There is but one olive tree; some branches were cut off that we might be grafted in. We should not boast but be thankful, because by doing so, we could be cut off, Romans 11:17-21. We think today the Church, the body of Christ, as being Gentiles, but the Church, the body of Christ, started with the Jews," to the Jew first", that began at Pentecost, Romans 1:16. We, by the grace of God, were added to the olive tree and the Church, the body of Christ.
Of the Jews, the Lord saves a remnant through Christ, then and today, while the rest fell for the reconciliation of the world, us. God is not done with Israel; their return to God through faith in Christ will be like life from the dead, Romans 11:15.
Have we become ignorant of the mystery of their blindness in part and become wise in our own conceits until the fullness, meaning, completion, fulfillment, or the total of the Gentiles? When will that be? Tomorrow, years from now. Are we ready? Are we looking for things that are not coming?
Is our faith strong enough that we are willing to face death? There are many teachings out there, but only one truth. Deception is thick; we are in spiritual warfare, Colossians 2:8, 1 John 4:1. Discernment is critical in spiritual warfare; it enables believers to differentiate between truth and falsehood, particularly in the context of teachings and prophecies.
It is found in prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus said in John 16:13-14 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Your posting on God's love brings to mind Heb 2:10 where God deemed it "fitting to crush His Son in order to bring many sons to glory". 1 John 4:16 is so comforting in that it reveals that God is love and in love He ordained to redeem sinful humans to become fitted to commune with Him in the love of the Godhead. We were ruined by sin, but, for His glory, God purposed to save us when we were dead in sin through the sacrifice of our Savior and the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit so we could be made alive in Christ and made holy and acceptable before the Father. 1 John 3:1 expresses that God has "lavished His love upon us" in such a way that we become His children. Oh, what manner of love is this! Can we even know the depths of this love?
1Peter 4:8 exhorts us to love each other because love covers a multitude of sins. The sacrifice of Jesus did just that. He did it all for love of the people the Father predestined to give the Son before all of creation. He loved the Son in this way. We are a gift to His Son and also we are a gift to the Father. We do not deserve this at all, but God deemed it a highly desirable to create us for this purpose. We are to dwell in His love and enjoy the love relationship of the Godhead forever. That is so very awesome!
God's love is a tremendous gift to us. He does all things for His glory. His God-centeredness extends outward to His creation in all He ordains and brings to fruition. We are the beneficiaries of the internal love of the Godhead. In His wisdom, He deemed that He would be most glorified in saving a people made holy and righteous by the work and sacrifice of His ONE and ONLY Son because He is the source of all life, goodness and love. In raising His Son from death to life God demonstrated that death cannot conquer His love for His Son nor for the people Jesus died for to become children of God.
These are my immediate thoughts on your postings on God's love for us. It is such a beautiful truth to grasp.
Therefore, the teaching of the "three voices" is a useful tool for discernment based on biblical truth as a whole. The challenge for the believer is to learn to:
Recognize where each thought or impulse may be originating from.
Test everything by the Word of God (the Bible), which is the absolute standard of truth.
Reject the voices that align with sin, fear, accusation, and lies.
Accept and obey the voice that aligns with God's character-which is holy, loving, true, and invites us to faith and righteousness.
A final verse to guide discernment:
1 John 4:1: "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."
"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen."
1 John 4:1
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."
1 John 4:2-3Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
Almighty Father and creator, You who are, and know all things, Hallelujah Amen. We come to you to pray that "Someone" will get clarity on it, and be a witness for You. We thank You for the Word and for all that You have done for "Someone's" life. And in the future for what is to come and happen. We pray that You strengthen "Someone" in spirit, soul and body. That You Good God help "Someone" to steer clear of idolatry. Amen in Jesus Christ's Name we pray. John 4:13-14 love u
Hello again dear, there are a lot of mistakes in my writing, where even AI can make up and change words.I can some words and sentences.So here we go: Nice of you to say this, it is important for us when we pray. What we dealing with, you know it is different spirits who try and see your believe. You have for sure read Acts 19 15 Remember how Jesus walked in Israel, He drive out demons almoust everyday. (He may did all day, becouse we dont have all the text about Him, i belive).We people who belive in Him have no demones. But spirits who want us to come to Him and get some rest. From what where before. Whats thru here dear is that the moment you proklamed you belive in Jesus.When we all say Jesus name all people go from dead to life. Actually i read that today, loock here: John 3:36 This is a good example of Gods greace versus us.And here John 4:14
All this explanes that we are not to be afraid or hunted by bad conscience. So dont think about before anymore. Think about today and loock forward. We go on till tomorrow and further. Peronally i get a bit scared last time when you wrote that you dont have much responsibility. You have resposibility over you self. A advice from me dear sister. Be active, stay close and see what happening around you. There you have a responsibility.To do that is not a intervention, it is an active statement that things are as they should be. Becouse it is you and your husbands life together.Not one "king". Let me se if i could say this right. I dont say that you have it like that.I know you honour him in all thing. Only be active in your life so this dont happend.It is a saying, if u give a finger, the whole hand is soon taken. Then you will be scared, dont let that happend, dear. My mother let her husbond have all responsibility and when he, was no longer. She didnt know how to change a light bulb! That was the price to count only at him. Practical easy things was lost for her. And i know this is a big problem around all the world. Love u
Calvinism relies on telling a few clever lies to convince their followers of their distorted teaching. The Bible itself refutes their ideology in the following examples:
Did Jesus die for all, yes or no?
1 John 2:2 says YES
John 3:16 says YES
1 Timothy 2:4-6 says YES
2 Corinthians 5:14 says YES
Romans 10:13 says YES
1 John 4:14 says YES
But Calvinists say NO
Scripture saying Jesus did NOT die for all:
[none]
The Word of God says Jesus died for "all" and the "whole world" and "everyone" in those verses above. All means all, and the whole world means the whole world, and everyone means everyone. But cult teachings will try to twist this and say all does NOT mean all, and the whole world does NOT mean the whole world, and everyone does NOT mean everyone. It's like the serpent in the Garden of Eden who said you shall NOT surely die. It's obvious who is on what side by how they either affirm or denounce the scripture.
Those who disobey and intentionally deceive others from the truth put themselves in grave danger of God's wrath.
The 2nd big lie told by some is that people don't have freewill to do anything whatsoever. Some contradict themselves by saying they still sin but isn't their fault, while others say they don't sin at all and are perfect like Jesus, an obvious lie that 1 John 1:8 makes clear. Verses like Joshua 24:15 that say for you to choose (Calvinists deny this means you're not choosing) or for you to open the door (Calvinists deny this means you're opening the door) Revelation 3:20 , John 7:17.
