Righteousness by Faith

A Righteousness Obtained by Grace through Faith

I first wrote this on July 7, 2019. I have changed little, but have added some new comments which are [bracketed]. There is so much more that could have been added to show how we are justified and made righteous by faith alone and not by works given to us under the New Covenant as a free gift by God's grace. Let me rephrase that, under the Old Covenant their righteousness was credited to them by their faith, today as a result of the sacrifice, death and resurrections of Jesus we are saved, by grace through faith. Ephesians 2:8.

My heart’s desire is to get back to that place where I was when God was in control of my life and I trusted Him for everything. That came by renewing my mind to the truth of the Bible, rightly divided and interpreted; that Jesus promised would set us free. John 8:32

That abundant zoe life, which is exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or imagine. John 10:10. [That is what Jesus came to teach us and sacrificed himself to give us. As such it is also my heart’s desire to see all entering into His rest and into all that He has already done and given us for all those who [believe and] are hungry for God. His works, we are told, were all finished or completed at the creation of the world. Genesis 2:2, Hebrews 4:3b

I experienced this wonderful freedom briefly as a babe in Christ, but when the honeymoon ended and I was ready to move on from the milk to the meat, that maturity or perfection promised, I couldn’t seem to find it anywhere. I got bits and pieces of it here and there, but never the fullness.

That said, thankfully I was blessed to have God bring solid people of faith into my life right after I was saved [that turned me onto Word/Faith teaching because ultimately, faith is the only Law that makes us right with God. It was faith and faith alone that credited God’s righteousness in the Old Testament and in the New!] [Faith, I believe, remains the] only stumbling block and why we labour to enter into His rest and cease from our own works. (Hebrews 4:10) Our doubt or wavering belief, faith, confidence, trust, hope or whatever label you choose apply to it. The way in which we overcome the world according 1 John 5:4 is our absolute unwavering, trust and faith in God’s provision alone, apart from ourselves. And what are the causes of our unbelief? Can they be the traditions and doctrines of men, as Jesus called them, still holding the body of Christ back from moving on to perfection? Is there a place where those looking to move on to maturity and perfection can go? Hebrews 6:1

These are just some of the questions that have arisen within me? I just think that there needs to be a place where those that are ready to move past the elementary principles and on to maturity or perfection as the Bible actually teaches us to do (Hebrews 6:1-2), and get down to the very root or core of the New Covenant, the same Covenant established with Abraham.

A Covenant based on nothing but Faith. An unwavering Faith and trust in God himself to provide [correction; what He has already provided] our every single need like any good Father would. Jesus said,

“What parent if their child asks for bread would give them a stone, or if they asked for a fish will give him a snake? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him”

Mat 7:9-11.

The truth is that nothing has changed; it has always been and still is a covenant based on nothing but Faith.

I must also point out the fact that God has never done anything in the earth without first making a covenant with some man at least to my limited knowledge. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Saul, David, Solomon just to name a few. But the ultimate and final covenant was made with God himself operating through a man, named Jesus of Nazareth. At the death of Jesus that Covenant or Contract became a Will and that Will, the Bible, lists all the promises [and benefits] available to us.

For this reason He (Jesus) is the Mediator of a new covenant, since a death has occurred for the redemption of the sins that were committed under the first covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where there is a will, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a will has force after men are dead, since it has no force at all while the testator lives. Hebrews 9:15-17



The Gospel, the Good News, is a Covenant, Testament, or contract between God and Mankind. A Testament is defined as; a person's will, especially the part relating to personal property.

And Merriam’s defines a Will as; a legal declaration of a person's wishes regarding the disposal of his or her property or estate after death especially: a written instrument legally executed by which a person makes disposition of his or her estate to take effect after death.

That written instrument is our Bible, with all its promises [and benefits] that lists not just believers but All of Humanity as a Beneficiary, contrary to some religious belief. The only real stumbling block is whether you know it or not and if you do, whether you choose to be a partaker or not. How? By Faith! [But not just any faith, it is what that faith is anchored in!]

For whoever enters His rest will also cease from his own works, as God did from His. Let us labor therefore to enter that rest, lest anyone fall by the same pattern of unbelief.
Hebrews 4:10-11

I believe we need to lay a foundation and in order to do that we need to go back to Genesis where the Covenant of Faith and our Righteousness was first was established with Abraham. A righteousness obtained [credited to us] by nothing more than Faith and Faith alone.

God told him to go to a land that He would show him and Abraham, he was Abram at the time, didn’t doubt, he just went.

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country, your family, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him.
Genesis 12:1,4

If you take the time to read verse 2 and 3 you’ll see Abram’s obedience also came with a promise, that wasn’t just to him, but ALL the families of the earth. Gen 12:2-3

Flash forward 3 chapters where God establishes the Covenant of all Covenants called The Abrahamic Covenant, an everlasting Covenant.

After this the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying,
“Do not fear, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Abram said, “Since You have not given me any children, my heir is a servant born in my house.” Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir, but a son that is from your own body will be your heir.” He brought him outside and said, “Look up toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So will your descendants be.”
Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:1-6

He believed God and that was all it took for God to consider [credit] Abram [with His] righteousness. Nothing more, nothing less. [Actually God credited His righteousness to Abraham because of his faith]

As we discover in Chapter 16 though, Abram and more specifically his wife Sarai wavered in that belief initially when the child did [had] not arrive [d yet]and Sarah said,

The Lord has prevented me from having children. Genesis 16:2

I’m not sure about you but that sounds a little like, well, no, a whole lot like unwavering faith or unbelief. Sarai has declared that God has prevented her from having children when God has clearly promised a child through her. But Abram listens to his wife and [lies with and] bears a child through [Saria’s] maidservant [Hagar], hmmm, listen to his wife making God seem angry at him, where have we heard this story before?

Anyway I digress.

God comes back to visit Abram again in Chapter 17

"When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am Almighty God. Walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between you and Me and will exceedingly multiply you.” Abram fell on his face and God said to him, “As for Me, My covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer will your name be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.” Gen 17:1-7

Do you notice God says, I have made, past tense; He is not going to make him a father someday. Makes sense in light of the fact that God said His works were finished from the foundations of the world. He’s not adding anymore nor taking anything away from what He has already done. [We clearly cannot see it but He does, because He is outside time and space and has already written it in His Word]

"Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you will not call her name Sarai, but her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and also give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations. Kings of peoples will come from her.” Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man that is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!” Then God said, “No, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call his name Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant and with his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He will be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.” Then He stopped talking with Abraham, and God went up from him." Genesis 17:15-22

Here we see Abraham this time wavering in his faith or trust that God is able to do what He promised. He’s looking at natural circumstances, a man of ninety-nine and a wife that’s ninety bearing a child? By [all] natural standards it seems impossible, it is impossible, but with God ALL things are possible. Matthew 19:29b. That is why the Bible tells us we are to walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7. Faith for God’s provision, the provision he made at the foundation of the world. I truly believe their only disobedience or sin, the Hebrew word, Chata’ which means, to miss the mark, to bear loss, to sin, miss the goal or path of right and duty, to miss oneself, lose oneself, wander from the way, was the sin of unbelief, NOT trusting that God was able to [and had already provide their every need!]

And I truly believe it is still the only sin, disobedience or stumbling block impeding humanity from entering into the fullness of all that God has for us [today]. The result of that doubt and unbelief is that we are missing the mark, losing out, because we’ve missed the path or goal, why? Because we’re lost, we’ve wandered from the way or the truth. The way, the truth and the Life Jesus promised us was found in Him, Him the Word of God. They did not trust or believe that what God had promised he was able also to deliver. But when Abraham did make the conscious decision to be fully persuaded that God could deliver, that is when the promise child arrived. It was Abraham’s faith ultimately that caused the promised child to be [come] manifest [from the invisible Spiritual realm to the visible Physical Realm.]

