In Lesson 1 it was explained why faith in God as revealed in the Bible and especially the NT is the best belief or most credible hope for salvation, and Lesson 2 explained God’s requirement for salvation per the Gospel or Christian creed. The main purpose of this lesson is to explain how humanity can experience and fellowship with the Holy Spirit (HS) of God/Christ via learning God’s Word (GW) or inspired Scripture, which includes secondary/didachaic doctrines taught by Jesus and Paul that build on the kerygmatic or foundational faith regarding how to be saved.
[See the introduction to Lesson 1 and 2 for other abbreviations or acronyms used in this lesson.]
I. Spiritual Dynamics
Spiritual dynamics refers to how God’s HS interacts and communicates/communes with humans. The relationship begins primitively when selfish but innocent babies attain the stage of moral accountability or conscience as they are able to understand what their parents deem to be right and wrong beliefs and behavior (the Golden Rule, Matt. 7:12), which is normally well-developed by the age of eight or the stage of pre-pubescence, comparable to when Adam and Eve became aware it was wrong to eat from the forbidden tree (Gen. 2:17).
A soul’s fellowship with God begins when the person becomes a truthseeker (cf. Matt. 7:7, Heb. 11:6), because God’s Spirit is Truth (1John 5:6), although the young soul may not realize it (Rom. 1:17). As a truthseeker at any time in history contemplates creation, Paul indicates that they will be able to discern God’s being and loving will in nature (Rom. 1:20, 2:14-15, Gal 5:14) by means of what theologians call general revelation. In this regard it is good to plumb the depths of Gen. 1:1-3 describing the Spirit of God’s presence as God spoke creation into existence and connect it with John 1:1-3 saying the Word was in the beginning and through Him all things were made (cf. Acts 17:27-28). This dispensation occurred from Adam to Moses for the Jews (per Rom. 5:12-14) and exists for Gentiles until they have the opportunity to learn inspired Scripture (thus the need for missionaries).
When truthseekers recognize the reality of God as the Creator of the universe who has a moral requirement, if they decide to become theists and worship Him, they become like Abraham and other OT believers, and their fellowship deepens or becomes personal. Rom. 4:1-25 teaches that Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness (v.3). This spiritual event was signified outwardly by circumcision (v.11). Similarly, all who believe in God are credited to be righteous and spiritual children of Abraham, although physical circumcision is optional (v.11-18).
RM 5:6-11 says that while we were powerless (unable to save ourselves via works per 3:9-20), Christ died for the ungodly or sinners or God’s enemies, so that believers (3:22-26) are justified or reconciled and saved from God’s wrath. This includes all of humanity potentially, comparable to how humanity became sinners following the original trespass (Rom. 5:15-21). Presumably, God provides pre-Christian believers the opportunity to hear the gospel of Christ in a pre-NT and pre-Abrahamic or provisional form (cf. the proto-gospel), so they may repent of sin and accept the pre-incarnate One God/Christ as Lord (JN 8:42, 1JN 1:3-4). Paul spoke of the Mosaic Law being for the purpose of convicting souls of sin as preparation for the future coming of Christ and the full Gospel (RM 3:19-20, 5:20 & 7:6, GL 3:19&24). The Law or Old Covenant is the second dispensation of revelation. Rom. 5:1-21 clarifies that faith in God by which we are justified or deemed righteous (v.1) is mediated by Jesus Christ, who graces us with hope despite suffering and with love by the inpouring of the Holy Spirit (v.2-5), so that we may reflect God’s love.
At the moment of repentance/acceptance, God’s HS enters believers’ spiritual hearts (Rev. 3:20), uniting them with God as heavenly Father (RM 8:9) and identifying them with Christ’s worldwide/catholic body or church (Col. 1:18). As noted, Paul refers to the comparable moment for Abraham as spiritual circumcision. This manifold event is also called spiritual birth or baptism (1Cor. 12:13). We can infer that this dynamic occurs also for pre-NT believers like Abraham, because there is no salvation outside of Christ’s ekklesia or church (Acts 4:12), and no one without the HS belongs to Christ (Rom. 8:9). Partial knowledge of GW will limit ability to cooperate with Him, so there is a need for evangelism or learning the full Gospel (MT 28:18-20, cf. ACTS 18:24-26) as well as for lifelong discipleship or spiritual training (2TM 3:16-17). From the advent of Christ until the Second Coming is the third or New Covenant dispensation and relationship with God (RM 3:21-26, GL 3:24-25, HB 7:18-10:1).
Confusion may arise from the fact that in Eph. 4:5 Paul says there is only one baptism, but elsewhere the NT seems to refer to two types of baptism: one by water and another by the HS. In His “Great Commission” Jesus tied saving faith closely to the work of water baptism when He said “Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them” (Matt. 28:19). Yet, in 1 Cor. 12:13 Paul wrote that “We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body.” This suggests that spirit baptism occurs at the moment of conversion, when the HS unites the new saint (saved sinner/soul) with Christ. The indwelling of the HS may also be called the initial filling by the HS, because at the point of confession and conversion a person is cooperating fully with God (cf. Rom. 6:3-7, Gal. 2:20). The evidence that a person has been baptized by God’s HS or included in Christ’s spiritual body is love in its myriad of forms (John 13:35, Gal. 5:22-23).
Any confusion is resolved by understanding that the two types of baptism are united if baptism with water is viewed as a symbolic work/way of portraying baptism by the HS. The details for this rite are vague, but the mode of immersion best portrays a believer’s spiritual union with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection to eternal life (Col. 2:12, Rom. 6:4). As a practical matter, a new believer normally would be baptized by the local congregation of the catholic/worldwide church in which he/she will want to participate as an acknowledged member. Water baptism symbolizes spiritual baptism and thus, like physical circumcision, is optional, although apt.
Instead of commanding water baptism for salvation, Paul said in one place (Rom. 10:9-10) that a convert should confess “with your mouth” in order to be saved, even though elsewhere (Eph. 2:8-9) he taught that one is saved by faith. Both outward confession and water baptism may be seen as works manifesting love for God that every new Believer will want to (but we cannot say “must”) perform as soon as possible following his/her decision to have saving faith (cf. Matt. 3:13-15, Acts 2:38). Although Paul did not command baptism, he administered it (in Acts 16:33, 18:8, 19:5 & 1Cor. 1:114-16) even though he said Christ did not send him to baptize but to preach the gospel (1Cor. 1:17). IOW, Paul’s focus was on preaching (spirit baptism) and he probably left the water baptizing to his assistants.
The relationship between Believers/Christians and God may be viewed as having three stages. The first stage is the moment of conversion or repentance (Acts 20:21) just mentioned, when a person “plugs in” to the power of God’s HS by accepting Christ Jesus as Lord (Acts 16:31). Because a person’s commitment to Christ is in accordance with God’s perfect will and the response of yielding to His calling (1Tim. 2:3-4), the moment of spiritual baptism fulfills the command of Eph. 5:18 to be filled (cooperate fully) with the Spirit. For Christians, this stage occurred in the past historically and grammatically; we were saved when we repented and accepted Christ. It should be noted that the indwelling of the HS does not obviate the need for faith, which is the way God makes or provides for keeping believers standing firm (1Cor. 1:8, 10:12 & 15:58, 2Cor. 1:20-24). In John 17:6-12 Jesus said that the disciples knew Jesus spoke GW and knew with certainty and believed that God sent Jesus, indicating that “certainty” meant confident faith, noting that Judas was lost in order to fulfill Scripture (cf. John 6:70 & 13:18, referring to Psa. 41:9). Also, Peter denied knowing Christ thrice (John 18:15-27), and Thomas doubted per John 20:24-29.
The second stage is spiritual growth, which is also referred to as maturation (Eph. 4:13), discipleship (Acts 14:22) or sanctification (2Thes. 2:13). Grammatically it is present progressive, and historically it is the process of being saved now. This stage has two phases: instability and maturity. Although a new Spirit-filled convert has access to all of the power he/she needs for loving like Christ (Eph. 3:16-19), no one attains immediate “perfection” by remaining filled with the HS forever (Phil. 3:12). Instead, the combination of temptations, ignorance and the old selfish nature results in immature saints committing their first post-conversion sin(s). Then he/she no longer is spiritual or filled with the HS but rather is acting like unsaved unbelievers (1Cor. 3:1). This “venial” type of error differs from the “mortal” or damning sin of unbelief or apostasy (rejecting God’s Lordship, cf. Jam. 1:15).
