The Word Became Flesh

The word Became Flesh.

John 1:14
[14] And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

The Greek word for "Word" as used there is "Logos" which means; a transmission of a thought, communication, a word of explanation and most preferably an utterance. So, when the Bible says, and the word Became flesh it's saying, "The utterance of God, The communication of the thought of God became flesh" and so Bible says:
John 1:1
[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Which Gives us a very important revelation - Jesus is the living Logos! Jesus is the word that became flesh. This makes sense because in the third verse of the first chapter of John Bible says:
John 1:3
[3] All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Now lets note a few things here.
1) The Word(Logos) is Jesus.
2) All things were created through Him.
3) Without him was nothing created that was created.
That's simple isn't it? Now, Verse Four proceeds to say:
John 1:4
[4] In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
So again, we note a few things.
1) Jesus is the Life that sponsored creation.
2) All that God created has life because of Jesus.
3) The light was the life of men.
Let's put these few points to heart, we will get back here.
Now we look at the account of creation.
Genesis 1:1-3
[1] In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
[2] And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
[3] And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
The light there sure wasn't referring to the sun because a couple of verses after we see the creation of the sun.
Genesis 1:16
[16] And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

So which light was this that God spoke into existence?
This is the same light we see in the book of John. This is the light that was necessary for creation to occur. This was the light that became the life of men! Without which creation could not have occurred! This was the utterance of God! This was the Word of God! This was Jesus!

With That understood, Bible says "The Word Became Flesh".
Why was this necessary?
The fullness of time had come for the redemption and the restoration of man.
Since restoration means the act or process of returning something to its original condition by returning or repairing what was either stolen or lost or destroyed.

It meant that, for restoration to occur man had to first understand what he had lost - The Dominion, The Authority.
And this would go beyond mere explaining to them; they were too rigid a people to have believed that. So, in some way, man had to see what he had lost, and there was nobody that existed during the time of Adam to see the level of authority and Dominion Adam commanded enough to know what he lost. So, no mortal man could communicate this reality and so for this reason, "The word Became Flesh". Note that this reason is only particular to the restorative aspect of Jesus' ministry.

So, through out Jesus's stay on earth he was a physical demonstration of the communication of the intentions and the thoughts of the father per time. For this reason, Jesus declares:
John 6:38
[38] For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
And again, for this reason he declares:
John 10:30
[30] I and my Father are one.

Jesus was an expression of the thoughts and the intentions of God, and so in actual terms, he was indeed the word made flesh! Not only in that God became flesh but also in that at every point in time there was someone to give expression to the communications of God!

How does this apply to you?

God's very intention is that you become his:
1) Expression 2) Extension and) continuity
here on earth. So, whilst Jesus sits on the throne in heaven, it becomes your responsibility to give expression to. The voice of God on earth! You therefore have a responsibly of becoming "The Word made Flesh".
In that, per time you become a physical demonstration and an expression of the thoughts of God on earth.

For this reason, Paul writes:
2 Corinthians 3:3
[3] Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

You are an epistle of Christ! An Epistle is a written document.
You're a living written document.
Not written by Men But written by the Holy Spirit!
You are an articulation of the written intensions of God!
You are the medium through which God's word Finds verbalism here on earth!
You are the Word of God becoming Flesh!

Let's get back to the points we listed out from our study of the first chapter of John.

We mentioned, All things were created through The word! Without him was nothing created that was created right? The same ability to create lies within you! You have become the word of God made flesh! In you lies the inherent ability to create with your words!
Hebrews 11:3
[3] Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
You can call the things that be not as though they were, in doing this you're becoming the very expression of the speaking’s of God.
Ephesians 4:29
[29]"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."

In him was the light and the light was the life of men!
In the same manner:
Matthew 5:14,16
[14] Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
[16] Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

It is when this light shines that God is Glorified!
The word "Let" there is the word "Allow".
Allow your light to shine before men! Allow yourself to be an expression to the communications of God!
This is only for those that are ready to "allow".

Your life can become the scriptures people read! Yes! This is a reality!
People can indeed see a manifestation of Christ in you!
Let something about your life convict people of their sin!
Let your life give a voice to the word of God!
Become the word of God made flesh!

The Trees In The Garden

Did you realise that there where two trees in the Garden of Eden?

1. Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
2. The Tree of Life

“God made grow out of the ground every tree pleasant to look at and good to eat, the Tree of Life in the middle of the garden, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil” (Genesis, 2:9).

The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

God instructed Adam and Eve not to partake of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, for eating the fruit, as God stated; “on the day that you eat from it, you will surely die" (Genesis, 2:17). Did God mean that Adam and Eve would physically die? NO, what He meant was that Adam would change his current state of existence. By not partaking of the fruit the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam and Eve were effectively residing within the spiritual realm of immortal. By disobeying God they effectively fell from grace and became mortal on the physical level. Cast out of Eden to the mortal world of the Earth.

What prompted this act of defiance? Well there are a number of factors, the first is freewill. Adam and Eve had been given this gift, they could be affected their own decisions, but also freewill gives one the opportunity to reverse previous decisions and overcome previous experiences. Secondly, Eve was seduced to try the fruit by a serpent which informed her that by partaking of the fruit she and Adam will not die (physical death), but rather "be as gods, knowing good and evil” They would know what God and his Angels knew.