The biggest lie I hear many say about others- they claim others are trying to EARN their own salvation. That lie is straight from Satan. They know its a lie but will spread it anyway. They know that 99% of Christians believe in grace and believe it is a gift, not earned. But just because they believe God gave them a gift of choice like Joshua 24:15 says, they suddenly claim their motives are to "earn" heaven. So dishonest. Beware of wolves!
I don't have the time and luxury of proof reading my texts.
Continuing.
When someone wants you to look at his "Great readings" to authenticate their salvation they want you to look at the work of their own hands!
They over emphasize the work of the Holyspirit working in their lives.
That sometimes can be a proud heart.
The Holyspirit should be using you to point people to the sustainer of our faith and that may not show up with ink on paper that displays your great intellect but it shows in the love for the Brothern. 1 John 4:21. and this is not a performance, it's a virtue.
Dispensationalism. a way of interpreting the Bible that divides history into distinct "dispensations" or periods, each characterized by a unique way God relates to humanity. A key aspect is the distinction between Israel and the Church, with the belief that God has separate plans for each.
We certainly see that between the Old and new testament. If not the Church wouldn't be considered a mystery.
A core principle is the literal interpretation of Scripture, particularly prophecy, believing that God's promises to Israel will be literally fulfilled.
That's clearly emphasized in the New and old testament.
Salvation is by the cross but is obviously displayed differently.
We look back on it. It's displayed historically.
and we're persuaded and sealed.
Israel was persuaded to believe in the works they performed pointing to something that was to come. There was no cross behind them to look back to.
If we stop there we see two different economies being pointed to the work of a person. The Lamb of God.
That's a form of dispensationalism before we even get into eschatology.
It's the way and time the entire message of salvation for the Church and the Jews makes it dispensational.
If we look to Psalm 119 we see the longest chapter in all scripture constantly referring to God's law and the author's love for it (I believe David). So the question is...(metronome sound and countdown music)
If we are in the Age of Grace what of the law if we no longer live under it; should we still love it?
This bears some thought; as we can glibly say well of course. We are reminded it is as our schoolmaster and seems harsh at the time ( Hebrews 12:11). Also the fact that no one can be saved by the law; on the contrary it is used to convict of sin; and of course if anyone breaks it even once is cursed ( Gal. 3:10 in KJV although other translations seem to try to dilute this concept it seems). How can we love His law then? The answer...(ditto metronome).
Of course it has to do with LOVE; and the verse I already stated that those who love Him keep His commandments. God doesn't accept alternate paths to Himself through our own self justification or righteousness. He doesn't accept clear defiance of commands that are part of the moral law that transcend to all generations. Obviously with grace abounding over sin we don't sin for more grace ( Romans 6:1-2).
Of course tied in with this idea man is basically good is the concept that we shouldn't offend anyone; or the scripture is twisted about not judging one another; despite Paul's clear teaching on the matter of judging within the body of Christ matters that ought not to be in the world's courts. We of course will also judge the world as corulers with Christ ( 1 Cor. 6:2); and angels ( 1 Cor. 6:3). Love therefore involves telling the truth. Telling a lie in a loving manner isn't really love of course; and neither is not warning someone when we can see they are headed for destruction.
God first loved us first (1 John 4:19); and of course we all should know John 3:16. His love had to come to us through imputed righteousness from Christ's atonament to be in His presence.
1 John 4:16 has part of the verse state that God is love; probably next to the verse "Jesus wept" the shortest sentence in the Bible. As to its implications; of course we could write volumes; and as John also stated; if all the books of the wold were used it still would fall short as to describing everything about Christ ( John 21:25). This was the Disciple; after all that Jesus loved mentioned in John 13:23 and 2 other verses also in John. It sounds rather presumptuous on the surface to make such a claim; especially in light of the other Disciples in the "inner circle" namely Peter and I believe Andrew. A study on these implications is beyond my scope or even understanding; perhaps someone else could take the reins on that...
Anyway I wanted to bring up some basic tenants related to this subject; hopefully not boring anyone with redundancy with things I have said in the past. I'm not sure who has read what likely is well over 1000 posts here; if anyone does mention something I am repeating from say 2 years ago maybe they are a bit too obsessed with me; anyway I digress...
I could start out with 1 Corinthians 13 as a homework assignment. I think I will begin with what love is NOT as for some odd reason even those claiming to be believers seem to have at best a muted sense of what God's love is. Let us examine the first and probably most obvious error
Starting with "God is love" is often the scripture touted by those who would twist scriptures
2 Peter 3:16 discusses twisting scriptures directly; although the irony here is that he was talking about difficult to understand ones while love should be pretty easy to understand. After all those who love Him are to keep His commands ( John 14:15) but this is related to Luke 6:46 in those who say "Lord, Lord" but don't do what He says. More to come....
Thank you Lbooth1955 for sharing more on how you understand this matter. Let's say that what you believe (pertaining to Peter & the eleven apostle's understanding & performance of water baptism) is what they continued to do after the Lord's direction to them. Of course, I don't quite see it the way you do, as I would then need to make certain assumptions such as, what did those apostles actually understand when Jesus spoke to them and their beliefs on this after His death & resurrection. It is true that they were ministering to a people who were under the Old Covenant, and so their words, requirements & practises would pertain to them alone, rather than to the Gentile. Yet, we can't be sure that Peter & the others knew nothing of what the fuller proper meaning of water baptism was (that it would have the same meaning as if understood by Paul): i.e. a declaration of repentance from dead works & identification with the risen Christ Who was able to cleanse them and save them. After all, John (the Baptist) was the prelude to this in preparation of the coming Messiah Who would "baptize (them) with the Holy Ghost, and with fire" ( Matthew 3:11). Jesus' disciples, not Jesus Himself, continued to baptize ( John 4:2), but His baptism would one day be with the Holy Spirit.
What was once, "water baptism symbolizing repentance, cleansing, and identification with the coming kingdom and Messiah - It was a requirement for entering the prophesied kingdom on earth" (your quote), still continued well after Calvary and must have included the merits of the Cross firmly within its meaning, or else what the apostles believed & practised was totally meaningless, working under the Old Covenant of John's baptism. Onto Page 2.
Revelation 21:7 - He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
The term "he that overcomes," sounds like a challenge. It sounds like it would be a Subjunctive, a possibility, like if you do it. But in the Greek text, it is the one (who is) overcoming. Back in Revelation Chapters 2 and 3, the seven letters to the seven churches, at the end of each message, the same phrase is found, to the one who overcomes, he will receive a reward.
