that give Life to the animal body of man; this happens regardless of please<\/s> be agreeable with God<\/em> as regards His law<\/em>“. The final added part IS taken from Webster’s 1828 Dictionary where agreeable <\/em>IS defined as: Suitable; conformable; correspondent; consistent with; as, the practice of virtue is agreeable to the law of God and our own nature<\/em> 1<\/sup>. Repeating our entire selection we read:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
dispensation<\/s> administration of God<\/em>” which idea some DO use. However the whole flavor of the saying IS often changed by phrasing the idea as “I have become its minister, according to God’s administration that was given to me for you, to make God’s message fully known<\/em>” and other like renderings using the idea of stewardship<\/em>. Vincent tells us that: Here the meaning is stewardship – the office of a steward or administrator in God’s house<\/em>4<\/sup>. We should understand that there IS NO actual office <\/em>and NO God’s house<\/em>; there IS ONLY the relationship between Paul and the Godhead and we should understand here that the idea IS likely intentionally cryptic. Paul has made of himself a disciple of the Lord; this IS his office and it IS from this office that he serves <\/em>humanity. Paul goes on to say that he has become a disciple to serve <\/em>and that in His discipleship he has come to KNOW his measure <\/em>of the Truth and that he IS sharing this Truth “to fulfil the word of God<\/em>“. What might this word of God be? The commandments to be sure but we can take this a bit further because of the wording of the following verses; we can see that Paul IS fulfilling the Great Commission which clearly tells everyman, especially His disciples, to “teach<\/s> make disciples of all nations<\/s> people, baptizing<\/s> immersing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you<\/em> (Matthew 28″19-20). Can we see the point here? So Paul’s charge, as a disciple attuned to his own Soul, IS keeping the Great Commission by “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you<\/em>” including “the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints<\/em>“. Here we need to understand that as aspirants to discipleship, those whom Paul IS teaching ARE by measure <\/em>the saints<\/em> and it IS by that same measure <\/em>that they can KNOW the mystery<\/em>. We have discussed this several times in past essays but we should repeat here that the saint<\/em>, from the Greek word hagios<\/em>, IS defined as: most holy thing, a saint<\/em>2<\/sup> and while many have adopted these appellations to themselves, few actually qualify, even by the smallest measure<\/em>. It IS then to His saints <\/em>that the mystery <\/em>IS revealed and this mystery <\/em>IS clearly stated as “Christ in you, the hope of glory<\/em>“. An idea which parts of the church deny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n