As soon as a new Christian realizes a sin was committed, he/she should confess it (1John 1:9) rather than compound it by trying to hide it or cover it up like Adam and Eve did (Gen. 3:7-8). Then God will forgive, and the saint will again be in a Spirit-filled or spiritual condition. This spiritual flip-flopping might happen once a day, or it could occur several times in an hour. While this instability may be bad, failure to confess promptly is much worse, because it results in chain-sinning or back-sliding. This condition is also referred to as being carnal/worldly (1Cor. 3:1) or prodigal (Luke 15:13) if it continues for weeks or years.
Unfortunately, some people may not appreciate the process of being renewed morally or as Paul says (in Rom. 12:2) of being “transformed by the renewing of your mind”, perhaps because it involves admitting sins or having “guilt trips”. It is not guilt that is bad; rather whatever one is doing that makes one feel guilty. Guilt is like a warning light on a car’s instrument panel that lets one know something is wrong. Until we have the wisdom to welcome God’s “guilt trips” like we do warning lights, we will never feel the satisfaction of becoming a new and improved version of ourselves. Hopefully, we will never reach the point where we are so callous that we experience no guilt when we do wrong. Warnings are good!
This unstable or immature phase in a Christian’s spiritual relationship with God is followed eventually (and hopefully soon) by a second phase of relative perfection or maturity signified in the Bible (especially the King James Version) by the phrase “walking with God”. Gen. 5:24 describes Enoch as a man who walked with God, and the apostle Paul described the goal of Christians (the fullness of Christ) as walking with God (Rom. 6:4, Gal. 5:16, Eph. 4:1, 1Thes. 4:1). Elsewhere the continually (ideally) Spirit-filled condition is referred to as walking: in light (1John 1:7), in love (Eph. 5:2), in a new life (Rom. 6:4), according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:4), and in good works (Col. 1:10).
The outward evidence that someone is Spirit-filled (Eph. 5:18) or walking with God is the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit or fullness of Christ (Eph. 3:19, 4:13), which consists of such attributes as those listed in Gal. 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Jesus said “All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another” (John13:35), because “love” sums up the moral character of God (1John 4:7-8).
II. The HS in GW
The OT Shema (Deut. 6:4) and the NT indicate that there is one God (Eph. 4:6, 1Tim. 2:5), and the NT teaches that the one God relates to believers in three ways simultaneously: as the Father, as the Son and as the HS. Whereas God the Father is mainly described as creator or initiator (Gen. 1:1) and God the Son mainly as Messiah or mediator (John 1:41, 4:25, 1Tim. 2:5), God the HS is mainly described as indweller of believers (Rom. 5:5, 1John 4:7, Gal. 5:22, Eph. 2:18). These descriptions commonly use three prepositions: God the Father is over all creation (Eph. 4:6), God the Son is Immanuel or with humanity (Matt. 1:23), and the HS is within all believers (Rom. 8:9, Eph. 1:13-19, cf. 1Cor. 8:6).
The HS is not frequently mentioned in the OT except in Isaiah (Isa. 4:4, 11:2, 42:1, 44:3, 48:16, 59:21, 61:1, 63:10), but He is more fully revealed in the NT. In Matthew, the HS is said to have conceived Jesus in Mary before her pledge to marry Joseph was consummated (via implanting a zygote untainted by sin because created from nothing?) in order to fulfill Scripture prophecy of Messiah being called Immanuel, meaning “God with us”, but the communication between God and Joseph was via an “angel of the Lord” (Matt. 1:18-23). This fact was communicated to Joseph by an “angel of the Lord” (Matt. 1:18-23, Luke 1:26-35). The apparent purpose of this miraculous incarnation or physical theophany was to provide Messiah a human body (Rom. 8:3, Phil. 2:7, Heb. 2:14-18, 4:15, 5:7-9, ).
The sanctification of the HS that accompanies belief in GW (2Thes. 2:13) is mentioned in terms of spiritual circumcision in Deut. 30:6. God desires for all sinners to be saved (1Tim. 2:3-4) by discerning and believing the Truth (1Cor. 2:14, Col. 1:5b) or receiving revelation and wisdom (Eph. 1:17), so that souls may know or experience the hope of God’s calling that is the blessing of heaven (Eph. 1:18, Col. 1:5a).
In Luke, an angel of the Lord named Gabriel told the parents of John that he would be filled with the HS from birth (Luke 1:11-19), and then Gabriel told Mary that the HS would “come upon” and “overshadow” her, so she would “be with child”, who was to be named Jesus, and who would be called “the Son of God” (Luke 1:26-38). Then both Elizabeth and Zechariah were said to be filled with the HS as she blessed Mary and he praised God (Luke 1:41 & 67). An angel of the Lord told them that John would be filled with the HS from the womb (Luke 1:15).
Angels attended the birth of Jesus, and then the HS moved Simeon to praise God for sending salvation to all people and perhaps also Anna, who thanked God for His redemption (Luke 2:25-38). When John grew up the word of God came to him and he began preaching “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” using water, but he proclaimed that one more powerful than he would baptize his followers with the HS and with fire or judgment (Luke 3:2-17). When Jesus was baptized by John, the HS came upon Jesus (Matt. 3:11-17, Luke 3:16-22), after which the HS filled Jesus and led him into the desert to be tempted by the devil (Matt. 4:1, Luke 4:1-2).
Toward the end of his earthly ministry Jesus described the HS as the Counselor and Teacher of Truth who would indwell his disciples following his death (John 14:16-17 & 25-26, 15:26, 16:13-15), and the HS is mentioned frequently as doing so in the book of Acts (Acts 1:5, 2:4, 9:17, 13:2, 19:2), and in many of Paul’s letters (Rom. 8:4-26, 1Cor. 6:19, Eph. 4:30) as well as in some of the other epistles (2Pet. 1:21, Jude 20). In John 14-16 the HS is associated with Truth or teaching GW.
In John 14:16-18 Jesus said, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth… [who] will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” This indicates that the indwelling Spirit is how Jesus enters the hearts of believers as they open the door and invite him in (per Rev. 3:20, cf. 1Cor. 3:16). The initial indwelling of the HS is referred to as spiritual rebirth or being born again in John 3:5-8 (cf. 1John 5:7-8).
Jesus said (in John 15:26), “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.” In John 16:13-14 Jesus said, “When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.” 1John 5:6 says the HS is the Truth, John 17:17 says GW is Truth, and 1John 4:2 says He acknowledges that Jesus is Christ or God incarnate (cf. 1Cor. 2:10-13).
We see in these passages an identification of the Spirit with truth or the word of God, which we also find in 2Thes. 2:13b: “From the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.” (We see in this statement an example of using “and” to indicate equivalence rather than addition of something different.) This identification is also made in the OT, such as Isa. 59:21b, “My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children… forever, says the Lord.” And also in Ezek. 36:26-27, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you… I will put my Spirit in you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” With this understanding, the 119th Psalm takes on a NT meaning (e.g., Psa. 119:10-11, 81, 105, 174), because the primary or essential truth is the Gospel regarding how to be saved per Col. 1:5 and Eph. 1:13.
Again, there are two ways we perceive God’s HS/learn GW: 1. via creation (Rom. 1:20), and 2. via divinely inspired Scripture (2Tim. 3:16-17), which is what 1Cor. 2:10-12 teaches by saying that God reveals to us by His Spirit the deep things of God that only He knows and that cannot be learned by the physical senses and can only be learned by the direct revelation of God to us by His Spirit. Jesus indicated this discernment via spiritual eyesight would happen as the HS taught truth to believers (John 14:26 & 16:13), and Paul described this teaching/learning process as the purpose of apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastor-teachers (Eph. 4:11-13). This process is intimate, because GW = HS = Divine Love (per John 6:63 & Rom. 5:5).
