Contrary to most sermons that infer that the "public humiliation" that Joseph was avoiding was a publicized divorce (as opposed to a "quiet divorce" - what is the difference: like slightly pregnant?) he HAD to be pondering the Jealousy offering in Numbers 5. Suspecting infidelity, except I am positive he never doubted Mary, and this particular offering is COMMANDED for a husband to perform to avoid raising a bastard as your own offspring. The fact that Joseph would not perform this speaks to the fact that he and Mary had not yet been intimate although already basically man and wife under Jewish law: engagement required divorce to get out of. He was pondering God's claim on the child ("privity" is a legal definition regarding two parties interest in the same property). The prophecy never states if the Virgin is married. He struggled and almost made Jesus a bastard. Seriously. The jealousy offering in Mosaic law proved that Joseph is in actual LEGAL FACT the earthly father of Jesus. WOW!
Slept on my thoughts last night and was thinking about Jesus taking on the flesh and nature of humanity more.
Knowing that the Triune God by nature is Spirit and fills the universe, to think that the Son restricted Himself to fill a zygote with Himself and give it Personhood made me think of how much he humbled Himself to come to us. To be fully present in a single fertilized cell is astounding. And to allow Himself to grow and develop in the womb as a human even though He is the creator of all things fills me with wonder.
I also thought about conception of all other humans and about personhood. We can admit that the egg and sperm are human flesh (cells) but separately they are not persons. But when they unite together at conception, they then have personhood, as is our reasonable thoughts tell us. Human life begins at conception and the new life is a person from the point of fertilization on. Where does the "person" and "human nature" begin and how are the distinguished from one another. There cannot be a human nature without a person to possess it. And there cannot be a human person without a human nature to animate it.
So, in the case of Jesus, He was the Person that took on the human nature and flesh and life of this zygote. This zygote would not have existed in Jesus had not chosen to be the Person to possess it. It was not a person and then Jesus took over that person's flesh and life. He was the only Person connected to this zygote with its human nature and human life. But with all other zygotes, how does the "person" come to possess the human flesh and nature?
I was perplexed a bit by this. Itis easy to think of the Son of God becoming human, but when you get down to conception and when human life begins and when personhood begins and where does the personhood come from since it is not fleshly, it boggles the mind bb it. Scripture does not really give us these answers except in saying the Father prepared the body for His Son to dwell in and thru.
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
In the commentary for James you refer to the apostle Paul as St. Paul. Do you believe the aostles can be saints, were do you find that in the bible? Is this a beief system for the church of Christ. For me it seems to be a view the catholic support.
SO, THE QUESTION IS.What is it that those, who believe in the natural immortality of the soul, do not understand?
AN ANSWER.They do not understand, how God created man, a living soul, it they did there would be no problem understanding what returned to God, at death.
A common view of the meaning of the spirit that goes back to God, says that it refers to the breath of life. That would agree with King Solomon's statement in Ecclesiastes 3:21 where he said, "the breath of man ascends upward" at death. It is important to know that the Hebrew word that is translated as "breath" in Ecclesiastes 3:21 is the same Hebrew word that is translated as "spirit" in Ecclesiastes 12:7. So, this Hebrew word ruach can be translated as "breath" or "spirit."
It is important to know that Genesis 2:7 translates ruach as "breath." So it says, "breath of life."
The word "ruach" can be translated as "breath" or "spirit." It is translated in the "Old testament," (90) times as "wind" and (28) times "breath"
What does it mean in Mt 22:11-14 that the king "noticed a man who wasn't wearing the proper clothes for a wedding" the man had no reply so he was thrown into the outer darkness. " For many are called, but few are chosen' does this mean that even if you're saved you might not be chosen? What are the proper wedding clothes?
Spiritual Discernment part 5: The Holy Spirit at work
The discernment of spirits involves detection of God's presence as well as the lack thereof. It is a rare preacher or layperson who would dare to be bold enough to declare that their particular congregation is lukewarm as Christ did of the Laodiceans. Unfortunately; there is too much human praise (such as accolades to Pastors) which in and of itself isn't necessarily wrong; but if it is in the spirit of the world where "what is honorable among men is an abomination to God" ( Luke 16:15 loosely translated). Empty praise we could do without; of course false accusations and and overcritical spirit aren't helpful either. It is; nonetheless being UNloving and not edifying brothers and sisters in Christ if we don't care enough to help them when we can see that they are compromised in some way; we should desire fruit to multiply in others.
We were discussing Pilate's line today with Christ "what is truth"? ( John 18:38). With today's culture tending to have the effect of not wanting to "offend" anyone as its biproduct of downright falsehood; it seems that there is little making us uncomfortable or thinking about the fear of the Lord nowadays. The truth is as a "two edged sword" ( Heb. 4:12). We also need to remember that He comes with a sword to smite the nations and even judge the church in some ways ( Rev. 2:16; Revelation 19). Paul didn't mince words with Peter but openly rebuked him in his hypocricy ( Galatians 2:11-19). Jesus Himself of course was God and able perhaps to be more critical than any of us; but again He rebukes all those He loves ( Heb. 12:6). The words of Proverbs 27:6 discuss the benefits of a rebuke of a friend; and this could be multiplied with many other cross references.
