(11/08/2016) Family Likeness and Traits?

Focus, today, is on discerning the image of God, and displaying oneness without sameness.  Christian believers all are encouraged to become disciplined, behave as selfless and unselfish, exercise restraint, and master techniques for achieving accord, agreement and peace, yet, none are required to act, look, speak and be the same as though GOD also does not value excellence, distinctiveness,  independence, and uniqueness.  Those in the church founded by Jesus Christ are called “chosen”, “elect”, and “his body.”  From the time of Moses, believers have been privileged to declare themselves members of the family of GOD, and a household of faith (e.g., see Deuteronomy 14:  1-3, King James Version (KJV):  1 Ye are the children of the LORD your God:  ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.  2 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.  3 Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.).  The Apostle Paul regarded the stripes on his back as the mark of his being in covenant with Jesus Christ, rather than his circumcision.  Similarly, many Christians now point to their scars and wounds received overcoming obstacles, struggles, and suffering in service to the Lord as evidence of acceptance by GOD, and marks of divine approval.  The time is fast approaching when all who belong to Christ will be recognized immediately because they will not have the mark of the beast in their forehead, or their right hand.  Even so, since the beginning, when mankind first was created as a companion to divinity, it has been the divine essence and inward substance (we say, breath, spirit, word) that are to identify and seal the living as belonging to the Creator, rather than their outward form, or surface scars.  The fighter at “Yahoo! Answers” using the ID “Sugar Skull” (Level 4 with 2,525 points, a member since June 24, 2016) posted the following:

If people say that we are brothers and sisters then why don't we look alike?

THE GOLDEN ARROW:  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:  And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.  For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.  (Ephesians 2:  13-22, KJV)

THE DOUBLE DAGGER:  His Children Are Sanctified (10/12/2016); An Habitation of GOD (07/24/2016); In The Divine Household? (05/05/2016); In The Image of Man (05/04/2016); Family at The Cross? (04/11/2016); The Image of GOD? (10/10/2013);  Embodied Afterlife? (10/11/2013) 

“Sugar Skull”, among mature Christian believers who understand they are the children of GOD, brothers and sisters with Jesus Christ, and joint heirs of a divine inheritance, all share the image of GOD that must be “seen” using spiritual discernment.  Believers develop their ability to use their own spirit content from the makeup of Deity as a standard to recognize and respond to the spirit matter deposited within doctrines, events, born again believers, other persons, prophetic demonstrations, the holy writings, etc.  Clear awareness of the imparted, indwelling spirit from GOD only becomes “visible” to those who continuously put sacred knowledge to use through fellowship (communication, exchange, and interaction with other believers); private and shared praise, prayer and worship; observing sacraments (i.e., sacred practices); regular study of the Scriptures; and unselfish service.  Just as the fullness of divinity is emanated as “oneness without sameness,” perfected and sanctified believers will display the image of GOD through diversity and unity.  Consider how some of this is stated using language from the Bible:

(1.)  2nd Corinthians 4:  3-5, King James Version (KJV):  3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:  4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.  5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.

(2.)  Ephesians 2:   1-6,  KJV:  1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;  2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:  3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.  4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,  5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)  6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

(3.)  Romans 8:  16-18, KJV:  16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:  17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.  18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

(4.)   1st Corinthians 1:  9-10, KJV:  9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.  10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

There is far more to be said, correctly applied, and spiritually apprehended, here.  (For example, (5.)  Romans 8:  5-10, KJV:  5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God:  for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.  9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.)  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your faith.

