Posted on 07/19/2016 7:32:29 AM PDT by Hebrews 11:6
Christianity’s Major “Pivot-Points”
Recently as I meditated on Scripture, the Holy Spirit drew my attention and interest to how a certain verse embodies a pivoting or inflection-point in Christianity’s long story. That caused me to want to derive and list all of the major pivot-points which have occurred—that is, pivotal incidents which substantially changed the course of events in the unfolding of God’s redemptive plan. Your list might be somewhat different, but all these seem to me to be hugely impactful. Chronologically, they are:
CREATION—God creates our physical universe to house us and then He creates us, the first physical creatures with spirits capable of interacting with Him. Imagine the angels’ astonishment!
ADAM'S FALL—The first man’s rebellion starts us on our long road. After their own massive rebellion, perhaps the angels are not astonished at man’s.
THE FLOOD—Following man’s deadly persistence in rebelling, God restarts humanity, thereby demonstrating conclusively the deadly consequences of such rebellion.
THE CONFUSING OF LANGUAGES—After the Tower of Babel, God forcefully disperses an unwilling humanity, in order to permit the rapid population growth needed to produce the billions of people to whom God plans to offer redemption.
ABRAHAM'S CALL & FAITH—God begins specifically executing His redemptive plan, beginning with and through just one willing man who trusts Him to make him “the father of many nations.”
EXODUS / LAW-GIVING / PROMISED LAND—God extracts His Chosen People from Egypt, gives them His perfect Law, and eventually settles their willing remnant into His Promised Land.
ISRAEL'S REJECTIONS OF, & BY, GOD—The Israelites resolutely and repeatedly reject God for 1,400 years, so He rejects them by exiling them, initially for seventy years but finally for two millennia.
JESUS CHRIST'S CRUCIFIXION, RESURRECTION, & ASCENSION—The Pinnacle of Pivot-Points. Everything changes.
THE GIVING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT—For the first time the Spirit indwells every believer.
THE CHURCH'S CREATION—The first believers join together corporately in an organic process that still continues today.
THE WELCOMING OF GENTILES—Paul and Peter make the persuasive case for the church to offer God’s salvation to everyone.
THE NEW TESTAMENT'S WRITING, ASSEMBLY, & DISSEMINATION—The Apostles and a few others flesh out the new faith and reveal essential new doctrines, especially such as…
GRACE SUPERCEDES LAW (SALVATION BY GRACE)—1,400 years of Israel’s abject failure to keep the Law is revealed to have been inevitable, since the Law’s purpose is only to make us conscious of our sinfulness and helplessness, and thus of our need for salvation. Salvation is not by our works but by grace through faith.
THE GREAT COMMISSION—Needed anew for every generation and still being carried out aggressively today, now throughout the entire globe.
PROTESTANT REFORMATION—The Church is split asunder and the Bible is made available to all believers.
THE JEWS RETURN TO ISRAEL—In 1948, two millennia after their exile, the Jews reconstitute Israel, exactly as prophesied.
REVELATION'S EVENTS—Coming soon to your neighborhood.
You need to reread Acts about when the Holy Spirit indwells believers. It is not automatic. Some seed falls on rocky ground.
Excellent.
So, then, 16 out of 17?
I think you've quite missed the point of the New Covenant.
Under it, one is not redeemed from sin, eternal death, and the Lake of Fire unless one is regenerated and has become a permanent residence of the Holy Ghost.
That state is conferred by God on the basis of committed, irreversible faith in His Son and Christ, Jesus, as Lord, and in His Blood, having become His tangible possession for ever.
You might want to reread Jesus' words of promise, especially John 10:25-30, 11:25-26, and 14:24-26.
Anyone who is not indwelt by the Holy Spirit is not saved from the wrath of The God.
Are you?
My impression is that your understanding of the parable of the sower and the seed is flawed.
You need to read the epistles that show the HS indwells every believe at the moment of conversion.
Acts 8
14 Now when the †apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,
15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them †that they might receive the Holy Spirit.
Nelson, Thomas. Holy Bible, New King James Version (NKJV) (p. 1066). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
Acts 19
1 And it happened, while †Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through †the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples
2 he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, †“We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, †“Into John’s baptism.”
4 Then Paul said, †“John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”
5 When they heard this, they were baptized †in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul had †laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and †they spoke with tongues and prophesied.
Nelson, Thomas. Holy Bible, New King James Version (NKJV) (p. 1079). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
As I said, it is not automatic. And sometimes the Spirit come first and baptism comes later:
Acts 10
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, †the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.
45 †And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, †because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.
46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered,
47 “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit †just as we have?”
48 †And he commanded them to be baptized †in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.