But again, it's a Present Participle. It's the one who is overcoming. All genuine born-again believers are pictured in the scriptures as overcomers. It's impossible to not overcome! In 1 John 4:4, it says the spirit of antichrist is in the world, but we have overcome them, Perfect Tense. It's already done, because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
So, if Christ is always in me from the very second that I receive Christ, and He'll be there throughout eternity, then it will be impossible for me to not overcome, because He overcomes, and has overcome! So, to the one who is overcoming, he shall inherit all things. And I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Revelation 12:11 - And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Through Christ's shed blood on the cross, He purchased us and died for our sins. We are overcomers because Christ overcame Satan at the cross. That's why John says in 1 John 4:4 that greater is He that is in you that he that is in the world, and that we have already overcome the spirit of antichrist.
So, they overcame him, in the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony. And they loved not their lives unto death. Interesting! How far along do I love my life? Well, I'm willing to give it up right up to death. I mean, that might be a little too far.
In the book of Acts, as Paul was traveling towards Jerusalem, there were different prophecies given along the way that if Paul was going to go to Jerusalem, he was going to be persecuted and taken captive there.
The prophecies didn't say don't go. The prophecies just said you're going to face trouble. Because of those prophecies, the Christians tried to stop him from going, thinking that if God were to say that, it must mean that God is trying to stop him.
But Paul says to them "I don't count my life dear to myself. God has told me to go. If that's what awaits me, so be it!" It's interesting that he says I don't count my life dear to myself. We have a tendency to interpret things differently that happen to us.
Some say "a God of love wouldn't allow difficulty to happen in my life. I can't accept a God who would do that!" That's because they love their lives too much. What if God called us to sacrifice for Him? Some would say that's too far.
Just think if someone came knocking on your door and asked are you a believer in Christ, and you said yes, and they said come on out here, you're next to be put to death. What are you going to do? They do not love their lives even unto the death!
Ricardo, There's a wall up between you and God that's hindering God's ability to do additional things of what He wants/needs to do in your life. The "wall" is your way of thinking. You stated, "As a man I operate and rely strongly upon logic". Logic is not a bad at all when applied correctly. It's impossible to rely strongly on logic when understanding the character of God. Of course, God Almighty is ALL powerful. God won't force Himself to operate in our lives "fully" until we "fully" surrender our all to Him...our mind, body, spirit, and soul. and there is absolutely NO limit to His power, we can't allow our point of view to get in the way of God wanting us to Him in our lives completely.
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." Proverbs 3:5 KJV
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." John 4:24 KJV
So many names, so many times - and He came through them all. That the King would come from a broken lineage,to make of broken hearts one redeemed Body. 1 Corinthians 12:27
The names that the Gospel of Matthew so carefully preserves - from Abraham to Joseph. There is order there, and purpose.
Ephesians 3:6
Today, we are part of that same body, though in a different way: not by natural descent, but by the faith that unites us to the Son. John 1:12-13
Those who came before prepared the way for the One who would gather in Himself all who were lost. Isaiah 53:5
If the Body of Christ is made up of many members, then the genealogy is like the bone -
the unseen but essential structure of the human body. Each generation upheld the promise - even without fully understanding - until the promise became flesh. 1 John 4:4
For there lies the evidence that the Lord came not through angels, but through people - fathers and mothers,
the righteous and the unrighteous. Matthew 24
If we are His body, as the Scriptures say, then we are also grafted into that lineage - not by blood, but by grace.
Not heirs by right, but by adoption. And that, to me, is the sweetest form of belonging.
The genealogy of Christ is, therefore, a body - and in it, we were placed.
I pray that I do not offend you, brother. Jesus is the beginning of the creation of God, and God placed Him above all, not just humans, until the last enemy is destroyed. Jesus is worthy of these titles. We do not see the apostles teaching that Jesus is the God of the Old Testament, in Acts 3:13, where Peter says, "the God of our fathers hath glorified His Son."
In Revelation 1:17-18 says "he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore". God is Spirit and eternal, and can not change, nor even any part of Him die. God sent His Son into this world to be the propitiation for our sins, 1 John 4:10. The law was for man, who could be tempted, Hebrews 4:14, God cannot be tempted James 1:13. Man had to live a perfect life, obedient to the Father, and die that through Jesus's blood, we have redemption, Ephesians 1:7, God is a Spirit.
The phrase "son of man" in the Old Testament is a metaphor or idiom referring to a human being or a mere mortal. God addressed Ezekiel as "Son of Man"; Jesus referred to Himself 80 times as the "Son of Man." In Daniel 7:13-14, Daniel was shown a vision of Jesus after His resurrection ascending to heaven, to His Father, Ephesians 1:17-23, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory. God does not have a God, 2 Cor. 11:31, Eph. 1:3, Eph. 4:6, 1 Pet. 1:3.
Daniel 10, this is not a vision of Christ; it is an angel, Gabriel. This chapter shows us that battles in the spiritual realm are going on that we do not see or hear. Daniel had prayed and was mourning about what he had been shown would happen to his people and Jerusalem in Daniel 9. In Daniel 10:12-14, Gabriel tells Daniel why he was late coming; this is not a vision of Christ.
I will leave it there; I hope you understand my reply is in love.
Spiritual legacy is not enforced through authority, but planted through love, consistency, and a life lived daily on the altar of intimacy with God.
Psalm 51:17 - "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."
John 4:23-24 - "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth..." Psalm 19:14 - "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord..."
Romans 12:11 - "Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord."
I know you already live this - and more than ever, I'm beginning to truly understand it too.May we be like songs that bring joy to His heart. May our hearts burn for Him.
Thank you for your reply, I certainly do not mind. I understand that this subject is delicate, and I am blessed to have brothers and sisters on this site willing to discuss it. Revelation is a challenging book, and I am looking forward to Jesse getting through it.
You have listed some exciting verses, and I hope to share my thoughts on them and your post, not to determine who may be right, but rather to view the discussion as a nudge to pray and study. On the verses you listed, John 12:49-50, Jesus is saying the Father gave Him a commandment and what the Father told Him to say, Jesus was obedient.
John 8:28-29, the Pharisees were debating with Jesus who He was, and He said that in verse 28-29 when He is lifted up/crucified, they will know who He is. We see in Matthew 28:54 when Jesus died and those things that happened, the centurion and those who were there greatly feared and said, "Truly this was the Son of God.
John 7:16-19, the gospels, reveal the glory of the Father who sent Jesus; all that Jesus did was accomplished by the Father through the Holy Spirit, with which Jesus was anointed without measure.
In John 4:34, John 5:19, John 5:30, and John 8:26 all say that it is the Father, not Him, on in John 14:10 Jesus was in the Father and the Father was in Him this was from the time Jesus was anointed without measure the Holy Spirit when He was baptized and made the Messiah.
