“I was in a discussion the other day with some people about the ongoing “Law vs Grace” debate, and thought this would be a good study. A friend and I were talking about the different “gods”, and it had dawned on me the obvious differences. There seems to be two different meanings for the word “worship”. Below is an excerpt from the discussion. I thought my readers here would like to read it, so I’m posting it here.”
Satan was the first to use one of the definitions of worship. Satan lusted after God’s position. Satan told Jesus to “bow down, and worship me”.
Now there appears to be two definitions for the word worship. In the ongoing “Law vs Grace” debate, one mindset adheres to one of these definitions, and one to the other. Satan started this game of, “let’s you and him argue, and disrupt the accord of the people”. He has a different use for the word worship than God does. He, and his spirit, can easily be spotted with a little discernment. He will always, always, project bondage through fear and submission. Always.
The submission to, and bondage under law group of Christians, will twist Scripture, while saying we do the same. But there is one fundamental difference…
“One teaches bondage, and submission through fear of punishment, and the other, freedom from bondage, submission, or fear of retribution.”
The difference is obvious. Lets use one verse for an example.
“Every knee shall bow”.
This can be seen in many lights. In England, it may seem as if the knights that returned from battle were bowed to out of submission to a higher standing. Or even because it may have been law. This is not entirely true. The people bowed in honor of them, and out of love and appreciation to them for risking their lives to keep them safe. However, some Kingdoms were set up by tyranny, and sinful pride, and actually have created laws to this effect. Here in America, we tend to call them “Dictatorships”.
Worship, as the doctrine of Christ explains the word, is not bowing in reverence to a higher standing, or submitting to higher powers… or even a law to be followed. The two ideologies of bowing in worship can be seen as this:
In adoration of, or subjection to, the subject being worshiped.
This makes one of the factions of the Grace vs Law debate think differently than the other. Do you worship your spouse? Your children? Your parents? Speaking of wives…
There is an old phrase, “I worship the ground she walks on”, that actually means, “I love her, and adore her”. This in no way conflicts with, or is related to idol worship. I’ts just love. Those that preach bondage to laws and being under authorities, miss the whole point of being saved…
Saved from what?
Ta daahhh!
“Fear, and bondage of any and all kinds whatsoever. We will indeed bow to Jesus, but out of love and respect, and in awe of Him, but never out of fear. Never. So preach bondage if you want to, but know this. We will in the meantime really enjoy our freedom from it, as we understand that this is indeed the very act of giving thanks to the One that made it even possible.” -Peace
Recently, Dr James D. Tabor shared a link to his new website to us at Google+. The TaborBlog, “All things biblical” from the Hebrew Bible to Early Christianity in the Roman World and Beyond.
He has a new book out entitled, “Paul & Jesus”. Let me start by saying this is by far, and bar none the best website, (in my humble opinion) for info on , as the title says, “any and all things Biblical”. I highly recommend a visit there. Links to the site will be provided at the bottom of the post. There are too many fascinating links from his site to list, and in fact I would have to list them all, so there will be just the link to his site. And now, my thoughts on the interview…
“Between Flesh and Blood”
I have always wondered about the writings of people like Paul, and the stark contrast between his version of the world, and that of the Hebrews. To put this another way, between the “flesh and the spirit”. If flesh is “bad”, then why did God create it? This contrast is the very Gospel, “in a nutshell”. After years of trying to deny my flesh self, I finally learned that it was not exactly possible. Like Jesus, the Holy Spirit of God, over time, will transform the flesh self into what is resonated throughout the old and new Testaments alike… a new creature altogether, and a peculiar people. A “new man”, as Paul puts it, or, whoever wrote in Paul’s name, as the case may be. The interview has info about this, and it is fascinating stuff. For reference to Paul’s “new man”, see ( 2nd Cor. 5:7, Eph.2:15, Eph, 4:24, Col, 3:10), and for the, “a peculiar people”, as the old Testament terms it, see (Deut 14:2, Deut 26:18, Titus 2:14, 1st Pet 2:9, there many more not listed).
Now, couple this with the parable of the “new bottles”, and you have what Paul teaches. (Mat. 9:17) The outside of the “man” has to be transformed as well as the inside. Is this the “flesh” man?
Sure it is. It’s his mind, his body, and even his world. More importantly, our eyes, and how we see or experience the world.