Although John associates the HS with GW in his Gospel, it is in his epistles that he describes the HS in terms of divine love (DL). In 1John 1:5-10 John says that God is light, which means truth/GW, but in 1John 2:3-11 he also describes GW as love and refers to the new command of Jesus given in John 13:34-35, which was to love one another and was the indication of discipleship. This command and manifestation of the HS is reiterated in 1John 3:11. DL is the light that overcomes the darkness of sin and is the sign that GW indwells someone (1John 2:9-14). DL is the soteriological nucleus (GRFS) that can be described metaphorically as a fractal design. A fractal is a never-ending geometric pattern where a shape repeats itself in smaller and smaller sizes, so that when one zooms in on a fractal design forever, each part is a microcosm of the whole design. What is the soteriological shape/fractal truth in the divine design/plan? God’s Love (cf. 1John 4:7-16).
Jesus implied that a child too young to know Scripture can be saved (Matt. 19:14), and Paul indicated every sinner who has ever lived has no excuse for not reflecting the Creator’s good/loving nature (Rom. 1:20, 2:6-11, 5:5). This kerygmatic truth is the fractal fact all on who are saved (including on CC) agree on, no matter which aspect of the hippo/design they see from where they are. This is what we have called the foreshadowed or proto-Gospel.
In 1John 2:20 the HS is called “an anointing from the Holy One“, which means the HS/GW/DL, who teaches believers “all things” (cf. John 16:13, Matt. 28:20), including the need to remain in Him so that He will remain in them (1John 2:24-28, 4:13-16). In 1John 3:1 John celebrates the great DL of God that would deem believers or those who reflect His DL to be is spiritual children. This truth was called being born of God’s HS by John (John 3:3-8, 1John 2:29, 3:9) and receiving and having the HS of sonship by Paul (in Rom. 8:14-17). The HS is recognized as indwelling those who acknowledge Jesus as God’s Son or Messiah/Christ (1John 3:23a, 4:2-3, 5:5-8) and who have DL (1John 3:23b, 4:7-12).
The HS, GW and DL cannot be divorced (1John 4:19-21, 5:1, Rom. 5:5); having DL is how a person can be confident of having the HS or saving faith (1John 3:24, 4:13-18, 5:4-5). He who is without DL remains without GW (John 3:18-21, 1John 3:14-15). As Paul also taught: The only thing that matters is faith manifested by DL (Gal. 5:6, 22-23). Christ/God manifested DL by his sacrificial death (1John 3:16, Rom. 5:8), so loving fellow Christians by helping them with material needs should not be burdensome (1John 3:17-18, Jam. 2:14-17, Matt. 11:29-30). He who hates his spiritual brother is no better than a murderer (1John 3:15, John 8:42-44). God is the source of DL, so souls can only truly love by reflecting DL (1John 4:19). God initiates; sinners cooperate–or not.
Paul referred to the role of the HS in connection with GW in 2Thes. 2:13b, “From the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.” We see in this statement an example of using “and” to indicate equivalence rather than addition of something different. Paul tied the work of the HS to the Gospel in v. 2:14 and also in Gal. 4:6, “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, Abba, (Father).” In Rom. 8:9-16, Paul said “You are controlled… by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you… your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through the Spirit, who lives in you… If by the Spirit you you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God… by him we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” Paul also wrote of being adopted as God’s sons and receiving the HS in Eph. 1:5a&13b, “In love God predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ… Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised HS.”
Peter wrote of being made alive by the indwelling Spirit in 1Pet. 3:18b, “[Christ] was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.”
The Bible makes it clear that faithfulness or persevering faith is essential to salvation, just as faith in the redemptive work of Christ was the condition for getting saved. The priority of saving faith in the order of salvation is also indicated in Eph. 2:8-10, Acts 16:30-31 and Rom. 1:16-17. Such faith is described as the sanctifying work of the HS in conjunction with belief in the truth in 2Thes. 2:13, and when speaking of faith as the condition of salvation, it is wrong to view it as meritorious rather than an undeserved gift. Saving Faith is the connection between the soul and Christ established by the regeneration of the HS when a sinner cooperates with God’s eternal calling or purpose (cited in Rom. 8:29-30) and is transformed from a fallen state or darkness/death into a state of grace/light/life. Scriptural teachings regarding volition do not mean that sinners are capable of saving themselves. Without divine enabling, souls cannot seek salvation and believe in Christ.
As Jesus said in John 6:44a, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” And John 1:12-13 says, “To all who received him (to those who believed in his name), he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of genetic descent, but born of God.” Again, John 3:3-16 says God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him or is reborn of the Spirit shall not perish at death but have eternal life (cf. 1John 5:1), because we are made righteous by the obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1&19). God initiates; sinners may cooperate–or not.
In John 16:7-11 Jesus told his disciples that it was expedient or for their good that he depart this earth physically so that the HS could come spiritually to convict everyone on earth of sin and the need for salvation by faith in the righteousness of Christ so they would not be condemned at the Judgment. RV 3:19 says that Jesus rebukes and chastens sinful souls because he loves them and wants them to invite him as the HS into their heart for fellowship.
Although in John 17:9 Jesus prayed only for his disciples, John 3:16 & 6:39-40 teach that everyone who believes in Jesus will be justified by such faith (Gal. 3:14), have eternal life and become members of his spiritual body or church (Eph. 5:25). Thus we can see that the primary sin souls need the HS to convict them of is that of unbelief or opposition to the Gospel of Christ. This Gospel was veiled until revealed by the advent of Jesus and the preaching of Paul (Rom. 1:16-17, 1Cor. 2:7&10, Phil. 3:9). This revelation was that it is God’s will for all sinners to be saved by learning the Gospel truth, which is that there is one mediator between God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time (1Tim. 2:3-6). Paul referred to this testimony “of God” in 1Cor. 2:1, “of our Lord” in 2Tim. 1:8 and “of Christ” in 1Cor. 1:6.
III. The HS and Didachaic Doctrines
Teachings that are secondary or subsequent to learning the Gospel/Creed or kerygma (GRFS) may be indicated by the Greek word, didache, which means teaching. The didache may be very important and requisite for becoming spiritually mature, but it is not most important or necessary to know/believe in order to be saved. The distinction between kerygma/saving teachings and didache/secondary teachings was made by Jesus when He commissioned His disciples (Matt. 28:19-20). This “Great Commission” speaks of both types of information.
The kerygma is indicated by verse 19, in which Jesus says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations”, and the didache is implicit in verse 20, in which Jesus continues by saying “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” This speaks of information a disciple needs to know and believe after conversion in order to grow in Christlikeness regarding how to live the law of love. It is the “all truth” that is taught by the Spirit referred to in John 16:13. Again, it is very important following salvation for attaining complete sanctification.
The distinction between kerygma and didache can be seen also in 2Tim. 3:15-17. The scriptures “which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” refers to the Gospel or kerygma. The scriptural teaching that is useful for “training in righteousness, so that the man [or woman per Gal. 3:28] of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” refers to didache. The apostle Paul also employs the difference between kerygma and didache in 1Cor. 3:10-15. The “foundation… which is Jesus Christ” is the kerygmatic teaching regarding salvation. Paul alludes to didachaic teachings when he says that one should be careful how he/she builds upon this foundation. The purpose of this lesson is to do just that.
The need for persevering in saving faith in Christ Jesus as Lord is part of the essential Gospel kerygma/creed, but NT teachings regarding what Christians should be doing while persevering are didache/details that build upon that foundation, which Paul indicated is seeking moral perfection, saying in Phil. 3:12-14, “Not that I have already… been made perfect, but I press on… toward the goal… for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus”, and Paul condemned those who “live as enemies of the cross of Christ… whose destiny is destruction” (Phil. 3:18b-19a). Thus, he connected saving faith/the kerygma (cited in Eph. 2:8-9) with sanctifying good works/the didache (in Eph. 2:10), saying “In the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed… that is by faith from first to last” (Rom. 1:17, cf. Hab. 2:4). Continuing repentance and faith in Jesus as Lord is God’s necessary in order to keep on learning GW, and there is no qualitative difference between faith that accepts God’s saving grace at conversion and faith that accepts God’s working grace while walking/living/learning (Eph. 2:8-10, 2Cor. 5:7, Rom. 1:17), but only a quantitative difference as each additional moment passes–and of course faith remains non-meritorious during the saint’s entire lifetime.
