Monthly Archives: February 2021

Process of Salvation

by fact-s.net

Everything has a process, like action done by our structural anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, computer system etc.

Nobody can build a house without planning and implementation, starting with a process/steps/stages from a foundation, then the rest of it, building up on top of another. Our transportation system, roads, bridges, highways, trains, cars, trucks, etc. could not have been built without vision, goals, strategic planning, coordination in execution with meticulous details from the beginning. Similarly, everything we know has to follow a process initiated from somewhere, by someone and received by us through our 5 senses, viz., hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting and touching.

Even “reflex” takes a process to complete, so why do we hear preachers saying “ just have faith and you are saved”, really? This appears to have emanated from misinterpretation of the following verses which are all true, but taken out of context, as these all referred to the mechanism of salvation, “how” we are justified or saved “by grace through faith”, and not the “time” we are saved:

Ephesians 2:8 “ For by grace you are (have been) saved through faith…”

of Romans 3:28 “…a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.”

and the tense-rendering of the word save “saved in three tenses (past, present and future)

So, is salvation a process for us to lucubrate. But what is this gospel(good news) of “salvation”? This was defined and the plan expounded by God through Paul as a vehicle in Hebrews 2:2-18:

“We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. 5 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6 But there is a place where someone has testified:“What is mankind that you are mindful of them,
a son of man that you care for him?
7 You made them a little[a] lower than the angels;
you crowned them with glory and honor
8 and put everything under their feet.”[b][c]In putting everything under them,[d]God left nothing that is not subject to them.[e] Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them.[f] 9 But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.10 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. 11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.[g] 12 He says,“I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises.”[h]13 And again,“I will put my trust in him.”[i]And again he says,“Here am I, and the children God has given me.”[j]14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like them,[k]fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God,and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

In essence, the gospel of salvation, is a salvation from death that we are all enslaved to, because of our original flesh-composition, and is resolved by a process of creating a family that the next world will be subject to, all children of God, a God family that starts with Jesus as a foundation, the pioneer. And this “man-Jesus” has to come from above, heavenly, not from the ground where Adam came from. Hence, the process aka, ordo Salutis.

A. Incarnation

The process of salvation was planned and initiated with incarnation (Hebrews 2:14-18) of the Creator Yahweh-Elohim (to Moses Lord -God), or El-Shaddai (translated God-Almighty in the Old Testament) to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, (Exodus 6:3) and Logos(Word in the New Testament) to “man-Jesus Christ” John1:1. And this, by surrogacy pregnancy of Mary. Without incarnation of a “spirit-composed YHVH-Elohim (Lord-God) into “flesh-composed man-Jesus Christ) to die as Passover-Lamb, there would be NO “atonement/reconciliation of humanity with the Father”.

B. Crucifixion and death of incarnated YHVH-Elohim for reconciliation

As all humanity was “counted” as sinners as a consequence of one-man (Adam’s) sin, so all humans have to be “reconciled”. And this only through the sacrificial Passover-Lamb “man-Jesus/Christ” who had to die for mankind. As Paul explained in I Corinthians 15, the death of JC was counted as our death, and reconciled us to the Father.

The death of JC reconciled us to the Father but we were saved not by his death, but by/through his life(his resurrection), as in Romans 5:10. New International Version
“For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”

C. Resurrection of “man-Jesus Christ”

Yes, for us to be saved, JC needed to be resurrected to life, but why and how? The purpose of him getting resurrected from death was for the Holy Spirit/Comforter/Advocate/Counsellor/Redeemer/Helper to be given to us, as in John 16:7

New International Version
“But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.“

Amplified Bible
“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you].”

English Standard Version
“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”

King James Bible
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
“I tell you the truth: it is beneficial for you that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Redeemer of the accursed will not come to you, but if I depart I shall send him to you.”

D. In-dwelling of the Holy Spirit in us for empowerment against evil and towards goodness.

Only with “in-dwelling of Jesus in us” by/through the Holy Spirit” can we be “empowered” to act/follow the truth, his guidance towards good and away from evil. And this, so that:

1. We will overcome evil temptations as only “ overcomers will seat with God”

https://biblehub.com/revelation/3-21.htm

2. So that we will be empowered not to go back to sin as “dog going back to his own vomit” as in 2 Peter 2:22 htmhttps://biblehub.com/2_peter/2-22.htm

Revelations 3:16 “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”

And, there is “no more sacrifice for sin” as in Hebrews 10:26

“For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit,” as in Hebrews 6:4.

3. With JC as the Comforter/Helper/Strengthener in-dwelling in us, by/through spiritual power, and therefore “empowering us“, “our good works” are “works of the Holy Spirit by/through faith of Jesus Christ,” and no longer “ours” so “no one can boast”.

E. Sanctification

With JC in-dwelling in us, we are empowered to constantly be guided to truth, following what is good, fleeing/ overcoming temptation, aka., sanctification.

