Friday, September 6, 2019

The Atonement

Content:

  • General
  • The Old Covenant in the Bible
  • The New Covenant in the Bible
  • Salvation

General


Atone or Atonement means:
Adam and Eve disobeyed God and instead believed in Satan, see 
The Biblical Creation and the Fall of Man. Through Adam, sin entered the world. 
This sin is passed on to every child through their fathers. 
We all need atonement, for we have all sinned. (Rom 5:12). 
Sin completely separates us from God and his love for us.
God's plan to save us from our sin involved God the Father 
sending his only Son to die on a wooden cross. 

God established a system to remind his people of the seriousness of their sin
by incorporating animal sacrifices. He did this because every time an animal
was killed they would be reminded that the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23).
Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Heb 9:22). However, the blood of goats and bulls could never pay the price for our sins (Heb 10:11). Animal sacrifices were used to foreshadow a very special sacrifice that was yet 
to come, when God the Father sacrificed his only Son, Jesus Christ. Until it was time for Jesus to come, God reminded his people every day that sin causes death,
and it's only through death that we can have eternal life. Although animal sacrifice shows how terrible our sin really is, it also shows how deep and wonderful God's love is for us. It shows how far God was willing to go for us to be saved.

God is the creator of the universe and everything in it, he is the sovereign judge
of his creation. God is absolutely holy and righteous, without fault or sin. When
we sin, we sin against God, he is the offended part. There is a relationship problem between us and God because of our sin. God can’t have fellowship with sin. 
As the righteous judge of all, he must condemn sin. Because he is absolutely pure, righteous, and holy, he condemns all sin to death. All sin is worth death. Someone must die because of our sin. God is never soft on sin. Mercy isn't a contradiction
of judgement. When God shows mercy, kindness, or love, he is no less just.

God is good, all good things come from God, but God is also holy. God loves
the sinner because of his goodness but hates our sin because of his holiness,
see God is holy and God has wrath in God's Attributes. The natural response to sin for God is therefore wrath, see the wrath of God in Balaam and Balak. 

Forgiveness is a big problem for God. The problem of forgiveness is the inevitable collision between divine perfection and human rebellion, between God as he is
and us as we are. Forgiveness is for man the simplest of duties, for God it's the deepest of problems. To us forgiveness may not be a big deal, but to God it's a big deal. The reason for this is that God is so perfectly holy. But he is also perfectly love. Both his holiness and his love must be satisfied. God must find a way to forgive us as sinners without compromising his attributes, see God's Attributes. (Isaiah 45:21b).

God therefore introduced the concept of sacrifice. The purpose was to turn away God's wrath because of our sin. God accepted the death of animals as an entry for humans into the Old Covenant. God also understood that the people wouldn't be able to follow the Mosaic Laws of the Old Covenant and therefore needed forgiveness when they failed to do so. It was a sin to disobey these Laws.

God forgave these individuals their sin when they sacrificed the animals because they exercised faith. But it was only a temporary provision. These sacrifices couldn't wipe out sin. It 's impossible for blood of bulls and goats to take away sin
(Heb 10:4). These animal sacrifices pointed to a greater sacrificial death to come, the death of Jesus Christ. This means that all sins before Christ went unpunished
(Rom 3:25), even though the people had been temporarily forgiven, see:
Jesus therefore had to die for our sins, to make it possible for us to be saved.

The sin of individuals in the Old Covenant was temporarily covered by sacrifice 
of animals. But the sins remained unpunished. All sins committed up to the time
of Christ went unpunished, only temporarily covered by the animal sacrifices.
The sins were forgiven by the animal sacrifices, but unpunished. Animals can't
be punished as stand-ins for humans. God took care of it, once and for all, when Jesus Christ died on the cross. Jesus then bore every sin from the time of Adam 
(see The Biblical Creation and the Fall of Man) until that day, and for every sin committed thereafter. This was God's righteous judgment (John 12:31, Heb 2:14,
Col 2:15). Satan has been defeated but has not yet been eliminated (1 Pet 5:8).
See this explained at time 14:34–17:32 in Bible Q&A • Episode 42.
Death has lost its power but has not yet been eliminated. But we need to remember that Jesus began this process on the cross whereby death and Satan one day
would be completely eliminated, see Hope in Faith, Hope, and Agape Love. 

