Are you good enough?

Are You Good Enough ?
 

3/26/15
 

Let's look at some people in the Word that God used.
Adam and Eve had One command to follow, It was, not to eat of a certain tree. But in Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was craftier than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" 4 But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. 8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." 11 He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" 12 The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
They both eat the fruit, Adam blames Eve, Eve blames the serpent, They had only one command to follow and they didn't .God could have wiped them away but he didn't he used them to populate the earth and from her line would the redeemer come from.
How about Abram (Abraham) God calls him to go to a land God would show him Gen 12:1 Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.
Abram was told to leave his kindred and his father's house when Abram left Haran Abram took Lot was his Kin, I believe this is the second time Abram was called and the first time with his father in the lead they stopped in Haran. Not quit to Canaan.
Before Abraham lived in Haran he lived in the land of the Chaldean (Babylonians) in Mesopotamia that's wear God called him from, he did not listen he stopped. God called him twice. Once from Mesopotamia and once from Haran.
Gen 12:11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, "I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake."
Gen 20:22 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, "She is my sister." And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.
Sarah is the name God gave here from Sarai to Sarah Gen 17:15.
Isaac also did this same thing as his father to the same King Abimelech.
Gen 26: 6 So Isaac settled in Gerar. 7 When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, "She is my sister," for he feared to say, "My wife," thinking, "lest the men of the place should kill me because of Rebekah," because she was attractive in appearance. 8 When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac laughing with Rebekah his wife. 9 So Abimelech called Isaac and said, "Behold, she is your wife. How then could you say, 'She is my sister'?" Isaac said to him, "Because I thought, 'Lest I die because of her.'" 10 Abimelech said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us."
Great thing to pass on there Dad!
Joshua 24 :2And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods.

Gen 15:6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
Rom 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness."
James 2 :23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"—and he was called a friend of God.
Are you Good enough for God to use ?
Adam and Eve only had one command to obey, don't eat of the tree of knowledge, these were beings as far as I know were created perfect and they chose not to obey. God used them to populate the world and from Eve came the redeemer .
Abraham worshipped false gods, God had to tell him twice to go to the land he would show him, told his wife to lie to save his own butt twice, yet God used him to bring forth Gods chosen people .
Abrahams faith (belief was counted as righteous, and called a friend of God.) Even with our flaws God can use us. God isn't looking for the perfect to use, he's looking for you and me. In our unperfected state, with our failures God can use us.
I'm not saying we can continue in sin .John 8 :11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."]]I think the NIV brings the meaning of this verse better (NIV"No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin.") When we come to faith we are to leave the life style of sin, will we sin yes ,and those who say we don't are wrong.1 John 1:10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. We are called to perfection, Matt 5:48 "Therefore *you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
There is NO ONE on this earth that is perfect. That perfection will come at resurrection for those in Christ. Someone's sin may be minor to some and major to others, kind of depends on how legalistic some are. I've had a Christian tell me once that Christians don't sin they make mistakes, call it what you want it's still sin. Also God will forgive us our sins 1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And we also have a mediator to go before us to our heavenly father to moderate on our behalf,1 Tim 2:5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man* Christ Jesus,.
To round this up God can use you and me even with our failures.
I will look at a few more people in the next few days people like David ,Paul ,and Peter just to name a few.
You are good enough for God to use, but Satan would have you think otherwise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Humanity of Jesus the Christ

The Person of Christ.

3/10/2013

Objective: To see How Jesus is fully God and fully man and yet one person.

The biblical teaching is that Jesus Christ is fully God (w/a capital G) and fully man in one person .

All scripture from the ESV unless noted.

Is the study of Jesus Christ humanity Important?

Yes

Why??????????????

To see why it was necessary for Jesus to be man as well as God

Don't answer this next question yet .

Can the humanity of Christ be denied or his deity be denied ? Or is this a essential beliefe in the Christian faith?

In the early church (2^nd centry) there was a heretical teaching called docetism , the word comes from the Greek word dokeo (d o k e o ) it means: to seem or appear to be : this positions states that Jesus was not really man but appeared to be a man , the assumption is that the material creation is inherently evil ,and therefore the son of God could not have been unitied to a true human nature. Grudems pg 540

2John 6-7

2 John :6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.

1John 4:1-3

1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

Those who deny Christ in the flesh are called what??

the deciever ,the antichrist ,spirit of the antichrist.

Can the humanity of Christ be denied or his deity be denied ? Or is this a essential beliefe in the Christian faith?