Paul tells of this in Romans when he says of Abraham;

"Against all hope, he believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body to be dead (when he was about a hundred years old), nor yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded that what God had promised, He was able to perform. Therefore “it was credited to him as righteousness.” Romans 4:18-22

[When you see the word “therefore”, stop and see why it’s” there for.] Because verse 22 is the result of what we just read back there in verse 18-20. His, Gods righteousness, was credited to him, Abraham, because he became fully persuaded, that God was able to perform what He had promised. The second thing that unwavering faith got Abraham beyond his righteous was his promised son. There is no doubt in my mind that if Abraham had not become fully persuaded there would have been no manifestation of his son. And just to let us know that we’re involved in this deal today Paul goes on to say;

"Now the words, “it was credited to him,” were not written for his sake only, but also for us, to whom it shall be credited if we believe in Him[God the Father] who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our transgressions, and was raised for our justification." Romans 4:23-25



Faith is the only thing that pleases God [in the Bible according to] Hebrews 11:6. The word “pleases” in the Greek is the word, euarestéō which Strong’s defines as, to gratify entirely, please (well) with Thayer’s adding, to be well pleasing, to be pleased with a thing. God does not feel any emotion as we understand emotions or feelings. Emotions and feelings are subjective and therefore continually subject to change. While God’s nature never, ever changes.

"Every gift God freely gives us is good and perfect, streaming down from the Father of lights, who shines from the heavens with no hidden shadow or darkness and is never subject to change." James 1:17 TPT

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever." – Heb 13:8

"God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He spoken, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" - Numbers 23:19

God just is, I Am, That I Am (Exodus 3:14), God is LOVE, God is Light. That’s the very nature or essence of God. It’s our Faith that pleases God because that is how we overcome the world.

"You see, every child of God overcomes [continually conquers] the world [system], for our faith is the victorious power that triumphs over the world." 1 John 5:4

The mountains, the trees, the sicknesses, the lack, the wind and the waves and the storms of life, are all overcome, not by asking God to do something for us but rather [acting on and proclaiming] by our Faith, [in what He has already provided in Jesus the Word]. Yet I witness countless believers that are not overcoming the world today. [including myself. Yet I know without a doubt that this is the truth]

"No in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." Romans 8:37

All of it is by faith operating through Love. Galatians 5:6, His love in us.



This is the very essence of the Gospel at its core I believe. We are to live by faith; we are to walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7. The righteous shall live by their faith. Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38, we are saved by faith. Ephesians 2:8

Nothing more, nothing less, not by works or how we act or by following rules or regulations, making vows, confessing sins, obeying some 600 + Mosaic Laws or Ten Commandments, none of it is relevant to God as far as making us right with Him. The only thing relevant is do you believe in ME to meet all your needs. [We put our full faith, trust and confidence in what He has already done for us through Jesus Christ our Lord. ]

Let me qualify that by saying I don’t mean to say that works, integrity, acts of kindness, a gentle spirit, appropriate actions, and behaviour are irrelevant. They should all be the natural outcome of someone fully understanding who they are in Christ. God wants us to enter into His rest and cease from our [own works]. [That doesn’t mean we just sit around on our tush and do nothing, unless that nothing is time spent worshiping or spending time with Him.] Hebrews 4:1-11. Stop trying to get righteous. Quit trying to obtain it through laws, rules, regulations, traditions or through trusting in some thing or someone else, in other words by works or the doctrines of men as Paul states in Colossians 2:20-23

"Therefore, if you died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you subject yourself to legalistic rules? “Do not touch! Do not taste! Do not handle!” These all are to perish with use and are aligned with the commandments and doctrines of men. These things have indeed a show of wisdom in self-imposed worship and humility and neglecting of the body, but are worthless against the indulgence of the flesh."

How do we crucify the indulgences of the flesh? Paul says in Galatians 5:16-18 that we are to;

"Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. These are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law."

The only stumbling block, sin or disobedience that held back the Israelites from entering into God’s Promised Land, flowing with milk and honey, was their unbelief. Hebrews 3:7-19. God didn’t have a thing in the world to do their suffering, lack or entering into the Promised Land. It was their unbelief in God’s provision and protection. They had the same Gospel preached to them as we have today (Hebrews 4:2), but, they were not fully persuaded as their Father Abraham was, in spite of seeing God’s miracles for forty years in the desert.

Moses sent the twelve spies into the land to spy it out and upon their return;

They reported to him (Moses) and said, “We came to the land where you sent us, and surely it flows with milk and honey, and this is the fruit of it." - Numbers 13:27

Yep, it’s just like God said it was but…….

"The people are strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are fortified and very great, and also we saw the children of Anak there. We saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come from the giants, and in our eyes we were like grasshoppers, and so we were in their eyes." - Numbers 13:28,33

They were, walking by sight when God has commanded us to walk by Faith 2 Corinthians 5:7

Just as Abraham doubted God, that a man of 99 with a wife of 90 could bear a child, so the 10 spies are looking with their eyes, seeing giants and saying, “ there’s no way we can take the land. Heck, there’s giants over there and we, in our own eyes, (not trusting God), are like grasshoppers in their sight.

But thank God there were two believers out of the twelve, Caleb and Joshua, the only two from that generation by the way that entered into the Promised Land. Although they had to wait another 40 years while that unbelieving generation died, they did eventually get to lead the next generation into the Promised Land. They had been the only two that believed that God would give the land into their hands.

And they spoke (Joshua & Caleb) to all the assembly of the children of Israel, saying, “The land which we passed through to explore it is a very, very good land. If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel (waver) against the Lord, nor fear (the opposite of faith) the people of the land because they are bread for us. Their defense is gone from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.” - Numbers 14:7-9

What did Caleb and Joshua bring to the table, that the other ten didn’t, unwavering faith and trust that God was well able to accomplish what he had promised. They were not swayed nor concerned by circumstances, not in what they saw, or any bad report, but rather, who and what they believed and put their trust in, God. And we have a better Covenant today, in the light of Jesus. All that is required for us to enter that Rest or Promised Land which still remains (Hebrews 4:9) is to GO, trusting God to lead the way and that can only come by faith.

Just as our Father Abraham, trusting as he did that God, would provide the means and the way according to His Promise, so today we have  a better promise

"For by grace you have been saved by faith. Nothing you did could ever earn this salvation, for it was the love gift from God that brought us to Christ! So no one will ever be able to boast, for salvation is never a reward for good works or human striving." Ephesians 2:8-9 - TPT

As a believer today that has put their faith, hope and trust in Jesus as your Savior, do you truly believe that you are justified and righteous and that God no longer see your sin? Or are you uncertain and or feel that you have to do more to earn that justification and righteousness beyond your faith in Him?

Parakletos

Parakletos

Paraklētos, Strong’s #3875, An intercessor, consoler: - advocate, comforter.

Thayer’s and Word Study Bible Dictionary go into much more intensive detail on the full meaning and understanding of just who the Parakletos is in the life of not just believers in Christ, but those that believe to receive from the Spirit. Being in tune and able to hear and see what the Spirit is revealing and showing to you.

It’s been my experience over years the years to see and realize that there are many Christians that don't know the role of the Holy Spirit if they know the Holy Spirit at all?  I have been one of them and still can allow way too much interference from the world system at times, so that I don’t hear nearly as clearly as I do when I’m tuned into and feeding on His Word and my mind is thinking of the  Kingdom
Realm and all the provision it contains.
These versus were just some of the first verses that I read, received and believed by faith shortly after I got reborn or awakened to the Spirit within, Christ Himself who had been dormant inside me due to my ignorance or lack of knowledge. John was the first book I was encouraged to read and it still remains one of my favorite Gospels today.

