Posted on 01/04/2019 8:20:14 AM PST by Salvation
Rest on Flight to Egypt, by Caravaggio (1597)
At Christmas we celebrate the Word becoming Flesh, but what does this mean for us today? Fundamentally, it means that our faith is about things that are tangible. As human beings, we have bodies. We have a soul that is spiritual, but it is joined with a body that is physical and material. Hence, it is never enough for our faith to be only about thoughts, philosophies, concepts, or ideas. Their truth must touch the physical part of who we are. Our faith must become flesh; it has to influence our behavior. If that is not the case, then the Holy Spirit, speaking through John, has something to call us: liars!
Therefore, away with sophistry, rationalizations, and intentions. Our faith must become flesh in the way we act and move. God’s love for us in not just a theory or idea. It is a flesh and blood reality that can be seen, heard, and touched. The Word of God and our faith cannot simply remain on the pages of a book or in the recesses of our intellect. They must leap off the pages of the Bible and the Catechism and become flesh in the way we live our life, in the decisions we make, and in the way we use our body, mind, intellect, and will.
Consider the following passage from the liturgy of the Christmas Octave:
The way we may be sure that we know Jesus is to keep his commandments. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him. This is the way we may know that we are in union with him: whoever claims to abide in him ought to walk just as he walked (1 John 2:3ff).
Note some teachings that follow from it:
Faith is incarnational. What a practical man John is! Faith is not an abstraction; it is not merely about theories and words on a page. It is about a transformed life; it is about truly loving God and making His commandments manifest in the way we live. It is about loving our neighbor. True faith is incarnational. That is to say, it takes on flesh in our very “body.”
Too many people spout the phrase, “I’ll be with you in spirit.” Perhaps an occasional absence is understandable but after a while the phrase rings hollow. Showing up physically and doing what we say is an essential demonstration of our sincerity. We are body persons and our faith must include a physical, flesh-and-blood dimension.
Keeping the commandments is a sure sign. John said that The way we may be sure that we know Jesus is to keep his commandments. Now be careful of the logic here. The keeping of the commandments is not the cause of faith; it is the fruit of it. It is not the cause of love; it is its fruit.
In Scripture, “knowing” refers to than an intellectual understanding. It refers to deep, intimate, personal experience of the thing or person. It is one thing to know about God; it is quite to “know the Lord.”
In this passage, John is saying that in order to be sure we have deep, intimate, personal experience of God, we must change the way we live. An authentic faith, an authentic knowing of the Lord, will change our behavior in such a way that we keep the commandments as a fruit of that authentic faith and relationship with Him. It means that our faith becomes flesh in us. Theory becomes practice and experience. It changes the way we live and move and have our being.
For a human being, faith cannot be a mere abstraction. In order to be authentic, it must become flesh and blood. In a later passage, John uses the image of walking: This is the way we may know that we are in union with him: whoever claims to abide in him ought to walk just as he walked (1 John 2:6). Although walking is a physical activity, it is also symbolic. The very place we take our body is physical, but it is also indicative of what we value, what we think.
Liars – John went on to say, Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not keep his commandments is a liar. This is strong language! Either we believe and thus keep the commandments, or we are lying about really knowing the Lord and we fail to keep the commandments.
Don’t all of us struggle to keep the commandments fully? John seems so “all or nothing” in his words, but his point is clear. To know the Lord fully is never to sin (cf 1 John 3:9). If we know him imperfectly, we still experience sin. Hence, the more we know him (remember the definition of “know”) the less we sin. If we still sin, it is a sign that we do not know Him enough.
It is not really John who speaks too absolutely; it is we who do so. We say things like “I have faith,” “I am a believer,” “I love the Lord,” and “I know the Lord.” Perhaps we would be more accurate if we said, “I am growing in faith,” “I am striving to be a better believer,” or “I’m learning to love and know the Lord better and better.” If we do not, then we risk lying. Faith is something we grow in.
Many in the Protestant tradition reduce faith to an event such as answering an altar call or accepting Christ as “personal Lord and savior.” We Catholics do it too. Many Catholics think that all they need to do is be baptized; they don’t bother to attend Mass faithfully as time goes on. Others claim to be “loyal” even “devout” Catholics yet dissent from important Church teachings. Faith is about more than membership. It is about the way we walk, the decisions we make.