Those who truly believe in Jesus as Lord will want to please Him by cooperating with His will (Matt. 7:21, Eph. 5:8-10), and remaining faithful is an easy act of will, even though Jesus referred to His yoke as a cross (Matt. 11:29-30, 16:24), and Peter acknowledged that a believer’s joy may sometimes be despite suffering (1Pet. 1:6-9). Paul explained that the reason Christ called some to be pastor-teachers is “to prepare God’s people for works of service… until we all reach unity in the faith… and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:11b-13) or power to love (Eph. 3:16-19), which is why Paul said “In Christ Jesus… the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Gal. 5:6, 22-23).
Paul urged believers to renew their minds by learning God’s perfect will (Rom. 12:2), which is conveyed via inspired Scripture that “is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2Tim. 2:17). This is why Jesus said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Learning the manifold teachings regarding God’s moral will takes a lifetime, so let us continue to persevere from “what we have already attained” or learned (Phil. 3:16, 2Tim. 3:14), “making every effort to add to our faith goodness… godliness… and love” (2Pet. 1:5-7).
Learning didachaic doctrine is very important but not necessary to know in order to become saved. Rather, didache teaches God’s will regarding how saints/those who believe the kerygma should live in order to be a good witness for Christ, which involves learning more of God’s Word throughout one’s lifetime (Col. 2:6-7). Building on the kerygma is important, but because saints are fallible they may disagree about relatively minor issues. May they receive God’s blessing as peacemakers, who draw inclusive circles around fellow Christians based on the kerygmatic Gospel rather than denominational lines between them due to didachaic differences. Jesus prayed for spiritual unity (John 17:20-23, “May they be one…”), because unity regarding the Gospel is more important than accuracy regarding doctrinal details. Paul strictly forbade quarrelling and divisiveness as being warped and damnable (2Tim. 2:23-25, Tit. 3:9-11).
Now—God permitting—let us leave the elementary although essential teaching about the Gospel of Christ (kerygma) and go on to other doctrines (didache) that build on that foundation (cf. Heb. 6:1-3). An example of didachaic teachings is found in Eph. 4, which instructs believers to live a life worthy of the calling they have received by being humble, gentle, patient, and maintaining the unity of the Spirit via speaking the truth in love (Eph. 4:15&25).
Moving beyond the Gospel, Peter wrote that the sanctification of the Spirit is “unto obedience” (1Pet. 1:2), and Paul also wrote about faithful obedience (in RM 1:5). Following the act of faith (1JN 3:23), believers will manifest obedience by acts of love (1John 4:19-21, John 13:35). There is no qualitative difference between faith that accepts God’s saving grace at conversion and faith that accepts God’s working grace while walking/obeying (Eph. 2:8-10, 2Cor. 5:7, Rom. 1:17), but only a quantitative difference as each additional moment passes–and of course faith remains non-meritorious during the saint’s entire lifetime. As Paul said in Rom. 1:17, “In the Gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that from faith to faith (KJV) or by faith from first to last (NIV), just as it is written, ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” The phrase “from faith to faith” may mean historically, as from the faith of Abraham to the faith of NT believers, or it could be meant chronologically, from initial saving faith thru persevering/sanctifying faith. The latter is implied in Phil. 2:13, “For it is God [the HS] who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”
Paul called God’s revelation from the HS “wisdom” and said it was “destined for our glory before time began (in 1Cor. 2:6-10). The predestination of God’s wise purpose or plan of salvation revealed to Paul is described in Eph. 1:3-14. Verses 11-12 says, “In him [Christ] we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.” Paul perceived that this plan was partially revealed in a few OT prophetic passages, including Isa. 42:6, “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness… to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles.” And again in Isa. 54:13-14, “All your children will be taught by the Lord… In righteousness you will be established.” John indicated that this prophecy (cf. Psa. 25:14) was fulfilled by believers receiving “an anointing from the Holy One” [the HS], who “teaches you about all things” as He remains in those who remain in him (1John 2:20-27, cf. John 16:13-14).
Paul also wrote of being thankful for the believers in the Thessalonian church with reference to the work of the HS, saying “…from the beginning God chose you to be saved (cf. Eph. 1:4-9) through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth” (cf. 1Tim. 2:3-4). This work is described in John as reproving the world of sin by exposing evil to the light of righteousness and judgment (John 16:8, 3:20). And this light signifies the words of God’s Spirit, which give life (John 6:63); the Spirit of truth, which testifies that Jesus is Messiah (John 15:26) or glorifies him as God’s Son (John 16:14). Thus, we see the HS is GW/Truth indwelling and thereby sanctifying souls (John 17:17-19), so they may obey Christ’s law of love and produce loving fruit (Acts 5:32, 1Pet. 1:2) as they continue to partake of the word and water of life (Matt. 4:4, 5:6, cf. Isa. 44:3 & Ezek. 36:26-27).
The sanctifying work of the HS is described as being washed in 1Cor. 6:11, and being washed with water is described as being through the word for the purpose of being holy or blameless in EPH 5:25-27, as being cleansed of wickedness in 2Tim. 2:19-21, as being cleansed of past sins in 2Pet. 1:9, and as cleansing our consciences of sinful acts so that we may serve the living God in Heb. 9:14-15. When this occurs, the HS makes believers in Jesus as Lord conscious of being children of God as they share in Christ’s suffering while awaiting/hoping for the redemption of creation (Rom. 8:5-25, cf. Zech. 12:10, 1Cor. 12:3). As Peter said in Acts 5:30-32, the HS is given by God to those who obey him as a testimony that God raised Jesus from the dead and exalted him to his right hand so that sins may be forgiven, which is called the “sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience of Jesus Christ” in 1Pet. 1:2.
The same spirit that worked in OT believers to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord Jesus (Luke 1:17) is received by NT believers in God, so that the Gospel may be revealed to them in retrospect (1Cor. 2:4-13, Eph. 1:13). The Gospel seems foolish to those without the Spirit of God (1Cor. 1:18, 2Cor. 2:14), but for those who seek salvation there is no good reason to be ashamed of Christ (Rom. 1:16-17). Those who reject the Gospel are described as being stiff-necked, having uncircumcised hearts and resisting the HS, like those who persecuted the OT prophets (Acts 7:51-52, cf. Matt. 13:14-15, Rom. 2:29 & Neh. 9:30).
Paul described the preaching of the Gospel as being empowered by the HS (in 1Thes. 1:5), and he prayed that the Ephesians would experience the same power that God exerted when He raised Christ from death to His right hand in heaven (Eph. 1:18-20). Similarly, Paul prayed that God would empower the Thessalonians to fulfill every good purpose prompted by their faith (2Thes. 1:11, cf. Eph. 2:8-10), the same faith and seal that Abraham had (Rom. 4:11-12, cf. Eph. 1:13), the promise of the HS (Acts 2:33-39 & Isa. 44:3), the Spirit of Christ who gives life (1Cor. 15:45, John 5:21, 6:63, Rom. 8:2) to the redeemed, both Jew and Gentile (Gal. 3:13-14, Rom. 3:21-30). Those who receive the HS are free from control by the old sinful nature and obligated to put sinful deeds to death by gaining spiritual maturity even though we are saved because of sharing the imputed righteousness of Christ (Rom. 8:1-13). Moral perfection should be every Christian’s goal, even though it will not be obtained in this earthly lifetime (Phil. 3:7-16).
Peter described Christians as a holy priesthood and nation, and he urged them to grow up in their salvation and to “abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul”, including malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander (1Pet. 2:1-11). And Paul wrote that a Christian’s body “is a temple of the HS”, so one should honor God with one’s body (1Cor. 6:19-20), and the HS baptizes believers into the body of Christ (1Cor. 12:13&27), giving them various abilities for the common good (1Cor. 12:7), so that Christ’s church will become unified and spiritually mature by speaking the truth in love as each part does its work (Eph. 4:1-6).