The solution is therefore: In Christ, God reconciled the world to himself 
(2 Cor 5:19, 21). One more action is required of us to activate this reconciliation
(2 Cor 5:18, 20b), see Salvation.

The Old Covenant in the Bible
(described in the Old Testament):


Animal sacrifice was practiced in the Old Testament 
long before the Old Covenant with the sacrificial system was introduced:

"In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell." (Gen (1 Mos) 4:3–5). 
Abel sacrificed his firstborn in his flock. It was a foreshadowing of the coming Christ.

One explanation for why God looked at Abel's sacrifice and not Cain's is that Abel's sacrifice was an animal sacrifice with blood (Heb 12:24). This wasn't the reason. Another more plausible explanation is that Abel offered a better sacrifice
than Cain, because he offered it by faith (Heb 11:4, 6). Cain did it
as a religious exercise but his heart wasn't in it. See this explained in these videos:
(See also the article: Where did Cain get his wife?)

"Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal
and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart:
'I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention
of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down
every living creature as I have done. While the Earth remains; seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.'" (Gen (1 Mos) 8:20–22). After the Flood, Noah sacrificed some of the clean animals.

"Isaac said to his father Abraham, 'My father!'
Abraham answered: 'Here I am, my son.'
Isaac said: 'Behold, the fire and the wood, 
but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?' 
Abraham said: 'God will provide for himself
the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.'
So they went both of them together. When they came to the place of which God
had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order
and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the Angel of the Lord called to him from Heaven and said: 'Abraham, Abraham!' And he said: 'Here I am.' He said: 'Do not lay your hand on the boy
or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God,
seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.'"
(Gen (1 Mos) 22:7–12).
This event describes Abraham's test to see if he loved God so much
that he was willing to sacrifice his chosen son Isaac for him.
Verse 8a (in bold above) can also be seen prophetically
when God the Father later sent Jesus to Earth, the only begotten Son of God,
as a sacrificial Lamb of God for our sins, 
see The Order between Jesus and the Father in the Trinity

In the Old Covenant, it was a question of animal sacrifices
where the animals died in the place of man, see Moses; Part 14: Sacrificial System:

"Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old.
You may take it from the sheep or from the goats,
and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month (Nisan),
when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs
at twilight. Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it." (Exo (2 Mos) 12:5–7).
"The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when
I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt." (Exo (2 Mos) 12:13).
Every firstborn died in Egypt, even all the firstborn among the cattle died. The blood rescued the people of Israel from suffering because they obeyed God's directives.

Lev (3 Mos) 4 describes the Sin Offering in the Tabernacle of the congregation:
  • If the anointed priest unintentionally sins in any of the Lord's commandments and thus brings guilt upon the people, he shall offer for sin that he has committed a bull from the herd without fault to the Lord
    as a Sin Offering. He shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some
    of the blood seven times before the Lord before the veil of the sanctuary, and put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense, and all the rest of the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the foot of
    the altar of burnt offering which is at the entrance to     the Tent of Meeting.
    (Verse 2–3, 5–7).     
  • If all the congregation of Israel sin unintentionally, then the anointed priest shall dip his finger in some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it
    seven times before the veil, and put some of the blood on the horns
    of the altar that is in the Tent of Meeting and the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the foot of the altar of burnt offering which is at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. (Verse 13, 16–18).
  • When a leader sins unintentionally, the priest shall take some of the blood of the Sin Offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar
    of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the foot of the altar of burnt offering    . (Verse 22, 25).
  • If any of the common people sins unintentionally, the priest shall take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar
    of burnt offering, and pour out all the other blood at the foot of the altar.
    (Verse 27, 30).
  • If anyone wants to offer a lamb as a Sin Offering, he must bring
    an unblemished female animal. Then the priest shall take some
    of the blood of the Sin Offering with his finger and put it
    on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out
    all the other blood at the foot of the altar. (Verse 32, 34).
See also Sin Offering in Moses; Part 14: Sacrificial System.