Without this harmony between faith and action, we live a lie. We lie to ourselves and to others. The bottom line is that if we really come to know the Lord more and more perfectly, we will grow in holiness, keep the commandments, and be of the mind of Christ. We will walk just as Jesus walked and our claim to have faith will be the truth, not a lie.
Faith and works cannot be separated. This passage does not claim that salvation is by works alone. The keeping of the commandments is not the cause of saving or of real faith. Properly understood, the keeping of the commandments is the result of saving faith actively present and working within us. It indicates that the Lord is saving us from sin and its effects.
The Protestant tradition erred in dividing faith and works. In the 16th century, Protestants claimed that we are saved by “faith alone.” Faith is never alone. It always brings effects with it.
Our brains can get in the way here and tempt us to think that just because we can distinguish or divide something in our mind we can do so in reality, but that is not always the case.
Consider, for a moment, a flame. It has the qualities of heat and light. We can separate the two in our mind but not in reality. I could never take a knife and divide the heat of the flame from its light. They are so interrelated as to be one reality. Yes, heat and light in a flame are distinguishable theoretically, but they are always together in reality.
This is how it is with faith and works. Faith and works are distinguishable theoretically, but the works of true faith and faith itself are always together in reality. We are not saved by works alone or by faith alone; they are together. John teaches here that knowing the Lord by living faith is always accompanied by keeping the commandments and walking as Jesus did.
Therefore, faith is incarnational. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, really and physically. Similarly, our own faith must become flesh in us, in our actual behavior.
Enjoy this incarnational Christmas carol:
Verbum caro factum est The Word was made flesh
Porque todos hos salveis. for the salvation of you all.
Y la Virgen le dezia: And the Virgin said unto him:
‘Vida de la vida mia, ‘Life of my life,
Hijo mio, ¿que os haria, what would I [not] do for you, my Son?
Que no tengo en que os echeis?’ Yet I have nothing on which to lay you down.’
O riquezas terrenales, O worldly riches,
¿No dareis unos pañales will you not give some swaddling clothes
A Jesu que entre animals to Jesus who is born among the animals
Es nasçido segun veis? as you can see?
"Should be" is theory, but that's not the way it usually works. Takes a whole life for current behavior (one's state) to catch up with guaranteed faithbased position (one's standing before God).
The RC problem is that they think one can "lose" the gift of salvation through lack of visible works. But that is an opinion fostered by the god of this world, who would have the newly-born Christ-follower get back under the burden of shame and guilt through lack in confidence in the burden-shifting work of Jesus.
The correctly catechized New Covenant believer is convinced that because of his trust in the Cross-experience transaction, The Judge Of All has pardoned, judicially declared him "NOT GUILTY" once and for all time, and imputed the righteousness of His Beloved Son to him, thus removing the sense of guilt and the power of Sin as an indwelling agent.
The RCs do not like that view of justification.
Yes, but the damnation was not because the subjects were not good enough, but because what they impenitently practiced (clearly sin) meant they had denied the faith.
But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. (1 Timothy 5:8)
Yes there is.
The burden of shame and guilt through lack in confidence in the burden-shifting work of Jesus is a consequence of no faith, though on the basis of that faith some claim they can live like the devil and be saved. However, saving faith in Scripture is not faith in a promise of salvation if one just believes the promise, abstract from who Christ is, but it is "whosoever believeth in HIM shall receive remission of sins," (Acts 10:43) which means one will seek to live according to what the object of his faith wills. For faith is what effects all our volitional actions.
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. (Acts 2:36)
Those who do not Biblically believe in the risen Jesus as their Lord and Savior (He is both) should feel shame and guilt. And as it is faith that saves, for which man can take zero credit for (seeing as God draws, opens hearts, grants repentance, and gives faith, and motivates and enables us to do what we otherwise could not and would not do), then we have exhortations to preserve in the faith, ( (Heb. 3:14) and warnings against not doing so.
Which having "an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God," (Heb. 3:12) drawing back unto perdition (Heb. 10:38,39) going back into bondage, making Christ of no effect, to no profit, (Gal. 5:1-4) is the only thing man can and must take proper credit for, and the blame for the dire consequences.