Jesus was and is the Word of God; John 1:14. God was in the flesh in Jesus through the Holy Spirit, just like these verses say. The beginning in John, many understand it as the beginning of creation, my understanding is the beginning of Jesus' ministry, as we see in Mark 1:1, Luke 1:2, and 1 John 1:1.
To me, Jesus was the first in the plan of God, Revelation 3:14, and everything was created in Jesus, not by Him, and all was created for Jesus and the purpose of the Father. Revelation 13:8 and 1 Peter 1:18-21.
1 John 4:4 says, you have already overcome them little children, because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. So, I have overcome. It's a Perfect Tense. It's already a done deal!
1 John 5:14 - And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
That's a factual statement. He hears us. God will answer every prayer that is asked for His will to be done, guaranteed!
1 John 5:18 - We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
We know that whosoever is born of God sins not; literally, does not continue in sin, but he that is born of God keeps himself, and again the word keep in the Greek text is guard, and that wicked one, or evil one does not touch him.
There are manuscript differences. Instead of keepeth himself, the oldest manuscripts say, the one who is born of God, God keeps him, guards him, and the evil one does not touch him. The word touch is the word HAPTO, which means to fasten onto someone, to grip onto and hold onto them. Satan can touch my life, but he can't have me. He can't fasten himself to me and take me away.
1 John 5:19 - And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness. And not just wickedness, because in the Greek text it's the evil one.
1 John 4:8 - He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
He that loves not does not know God; Here's the reason: for God is love. In Verse 16, it says it again. It's the only definition in the bible for AGAPE love. God is love. The verb for of AGAPE, AGAPAO, is found everywhere in literature. It's even used in the bible to talk about a love for the world.
But the noun AGAPE is only found two other places outside of the bible in all of the Greek literature. And the noun is strictly associated with God Himself. He is love. So, if you were to ask me, what does it mean to love my neighbor? Well, it's not an action. It's God!
1 John 4:11 - Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
We are indebted. That's what the word ought means. We all know what credit card debt is. This is the same kind. God loved me so much that He sent His Son to die for me. I am indebted to my brothers and sisters in Christ to function and walk in the love of God.
1 John 4:21 - And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loves God, and notice the factual statement: he that loves God, loves his brother also. It doesn't say should. It says loves his brother also. That's a factual statement. And again, the love is AGAPE.
1 John 5:4 - For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
For whosoever is born of God overcomes the world: That's a factual statement! And this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. It's the indication of a one-time belief in Christ at that time of salvation. The moment that I put my faith in Christ; I became an overcomer. I am overcoming, and I have overcome the world. We see this in Chapter 4.
1 John 4:4 - Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
He says you are of God, little children, and have overcome them (Perfect Tense). You have already overcome the spirit of antichrist, the spirit of Satan that's in the world. Why? Because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.
You see, everything comes back to Christ. The only way that Satan can take me away from Christ is for him to defeat Christ, and he can't do that. My spirit is filled with the presence of Christ, and my Spirit is sealed by the Holy Spirit of God forever!
When my spirit leaves my body, it's called death.
When I experience death, His Spirit and my spirit leave. His Spirit is intermingled with my spirit. He is there now, and I will be one with Him throughout eternity. That's the promise to the believer. It's a gift. But we have to repent. We have to acknowledge our need and pray for His mercy on us to save us.
1 John 4:1 - Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Beloved, stop believing every spirit. That is a command. Notice it didn't say teacher. It says spirit. Behind every teaching is a spirit. Now a false teacher isn't somebody that makes a mistake. Maybe they skip over a line, forget to read a line in the scriptures, or make a human blunder or something. That's not a false teacher.
We're talking about the whole presentation of where the person's coming from, the whole principle of whether we're violating the very heart of what God's word says, and introducing some new age teaching from the bible that's vogue in our day.
Also, a minister's sermons and teachings, they are not from God. Only God's word in truth, contained in the message, is the word of God. So, the minister or pastor is just up there. And it's not whether they make mistakes or not, it's whether the Spirit of God is moving through them to present and give the truth of what the text is saying, the true concepts of God.
Stop believing every spirit, but test the spirits (plural), whether they are of God: why? because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
When the word overcome, which is the word for victory, when it is presented about a believer, it's in the Perfect Tense. In 1 John 4:4, John's been talking about the spirit of antichrist in the world, and he says you are of God little children, and you have overcome them. Not should. You have already. Because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
1 John 5:4 says, for whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Again, has overcome, Perfect Tense.
And also, in the book of Revelation, in Chapters 2 and 3, the seven letters to the churches in Asia, to each church the Lord gives His warning and says to them, to the one who overcome, that is, the sins and problems in the church, I will give them the crown of life. To each one He says that.
Well, that's the way it reads in English, to the one who overcomes. It sounds like it's a challenge. But it's literally a Present Participle in the Greek. To the ones who are already overcoming. It's not a challenge. The point of the true believers that are within these fellowships, they are already overcoming. And they are the ones who will respond to what Christ had to say in His warnings. The people who do not belong to Christ will not.
In the King James Bible, the word love is mentioned over 300 times. There are two types of love, human love (PHILEO) and Godly love (AGAPE). Human love is a type of love that is expressed by both believers and non-believers. Godly love can only be expressed by believers. This type of love in the bible is called AGAPE love, and it is a fruit of God's Spirit, meaning it is produced by God ( Galatians 5:22).
A person who has been born of God's Spirit expresses Godly love (AGAPE) because His Spirit in them produces this type of love. A human being cannot produce this type of love.
We also know from 1 John 4:8 that love is a person, and that person is God. AGAPE is a noun that is strictly associated with God Himself. He is love!
We see in the bible ( Matthew 22:37) where is says love the Lord thy God., and love thy neighbor, and this is the word AGAPE, not PHILEO, meaning it is not human love. The only way we are able to love the Lord thy God, and love our neighbor is if we have God's Spirit in us. He gives us the ability and capacity to do so. This type of love also causes us to have a deep concern for the spiritual wellbeing of others.
COGIC SUNDAY SCHOOL BOOK APRIL 6,2025 1JOHN 4:13-5:5
West Angeles Church Cogic Cathedral Los Angeles California
MY COGIC WORSHIP: 1Corithians 15:3-4 KJV I Worship God that is the only word to believe, to chose God and only God. God I believe produces fruit for me to be in love and Holy Spirit that gets me what I want. God always there to all the world to be complete, accomplish, to be in Love of God to obey God Hebrews 11:1.God that's gives opportunity to be born again working with your own hands. Loving God showing you how to love in life.
I Pray in my life what's done with me God will prove to trust God will work and faith becoming reality always be there for me and us
4. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
Jesus tells His Father He has finished the work that the Father gave Him to do. Jesus was obedient to the Father in everything; He lived a life doing the Father's will, not His own, John 4:34, John 5:30. Jesus glorified His Father by living a sinless life, fulfilling the law, and completed the works of the Father by the Spirit of God, John 14:10.