The Believer’s main types of responses to God’s Word are prayer to God and good works unto others for God (cf. 1John 4:20, Eph. 2:10). Prayer is simply talking to God. The power of prayer is God’s, and believers should not talk as though God would not act if they did not pray. Paul exhorted believers (in Eph. 6:18) to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests, which leads into a discussion of didachaic prayers/thoughts a believer might address to God. When a believer confesses sin and is refilled by the Spirit, he/she experiences divine love, joy and peace (Gal. 5:22-23), which prompts prayers giving thanks.
Jesus said that all sin is forgivable except blasphemy against the HS (Matt. 12:31), which in context seems to mean attributing evil to God (Matt. 12:24-32). Paul indicated (in Heb. 6:4-6) that apostasy is also unforgiveable, because the person who commits that sin will never repent (cf. Heb. 12:17). Such blasphemy is akin to calling good evil and evil good (Isa. 5:20, cf. Heb. 5:14). Such a person is completely corrupt or demonized and self-condemned (Tit. 3:11, John 3:19-20, cf. Rom. 14:22). IOW, the crucial choice is between belief and blasphemy (attributing unrighteous hate to God). Much of GW teaches that God is omniloving (1Tim. 2:3-4, John 3:16, etc.), and Jesus, Paul and John define divine righteousness most succinctly as love for all (Matt. 5:44&48, 22:37-40, 1Tim. 2:3-4, 1John 4:8), but souls may be hateful and reject rather than reflect God’s love/grace, although they ought to want (be biased toward) oneness or spiritual unity by way of answering the prayer of Jesus in John 17:20-23.
Paul taught that it is via the HS that saints have fellowship with God by saying that the impersonal letter of the law in the ole covenant is replaced by the ministry of the HS in their hearts in the new covenant (2Cor. 3:3-9). The new covenant was foretold by Jeremiah (in Jer. 31:31-34), when spiritual Israel will know the Lord experientially as well as via the written word. The new ministration of the HS was also mentioned by Ezekiel (in Ezek. 36:26-27). Isaiah said that the new covenant included Gentiles (Isa. 42:6, cf. Rom. 15:16, 2Thes. 2:13-14, Acts 26:17-18), and it was initiated by the shedding of Christ’s blood on the cross for the remission of sins (Matt. 26:28), which is the Gospel and saving power of God (Rom. 1:16).
In Rom. 8:9-11 Paul said that anyone who does not have the HS does not belong to Christ, which agrees with 1Cor. 12:13 saying that the HS baptizes believers into the body of Christ. Because believers have the HS, they have been freed to live a godly instead of a worldly life, and so saints have no excuse for continuing to be sinful (1Cor. 6:13&20). Although Jesus once described the invitation to salvation as “bringing… compelling”, the fact that many who were invited refused to come indicates that God’s calling is not irresistible (Luke 14:21-24).
Previously the identification of the Spirit with truth or the word of God was noted with reference to the teaching of Jesus in the 14th, 15th and 16th chapters of John’s gospel, where Jesus referred to the Counselor whom he prayed for the Father to send as “the Spirit of truth… [who] will be in you” (John 14:16-17) and who will guide believers into all truth (John 16:13). The first epistle of John also says the HS “is the truth” (1John 5:6). Thus, references to divine or spiritual truth speak of the HS. Paul taught that Christians learn divine wisdom or the thoughts of God/mind of Christ via words taught by the HS (1Cor. 2:6-16).
Similarly, the John’s first epistle also identifies the HS with divine love, saying that saints can be recognized as having the Spirit of God by their acknowledgment of the incarnate Christ and their love, because God is love (1John 4:2-8, cf. John 13:35). Paul also affirmed love as the first fruit of the HS (Gal. 5:22) and said the only thing counts is faith manifested by love (Gal. 5:6). Again Paul wrote that God pours His love into saints’ hearts via the HS (Rom. 5:5).
Didachaic teachings were taught by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount by means of nine Beatitudes with which Jesus began his sermon (Matt. 5:3-11):
1. Be poor in spirit, willing to cooperate with God.
2. Mourn because of caring about other people as oneself (cf. Matt. 22:39).
3. Be meek, meaning not boastful or dictatorial (cf. Matt. 20:16).
4. Desire righteousness or moral maturity (cf. Matt. 7:13-24).
5. Show mercy or be willing to forgive (cf. Matt. 6:14-15).
6. Be pure in heart rather than having a hardened heart (cf. Matt. 13:14-15).
7. Be a peacemaker, behaving as a child of God ought (cf. Matt. 5:44-48).
8. Suffer persecution for doing right (cf. Matt. 10:21-40).
9. Suffer being falsely accused of evil by those who hate Jesus (Matt. 12:30-32).
Other moral teachings in the Sermon on the Mount that build on saving faith include:
10. Be salt and light in the world by doing good (Matt. 5:13-16). 11. Surpass superficial righteousness by loving obeying the spirit of moral laws (Matt. 5:20). 12. Do not have unrighteous rage that is akin to murder (Matt. 5:21-22). 13. Be reconciled with those whom you have offended (Matt. 5:23-26). 14. Do not desire to fornicate (Matt. 5:27-30). 15. Be committed to life-long happy marriage, so that divorce does not occur (Matt. 5:31-32). 16. Have integrity, so oaths are unnecessary because one’s word is dependable (Matt. 5:33-37). 17. Do not seek revenge for harm (Matt. 5:38-39). 18. Comply with authorities unless dictates are immoral (Matt. 5:40-42). 19. Love everyone (Matt. 5:43-48, cf. Rom. 5:5).
Other moral teachings may be gleaned from the Lord’s instructions regarding alms, prayer, fasting, materialism, motivation, judging and witnessing (Matt. 6:1-7:6):
20. Charity should be done anonymously (Matt. 6:1-4). 21. Prayer should be done privately (Matt. 6:5-8). 22. Pray to the Father for His will to be done on earth (Matt. 6:9). 23. Pray for needs both physical and spiritual (Matt. 6:11-13). 24. Any fasting should be done without being obvious (Matt. 6:16-18). 25. Desire heaven rather than lust for material things (Matt. 6:19-32). 26. Seek God’s will/righteousness (Matt. 6:33). 27. Judge rightly (Matt. 7:1-5). 28. Do not witness to demonic people who despise God and will kill you (Matt. 7:6, cf. 10:16-17).
The rest of the Sermon on the Mount is concerned with kerygmatic issues, so at this point we will return to Paul’s epistles for this study of didachaic teachings.
Ephesians 4:2-3 was cited as an example of didachaic teachings, because Paul gave instructions for living a life that builds on the Gospel, which could be called commands with the understanding that cooperating with the will of God/Jesus is not onerous, because believers desire to do what pleases their Lord. Paul’s didachaic instructions in Eph. 4:20-32 are as follows:
29. Acquire a new attitude, the righteous mind of God/Christ (Eph. 4:22-24). 30. Speak truthfully to fellow believers (Eph. 4:25). 31. Control anger so that it does not become sinful rage (Eph. 4:26-27). 32. Work to earn a living plus something to share instead of stealing (Eph. 4:28). 33. Employ edifying language instead of unhelpful talk (Eph. 4:29). 34. Do not grieve God (Eph. 4:30). 35. Eliminate various forms of hatred, including bitterness, brawling and slander (Eph. 4:31). 36. Be kind, compassionate and forgiveness (Eph. 4:32).
In Gal. 5:22-23 Paul listed a few godly/loving traits that he called fruit of the Spirit: joy, peace, goodness, faithfulness and self-control (of emotions such as anger), and in Eph. 5:3-4 he cited several ungodly behaviors, including: sexual immorality, impurity and greed, obscenity, foolish talk and coarse joking. It is interesting that a quality Paul named as opposed to these sins is thanksgiving to God. Although Paul preached salvation via faith (Rom. 3:21-5:1, Eph. 2:8-9), he said that those whose life is not becoming better/more moral do NOT have saving faith (Eph. 5:5-7).
The spiritual fruit Paul listed in Eph. 5:9 include: goodness, righteousness, and truth, and in 5:18&19 he added sobriety, being Spirit-filled and speaking with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Then Paul addressed the issue of submission, beginning by commanding mutual submission of Christians to each other, because all Christians are equally children of God via faith in Christ (Gal. 3:26-28), and in Christ’s kingdom the greatest is the servant of all (Matt. 20:26-27, 23:11).