It's the sinner who brings the sacrificial animal, but it's the priest
who brings atonement through the blood. Two are involved. 

When the priest brings reconciliation in this way, the sinner is forgiven.
It's obtained through the blood sacrifice of certain animals.
The life of a creature is in the blood (Lev (3 Mos) 17:11).
Without blood, there is no forgiveness, that is, no reconciliation
(Heb 9:22). It's not enough to just ask God for forgiveness
without blood sacrifice. The blood satisfies God's wrath against sin.

Lev (3 Mos) 16 describes how the rules for entering the Most Holy Place 
of the Tabernacle were changed. This change was introduced after two
of Aaron's sons had died because they had brought unauthorized fire before
the Lord, something he hadn't commanded them to do (Lev (3 Mos) 10:1–2),
see The Death of Nadab and Abihu in Moses; Part 12: The Aaronic Priesthood.
No part of the regular Sin Offering should be made in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle. God would appear in the cloud on the atonement cover (mercy seat),
which formed the cover of the ark (Ark of the Covenant). The ark
was placed in the Most Holy Place (verse 2). It should only be the High Priest
(Aaron as the first) who performed the Sin Offering in the Most Holy Place 
of the Tabernacle  and only once a year. The High Priest would then make atonement twice. The first time for himself, and the second time for the people of Israel. (Verse 11, 14–16, 18–19, 27, 32–34). See also Heb 13:11–12). 

This means that only the High Priest makes atonement in the sanctuary once a year, on the Day of Atonement; Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism.

For information about the High Priest, see The High Priest in the Bible.

These sacrifices can no longer be made by the Jewish population around the world after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. For them is the Day of Atonement 
a day of prayer. There are certain ritual prayers that are said on this day,
and this is the time when a person can go before God and confess his sin.
They then think they are forgiven because they ask for forgiveness. No blood
is then involved. There is no sacrificial system going on in Israel in our day to remind them that the forgiveness of sins is based on the shedding of blood (Heb 9:22).

The New Covenant in the Bible
(described in the New Testament):


The priesthood that was under the Mosaic Laws in the Old Covenant,
is replaced by a new High Priest in a New Covenant (Heb 7:11–12, 18–19). 
Jesus fulfilled the Laws that were under the Old Covenant (Mat 5:17). 
He is the new High Priest forever (Heb 5:5–6, 6:20, 7:20–21, Psalm 110:4).
Animal sacrifices under the Old Covenant Laws can't save us. 
The sin was treated at the Day of Atonement but only temporarily for a year,
and after that the animal sacrifices must be repeated again.
The penalty must still be paid. The old sacrificial system wasn't meant 
to forgive sins completely, but to point to someone who must die on our behalf,
who must come in the future. That someone is Jesus Christ, who had to die physically for our sins, see The Crucifixion of Jesus. He is the High Priest who is holy, innocent, blameless, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens
(Heb 7:26). He only needed to give his life once for our sins (Heb 7:27). 
 
"The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news
of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it."
(Luk 16:16). See also Jesus and the Law and Listen to Jesus.