F. Change from mortal (flesh-composed) to immortal (spirit-composed)

As in I Corinthians 15:1-58, our mortal bodies will be changed into a glorious/spirit-composed body, no longer “flesh-composed”(subject to pull of the flesh) Galatians 5:16-24 to walk “in the spirit and have fruits of the Holy Spirit” as in Galatians 5:22-23

G. Eternal life within the promised creation of God-Family

This was promised and expressed in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar’s image as in Daniel 2 as the “stone” from above that will replace all human kingdoms…a family of God

Summary:

Everything has a “process” to achieve a planned and desired goal and so does the “road towards salvation”. The predicate is on the “faith of Jesus Christ” based on grace and love of God towards his creation. But, there is a planned timetable: first, the wave-sheaf offering(man-JC, the pioneer/trailblazer), then the firstfruits(those who will participate in the first resurrection) , followed by the latter fruits (those participating in the second resurrection) as in “spring and fall harvests” in Israel.

God bless👍🙏😊

Critique is welcome after reading all for context; please tap on hyperlinks for references.

Original post: 2/24/2022

Reposted: 1/26/2022

Researched from 3/31/18- finished, posted, reposted 1/26/2022

Genesis creation, who, how and why?

by fact-s.net

Undoubtedly, the “creation of visible and invisible” can only come about with an “Intelligent Designer”. There had to be a “Creator” for anything to be created. Failure to recognize this logic necessarily extends to denial of a “maker” of watches, chairs, houses, etc. No wonder, Psalms 14:1 says “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.”

But Who is the Creator?

Going through Genesis, it says in 1:1 “In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth.”

The preceding verse just makes an acknowledgment of someone called “God” to be the Creator of “heavens and earth”. The specific name or identity was not mentioned until Genesis 2:4 “ This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God (Yahweh-Elohim)made the earth and the heavens.”

This particular Creator-God was called “Lord God” in English that came from the original Hebrew name “YHVH-ELOHIM”. The same Creator-God was named El Shaddai/God Almighty to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Exodus 6:3, but was known to Moses in Exodus 3:14 as I AM/YVHH . The same “proximate Creator-God”, i .e., “by, in and for him”in Colossians 1:16 was called “LOGOS/WORD” in John 1:1, the one who incarnated and identified as “man-Jesus Christ” in I Timothy 2:5.

How did God Create?

Let us ask ourselves, is there anything created without energy/power? A ball that drop from a height, came down because of “gravity power”. Any machine works because of “mechanical power”. Electricity does not come without “electrical power”. Photosynthesis Vitamin D will not form nor wind turbine function without “solar power”. Nuclear bombs detonate because of “nuclear power”. And one can go on and on.

And these are manifestations of potential energy to kinetic energy. But for God, he created with an energy/power unique to him. Notice Genesis 1:2(KJV)”…And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” See also 2 Peter 3:5 So, it was using “spirit-power” that God created. Notice also that by his mere commanded word as in Genesis creation, “God says…and it was so or came about”. This is why he is called the WORD/LOGOS.

Yet, why is it that people deny that God created the “visible and invisible” with “spirit-power”? This is the mechanism of “how he created”, through the “Holy Spirit of power”. This energy/power is unique to him while new and foreign to us.

The preceding verses precisely explained how God created; it is through his “Spirit-power”. And there are other verses where this “spirit-power” manifested as in “clouds by day and fire by night”. Miracles that happened throughout the Bible are a by-product of the Holy Spirit of power. Notice that Jesus did miracles “only after” spirit-baptism by the Father in Jordan river. His first manifestation of this “miraculous power” was to overcome Satan, the “god of this age”; then the miracle of water-to-wine in Cana wedding and on and on.

Same Creative Power, but how and why?

As YHVH-Elohim(Lord God)created the heavens and the earth with this “Spirit-Power”, in a “miraculous way”, so is he also re-creating the “marred clay” that man had become. Adam that was perfectly created, subsequently sinned and his sin at the garden of Eden was counted to all mankind and humanity became “marred clay” that needs “ongoing creation”

Notice that the creation of heavens and earth was using “Spirit-power” that was present externally. On the other hand, the re-creation and ongoing creation is internally, through the “in-dwelling of the Spirit”. There had to be “in-dwelling” because what was being re-created was the “real you”, that is the “breath-of-life/spirit-of-man” that was breathed into and came directly at creation from a spirit-composed Creator. Remember the “body” came from the ground, earthy. With the “in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit”, it forms a metaphor double-helix-like DNA with “spirit-in-man” from which a “new person” is being created, much like how (naturally) mankind is formed.

Summary

Creation in Genesis was a type of creation of an anti-type future God-Kingdom, all “spirit-composed”. This is done “internally” through in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit, in contrast to other creations which were achieved with this “ Holy-Spirit-of-power working “externally( as in Genesis 1:2)”.

Strictly speaking the God-Creator is the Father, but this creation is “by and through” the “proximate God-Creator”, EL-Shaddai, YAHWEH-ELOHIM, LOGOS, aka., JESUS CHRIST. Notice and compare these verses;

1 Corinthians 8:6”..,yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.”

Colossians 1:16 “For by Him (Jesus)all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him (Jesus) and for Him(Father).”(ESV)

As the material world was created using “spirit-power” moving externally so shall the “spirit-composed beings” through internal change of the “spirit-of-man”.

After “in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit”, there will be sanctification that will lead us to become “one” with the Father and Son. This eventually will engender the God-kingdom.

God bless👍🙏😇

Original hyperlink version posted on February 6, 2021.

Critique is welcome at foundation@yahoo.com