He manifested His Father's love, goodness, justice, mercy, and truth, as Jesus in John 14:7-11 told the disciples, if you have seen me, you have seen the Father, I am in the Father, and the Father in me, the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Later in this chapter, Jesus says more than once, "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us', "that they may be one, even as we are one".
Jesus knows He must face His crucifixion, and stating that He has glorified the Father and fulfilled His work is not a boast but a reflection of His love and dedication to God's purpose. Jesus prays this prayer in front of His disciples to demonstrate the importance of obedience, emphasizing that all we do is to glorify God.
"It is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish."
Matthew 18:14
That is a direct, unambiguous statement of God's will:
He does not desire any child to be lost.
8. God does not require spoken words-only faith, and He gives faith even to the weak.
"We love Him because He first loved us."
1 John 4:19
Salvation does not start with us.
It starts with God's initiative, God's grace, and God's love - which can be applied to a child who cannot verbalize anything.
"Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God."
1 John 4:16
"And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."
Blessings
There is but one olive tree; some branches were cut off that we might be grafted in. We should not boast but be thankful, because by doing so, we could be cut off, Romans 11:17-21. We think today the Church, the body of Christ, as being Gentiles, but the Church, the body of Christ, started with the Jews," to the Jew first", that began at Pentecost, Romans 1:16. We, by the grace of God, were added to the olive tree and the Church, the body of Christ.
Of the Jews, the Lord saves a remnant through Christ, then and today, while the rest fell for the reconciliation of the world, us. God is not done with Israel; their return to God through faith in Christ will be like life from the dead, Romans 11:15.
Have we become ignorant of the mystery of their blindness in part and become wise in our own conceits until the fullness, meaning, completion, fulfillment, or the total of the Gentiles? When will that be? Tomorrow, years from now. Are we ready? Are we looking for things that are not coming?
Is our faith strong enough that we are willing to face death? There are many teachings out there, but only one truth. Deception is thick; we are in spiritual warfare, Colossians 2:8, 1 John 4:1. Discernment is critical in spiritual warfare; it enables believers to differentiate between truth and falsehood, particularly in the context of teachings and prophecies.
It is found in prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus said in John 16:13-14 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
God bless,
RLW
Your posting on God's love brings to mind Heb 2:10 where God deemed it "fitting to crush His Son in order to bring many sons to glory". 1 John 4:16 is so comforting in that it reveals that God is love and in love He ordained to redeem sinful humans to become fitted to commune with Him in the love of the Godhead. We were ruined by sin, but, for His glory, God purposed to save us when we were dead in sin through the sacrifice of our Savior and the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit so we could be made alive in Christ and made holy and acceptable before the Father. 1 John 3:1 expresses that God has "lavished His love upon us" in such a way that we become His children. Oh, what manner of love is this! Can we even know the depths of this love?
1Peter 4:8 exhorts us to love each other because love covers a multitude of sins. The sacrifice of Jesus did just that. He did it all for love of the people the Father predestined to give the Son before all of creation. He loved the Son in this way. We are a gift to His Son and also we are a gift to the Father. We do not deserve this at all, but God deemed it a highly desirable to create us for this purpose. We are to dwell in His love and enjoy the love relationship of the Godhead forever. That is so very awesome!
God's love is a tremendous gift to us. He does all things for His glory. His God-centeredness extends outward to His creation in all He ordains and brings to fruition. We are the beneficiaries of the internal love of the Godhead. In His wisdom, He deemed that He would be most glorified in saving a people made holy and righteous by the work and sacrifice of His ONE and ONLY Son because He is the source of all life, goodness and love. In raising His Son from death to life God demonstrated that death cannot conquer His love for His Son nor for the people Jesus died for to become children of God.
These are my immediate thoughts on your postings on God's love for us. It is such a beautiful truth to grasp.
Conclusion and Practical Application
Therefore, the teaching of the "three voices" is a useful tool for discernment based on biblical truth as a whole. The challenge for the believer is to learn to:
Recognize where each thought or impulse may be originating from.
Test everything by the Word of God (the Bible), which is the absolute standard of truth.
Reject the voices that align with sin, fear, accusation, and lies.
Accept and obey the voice that aligns with God's character-which is holy, loving, true, and invites us to faith and righteousness.
A final verse to guide discernment:
1 John 4:1: "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."
Revelation 1:7
"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen."
1 John 4:1
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."
Bleesings
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
All this explanes that we are not to be afraid or hunted by bad conscience. So dont think about before anymore. Think about today and loock forward. We go on till tomorrow and further. Peronally i get a bit scared last time when you wrote that you dont have much responsibility. You have resposibility over you self. A advice from me dear sister. Be active, stay close and see what happening around you. There you have a responsibility.To do that is not a intervention, it is an active statement that things are as they should be. Becouse it is you and your husbands life together.Not one "king". Let me se if i could say this right. I dont say that you have it like that.I know you honour him in all thing. Only be active in your life so this dont happend.It is a saying, if u give a finger, the whole hand is soon taken. Then you will be scared, dont let that happend, dear. My mother let her husbond have all responsibility and when he, was no longer. She didnt know how to change a light bulb! That was the price to count only at him. Practical easy things was lost for her. And i know this is a big problem around all the world. Love u
Did Jesus die for all, yes or no?
1 John 2:2 says YES
John 3:16 says YES
1 Timothy 2:4-6 says YES
2 Corinthians 5:14 says YES
Romans 10:13 says YES
1 John 4:14 says YES
But Calvinists say NO
Scripture saying Jesus did NOT die for all:
[none]
The Word of God says Jesus died for "all" and the "whole world" and "everyone" in those verses above. All means all, and the whole world means the whole world, and everyone means everyone. But cult teachings will try to twist this and say all does NOT mean all, and the whole world does NOT mean the whole world, and everyone does NOT mean everyone. It's like the serpent in the Garden of Eden who said you shall NOT surely die. It's obvious who is on what side by how they either affirm or denounce the scripture.
Those who disobey and intentionally deceive others from the truth put themselves in grave danger of God's wrath.
The 2nd big lie told by some is that people don't have freewill to do anything whatsoever. Some contradict themselves by saying they still sin but isn't their fault, while others say they don't sin at all and are perfect like Jesus, an obvious lie that 1 John 1:8 makes clear. Verses like Joshua 24:15 that say for you to choose (Calvinists deny this means you're not choosing) or for you to open the door (Calvinists deny this means you're opening the door) Revelation 3:20 , John 7:17.