Immediately of eating the Fruit they became mortal (spiritual death) and began to experience all the psychical or earthly based desires and discomforts, as exhibited by their initial realization of their nakedness.

It is interesting to note the reaction of God, 'Man has now become like one of us in knowing good and evil’. (Genesis, 3:22). Supporting statement uttered by the serpent. This literally ment that by eating the fruit their eys had been opened to the reality of the universe and how it worked.

What God was indicating is that Adam & Eve now had access to the sacred knowledge that only God and the Angels had access to. This is where the Tree of Life not takes on its importance.

The Tree of Life

During the time within the Garden of Eden the Tree of Life had little prominence within the story until now. God states that if Adam and Eve partake of the fruit of the Tree of Life they would regain their immortality and this combined with the access to the powers gained from eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, this would place them on the same level as God and the Angels. ‘Now he must be prevented from putting forth his hand and also taking from the Tree of Life, for He can eat it and live forever!’ (Genesis, 3:22).

God then placed a Cherubim with a "flaming sword" to guard against any future entrance into the garden. (Genesis, 3:24)

Cherubim are traditionally Angels of Humanity, aligned with the Moon, the source of occult power, which is also under the rulership of the Archangel Gabriel. Why does God not want Adam and Eve to gain entry to the garden once again? We attempt to answer this a little later.

Conclusion

From a Pauline Art perspective, although the story of the Garden of Eden is an allegory, its main value is in its interpretation.

1. Man has been give “freewill” by God. One of His greatest gifts.

2. Adam did not physically die when eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil; he changed existence states, from a spiritual non-materialistic existence (immortality or spiritual death) to a physical existence (mortality). Indications are that the mortality/immortality state was not a deciding factor in Adams decision to eat the fruit.

3. What was Adam prime mover? Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, what was God plan? They could not reproduce as they did not experience any physical drives, they did not have to search for food. Their life was idyllic! For man to develop he needs challenges, experiences and a sense that he has control. Adam had none of these. This was Gods plan. Man must take the initiative to develop and grow. And Adam took the challenge.

4. Through the centuries the serpent has represented knowledge, particularly occult knowledge. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil may be represented by the glyph of Mercury, the planet of knowledge and occult sciences. It has also bee suggested that the actual translation to serpent may be incorrect. In Hebrew the word Seraphim means both fiery serpent or Angel.

5. God wanted man to grow and develop, to become the best he could. Yes Adam was cast out of the Garden of Eden. But God also supplied him the tools to regain Eden or spiritual non-materialism. The fruits of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

6. The fruit on the tree, of which there were 22 In allegorical terms each of these 22 apples represented the knowledge of God, which was held equally by each of his Archangels. The reference to Good and Evil does not mean that we have to study the evil or any negative aspects of the Archangels. What it does mean is that their powers may be used positively or negatively (Freewill).

7. Adam (or man) would once again, on the physical plane, have to apply his freewill in order to select the Good or Evil Path. As we all do.

8. So why did God prevent Adam from eating of the fruit of the Tree of Life. Simple, Adam had to re-gain his spiritual non-materialist status by effort, development, growth which could be gained with the assistance of God’s Teaching Angels. The Tree of Life may be represented by the Planet Venus, who glyph is similar to the Egyptian ankh, the symbol of life.

9. Man (Adam) may choose the wrong path, but for those that wish to regain the correct path, the path the God wants us all to follow, he has provided the way forward, his Teaching Angels.

So the story of the Garden of Eden is not all gloom and doom, God recognised that Man (as well as God’s Angels) are not robots or infallible, due to the gift of freewill. We will make mistakes or even choose the path to total destruction, but for those that do not wish to go that route His Angels will help. But we all must earn this possible goal.

Fruits and Gifts (In conclusion)

2.    Joy: “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 14:17).

Joy is love’s reaction to God’s mercies, blessings, and benefits. Christian joy is not, however, dependent on circumstances. The joy which is a facet of love trusts God even in the most trying circumstances. Human joy looks at things upon earth and is affected by the condition of earth. Christian joy—a fruit of the Spirit—looks heavenward and is unaffected by surrounding conditions, because Heaven’s benefits are unvarying. Joy accepts trials as Divine blessing in disguise. The true Christian life is a joyful life. Those who would suppress all emotion in Christian worship, and who call all enthusiasm and rejoicing emotionalism, do not rightly interpret the Word of God. Not one sentence of condemnation of emotion can be found in God’s Word; but it does not teach emotionalism. Joy is natural to Christianity. Paul uses the word “joy” and “rejoice” seventeen (17) times in the short epistle to the Philippians. Emotionless worship is cold worship. Emotion is the condition of being inwardly moved. Emotionalism is the seeking of emotion as an end in itself—emotion for emotion’s sake. We carefully distinguish between emotional extravagance and the true operations of the Holy Spirit. In accordance with the teaching of the Scripture, we exercise control over our feelings so as not to selfishly interrupt more profitable phases of worship and the ministry of the Word. On the other hand, we believe in singing joyfully, in praying earnestly, in preaching zealously, in testifying forcefully, and in giving cheerfully; “for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10). When the Spirit of God fills an individual, the joy of the Lord is bound to be there, “for in thy presence is fulness of joy” (Ps. 16:11).