John 14:16-17a,

“Then I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will help [comfort, encourage, defend] you and always be with you. The Spirit will show you what is true. The people of this world cannot accept the Spirit, because they don’t see or know him. But you know the Spirit, who is with you and will keep on living in you.” – CEV

John 15:26,

“I will send you the Spirit who comes from the Father and shows what is true. The Spirit will help [comfort, encourage, defend] you and will tell you about me.” –CEV

John 16:13-15,

“The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn’t speak on his own. He will tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen. The Spirit will bring glory to me by taking my message and telling it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine. That is why I have said that the Spirit takes my message and tells it to you.”

1 John 2:27,

“But the wonderful anointing you have received from God[a] is so much greater than their deception and now lives in you. There’s no need for anyone to keep teaching you.[b] His anointing teaches you all that you need to know, for it will lead you into truth, not a counterfeit. So just as the anointing has taught you, remain in him.[c] “ - TPT

Looking at the the Passion Translation footnotes we see,

a) Although absent in the Greek, the words “from God” are found in the Aramaic manuscripts. It is clear from the context that the “anointing” is the Holy Spirit poured into us, bringing life, illumination, wisdom, fruit, and power from the indwelling life of Christ.

b) Or “There is no need for anyone to keep teaching you his opinions [deceptions].” John is not telling them not to continue to be taught the Word of God, for God has placed teachers in the church to instruct us and equip us and bring us into the fullness of Christ (1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11; Heb. 13:7, 17). John’s warning concerns those who lead us astray by the false doctrines of men. The bride of Christ will always need Holy Spirit-filled teachers who illuminate us in the ways of Christ.

c) The Greek can be translated “remain in it” (the anointing).

Isaiah 54:13,

“Then all your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be their prosperity.”

Jeremiah 31:34,

“No longer will each man teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more."

John 6:45,

"It is written in the Prophets: 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to Me."

These are just a few of the scriptures that God has revealed to me and that tell me all I need to know about who my ultimate teacher is and it’s not the god of Science or Technology as much as I love Science and Technology. I am fascinated by what we have managed to figure out and learn from the big Material on down to the Atomic. These things just show me how awesome and amazing our Creator is!

It’s these verses and promises from God that got me into to trouble at church because a lot of what I was being taught just didn’t line up with what I understood the Spirit was teaching me. That said just because we have the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean we don’t need or should not listen to any other teachers as they can and do bring revelation too as the Spirit moves through them. That said we should never ever take what the teacher or preacher is saying at face value, but rather we need to be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11,

"They found that the Jews of Berea were of more noble character and much more open minded than those of Thessalonica. They were hungry to learn and eagerly received the word. Every day they opened the scrolls of Scripture to search and examine them, to verify that what Paul taught them was true." - TPT

This Garret Guy who my wife actually put me onto nails it! He is spot on and I can also see that He understands God’s grace because he has a rather potty mouth by traditional religious Christian standards, but he’s trying to get across some truth on a very serious matter or at least it should be a serious matter to every believer.

But many are asleep or not paying attention contrary to what God has said about that and at their own peril!

Mark 13:36

“In case he should come suddenly and find you asleep.”



Isaiah 56:10

“His watchmen are blind, All of them know nothing. All of them are mute dogs unable to bark, dreamers lying down, who love to slumber.”



Mark 13:35

"Therefore, be on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning.”



Romans 11:8

“Just as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, Eyes to see not and ears to hear not, Down to this very day.””



Romans 13:11

“Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.”



Ephesians 5:14

“For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.”



1 Thessalonians 5:6

“So then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.”

Again these are only a few of the scriptures that warn us that we need to be paying attention and I’m not sure what makes me any different than a lot of others, but I have always been wary of Government and people that hold positions of power and authority that haven’t earned their respect by the example they display as to their values, morals and any integrity if any they hold. Without even knowing Christ I was smart enough to be aware of these government leaders, including fundamental religious leaders and believers. I’m definitely no saint myself, as I have used my position of power and manipulative words in the past to achieve my selfish desires and or goals until I was made aware of the consequences of such hubris and pride and through God’s grace in Christ was able to slowly change that attitude and shortcoming even though it is hardly perfected yet. That is why I need the grace of God, otherwise I am done based on my own merits.

He has given us dominion, He did from the very beginning, it was Adam and Eve and most every man and woman after that moment that gave up that dominion to the god this world, who is currently, Science and Technology for many. Most of society has slowly, subtlety and subliminally been brainwashed through the Mainstream.

How many Christians rail against homosexuality, the LGTBQ agenda, the current Transgender movement, abortion, etc. which is completely contrary to the Word of God according to the Apostle Paul who tells us in Ephesians 6:12,

“Your hand-to-hand combat is not with human beings, but with the highest principalities and authorities operating in rebellion under the heavenly realms.[a] For they are a powerful class of demon-gods[b] and evil spirits that hold[c] this dark world in bondage.” TPT

The footnotes read

A) Literally, “under heaven”

B) The classical Greek word used here is often used to refer to conjuring up pagan deities—supreme powers of darkness mentioned in occult rituals.

C) Or, “possessors of this dark world”


Other translations say, against flesh and blood, in other words standing outside an abortion clinic or along a gay pride parade or railing through some YouTube channel is NOT what we are told to do, because that is NOT where the battle is. These only try to address the wound rather than the going to the root cause of the wound. The root cause of the fatal wound is not knowing who you are, who you really are or rather the potential that already resides inside you only in a dormant state due to your ignorance, lack of knowledge and more than anything pride.

"Now let Us conceive a new creation—humanity—made in Our image, fashioned according to Our likeness. And let Us grant them authority over all the earth" – Genesis 1:26 The Voice

God never took that dominion away, man gave that dominion up to the god of this world, Jesus came to restore that authority back to man and Has judged and defeated that god! John 16:8-11 tells us that,

“The Spirit will come and show the people of this world the truth about sin and God’s justice and the judgment. The Spirit will show them that they are wrong about sin, because they didn’t have faith in me. They are wrong about God’s justice, because I am going to the Father, and you won’t see me again. And they are wrong about the judgment, because God has already judged the ruler of this world."

While Colossians 2:15 says,

“Then Jesus made a public spectacle of all the powers and principalities of darkness, stripping away from them every weapon and all their spiritual authority and power[a] to accuse us. And by the power of the cross, Jesus led them around as prisoners in a procession of triumph. He was not their prisoner; they were his![b] – TPT

Footnotes,

a) Literally “governments and authorities.”

b) Implied by the obvious irony in the Greek. The Aramaic text has a phrase that is not found in Greek manuscripts. The Aramaic can be translated “having put off his body, he stripped principalities and powers and shamed them openly.” This implies that between the day of crucifixion and the day of resurrection while in the spirit-realm, Jesus destroyed death, the powers of darkness, and every work of the enemy through the blood of his cross. All the enemy’s weapons have been stripped away from him and now the church has authority in Christ to enforce this triumph upon the dethroned rulers of this world. However, an alternate translation of the Aramaic could be “after sending out his body [apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, believers], they enforced his triumph to all the thrones and authorities, putting them all to public shame by the manifestation of himself [in them].”

I absolutely love how the translators by also looking to the Aramaic are able to perfectly say what I believe is the absolute truth about the authority of the believer today if they understand who they are in a right relationship with Christ. That it’s nothing you can do but surrender to Him by faith and let Him move and operate through you. We are His only body on the earth today and a lot of it is dead and sleeping and in slumber.

We see many Word Faith teachers today, walking in victory, wealth and prosperity, health and ALL the blessings of God’s fullness with massive worldwide ministry’s that are leading people to Jesus and the truth that He is found in the Bible, and the truth that you need to believe His promises and then declare them out of your mouth by faith. This downright pisses a whole world of self-righteous unbelievers who call themselves believers off. They can be found all over YouTube! Let him who is without sin cast the first stone! Who made you judge human! The Word has not been rightly divided as evidenced by the fact that there are thousands, possibly tens of thousands of different denominations worldwide. The enemy loves denomination, he loves labels, he loves different races, cultures etc as these all divide the sheep and the masses while he works where Paul told us are battle really was!