THE BLACK PHOENIX 
Washington, DC

(09/23/2016) The Witness of Conscience

Today, focus is upon conscience as an expression from the flesh and the World, rather than divine Spirit.  At one time, conscience was widely understood to be like artistry and talent, a gift given a person by GOD.  Conscience appeared as an operation of law detecting and exposing sin, making challenge as an accuser, and delivering correction and punishment in the form of despair and unending mental anguish.  Many in modern society are startled and disheartened knowing there are those among us who repeatedly show anger, aggressive and “hard-core” attitudes (the young say, gangsta), bitterness, enmity, frigidity, hostility, indifference to the suffering of others, lack of love, rage, self-destructiveness, and mindless violence.  Impenitent sinners, having exaggerated pride and refusing to show remorse or sorrow for sin, seem to be multiplying.  Their behavior and conduct shows no respect to law, to life, to judgment, to forgiveness, to kindness, or to love.  Because they are increasingly labeled as inhuman, monsters, psychopaths, and sociopaths, it often seems acceptable to say such sinners are “dead” in sin, can not be raised or restored, and will never be saved since they have no remaining scrap of conscience or humanity.  Yet, these are the ones who would benefit most through being “born again.”  The fighter at “Yahoo! Answers” using the ID “Bobby” (Level 1 with 1 point, a member since March 10, 2012) posted the following:

How can people not believe in God when our consciences testify to his existence?

Our conscience is like a fire alarm. It tells us when we are violating God's law. It can make us feel terrible, because that is God's way of warning us when we are in trouble.

How can someone ignore that and then insist that everything happened by chance and as such, morality is purely a societal construct?

It's like saying that a building just formed by chance and natural processes, instead of intelligence!

THE GOLDEN ARROW:  For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?  And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.  (Hebrews 9:  13-15, King James Version, KJV)

THE DOUBLE DAGGER:  Spirit Process not Feelings? (09/21/2016); Judgment Focused On Content? (08/30/2016); Boasting In The Lord (08/19/2016); Where Society Is Headed? (01/11/2016); In Times of Progress? (12/21/2015); Punishment To Show Love? (11/29/2015); Sin in Mind not Deed? (01/06/2014)

“Bobby”, here are some thoughts I’d like to share:  As an emotional and psychological aspect of ones awareness (we may say, the flesh), conscience and self-will may be dominated by the operations of sin.  Conscience, that many take to be an inner standard that tells us right and wrong, may be the origin and source for our feelings and sense of condemnation, disgrace, embarrassment, guilt, and shame.  Thus, the testimony and witness of conscience can be more akin to the products of flesh and mind than to those from (we say, the fruit of) the imparted, indwelling spirit of GOD.  Therefore, for Christian believers, conscience is not a “thorn in the flesh” that reveals divine grace and the active presence of divinity, nor is conscience a device that increases sacred knowledge, and establishes eternal purpose. 

Conscience appears as if a complex and higher order response in created beings and living creatures because there is always a three-fold mix of emotional, intellectual and mental responses that persist, recur, and linger.  The mechanism of conscience appears to be a cycle wherein feeling triggers thoughts, followed by thoughts that repeatedly trigger the previous feelings.  Where conscience becomes corrupted, loses its forcefulness, and becomes unfocused, it does not operate as prophecy to comfort, edify (build up), and exhort (command immediate action; excite believers to “stir up the gifts”).  More than this, conscience may become seared.  (When fire (i.e., judgment) is used to cauterize (close) a person’s deep and unseen wounds, so to speak, a seal is created that stops the bleeding.  However, the seal that no longer allows anything out from the wound, also no longer allows anything in.  Thus, many are “ever learning,” yet, never coming to the knowledge of the truth.)

To the extent conscience in modern society may be seen as a result of carnal, material, and social elements, what we experience as being matters of “conscience” (or not) can be determined by such features as corporate advertising, gossip, politics, popular culture, government propaganda, slander, and even the “charm” and panache of criminal and nonconformist personality (bad boyz!).  Consider again the admonitions, examples, and how some of this is stated using language from the Bible:

(1.)  1st Timothy 4:  1-3, King James Version (KJV):  1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;  2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;  3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

(2.)  Titus 1:  15-16, KJV:  15 Unto the pure all things are pure:  but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.  16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

(3.)  1st Timothy 1:  3-7, KJV:  3 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,  4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith:  so do.  5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:  6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;  7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.

(4.)  1st Timothy 1:  18-20, KJV:  18 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;  19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:  20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.  

There is far more to be said, carefully examined, and spiritually apprehended.  (For example, (5.)  Romans 8:  5-9, KJV:  5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God:  for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.  9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.)  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your faith.

THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC

(05/03/2016) They Shall Not Be Mentioned

The discussion continues, today, that sin must be personal for Christian believers just as Jesus dying upon the cross must be personal.  Alertness and greater awareness are required, not “baggage”, pride, or self-promotion.  The work of a believer is less in the line of self-improvement and more in agreement with becoming ripe for harvest as those the Lord will gather from the earth.  Attitudes, behavior, and transgressions from ones past are not to be used as accusations and obstacles to new life and the building of trust within the body of believers.  While operations to heal will go forth from the Holy Spirit that downplay and erase the disgrace, embarrassment, and pain once experienced through sin, strength also is imparted that permits those born again to adopt sacred purpose, take charge of themselves in their new lives, and serve as true champions against the things that once corrupted and defrauded them.  Believers need not fear to look back upon the past, for thereby they realize, though the Savior was invisible, Christ was with them all the time.  The Father, the Son and the Spirit were present, however, not to interfere with, or overthrow their integrity as persons, hinder their individual development, and frustrate their necessary exercise of will.


THE GOLDEN ARROW:  Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.  The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son:  the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.  But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.  All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him:  in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.  Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD:  and not that he should return from his ways, and live?  But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned:  in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.  (Ezekiel 18:  19-24, KJV)

 
THE DOUBLE DAGGER:  A Dry Thirsty Land (05/01/2016); Sin Turned To Goals (05/02/2016); Forgiveness and The Cross (04/04/2016); The Old Self Crucified? (04/03/2016); Repentance and New Life? (12/30/2015); The Process of Forgiveness? (10/21/2015)


THE BATTLE AXE:  Sin Must Be Personal (04/29/2016)—As surely as we are to remember Jesus dying upon the cross for our redemption, Christian believers also ought remember that errors and sin are still threatening to overwhelm them with destruction.  Embracing Christ as Savior, believers become able to view their life experience as one of continuous growth, rather than a series of disruptive episodes.  For this reason, many mature believers in Christ are convinced that, joined to sacred knowledge and practice, the truth of our experience of sin, the flesh, and the world can be made part of our arsenal against evil and wickedness.  Admonition, counsel, guidance, instruction and warning are understood as having more power when grounded in authentic life experience, rather than parables, speculation, theory, or “the leaven of the Pharisees.”  There are young people, desiring genuineness and sincerity, who prefer to endure affliction and negative experiences that permit them a sense of life having true substance, and is not “fake”, false, and full of illusion.  Such  youth often mistake the meaning of “freedom” to be “do as you please,” so they turn away from the self-esteem, self-respect and self-restraint that are the marks of full self-control, mastery, and maturity.  Instead of believing that becoming adult means there must be misery, unhappiness, violence, and wretchedness, adults and young people alike are encouraged to see, the ministry of Jesus Christ has been carried out to remove the shackles of disbelief, ignorance, and uncertainty regarding the things of GOD.  Those who follow the Lord, do so on a path that leads to a lasting freedom without the dangers and unwanted risk of having past burdens restored, and old wounds reopened.  Consider again the following from the Scriptures:   

(1.)  Deuteronomy 9:  7, King James Version (KJV):  7 Remember, and forget not, how thou provokedst the LORD thy God to wrath in the wilderness:  from the day that thou didst depart out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the LORD.

(2.)  Proverbs 28:  13, KJV:  13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

(3.)  James 1:  23-25, KJV:  23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:  24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.  25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

(4.)  Psalms 119:  59-60, KJV:  I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.  60 I made haste, and delayed not to keep they commandments.

(5.)  Psalms 119:  67, KJV:  67 Before I was afflicted I went astray:  but now have I kept thy word.

(6.)  Psalms 119:  75-76, KJV:  75 I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.  76 Let, I pray thee, they merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant.

(7.)  2nd Peter 1:  5-10, KJV:  5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;  6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;  7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.  8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.  10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure:  for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

There is far more to be said, understood, and spiritually taken in.  (For example, (8.)  Philippians 3:  12-14, KJV:  12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect:  but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.  13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:  but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,  14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.)  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your faith.

THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC

(04/28/2014) Anointed?

The meaning of “anointed” is considered, today.  Also, there is more on ascribing personality to divinity.  A writer at “Yahoo! Answers” using the ID “Shay” (Level 1 with 4 points, a member since December 29, 2013) posted the following:


What does anointed mean?

blessed?


THE BATTLE AXE:  Personality? (04/27/2014)—(5.)  Like “character”, “charm”, “integrity”, and “cool”, the word “personality” is used to describe patterns displayed as a person’s attitude, behavior, and disposition, that regularly and repeatedly appear through ongoing relationships and social interactions, and that reveal their emotional and psychological makeup.  While descriptive of ones outward conduct and inner condition, personality is not a spirit substance from the makeup of GOD, and so is subject to change, embraces conflict, and may display subtleties (barely visible differences, hidden shifts in focus or value).  There are many who mistakenly use language that says, GOD the Father is cruel, harsh, mean, stern, strict, unloving, and unmerciful, yet say, that the Son is approachable, kind, forbearing, forgiving, gracious, loving, merciful, and understanding.  Such believers, in effect, deny the balance, fullness, oneness, righteousness, and thoroughness of the GODhead.  Delicate and necessary works of divine judgment (e.g., condemnation, correction, punishment, separation) are dismissed to favor such works as atonement, creation, deliverance, healing, government, rebirth, reconciliation, resurrection, and salvation.  See Luke 8:  24-25, Luke 9:  51-56, Romans 6:  1-18, Ephesians 4:  17-32, 1st Corinthians 16:  13-14, Colossians 3:  1-17, 1st Thessalonians 1:  5-6 and 1st John 3:  1-3, KJV.


THE GOLDEN ARROW:  And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.  And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.  But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever:  a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.  Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.  And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:  They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;  And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed:  but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.  (Hebrews 1:  6-12, KJV)


THE DOUBLE DAGGER:  The Benefit of Law? (11/15/2013); Origin of Baptism? (06/22/2013);  Money-changers in The Temple? (06/23/2013); Jesus, A Party Animal? (05/03/2013); Jesus Lives! (05/04/2013); The Golden Age? (01/10/2013); Translation, Please… (01/11/2013); The Priesthood of Kings (10/17/2012); Childlike Faith (10/18/2012)


“Shay”, here are some points to consider that should help build up your understanding of anointing within Christian belief:

(1.)  In the holy writings, to be anointed is to be made fragrant, and distinctive in ones appearance by pouring perfumed oil upon their hands, upon their face, upon their head.  A person’s aroma then lingers and continues after their contact with others.

(2.)  The oil for anointing represents divinity (we say, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of GOD).  Figures in Scripture receive anointing for divine service as part of consecration and sanctification (being cleansed and set apart as devoted to GOD) as well as an aspect of installation to high office.  Included are monarchs (kings, queens, emperors), priests (those authorized to offer sacred sacrifice), and prophets (spokespersons sent from GOD).

(3.)  Once anointed with oil, a person’s appearance is brightened (we say, they shine).  Thus, one uses oil when fasting to maintain their appearance, and continue generating a mood that is uplifting, rather than one of misery and wretchedness.  Also, perfumed oils were used as medicines to heal, as preservatives to prepare bodies for burial (to retard decay), as salves to treat wounds, and as mood altering scents.

There is a lot more to be said, correctly applied, and spiritually apprehended.  (For example, (4.)  Just as Saul and David were anointed by the prophet Samuel to serve as father (we say, patriarch), king, judge, praise-leader, priest, and prophet, during his baptism under John the Baptist, Jesus of Nazareth was witnessed to be anointed by GOD and the Holy Spirit.  However, it is not oil poured out upon the Savior; rather, it is virtue.  The title “Christ” is Greek, and may be translated as “The Anointed One.”)  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your anointing.


These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.  But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you:  but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.  And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.  (1st John 2:  26-28, KJV)


THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC