Promise made to the”seed” of Abraham and his children?

It has been a traditional teaching in Judaism & Christianity that they were promised a visible and tangible place on earth to live forever. This is generally accepted as true but to what extent does this promise cover? And, how, when and who can this be initiated and reach fruition?

Who is the “seed” of Abraham?

To begin with, this promise in the gospel was preached to humans, and not to any other created living entity, whether plants or animals. Although “the angels desire to look into” or prophets of old “searched diligently”, this was not understood because it was “not for themselves” (I Peter 1:12), at that time. This was first promised to a human Abraham (Genesis 15:18), then confirmed or re-promised to his son Isaac (Genesis 26:3), and thereafter to Isaac’s son Jacob (Genesis 28:13), Abraham’s grandson. Does it strike you as odd that it was again promised and re-promised? Notice these verses:

Gen. 15:18 “In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: “

Gen. 22:17 “I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies.”

Gen. 26:3 “Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; “

Gen. 26:4”I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the sky, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed.”

Gen. 28:13 “And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; “

Clearly, the promises were made to Abraham and extended or re-promised to his descendants. Whether only along the line of Isaac and excluded the line of Ishmael, may not matter at all. Because, according to the understanding given to Paul, while these promises were spoken by the Lord YHVH to humans, first to Abraham and to his descendants, the “seed” (not seeds) specifically referred to was man-Jesus, the incarnated YHVH Elohim. And, this was “based on promises yet future” at that time, as in, Gal. 3:16

“The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.”(New International Version)

Interestingly, while the promise was clearly and undeniably spoken to Abraham and his descendants, Paul emphasized the promise was to a specific human seed, Christ. One seed and, following the principle in Isaiah 28:10, this does not necessarily ignore or marginalize other descendants of Abraham nor contradict other verses but gives context to whom the promise was specifically addressed for the start of implementation.

Rather, Paul’s understanding of these written words, in light of what he knew at that time, was intimating and signifying the one person to whom these promises would begin and to reach fulfillment. In other words, Paul’s focus about the promise was to explain about the implementation of the promise which did not commence nor fulfilled with Abraham, or with his other descendants, but a specific one. The promise was to all but will commence in Jesus. History of Israel proved that Abraham and his offsprings did not attain nor start the fulfillment of the promise until man-Jesus came into being. That was why it was promised again and again for continuity until Christ, the “seed“. The timing of when this promise would start unraveling was with man-Jesus, the one seed of Abraham, to whom the promise would begin the process of fulfillment. And this is a miracle that would happen in the future.

This divine parallel and look into the future, were alluded to previously in the narrative of the conception of Isaac in the womb of Sarah.

Genesis 18:10-14 “And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?

Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. “

In Genesis 17:17,

“Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?”

Gen. 18:12 “So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

Gen. 21:5-6 “Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”

What happened to Abraham and Sarah was a miraculous demonstration of the power of God, i.e, there is nothing “…too hard for the LORD” and will commence “at the time appointed”. They did not have Isaac until the “time of life”, i.e., the appointed time. Similarly, the Lord YHVH incarnated to man-Jesus at the “time appointed“. Jesus was the “pioneer”, the “beginner “ of this process. The appearance, identity and anointing of this Jesus/Messiah was prophesied in Daniel 9:24-27; Matt. 3:17, 17:5; Luke 3:22.

Who are the children of Abraham?

While genealogy defines who the children of Abraham are, God specifically defined it differently (through Paul), not from flesh, but as “children of faith” in Gal. 3:7-9, as in:

“Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, “In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.”

Foresight of God was to justify also the heathen, i.e., outside of Abraham’s stock. Moreover, while Abraham’s physical children were Isaac from Sarah and Ishmael from Hagar, the key defining attribute of being a descendant is one of “child of promise”,as in:

Galatians 4:22-31 “For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar(aka Hagar). For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.”

Currently, Israel and others of whatever religion, are of the “bond woman of Sinai” unless begotten of promise and faith to be qualified in the true definition of “children of Abraham ”

Summary

Promises made in the Old Testament were spoken first to Abraham who did not see the fulfillment of that promise for himself because it was for the future. So, it was promised again to Isaac & Jacob, who likewise did not see fruition. Paul subsequently explained that the promise had to wait for an appropriate time until LORD YHVH was incarnated to man-Jesus, the “seed” of Abraham, the “pioneer and finisher/perfecter of our faith”(Heb. 12:2). Jesus initiated and is the first human to which the promises would be fulfilled to the fullest extent, before others. He was a man of “faith” and a “child of promise”. He came through the genealogy of Abraham although he was not of “earth but heavenly”; came from above as incarnated Lord God/YHVH ELOHIM. He believed in the Father’s promises and was baptized (as the Father promised) as in “the Holy Spirit fully dwell in him” at river Jordan(Matt. 3:16; Luke 4:1-13). For anyone, including Jesus, to receive the Holy Spirit, what is required is to believe (John 7:39; Gal. 3:2). He was resurrected, as promised, to receive the Holy Spirit to be “baptized” into us (Matt. 3:11); no one will have the Holy Spirit until The Father gives it to Jesus first. He changed from mortal man-Jesus to an immortal Son of God. The same immortality will “clothe” (I Cor.15:53) those believers who overcame(Rev. 2:26;3:21) and persevered/endured (Matt. 24:13) through the end. Towards the end, he will rule in Jerusalem, here on earth, with the “firstfruits”, fellow children of promise/faith, for a Millenium (Rev. 20). Then, after all come under his subjection, he will then subject the same, (I Cor. 15:24) including him before the Father (I Cor. 15:28). So, at the end, the Father will be over all in a “new heaven and new earth” (2Peter 3:13; Rev. 21).