3.    Peace:

 “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 14:17).

Peace is deeper and more constant than joy. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you” (Jn. 14:27). Paul speaks of “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). Peace with God is obtained as the result of being justified by faith (Rom. 5:1). But the fruit of the Spirit, peace, is an inner characteristic which manifests itself in peaceableness with others. It signifies freedom from a quarrelsome, contentious or party spirit. It seeks to live peaceably with all men. Thus the Spirit-filled believer may not only know peace with God, but he may have “the peace of God which passeth understanding” (Phil. 4:7), because of the promise, “And the God of peace shall be with you” (Phil. 4:9).

4.    Longsuffering—Patience.

Virtually all modern translators render this word “patience.” This is not a very prevalent characteristic of the human spirit. Most of us are a little short of that gracious virtue of patience. It is, however, a very special characteristic of our loving Lord, and the Christian needs an ever closer abiding in Christ that this grace may become part of his life in Christ. It has been previously noted that “Longsuffering is love untiring.” It is love persevering through the storm and the flood. As each believer realizes how longsuffering the Lord has been with him it will enable him to be more patient with others. God is patient in seeking to win the unsaved: “The Lord … is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pt. 3:9). “But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion and gracious longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth” (Ps. 86:15). How much today’s Christian needs the Holy Spirit’s help in this area of Christlikeness! This may very well be the place where he needs Him the most. James admomishes: “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (Jas. 1:4).

5.    Gentleness—Kindness.

The NASB, NIV, and numerous other modern versions render this word as “kindness.” It is nowhere else, in the New Testament, translated as “gentleness.” The word is frequently used to depict God’s dealings with His people. They in turn bring glory to Him when they manifest this same graciousness to others. Kindness is love dealing with others in their faults. Perhaps nothing more frequently descredits one’s testimony and ministry than unkindness. No conceivable circumstance can possibly justify, on Christian grounds, unkind treatment of others. No matter how firm one must become in reproof, he never needs to become unkind. There is no greater mark of greatness and nobility of character than the ability to reprove in kindness. “Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering” (2 Tm. 4:2). “Love suffereth long, and is kind” (1 Cor. 13:4).

6.    Goodness:

 “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth” (Eph. 5:9).

The goodness mentioned here has reference to works and acts of goodness, to goodness shown to others, to practical works of love. If a man is truly good at heart, he does good to others. There is a kind of pharisaical, self-righteous goodness which is more of a blight to Christianity than a recommendation. Selfish goodness could well be a kind of badness. “Goodness is love in action.” It is love heaping benefits on others. The Christian does good because he is good. Negative goodness is not sufficient. When the Holy Spirit pervades the being, there is a positive outflow of goodness to all men.

7.    Faith.

The majority of translators render this word as “faithfulness,” rather than “faith.” It has to do with character as it relates to others. J. Lancaster is quoted as saying: “While faith in God and His Word is the basis of our relationship with Him, and the avenue through which His blessings flow into our lives, what is in view here is the faithfulness of character and conduct that such faith produces.”13 The fruit of a tree is not for the tree, but for others. Thus, each of these beautiful characteristics indicate the Christian’s attitude to those with whom he comes in contact. Two thoughts have been suggested from this particular virtue. The first is expressed in the word “trustworthiness.” Jesus said to the two who multiplied their talents, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou has been faithful over a few things …” (Mt. 25:21, 23), suggesting the characteristic of trustworthiness. According to this interpretation, the one who bears the fruit of the Spirit will keep his word with others; he will be faithful to his covenants, promises, duties and obligations. The true Christian does not shirk responsibility.

The second word is “trustfulness.” In his commentary on Galatians, Martin Luther says:
In listing faith among the fruits of the Spirit, Paul obviously does not mean faith in Christ, but faith in men. Such faith is not suspicious of people, but believes the best. Naturally the possessor of such faith will be deceived, but he lets it pass. He is ready to believe all men. Where this virtue is lacking, men are suspicious, forward, and wayward and will believe nothing, nor yield to anybody. No matter how well a person says or does anything, they will find fault with it, and if you do not humor them, you can never please them. Such faith in people, therefore, is quite necessary.
What kind of life would this be if one person could not believe another person?14
Paul plainly teaches this characteristic of love: “… Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things” … (I Cor. 13:6, 7).

Both of these viewpoints are possible, and certainly trustworthiness and trustfulness are both necessary virtues. A true Christian will be neither unfaithful nor suspicious.