The interview…
“And the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar people” Psalms 135:4 KJV
While most see division, and conflict in the Scriptures between flesh and spirit, Jew and Gentile, I see the story of mankind; a saga of reconciliation…
“And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn; but passeth over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods.” Hosea 10:11 KJV
From the interview…
Paul stresses a world to come, and this one temporal, whereas the Hebrews stress the world God created; “this one”, and as it was then. Said to be “good”, and as Genesis reports, “and God saw that it was very good”.
Paul seems to give the impression that it’s all done. That you shouldn’t get married, don’t worry if you’re a slave or free, because the “end” is “right around the corner”. His writings can be seen as almost totally Apocalyptic. He states the Jerusalem that is “above” is the mother of us all. (Gal 4:26) If you read 1st Cor. 7:29-30-31, he says the “form” of this world is passing away, and to “not even worry about things ‘here’“, so as to give the impression that “it’s about to be wrapped up, very, very soon“. This is one way to look at it. Another is that the “end” does not involve “leaving”. Could it mean the end of the world as we know it, or more importantly, see it?
Note: The new Jerusalem is said to be seen as “coming down from above” ( Rev 3:12), and if you think about the old Testament, God’s plan in general (in some writings) is to “come here”, and “dwell with us here”. The promises of the old Testament look to be forever “here”, and in contrast we have writings like the rapture, and seemingly, us “leaving here”. (Gen 48:4)
Contrasting the views of leaving, is that of traditional Judaism, which stresses the Torah, and the promises made to Abraham. This view is that between the time of now, and the end, we must keep our feet on the ground. Look at Deut. 30:12, It is not “up in the heavens”, that we have to “go up and get this”, it’s “down here”. Verses 15 & 16 go on to say God will bless you in the land you are about to walk into, or as it states, “enter”. (These are two different views altogether) Nothing from the Torah, or the Prophets will match what Paul is saying, looking at this “on the surface”. The things Paul says are simply not there.
At the end of Isaiah there is a new heaven and earth picture. The differences are the times. Paul preaches the time is “right around the corner”, and almost tells us to denounce any and all earthly ties. Many think, “that would be great, except we have to stay here until then”, and he doesn’t leave much room for development in that area.
To me, this is where the main separations stem from, between Jews and Christians, and Christians, and other Christians. Do we denounce any and all ties with earthly matters? If so, what about the ‘as of yet’ non repented souls? My thoughts are where our head should be, “in the meantime”, while we wait for “the end”. The man that buried the talent comes to mind here. (Mat, 25:25-26) This has always puzzled me, and I attributed it to differences in spirit and flesh.
In Isaiah, the Syrians are battering down the walls of Jerusalem, and the whole book deals with the lives of the Jews in the “here and now”, and the last, or 66th book, he is telling about the end game for Jerusalem.
If you haven’t caught my drift as of yet, consider this. We as Christians learn from the new testament. We are pointed to, and sometimes get our comfort from the poetic writings of the old Testament, from books such as Psalms. Try to inject the spirit of Psalms into Paul’s teachings, and you will find they will not fit.
This is the very core of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul, and the Hebrew faiths look contradictory, on the surface. The phrase “on the surface” is the key to the new Testament. This “mindset”, if you will, that Paul teaches, can not be looked at in the flesh, or in other words, with your natural, fleshy, “man’s mind”, and here’s why. Everything changed at the crucifixion. I mean everything, because the old testament writers, prophets, and scholars of that period did not have the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Their eyes, just like ours now, and any and all people’s eyes simply do see the same things, even when looking at the same things.
Interesting to note here is Jesus, in the sermon on the mount, says this, “For verily (surely) I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which you see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.” (Mat13:7 KJV). I think of this verse in the middle of almost every debate I have with an atheist. I’m literally telling them that I see something they do not see, and in their present condition, can not see. Is it any wonder they think we’re nuts? But anyway, let’s get back to the sermon on the mount; Jesus is explaining the “change” that was at that time about to happen. After the verse about the prophets not being able to see what some of them would, he says this…He goes right into a very famous parable, and starts with the word, “Therefore”…”here ye the parable of the sower”.
