Note: I’m developing this blog differently from what my previous blog said. Since II Corinthians 3:12-18 issues from verses 1-11, consider the meaning of verses 1-11.
First, in verses 1-3:
Second, in verses 4-6:
Third, verses 7-9:
Fourth, verses 10-11:
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We often qualify the term Christian, as:
In a literal sense, the nomenclature remains unnecessary. Either we are, or we are NOT, a Christian. Either we belong to Jesus, or we don’t. In a relative sense, however, all believers are in different stages of faith, with:
II Corinthians 3:1-18, like Acts 11:26, recognizes only the term Christian, with no qualifying words. Since verses 12-18 in II Corinthians issue from verses 1-11, consider the meaning of verses 12-18. End Part I ◊No higher birth exists than being born again by the Holy Spirit John 3:5.
◊No higher rank exists than being Christ’s witnesses to our generation Acts 1:8 ◊No greater privilege exists as forgiven mortals than being a temple of God I Corinthians 6:19—personally, creating a congregation of temples of God I Corinthians 3:16. The question relating to all those “No higher things….” Is always: do we have a lifestyle equal to our birth, rank and privilege? Can we demonstrate rather than merely promise that Jesus can build better marriages in us than unsaved people have? Or demonstrate rather than merely promise Jesus forgives sinners by forgiving offenders their offenses? Christ has a glory he wants revealed in his people:
A glory expressed even:
For if Christ’s message is revealed in Christ’s spirit, the:
Unbelievers may not discern the differences in doctrines. The unerringly discern the difference between disconnect or correlation between our Promises and our Behavior. Just thinking. Love you all. V The Rest of the Story for Elijah and Moses. God sent Elijah into semi-retirement, then ultimate retirement. While in an unrecorded conversation as Elijah and Elisha walked together, God came for Elijah sending:
Moses had a more subdued end on Mt. Nebo, across the Jordan Deuteronomy 34:1-8. Suddenly dying, God as undertaker, who also buried the grave so no one could ever make it a religious shrine. But not to think that was the last we would see them. For, lo, in the late summer AD 29, on a mountain high in northern Galilee, while the Son of Man stood in the darkness and released his inner being, out from him shot shafts and pillars of light that turned night to day. And, suddenly, the TWO men representing Law and Prophets stood beside him and conversed with him over his coming Exodus at Calvary. For this blog, understand: Moses couldn’t enter Canaan, but he did enter Paradise. Elijah fell to fear before Jezebel’s rage. But HE, not she, stood with Jesus on Mt. Hermon. Both Moses and Elijah achieved their life-purpose: they found eternal life, the SINGLE Life-Purpose God designed for every mortal I Corinthians 5:1-5. Fini Blogs will resume February 5, 2024. V In this Part, remember that pruning of individuals can occur after great victory OR at the end of a great life.
Consider Moses. Read Numbers 20:1-13 for the full account. In the first month of Israel’s 40th year of wandering, God ordered Moses and Aaron to advance to a rock face, and Moses ordered to “Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water” Numbers 20:8. They advanced and stood in front of the rock. Then, instead of SPEAKING the water out, Moses angrily STRUCK it out. Here, in the first month of the 40th year, Moses for the first and only time disobeyed God. And that one sin kept him out of Canaan. Interesting…Aaron didn’t lose his position 40 years earlier for his horrifying failure at Mt. Sinai Exodus 32. However, only Moses’ intercession kept God from destroying Aaron at the time Deuteronomy 9:19. While Moses could intercede with a sinning Aaron, no one could intercede for Moses when he sinned against God I Samuel 2:25. After all those years of faithful service, one sin kept him out of Canaan. But…for both Elijah and Moses, there’s a The Rest of the Story. End Part IV. It’s a psychologically true that many tests of our discipleship can come after a Resounding Victory. Two of God’s men experienced such testing.
Consider Elijah. His came after successfully contesting and eliminating Jezebel’s 450 prophets of Baal I Kings 18:16-40. The exhilarating emotional surge empowered his run ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to Jezreel from Mt. Carmel, some 15 miles. Only to find himself facing the same fate as the Queen’s prophets within 24 hours. His high-powered hosanna collapsed into cringing lamentations. Suddenly unnerved, he fled. To find himself increasingly demoralized in his flight to Mt. Horeb, some 300 miles away. Where God saw him in a cave, called him out, and asked, “What are you doing here,” a question that scared him far more than Jezebel’s threats. Condensing the powerful text of I Kings 19:7-18 into a paragraph, God’s merciful nature understood his prophet’s emotional condition. He first corrected his mistaken assumption of solitary faithfulness to God. Then granted Elijah’s wish for retirement from active ministry by ordering him to recruit a successor to his prophetic office. Thus, re-charged by the Holy Spirit, off he returned to duty. End Part III Negative experiences can make committed Christians wonder: while we want to patiently endure difficult times, can we know when God merely PRUNES, not DECAPITATES, us? Since both hurt, can we know the difference?