And yet God plays for keeps, and works to bring repentance, which can be even via severe chastisement, (1Co. 5:5) thus if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:31-32)
Thanks be to God He has not given up on me yet!
Is water baptism an essential activity for The God to keep His promise of graciously conferring the gift of salvation to any human who exercises the (also God-planted) gift of faith in His Sin-bearing Lamb?
I say "No."
RCs say otherwise, and that separates me from them, eternally.
ping to Post #185. Sorry, at the last moment I forgot to name you as a recipient. Forgive me, please.
Cornelius and company whose hearts were purified by faith with the washing of regeneration before they expressed that effectual faith in baptism, would not agree that it is the act of baptism which effects regeneration.
Meanwhile, i have been waiting to do a new install of my operating system and i think now it the time. Be back later, God willing. .
Well, according to the inspired Greek NT,
ψυχικοςsoulish G5991 δεbut ανθρωποςhuman ουnot δεχεταιreceive τα του πνευματοςSpirit του θεουGod's μωριαfoolishness γαρfor αυτωto him εστινis καιand ουnot δυναταιpossible γνωναιto know οτιbecause πνευματικωςspiritually G4153 ανακρινεταιdiscerned
============
Strong's Concordance Lexical Number G5991
ψυχικός
psuchikos
psoo-khee-kos'
Strong's Definition:
From G5590; sensitive that is, animate (in distinction on the one hand from G4152, which is the higher or renovated nature; and on the other from G5446, which is the lower or bestial nature): - natural, sensual.
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Strong's Concordance Lexical Number G4153
πνευματικῶς
pneumatikōs
pnyoo-mat-ik-oce'
Strong's Definition:
Adverb from G4152; non-physically, that is, divinely, figuratively: - spiritually.
-------
Strong's Concordance Lexical Number G5446
φυσικός
phusikos
foo-see-kos'
Strong's Definition:
From G5449; “physical”, that is, (by implication) instinctive: - natural. Compare G5591.
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Here's my thoughts on that:
Human logic is a part of man's spirit, and that is also a part of his spirit, not of God's Spirit. One cannot grasp God's thoughts by applying human logic, because they often do not even exist--let alone make sense--to a human mind. Even when God shows His thoughts in the Holy Writings, they are not understandable without The Holy Ghost to show them, and to accept them by faith, not by human logic.
Without the oversight of the Holy Spirit, and even without Satanic interference, human attempts to employ the Scriptures to guide individual or corporate human conduct winds up a big mess.
One example of this is the Roman Catholic influence, particularly since it was formed and promoted as the religious arm of the state, and had to conform its rules according to human logic, and not that of the Spirit-led New Testament Way of Christ.
And that is why we have such an ongoing argumentative debate here on FR, because much of the RC claims refute Bible teachings, which are to be accepted as Spiritual by they that are reborn in the Spirit.
#metoo
Then there is this:
1 Corinthians 7:13-15
13 And if a woman has an unbelieving husband and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.
14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his believing wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.
15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let him go. The believing brother or sister is not bound in such cases. God has called you to live in peace.
It does NOT say...
...an unbaptized husband
Yes there is.
LOL. Sorry bro, I meant to include you and my other friend, in the land down under. Are you living next to a billabong? 🇦🇺😁👍 I am still in the tropics, suffering for Jesus, by sipping cool drinks on the beach, in this south sea island paradise. 👍🇵🇭😂😇🤣🤗 You are welcome to visit anytime. There are bunches of Aussies here. 👍
Amen!
Pelagianism and Semi-Pelagianism are STILL the errors evident in works-based religions like Roman Catholicism.
Yes! There is no room for any personal pride or boastfulness when we acknowledge that it is God working in us both to will and to do according to HIS good pleasure.
Plus...it ignores that when we physically die, our old CARNAL sin nature ALSO dies and what remains is the new SPIRIT nature which cannot sin and has no "attachment" to this world which is passing away. It is the only part which goes to be with the Lord.
.
Yep. There is usually lots of pride in works based religions. When I was a catholic, I started coming around, when I stopped being prideful, about how good a life I was leading. When I finally realized I couldn’t make it to Heaven, by my good works, I was on my way to salvation by grace alone, through faith alone. Oh yes, scripture alone too. 👍😁😇
Hmmmmmm.....
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