The children of God are “children of promise”, “children by faith”, no matter what race, genealogy, sex etc, even those created human beings before Adam, all heirs according to the promise. God by his Holy Spirit, and his appointed time, has written his laws in the mind and heart of those he “called” and opened their eyes to “believe “. In contrast to Israel and others of “Sinai”, those with the Holy Spirit have “circumcision of the heart” as the sign of the New Covenant to receive immortality and to live forever on earth and the universe. This is the extent of what the promise covers. They are brothers and sisters who are not children of the bondwoman, tethered to be “under the Law” given in Sinai in “tables of stone”, but of the free. Having been freed from eternal death(exacted by the Law of Sinai attributed to one man-Adam’s sin in the garden of Eden),through the death also of one man-Jesus, the “pioneer and perfecter”, we are now free to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit to bring “ fruits of the Spirit”, against such, there is no law. (Gal. 5:22-23). So, follow the example of Jesus, our pioneer. Unlike Adam in the garden of Eden, Jesus correctly decided to follow the Father’s will, not his, in the garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:42). Let us all endeavor to have “fruits of the Holy Spirit“.

Remember, without fruits, the tree will be cut down (Matt. 7:18-19; Luke 13:9).

God Bless.🙏😇

Original post: April 28, 2018

Hyperlink version posted 3/13/19

Can we really swap Adam’s sin or Christ’s righteousness for ours ?

There are well-intentioned people, high in the hierarchy of mainstream Christianity, who teach that Christ’s righteousness is “swapped” for ours. This may unnecessarily leave a bad taste to some believers because of its connotation that we do not have to do good works since Christ’s righteousness is already ours; that the Father looks at Christ as our righteousness. Sounds familiar? What does it mean “Christ’s righteousness swapped for us”? Is there “fullness of the truth” in this teaching? Was there really a “swap”? Or is this word “swap” a misapplication of the principles surrounding “imputation, righteousness, gift or reward”? Should the word “swap” be instead changed to “accounted” or “assigned“?

This is a question that many can take opposite sides and either side can still claim to be true and explainable. How could both be true? Where the “rub” is, can only be understood when one traces back the biblical verses from where the teaching was based on. Let us analyze these verses.

Discordant verses ?

Not only has it been emphasized in the Old Testament but also in the New Testament of the Holy Bible that we have to follow the Ten Commandments and have our own righteousness.

In Deut 6:25,it says- “it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.”

2 Sam 22:21 “The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.”

2 Sam 22:25 “Therefore the LORD hath recompensed me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in his eye sight.”

Romans 2: 6-8 “He will reward each one according to his works : eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality,”

Romans 2: 13“For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous before God, but those who do the law will be declared righteous. “

The preceding verses clearly confirm the requirement for us to do “good works”. By following God’s commandments, it “shall be our righteousness” and that “according to our righteousness” there will be a reward or recompense. For the reward to be given to us, it has to be our righteousness, not somebody else’s, even from Christ’s. Man-Jesus’ righteousness has to be uniquely for him and for something else, as a “pioneer/beginner” of our faith.

Contrariwise, Isaiah 64:6 states:

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. “

Rom 3:10 is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;

While we have done righteous things, we have been unrighteous as well. Our “sins sweep us away” from our reward like using “filthy rags“. Since our righteousness “have become like filthy rags”, how then can “our righteousness” be the basis for reward? It appears that there is asynchrony with the concept that reward/recompense is given because of our righteousness. Are these verses contradicting each other? How could this so-called “discrepancy” be when 2Tim. 3:16-17 state:

“All scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

To resolve what appears on the surface as inconsistency, one may have to recall the principle that verses have to be analyzed and harmonized through the lens of correlation with each other, for truth behind the facts to come out as in Isa. 28:10:

“For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:”

That being said, how could these verses align themselves toward searching the truth? How could “our righteousness” which our “sins have swept away” and “have become as filthy rags” be worthy of our reward/recompense?

Do we have a “sinful nature”?

To begin to address the premise of the subject at hand, we need to clear a common topic of sermons that humans were created or born with natural bent to sin or with propensity to do evil. This can easily be debunked by:

Genesis 1:31 KJV “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”

Not only was man created “very good” but also from the narrative in Genesis, he was given freedom of choice either to eat forbidden fruit or not; Adam was not a robot. Indeed, man is capable to do “good works” on his own. But, he can also do wrong. From the beginning we were created with capability and choice; not propensity or bent to do evil. In Genesis, Adam did good, took care of the garden of Eden and eat allowable fruits from it. But, he also has the capability to eat the “forbidden fruit”, and sinned. Other humans have done likewise, i.e., did both good and evil. However, with Job, he did not sin at all and confirmed by God himself as in:

Job 1:1 “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a pure and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil.”

Job 1:8 “.…There is no one like him on the earth, a pure and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil.”

Job 1:22, “In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.”

This was what Job was on his own, righteous, even before the power of the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost. Similarly, on his own and before his baptism, man-Jesus, while human and matter-composed, did not sin at all, as in:

Hebrews 4:15: “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

In contrast to Job whose origin was “earthy/ dust/ground/soil”, Jesus was “from above“, heavenly, the incarnated YHVH ELOHIM, LORD GOD(1). Job’s eternal or “second death” from sin was imputed, being a progeny of Adam. Whereas, man-Jesus did not have this imputed sin because of his heavenly origin. While not from Adam’s genealogy, Jesus’ conception (2) was along the line of Adam, viz., Mary & Joseph, as prophesied.

Similarly, a spirit-composed being, Lucifer was perfect until he chose to disobey and became an Adversary, thus named Satan. Clearly, choice is there for matter-composed and spirit-composed beings to do right or wrong; humans have a choice to do good and/or evil, as in:

Deut. 30:15 “Today I am giving you a choice between good and evil, between life and death.”

Be that as it may, God requires only good works from us, even from Job and Jesus, not a mixture of “good and evil”, like the Deceiver/Satan that he is. In Genesis, God has forbidden Adam to “eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil”, and allowed everything else , including that of the “tree of life”. Only “good works” is what God wanted us to have. We have to be a “servant” of goodness, not a “servant of sin or a combination thereof”(John 8;34; Rom. 6:20). Doing “good and evil” is not what God requires. How could this be accomplished? Before addressing this question, let us clear first the following question:

When did our good works become “filthy rags” and unworthy of reward?

Correlating all the preceding, it becomes apparent that there was a time when “our righteousness (own good works) became as filthy rags” and unworthy of reward. When was this?

As God planned this even before the beginning of time, there was a:

1. Time when sin entered the world as assigned to one specific man; one particular sin before the Law was given to Moses and therefore “apart from the Law”, yet with death (second) as penalty.

2. Time when sin was accounted or assigned.

3. Time when our good works became as filthy rags.

4. Time for us to receive the Holy Spirit and be empowered to do only good works, by choice, not combine them with evil. A time to be a “servant of good”.

Consider the following;

Romans 5:12-15 “So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned – for before the law was given, sin was in the world, but there is no accounting for sin when there is no law. Yet death (eternal/second; Rev. 20:6) reigned from Adam until Moses even over those who did not sin in the same way that Adam (who is a type of the coming one) transgressed”(3).

In essence, while sin has been in the world (even pre/para-Adamic) and there was a sentence of death for all , the specific reference was on that particular disobedience of a specific person (Adam) in the garden of Eden; not anybody else’s. Moreover, there was no accounting for that sin until the time the Law was given to Moses, viz, “no accounting for sin when there is no law.” And this, so that sin will be even more abound or understood to be more horrible, and value of grace even more enhanced, as in:

Rom. 5:20 “The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, “

Notice that the object, of when sin and death entered the world, was Adam, not anybody else, even when there were pre-para-Adamic humans who sinned. This was because Adam was the first human who God chose to give the command “not to eat…”as in Gen. 2:16-17. No other pre-or-para-Adamic human was given this command and choice. So, precisely, Adam was chosen as the specific human to start “when sin entered the world” and was the pivotal person from which sin was “accounted” when Law was given to Moses. Also, not any sin like adultery, stealing, murder,etc in Mosaic Law, but the disobedience about eating the fruit wherein is the knowledge of good and evil which is “apart from the Law” as in:

Romans 3:21“But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed – …

In essence, our righteousness “apart” from the Law, and before the power of the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost, “became as filthy rags”, “unworthy of reward”, when the time of accounting was done, i.e., when the Law was given to Moses and, even when all humans were sinful, from the very beginning, as God planned.

Imputation and gift

Similarly, as Adam was chosen as a “type” of the person to come, God also decided on who the “anti-type” would be. And this choice of one man was done so that also one man, Jesus, (also the Father’s choice) can take on that penalty of death from the sin of Adam and humanity, as in:

Rom. 5:17-19 “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.”

Essentially, imputation is specifically about a particular sin of a specific Adam (counted as for all mankind) so that righteousness (a gift) of a specific person, Jesus, can take on the penalty of death for all. It was not about our particular sins in life, after the Law was given, but that of Adam’s, before the Law was given. In other words, there was no direct swap between our sins to Adam’s as in Deut. 24:16:

“Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.”

Nor swap of Jesus’ righteousness for ours. There was no swap or exchange ; instead it was a matter of time for “accounting” or “assigning” of righteousness but only for justification, not yet salvation.

What was that particular obedience that was credited for righteousness towards justification and reconciliation ?

Since “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”, we are all doomed to die the “second/eternal death” . This is why there has to be a “substitute” for our death, a “Passover” This person has been identified by Paul as in,

I Cor. 5:7 “…Christ our passover is sacrificed for us”

This is the reason YHVH incarnated to man-Jesus. It was the Creator-Jesus who would give his own life for his creation, out of love, as in:

John 3:16 “For God (Father)so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son(Jesus), that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”.

But it was not his death, following God’s will, that was the gift to us for reconciliation/justification. Rather, it was the gift of righteousness. What righteousness? Not Jesus’ action of being crucified and die. Instead, it was Jesus’ belief in the Father that what was promised, the Father would fulfill. And this belief was evidence-based as in ;

Heb.11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

It was this substantive and evidence-based belief, termed “faith”, that was taken and counted for “righteousness “, the “righteousness of his faith”, when he was still alive, pre-crucifixion, as in:

Romans 3:21-31“But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed – namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe.

For there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed. This was also to demonstrate his righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus’ faithfulness.Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded! By what principle? Of works? No, but by the principle of faith! For we consider that a person is declared righteous by faith apart from the works of the law. Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not the God of the Gentiles too? Yes, of the Gentiles too! Since God is one, he will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then nullify the law through faith? Absolutely not! Instead we uphold the law.”

Romans 4:1-25”What then shall we say that Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh, has discovered regarding this matter? For if Abraham was declared righteous by the works of the law, he has something to boast about – but not before God. For what does the scripture say? “ Abraham believed God , and it was credited to him as righteousness .” Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited due to grace but due to obligation. But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous, * his faith is credited as righteousness.

So even David himself speaks regarding the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;

blessed is the one against whom the Lord will never count sin .”

Is this blessedness then for the circumcision or also for the uncircumcision? For we say, “faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness .” How then was it credited to him? Was he circumcised at the time, or not? No, he was not circumcised but uncircumcised! And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, so that he would become the father of all those who believe but have never been circumcised, that they too could have righteousness credited to them. And he is also the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham possessed when he was still uncircumcised.

For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would inherit the world was not fulfilled through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if they become heirs by the law, faith is empty and the promise is nullified. For the law brings wrath, because where there is no law there is no transgression either. For this reason it is by faith so that it may be by grace, with the result that the promise may be certain to all the descendants – not only to those who are under the law, but also to those who have the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations ”). He is our father in the presence of God whom he believed – the God who makes the dead alive and summons the things that do not yet exist as though they already do. Against hope Abraham believed in hope with the result that he became the father of many nations according to the pronouncement, “so will your descendants be .” Without being weak in faith, he considered his own body as dead (because he was about one hundred years old) and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver in unbelief about the promise of God but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God. He was fully convinced that what God promised he was also able to do. So indeed it was credited to Abraham as righteousness.