Someone new in the faith my deny this doctrine only because they don't know ,but some one who has been a Christian for a long period of time should not denie this doctrine.

John 1:1-5

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:14

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Vines Expository Dictionary

Word ;Logos pg 1241

Flesh ; sarx pg 437

John 1:17-18  

John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, * who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

*Or the only One, who is God; some manuscripts the only Son

John 1:18

No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.NIV

Side Note the NWT JW bible use's God small g “ the only begotten god” hence why I said Big G at the top.

? Looking at the person of Christ what are 2 things we are told here about the person of Jesus Christ?

The Word is God ( deity)and he came as Flesh(humanity ) to man.

John 1:14 tell us about Jesus coming in the flesh and dwell ed among us ,verse 18 give us the results to his dwelling among us ,what was the results?

By coming in the flesh and dwelling with mankind Jesus reveled to mankind the real character of God

This verse also shows we know the father through Jesus.

John 14:5-7

John 14:5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Heb 4:15-16

Heb 4:14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Heb 2:16-18

Heb 2:16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Why was he able to sympathize with us?

Jesus came to us as a man and when tempted didn't fail. He was Like us in every way.

Read Grudem pg542 foot note on sympathize

Scripture that shows Jesus humanity some we all know well but still requier looking at.

Matt 1:18-25

The Birth of Jesus Christ

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,and they shall call his name Immanuel”(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Betroth: be promised in marrage, engaged pg 114

What is seen here in these verses that point to Christ Humanity?

Birth, mother,conceived.

This is also confirmed in Luke 1:26-38

Jesus had a human mind.

Luke 2:40

Luke 2:40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

Luke 2:41,52

41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom.

52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

As a man Jesus had weaknesses.

John 4:5-9

John 4: 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.fn

7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
John 19:28
John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture Ps 69:21), “I thirst.”
He got tiered and thirsty

Matt 4:1-4

Matt 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,
 “‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
After fasting for 40 days he grew hungry,nothing here say's he was sustained during this time supernaturally ,as a man he grew hungry.

Matt 4:8-11

Matt 4:8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’”
 11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

John 12:27

John 12:27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.

John 13:21

John 13:21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”

Jesus was troubled ,if Jesus could have some form of anxiety about what was coming up,what kind of trouble it doesn't say .

Grudems Pg 533 Foot note on trouble

Matt26:38

Matt 26 :38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watchfn with me.”

He felt sorrow

Matt 8:9-10

Matt 8:9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.

He marveled

John 11:35

John 11:35 Jesus wept

Jesus wept over the death of Lazerus

Heb 5:7

Heb 5:7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.

Emotions Just pouring out

From Bob Coy Senior Pastor Fort Luaderdale Fl Calvary Chapel

Jesus’ Humanity

Jesus’ two natures are like two sides of a coin. On one side, He is the Son of God and is coequal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. In every possible respect, He is fully and completely divine (Col 2:9). And then there’s the other side of the coin: Jesus as the Son of Man. When He was born in Bethlehem, He inherited a body of flesh and blood and assumed a nature that made Him as much a human as any man or woman who has ever lived. Jesus was a full-fledged member of the human race.

But have you ever wondered why? Why would Jesus, who enjoyed all power and every prerogative as the Son of God, become one of us? Why did He have to enter into our humanity? Four reasons stand out to us from Scripture.

Completely Relatable
The humanity of Jesus made Him completely relatable. None of us can accuse the Lord of not understanding what it is like to be human. From conception to resurrection, there is no phase of our existence that Jesus has not already walked through. He understood firsthand what it was like to get hungry, get sick, get betrayed, get tired, and get stung. He experienced the blistering heat of the day and the persistent chill of the night. Jesus knew what it felt like to experience all that is part of the human experience on earth.

Christ’s ability to completely relate to us was key in enabling Him to serve as our heavenly high priest, which is the role He now occupies. Hebrews 7:25 tells us that Jesus stands before God the Father, interceding on our behalf. And because Jesus knows exactly what it’s like to be human, He understands our weaknesses and needs. Our plights truly touch His heart, and He perfectly intercedes for us according to our requirements because He has been where we find ourselves (Heb 4:15).

Completely Representable
Additionally, the humanity of Jesus made Him completely representable. In Christ, we have the perfect representation of who God is. There is an infinite gap between God and man, but He does not want to remain a mystery to humankind. He wants to communicate His character to us and reveal how loving, forgiving, patient, and merciful He is. By coming to us in human flesh, Jesus became the perfect means of representing God’s heart and nature to humanity (Col 1:15).