This is a many fold message to us. Think about this. At the time Jesus said this, the Holy Spirit had still not yet been given to anyone. Matthew, at the time of his writing this book, was writing it out of his memory. He remembered what Jesus said “then”, but at the time Jesus said it, even Matthew didn’t know what Jesus was talking about. This is the revelation I had. This is spooky strange, in that the parable was also about this fact that Jesus said people’s eyes, and seeing, would indeed come to them (and Matthew) “later” Then the Holy Spirit would be there to guide him, and “fix” his eyes so that he could “see” what prophets of old never did. Keep in mind that Matthew didn’t see it at the time Jesus said it either. Jesus explained this as his word being a seed, that’s meanings would come later, and His words to them “then” would not “bloom” in their live until “later”. Picture Matthew sitting, and listening to Jesus, and not having a clue as to what He was saying. He would see these things “later”.
Some of us now have this sight, and some of us do not. We that do must deliver the word, and move on. This is the core of Paul’s teachings. This is also why so many Theologists disagree with Paul. We are to deliver God’s words, and as Paul says, someone else will water them, and yet someone else again will cultivate them into the very vision, and sight we have. Jesus stressed this in this verse: Read, if you will Luke 9:44. Jesus is saying to let the words sink in, because He is leaving. Mat 7: 24, 26. Just like a farmer plants a seed, then leaves… the words of Jesus are seeds, or these “sayings” as they are referred to in Rev 22:6. “These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the Prophets has sent His angel to “shew unto his servants” the things that must shortly come.” Look at John, 14:24, “He that loveth me not, keepeth not my “sayings”: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me”. Again, look at Mat.24:35, Mark 13:31, and Luke 21:33. These verses say exactly the same thing, in the KJV, to a letter…
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away”.
In closing, Christians, keep talking, and sooner or later even the atheist will see what we see. This is prophecy…
“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” 1 Timothy -4:16, KJV
– Peace.
For more, including links to this interview or Dr Tabor’s new book visit him
@ http://jamestabor.com/
The interview was from Spiritual Babies. Their link to You-tube can be found if you click on the You-tube icon in the lower right hand corner of the video screen. Their site is located @ http://spiritualbabies.net/
“You will always, without fail, reap what you sew, more than you sew, and later than you sew” -Dr.Charles Stanley
Let’s face it. If it were common, it would seem a lot more people would have it.
There are bezillions of misconceptions in the Scriptures. They all came about from one source. Jesus employed a curse in Revelations, saying cursed would be the man that added words to the Scriptures. How do they get added? Who adds them? It may surprise you to learn that man’s mind is on auto-add. Because of this we have different denominations, interpretations, and your run-of-the-mill everyday arguments. There are a few reasons your faith doesn’t ‘work’. These are the same reasons the Church doesn’t ‘work’. Same for ineffective prayer. One reason is discord. The other is the curse Jesus implemented for adding words. All this comes from “how” you hear (or read). When you hear, or read, your mind “automatically” “adds to” what you hear. This installment will be a sort of look down the road for this series.
Mark 4:24, “Take heed what ye hear: with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you: and to you that hear shall more be given.”
Luke 8:18, “Take heed therefor how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.”
Mat 16:6 ” Jesus said, ‘take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”
These can all be looked at as curses. They are. They are also safeguards. “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump”.
Jesus, and or belief in a God or anything supernatural seems to be contrary to science. It is not, and actually goes along with it perfectly. In quantum physics, and other sciences, we study magnets, and shapes that create unique energies, (crystals as unique as fingerprints, and are used for the frequency that goes ‘to-and-from’ your cellphone). Your own DNA is a blueprint for your unique shape. This shape creates an energy that identifies itself by your name. We already know shapes create energy. This is old science. I want to talk about some things, and at the same time give you and example of the way we hear. We talked about language, mental telepathy, the tower of Babel, and about the Church being of one accord.
Language is such now as to cause your mind to “add to” almost everything you hear.
The reason is that we are separated, and not of one accord. The Scriptures tell us that at Pentecost they “were all of one mind, and of one ‘accord‘”. These cords are not some magic mumbo jumbo that only the chosen few can attain to. It is a frequency matter. These frequencies are literal highways in the physical world, but can very well be seen as magic. In fact, when radio communication came about, many of the older folk thought it was magic.
We talked about how point of view when reading can, and does vary. If we read, “for all have sinned” from one perspective it means all. In another perspective, if I walk up to you, put my arm around you and point at a specific group; then say the exact same words, then it does not mean everyone, but only the group. This is where the “problem” comes in. The exact same words are used, and two completely different meanings are deduced. This “curse” was put here for a reason; so we couldn’t get it wrong. My aim is to bring Jesus into your “reality”. He is a living, breathing, alive now person that I have personally met….in the spirit, and more importantly, in the flesh. He is not Santa Clause.