But the statement it was credited to him was not written only for Abraham’s sake, but also for our sake, to whom it will be credited, those who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was given over because of our transgressions and was raised for the sake of our justification.

The 3rd and 4th Chapters of Romans clearly explained the truth given to Paul and by extension to us now, for our understanding that:

1. The gift of righteousness was not promised due to the action that Jesus took, viz., his crucifixion and death, but his belief that what the Father promised he would fulfill. This is righteousness without “works” and before the Law was given to Moses. And this trust in the Father is substantive and evidenced-based because Jesus was with the Father as YHVH before his incarnation. i.e., based on faith.

2. This Jesus’ faith was counted and credited to him, to Abraham and us, as “righteousness of faith” that initiated or started us to be reconciled to the Father and be justified; i.e., as preliminary step in the process of our salvation . This righteousness of Jesus’ faith defined him as our Passover, “demonstrated by Jesus’ action of being crucified and die”.

What righteousness was “rewarded” with immortal life?

For repetition and emphasis, the “righteousness of Jesus’ faith “, not his works, initiated/started our reconciliation to the Father and justified/negated our past sins. This is a gift out of grace and love of the Father. Likewise, the promise for Jesus to receive the power of the Holy Spirit after his resurrection to be given to us, is also a gift based on “righteousness of faith”. Moreover, our personal righteousness from our own good works became as filthy rags, being a mixture of good and evil, including pure good as Job and man-Jesus that was a product of our own works, are not enough to reward anyone with immortality and ultimately, salvation . A gift comes by belief, trust, faith that is evidence-based, which when activated , completed or demonstrated by action, leads to reward.

How then can we receive this reward of immortality and therefore salvation?

By looking at the life of man-Jesus, we will understand what the process of salvation is and what righteousness was rewarded with immortality, him being the “pioneer/perfector/initiator/author/finisher of our faith” towards salvation” as in:

Heb 12:12 New International Version

“fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

New Living Translation

“We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.”

English Standard Version

“looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,”

New King James Version (NKJV)

“looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,”

Simply put, Jesus had to be a pioneer, author, initiate, found, champion of faith and also perfect, finish, activate, complete this faith through action. As a human, like Job, man-Jesus lived, on his own, a perfect life, “without sin”. Unlike Job, Jesus “came from above” as YHVH. Their “own righteousness” was not what was required of the Father to receive “reward”, nor righteousness of their own works to receive “gift” of promise towards reconciliation/justification. Instead, it has to be righteousness of “works“, as a product or fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Notice that the works required have to be “fruits of the Holy Spirit “,which happens to have come as a gift of power from the Father, not from our own power,

Rom 6:18 “. ... But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.”

Recall what happened during the life of Jesus, our “pioneer“ in this process of salvation :

1. YHVH-Creator, a spirit-composed being who was the proximate creator of all including angels, as in:

Col 1.16: New Living Translation “for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see–such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.

English Standard Version “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”

This YHVH has to incarnate for him to be the anti-type of Adam, the 2nd-Adam, into man-Jesus and die, being the Passover, for the sin of Adam and, by accounting, to all humankind. As 1 Corinthians 15:45-48 state;

So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being” the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.”

2. As a man, like Job was, man-Jesus did not sin. Both their flesh-composed bodies suffered physically. Their good works emanate from them and not from where the Father wanted them to come from. Unlike Job, at the river Jordan and not before, Jesus had in-dwelling (Matthew 3:16-17; Luke 3:21-22) of the Holy Spirit directly from the Father from which he would bear “fruits of the Holy Spirit”. He followed, not his will, but the guidance of this Holy Spirit through Gethsemane and the cross, as in:

Luke 22:42 King James Version (KJV)

“Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”

Because of his substantive and evidence-based (faith) belief, trust and hope in the Father, Jesus received this power of the Holy Spirit as a gift because of the “righteousness of faith”. Much like Jesus, we, who believe based on Jesus’ faith, will also receive this gift of Holy Spirit as promised.

3. This Holy Spirit, given at river Jordan, empowered man-Jesus and anyone who has this in-dwelling, from Pentecost and on, to do “good works” required by the Father as ”fruits of the Holy Spirit”. Through sanctification and following the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit voluntarily, not our own will, brings forth “fruits of the Holy Spirit” worthy of “reward”. These good works that Jesus and us do, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, then are considered and credited as “our righteousness” worthy of the reward of immortality, thus salvation from second/eternal death, eventual glorification. What happened to Jesus, that after his crucifixion/death (action/works) he was resurrected to eternal life as a reward, proved this to be the sequence of events in the process of mankind’s salvation. In a “twinkling of an eye” those who “are overcomers” , like Jesus, will be changed from mortality to immortality as in,

I Cor. 15:52 New Living Translation

“It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.”

Rev. 3:21 “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

Rev 2:26 “To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations.”

Rev. 3:21 “To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.”

Matt.24:13 “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

Summary

There was no swap of Christ’s righteousness for our salvation. Instead, there was “crediting/assigning” of his “righteousness of faith and works” to those who believe and follow his example. Imputation is specific to one person(Adam) and specific sin of Adam in Genesis, as it relates to the 2nd Adam(man-Jesus) and his righteousness of faith, given as a gift. The timing of accounting and crediting was when the Law was given to Moses so sin will be even more grievous as grace abounds. Our own righteousness, per se, is as filthy rags not worthy of reward. Rather, it is that particular righteousness that comes by us following the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit of power, given after we believed. It has to work in us, developing our “spirit” to know wisdom(4). It has to be a product or fruits of the Holy Spirit given to us as a gift by the Father through resurrected and spirit-composed Jesus. This becomes our righteousness, (our works as fruits of the Holy Spirit,) that merits reward of immortality, i.e.,salvation from eternal or 2nd death(5). Jesus’ life on earth as a human being showed us the way, the only way, the process that leads to salvation. Let us therefore remember Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith towards our salvation.