But Christ’s humanity doesn’t just represent who God is; it also represents who we should be. By Webster’s definition, the word “represent” means to “present a picture.” When Jesus became human, and as He lived out His life on earth, He gave us a picture of how we should live our lives. He exemplified the kind of people we should be. Whenever we’re confused or uncertain about what we should do, the answer is typically found by looking at the character and conduct of Jesus.

Whether it’s His patience with others’ imperfections, His determination to stand on God’s word, His sensitivity to those who were hurting, His willingness to engage people, His thankfulness, His commitment to prayer, His humility, His investing in others, His courage in the face of adversity, or a host of other virtues, Jesus is the template and the blueprint for our behavior (1 John 2:6).

Completely Recognizable
Further, the humanity of Jesus made Him completely recognizable. Through the prophet Isaiah, God had promised to send a Savior to His people, and He specifically stated that this Savior would come as an infant (Isa 7:14). By being born as a human child, Jesus fulfilled the prophetic word and was therefore recognizable to those who were watching and waiting for His coming (Matt 2:1–2).
Complete Redeemer
Finally, the humanity of Jesus made Him the complete Redeemer. The term “redeem” literally means to “purchase something back.” It was Christ’s mission to redeem humankind from the consequences of sin and to free us from the unforgiving grip it had on our race (1 Tim 1:15).

However, in order to redeem us, Jesus had to actually become human. When Adam sinned against God in the garden of Eden, he incurred a penalty—a penalty that had to fit the offense. Since humanity was the guilty party, humanity had to suffer the consequences. Nothing else could serve as a suitable substitute. Humanity had to pay for what humanity did. This is exactly what Jesus did by suffering as a man on the cross, bearing and satisfying the penalty of our sins, and redeeming humankind back to God (2 Cor 5:19).

As you look at the side of Jesus reflecting His humanity, recognize its significance and rejoice in its sufficiency to make Him our relatable representative and recognizable Redeemer.

By Jesus coming as a Human he experience first hand every emotion in some form that we do . So when we pray to Jesus to intercede as if he isn't already he can tell God the father I’ve been there I feel what they are going through .

Why do we sin if we have a new Nature in the image of God

 Why do we sin if we have a new nature???

Colos 3:10

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you once walked, when you lived in them. 8 But now put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices 10 and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. RSV

9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. ESV

 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10
and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
NIV
9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. NLT

Other versions use old man , new man, its all the same from what I can see. So if the old man,old self ,old nature was crucified ,done away with (NASB)  and we have a new self  ,a new man, a new nature ,in the image of God ,Creator ,Jesus Then why do Christians sin. The two natures can not co -exist in the believer , That would be like serving  two masters, that would also give us duel natures. That's not possible,light and dark cannot dwell in the same place at the same time. A little hint as to the direction I'm headed  how about sinful flesh yes our flesh  ( GR Sarks=Flesh)its the only part of the human body that continues to be in the penalty for sin as it decays daily, Not until after we die and are resurrected will our flesh be renewed.

So we shall continue look at Romans 6:6-7( read all of  Romans 6:1-14)

Romans 6

6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.RSV

6 We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For he who has died is freed from sin.ESV
The Greek here is Soma not Sarks ,soma is body or members, sarks is flesh

6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. NLT
6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with , that we should no longer be slaves to sin 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. NIV

In  verse 7 the word body is being used (Grk soma) This could be interpreted  two ways body as in a physical body or body like a body of water,like sin as a mass ,probably means physical body. Seen as the place were sin ruled .My Key Word Study Bible  (NKJV) has the Greek and Hebrew words in it  Interprets  soma in this use as body : Spoken of the seat of sinful affections and appetites. With the old nature being brought to nothing so that sin no longer has a seat in the body.I think the NLT and yes I know its a paraphrase ,yet I like how its put . "Romans 6:We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin." With the old nature crucified and sin not having a seat in the body, then why do we still sin?  Its not in our nature because we have a Christ like nature,Colos 3:9-10 :Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.   Jesus is our creator so our new nature is being renewed into his image. As I stated earlier we can't have duel natures its either sinful nature or a Christ like nature   being renewed in the knowledge of our Creator to be more like Him. I don't think

I could be any clearer about my thoughts on  Christians having a sinful nature, I just don't see it. So time to look at the flesh and there a a plethora of scripture that speaks about the sinful flesh or the desires of the flesh. So time to dig in.   