8.    Meekness.

Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Mt. 11:29). Meekness is slowness to anger and to take offense. The meek are not boistrous, noisy, or selfishly aggressive. They do not strive, quarrel, or contend. They are not argumentative or boastful. However, meekness must not be confused with shyness, timidity, or weakness, which are characteristics of an inferiority complex. W. E. Vine comments: “It must be clearly understood, therefore, that the meekness manifested by the Lord and commended to the believer is the fruit of power … the Lord was ‘meek’ because He had the infinite resources of God at His command.”15 Spiritual meekness is not cowardice nor lack of leadership. Moses was the meekest man in Israel, yet he was their greatest leader. He was humble and patient, but he was also capable of firmness and great courage. Rather than a disqualification for leadership, meekness is an essential to it. Jesus said, in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth” (Mt. 5:5).

9.    Temperance—Self-Control.

The word “temperance” is in reality “self-control.” Among the graces of the Spirit, which are the fruit of abiding in Christ, none is more important than self-control. “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his own spirit than he that taketh a city” (Prv. 16:32). Temperance is true self-love. He who respects himself, who considers his body to be a temple of the Holy Spirit, will exercise control over his own impulses. True temperance is control over not only food and drink, but over every phase of life.

Temperance means full self-control. It means control over anger, carnal passion, appetites, desire for worldly pleasure, and selfishness. Before one can rule a city, a community, a club, a church or a nation he must first be able to rule his own spirit. Paul treats this subject admirably in his letter to the Corinthians; he says:
All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient [profitable]: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Meats for the belly and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. And God hath both raised up the Lord and will also raise us by his power (1 Cor. 6:12–14).
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s (1 Cor. 6:19, 20).
In concluding his remarks concerning the nine graces of the fruit of the Spirit, as Paul enumerates them in Galatians 5:22, 23, Samuel Chadwick makes this interesting statement:
In newspaper English, the passage would read something like this: The Fruit of the Spirit is an affectionate, lovable disposition, a radiant spirit and a cheerful temper, a tranquil mind and a quiet manner, a forebearing patience in provoking circumstances and with trying people, a sympathetic insight and tactful helpfulness, generous judgment and a big-souled charity, loyalty and reliableness under all circumstances, humility that forgets self in the joy of others, in all things self-mastered and self-controlled, which is the final mark of perfecting.16
In summarizing the subject of the Fruit of the Spirit, it is emphasized that these characteristics are not imposed upon the Christian from without, but are the result of the life of Christ within. They describe the character of Jesus Christ in the life of the believer. J. Lancaster explains:
In some ways the term “Christlikeness” is inadequate, since the Christian is called, not merely to resemble Christ, but to share His very life. With deference to a great Christian classic, the life of the believer is more than the imitation of Christ; it is becoming “a partaker of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). One might be bold enough to suggest that “Christness” would be nearer the mark, since the believer is more than a copy of Christ; he is part and parcel of His very being, “bone of His bone, flesh of His flesh,” as Paul daringly puts it in Ephesians 5:30. Our likeness to Christ is therefore not something applied from without—a cosmetic transformation produced by the formulae of some religious make-up department—but a genuine likeness produced by an intimate relationship with Him. Christ’s own analogy of the vine and the branches upholds this (John 15). The branches are not merely “vine-like,” they are part of the vine; likewise the fruit does not merely resemble grapes, but possesses their inherent structure and taste.17

Fruits and Gifts (The contrast) contd.

It is of the greatest importance to a vital spiritual life and ministry that these two areas of spiritual blessing be fully understood in their relationship to each other. They are not the same. There must never be any confusion between them. One is not a substitute for the other. No one must ever say, as some have, “I do not believe in the gifts of the Spirit; I believe in love.” The gifts have their place and the fruit has its place, but they are in entirely different categories of spiritual blessing.
Note the following differences between these two: The gifts of the Spirit have to do with spiritual capabilities—what one can do in the service of the Lord. The fruit of the Spirit has to do with spiritual character—what one is in the Lord. The gifts are received as a result of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The fruit is the result of the New Birth and of abiding in Christ. Gifts are received instantly, while the fruit develops gradually. Gifts, of themselves, are not a means of judging the depths of one’s spiritual life, but the fruit is the basic criterion of the development of spiritual life and character. There are varieties of gifts, but there is only one fruit of the Spirit. Let us enlarge on these thoughts.

Spiritual gifts indicate spiritual capabilities, while the fruit denotes spiritual character. There are many natural gifts and talents with which people are endowed at birth. Without these inbred tendencies no one could really excel in any field (i.e., art and music). Jesus used the parables of the “talents” and the “pounds” to indicate that certain men were given these talents to use, and for which use they were held responsible. So in the spiritual realm, the Holy Spirit, at His Divine choosing, bestows certain spiritual capabilities to be used in spiritual service. The fruit of the Spirit, has nothing to do with what a person may be able to do in the service of the Lord. As we shall see, it will not have a great deal to do with what he does for the Lord, but how he does it.