 "with the highest principalities and authorities operating in rebellion under the heavenly realms.[a]”

a) The classical Greek word used here is often used to refer to conjuring up pagan deities—supreme powers of darkness mentioned in occult rituals.

I wonder how many Christians, especially church leaders are familiar with Freemasonry and or its power structure and significance to the dark side in this current world system or of the Church of Satan which does not publicly share its membership size. The enemy always likes things to remain in the dark.  People's gods today are Hollywood TV & Movie Stars, Rock Star musicians, Sports Stars, Technology and all it has to offer, The cares and things of this world system instead of God's Kingdom realm. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all the things needed from the world for life will be provided to you. Matthew 6:33

When one does make mention of such things the immediate response is often, “Oh, you’re one of those, a conspiracy theorists!” Another thing the enemy loves keeping the masses believing anything contrary to the mainstream is conspiracy.

Anyway I say all this to point to another believer my wife put me on to whose name is Garret, garretjwhite according to Instagram which I don’t have or use. I have no idea who this guy is except that he speaks the same truth I do. Just as I’ve been known for my potty mouth, he also has no qualms using words that many religious people would find offensive to their ears and understandably so if you come from a more conservative traditional Christian background.

For those that have the stomach to get past it what he says is the absolute truth IMHO based on what scripture says and shows. He is our God and His seed resides in every Human being, who the majority, the vast majority don’t even know, including most lifelong Christians, hence why they don’t know who they are and don't ever enter into what He has Provided for us all. They are lost and need direction. Unfortunately the world system is not the ideal place to get that leadership, teaching and direction from. The seed planted inside us has all the ingredients and potential for you to become what you were created to be. But you must give light, water and food to the seed in order for it to grow and produce a crop and harvest. You can read about that in my Blog called, The Seed.

 This guy calls it like it is and we are on the exact same page. I just didn't expect it to happen in my lifetime which is on the downhill slope now statistically speaking. It's my children and grandchildren I am concerned for.

This video contains explicit language and may not be for all viewers and listeners. View at your on discretion.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CSKO-bJoGIt/?fbclid=IwAR3IlIjb-1DKxhktEClEKCb7BWeLfPDe6Ve1N3LiZLYDW-4Uq6sWC5JlWdw

What Does it Mean to be Born Again Part II

What Does it Mean to be Born Again Part II

In Part 1 I asked what it actually means to be born again according to the words of Jesus in conversation with Nicodemus in John 3:2-11. I’ll start by recounting how it was initially explained to me when I made the decision to surrender and ask Christ to become Lord of my life. I was told that because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience or sin in the Garden that they became separated from God and died spiritually. The result, according to the doctrine of Original Sin, developed by some of the early Church fathers over the first several centuries after Christ’s death was that all humans born from that day forward were born with and carried in them the sin nature of Adam. There is no doubt that immediately after Adam and Eve were displaced from the Garden man became predominately separated from God, depraved and lacking in any kind of Godly values, morals or direction as we might understand them today, especially leading up to the flood. Of course we also see many instances throughout the Old Testament of men that did know and communicate with God and were temporarily filled with His Spirit.

With that said and in light of what Jesus says to Nicodemus, I believe we do need to go back to the origin and revisit just exactly what happened at the creation and in the Garden, what the deception of the serpent was and how it relates to this new birth Jesus is talking of in John 3.

In Genesis chapter 1 and 2 we see two instances speaking of the overall creation, but for our purposes of this study we’ll look specifically at the creation of mankind. In chapter 1:26-27 we read;

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

Here we find that we are created in the image and likeness of God and that we were to have dominion over all the earth including every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.

The Hebrew words tselem and demûth, image and likeness respectively are defined as; a phantom or (figuratively) illusion, resemblance, hence a representative figure, a likeness or model, while likeness is defined as a, similitude, resemblance, model, and shape. One thing we can be certain of here based on scripture, is that the image or likeness is not one of a corporeal nature for God is Spirit (John 4:24), but rather must be representative of God’s nature, essence, character or the moral disposition of His soul, His Spirit or life force contained within our physical body . But He also created and provided us with a functioning reasoning brain, a will and emotions, as well as a I believe, a conscience that instinctively knows right from wrong.

Having eaten of the tree of their own free choice, the result was not an immediate bodily death but it was a separation between man and God. Man had chosen to bow down and give his authority to the god of this world, the serpent, thereby removing God from the picture. The result then through our own free choice was to go our own way apart from God having been deceived into believing we would become as God by eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or calamity, toil, hardship, sickness, all forms of wickedness, whether knowingly, innocently or through deception, the ultimate end choice was theirs to make and they ultimately turned it over to a fallen angel whom we now refer to as the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4), whom blinds the minds of unbelievers.

But that was not the original plan as the writer of Ecc. 7:29 points out;

"This only have I found: God created mankind upright, but they have gone in search of many schemes.” NIV

What the writer has discovered is that man was created upright, righteous and holy, a perfect image of all God’s attributes. In other words our spirit man, the very Spirit life of God breathed into Adam was an exact representation of God’s very essence and nature and our role was to be God’s representatives in this earth clothed in His authority and character. We were to rule over all the earth as previously stated, through His indwelling Spirit and divine power and through an increasing knowledge of Him thereby becoming partakers of His divine nature. (2 Peter 1:3-4) This was God’s original purpose and plan for mankind, an incorporeal invisible God becoming visible in and through a corporeal visible human being within a creation that God saw as perfect and good and which would more than abundantly supply our every need and provision.

It’s at the end of chapter one that we see God performing His final and ultimate act of creation, that of mankind, a conscious social creature capable of self-awareness, containing intelligence and a mind capable of reasoning, having emotions and free choice or a will and then infused with all the divine power, eminence and fullness of the eternal God of all creation! God saw all that he had made and indeed it was not only good, it was very good! As we enter chapter two we see God now resting from all His work that He had completed. Why? Because there was nothing more to add or take away for His works were finished from the creation of the world. (Heb. 4:3) His creation was to abundantly provide for our every need continuously.

At least that was they plan, but as we continue on to Genesis 2 looking specifically at verses 8 and 9 and into chapter 3 things go sideways;

“And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

And verses 16 and 17;

"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”

Here in verse 8-9 we see that God created a garden and from the ground caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food and we also read that the tree of life was also in the midst or middle of the garden as well as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Further in verses 16 and 17 we read that God commanded or directed that the man could eat freely of every tree in the garden which would have included the tree of life, but with one exception. He was not to eat from tree of the knowledge of good and evil for in the day that you eat of it God said, you shall surely die. The word die here is the Hebrew word mûth and its use throughout scripture speaks to a natural physical death which was not God’s original intention for man. That said we are also a triune being having a material flesh, blood and bone body, a soul that includes our reasoning mind, our will and beliefs as well as our feelings and emotions plus God’s Spirit, His very essence which animates or gives life to our body. Therefore beyond eventual physical death there would also be a spiritual death through separation from God spiritually. Yet I believe every human being still contains that life force or essence of God’s Spirit, just spiritually dead, disconnected or separated from and having little or no connection to God. We became directly connected to and subservient to the world’s system instead of the dominion imparted to us from God.

Another note of interest here and that is that according to scripture to this point, when God commanded Adam saying that he could freely eat of any tree with the one exception Eve had not yet to be created. This occurred in verses 21 and 22. Just to further add and that was the discovery, while studying this section and reading various commentaries, that God was the creator of evil according to Isaiah 45:7 which in the King James Translation reads;

“I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.”