To give you an example of how to take heed, I’ll give you a truth. In Genesis 3:21, man knew he was naked, so God ‘brought‘ man coats of skin. I highlighted ‘brought‘ because this is a common misconception. The mind ‘adds’ this….
“and he killed some animals, and clothed them with the skins of animals“
This may seem like not such a big deal. However, as stated above, a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. This “not-so-big-a-deal” will cause you to see things a certain way. In turn, you will “be” a certain way. For example, if you want to see the skin God clothed Adam with, just pinch your forearm, pull the “skin” up and watch it fall back into place. That is the “skin” we were clothed with, and still is.
You could even call it a spirit prison, but then that would be another “add-on”.
There are many misconceptions, right? Would you believe all of your beliefs are a misconception, if any of them are? If we are to believe Jesus teaching, then a little makes all. There is no “almost there”. I am (for lack of a better word) weird. Different people pray for different things. Once I knew God, instead of just hoped He was there, I asked Him, “How did you do all this?” I meant “all” this; life and everything that goes with it. He said something remarkable. He said that if you want to create life, the very first thing you have to have is a story. Imagine that. I have a blog on my website about that called “Why Us?” Think about it. Why did He create us? The fact that He did with free will seems to go against the very concept of “God”. I find it helps to put yourself in God’s place sometimes, and ask yourself, “Why this or that?” This is how Jesus answered most of my questions. He would say, “How would you feel about this if you were me?”
The first time He said that I was actually playing the part of Jesus in the Church Christmas play. The Church wanted to depict the scene where everyone threw their crowns at Jesus feet, and “fell down and worshiped” Him. When the other Church people in the play started crawling around my feet, and bowing up and down, I felt really uncomfortable about that. That’s the first time Jesus spoke to me “not in a body”. He said,
“If you were me, would you want a bunch of people crawling around on the floor at your feet?“
My answer (in my mind. I didn’t say this) was a great big hell no. He doesn’t want that either. (see “Why Us?”) The whole thing is much more simple than people realize. I asked an earlier post what you thought God wants. What’s Jesus want? Everyone tells Him what they want, but few want to know what He wants. Here’s a clue. John 15:15,
“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what the lord doeth; but I have called you friends.”
Note that He is trying to get off the high horse people put him on. It is the whole point of the Gospel that He comes as a man, and not “aGod“. He also tried to explain this to Peter when He washed Peter’s feet. Here is the biggest reason Jesus is not recognized. They look for a flying superhuman wizkid with lightning for shoes, and not a simple man. Don’t get me wrong. This simple man holds the keys to death and hell. However,
He is still the same simple man that was crucified, and God did raise Him up.
He’s still Himself; a simple man. I hope to explain (with and without science) how He can and will be seen by everyone. Note that the misconception is that He will be seen by everyone “at the same time“. “At the same time” is an “add on from the mind” as well, and you won’t find it written there.
This is a glimpse down the road for this series. I want to show how quantum physics is used, and what makes eternal life work. In other words, how this all works. There are “how” people, and there are “why” people. I was always a how person. To me the why is simple. Why not? We are here taking up space, and wasting time anyway, so why not find out how?
Also, if you’re wanting to find out things, why not find the One that knows the most about it? The answers are so simple they are beyond advanced math, even though math is used. Look at the Old Testament. God is a stickler for measurement, and everything is by precise measure. The temple Solomon built is a good example. Later on we will look at that, and see what it was supposed to do, and what it “ended up being” because of the same curse.
It is no coincidence the pyramids and temples were lined up with true magnetic north, nor that they were “charged” by lunar cycles.
I want to get you to “take heed” of some things. You have to look at the whole picture. An Indian once told me I had to “stop the world” before I could see what he sees. I stop Bible verses the same way. Jesus said “Behold, I stand at the door and knock” STOP! Why go anywhere else? If this verse is true, then it seems to be a dandy place to start a search! The whole “denounce the worldly ways” thing in the Bible is about this. Do you realize how many ways we can use the word “world” for different things? Another way to think about it is the reason you are reading this now. You know that there is more to the world than what’s on the surface. That’s why we search for “truth”.
Related verses;
Acts 20:28, One of my favorite verses, should be read here. I would post it, but why deny you the chance to get your Bible out? Hebrews 3:12 is very similar. It’s about keeping it on the real side of things. 1 Cor 3:10, 1 Tim 4:16, Luke 11:35John 16:15
