15 ¶ Wherefore I also, after I
heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making
mention of you in my prayers; 17 That
the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the
spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
An essential
foundation of Christian faith in action is the love for Christian brothers and
sisters, “love unto all the saints.” It is the basis of a new commandment
Christ gave to His disciples, and by extension, to we who believe.
John 13:34 A new commandment I give
unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one
another.
2John 1:5 And now I beseech thee,
lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had
from the beginning, that we love one another.
In the
famous, “love,” chapter of 1 Corinthians 13 the word, “charity,” is a word that
is defined in the Bible as the Christians active love for other Christians. It
can’t be just about giving to charity, as per our modern definition as that is
listed in the chapter as different than what is being talked about. See 1
Corinthians 13:3. This chapter explains that charity is greater than faith and
hope. Charity is an active love that not only means well but does well. It
doesn’t exploit, manipulate, or deceive but seeks the best interest of the
other person in Christ.
For charity
to be Biblically defined as love towards the brethren see the following verses;
2 Peter 1:5-7; 1 Peter 4:8; 5:14.
Here is the
first part of Paul’s prayer for you. He asks that God give you a spirit, small
“s”.
Isaiah 11:2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon
him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
These are
things that God provides for your spirit. Your spirit is the means by which you
know God. Intellectual knowledge is not sufficient for the knowledge of God.
Theologians write volumes of intellectual gibberish that is often as not pure
speculation and flights of fancy, wholly unrelated to the literal meaning of
the words of Scripture. Your spirit is also the means by which God knows you.
Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD,
searching all the inward parts of the belly.
18
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what
is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance
in the saints,
Luke 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words
which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be
fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in
the psalms, concerning me. 45 Then
opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, 46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and
thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
This goes
back to a previous verse;
30
And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and
blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31
And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of
their sight.
A person who
doesn’t understand the Bible and then has something revealed to him is like a
blind man who can suddenly see, as in his mind sees something previously hid to
him in plain sight.
So it is
with the gospel of Jesus Christ to an unsaved person.
John 9:24 Then again called they the man that was
blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a
sinner. 25 He answered and said, Whether
he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind,
now I see.
There is a dullness
about the world until we get that spiritual food and get that sight.
1Samuel 14:27 But Jonathan heard not when his father
charged the people with the oath: wherefore he put forth the end of the rod
that was in his hand, and dipped it in an honeycomb, and put his hand to his
mouth; and his eyes were enlightened.
29
Then said Jonathan, My father hath troubled the land: see, I pray you,
how mine eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey.
The hope of
his calling;
1Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto
a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Romans 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without
repentance.
1Corinthians 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that
not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
2Thessalonians 1:11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that
our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good
pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:
2Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and
grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
1Peter 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us
unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while,
make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
The riches
of his glory He reveals to us, the inheritance we are to receive, which began
with His salvation of us and His power over sin in our lives and over death,
and will end with His glorification of us and our freedom from the very
presence of sin in a glorified body that will live forever with Him.
Romans 8:29 ¶ For whom he did foreknow, he also did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brethren. 30
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he
called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
19
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us–ward who believe,
according to the working of his mighty power,
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he
power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
John 10:18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down
of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This
commandment have I received of my Father.
Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers
of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that
through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the
devil;
1John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have
overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the
world.
You have the
same power, if you have believed and trusted in Christ and are, therefore
saved, that made the resurrection possible. Isn’t that a wonderful and amazing
thought?
God has
destroyed the power of death over the believer, the power of sin over the
believer, and the power of Satan over the believer.
20
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set
him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Here is
where Christ is. Here is where our spiritual blessings are found. Later we will
see this is where we are, at the same time we are here on earth.
Here again is the simplicity of Bible salvation.
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the
Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the
dead, thou shalt be saved.
21
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and
every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to
come:
Above all
things He created, including spiritual powers and earthly ones.
Colossians 1:16 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:
Psalm 89:27 Also I will make him my firstborn, higher
than the kings of the earth.
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for
there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved.
22 And hath put all things under
his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that
filleth all in all.
The church
is not a building, but is Christ’s body. We are Christ’s body, the people. The
body of Christ is saved persons. There
are saved people all over the world who belong to the body of Christ regardless
of what church they are in or how wrong they are on doctrine. The rules for
salvation are simple and we have talked about them before but faith in Christ
and trusting in His righteousness to get them to heaven and not their own works
is the requirement.
Ephesians 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh,
and of his bones.
We can only
imagine what eternity will be like without sin and without the effects of the
Fall and sin.
1Corinthians
15:28 And when all things shall be
subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put
all things under him, that God may be all in all
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