Many other translations replace the word evil with the word calamity, which is the Hebrew word ra‛ or râ‛âh which I believe the Word Study Dictionary describes best in our current context;

“It means bad in a moral and ethical sense and is used to describe, along with good, the entire spectrum of good and evil; hence, it depicts evil in an absolute, negative sense, as when it describes the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”



This initially confused me as so many accuse God of allowing evil to happen which on the surface it could appear as such until one reads James 1:13-15;

“When someone is tempted, he should not say, “I am being tempted by God,” because God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. Instead, each person is tempted by his own desire, being lured and trapped by it. When that desire becomes pregnant, it gives birth to sin; and when that sin grows up, it gives birth to death.” - ISV

But, connecting Isaiah 45:7 with James 1:13 and Genesis 2:17 we discover that yes, God did create evil in that He caused the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil to spring up in the midst of the garden along with the tree of life, but as we read in James it is man himself who allows himself to be tempted and drawn away by evil which gives birth to sin and ultimately death. God has no part in it nor can He for God is Love (1 John 1:7), and He is Light and in Him is no darkness (1 John 1:5) neither any variableness or shadow of turning (James 1:17) He gave man the choice to eat freely of any tree in the garden with one warning, that the choice to eat from that tree of the knowledge of good and evil would lead to death. So although God is the creator of evil and darkness He certainly has no part in its role in this earth. That is strictly man’s doing and continues to be man’s doing. People choose to be wicked and evil and as we’ll see look for other’s or some other thing to blame for those actions. Why? Let is find out as we continue on to chapter 3 and the story of The Fall as it’s become known as, or rather, man’s fall from God’s grace and original intention. Of interest and something I had never noticed before are that spiritual death and separation from God and the tree of Life come to man in the third chapter of Genesis while the solution to a new Spiritual life and reconciliation with God and the path back to the tree of Life comes in the third chapter of John.

Here in verse 1 we find the serpent, described as more crafty and subtle than all the creatures the Lord God had made appearing and saying to the woman,

“Did God really say you must not eat from any of the trees in the garden?”

I want to look at each verse individually here as several things become apparent to me. First and foremost notice the serpent didn’t speak to Adam. He spoke to the woman who, if we follow the sequence of the scripture in chapter 2, had not yet been created when God had given the command to Adam. Second he puts a spin on words from what God actually said as we read it translated from The Voice;

"God: Eat freely from any and all trees in the garden; I only require that you abstain from eating the fruit of one tree." - Gen. 2:16-17

God commands him to, eat freely from any and all trees but one while the serpent says, did God really say you must not eat from any tree. It’s a spin on words. God gave Adam dominion over the entire world and everything it and warned him to stay away from only one tree. Yet the serpent whom according to the ISV translation is the Shining One;

“Now the Shining one, was more clever than any animal of the field that the Lord God had made. He asked the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You are not to eat from any tree of the garden’?”

And the shining one represents Lucifer who ruled and reigned over the earth in a prior age (Isa. 14:12, Ez. 28:13-14) but fell from heaven (Luke 10:18) due to pride wanting to be his own god and above God.

The woman responds, “We can eat of the fruit of any of the trees in the garden, but that tree which is in the midst (or middle) of the garden God has said not to eat or touch it otherwise we would die.”

Here again we see a play on words from what God actually said. It’s intriguing how, even still today, most of us are terrible at relating exactly what was said to us when we retell it a second time to someone else and then the third person tells it to someone else. By the time it gets back to us it sounds almost nothing like or even close to what was originally said. Adam heard it from God, Eve would have heard it second hand from Adam and now she is relating it to the serpent third hand. We all seem to add our own spin. The first thing I see in the woman’s response is that God never mentioned anything about eating fruit; he just told Adam he could eat from any and all of the trees but the one, that they were pleasant to the sight and good for food, fruit directly was never mentioned. Then she speaks of the tree in the midst of the garden, referring specifically to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and says that if they eat or touch it they would die. But God never said anything about them dying if they touched it, only eating it would bring death. She says nothing of the second tree, the tree of life that was also in the midst of the garden? The focus is craftily diverted away from that tree and all that they can and do have and toward that one thing that they’re not to do or have. Like telling a kid you can have anything in the fridge or the cupboards to eat but keep your hand out of the cookie jar.

A perfect opportunity for a wiley serpent or fallen angel to take advantage of and usurp God’s divine plan, misrepresenting God by spinning what He’s actually commanded or directed man to do and preying on their innocence, given they have no knowledge of evil at this point.

The deception we see in the serpent’s response is to question God and what He said, as translated from The Voice,

"Serpent: Die? No, you’ll not die. God is playing games with you. The truth is that God knows the day you eat the fruit from that tree you will awaken something powerful in you and become like Him (God): possessing knowledge of both good and evil."

The Hebrew word for God here is the word 'ĕlôhı̂ym which is a plural noun meaning God, gods, judges, rulers, divine ones, angels. The serpent implies here that when they eat the fruit of this tree they will become as gods or as God Himself knowing good and evil!

Do you notice that he neglects to remind her of the consequence or rather diverts her attention away from the consequences of eating the fruit by calling God a liar and giving the impression that God is intentionally keeping something from them. Once again deflecting away from all that they have been given and focusing on that one thing that they don’t have and in the process it seems she has clearly forgotten or chosen to disregard the first command God gave in Chapter 1, to take dominion over the earth realm including every creature in it and to subdue it.

As we continue the story we soon discover that;

“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate.”

What I’m not so sure of is how or why she suddenly became aware or was able to know with certainty that this tree was good for food, delightful to the eyes and desirable in making one wise when in fact God had declared that they would die if they ate from it? Why would she listen to and trust some serpent rather than God’s decree and the scripture says without question that Adam, standing right there with her took of the fruit and did eat too. Why was he silent, completely disregarding, forgetting or otherwise not enforcing the commission God had imparted and appointed upon them? Which was to take dominion over every aspect of the creation including every creeping thing and the serpent was clearly being a creep in the garden. But these questions take on far less relevance once discovering and believing what’s been restored to us today through the completed work of Jesus Christ.

In any event the question of free choice and where evil came from are answered here in the second and third chapters of Genesis and the same principal holds through to this very day. God had created us and placed us in and on this perfect of planets and commissioned us, giving us authority and dominion over all the earth including all of its creatures and to subdue it. To be good stewards of it while harnessing all that God has provided within it that’s able to supply for our every single need. This I believe was, still is and now is God’s plan for those of us that believe, become born again according to what Jesus is teaching us in John 3 and get our minds renewed to this truth and reality. Romans 12:2. That we will look at in part III of this study.

What Does it Mean to be Born Again

What Does Being Born Again Mean?

Recently I’ve been reading the Passion Translation of the Bible on Bible Gateway and upon arriving at John 3:2-11 where Jesus tells Nicodemus we need to be “Born Again” I felt a real desire to revisit and write about this in the hope of gaining an even further understanding of the depth of its meaning. This is probably a section of scripture I have studied and meditated on more than any other over the years trying to understand just exactly what this means for me and all who have put their hope and trust in Jesus. It’s a conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus who was one of the religious leaders belonging to the sect of the Pharisees and a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus discretely one night and said,

“Master, we know that you are teacher from God, for no one performs the miracles signs that you do, unless God’s power is with him.”

Jesus answered, “Nicodemus, listen to this eternal truth: Before any person can perceive God’s Kingdom realm, they must first experience a rebirth.”

Nicodemus said, “Rebirth? How can a gray-headed man be reborn? It’s impossible for a man to go back into the womb a second time and be reborn!”

Jesus answered, “I speak an eternal truth: Unless you are born of water and Spirit-wind, you will never enter God’s kingdom realm. For the natural realm can only give birth to things that are natural, but the spiritual realm gives birth to supernatural life!"