The biggest lie I hear many say about others- they claim others are trying to EARN their own salvation. That lie is straight from Satan. They know its a lie but will spread it anyway. They know that 99% of Christians believe in grace and believe it is a gift, not earned. But just because they believe God gave them a gift of choice like Joshua 24:15 says, they suddenly claim their motives are to "earn" heaven. So dishonest. Beware of wolves!
I'm multitasking and forgot a few things.
I don't have the time and luxury of proof reading my texts.
Continuing.
When someone wants you to look at his "Great readings" to authenticate their salvation they want you to look at the work of their own hands!
They over emphasize the work of the Holyspirit working in their lives.
That sometimes can be a proud heart.
The Holyspirit should be using you to point people to the sustainer of our faith and that may not show up with ink on paper that displays your great intellect but it shows in the love for the Brothern. 1 John 4:21. and this is not a performance, it's a virtue.
Dispensationalism. a way of interpreting the Bible that divides history into distinct "dispensations" or periods, each characterized by a unique way God relates to humanity. A key aspect is the distinction between Israel and the Church, with the belief that God has separate plans for each.
We certainly see that between the Old and new testament. If not the Church wouldn't be considered a mystery.
A core principle is the literal interpretation of Scripture, particularly prophecy, believing that God's promises to Israel will be literally fulfilled.
That's clearly emphasized in the New and old testament.
Salvation is by the cross but is obviously displayed differently.
We look back on it. It's displayed historically.
and we're persuaded and sealed.
Israel was persuaded to believe in the works they performed pointing to something that was to come. There was no cross behind them to look back to.
If we stop there we see two different economies being pointed to the work of a person. The Lamb of God.
That's a form of dispensationalism before we even get into eschatology.
It's the way and time the entire message of salvation for the Church and the Jews makes it dispensational.
Romans 11:25-26.
Dispensationalism!
Blessings
If we look to Psalm 119 we see the longest chapter in all scripture constantly referring to God's law and the author's love for it (I believe David). So the question is...(metronome sound and countdown music)
If we are in the Age of Grace what of the law if we no longer live under it; should we still love it?
This bears some thought; as we can glibly say well of course. We are reminded it is as our schoolmaster and seems harsh at the time ( Hebrews 12:11). Also the fact that no one can be saved by the law; on the contrary it is used to convict of sin; and of course if anyone breaks it even once is cursed ( Gal. 3:10 in KJV although other translations seem to try to dilute this concept it seems). How can we love His law then? The answer...(ditto metronome).
Of course it has to do with LOVE; and the verse I already stated that those who love Him keep His commandments. God doesn't accept alternate paths to Himself through our own self justification or righteousness. He doesn't accept clear defiance of commands that are part of the moral law that transcend to all generations. Obviously with grace abounding over sin we don't sin for more grace ( Romans 6:1-2).
Of course tied in with this idea man is basically good is the concept that we shouldn't offend anyone; or the scripture is twisted about not judging one another; despite Paul's clear teaching on the matter of judging within the body of Christ matters that ought not to be in the world's courts. We of course will also judge the world as corulers with Christ ( 1 Cor. 6:2); and angels ( 1 Cor. 6:3). Love therefore involves telling the truth. Telling a lie in a loving manner isn't really love of course; and neither is not warning someone when we can see they are headed for destruction.
God first loved us first (1 John 4:19); and of course we all should know John 3:16. His love had to come to us through imputed righteousness from Christ's atonament to be in His presence.
1 John 4:16 has part of the verse state that God is love; probably next to the verse "Jesus wept" the shortest sentence in the Bible. As to its implications; of course we could write volumes; and as John also stated; if all the books of the wold were used it still would fall short as to describing everything about Christ ( John 21:25). This was the Disciple; after all that Jesus loved mentioned in John 13:23 and 2 other verses also in John. It sounds rather presumptuous on the surface to make such a claim; especially in light of the other Disciples in the "inner circle" namely Peter and I believe Andrew. A study on these implications is beyond my scope or even understanding; perhaps someone else could take the reins on that...
Anyway I wanted to bring up some basic tenants related to this subject; hopefully not boring anyone with redundancy with things I have said in the past. I'm not sure who has read what likely is well over 1000 posts here; if anyone does mention something I am repeating from say 2 years ago maybe they are a bit too obsessed with me; anyway I digress...
I could start out with 1 Corinthians 13 as a homework assignment. I think I will begin with what love is NOT as for some odd reason even those claiming to be believers seem to have at best a muted sense of what God's love is. Let us examine the first and probably most obvious error
Starting with "God is love" is often the scripture touted by those who would twist scriptures
2 Peter 3:16 discusses twisting scriptures directly; although the irony here is that he was talking about difficult to understand ones while love should be pretty easy to understand. After all those who love Him are to keep His commands ( John 14:15) but this is related to Luke 6:46 in those who say "Lord, Lord" but don't do what He says. More to come....
Thank you Lbooth1955 for sharing more on how you understand this matter. Let's say that what you believe (pertaining to Peter & the eleven apostle's understanding & performance of water baptism) is what they continued to do after the Lord's direction to them. Of course, I don't quite see it the way you do, as I would then need to make certain assumptions such as, what did those apostles actually understand when Jesus spoke to them and their beliefs on this after His death & resurrection. It is true that they were ministering to a people who were under the Old Covenant, and so their words, requirements & practises would pertain to them alone, rather than to the Gentile. Yet, we can't be sure that Peter & the others knew nothing of what the fuller proper meaning of water baptism was (that it would have the same meaning as if understood by Paul): i.e. a declaration of repentance from dead works & identification with the risen Christ Who was able to cleanse them and save them. After all, John (the Baptist) was the prelude to this in preparation of the coming Messiah Who would "baptize (them) with the Holy Ghost, and with fire" ( Matthew 3:11). Jesus' disciples, not Jesus Himself, continued to baptize ( John 4:2), but His baptism would one day be with the Holy Spirit.
What was once, "water baptism symbolizing repentance, cleansing, and identification with the coming kingdom and Messiah - It was a requirement for entering the prophesied kingdom on earth" (your quote), still continued well after Calvary and must have included the merits of the Cross firmly within its meaning, or else what the apostles believed & practised was totally meaningless, working under the Old Covenant of John's baptism. Onto Page 2.
Revelation 21:7 - He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
The term "he that overcomes," sounds like a challenge. It sounds like it would be a Subjunctive, a possibility, like if you do it. But in the Greek text, it is the one (who is) overcoming. Back in Revelation Chapters 2 and 3, the seven letters to the seven churches, at the end of each message, the same phrase is found, to the one who overcomes, he will receive a reward.