God Bless.

References:

1.What is God? Retrieved 3/17/2018 at https://fact-s.net/2014/06/29/what-is-god-2/

2. Incarnation, Questions and Controversies. Retrieved 3/18/2018 at http://fact-s.net/2017/01/12/incarnation-questions-and-controversies/

3. Salvation Series #1. Retrieved 3/26/18 at

http://fact-s.net/2015/10/04/salvation-series-1what/

4. Kingdom of God in Human Anatomy. Retrieved 3/31/18 from http://fact-s.net/2016/12/21/kingdom-of-god-in-human-anatomy/

5. Death, what is? Retrieved 3/31/18 from https://fact-s.net/2017/05/09/death-what-is/

Original post: March 31, 2018

Does man have a sinful nature, a slave of sin?

Calvinism (1)teaches under “total depravity” that man commits sin because of being a “slave of sin“(Rom. 6:20); that humans have a “sinful nature“, thus, bent towards evil and hard pressed to do “good works”. Are these teachings true?

Looking back about 10 years ago, a pediatrician, staring at an innocent and cuddly newborn, asked me, pointing at the baby, “Can you really classify this as having a “sinful nature”? Having a newborn just come out of the womb, can we really say that he/she is “naturally sinful”, a “slave of sin”? These questions were followed by a long pause on my part. It made me think as this teaching of “total depravity” has been ingrained in me for a long time as factual truth and never did I challenge it as to its veracity.

Following the Berean principle (2) it dawned on me about the narrative in Genesis. What was the state of Adam at creation? Was he created with a “sinful nature“? It appears that the Bible begs to differ as, after all God has created, Gen. 1:31 states:

“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.”

Notice that God created all, including man, “very good“. …does not have a sinful nature, but “good-natured”.

Moreover, man was shown not only his responsibility and function in the garden of Eden, but also what is right and what is wrong, providing the ability to decide and choose rightly or wrongly.

Gen. 2:15-17 “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the daythat thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

The task was to “dress and keep it” and that the right thing to do was to eat out of “every tree of the garden” except to eat out of the “tree of knowledge of good and evil” which was in the midst of the garden. He was created “very good” and with guidance as to his responsibility and the concept of what is good and evil.

In the same vein, if there is any man that God deemed not only “very good” but “perfect (pious) in his eyes“, it is this man Job. Interesting description of this man, coming from the Creator:

Job 1:1 “…was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.”

Job 1:8…”my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

Job was blessed by God but afterwards all were taken away. Yet, his response to adversity was spot on, as in :

Job 1:22 “In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Better than Job was the man-Jesus, who described himself and Paul called “anthropos-Jesus” (Matthew 20:27-28; I Tim. 2:5) and described as:

Hebrews 4:15

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet he did not sin.

Hebrews 7:26

Such a high priest truly befits us–One who is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.

Indeed man was created “very good” and with the capacity to choose to do “good or evil”.

One can argue that man, a non-spirit-composed being, was created with that capacity to choose between good and evil. But, what about spirit-composed beings. The Scripture speaks about the creation of spirit-composed angels, therefore, it is clear that they have not existed from all eternity (Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 148:2,5). Colossians 1:16-17 explains:

“For by Him 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 by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

This brings us to a spirit-composed created being, Lucifer. He was a covering cherub, created perfect in many ways and in beauty until iniquity was found in him and was called Satan, as in Ezekiel 28:11-15. He chose wrongly.

Clearly, whether the created being is matter-composed like humans or spirit-composed like angels, the narrative is consistent regarding ability to choose between good or evil. We are not robots programmed to sin. Otherwise, without this freedom to choose, why do we have to be blamed for whatever wrong choice we make? No wonder, because of this wrong teaching about our sinful nature, some people blame God for our wrong choices.

Verses in support of total depravity

Going back to how this teaching came about, here are verses considered to find basis for the concept:

Mark 7:21-23 “For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

(Notice, that the preceding verses merely directs us to where evil thoughts come from, i.e., the origin is from within, out of a person’s heart, from inside. Mechanistically, the voluntary nervous system has to think before taking an action. These verses should not necessarily translate to “sinful nature or slave of sin”.)

Jer. 17:9

“The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?”

(This suggests that man indeed is “deceitful”. One can not read what is in the mind of humans. No one can “divine” the motive of man’s action. So, we have to be careful about reckless assumption. Again, this verse should not necessarily translate to “sinful nature or slave of sin.)

Rom. 3:10-18(NIV)

As it is written:“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.

( These verses re-emphasize the narrative teaching that even at our very best, “no one is righteous”. Our very “own good works” are as “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6) and could not come to the level God requires. Even the man Job who was “perfect” as God described him, was not perfect enough. God requires the “fruits of the Holy Spirit” that can only come after, not before, the Holy Spirit dwells in the person. The Holy Spirit of power was given toJesus by the Father after he resurrected him from death, 3 days and 3 nights in the tomb. This narrative does not invalidate the fact that we were created “perfect” though still incomplete as we need this infusion of the Holy Spirit).

Romans 6:20-21 New International Version (NIV)

When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!

( These verses described those who are “slaves to sin”, meaning those continuing to commit sinful acts, thereby resulting in death. Yes, doomed to die. Not that we are unwittingly but instead consciously sinning)

In SUMMARY, the interpretation of this teaching of “total depravity” should be re-evaluated and the biblical verses from which it emanated may need to be taken into there proper context. Being “slave to sin” should not be taught as a powerful force or propensity to sin but rather as a “capacity” (genetic or otherwise) to do so as a choice one has to make. That being said, this can be an acceptable interpretation as another option is to “flee from sin“. We are not robots with “sinful nature” as to be unable to choose other than what we are programmed to do. If definition of “sinful nature” is taught as a “capacity” to do evil, or “totally depraved” because we are doomed to die because of Adam’s sin, then this is tenable. For we are not made to do to evil no matter what. Instead, we were created “very good” with a capacity to choose between evil and good. The “pull of the flesh” is a temptation, albeit in certain inherited disease may possibly be a genetic predisposition, but not an automatic reflex to act and do evil. Although there maybe a “bent” to do evil, there is also a cautionary option to do otherwise, which is intrinsic in man, even to those who are non-Christians or atheist/agnostic for that matter. As in Genesis, we were given a choice, ”

Deut. 30:19

“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.”