“You shouldn’t be amazed by my statement, ‘You must be born from above!’ For the Spirit-wind blows as it chooses. You can hear its sound, but you don’t know where it came from or where it’s going. So it is within the hearts of those who are Spirit-born!”

Then Nicodemus replied, “But I don’t understand, what do you mean? How does this happen?”

Jesus answered, “Nicodemus, aren’t you the respected teacher in Israel, and yet you don’t understand this revelation? I speak eternal truths about things I know, things I’ve seen and experienced—and still you don’t accept what I reveal. If you’re unable to understand and believe what I’ve told you about the natural realm, what will you do when I begin to unveil the heavenly realm? No one has risen into the heavenly realm except the Son of Man who also exists in heaven.”

In The Passion Translation which beautifully combines the Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic we see Jesus saying in verse 3 that before a person can perceive God’s Kingdom Realm they must first experience a rebirth. The Greek word for perceive is the word eidō which means; to see, perceive, be aware, to experience, understand or know, while the Word Study Dictionary adds for John 3:3, to be able to see and enjoy the privileges of the divine kingdom.

The word rebirth in most other translations reads born again or born from above, but what exactly does this mean? The Greek word again or from above is the Greek word anōthen, that Strong’s dictionary defines it as; above or by analogy from the first; by implication anew; - from above, again, from the beginning (very first), the top, while Thayer’s dictionary adds; from a higher place, of things which come from heaven or God, from the first, from the beginning, from the very first. The Aramaic word here is clearly defined as born from the origin according to the Footnotes from the Passion Translation which I think fits perfectly with what I’ve come to believe and what I think Jesus actually means here. To me it means that we must be reborn or renewed to man’s original state prior to the fall in the garden. What does that consist of exactly? Well we know from the Genesis account that we were created in the exact image and likeness of God and that he breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life. Genesis 2:7.

Jesus further expands in verse 5 of John 3 by adding;

“Unless you are born of water and Spirit-wind, you will never enter God’s kingdom realm.”

The word Spirit-wind here is the Greek word pneúma which has several meanings all related as Strong’s and Thayer’s defines it as; a current of air, of the wind or the wind itself, breath (blast) or a breeze, by analogy or figuratively a spirit, Holy Spirit, the vital spirit or life residing in man and the breath breathed by God into man and again returning to God, the spiritual entity in man. I really like that last one which comes from The Word Study Dictionary. God’s very Spirit breathed into man as we see in the original creation.

As for the meaning of being born of water I’ve heard various interpretations of what this means over the years with a common interpretation that it refers to our physical birth, with the water representing the amniotic fluid released at our natural birth. In other words we need to be born physically of a woman, a natural birth as well as be born of the Spirit, a second spiritual birth. I don’t think this is what Jesus is implying here though as I hope to show.

Others see it as speaking to the Jewish ritual of ceremonial washing representing spiritual purification which as a teacher of the Law Nicodemus certainly would have understood. A quick internet search shows that there are a number of Old Testament scriptures that refer figuratively or symbolically to spiritual cleansing and renewal by water with Ezekiel 36:24-27 being prominent among them. But this too speaks to a sprinkling or cleansing through water and Jesus is speaking very specifically here of being born of water. That’s not to take away from Ezekiel’s prophecy though, which I do believe portends to our new birth. But Jesus did not come to add or change the old system (Mosaic Law). He came to fulfil it thereby establishing a new covenant making the old obsolete (Hebrews 8:7-13) and restoring man to his original place and stature upon the earth.

Finally there are some that even suggest that the water is a reference to water baptism, John’s baptism or Christian baptism but the context just does not fit here.

With that said I’ll confess I did not spend a lot of time researching beyond these three interpretations so it’s highly likely people far more educated and smarter than I have established what I’m about to share. These come strictly from my own research, thoughts and understanding and from the scriptures I feel the Spirit has revealed to me in regards to what Jesus might mean.

In verse 6 Jesus says;

"For the natural realm can only give birth to things that are natural, but the spiritual realm gives birth to supernatural life!"

From here I am going to list a number of scriptures that immediately come to mind that I think give us the true interpretation of what Jesus meant when He said we must be gennaō anōthen, born again, born from above, born from the first, the very beginning or as the Aramaic says, born from the origin.

To Jesus’ statement that the natural realm gives birth to natural and the Spirit realm gives life to supernatural life let’s read John 6:63;

“The Holy Spirit is the one who gives Life, that which is of the natural realm (the body) is of no help. The Words I speak to you are Spirit and Life.”

John 4:13-14;

“Jesus answered, “If you drink from Jacob’s well you’ll be thirsty again and again, but if anyone drinks the living water I give them, they will never thirst again and will be forever satisfied! For when you drink the water I give you it becomes a gushing fountain of the Holy Spirit, springing up and flooding you with endless life!”

The Passion Translation footnote adds; The Greek verb used for “springing up” is hallomenou, and is never used for inanimate objects (water). It is a verb used for people (living things) and means “jumping,” or “leaping up.” The Septuagint translates this verb elsewhere as an activity of the Holy Spirit.

John 7:37-39;

“Then on the most important day of the feast, the last day, Jesus stood and shouted out to the crowds—“All you thirsty ones, come to me! Come to me and drink! Believe in me so that rivers of living water will burst out from within you, flowing from your innermost being, just like the Scripture says!” Jesus was prophesying about the Holy Spirit that believers were being prepared to receive. But the Holy Spirit had not yet been poured out upon them, because Jesus had not yet been unveiled in his full splendor.”

1 Corinthians 10:3-4;

“They all ate the same heavenly manna (spiritual food) and drank water from the same spiritual rock that traveled with them—and that Rock was Christ himself.”

Ephesians 5:26

“To make us holy and pure, cleansing us through the showering of the pure water of the Word of God.”

John 1:1-4

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life (or that which has been made was life in him), and the life was the light of men.”

And finally Colossians 1:15-18a;

“He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body the church.”

Wow! Does anyone see a common denominator here or connection between the Living Water, the Fountain of Life, and the Life giving Rock, the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God? Of course they all point to Jesus Christ; He is the Living Water, the Spirit of God, the Word of God and God Himself. But then as believers we should already know that much. The question then comes back to just what it means to be born again from the origin and of water and for that we have to go all the way back to the very beginning where in the second verse of Genesis 1 we read that;

"The Spirit of God was moving, hovering or brooding over the face of the waters."

Throughout scripture there are numerous references to water and its significance to birth, life, cleansing, and it’s relation to Christ and the Word. We do know that without water, life could not exist. So in that light how do we interpret this, what exactly does Jesus mean? That is what I hope to uncover and discover in part II of this study.

Who Are We......Really Pt 2

Who Are We…..Really Pt 2

This was written in 2015 after I had left the church. My thoughts have changed somewhat since then in some regards, but much of what I have written here I still believe. Regarding homosexuality and gay marriage which I touch on towards the end as it was much in the news at that time and played a key role in my departure from the Church due to their self righteous attitude and our role in condemning it and those that are in that lifestyle let us look to Jesus and His example regarding the lost. The Lord has shown me that we are not called to point out condemn others sins, but rather, to lead people to Christ who is the Word and let Him correct us where we are lost. 

 I also touch briefly on Eastern religion and their connection to God or the light. Of course I was taught that these religions are of the devil, but I'm pretty sure there is no light emanating from the him. Today it is my feeling that God will meet us where we are if we are truly seeking him. Hebrews 11:6

 As well I never did get to the science again and today in 2021 am not sure what that science was.

I initially titled this “Ye are Gods”, but as I thought about it this week and what I wanted to add to it I realized it was really a continuation of the last piece and as such I changed the title .

I want to continue to explore who or what we really are in light of what scripture says and may get into the science as well, although the science could be a whole piece in and of itself.