A wife’s submission to her husband is equivalent to her husband’s Christlike love for his wife (Eph. 5:22-30). This is the meaning of becoming one flesh spiritually (Matt. 19:4-6). Although Paul refers to husbands as the head of their wives, it should be remembered that Eve was created out of Adam’s side to be his partner (Gen. 3:22). Jesus said (in Matt. 20:28) that he did not come to be served but to give his life. With this understanding, we can see that Paul envisions a marriage in which the husband is spiritually mature or Christlike and loves his wife sacrificially as the wife does her husband. When the husband is NOT like Christ, perhaps the statement of Peter in Acts. 5:29 (“We must obey God rather than men”) applies. Marriage is a profound mystery meant to manifest via spousal and family relations the relationship between Christ and the church (Eph. 5:31-33).
Regarding the family, children should obey their godly parents (Eph. 6:1-3). When parents give ungodly commands, what Peter told the Sanhedrin in Acts 5:29 also applies to this situation. Parents should bring them up in the training of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). Godly parents do not exasperate loving children. This is God’s “plan A” for parenting.
The instruction for slaves is essentially the same as that for Christians, wives and children, implying that Christ, spouses, parents and masters are godly, loving or respectable, so that cooperating with their commands is done willingly and joyfully (Eph. 6:5-8). In the same way that slaves should obey masters as though they were serving the Lord, masters should treat their slaves as though they would want to be treated by the Lord—as Christian parents should treat their children and husbands treat their wives, not threatening them as inferiors, since they know there is no favoritism with God (Eph. 6:9).
We noted that the didachaic topic of marriage was discussed by Paul in Ephesians and Colossians, and Jesus addressed it in Matt. 19: 4-6, saying that the Creator made humanity male and female, so a man will leave his parents and be united to his wife as one flesh (cf. Gen. 2:24), and what God joins together man should not separate. We see from this statement that marriage is a spiritual union of a man and woman until death. The marital commitment is—or should be—signified by sexual union. There is no mention of legal matters such as licenses and traditional customs such as ceremonies, although these may be good to satisfy for the purpose of avoiding being a stumbling block (cf. 1Cor. 8:9), who do not understand the essence of marriage.
The phrase about leaving one’s father and mother indicates that a man (and presumably also a woman) should be ready for marriage by attaining a sufficient degree of independence from their parents, both financial and psychological. They also should be prepared to become parents themselves, even if they hope not to have a child for awhile. Since goo parenting involves a lot more than procreation, readiness for parenthood implies a sufficient degree of spiritual maturity. It is a God-given responsibility.
We must assume that God enables people to remain celibate until they are married, because we know that fornication or extra-marital sexual activity is wrong. Jesus said not to look at a woman lustfully, because it is akin to adultery (Matt. 5:27), and Paul wrote (in 1Cor. 7:9) that people who cannot control themselves should marry rather than burn with passion (lust).
God intends for sexual union to express marital love and commitment. Pornography is that which encourages, recommends or promotes fornication, lust or extra-marital sexual activity. It is immoral because it subverts happy marriages and family values. Jesus sought to convey the severity of the sin of lust by saying it would be better to lose the offending part of the body (Matt. 5:29-30). The misery resulting from sexual immorality includes horrible illnesses, but ungodly people prefer to cure the physical disease rather than their spiritual sickness.
Jesus said that what God joined together as one flesh man should not separate. Obviously, people are not permanently joined physically, so that which must not be separated refers to their spiritual unity. Eve was created from Adam’s side to be his partner rather than from his foot to be his slave (Gen. 2:20-24). Both male and female are created in God’s image (Gen. 1:27). In Christ, there is no male and female, but both are one (Gal. 3:28) or equal. And both husband and wife are commanded to submit to one another by Paul (Eph. 5:21). God desires consensual relationships.
In the same way that the essence of marriage is spiritual union, so the reality of divorce occurs when the man and wife become spiritually separated. This realization should motivate spouses to work on the quality of their communication before serious problems develop in their relationship, because spiritual divorce is the sin of divorce. Not only that, but allowing unrighteous anger that leads to spiritual divorce is sinful. Paul admonishes us (in Eph. 4:26-27) not to let the sun go down while you are still angry—and do not get angry again the next morning!
IOW, a miserable marriage is akin to the sin of divorce, which refers to spiritual reality as much as to legality. Jesus taught in Matt. 5:31-32a and 19:6-9 that the only permissible reason for legal divorce is marital unfaithfulness or when the sin of spiritual divorce signified by adultery (a form of fornication) has already occurred. This leaves only celibacy or a happy marriage as permissible alternatives.
Some didachaic topics are not specifically addressed in Scripture, so believers must consider how to apply biblical teachings to those issues. An example is abortion. How does biblical teaching apply to the abortion debate? Two passages (Exo. 21:22-25 & Luke 1:41-44) seem to suggest that an unborn baby should be considered a person at least by the time of quickening (cf. Psa. 139:13-16). Perhaps Exo. 20:13 can be understood as implying, “Thou shalt not murder thy baby”. However, because believers do not dictate government policies, they need to share logical as well as biblical reasons for not aborting babies.
Logically, the crucial question is this: “When does a developing fetus become a human person with the God-given right to civil life so that to kill it is murder and warrants punishment?” Considerations other than the advent of personhood are irrelevant, unless someone would use the same rationale to justify the killing of children and adults. As a person considers two pictures: one of a seven-month-old fetus in the womb, and one of a seven-month-old preemie outside the womb, he/she should understand that location and mode of breathing is not a valid basis for defining personhood.
Those who view conception to be the criterion of personhood should mourn miscarriages in the same way they would death of post-birth babies, but there is logical reason to consider personhood beginning the same way doctors use to consider a person to be dead: brain death or the absence of certain brain wave activity detected by an electroencephalogram (EEG). We might call this stage “sentience”, when the fetus has brain life of the type detectable in a person deemed to be alive and to have the civil right to life. Thus, everyone should agree that the fetus becomes sentient and a legal person at least by that stage of development. In the absence of definitive Scriptural teaching, this is only a partial solution, but it is better than allowing abortion throughout pregnancy. It recognizes that people may reasonably disagree about the status of the fetus between conception and sentience. Implementing this solution requires educating people about fetal development until society develops a consensus that when a fetus becomes sentient, abortion is a type of manslaughter or murder and should be punished appropriately.
Another topic not specifically addressed in Scripture is inspiration, which is mentioned in 2Tim. 3:16-17. Some people think God dictated every word of the Bible to the human writers, but we do not have the original manuscripts and thus translations need to be correctly interpreted. Other people understand the Bible to contain God’s communication to humanity regarding His plan for salvation, which culminated with the NT revelation. In order to decide what to believe about inspiration, consider the following train of thought:
Suppose God Himself wrote the inerrant message to humanity, “Thou shalt not lie, steal, murder or fornicate”, but the first manuscript copier accidentally left out the comma between lie and steal. Would that minor mistake invalidate God’s commandment? (No.) Now suppose an evil copier intentionally changed the word fornicate to fumigate, invalidating that part of God’s commandment. How could we know which word or words were correct and not changed? We would need to compare the commandment with other statements purported to be inspired by God in order to see what is the overall or consistent message, so that we can acquire sufficient evidence to have reasonable belief that the word fumigate should be discounted.
Finally, suppose that no one changed God’s original commandment. How could we know absolutely or infallibly that it was inerrant? We could not; we walk by faith. We would still need to compare it with the totality of truth in order to discover whether there were any inconsistencies. Thus, a completely inerrant Bible is not needed as long as there is sufficient consistency in God’s messages to humanity via the creation, the scriptures (OT & NT), the incarnate word and divine logic for souls to discern God’s requirement for salvation.