The Day of Atonement in the Old Covenant had to be completed in accordance
with the Torah (Pentateuch or Five Books of Moses), that's the books: 
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. It was part of the 
Mosaic Laws and had its time until Jesus officially created the New Covenant, when he distributed bread and wine to his disciples as a reminder to him (Luk 22:20, 
Jer 31:31–33). This New Covenant was activated when Jesus died on the cross.
  • "For the Law was given through Moses;
    grace and truth came through Jesus Christ    " (    John 1:17). 
  • "The next day John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, and he said: 'Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'"
    (    John 1:29). 
  • "John the Baptist looked at Jesus as he walked by and said: 
    'Behold, the Lamb of God!'" (John 1:36).
The only way Jesus could take away sin was by shedding his blood as a sacrifice
for our sins. Jesus would give his life and be slaughtered like a lamb. 
John the Baptist therefore calls Jesus the Lamb of God.

In the Old Covenant of the Jews, the High Priest goes once a year and offers blood for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. When Christ appeared
as High Priest, he entered once for all into the holy places, not with the blood
of goats and calves, but with the help of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. (Heb 9:6–12). Jesus is therefore the mediator of a New Covenant,
so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance,
because a death has occurred which redeems them
from the transgressions committed under the Old Covenant. (Heb 9:15). 
According to the Law, almost everything is cleansed with blood,
and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
Thus it was necessary that the copies of the heavenly things were purified with
these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands which are copies
of the true, but into Heaven itself, to now appear in the presence of God
on our behalf. (Heb 9:22–24). This isn't just a picture of what Jesus did
on the cross for us, when he shed his blood when he died physically on the cross
so that our sins could be forgiven. There is also a tabernacle in God's Heaven
(Heb 8:1–2, 5, 9:24, Rev 7:15, 11:19, 15:5–8 (NIV), Isaiah 6:1). 
Jesus entered there the Most Holy Place once and for all with his own blood
and thereby obtained eternal redemption (Heb 6:19–20, 9:11–12).
Jesus did that, probably after his death on the cross, see The Resurrection of Jesus.
Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Heb 9:22b).
To pay the price for our sins, Jesus had to die physically on the cross.
See this explained at the following times in these videos:
Jesus didn't descend into Hell to suffer, see Did Jesus really descend into Hell?
But he proclaimed himself to be Messiah in both departments of Hades,
see time 31:31–42:58 in Always Prepared to Make a Defense 1 Peter 3 (Part 2).
See more of this explained at the following times in these videos: 
The basis of what Jesus did for us on the cross is found in Genesis, see it explained in time 4:17–20:02 in Understanding Genesis || Guest Speaker Dr. Jason Lisle.

Jesus fulfilled the Mosaic Laws. Animal sacrifice is no longer needed.
(Heb 10:1, 3–7, 10–12, 14).

We are redeemed by the blood of Jesus and have been forgiven for our sins:
  • "In Jesus we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness
    of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.    " (Eph 1:7).
  • "Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near
    by the blood of Christ.    " (Eph 2:13). 
  • "Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited
    from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,
    but with the precious blood of Christ,
    like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.    " (1 Pet 1:18–19).
Boaz was a kinsman redeemer to Naomi and Ruth, as he was a close relative
of theirs, see The Book of Ruth. A kinsman redeemer in the Old Covenant
is a picture of Jesus, who is our kinsman redeemer (Isaiah 59:20),
see Typology. A kinsman redeemer must meet the following requirements:
  1. He must be a relative by blood (DNA) (Lev (3 Mos) 25:25, 47–49). 
    God must become a man in order to redeem us from sin. Only a man
    can die for the sin of mankind. The Redeemer must be one of us (Gal 4:4–5).
  2. He himself must be free, in order to free someone else from slavery. 
    Jesus had to be a sinless redeemer (John 8:46, Heb 4:15, 1 Pet 2:22,
    2 Cor 5:21). If he had sinned, he would have had to pay for his own sin
    and be disqualified from paying for anyone else's sin. Hence The Virgin Birth
    is so important, see time 10:53–14:16 in 1 John 4:1–6 • Test the spirits.
  3. He had to have means of redemption. He must be able to do it. 
    We have been redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ (1 Pet 1:18–21).
  4. He had to perform redemption willingly.
    Jesus willingly paid the price for our sins on the cross (John 10:17–18).
"We rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have
now received reconciliation." (Rom 5:11). The atonement is received
by believing (trusting) in Jesus and what he has done for us:
  • It’s about God's grace (Rom 3:23–24).
  • Faith without works (Rom 3:28).
  • Through the blood of Jesus who redeemed us from our sins (Rom 5:9).
See also What Happens to Those Who Have Never Heard About Jesus?