Throughout the Gospels of Jesus He is accused again and again of Blasphemy for not only making Himself equal to God but claiming to actually be God. Of course in most of Christianity today we understand that it was because He was the Son of God, that he came directly from God and that ultimately He was God incarnate in the person of Jesus having come from Heaven to earth in the flesh. We understand that although there is One God, the Father, there is also God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Three distinct individual persons all equal, yet somehow, beyond our human reasoning and ability to comprehend they are One, hence the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. What I hope to continue here though, is get us thinking and maybe even questioning what we have been taught to believe about who we really are, our place in this world and in this universe and how to change our lives for the better, to be all that we were meant to be, our very purpose for being.

So let us jump in as we start in the 10^th chapter of the Book of John at verse 30, where at times I’ll paraphrase as we move through this passage, although in order to set the stage I think we should probably go back a few verses to where it indicates it was the feast of dedication, Jesus was walking in the temple of the portico of Solomon and the Jews gathered around Him asking Him how long he was going to keep them in suspense, if you are the Christ then tell us plainly. Jesus explains to them, saying look I’ve already told you and you don’t believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, they testify of me yet, Jesus says, you don’t believe because you are not my sheep. His sheep hear His voice, follow Him and as a result He gives them eternal life, saying they shall never perish or be snatched from His hands. It is the Father, who is greater than all, that has given them to Him and that no one will be able to snatch or take them from the Father. Then Jesus make the audacious claim (v30) that, “I and the Father are one”. The result of which causes the Jews to immediately pick up stones to stone Him, whereby Jesus says I have done many works or miracles from my Father for which of these do you stone me. The Jews respond we stone you not for the works, but for blasphemy because you, a mere man, make yourself God or claim you are God.

 And then I just love the way Jesus always turns it back around on the religious leaders by taking them to a passage from their own scriptures in Psalms 82:6.

John 10:34-38 Jesus answered them, 

"Has it not been written in your Law, `I SAID, YOU ARE GODS'?  "If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, `You are blaspheming,' because I said, `I am the Son of God'?    "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father."

In essence he says, “Look you want to stone me for blasphemy for declaring myself to be God when it says so in your own Book of the Law. Now once again based on how we’ve been taught to understand and interpret this we’re likely to say, yes, but that is because Jesus is the one and only unique Son of God, he is God incarnate, come in the flesh. He is One with the Father and the Father is inside Him as they are one and the same. We are not, because we are fallen, sinful lesser beings, saved or not, born again or not. But if we reason this out and take a trip over to the scripture on Psalm 82 and put it into its proper context I think we’ll discover something very few believers realize, understand or would ever dare to acknowledge publicly.

Now this is one of those times where one needs to look to the original Hebrew to realize what is being said here. Christianity claims that the Bible is the inerrant word of God and that the translation is accurate and has not been altered, but, this is one example in my own personal view where it has been changed in many of the English translations, because of the implication.

The King James Version of Psalms 82 with Strongs reads;

  A Psalm^H4210 of Asaph.^H623 God^H430 standeth^H5324 in the congregation^H5712 of the mighty;^H410 he judgeth^H8199 among^H7130 the gods.^H430

How long^{H5704 H4970} will ye judge^H8199 unjustly,^H5766 and accept^H5375 the persons^H6440 of the wicked?^H7563 Selah.^H5542

Defend^H8199 the poor^H1800 and fatherless:^H3490 do justice^H6663 to the afflicted^H6041 and needy.^H7326

Deliver^H6403 the poor^H1800 and needy:^H34 rid^H5337 them out of the hand^{H4480 H3027} of the wicked.^H7563

They know^H3045 not,^H3808 neither^H3808 will they understand;^H995 they walk on^H1980 in darkness:^H2825 all^H3605 the foundations^H4146 of the earth^H776 are out of course.^H4131

I^H589 have said,^H559 Ye are gods;^H430 and all^H3605 of you^H859 are children^H1121 of the most High.^H5945

But^H403 ye shall die^H4191 like men,^H120 and fall^H5307 like one^H259 of the princes.^H8269

Arise,^H6965 O God,^H430 judge^H8199 the earth:^H776 for^H3588 thou^H859 shalt inherit^H5157 all^H3605 nations.^H1471

Now I have purposely left the Strong’s numbers attached to each word as we will be looking at specific words and their meaning in the original language. In the first verse we see the word God with a capital G. The Hebrew word here is 'ĕlôhı̂ym pronounced el-o-heem'. What we’ll discover is that the word is defined with several different meanings depending on which dictionary you refer to and its implication. Strong’s defines the word as the Plural of H433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative: - angels, X exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X mighty.

The New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance; pl. of H433; God, god: - divine (1), divine being (1), exceedingly (1), God (2326), god (45), God’s (14), goddess (2), godly (1), gods (204), great (2), judges (3), mighty (2), rulers (1), shrine *(1).

And Browns-Driver-Brigg’s Hebrew Dictionary;  (plural) 1a) rulers, judges,1b) divine ones, 1c) angels, 1d) gods

2) (plural intensive - singular meaning), 2a) god, goddess, 2b) godlike one, 2c) works or special possessions of God, 2d) the (true) God, 2e) God

A quick side trip to briefly point out that it is the same word found all throughout the first Chapter of Genesis in reference to God the creator. In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth, And Elohim said Light be, and Elohim said, He spoke every part of the creation into existence by His words and in v26 Elohim said let Us (plural) make man in Our (plural) image, after Our (plural) likeness. Now once again if we only look at these different passages selectively and don’t tie them together with the rest of scripture then we never get a complete picture, for if you’re like me, you’ve been told that yes it is plural because it’s referring to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. But yet in verse 26 Elohim created man, in the exact same image and likeness. A duplication in kind and we were to be rulers or god’s over this planet earth, over the creation. Oh yes we were, but…..Adam messed it up.

 That aside for the time being and getting back to Psalm 82 we see God, Elohim, the same God of the creation is standing in the congregation of the mighty. This is the second word I want to look at, mighty which is the Hebrew word el, and is generally defined as god, godlike, a mighty one, God, the one true God Jehovah, strength, power, but can also be used of any deity. And this God, Elohim, is judging among the gods, Elohim. It is this second word gods that you’ll discover, in some English translations, has been changed from gods to magistrates, rulers or judges. Now I have heard it said and Charles Capps has indicted that it has been taught, as in Genesis, that the gods being talked about here is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If that is the case than to which one, the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit are they referring to in verse two when they ask, “How long will you judged unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Does, the Father, Jesus or the Holy Spirit judged unjustly, I think not? But man as gods of the earth sure does and what God is telling us in this passage is that we are to pull up our socks and to quit judging unjustly and showing partiality to wickedness. The key point I want drive home though is Jesus’ reference to verse 6 of this Psalm in John 10 in defense to the Jews that he is God and not only Him but all of man when you read this Psalm in its entirety and context. As verse 6 states when God says, “I have said you are gods, and all of you are children of the most high.”