Turn away from evil and do good.(Psalms 34:15, 37:17).

Man was created “good” but incomplete. It was created as such, “on hope” for the coming Messiah, who will give us the power of the Holy Spirit, to complete us, as in:

Ps. 39:8 – “And now, Lord, for what do I wait? You are my only hope.”

Ps. 71:14 – “I will always hope in you and add to all your praise.”

Ps. 39:8 – “And now, Lord, for what do I wait? You are my only hope.”

Is. 40:31 – “They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength.”

Rm. 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Ps. 31:24 – “Be strong and take heart, all who hope in the Lord

Ps. 130:5 – “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits and I hope for his word.”

Rm. 5:3-5 – “Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us”.

Col. 1:26-27 – “But now it has been manifested to his holy ones, to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; it is Christ in you, the hope for glory.”

Eph. 4:4 – “You were also called to the one hope of your call.”

1 Thess. 1:2-3 – “We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.”

Our own good works will not (3) suffice God. They have to be “fruits of the Holy Spirit”. It needs guidance of the Holy Spirit which became available to us only after Jesus received it from the Father after his resurrection. It became generally available at Pentecost of that year. Without Jesus, we are indeed doomed.

May God continually guide us to the truth behind the facts.

References

1. Calvinism and Arminianism …A Commentary. Retrieved 1/19/2018 at

http://fact-s.net/2018/02/15/calvinism-and-arminianism-a-commentary

2. In Search of the Truth Retrieved 2/20/2018 at http://fact-s.net/2018/01/29/in-search-of-the-truth/

3. Human Nature: Inherently Good or Evil? Ethics of the Fathers 1:7 Retrieved 3/9/18 http://www.aish.com/sp/pg/48892107.html

Original post:3/11/18

There is so much information we learned from childhood and all through adulthood. Some we determined to be true and kept them in our mind. Some are patently false and we outrightly brand them in our memory as such; that also helps us to learn from our errors and mistakes. Others, we initially thought to be true but later on, we found them to be false and we adjust our understanding. These we learned from people telling us directly, some from reading books, from school, Internet or seminars and other venues. This compilation of information then becomes a composite of who we are, and from which we make decision and take action. But, do we have the same interaction and reaction to secular information when it comes to religious realm? Hopefully, so. Certainly, we can learn from the example and advice from those people in the Bible. Hence, the principles in this article on how to search for spiritual truth:

Test the spirit

When someone tells you about any religious tenet, check it out. Apostle John was clear on this, as in: I John 4:1

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Indeed,Jesus cautioned us in Mark 13:6 that:

“Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many.”

Remember the Bereans?

Acts 17:10-11 “The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so”.

Notice that, while Paul was well known, they did not just believed him but searched the scriptures to see whether the teaching is factual and his interpretation spot on. Should we not learn directly from the Bible instead of just from people ? Similarly, this attitude should be adopted by all. Always factcheck and understand the context.

Be ready to explain your position.

A number of people may question our belief. Can we give them the basis or proof of our beliefs and be confident and convincing enough? The apostle Peter has this to say to us In I Pet. 3:15

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

Grow up and progress.

When can we be ready to eat meat, not just drink milk? Paul said in I Corinthians 3:3;

“I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.” Also in Heb 5:12 “For at the time when ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God, and have become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.”

Receive the power to understand

No matter what we do in search of the spiritual truth, we will never “see” it unless God opens our “eyes and ears” to spiritual things by the Holy Spirit. No human, “flesh-and-blood” has the capacity and knowhow can do this. We are spiritually “blind and deaf” until God opens our “eyes and ears”. This principle is demonstrated in:Matt. 16:13-17

“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood (human), but by my Father in heaven.”

Only God has the truth and he is the only one who can give it to us but through the power of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual things can only be discerned with the power of the Holy Spirit. Notice the following verses:

“Eyes will see and ears will hear” (Isaiah 6:10;Jer. 5:21; Ezek. 12:2; Joel 2:28-29;

Matthew 13:15;Acts 28:27;Rom. 11:8) is a prophecy of the coming Holy Spirit of power that will open us to spiritual realm, as they were not sensitive to spirituality.

Joel 2:28-29 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

Acts 1:5 “For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth”.

Prov. 20:12, “Ears that hear and eyes that see– the LORD has made them both.”

Matt. 13:16 “But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.”

This “action” to understand can only happen with “power” vested in us. And this power, Jesus had to receive himself directly post-resurrection from the Father. This power is so crucial for us that man-Jesus had to die for our reconciliation and justification so that after he was resurrected, he received it from the Father to be given subsequently to us-ward. And we receive it only when we believed…

John 7:37-39 (ESV)

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

And “believing” means we “repent” and be “baptized” with the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit is the creative-power that was directly given to Jesus only after ( not before) his resurrection from death. With this power, Jesus (the Potter) can “re-mold the clay”, as in:

Isaiah 64:8 “Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

Jeremiah 18:2-6 “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear[a] my words.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do”.

Acts 2:38 ESV

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

LET US GROW UP TOGETHER👍😊🎉😇

Original Post: 1/29/2018

Revised: 12/19/18

Should Christmas be celebrated and if so, when? Others reject its celebration on December 25 as others claim Jesus’ birth was on a September/October. While millions throughout the world are celebrating Yuletide season, some in the Christian world are conflicted. What should we do? What should be our response to those who recognize different dates of Jesus’ birth? And, for that matter, to anyone who summarily discredit Jesus birth?