The manifestation of gifts of the Spirit seem to have to do with the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Certainly the Apostles, and others, were possessed. There is a tendency among many to look with awe upon one who has many gifts of the Spirit as though this indicates a super-spiritual individual. It is well to realize that gifts are not, of themselves, the indication of the depth of one’s spiritual life. Paul said of the Corinthian church that they came “behind in no gift” (1 Cor. 1:7); in fact they were rather noted for the exercise of, at least some of, the gifts of the Spirit. At the same time the Apostle accuses them of being carnal and guilty of allowing many situations within their midst that were not evidences of spiritual advancement. Saul, the first king of Israel, was noted for his possession of the gift of prophecy. Just about the time of his anointing as king we read: “… and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. And it came to pass, that when all that knew him before time saw that he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” (1 Sm. 10:10, 11). Later in his reign, after he had dishonored the Lord and disobeyed His word, and God said He would no longer hear Saul’s prayers, and the Spirit of the Lord departed from him (1 Sm. 16:14), Saul got among a group of prophets and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he prophesied (1 Sm. 19:23, 24). But this certainly did not indicate that Saul was again a spiritual man. The measure of the development of the fruit of the Spirit in an individual’s life is, however, a real indication of the steadfastness of his abiding in Christ. (See also Balaam, as an example of one with gifts, but little spiritual life (Nm. 22–27].)

There are varieties of gifts, but one fruit of the Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 12:8–10, Paul lists nine different gifts of the Spirit. Other passages, such as Romans 12:6–8; Ephesians 4:11; and 1 Peter 4:10, 11, indicate that there may be many more. But there is only one fruit of the Spirit, which is love. It is unscriptural to speak of the “fruits of the Spirit.” What is listed in Galatians 5:22, 23 are eight characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit, love. All these other virtues which are mentioned are but facets of love. When the Spirit of God comes into one’s life, He invariably sheds abroad His Love in the heart. In Notes From My Bible, by D.L. Moody, this characterization of love is found in terms of all these other virtues, as follows:
Joy is love exulting.

Peace is love reposing.

Longsuffering is love untiring.

Gentleness is love enduring.

Goodness is love in action.

Faith is love on the battlefield

Meekness is love under discipline.

Temperance is love in training.
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E.    The Relationship Between the Gifts of the Spirit and the Fruit of the Spirit.

While there are certain definite differences between the gifts and fruit of the Spirit, there is also a very vital relationship between these two. It is not by chance that the thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians comes right between the twelfth and the fourteenth chapters. Chapters twelve and fourteen deal with the gifts of the Spirit, while chapter thirteen is all about love, the fruit of the Spirit. This emphasizes the importance of having the fruit of the Spirit in close relation to the gifts. Paul makes it very clear that the gifts without the fruit are powerless and of little use. In fact, he goes as far as to say that they are “nothing.”
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing” (1 Cor. 13:1, 2 NASB).
As has been stated above, love is the very essence of the fruit of the Spirit. So what Paul is saying is that though he has the gift of speaking with other tongues, of prophecy, wisdom, knowledge and faith, and does not have the fruit of the Spirit, these gifts mean absolutely nothing. The development of the inner nature of a Christ-like character must be behind any use of the spiritual gift. While he is emphasizing the negative fact that the gifts without the fruit is of no value, one must recognize the positive truth that the ministry of the gifts of the Spirit, accompanied by the fruit of a spiritual life is of great power and usefulness in the work of the Lord. The Holy Spirit is as much interested in character as He is in power. Every Spirit-baptized servant of the Lord needs to realize the importance of both of these blessings. (This subject is discussed again in Sec. VI. The Gifts of the Spirit, see J. The Relationship Between the Gifts and The Fruit of the Spirit.)

F.    Detailed Characteristics of the Fruit of the Spirit.

1.    Love: “Now the fruit of the Spirit is love” (Gal. 5:22).

It would be impossible to over-emphasize the prominence of this gracious virtue as the chief characteristic of the Christian life. “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God: and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (1 Jn. 4:7, 8). Thus, love is the evidence that one has been born of God. Not only is it the inner evidence, it is also the outer evidence. Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (Jn. 13:35). He also gave His disciples the command: “… Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you” (Lk. 6:27, 28). This is impossible to the natural man; it cannot be produced by human effort. Such love can only be the product of the Love of God being shed abroad in one’s heart by the Holy Ghost (Rom. 5:5). The love which the Spirit produces is something more than ordinary human affection, however sincere. It comes from abiding in Christ and experiencing His Love flowing through the soul. Love is the cement which binds all the other virtues of the fruit of the Spirit together into a united whole. It is the common denominator of all Christian character. One cannot love and fail to have any of the other virtues. To be filled with the Spirit is to be filled with love.

To be continued.... 

Effective Faith (episode 3)