John 16:12-13 does not say that God dictates revelation word by word, and 2Pet. 1:21 says that prophets were “carried along” by the HS, which suggests a more dynamic method of inspiration along the lines of Paul, who communicated the Gospel in his epistles without quoting Jesus word for word. Thus, we conclude by comparing inspiration to a river: God determines the banks of the river of revelation to humanity so that it always includes sufficient information regarding salvation, but He may allow it to have eddies and grains of sand/minor errors that do not prevent His plan/will from being accomplished (Isa. 55:10f., 1Pet. 1:10-12, Heb. 11:2-12:2).
An issue which is addressed briefly in the NT is criminal justice. In Rom. 13:1-5 Paul said to obey godly rulers, through whom God works to punish wrongdoers. Governments or rulers that are not tyrannical toward right-doers are ordained by God to punish wrongdoers and should be obeyed (cf. Tit. 3:1). The reason for obedience should not only be fear of punishment but also because it is morally right.
Considering the current system of criminal justice in the U.S.A., it sometimes seems to be more criminal than just. For one thing, it takes way too long to achieve court decisions, and “justice delayed is justice denied”. In addition to speeding up the process via congressional laws, the system could be improved by implementing logical ideas such as requiring restitution for victims and for criminals to work for wages ten hours per day six days per week and have their wages garnisheed until the debt of restitution including the cost of their room and board was paid. The length of the sentence is due to the amount of restitution plus 10% to an account the prisoner would receive when discharged.
This system eliminates plea-bargaining, parole, innocent by reason of insanity and death row. It does not eliminate the need for lawyers, but their role would be changed to determining guilt and the just consequence/ restitution. Anyone who intentionally withheld information pertinent to establishing the truth and a fair penalty would be culpable of a crime. The intent of this system is to maximize the probability of reforming criminals. The living situation would approximate as close as practical what the prisoner would need to function as a law-abiding citizen, including an efficiency apartment type of cell, so that the prisoner would do his/her own cooking and laundry. If a prisoner refused to work, then he/she would not be paid and thus the sentence would be lengthened; nor would food be provided (cf. 2Thes. 3:10).
Prisoners who failed to reform but instead damaged property, injured people or committed some other illegal act would have the restitution for that crime added to their original sentence. They may be viewed as committing suicide by degrees. When their misbehavior results in a sentence of 100 years, they would be allowed to complete their suicide or be executed. Of course, deciding on a crime’s just restitution for the myriad extenuating circumstances would require the wisdom of Solomon, as it does in the present system. However, this objective method should eliminate repeat offenders within a generation.
Another issue mentioned in the NT is poverty. Jesus stated that poverty would always exist (Matt. 26:11), but he also said to give to the poor (Matt. 19:21). These verses imply that we should try to alleviate abject poverty. We know that stealing is wrong (Exo. 20:15), but implicit in the command for the rich share their wealth is that people should not need to steal in order to survive.
The apostle Paul synthesized these two commands by saying (in Eph. 4:28) that people must work instead of stealing, earning a living plus something to share with those in need, perhaps because of being unable to work. Paul also said (in 2Thes. 3:10) that a man who will not work shall not eat, and (in 1Tim. 5:8) that anyone who does not provide for his family is worse than an unbeliever. His desire was for people to have sufficiently equality (per 2Cor. 8:13), not meaning welfare or communism that results in a smaller pie to share, but rather that every person should have an equal opportunity to earn a living. Sewing these verses together with spiritual thread, we can discern that the will of God is for people who are able to work to seek employment, so that earning a fair wage will provide at least the basic necessities plus something (a tithe per Mal. 3:8-10) left over for charity.
Full employment at a livable wage is a wonderful goal; the problem is how to achieve it. A logical suggestion called workfare encourages industry and discourage laziness by implementing a system of indentured employment as follows:
1. Every county seat and large town would have a job assistance office, and all of these would be connected by a nationwide computer system.
2. People could apply for a job anywhere in the country, and the federal government and hiring business would split the costs of relocation and training for those below a qualifying amount of assets.
3. In return the employee would have to commit to some minimum time of employment (similar to the contract rules of the National Football League).
4. During the term of the contract, the employee’s tithe (the amount of the minimum wage that is above subsistence level) would be garnisheed until the hiring costs were reimbursed up to some limit that corresponded to the length of the contract.
5. The federal government would insure the contract and reimburse employers if an indentured employee wanted to quit before the costs associated with their hiring were recouped.
6. Quitters would not be eligible for welfare; they would have to accept another job, unless they could support themselves some other legal way. The amount of hiring costs owed from their previous job would be added to the new contract.
7. Ideally, this program would be self-supporting, but it may need to be subsidized by the federal budget, so that the minimum wage and cost of living would be equivalent for everyone in the country. Surely the cost of helping people become productive workers should be much less than that of welfare.
This program would only guarantee job opportunities for legal citizen independent adults. It would provide tax incentives that reward companies who have profit-sharing (and loss-sharing for CEOs), healthcare, retirement plans, and other benefits such as those mentioned previously.
It seems reasonable that governments should encourage employers to pay workers a wage that will provide at least a subsistence level of living (including food, clothes and shelter) plus ten percent (a “tithe”) for a family of four. Parents should not procreate more children than they can afford to support. It also seems reasonable for a typical work week to be no more than six days (then a “Sabbath”), and for a typical work day to be no more than ten hours (although Matt. 20:1-8 speaks of sunrise to sunset), so that workers have enough time to rest and be with their families.
The issue of gender roles is one that needs careful consideration, because Adam and Eve sinned together per Gen. 3:6-7, there is no difference between male and female per Gal. 3:28, and believers should submit to one another or operate by consensus rather than dictatorship per Eph. 5:21 (cf. Rom. 14:9, 1Cor. 14:33, 2Cor.13:11, 1Thes.5:13). Eve was Adam’s partner, not his slave (per Gen. 2:22).
The biological differences between males and females logically differentiate the roles of fathers and mothers at least through the end of breast feeding children. I believe the Bible permits any roles not dictated by anatomical differences to be performed by either gender. Gen. 1:27 states that males and females are equally in God’s image, and Gal. 3:28 indicates that cultural, economic and sexual discrimination are wrong. Thus, men and women (as well as all ethnicities) should have equal political rights and job opportunities.
Regarding the role of women as church leaders, the biblical “one flesh” definition of marriage implies that the wife of a pastor would thus be a pastoress and the wives of deacons would be deaconesses, because it seems likely that God would want husband and wife to share the same ministry, as in the case of Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:26). Paul’s description of the husband as the “head” of his wife (1Cor. 11:3) does not negate such joint ministry when understood in the context of 1Cor. 12:12-27. Christ as the head of His body loves/serves every toe (Matt. 20:28), who has an important function enabling the body to walk.
Because both Jesus and Paul recommended celibacy for those who have the ministerial gift, presumably unmarried Christian women may also be ministers. Note that Christ’s concept of leadership is servanthood rather than dictatorial authority (Matt. 20:26, cf. 1Pet. 5:1-3). Thus, Paul’s statements about women being silent in church and not having authority over men (in 1Cor. 13:34, 1Tim. 2:12) should be read in conjunction with his statements regarding equality and mutual submission (cf. 1Pet. 3:7) so the role differences can be understood in a way that neither prohibits ministry by women nor promotes the superiority of men.
It appears that Paul did not want freedom in Christ to offend the paternal pagan culture (Tit. 2:5&8) and thereby inhibit the Gospel (1Cor.9:12&19-23, 10:23-33, 11:1-16). Note his concern that church leaders have a good reputation with outsiders (1Tim. 3:7), which would also apply to regular Christians, though perhaps to a lesser extent. 1Cor. 14:34-35 indicates that there was some law or cultural mores against women speaking authoritatively, which deemed such behavior to be “disgraceful” (cf. 1Tim. 2:11-12), whereas there was no such custom during the ministry of Deborah in the OT (Judg. 4:4).
Regarding the issue of homosexuality, there are two relevant passages in the NT. In Matt. 19:4-5 Jesus cited Gen. 1:27 and 2:24 in teaching that marriage is the union of a male and female as “one flesh”, and in Rom. 1:26-27 Paul condemned homosexuality as shameful lusts, unnatural relations and indecent acts. In addition to these biblical passages, the anatomical differences between male and female bodies indicate heterosexual intercourse is the natural mode. Although the cause of gender preference remains unproved per the APA, the design of gender-specific parts implies the appropriate/normal use of those parts. Thus, homosexuality is not a “viable alternative lifestyle”, and homosexual “civil unions” are not biblical marriages.