Historical and Biblical vignettes

The birth of Jesus started in Bethlehem but this has been prophesied by prophets and referred as “seed“,all the way from Genesis 3:15:

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.“

Interesting excerpt:

“In addition to celebrating the winter solstice a few days before December 25, Romans in 273 AD already celebrated two festivals on the very day: natalis solis invicti (the “birth of the unconquered sun”) and the birthday of Mithras, the Iranian god of the sun. According to Christianity Today, church leaders thought it would also be a fitting time to honour the son of God. Besides, as Ace Collins, author of Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas, said in a PBS segment, the existing Roman holidays were filled with drinking and debauchery, so this new holiday was a way to teach heathens a lesson about sin and redemption. After Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and declared tolerance for the religion, Western Christians officially began celebrating December 25 as the birth of Jesus in 336 AD. Those in the Eastern Church continue to recognize another day, January 6, as Christ’s birthday, but nowadays most everyone agrees on the date.“(1)

The arguments against December 25 can be summarized into:

“First, shepherds were in the fields watching their flocks at the time of Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:7-8;no flocks out in the snow?). Second, Jesus’ parents came to Bethlehem to register in a Roman census (Luke 2:1-4). Such censuses were not taken in winter, when temperatures often dropped below freezing and roads were in poor condition. The biblical accounts point to the fall of the year as the most likely time of Jesus’ birth, based on the conception and birth of John the Baptist. It was during this time of temple service that Zacharias learned that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a child (Luke 1:8-13). After he completed his service and traveled home, Elizabeth conceived (Luke 1:23-24). Assuming John’s conception took place near the end of June, adding nine months brings us to the end of March as the most likely time for John’s birth. Adding another six months (the difference in ages between John and Jesus (Luke 1:35-36)) brings us to the end of September as the likely time of Jesus’ birth.“(2).

The arguments for December 25 is expressed by:

“J. Stormer, PCC [Pensacola Christian College] Update (Winter 1996), cited by G. E. Veith, “Evidence December 25 is the right day,” has argued for December 25 as a possible date of Jesus’ birth on the basis of the course of temple duties for the clan of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5;8, 1 Chron 24:10). He argues that the 24 courses of the priests each served for one month. However, he did not document that claim, and the OT does not indicate the length of priestly service. Clues in the Mishnah suggest that each course served for one week—not one month—by rotation (see, for example, the note on m. Taanith 2:6 in Danby’s translation of the Mishnah). Josephus and the Talmud confirm that the courses each lasted one week (Joachim Jeremias, Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus [Philadelphia: Fortress, 1979], 119). If, then, the priestly service lasted one week, not one month at time, this causes their entire chronology to break down. Most likely, therefore, each course of the priests served for one week, from Sabbath to Sabbath, two different times each year. Since we cannot be sure whether the course mentioned in Luke was the first or second annual course, and other difficulties are present as well, the information concerning Zechariah’s temple service in Luke 1 is hardly adequate for pinpointing the time of Jesus’ birth.”(3).

With all the questions about the specific date, one may take this advice:

“In any case, our Christian faith should not rest on Christmas (which, after all, with all its trappings is only a human tradition), much less on the date of Christmas as December 25, but rather on the reason for the season—the virgin-born, divine-human Son of God, who came to save sinners by dying a sacrificial, substitutionary death on the cross and rose again on the third day (1 Cor 15:3–4)”(Ibid. 3).

The Reason for the Season

Indeed, our focus should be directed on the “reason for the season“. And to understand the reason for incarnation, one has to begin with the question, who the God/Elohim Creator of everything, the invisible and visible. Without first addressing this, one would miss out as to who, really, is this person Jesus whose birth the world is celebrating. This was none other than El Shaddai, aka, YHVH, the one who incarnated into flesh-composed human , the man-Jesus. The Elohim Creator (Gen. 1:1) is the same El Shaddai/God Almighty( Ex. 6:3, 6-7) to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; but to Moses he is called YHVH. Paul, speaking of man-Jesus, wrote in Col. 1:16, 17

“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist”.

Similar identified person and pre-eminence were echoed in John 1:1-3,14

 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” …And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us…the only begotten of the Father.”

The Elohim in Genesis, the Creator of all, is the same as El Shaddai, YHVH and man-Jesus. Yet, it was the Father who caused Jesus to be the proximate Creator, as in,

Hebrews 1:2 says, “In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.”

It was “through” Jesus that the Father created everything. Jesus was the proximate Creator. That said, why will a most powerful Creator, spirit-composed, chose to be flesh-composed, a human, lower than “angels“, as in,

Ps. 8:4-7 “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet”

This was quoted by Paul also in,

Hebrews 2:6-7″“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? You made them a little lower than the angels;you crowned them with glory and honor”

Why El Shaddai/YHVH incarnated?

In general, someone trades off a powerful position with something better. But, for him to become human and “lower than angels” that he also created, sounds unconventional. Unless, there is something in being human that eventually be better choice for him. In Heb 1:2, after Jesus’ resurrection as Son of God, he was “appointed heir of all things.” And in Ps. 8:4-7, Jesus was prophesied after resurrection as Son of God to be “crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet”.

From the preceding, one can deduce that YHVH CREATOR, as powerful as he was, had limits; and what was referred as glory, honor, dominion overall were granted to him afterwards. Certainly better position than before creation. Moreover, he became a begotten, then born of God as Son; a position he did not have before, although prophesied. Does John 3:16 help to provide an answer, too? Here it is,

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Notice that it was the Father’s love that initiated the love that emanates from Jesus. The consistent narrative is that the Father wanted to create everything and he caused YHVH/Jesus to do it. Similarly, the Father wanted to show love to the world and he expressed it through Jesus. On both counts, Jesus agreed voluntarily and is “one” with the Father. 