Romans 7

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, 23 but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I of myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. RSV

. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. ESV

 21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?  25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.NIV

21 It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God's law with all my heart. 23 But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.  NLT

Wow I really don't care for the NIV rendering of this scripture  and I'm done using the NLT  ,I although Christians fail and sin ,if the Christian life is dominated by sin as the NLT puts vs 24 " this life that is dominated by sin? "then are they really Christians ? maybe I'm going to an extreme ,just my opinion. and again the Grk is Sarx =Flesh The NIValso translates Sarx as nature.

The body is dead because of sin there is no rescue for it until resurrection Romans 8:10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

 Using Blue Letter Bible searching ability's out of fourteen different translations sin nature only appears in two of the fourteen . Can you guess what two translations use sin nature or sinful nature ?

Give up ? The NIV and NLT  the rest KJV ,NKJV ,ESV, HCSB, NASB, RSV,ASV, YLT, DBY, WEB, HNV, and the Latin Vulgat all interpret Sarks as Flesh .Does that make you possibly think that nature is an incorrect translation of the word  Grk Sarks..

In the better translations nature is not used when talking about sin. I'm not going to copy and past all the verses that use flesh when talking about sin .I think the promotion of a sinful nature was brought on by bad translations of the Bible ( such as NIV,  NLT and probably any other that uses modern English)  I'm going to end this with some thought from John MacArthur HIS ONE NATURE POSITION

"Salvation is not a matter of improvement or perfection of what has previously existed. It is total transformation...At the new birth a person becomes `a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come' (2 Cor. 5:17). It is not simply that he receives something new but that he becomes someone new...The new nature is not added to the old nature but replaces it. The transformed person is a completely new `  Biblical terminology, then, does not say that a Christian has two different natures. He has but one nature, the new nature in Christ. The old self dies and the new self lives; they do not coexist. It is not a remaining old nature but the remaining garment of sinful flesh that causes Christians to sin. The Christian is a single new person, a totally new creation, not a spiritual  *schizophrenic...The believer as a total person is transformed but not yet wholly perfect. He has residing sin but no longer reigning sin. He is no longer the old man corrupted but is now the new man created in righteousness and holiness, awaiting full salvation." (The MacArthur New Testament Commentary-EPHESIANS, p. 164)

"The believer does not have two competing natures, the old and the new; but one new nature that is still incarcerated in un-redeemed flesh" [Study Bible Note under Romans 6:6].

"Explaining the reality that the believer has only one new nature is not simply playing a psychological word game. It isn't saying to yourself, `I'm really wonderful, holy, and righteous', until you finally convince yourself of something that isn't true. The point is that God's Word teaches that sin's power is broken in the life of the believer, and our response is to believe that to be true" (Freedom From Sin, p. 52).

"Nor is Paul describing a dualistic, *schizophrenic Christian...Christians sin because of the vestiges of sinful flesh, not because they have the same old active sinful nature. Certainly we sin, but when we sin it is contrary to our nature, not because we have two dispositions—one sinful and one not" (Faith Works, p. 116).

"If you are a Christian, it's a serious misunderstanding to think of yourself as having both an old and new nature. We do not have a dual personality! Assuming the dual nature of the believer could easily lead one to excuse all kinds of sins by blaming them on the old nature" ("The Good Natured Believer" by John MacArthur in The Masterpiece magazine, March/April 1990, p. 18).

"I know of a pastor who counsels premarital couples to take a shower together. He tells them not to worry about sin, saying that when we sin, it is simply a manifestation of our old nature. He believes the old nature is going to sin anyway, so there's nothing believers can do about it. But according to the Apostle Paul, the believer's old nature is dead and buried. With that in mind, how can we possibly serve sin? Those who hold the view that sees a dual nature in the believer could easily attempt to excuse all kinds of sins by blaming them on the old nature" (Freedom From Sin, p. 31; 

"Salvation is a spiritual union with Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection that can also be described as the death of the `old self' and the resurrection of the `new self,' who now walks in `newness of life.' This union and new identity clearly means that salvation is transformation. It is not addition of a new self to an old self. In Christ, the old self no longer exists (compare 2 Cor. 5:17)." (EPHESIANS, p. 177)

 *Definition of schizophrenia in English:

noun

1A long-term mental disorder of a type involving a breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion, and behavior, leading to faulty perception, inappropriate actions and feelings, withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy and delusion, and a sense of mental fragmentation.