While no hard and fast rules define the difference, consider five possible assurances that we’re being pruned for future fruitfulness. One, if we continually rivet our eyes on Jesus while being tested, Hebrews 12:2, not on the condition that afflicts us. For that fixation will keep us functioning as a Christian, whatever we face. Two, if we say, “Why not me” instead of “Why me” or “Why me now”, we prove that we know we’ll face trouble in this world, but can trust Christ’s overcoming life to empower ours John 16:33. Three, if we ask Jesus to remove from us what we’d like to keep, since it makes us what we are. FOR, if what makes us what we are limits Christ’s Lordship of our life, we want it LOST, not PROTECTED! Four, if we can say, “This trial has made me more alive in Christ than ever I’ve been,” instead of “This experience has nearly killed me.” For the very pruning of our life eliminates habits and attitudes that prevented HIS Greater Life in our SMALL Minds and Hearts. Five, if we can say, “This has made me a more Christ-like person,” not, “This experience has proved that I’m not physically the person I used to be.” Then we can understand Paul’s great declaration in II Corinthians 4:16-18. For no diminution in our physical body, and its eventual demise, can ever defeat Christ’s powers over life, death and the after-life II Timothy 4:6-8. You get the drift of this blog. End Part II. John 15:1-8 reveals Christ’s doctrine of Pruning, the process by which God makes better disciples out of good ones and overcoming-disciples out of better ones. In the same context he introduced Judgment, CUTTING OFF—A.K.A. decapitation—of branches—i.e., members who have allowed themselves to become mere hearing, not producing, believers.
History has multiple examples of bad people suffering for doing bad things. One example suffices. Germany’s infrastructure remained entirely intact after WWI: and suffered almost total collapse after WWII. Because: while Kaiser Wilhelm sought only geographical conquest in WWI, Adolph Hitler targeted the Jewish people for destruction in WWII. However, scripture in both Testaments offers examples of, and Jesus in John 15 the definitive purpose of, both. For this short series, consider this One: fruitful disciples experience PAIN akin to decapitation, but with a positive purpose. In short, obedience to God inevitably brings God’s discipline of his people. I Thessalonians 3:2-4 and I Peter 4:12-13 offer one way that discipline applies to us. In John 15, Jesus saw God as the Gardner/Farmer/Horticulturist/Husbandman periodically lopping off certain religious people and pruning others. All we need to know about pruning for now is that it doesn’t mean eating prunes. End Part I Sorry that other necessary events have prevented an earlier denouement of this short series. The necessity also has an important corollary result for each disciple.
The payment of the half shekel, about 1/5 of an ounce of silver, demanded in Exodus 30:13-16 for tabernacle maintenance, offered a symbol of the Self-Denial Jesus commanded as essential to Christian discipleship. Sinners can become church members without it. They can hold church offices without it. They can be preachers without it. But only Self-Denial qualifies individuals to be Christ’s disciples Matthew 16:24-25. Now…a corollary of becoming and being such a person produces two very great benefits-in brief. First, the discipline necessary to become and remain that kind of follower of Jesus has positive effects that:
Second, it delights in being a continuation of what Jesus perfectly modeled—using difficulties, sorrows and sufferings—as the means of spiritual conquest, not defeat. An idea strange to that culture, and stranger to our Christian culture, which sees only Joy, Celebration, Victory as proofs of Christianity. Hebrews 2:10-18 relates to Biblical truth. The Holy Spirit empowers us to do our duty as willingly as we do our pleasures. Empowers us to remain patient and positive when life gets mean with us. Empowers us to endure adversity as easily as we enjoy victories. Indeed, in Kipling’s words, “If you can meet both Triumph and Disaster, and treat those two imposters just the same,” we will not only be mature people, but more Christ-like than we have ever been. And that will be our greatest success ever! Fini Believing in Christ as a way to escape life’s tantrums introduces to Christianity a prosperity theology applicable only to Israel under Moses. Indeed, “it was fitting that God…should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering” Hebrews 2:10. Since our Lord accepted suffering, though perfect, how can we seek to elude it while forgiven sinners?
Indeed, I Peter 4:1-2 stresses the Master’s suffering as the paradigm of our discipleship. With this fortuitous result: that we do “not live…for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.” The apostle continued through verse 6 contrasting the redemptive value of having the body disciplined with the dissolution effect of pleasure-seeking. Adversity can have negative effects on us. It can:
Why would the objects of salvation allow any of the above, or worse, when God ordained suffering to FINISH our LORD’S PERFECTION End, Part III |
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