Salvation


This salvation from God's wrath over our sins, through reconciliation with God, 
is based on the following:
  • God's grace:
    God the Father loved us so much that he gave his only Son to take away our sins, see The Order between Jesus and the Father in the Trinity
    and John 3:16. Jesus, the Son of God, voluntarily took upon himself
    the sin of man in his physical death (Eph 2:5b, 8).
  • Blood of Jesus:
    The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7, Rev 1:5b).
  • Our belief:
    That we believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, that we trust in him.
    That we believe that he has shed his blood and died on the cross for us, bearing our sins on the cross (John 14:6) and that God (The Trinity) 
    has  raised him from the dead. Faith isn't work (Rom 3:27–28, Eph 2:8–9,
    Titus 3:4–7). We can’t be justified and saved by our own works or by being good enough. Believing is a decision we make. We must receive Jesus
    into our heart (John 1:12).     Righteousness is imputed to us by doing so.
    It means getting a right standing with God. We haven't earned it,
    it has been given to us as a free gift when we come to Christ
    (Isaiah 61:10). It's the righteousness of Christ that we literally put on almost like clothing. When we approach God, he receives us in the 
    r    ighteousness of Jesus Christ, see The Parable of the Wedding Feast.
  • Repentance:
    We also need to repent (change course) (Acts 17:30–31, Luk 13:2–3)
    because we are all sinners (Rom 5:8, 1 John 1:8–10).
For detailed information on how to be saved, see Salvation.

See also Some stories closely related to the Gospels 
at the end of The Four Gospels.
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Thursday, August 29, 2019

Unity

Jesus said: "Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, 
that they may be one, even as we are one." (John 17:11b).

The Father and the Son are one. Jesus thinks like God the Father in everything.
If we have seen Jesus, we have seen the Father (John 14:9–11),
see The Order between Jesus and the Father in the Trinity.

Jesus said: "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me,
and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe
that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them,
that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, 
that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know
that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me." (John 17:20–23). 

See also Jesus Farewell Prayer in Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life.

That we as Christians are one is important for several reasons (Eph 4:3):
  • So the people in the world understand that God the Father has sent Jesus to Earth to give his life for the people, which Jesus did of his free will.
  • That God the Father loves believers in the same selfless way
    that he loves Jesus. We know that God the Father loves Jesus very much,
    but he also loves believers in the same way (John 17:23).
It's a good and blessing thing when there is unity (Psalm 133). One of the ways
to receive blessings in the home and marriage is to stay united. Jesus said: "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand." (Mat 12:25). One reason we don't have unity is because of pride.

Division and disunity cause serious problems. The Christians in Corinth 
struggled with disunity (1 Cor 1:10–13), see The Book of Corinthians.

Jesus said: "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those
in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather,
let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader
as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one
who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves." (Luke 22:24-27). See Who is the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?

We must not exercise lordship over each other. This goes against hierarchical systems with a strong charismatic leader who decides what everyone can think,
see the end part of The Book of John. We should instead serve each other.
See also the end part in Dealing With Sin in the Church.

If someone is further down in a hierarchical system and expresses a dissenting
or different opinion, it may be that someone who feels higher up in that hierarchical system, offends that person and publicly reprimands that person, regardless of whether that person is right or wrong. If the person then adapts to what the leader thinks, unity can be maintained. If the person doesn't do so, the person may be asked to apply to another group that better aligns with the person's view.
But this handling of a person isn't biblical. It's pride. "For though the Lord is high,
he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar." (Psalm 138:6).
See examples of good and bad leadership at the end of The Book of John.