We continue on our series...
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Now Faith Is
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
—Hebrews 11:1
In Hebrews 11:1 God tells us what Bible faith is. Mof-fatt's translation of this verse reads, "Now faith means that we are confident of what we hope for, convinced of what we do not see." Another translation says, "Faith is giving substance to things hoped for." Still another translation reads, "Faith is the warranty deed, the thing for which we have finally hoped is at last ours."
There are a number of kinds of faith. Everyone, saved or unsaved, has a natural, human faith. But here God is talking about a scriptural faith. He is talking about a Bible faith. He is talking about believing with your heart. And there is a vast difference between believing with your heart and just believing what your physical senses tell you!
Faith is grasping the unrealities of hope and bringing them into the realm of reality.
For example, you hope for finances to meet the obligations that you have to pay. Faith gives the assurance that you will have the money when you need it. "Faith is the evidence of things not seen." You hope for physical strength to do the work that you must do. Faith says, "The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid" (Ps. 27:1). Faith will say about itself everything that the Word says, for faith in God is simply faith in His Word.
Many people want to get something and then believe they've got it. But you have to believe you have something and then you receive it. You may say that you know God's Word is good, but you never will really know until you have acted on it and have reaped the results.
And this is what I am trying to tell you that faith is. Faith is giving substance to the things hoped for. A lot of people just hope—and stop there. And that won't work. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. If you say, "Well, I hope God heard my prayer," and that's all you do, He didn't, and there won't be any answer. But your faith can and will give substance to the answer to that prayer.
Remember this: Hope says, "I will have it sometime." Faith says, "I have it now."
John Wesley said, "The devil has given to the Church a substitute for faith which looks and sounds so much like faith some people can't tell the difference." He called it "mental assent."
Many people see what God's Word says and acknowledge that it is true—but it is only with their minds that they are agreeing. And that will not get the job done. It is heart faith that receives from God. Notice what the Bible says, "For with the heart man believeth...." (Rom. 10:10).
Jesus said in Mark 11:23, "...whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart [this doesn't say a word about the head], but shall believe [that is, with the heart] that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith."
You may ask, "How can I tell whether I have heart faith or whether I am just agreeing with my head?" If it is merely mental agreement or mental assent it says, "I know God's Word is true. I know God promises me healing or the Holy Spirit, but for some reason I can't get it. And I can't understand it."
Real faith in God's Word says, "If God's Word says it is so, then it is so. It is mine. I have it now." Real faith also says, "I have it when I can't see it."
Our text declares that faith is "the evidence of things not seen." One who has not prayed in real heart faith might say, "I don't see the thing about which I have been praying, so it hasn't come to pass." If the thing had come to pass—if you had it—you wouldn't have to believe it; you would know it.
You must take the step of believing to come to the place of knowing. Many want to know it first and then believe it. That is, they want to know it from the standpoint of its having come to pass. But we know it from the standpoint that God's Word says it is so—then it materializes. Notice what Jesus says in Mark 11:24, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, BELIEVE that ye receive them, and ye shall HAVE them." Now notice that the having comes after the believing. Most people want to turn that around. In common, everyday terms Jesus said, "You have to believe you've got it before you get it."
I never have been able to receive healing for my body without believing first that I had it, even while every symptom in my body was crying out, "You don't have healing." I would simply say to my flesh, "The Bible says, 'let God be true, but every man a liar....' So if you say I am not healed, you are a liar. God's Word says that I am healed." When I act like that, results are forthcoming one hundred times out of one hundred.
Conversely, if a person sits around and groans, sighs, gripes, and complains, waiting for something to happen—waiting until he can detect that every symptom is gone and all the flesh corresponds with his faith before he starts believing God—he is out of order, and he will never get very far.
Thomas said, "I will not believe until I can see Him and put my finger in the print in His hands, and thrust my hand into the wound in His side." Then when Jesus appeared, Thomas said, "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28).
Jesus said to Thomas, "Because you have seen, you have believed." In other words, Thomas wasn't believing in the same way you and I believe in Jesus' resurrection. He believed because he saw Him with his physical eye. We believe it because the Word of God says it is so.
Some people miss it without realizing it. They say, "Well, I believe in divine healing because I saw So-and-so healed." That's not the reason I believe in divine healing. I believe it because the Word of God says it.
Likewise, I don't believe in speaking in tongues because some people believe in it and speak with tongues. I believe what the Bible says; not what I see and hear. My faith is not in what I see and hear. My faith is in what God says. When we get our faith to that point, we are right and in order, and it brings results.
Thomas said, in effect, "I will not believe until I see." And Jesus said, "Thomas, thou hast believed because thou hast seen; blessed are they who have not seen, yet do believe." Those are the ones who are blessed!
Compare now Thomas' faith with the faith of Abraham:
ROMANS 4:17-21
17 (As it is written, I have made thee [Abraham] a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:
unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
Notice the difference between Thomas' faith and Abraham's faith. Thomas had only a natural, human faith which said, "I'm not going to believe unless I can see and feel." Abraham, however, believed God's Word, considering not his own body. If he didn't consider his own body, he didn't consider physical sight or physical feelings. Then what did he consider? The Word of God!
PROVERBS 4:20-22
20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21 Let them [my words] not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22 For they [my words] are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
Notice what He says: "Let them [my words] not depart from thine eyes." Now think for a moment. Don't you know that if God's Word says in Matthew 8:17 that Jesus took your infirmities, and bare your diseases, and if you do not let that Word depart from before your eyes, you are bound to see yourself without sickness and without disease?