Well that's it I'm done  I feel we do not have a sin nature  we have unregenerated flesh ,Flesh that is still corrupt ,still decaying ,still serving the penalty of sin,still in sin, Still will die(unless the rapture is correct then maybe not)Christians sin because they fail to do what the bible say's 

Romans 8:1-4

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit

Do all Angles have wings

Do all Angles have wings???

How do we know angels have wings? We know the 4 living creature ( Seraphim )did they had six wings and full of eyes all around Rev 4:And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"
These creature ,if I remember right are a type of angel. So do all angels have wings? Cherubim have wings Ex 25:20a The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings.,Seraphim have wings six wings I think these are the same creatures in Rev 4 
Above him stood the seraphim. Isa 6:2 Each had six wings:  with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
Then there are 2 woman that have wings like a stork Zechariah 5:9
Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, two women coming forward! The wind was in their wings. They had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven. This is the only time a female is mentioned as a possible angel ,there is debate about this just one interpretation or two.One school of thought is these woman are some sort of Heavenly being  possibly angels , the other is these are demonic beings because the woman in the basket is called wickedness and the wings are described as stork wings ,a stork is a unclean bird . So is there any more references to angels with Wings.Not that Ive found.That doesn't mean there isn't but I didn't find any.So to say that all angels have wings by the examples we have ,then we need to ask two wings or six or do the description above just apply to the angels mentioned.I think it just apply s to the ones mentioned.besides angels are spirit so why wings?

Unintentional Sin

I came across a verse this morning while working on my Wed night Bible study ( James is still asleep were in Kansas At the Races) Its a verse I looked up besides what was used.
Ps 26:2
Prove me, O LORD, and try me;
test my heart and my mind.

How much stronger might a Christian be or a better witness in everyday life might one be,if in the morning and evening we asked God to Prove me or Examine me Show me what things or sins I committed unintentionally so that I may not do it again. This is the same thought behind Job 34:32" teach me what I do not see;
if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?"
My thought on this is ,are there sins we unintentionally ( we know what we may intentionally do )commit and others see and say hypocrite . I'm not giving an excuse for sin I'm saying  Show me God so I may not sin.

 

 

 

Are Angels Persons

This question came up in Bible Study Wed night: Is Lucifer a person?

First what is a person ? And does a person need a physical body ? Or is it person hood that we should be looking at ? If you have person hood does that make you a person?

Here is the definition according to Dictionary .com

person

[pur-suh n] 

noun

1.a human being, whether an adult or child:

2.a human being as distinguished from an animal or a thing.

3.an individual human being who likes or prefers something specified (used in combination):

4.Sociology. an individual human being, especially with reference to his or her social relationships and behavioral patterns as conditioned by the culture.

5.Philosophy. a self-conscious or rational being.

6.he actual self or individual personality of a human being:

7.the body of a living human being, sometimes including the clothes being worn:

Also on the same page: 

Person

noun 

1.(Christianity) any of the three hypostas es existing as distinct in the one God and constituting the Trinity. They are the First Person, the Father,the Second Person, the Son, and the Third Person, the Holy Ghost

How does the second definition fit the first when only the second person (Jesus the son has a physical body.)

As the word person relates to God ,and the angels maybe its person hood that should

be looked at.

Does person need flesh and bone? First we have to define what “person” means before we can determine if God is a person. Some people think that a person must have a body of flesh and bones, but theologically speaking “personhood” does not necessitate that. Instead, personhood is defined as having a will, self-awareness, emotions, being able to recognize others, speaking, etc. Therefore, angels would be persons since they have wills, speak, etc. God would be a person, too. However, the Christian doctrine of God is that He is comprised of three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We call this the Trinity. We say that God is three persons because we see that the Father is called God (Phil. 1:2), the Son is called God (Heb. 1:8), and the Holy Spirit is called God (Acts 5:1-4). Each has a will (F, Luke 22:42; S, Luke 22:42; HS, 1 Cor. 12:11) and speaks (F, Matt. 3:17; S, Luke 5:20; HS, Acts 13:2) So, can God be said to be a person? Yes. And how do we tell if He is a person? We simply look at the requirements of being a person, such as speaking, being aware of others, having a will, loving, etc.; and we see that God most certainly expresses the attributes of person hood. (Matt Slick Carm.org )

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If the bold print above describes person hood and having person hood makes you a person ,then yes Lucifer is a person ,all the angel s are persons .

 Just a quick possible answer .