Hopefully, science will find a cure if the cause of homosexuality is genetic, and therapy will help if the cause is environmental during the formative years of life. We all have our cross to bear or issues with ehich we struggle. Whether homosexual orientation is genetically or environmentally caused, the cure should be found.
Those who are concerned with the morality of sexuality should have equally loving concern for hetero-sexual wrong-doing/fornication (Rom. 1:24-27, 1Cor. 6:9&15-18, 10:8, Gal. 5:19, Eph. 5:31, Col. 3:5, 1Thes. 4:3, Heb. 12:13, 13:4). God wants platonic relationships until marriage, so the line between friendly touching and sexual expression should not be crossed until then. In heaven souls will be free of the sexual drive (Matt. 22:30). Although sexuality is a good thing when expressed appropriately, often people exaggerate its importance to the point of making it an idol to be worshipped. Sex is not synonymous with love.
Some modern topics, such as biomedicine and physical science did not exist when the Bible was written, so we must try to do good and remain humble until answers are learned in heaven. Regarding medicine, it seems reasonable to provide affordable treatment if possible, and regarding science it seems logical that because creation manifests God’s Word it does not contradict truth in Scripture. For example, because 2Pet. 3:8 says a day is like a thousand years for the Lord, the days in Genesis 1 need not refer to 24 hour periods, which means evidence that creation took a long time is acceptable.
IV. The Role of the HS Compared with Angels
Angels are mentioned throughout the Bible, which prompts questions related to the study of angelology: When were angels created (Neh. 9:6?, Are they robots or free to sin (Heb. 1:4-14)? Do they have their own salvation history (although two thirds apparently did not sin)? Are they spirits superior to mortals (2Pet. 2:11)? Are they merely messengers without being mediators (1Tim. 2:3-5)? Is their function not super-fluous and somewhat competitive with the role of the HS (Psa. 91:11-12)? Should angels grow less as the HS is glorified in the church era (John 3:30)? Why not credit the HS with helping souls in every way; why are ministering angels needed? (It seems like “too many cooks in the kitchen”.) Why would some angels prefer hell after being in heaven?! The Bible has no clear doctrine of angels/angelology but only vague references (Luke 2:9-15), so it will be interesting to find out about them when we get to heaven.
The writer of Hebrews (probably Paul) asked in Heb. 1:14 whether angels were ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation, which seems to duplicate the ministry of the HS described in the Gospel of John as advocate (John 14:16-17), testifier about Jesus (John 15:26) and guide (John 16:12-15)? The word “angel” means messenger, and they appear as men a few places in the Bible, but there are no references to angels and the HS working together. Perhaps the mention of the angel who named Jesus in Luke 2:21 and the HS who moved Simeon in Luke 2:25 is the closest they come, but Paul taught (in 1Tim. 2:3-5) that there is only one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus (possibly addressing Gnosticism of that era, which viewed angels as mediators).
Thus, perhaps one should think of OT angels as akin to (or functioning in a way similar to) the Mosaic Sacrificial Law: Just as the Law foreshadowed the Gospel, so angels may foreshadow or represent the HS before the triune God was revealed in the NT, because their roles are not very different. In light of the NT, angels can be viewed as preparing the way for the Gospel of Christ. The Law of Moses revealed our sinfulness, the Sacrificial System pointed to Christ’s atonement, some of the prophets revealed that God’s Plan of Salvation (POS) included the Gentiles, and angels may have manifested the HS.
This understanding is not taught explicitly in the NT, but when Scriptural statements about angels seem unclear, it is better to celebrate the HS. So, let us try to jibe the role of angels with the role of the Holy Spirit. Heb. 1:14 refers to angels as spirits who minister to the saints and Heb. 2:4 refers to the HS as gifting the saints. Heb. 2:16 is noteworthy for indicating that Jesus did not die for angels but only for mortals. Harmonizing GW re angels may prompt one to guess that angels manifested the HS during the OT dispensation (cited in Rev.) and NT transitional era (in Acts), and they were subsumed by the HS (cf. the NT superseding the OT per Heb. 7:11-10:10) after He was manifested as foretold by Jesus in John 14-16 and recorded by Luke in Acts.
It is not a matter of replacing the angels but of keeping them in their proper place. Thus 1Cor. 12:31-14:1 might be applicable to angelology, and we should allow the angels to become less important as the HS becomes greater–as John said with regard to Jesus in John 3:30. Notice that most of Paul’s references to angels puts them in a less important position than the HS or even saints:
In 1Cor. 6:2-3 Paul said “Do you not know that we are to judge angels?”, indicating that they are subservient to saints. In 1Cor. 13:1 Paul said that speaking with the “tongues of men and of angels” is less important than love (having the HS per Rom. 5:5). In Gal. 1:8 Paul said that even if an “angel from heaven” preaches a different gospel, they should be rejected as heretical. In Col. 2:18 Paul warned against the “worship of angels”, who are less important than Christ’s HS. In Rom. 8:38 Paul said that nothing, not even “angels or rulers” in the spiritual realm, can separate saints from God’s love (HS).
Thus, just as Paul limits speaking in tongues without forbidding it, he limits the importance of angels without denying their existence and role before the HS was revealed via the Gospel/NT. Angels served as messengers from God to men until superseded by the HS of Jesus (1Tim. 2:5, cf. Joel 2:28-29, Acts 7:30). References to angels involved in the birth and early ministry of Jesus are superseded by references to the HS toward the end of his life (John 14-16) and after His ascension (Acts 2). The HS may be the NT revelation of the holy angels/spirits of the OT, who do God’s will because they ARE the one God perceived as diversified, whereas in truth He is Triune.
The Prayers of Paul:
Colossians 1:3&9b-12 Ephesians 1:15-19 Philippians 1:3-11
We always thank God, the Father For this reason, ever since I heard about I thank my God every time I remember you.
of our Lord Jesus Christ, when your faith in the LJC and your love for all In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray
we pray for you… the saints, I have not stopped giving with joy because of your partnership in the
thanks for you…in my prayers gospel.
…asking God to fill you with …I keep asking that the God of our LJC, …And this is my prayer: that your love may
the knowledge of his will through the glorious Father, may give you the abound more and more in knowledge and
all spiritual understanding… Spirit of wisdom and revelation… depth of insight… understanding…
…in order that you may live …that you may know the hope to which …so that you may be able to discern what is best
a life worthy of the Lord and he has called you, the riches of his glorious and may be pure and blameless until the day of
may please him in every way… inheritance in the saints… Christ…
…bearing fruit in every good work …filled with the fruit of righteousness…
being strengthened with all power …and his incomparably great power for
us who believe…
2THS 1:11-12 2THS 2:16-17 2THS 3:5&1THS 5:23
We constantly pray for you, That May our LJC and God our Father… May the Lord direct your Hearts into
our God may count you worthy of strengthen you in every good deed and word. God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.
his calling, and that by his power May God… sanctify you through and through.
he may fulfill every good purpose May your whole spirit, soul and body
of yours and every act prompted be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord…
by your faith.
Chain Sinning
Sin usually is a cluster or chain of sins, as illustrated by the first man and woman’s fall from innocence (in GN 3:1-6) as follows:
- The first sin was misdirected faith/not doubting the lie of the serpent (1JN 4:1, 2CR 11:3).
- The second sin was adding to or perverting God’s word (RV 22:18f.), because in the recorded instructions to Adam God had said only that they must not eat the fruit; He had not said they could not touch it (GN 2:17).
- The third sin was one of omission. Adam and Eve neglected to ask God about the devil’s teaching (JM 4:17, 1:5).
- The fourth sin must have been greed for the forbidden fruit, because the inner sinful attitude always precedes the outward sinful action (CL 3:5).
- The fifth sin was actually eating the forbidden fruit, which was not an apple!
- The sixth sin was covering up and lying (PS 32:1-5, 1JN 1:9). Note that Adam and Eve were both deceived and enabled each other to sin (v.6-7). (1TM 2:14 is problematic.)