But again, it's a Present Participle. It's the one who is overcoming. All genuine born-again believers are pictured in the scriptures as overcomers. It's impossible to not overcome! In 1 John 4:4, it says the spirit of antichrist is in the world, but we have overcome them, Perfect Tense. It's already done, because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
So, if Christ is always in me from the very second that I receive Christ, and He'll be there throughout eternity, then it will be impossible for me to not overcome, because He overcomes, and has overcome! So, to the one who is overcoming, he shall inherit all things. And I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Revelation 12:11 - And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Through Christ's shed blood on the cross, He purchased us and died for our sins. We are overcomers because Christ overcame Satan at the cross. That's why John says in 1 John 4:4 that greater is He that is in you that he that is in the world, and that we have already overcome the spirit of antichrist.
So, they overcame him, in the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony. And they loved not their lives unto death. Interesting! How far along do I love my life? Well, I'm willing to give it up right up to death. I mean, that might be a little too far.
In the book of Acts, as Paul was traveling towards Jerusalem, there were different prophecies given along the way that if Paul was going to go to Jerusalem, he was going to be persecuted and taken captive there.
The prophecies didn't say don't go. The prophecies just said you're going to face trouble. Because of those prophecies, the Christians tried to stop him from going, thinking that if God were to say that, it must mean that God is trying to stop him.
But Paul says to them "I don't count my life dear to myself. God has told me to go. If that's what awaits me, so be it!" It's interesting that he says I don't count my life dear to myself. We have a tendency to interpret things differently that happen to us.
Some say "a God of love wouldn't allow difficulty to happen in my life. I can't accept a God who would do that!" That's because they love their lives too much. What if God called us to sacrifice for Him? Some would say that's too far.
Just think if someone came knocking on your door and asked are you a believer in Christ, and you said yes, and they said come on out here, you're next to be put to death. What are you going to do? They do not love their lives even unto the death!
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." Proverbs 3:5 KJV
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." John 4:24 KJV
The names that the Gospel of Matthew so carefully preserves - from Abraham to Joseph. There is order there, and purpose.
Ephesians 3:6
Today, we are part of that same body, though in a different way: not by natural descent, but by the faith that unites us to the Son. John 1:12-13
Those who came before prepared the way for the One who would gather in Himself all who were lost. Isaiah 53:5
If the Body of Christ is made up of many members, then the genealogy is like the bone -
the unseen but essential structure of the human body. Each generation upheld the promise - even without fully understanding - until the promise became flesh. 1 John 4:4
For there lies the evidence that the Lord came not through angels, but through people - fathers and mothers,
the righteous and the unrighteous. Matthew 24
If we are His body, as the Scriptures say, then we are also grafted into that lineage - not by blood, but by grace.
Not heirs by right, but by adoption. And that, to me, is the sweetest form of belonging.
The genealogy of Christ is, therefore, a body - and in it, we were placed.
I pray that I do not offend you, brother. Jesus is the beginning of the creation of God, and God placed Him above all, not just humans, until the last enemy is destroyed. Jesus is worthy of these titles. We do not see the apostles teaching that Jesus is the God of the Old Testament, in Acts 3:13, where Peter says, "the God of our fathers hath glorified His Son."
In Revelation 1:17-18 says "he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore". God is Spirit and eternal, and can not change, nor even any part of Him die. God sent His Son into this world to be the propitiation for our sins, 1 John 4:10. The law was for man, who could be tempted, Hebrews 4:14, God cannot be tempted James 1:13. Man had to live a perfect life, obedient to the Father, and die that through Jesus's blood, we have redemption, Ephesians 1:7, God is a Spirit.
The phrase "son of man" in the Old Testament is a metaphor or idiom referring to a human being or a mere mortal. God addressed Ezekiel as "Son of Man"; Jesus referred to Himself 80 times as the "Son of Man." In Daniel 7:13-14, Daniel was shown a vision of Jesus after His resurrection ascending to heaven, to His Father, Ephesians 1:17-23, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory. God does not have a God, 2 Cor. 11:31, Eph. 1:3, Eph. 4:6, 1 Pet. 1:3.
Daniel 10, this is not a vision of Christ; it is an angel, Gabriel. This chapter shows us that battles in the spiritual realm are going on that we do not see or hear. Daniel had prayed and was mourning about what he had been shown would happen to his people and Jerusalem in Daniel 9. In Daniel 10:12-14, Gabriel tells Daniel why he was late coming; this is not a vision of Christ.
I will leave it there; I hope you understand my reply is in love.
bless,
RLW
Psalm 51:17 - "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."
John 4:23-24 - "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth..." Psalm 19:14 - "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord..."
Romans 12:11 - "Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord."
I know you already live this - and more than ever, I'm beginning to truly understand it too.May we be like songs that bring joy to His heart. May our hearts burn for Him.
I love you in Christ Jesus.
Part 1
Thank you for your reply, I certainly do not mind. I understand that this subject is delicate, and I am blessed to have brothers and sisters on this site willing to discuss it. Revelation is a challenging book, and I am looking forward to Jesse getting through it.
You have listed some exciting verses, and I hope to share my thoughts on them and your post, not to determine who may be right, but rather to view the discussion as a nudge to pray and study. On the verses you listed, John 12:49-50, Jesus is saying the Father gave Him a commandment and what the Father told Him to say, Jesus was obedient.
John 8:28-29, the Pharisees were debating with Jesus who He was, and He said that in verse 28-29 when He is lifted up/crucified, they will know who He is. We see in Matthew 28:54 when Jesus died and those things that happened, the centurion and those who were there greatly feared and said, "Truly this was the Son of God.
John 7:16-19, the gospels, reveal the glory of the Father who sent Jesus; all that Jesus did was accomplished by the Father through the Holy Spirit, with which Jesus was anointed without measure.
In John 4:34, John 5:19, John 5:30, and John 8:26 all say that it is the Father, not Him, on in John 14:10 Jesus was in the Father and the Father was in Him this was from the time Jesus was anointed without measure the Holy Spirit when He was baptized and made the Messiah.
Jesus was and is the Word of God; John 1:14. God was in the flesh in Jesus through the Holy Spirit, just like these verses say. The beginning in John, many understand it as the beginning of creation, my understanding is the beginning of Jesus' ministry, as we see in Mark 1:1, Luke 1:2, and 1 John 1:1.
To me, Jesus was the first in the plan of God, Revelation 3:14, and everything was created in Jesus, not by Him, and all was created for Jesus and the purpose of the Father. Revelation 13:8 and 1 Peter 1:18-21.
See part 2
1 John 4:4 says, you have already overcome them little children, because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. So, I have overcome. It's a Perfect Tense. It's already a done deal!
1 John 5:14 - And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
That's a factual statement. He hears us. God will answer every prayer that is asked for His will to be done, guaranteed!