 But then, how can it possibly be any other way when we have been created and born of God and God breathed His spirit into man and he became a living soul. Gen 2:7 The religious mind will almost certainly misunderstand what I’m saying here, that somehow we are all our own gods. That was the mistake or deception Adam and Eve made in listening to the serpent when it declared, “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Gen. 3:5

When you look at this and what verse 6 of Psalms 82 says they almost look the same, but, there is a distinction. The deception of the serpent in the garden I believe was convincing man that they would become their own gods, separate from God knowing good and evil. We’re taught that prior to the fall all they knew was good and that it wasn’t until they ate of the fruit that they were able to recognize good from evil But I think we can all understand that our world is a world of polar opposites and needs to be, for how could we know what good is without experiencing evil, or hot without cold, hate without love, light without darkness, selfishness with sacrifice etc. But ultimately that is exactly what happened in the fall. Man became his own god ruled not by the Spirit of God but rather by his Ego or the god of this world. I like the way the Urban Dictionary defines Ego as it sums up humanity and us as individuals quite accurately

The part of you that defines itself as a personality, separates itself from the outside world, and considers itself (read: you) a separate entity from the rest of nature and the cosmos. Perhaps necessary for survival in some evolutionary bygone, in modern times it leads only to (albeit often disguised) misanthropic beliefs and delusion. (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ego)

The message of the Bible, if taken down to its simplest form, and rightly divided (interpreted), is a brilliant piece of literature and truly does come across as supernatural work. But, it is as the writer of the first verse of the Gospel of Thomas states, "Whoever finds the correct interpretation of these sayings will never die." The correct interpretation is the key because I mean when you read the Old Testament full of its rules, regulations, killing, incest, adultery, polygamy and everything under the sun that today most of us would and do consider wicked and evil.  A Testament that displays an angry, hateful, spiteful, judgmental, murderous God, one completely removed from the God of love displayed by Jesus and the New Testament where we have been set free. Let’s face it I know it is something I have struggled with through my whole 12 year journey of reading and studying the Bible. You read the Old Testament and New and wonder how this can possibly be the same God. But I see now that that God of the Old Testament is or was nothing more than a mirror image or reflection of our humanity then and where we were in our growth as conscious beings at that time, yet, in spite of all that and if able to see past all that there is a message within the pages, a story of redemption, restoration, love and compassion, a story of man becoming who we were meant to be. I think we understand though through the archeological records that for the most part it was a dog eat dog world back then, survival of the fittest. We certainly didn’t have the knowledge, wisdom, understanding and technology that we have today about how our universe works and operates, about the nature of our reality. Yet in all the ugliness and junk there are hidden treasures, deep wisdom and life principals laid out, that tell us how we can live a prosperous, healthy, whole life and operate in this world. The message of the Bible as I understand it is that however we came to be in this Universe and on this planet, whether through creation, intelligent design, evolution or some combination of these the Bible says we came  knowing we were One with the creation, the Universe and the Creator.  But that through a deception of a serpent (our ego) that is referred to as Satan, the devil, a fallen angel, that at one time was also One with God, decided he wanted to be his own god and rule his own world and nations. Isaiah 14 speaks of this one called Lucifer. Isaiah 14:13-14. A thief that according to Jesus at the beginning of John 10 comes only to kill, steal and destroy. Satan in my opinion is really as allusion to or a reflection of humanity as represented by the self-centered ego. A lost humanity separated from the Creator, wanting to be its own creator, its own ruler, its own god, the results of which history shows has left a sordid legacy of death, destruction and bondage. So as the story goes God had a problem on His hands, how does He restore things back to the original creation and to Himself. When one is able to see beyond the literal interpretation of many of the Old Testament stories and understand the foreshadowing that is taking place, the stories of Cain & Abel, Noah and the Ark, Abraham and the sacrifice of his son, Jacob, Moses, Joseph, King David and ALL the stories with their deeper meanings one will discover that the whole Old Testament points to Christ. That gets further laid out in the Gospels through the teaching of Jesus and the teachings of Paul and the other Apostles in the New Testament. Ultimately the Bible shows a story of a species that is evolving in its consciousness, its humanity, knowledge and understanding of itself, its planet and universe. Very slowly over eons and centuries growing as Paul explains in Ephesians 4:13-16

"These grace ministries will function until we all attain oneness into the faith, until we all experience the fullness of what it means to know the Son of God,[a] and finally we become one into a perfect man[b] with the full dimensions of spiritual maturity and fully developed into the abundance of Christ.
 And then our immaturity will end! And we will not be easily shaken by trouble, nor led astray by novel teachings or by the false doctrines of deceivers[c] who teach clever lies. 15 But instead we will remain strong and always sincere in our love as we express the truth. All our direction and ministries will flow from Christ and lead us deeper into him, the anointed Head of his body, the church.
 For his “body” has been formed in his image and is closely joined together and constantly connected as one. And every member has been given divine gifts to contribute to the growth of all; and as these gifts operate effectively throughout the whole body, we are built up and made perfect in love."  _ The Passion Translation

 Footnotes;

[a] The Greek literally means “until we have the full knowledge of the Son of God.”

[b] The Hebrew and Aramaic word for “perfect” is gamar, and the word implies that perfection cannot come to the body of Christ without the example and teaching of these five ministries—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. To ignore these five ministry gifts of the ascended Christ for today is to despise the gifts that God has given to the church.

[c] The Greek literally means, "dice-playing gamblers

The above verses in essence are talking about a species growing up into maturity or awakening to who they really are using the analogy of a body. A body has many parts but it has been designed to work in unity and harmony. When one part rebels or becomes defective or breaks down it impacts the whole body.  Now some, especially lately and in light of the recent ruling on Gay marriage, will cherry pick the bit that says speaking the truth in love combine it with some other scripture such as homosexuality, so as to condemn a person or their lifestyle and then declare they are just speaking the truth in love. Give me a break, this attitude is hardly displaying at attitude of Christ and I have already covered this subject.

  The word unity here in the Greek means Oneness, oneness in the faith, moral conviction or truth and the knowledge of what it means to be a true son or daughter of God. Maturing to fullness of Christ likeness, not to be children any longer, that are tossed about and deceived with false teachings and the doctrines of men Jesus came more than two thousand years ago to teach us what it means to be human. A life of love, compassion, sacrifice, unity, He showed us the deception and bondage that religion wrought. He showed us using natural examples how things work in the spiritual realm, how we are the creators of own world and reality by our thoughts, beliefs and emotions. But as in Jesus’ day men took his message and made a religion out of it, to keep humanity enslaved and ignorant. And isn’t that really what the devil/Satan is all about, keeping us ignorant, enslaved, beat down and in bondage.

  As I said further up there are probably more people practicing Eastern forms of meditation or other like forms where one empties himself of self, experiencing God than many Christians. 

 Jesus used an analogy of a narrow and wide gate in Matthew 7:13-14

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

As I stated in part one, I can’t count the times throughout history and even in my own lifetime the number of preachers, teachers and religious organizations proclaiming the return of Christ when the Bible so clearly states in Hebrews 10:12-13 that Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God waiting for his enemies to be made his footstool. Why would Jesus ever come back to a sick, defeated, separated, self-righteous and dysfunctional body when he expects a glorified body? And that aside if one where to look at this more as a metaphor rather than taken literally one might suggest that the return of Christ and heaven to earth will arrive when man puts himself underfoot, that is his self-centered ego, this notion or illusion that we are somehow separate from each other and from oneness with Christ or God and our universe is just that, an illusion, deception. We are a species that still divides, conquers, pushes our own agenda’s and doctrines and what some nations like to call democracy through continual wars, we feed on the weak and marginalized in society where the rich continue to get richer and the poor poorer. Greed, hatred, racism, ignorance, self-centeredness, still reign supreme and in fact, I would argue, seem to be increasing. The 20th century was the bloodiest, ugliest century in our history as a species.

 This new millennium is not starting out much better as the US continues to try and shove its neo con views down the world’s throat, portraying nations such as Russia and China as the enemy while displaying complete ignorance to their own sins. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoconservatism).

It is my belief that the return of Christ will not be Jesus the man of the Bible, but Christ as that of humanity coming to full maturity, becoming fully awakened in our consciousness to what it truly means to be human. Who are we…..really? We are gods but not above God, rather One with God, One with Christ, One with the Spirit, it's just that the vast, vast majority of us haven’t awaken to that truth yet.  If God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent and His Spirit infuses all of creation and we reside inside that creation than how can we possibly be separate from God aside from our lack of knowledge.

As God prophesied through Hosea 4:6,

“My people are destroyed, from a lack of knowledge.”  

Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame. 1 Corinthians 15:34 

In my next piece I will explore just exactly what I have come to discover about what righteousness and sin are according to the Bible.
Love in Christ, Rob.