Apostle Paul wrote: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal 3:26–29). 
See time 30:51–34:00 in Acts 11 • A Growing and Flourishing Church.

The slave isn't less worthy of God just because he is a slave. The ranking
that people do in a group isn't from God. Showing partiality is a sin (James 2:9), see The Book of Malachi. See more at time 6:17–13:28 in James 2 (Part 1) :1-13.

Apostle Paul wrote: 
  • "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves."
    (Rom 12:9–10), see The Golden Rule in The Sermon on the Mount.
  • "To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people." (James 4:11–12, 5:9, Titus 3:2),
    see Do not judge others in The Sermon on the Mount.
  • "So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, 
    any participation in the     Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 
    complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant 
    than yourselves.     Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.    " (Phil 2:1–4). 
We need to humble ourselves before each other and put others higher than ourselves, see 3) Blessed are the meek in The Sermon on the Mount. We
shouldn't seek conflict or take positions at the expense of other individuals
(James 4:1, Rom 7:21–23). Jesus rejoices when we live according to this. 
This can be difficult to do with a person considered lower in the social ranking. 

Paul wrote:
  • "For as in one body we have many members, and the members 
    do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are 
    one body in Christ, and individually members one of another    .    " 
    (Rom 12:4–5).
  • "The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable 
    we bestow the greater honor    , and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, 
    but that the members may have the same care for one another.    "
    (1 Cor 12:22–25).
  • "For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 
    God chose what is low and despised in the world, 
    even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 
    so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.    " 
    (1 Cor 1:26–29).
  • "In that same hour he (Jesus) rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said: 
    '    I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and Earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.'" 
    (Luke 10:21).

We as Christians are all members of the same body. For the body to function optimally, the various members need to work together and not fight with each other. The limbs which seem to be the weakest are the more necessary. 

To insult these members when they express an opinion just because they are perceived as the weakest or lowest in the social hierarchy is completely wrong according to the Bible and hurts the body of Christ (Proverbs 18:19).

How a group should work to fulfill this:
  • There should be no social ranking in the group. 
    This doesn't prevent different functions in the group, and if necessary 
    to have a biblical leadership, see The Book of Timothy.
  • We should submit to one another and not rule over one another.
  • We must respect each other and not automatically dismiss the arguments of others, just because we perceive them as lower in the social hierarchy.
  • We must treat everyone equally. We should treat other people 
    as we want to be treated ourselves and as we treat our closest friends.
  • We must show each other empathy and love (1 Cor 16:14, 2 Thess 1:3),
    see Agape Love at the end of Spiritual Gifts.
Many people follow strong charismatic leaders, which can work effectively
as long as everyone thinks like these leaders and they follow God. However,
I think it's important to let people think for themselves in order to become 
mature Christians, combined with giving Bible-based teaching that can be tested against God's Word in the Bible, see the last part of The Book of John.

Differences of opinion can arise between Christians that aren't related to differences in theology. The reasons for this type of disagreements may be due to different personalities or personal experiences. Paul and Barnabas couldn't agree on whether to take John Mark with them for their second missionary journey. Mark had left them and returned to Jerusalem during their first Missionary Journey. Barnabas wanted to bring him because he wanted to give him a second chance. Paul didn't because he saw this journey as too important to be compromised by bringing Mark with them.
They had a sharp disagreement on this which resulted in them not being able 
to resolve this issue and hence they split up. Barnabas took Mark with him 
and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas for his second missionary journey.
(Acts 15:36–40). Paul later wrote about John Mark and everything he had to say about him was very good (2 Tim 4:11, Col 4:10). Their problem was solved.