Nelson, Thomas. Holy Bible, New King James Version (NKJV) (pp. 1069-1070). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
GOD'S DEALINGS WITH MAN (click here)
(Apparently my HTML coding was a little off and displaced the line with some of the dates. I'm sure you can put them right.)
You need to stop repeating the doctrine of men and actually read what has been written. See #7.
No, that was just the one the Holy Spirit pointed out to me, first.
The Bible is the Revealed Word of the True and the Living God, YHWH. The Word of YHWH creates the actual boundary conditions for His creation. He literally holds the world together with His Word.
He is the Potter. We are the clay. You present your “pivot-points” as if you have figured it all out. That is the kind of legalism that Jesus disputed with the Scribes and Pharisees.
Jesus said to approach the Kingdom as a little child. Little children ask “why” and they ask “are we there, yet.”
I don't consider Paul's words in 1 Cor. 12:13 to be doctrine of men:
"For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit."
Paul was speaking to the Corinthian believers ... and he says they were ALL baptized into one body ... that can only be true if spirit baptism happens at conversion.
Salvation comes by faith.
So the Scripture, I cited, that specifically says otherwise is to be ignored? Jesus parable of the Scattering of the Seed is to be ignored?
The Holy Ghost didn't inspire this bit. It's based first on the fallacy that the Catholic Church withheld the Bible from the people -- the Church not only preaches the Word, but provided vernacular translations well before Luther. Second, that "all believers" could make any more use of written scripture after the ref. than before, as the vast majority of people still couldn't read.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8
Salvation comes--that is, its source is--by grace--that is, by God's gift, not by our own works. Salvation comes--that is, its process is--through faith.
I could certainly argue that the RCC has indeed had the policy for two millennia of keeping the actual Bible from its laity--even the monk Luther was hard-pressed to gain access to it. But had the RCC's policy from, say, the third or fourth century been that "God's will is for every man to have access to the whole Bible in the vernacular," then two things would necessarily have followed: (1) the invention of the printing press a thousand years before it actually was, and (2) universal literacy-education.
It might not surprise you to learn that I find your responses to this thread to be, to put it as charitably as I can, offputting, negative, and both ungodly and unscriptural. Therefore, I decline to converse further with you, although I sincerely wish for you God's very best. Fare well.
When I'm at leisure I'll look over your link, which at first glance looks ever-so-much (eversomuch?) more scholarly and categorical than my poor effort. Thanks.
Romans 10
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
Nelson, Thomas (2009-02-18). Holy Bible, New King James Version (NKJV) (p. 1100). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
1 Thessalonians 4
13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Nelson, Thomas (2009-02-18). Holy Bible, New King James Version (NKJV) (p. 1146). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
1 Thessalonians 5
1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.
2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.
7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.
8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.
9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
Nelson, Thomas (2009-02-18). Holy Bible, New King James Version (NKJV) (pp. 1146-1147). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
Revelation 2
7 “’”Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the victor I will give the right to eat from the tree of life that is in the garden of God.”’
- - - - -
11 “’”Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
The victor shall not be harmed by the second death.”’
17 “’”Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the victor I shall give some of the hidden manna; I shall also give a white amulet upon which
is inscribed a new name, which no one knows except the one who receives it.”’
- - - - -
24 But I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not uphold this teaching and
know nothing of the so-called deep secrets of Satan: on you I will place no further burden,
25 except that you must hold fast to what you have until I come.
26 “’”To the victor, who keeps to my ways until the end, I will give authority over the nations.
27 He will rule them with an iron rod. Like clay vessels will they be smashed,
28 just as I received authority from my Father. And to him I will give the morning star.
29 “’”Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’
- - - - -
Revelation 3
4 However, you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments;
they will walk with me dressed in white, because they are worthy.
5 “’”The victor will thus be dressed in white, and I will never erase his name
from the book of life but will acknowledge his name in the presence of my
Father and of his angels.
6 “’”Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’
- - - - -
20 “’”Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and
opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me.
21 I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne, as I myself
first won the victory and sit with my Father on his throne.
22 “’”Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’”
- - - - -
* [2:7] Victor: referring to any Christian individual who holds fast to the faith
and does God’s will in the face of persecution. The tree of life that is in the
garden of God: this is a reference to the tree in the primeval paradise (Gn 2:9);
cf. Rev 22:2, 14, 19. The decree excluding humanity from the tree of life has
been revoked by Christ.
http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/2
http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/3
No scripture is to be ignored ... but your case is on feeble ground. If you study every occurance of the coming spirit, tongues, laying on of hands you will conclude exactly one thing ... the historical narrative in Acts provides zero basis for NT doctrine, except where what happened is consistent with the content of the epistles. Why, because Acts is the transition period between the OT and the NT ... the epistles are the instructions for the church. Which brings me back to the passage that I cited, which, by the way, you ignored.
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