Effective Faith (episode 2)

For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto
this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the
sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that
those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have
whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things
soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them,
and ye shall have them" (Mark 11:23,24).
These are days when we need to have our faith
strengthened, when we need to know God. God has designed
that the just shall live by faith. Any man can be changed by
faith, no matter how he may be fettered. I know that God's
word is sufficient. One word from Him can change a nation.
His word is from everlasting to everlasting. It is through the
entrance of this everlasting Word, this incorruptible seed, that
we are born again, and come into this wonderful salvation.
Man cannot live by bread alone, but must live by every word
that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. This is the food of
faith. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of
God."
Everywhere men are trying to discredit the Bible and take
from it all the miraculous. One preacher says, "Well, you
know, Jesus arranged beforehand to have that colt tied where
it was, and for the men to say just what they did." I tell you
God can arrange everything without going near. He can plan
for you, and when He plans for you, all is peace. All things
are possible if you will believe."For I know the plans I have for you,"
declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future."(Jeremiah29:11)

Another preacher said, "It was an easy thing for Jesus to
feed the people with five loaves. The loaves were so big in
those days that it was a simple matter to cut them into a
thousand pieces each." But He forgot that one little boy
brought those five loaves all the way in his lunch basket.
There is nothing impossible with God. All the impossibility is
with us when we measure God by the limitations of our
unbelief.
him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
—Hebrews 11:6
Notice particularly the first part of that verse, "But without faith it is impossible to please him ...."
If God demands that we have faith when it is impossible for us to have faith, then we have a right to challenge His justice. But if He places within our hands the means whereby faith can be produced, then the responsibility rests with us as to whether or not we have faith.
God has told us that without faith it is impossible to please Him, but He has also told us how to obtain faith. He has told us how faith comes.
ROMANS 10:17
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
If we don't have faith, it is not God's fault. To blame God for our lack of faith is nothing but ignorance. God has provided the way whereby everyone can have faith.
                  Faith for Salvation
Faith for salvation "cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
The Apostle Paul said that we are saved by faith. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8).
But how do you get the faith to be saved? Let's read more from this passage in Romans.
ROMANS 10:8-10,13,14,17
8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 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?
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
We see here that faith for salvation comes by hearing the Word of God. Now relate that with Acts 11:13,14, "And he shewed us how he [Cornelius] had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter; WHO SHALL TELL THEE WORDS, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved."
Cornelius was a good man, but he was not saved. Jesus said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). As Cornelius had not as yet heard this glorious Gospel, he was not saved.
God told Cornelius to send for Peter in order to learn the plan of salvation. The angel could not preach to Cornelius. (Angels cannot preach—God sent men to preach.) But the angel could tell Cornelius where to go to get somebody ".... who shall tell thee words whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved."
Men are saved by hearing words. And that is because "...faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." You cannot believe without hearing the Word.
               Faith for Healing
How does faith for healing come? In the same way. You can see this in the following passage:
ACTS 14:7-10
7 And there they [Paul and Barnabas] preached the gospel.
8 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked:
9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,
10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.
A casual reader of the Word might say, "It is wonderful how Paul healed that man!" But Paul did not heal the man. The man was not healed because Paul was an apostle, nor was he healed by Paul's faith. The man himself had the faith.
Paul did three things:
1. He preached the Gospel (verse 7).
2. He perceived that the man had faith to be healed
3. He told the man to stand up and walk (verse 10).
The man did three things:
1. He heard Paul preach (verse 9).
2. He had faith to be healed (verse 9).
3. He leaped and walked (verse 10).
This man was not healed by some power which Paul had. The man himself had faith to be healed. And how did he get the faith to be healed? He got it from what he heard. He heard Paul speak.
And what did Paul speak? He preached the Gospel (verse 7).
If Paul had preached what some have called the Gospel, the man would have never been healed. Paul preached what the Bible calls the Gospel!

Effective Faith (episode 1)

Luke 17:5, 6
And the apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith.…

We'll be starting a series today on EFFECTIVE FAITH. May God bless you as flow along...  Please invite your friends to read this life transforming posts...  Share the posts on every social media you are on and may God bless you as you do this.

It is the part of a wise teacher to endeavour both to elevate and to humble his disciples. He will not discharge his whole duty nor realize his full duty unless he imparts elevating aspirations and unless he promotes a deep humility of heart; he will thank God and congratulate himself when he knows that his hearers are happily sensible of progress, and also when he learns that they are profoundly dissatisfied with their attainments. Both these results ensued from the teaching of our Lord.

I. THE DISCIPLES' DISSATISFACTION WITH THEMSELVES. Evidently the apostles of our Lord felt that there was something lacking in their souls which they would gladly possess. The doctrine of the great Teacher, perhaps, was not so clear to them as they could have wished; or perhaps they felt themselves a painfully long distance behind their Leader in their spirit and bearing; or it may be that they found themselves unable to do such works as they judged they ought to be able to do, in and through the Name of the great Healer. But whencesoever their source of dissatisfaction, they agreed that they were in spiritual want.

II. THEIR CONCLUSION AS TO THE REMEDY THEY NEEDED. They agreed that what was wanted was an increase of faith. And they were perfectly right in their judgment.

1. They wanted to believe in Christ in a way not then open to them. They became "greater in the kingdom of heaven" afterwards: more enlightened, more spiritual, more devoted, more useful, because afterwards they had a deep and a firm faith in Jesus Christ as their almighty Saviour, as their Divine Lord. But they did not know him yet as such; for as such he had only begun to reveal himself to them.