What to do when believers disagree:
  • We must understand that there will be disagreements. 
    But we shouldn't accept people who cause division and create obstacles contrary to central biblical doctrines (Rom 16:17–18). 
  • Check our attitudes.
    We should do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit (Phil 2:3–4).
    We should forgive as the Lord forgave us (Col 3:13),
    see     Forgive and You will Be Forgiven.
  • Understand the dynamics.
    The situation between Paul and Barnabas was a matter of opinion and  became a matter of separation.     If it's not a scriptural, legal, or moral issue, it's probably a matter of opinion. In this case, neither was subordinate 
    to the other. If it's a matter of opinion and we have leaders, we should obey and submit to them (Heb 13:17). This doesn't apply if they do something unscriptural, illegal or immoral. We obey Christ first.
  • Respond appropriately.
    In this case, Paul and Barnabas didn't respond appropriately to each other because there was a sharp disagreement. We must always show respect 
    of each other even when when we have different opinions.
  • Seek forgiveness where needed. 
    If we say things or do things that hurt people, 
    we should ask them for forgiveness.
  • Separation should be a last resort (1 Cor 1:10). 
    But if two persons have different callings, 
    it can be good to not work together, see time 18:42–24:38 
    in Acts 15 (Part 2) 36-41 • The Collision of Opposing Ideas.
Much teaching is needed in the congregations about how we should act towards each other and how we should treat each other, in order to achieve unity in a biblical way
(Rom 12:16a, 18, 15:5–6), see these videos:
In the political world, I believe that democratic governance is the best way to govern a country, at least in countries with a high Christian population. It's no coincidence that democracy has emerged in countries with high Christian values. I believe
that the judgment system in the Old Testament was a good way to rule Israel,
although it wasn't perfect (Judges 2:18–19), see The Book of Judges.

See also Some stories in the Gospels at the end of The Four Gospels.
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Tuesday, July 2, 2019

The Order between Jesus and the Father in the Trinity

God is eternal according to the Bible (Gen (1 Mos) 21:33, 1 Chronicles 16:36, 29:10, Nehemiah 9:5, Psalm 10:16, 41:13 (14 in some translations), 90:2, 93:2, 106:48,
Isa 40:28, Rom 16:26). God has always existed and will always exist. God the Father is the source of The Trinity (1 Cor 8:6a). He is neither created nor born, but eternal.

Since Jesus is a person in The Trinity, he can't be a created being as man is 
and the angels are, he must also be eternal. Jesus is the Son of God, which means that the origin of Jesus when he was born as man on Earth is the Father (Heb 1:3a). 

When the Bible says that Jesus is the firstborn (Col 1:15b, Rom 8:29, Heb 1:6a),
it doesn't mean that Jesus is God the Father's first creation. In ancient cultures, 
the firstborn son received a double portion of his father's inheritance.
Over the years, the term firstborn in the Bible began not so much to mean
the first in birth, but began to speak about preeminence and importance.
It started to become a quality word. It's used in the Bible where it doesn't literally speak of a firstborn child, but of first in rank. An example is when God
calls David firstborn, meaning the highest of the kings on Earth (Psalm 89:20, 27 (21, 28 in some translations)). God even calls Israel his firstborn son 
(Exo (2 Mos) 4:22–23). This is how the word firstborn is used
when speaking of Jesus as the highest in rank.

Firstborn also means that Jesus would be the first to rise from the dead
with a resurrection body (Acts 26:23, Rev 1:5a, Col 1:18, 1 Cor 15:20–23),
see Jesus appeared in his resurrected body in The Resurrection of Jesus.