But, how is this incarnation an expression of love for the world? It still begs the question, what in being human is an expression of love? And, how is this a better trade-off for the Creator YHVH? If one looks back at biblical history, lowering himself to being human for Jesus is only a preliminary path to “create the spirit-composed kingdom of God”. He is the “beginner and finisher” (Heb. 12:2;Rev. 22:13), the “precursor” ;” (Heb. 6:20) of what is to become of humans. Note, that as a human being, Jesus was flesh-composed and became spirit-composed at resurrection. And, only after resurrection (during his life) did the Father give him the creative power of the Holy Spirit for humans to be “one” with the Father, as spirit-composed beings and in choosing right from wrong. Other humans will follow this track that he walked. He was a trail-blazer in creating a God-kingdom made of spirit-composed beings, higher than angelic position and “one” with the Father and Son in deciding which is right or wrong. This was planned by the Father and YHVH/Jesus voluntarily “signed on” to this strategy. 

Strategic plan

Man sinned from the garden of Eden. He did not follow God’s guidance not to “eat the fruit wherein there is knowledge of good and evil.” (Gen. 2:16-17). Adam wanted to be “like God knowing good and evil” by his own “works” of eating the fruit himself. He did not know that another Adam, the second Adam(Jesus), has already been chosen by the Father, as a pioneer/trailblazer, to “eat the fruit“, the human to take on that specific task, for mankind. Adam did not follow the command not to eat that he sinned and brought death to mankind. It was violating the command that made his action sinful and not the “eating of the fruit” per se. He was not informed that in the future through Jesus, this “like God knowing good and evil” will be achieved. The Father chose the man-Jesus to do it, not by his own power, but by the power of the Holy Spirit given to him and under the mechanism of his faith, belief and trust, not by his own works, so “no man can boast“, even man-Jesus (Eph. 2:8-9; I Cor. 1:29). The man chosen has to be “from above”, heavenly; not come “out of the ground”, earthy (John 3:31;8:23).

As sin in the garden of Eden (Gen. 2:17) condemned man to second-death(4,5), the Father accounted all human sins to first-Adam and imputed this death (eternal, irreversible) to one man, Jesus, the second-Adam (Rom. 5:12-21). This was planned from the foundation of the world, before any man did any good works. Jesus , our Passover, believed in this plan and was then crucified and died for us. For which, we were reconciled to the Father and justified. But, through the “faith of Jesus“, in the promise of his resurrection from eternal death, the Father then resurrected him and gave him a “gift of the Holy Spirit” for us to subsequently receive starting at Pentecost that year. 

Without YHVH incarnating into a human, this imputation to one man that came “from above” would not have happened, and the consequence of Adam’s sin, i.e. eternal death, would not have been passed-over for mankind’s reconciliation with the Father. Having been reconciled, we are “saved by/through his life”, as in,

Romans 5:10-11 “For if, when 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! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

Notice that reconciliation was based on belief of Christ that what the Father promised from the foundation of the world, would take effect, regarding imputation of his death to that of mankind. We now received reconciliation through Jesus’ death, which already occurred. But, salvation (which was also promised) is still future, i.e., shall be saved. But how?

Holy Spirt of Power

Having the power of the Holy Spirit is the key to salvation from eternal death. Without it, humanity is doomed. This is the gift promised before the foundation of the world by the Father and believed by Jesus to be given to him for mankind, after resurrecting him from eternal death. This is the power to fulfill the prophecy of John referring to Jesus in:

Mark 1:8 “I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

With this power received by Jesus from the Father, he can then(not before) give it to whoever he so pleases and chooses. Those with “spiritual hearing” (Rom.10:17) will believe and they will be baptized in the Holy Spirit, not with water. And, with this power-tool, aka, Holy Spirit, our “weak body” (Matt. 26:41) will be energized to overcome evil, choose good vs evil towards sanctification. Only “overcomers“(Rev. 2:7; 11, 17; 3:5,12,21; Rom. 2:7), those who “bear fruits of the Holy Spirit” (John 15:2; Matt. 7:19) will eventually receive “in a twinkling of an eye” (I Cor. 15:52) the glorious spirit-composed bodies reserved from heaven. And, with that, salvation from eternal death is achieved and so will Hosea’s prophecy (Hosea 13:14) echoed in Paul’s musing, as in:

I Cor. 15:55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

Summary

Not knowing the exact date of Jesus’ birth, whether December, September/October, all should have a respectful and humble response and “get off our high-horse” of claiming moral superiority and a monopoly on truth. Everyone must stop bickering about the date of Jesus’ birth and accept the only fact that it did happen. Instead, celebrate the reason for incarnation, the birth of man-Jesus, at anytime, be it December 25 or otherwise. Failure to celebrate may marginalize the significance of this historic birth, as others have disparaged any date. This incarnation is so monumental for anyone to minimize as it begins the process of reconciliation, justification and future salvation, through his resurrection, “by his life”. Jesus believed on the promises of the Father regarding imputation of all sins of mankind to one human Adam so that the consequence of that sin (eternal death) be accounted to Jesus’ death leading to our reconciliation/justification. Having been reconciled to the Father, humans can now undergo the process of salvation “by his life” through the power of the Holy Spirit given as a gift to Jesus, post resurrection, and subsequently for us to be “baptized in”.

References:
1. When was Jesus born? Retrieved 12/25/17 from https://www.livescience.com/42976-when-was-jesus-born.html

2.When was Jesus Christ born. Retrieved 12/25/2017 from https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/bible-questions-and-answers/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-on-december

3. Was Jesus born December 25? Retrieved 12/25/2017 from https://www.biblicalfoundations.org/was-jesus-born-on-december-25-with-c-l-quarles/
4. Salvation Series, what? Retrieved 12/28/2017 from http://fact-s.net/2015/10/04/salvation-series-1what/
5. Death, What is? Retrieved 12/28/2017 from https://fact-s.net/2017/05/09/death-what-is/

Original post: December 31, 2017
 For further studies as to what God is, please access https://fact-s.net/2014/06/29/what-is-god-2/