1 John 5:18 - We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
We know that whosoever is born of God sins not; literally, does not continue in sin, but he that is born of God keeps himself, and again the word keep in the Greek text is guard, and that wicked one, or evil one does not touch him.
There are manuscript differences. Instead of keepeth himself, the oldest manuscripts say, the one who is born of God, God keeps him, guards him, and the evil one does not touch him. The word touch is the word HAPTO, which means to fasten onto someone, to grip onto and hold onto them. Satan can touch my life, but he can't have me. He can't fasten himself to me and take me away.
1 John 5:19 - And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness. And not just wickedness, because in the Greek text it's the evil one.
1 John 4:8 - He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
He that loves not does not know God; Here's the reason: for God is love. In Verse 16, it says it again. It's the only definition in the bible for AGAPE love. God is love. The verb for of AGAPE, AGAPAO, is found everywhere in literature. It's even used in the bible to talk about a love for the world.
But the noun AGAPE is only found two other places outside of the bible in all of the Greek literature. And the noun is strictly associated with God Himself. He is love. So, if you were to ask me, what does it mean to love my neighbor? Well, it's not an action. It's God!
1 John 4:11 - Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
We are indebted. That's what the word ought means. We all know what credit card debt is. This is the same kind. God loved me so much that He sent His Son to die for me. I am indebted to my brothers and sisters in Christ to function and walk in the love of God.
1 John 4:21 - And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loves God, and notice the factual statement: he that loves God, loves his brother also. It doesn't say should. It says loves his brother also. That's a factual statement. And again, the love is AGAPE.
1 John 5:4 - For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
For whosoever is born of God overcomes the world: That's a factual statement! And this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. It's the indication of a one-time belief in Christ at that time of salvation. The moment that I put my faith in Christ; I became an overcomer. I am overcoming, and I have overcome the world. We see this in Chapter 4.
1 John 4:4 - Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
He says you are of God, little children, and have overcome them (Perfect Tense). You have already overcome the spirit of antichrist, the spirit of Satan that's in the world. Why? Because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.
You see, everything comes back to Christ. The only way that Satan can take me away from Christ is for him to defeat Christ, and he can't do that. My spirit is filled with the presence of Christ, and my Spirit is sealed by the Holy Spirit of God forever!
When my spirit leaves my body, it's called death.
When I experience death, His Spirit and my spirit leave. His Spirit is intermingled with my spirit. He is there now, and I will be one with Him throughout eternity. That's the promise to the believer. It's a gift. But we have to repent. We have to acknowledge our need and pray for His mercy on us to save us.
1 John 4:1 - Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Beloved, stop believing every spirit. That is a command. Notice it didn't say teacher. It says spirit. Behind every teaching is a spirit. Now a false teacher isn't somebody that makes a mistake. Maybe they skip over a line, forget to read a line in the scriptures, or make a human blunder or something. That's not a false teacher.
We're talking about the whole presentation of where the person's coming from, the whole principle of whether we're violating the very heart of what God's word says, and introducing some new age teaching from the bible that's vogue in our day.
Also, a minister's sermons and teachings, they are not from God. Only God's word in truth, contained in the message, is the word of God. So, the minister or pastor is just up there. And it's not whether they make mistakes or not, it's whether the Spirit of God is moving through them to present and give the truth of what the text is saying, the true concepts of God.
Stop believing every spirit, but test the spirits (plural), whether they are of God: why? because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Peter 2:19 Continued
Two things:
When the word overcome, which is the word for victory, when it is presented about a believer, it's in the Perfect Tense. In 1 John 4:4, John's been talking about the spirit of antichrist in the world, and he says you are of God little children, and you have overcome them. Not should. You have already. Because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
1 John 5:4 says, for whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Again, has overcome, Perfect Tense.
And also, in the book of Revelation, in Chapters 2 and 3, the seven letters to the churches in Asia, to each church the Lord gives His warning and says to them, to the one who overcome, that is, the sins and problems in the church, I will give them the crown of life. To each one He says that.
Well, that's the way it reads in English, to the one who overcomes. It sounds like it's a challenge. But it's literally a Present Participle in the Greek. To the ones who are already overcoming. It's not a challenge. The point of the true believers that are within these fellowships, they are already overcoming. And they are the ones who will respond to what Christ had to say in His warnings. The people who do not belong to Christ will not.
In the King James Bible, the word love is mentioned over 300 times. There are two types of love, human love (PHILEO) and Godly love (AGAPE). Human love is a type of love that is expressed by both believers and non-believers. Godly love can only be expressed by believers. This type of love in the bible is called AGAPE love, and it is a fruit of God's Spirit, meaning it is produced by God ( Galatians 5:22).
A person who has been born of God's Spirit expresses Godly love (AGAPE) because His Spirit in them produces this type of love. A human being cannot produce this type of love.
We also know from 1 John 4:8 that love is a person, and that person is God. AGAPE is a noun that is strictly associated with God Himself. He is love!
We see in the bible ( Matthew 22:37) where is says love the Lord thy God., and love thy neighbor, and this is the word AGAPE, not PHILEO, meaning it is not human love. The only way we are able to love the Lord thy God, and love our neighbor is if we have God's Spirit in us. He gives us the ability and capacity to do so. This type of love also causes us to have a deep concern for the spiritual wellbeing of others.
I hope this helps!
West Angeles Church Cogic Cathedral Los Angeles California
MY COGIC WORSHIP: 1Corithians 15:3-4 KJV I Worship God that is the only word to believe, to chose God and only God. God I believe produces fruit for me to be in love and Holy Spirit that gets me what I want. God always there to all the world to be complete, accomplish, to be in Love of God to obey God Hebrews 11:1.God that's gives opportunity to be born again working with your own hands. Loving God showing you how to love in life.
I Pray in my life what's done with me God will prove to trust God will work and faith becoming reality always be there for me and us
Part 4.
4. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
Jesus tells His Father He has finished the work that the Father gave Him to do. Jesus was obedient to the Father in everything; He lived a life doing the Father's will, not His own, John 4:34, John 5:30. Jesus glorified His Father by living a sinless life, fulfilling the law, and completed the works of the Father by the Spirit of God, John 14:10.
He manifested His Father's love, goodness, justice, mercy, and truth, as Jesus in John 14:7-11 told the disciples, if you have seen me, you have seen the Father, I am in the Father, and the Father in me, the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Later in this chapter, Jesus says more than once, "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us', "that they may be one, even as we are one".
Jesus knows He must face His crucifixion, and stating that He has glorified the Father and fulfilled His work is not a boast but a reflection of His love and dedication to God's purpose. Jesus prays this prayer in front of His disciples to demonstrate the importance of obedience, emphasizing that all we do is to glorify God.
See part 5.