2. But they needed a fuller faith in him as they did not yet know him. A more complete and implicit confidence in him:

(1) would have led them to eject from their minds all their own oh! prejudices and prepossessions, and so have made way for the reception of his truth in its fulness and in its power;

(2) would have evoked a profounder reverence and a more fervent affection, and thus have led to a nearer likeness to him in spirit and in character;

(3) would have given them power over the forces of evil outside them, and made them equal to the emergencies to which they were unequal (see Matthew 17:19, 20), They did well, therefore, to make of their Lord the request they made, "Increase our faith,"

III. THE TRUTH CONTAINED IN OUR LORD'S REPLY. "If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed," etc. This truth is surely not that the possession of a faith as slight as the mustard seed is small will suffice, but that the faith which is full as is the mustard seed of life and power of appropriation will avail for all occasions. For it is not true that a slight and feeble faith does suffice. It failed the apostles on one memorable day (Luke 9:40). It has been failing ever since. Only a faith which is a living and a growing power, like the mustard seed in the soil, will triumph over the difficulties to be met and mastered. The fact is that:

1. A formal faith is worth nothing at all; indeed, less than nothing, for it deludes and misleads.

2. A feeble faith will accomplish little. It sinks in the hour of trial (Matthew 14:30); it shrinks from open avowal, and makes feeble fight in the hour of battle (John 3:1; John 7:50; John 19:38); it enters upon, but abandons, the goodly enterprise (Acts 13:13).

3. A living, appropriating faith is the only effective power. A faith that, like the mustard seed in the soil, puts forth the power of life, and appropriates to itself the riches that are around it in order that, further on, it may bear fruit - this is a power that will be felt. It will accomplish great and even wonderful things; it will surprise the unbelieving as much as if it actually did the very thing which the Master speaks of in his illustrative language.

(1) It will uproot great evils in God's Name and strength.

(2) It will upraise noble structures of good, when inspired at the same source.

1. Is there anything seriously lacking in our spirit, character, life, work?

2. May it not be traced to the absence or to the feebleness of our faith? If we believed more truly in Jesus Christ, if we realized more thoroughly what we accept, should we not be more to God and do more for him?

3. Shall we not come to our Saviour, unhesitatingly, earnestly, perseveringly, with this prayer of the apostles? -

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The Power Of the Gospel

The "good news" that Jesus Christ brought has tremendous effect in the lives of its hearers - if they believe it. Throughout the New Testament, the gospel is associated with power:

For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient - in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. (Romans 15:18-19; emphasis ours throughout)
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (I Corinthians 1:18)
And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (I Corinthians 2:4-5)
But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. (I Corinthians 4:19-20)
For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. (I Thessalonians 1:5)
Moreover, in writing to the established congregation in Rome, Paul directly identifies the gospel as "the power of God to salvation":

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." (Romans 1:16-17)

Notice, though, the qualifier that Paul attaches: "for everyone who believes." Simply hearing the basic announcement of the coming Kingdom of God on earth will not accomplish anything. Merely reading God's instruction manual for mankind - the Bible - serves no purpose if it is not believed.

What is the proof of belief? It is far more than just mental agreement, but rather agreement along with carrying out requirements that show whom one trusts. Those who believe will provide evidence that God is continuing to work in them. They will change, that is, repent. Good works will be the evidence (James 2:20, 22, 26). A person who truly believes the gospel will be motivated to change his or her life to fit the purpose God is working out, and to be in alignment with His government.

As Romans 1:16 says, the gospel is so powerful that it has the authority and the means to bring us to salvation. Through the gospel, God exercises His power to save men. It is a potent means by which God teaches, motivates, and creates salvation in a believer. This power is available, however, only to those who exercise trust in those words. The "good news" is composed of words - words that carry in them the power to move our lives toward salvation if we believe them enough to unleash their power by putting them in practice. Words are spirit (John 6:63), and they impel us in the direction of their meaning if we choose to submit to them. The gospel is not a passive force, latently waiting to use its power, but it is constantly working toward the fulfillment of God's purpose. As soon as we hear or read it, it begins to work - if we believe.

What, then, is contained in the gospel? Verse 17 makes it clear: God, in the gospel, reveals His righteousness. What is righteousness? It is an Old English term that means "right-wise-ness" - essentially, "doing what is right." Psalm 119:172 gives its definition, "For all Your commands [all of God's instructions] are righteousness." Righteousness is God's way of life - the way He lives and the way He desires His creation to live. Verse 17 could be paraphrased, "For in the gospel, God's way of life is revealed." Put simply, the gospel message includes everything we need to know to live God's way of life - to live as God does.

The gospel is God's means for bringing us to salvation - not merely for forgiving our sins. It is not only the announcement of the Kingdom of God, but also the process by which we can enter God's Kingdom. But this does not happen all at once - it is a lifelong educational process. The gospel is God's system of impressing upon us where we are headed and how we should live so we will reach His goal. His message of "good news" has tremendous power to motivate us and propel us in right direction - if we truly believe.

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