It says: "I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, 'You are my Son; 
today I have begotten you.'" (Psalm 2:7, Acts 13:32–33, Heb 1:4–6),
see the video: What does it mean that Jesus is God's only begotten son?
It's Jesus who quotes God the Father in Psalm 2:7. The decree is that Jesus is
the Son of God and that he was begotten on a specific day (2 Sam 7:13b–14a),
see time 15:52–20:54 in Hebrews 1 (Part 2) :4-14 • The Son Superior to the Angels.
This means that Jesus became the begotten of the Father at a point in time.
Before that, Jesus was the Word: "In the beginning was the Word (Jesus),
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1). John says:
"And the Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us." (John 1:14a).
It was at a point in time when the Holy Spirit moved upon Mary and she conceived through him, and gave birth to Jesus Christ. The word begotten refers only
to the incarnation. It literally means something of the same nature or substance.
In other words, the Son of Man (Jesus) is of exactly the same divinity
as God the Father. This word means that Jesus is equal with God the Father,
see time 43:42–45:15 in John 1 (Part 2) :6-18 • The Word Became flesh
and Dwelt among Us. See also General in The Book of Hebrews.

If comparing the Father with the sun, then Jesus is the rays of light
that come from the sun. The sun produces the light rays, which have been around
as long as the sun. Just as the Father is eternal, Jesus is eternal,
and the origin of Jesus is the Father. If a river is compared to the Father,
then the streams of water are Jesus. The river produces water currents,
which have existed as long as the river has existed.
(2 Thess 1:1–2, 12, Heb 1:3a, Isa 48:11b, Num (4 Mos) 23:19).

 A distinction can be made between the following:
  1. Nature
  2. Personal characteristics
  3. Order
See this and Phil 2:5–8 explained at time 7:56–12:30 in

Jesus belongs to the same divine nature as God the Father, which means 
that he doesn't have a lower divine nature than the Father has. It can be compared to the fact that all people, women and men, belong to the same human nature, 
that is, all people are on the same level of nature, according to God.

The Father and Jesus have different personal characteristics, they are different
persons in the Godhead. For example, the Father gave birth to Jesus on Earth. 
It doesn't mean that Jesus is less divine than the Father; they have the same 
divine nature. The Father couldn't be born as a man on Earth and die on the cross, because the Father is the original source not only of the universe but of The Trinity. Only Jesus could do that. Thus, the Father is different from Jesus if looking at personal attributes, but not if looking at nature (deity). The first people on Earth, Adam and Eve, were similar in nature as humans, but had different personal characteristics. Eve's origin was Adam, she was created from Adam's rib. 
Eve could bear children, something Adam couldn't.

The Father is greater than Jesus if you look at the order. It can be compared
to Adam who was created before Eve and had the main responsibility for
the family (1 Cor 11:3). The Father has authority over Jesus. Jesus makes the will
of the Father and sits on the right side of the Father. The fact that there is
an order of authority between the Father and Jesus doesn't mean that the divinity
of Jesus is lower than that the Father's. The fact that the man has the main
responsibility in the family doesn't mean that the woman has a lower human
dignity than the man. Nations often have people in leading positions of authority,
companies have people in leading positions of authority, this for nations and
companies to work better. It doesn't mean that they have a greater human
dignity before God than other people. Likewise, there is an order in the Godhead

Jesus experienced subordination to God the Father when he lived
as a man on Earth, even though he was, and still is, fully God eternally.
Jesus will always be in that position forever. Jesus as God the Son 
will be subordinated God the Father forever. (1 Cor 15:24–28). It doesn't mean
that Jesus will be inferior to God the Father. It's a choice of the will.

When God is mentioned in the New Testament, it's usually the Father that is meant.
But John 1:1 mentions Jesus as God. What is meant here is that Jesus 
was with God the Father and that Jesus has the same divine nature as the Father.

The following Bible verses show the deity of Jesus, that Jesus has the same divine nature as God the Father, see Definition of the Trinity in The Trinity.
Differences in personal attributes and order between the Father and the Son:
⑴ That Jesus refers to the Father as his God has to do with the order
between the Father and Jesus. Jesus and the Father are of the same divine nature.

See the hierarchy in The Trinity explained
at time 24:25–26:08 in Bible Q&A with Pastor Paul │February 2024.

See also Some stories in the Gospels at the end of The Four Gospels.
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