The point here is that if we don't make truth clear and expose error then the cure is worthless at best and perhaps worse than the disease. Any strongholds the enemy has must be dealt with before deliverance.
Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.
What does the 153 signify? Why doesn't it say a lot or a little? Why is it this specific number? I've never found an answer for this.
Qs to a pastor or anyone not guessing...my son asked what 1Chronicles 16:30 ment? I told him we are to be strong in Christ. He thinks it means, believing world is flat, that it can't be moved cuz it's flat.! What is true meaning???
When was the gospel preached to Abraham as mentioned in Galatians 3:8 ?
It what way did God perform the covenant with Abraham?
In what way did he respond when it was counted for him for righteousness?
Goodnight and God bless.
Slept on my thoughts last night and was thinking about Jesus taking on the flesh and nature of humanity more.
Knowing that the Triune God by nature is Spirit and fills the universe, to think that the Son restricted Himself to fill a zygote with Himself and give it Personhood made me think of how much he humbled Himself to come to us. To be fully present in a single fertilized cell is astounding. And to allow Himself to grow and develop in the womb as a human even though He is the creator of all things fills me with wonder.
I also thought about conception of all other humans and about personhood. We can admit that the egg and sperm are human flesh (cells) but separately they are not persons. But when they unite together at conception, they then have personhood, as is our reasonable thoughts tell us. Human life begins at conception and the new life is a person from the point of fertilization on. Where does the "person" and "human nature" begin and how are the distinguished from one another. There cannot be a human nature without a person to possess it. And there cannot be a human person without a human nature to animate it.
So, in the case of Jesus, He was the Person that took on the human nature and flesh and life of this zygote. This zygote would not have existed in Jesus had not chosen to be the Person to possess it. It was not a person and then Jesus took over that person's flesh and life. He was the only Person connected to this zygote with its human nature and human life. But with all other zygotes, how does the "person" come to possess the human flesh and nature?
I was perplexed a bit by this. Itis easy to think of the Son of God becoming human, but when you get down to conception and when human life begins and when personhood begins and where does the personhood come from since it is not fleshly, it boggles the mind bb it. Scripture does not really give us these answers except in saying the Father prepared the body for His Son to dwell in and thru.
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?
and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
and how shall they hear without a preacher?
And how shall they preach, except they be sent?
as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
How about a husband, if he loses his wife, is free to remarry?
Also?
Could it be that that is the reason he died 5 years before his father?
AN ANSWER.They do not understand, how God created man, a living soul, it they did there would be no problem understanding what returned to God, at death.
A common view of the meaning of the spirit that goes back to God, says that it refers to the breath of life. That would agree with King Solomon's statement in Ecclesiastes 3:21 where he said, "the breath of man ascends upward" at death. It is important to know that the Hebrew word that is translated as "breath" in Ecclesiastes 3:21 is the same Hebrew word that is translated as "spirit" in Ecclesiastes 12:7. So, this Hebrew word ruach can be translated as "breath" or "spirit."
It is important to know that Genesis 2:7 translates ruach as "breath." So it says, "breath of life."
The word "ruach" can be translated as "breath" or "spirit." It is translated in the "Old testament," (90) times as "wind" and (28) times "breath"
The discernment of spirits involves detection of God's presence as well as the lack thereof. It is a rare preacher or layperson who would dare to be bold enough to declare that their particular congregation is lukewarm as Christ did of the Laodiceans. Unfortunately; there is too much human praise (such as accolades to Pastors) which in and of itself isn't necessarily wrong; but if it is in the spirit of the world where "what is honorable among men is an abomination to God" ( Luke 16:15 loosely translated). Empty praise we could do without; of course false accusations and and overcritical spirit aren't helpful either. It is; nonetheless being UNloving and not edifying brothers and sisters in Christ if we don't care enough to help them when we can see that they are compromised in some way; we should desire fruit to multiply in others.
We were discussing Pilate's line today with Christ "what is truth"? ( John 18:38). With today's culture tending to have the effect of not wanting to "offend" anyone as its biproduct of downright falsehood; it seems that there is little making us uncomfortable or thinking about the fear of the Lord nowadays. The truth is as a "two edged sword" ( Heb. 4:12). We also need to remember that He comes with a sword to smite the nations and even judge the church in some ways ( Rev. 2:16; Revelation 19). Paul didn't mince words with Peter but openly rebuked him in his hypocricy ( Galatians 2:11-19). Jesus Himself of course was God and able perhaps to be more critical than any of us; but again He rebukes all those He loves ( Heb. 12:6). The words of Proverbs 27:6 discuss the benefits of a rebuke of a friend; and this could be multiplied with many other cross references.
The point here is that if we don't make truth clear and expose error then the cure is worthless at best and perhaps worse than the disease. Any strongholds the enemy has must be dealt with before deliverance.
Bob W
Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.
What does the 153 signify? Why doesn't it say a lot or a little? Why is it this specific number? I've never found an answer for this.