God’s appointment for the believer, part 2; John 15:16.

Title: God’s appointment for the believer, part 2; John 15:16.

 

Prep school meeting after church on Sunday.

 

The purpose of this doctrine is to relate the believer permanently to the plan of God through positional truth, EPH 1:5. Only the believer has a destiny.

 

That destiny is a spiritual one where election is realized by a prosperous and blessed soul in which heart is filled with divine wisdom about everything.

 

Some have come to believe in a word called fate. This is the belief that many of us are predisposed to some destiny or future. It may be based on our genetics or our environment or in the stars or in all three.

 

5000 years ago the Chaldeans of the Babylonian empire observed the influence of the sun upon the Earth and the moon upon the seas. They concluded that the planets were gods and, therefore, certain conjunctions of their movements would have an effect upon wars, governments, and the destinies of men.

 

This practice was strictly forbidden by God when Israel moved into the promised land in Deut 18. And in fact, such a practice is forbidden for the CA believer as well.

 

 

Matt 6:34

"Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.

 

In an age of uncertainty, people look for something which brings structure to their lives. Political, economic, and social turmoil creates fear and uncertainty which some feel could be assuaged by knowing the future. Tarot cards, psychics, etc. all are used by Satan to try and prevent mankind from trusting in God's control of the future.

 

The irony of attempting to change your fate is found in Greek tragedy in Oedipus Rex as well as in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. No matter what Oedipus or Macbeth did their fate was realized.  

 

Interestingly enough, Greek drama always had a chorus and that chorus had to be supplied the funds needed to keep them going. The Greek name for the supplier was epichoregeo which is used in 1Peter 1:5 for God as the supplier of virtue.

 

In Greek tragedy as well as in further literature and philosophy the idea of a fate that is beyond one’s control has been very prevalent.

There is quite a bit of geneticbehavioural scientific work being done to show a genetic link to good and evil. Just the work itself with all its fuzzy conclusions is enough to give certain people in the human race the self-gratifying cop-out, “I was born this way.” As will all fallen creatures it is difficult to take responsibility for their own actions.

 

However, when the Bible calls the sin nature the flesh, the old man, and the body of this death, it seems clear that the sin nature is within our cell structure and so we are definitely born with trends.

 

However, the moment a person believes in Christ as Savior, what happens to that sin nature and its trends?

 

ROM 6:6

knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin [OSN];

 

The believer hasn’t been genetically altered, but his sin nature has been crucified and he is a new creature in Christ and that is a drastic change. Though the trends of the sin nature will continue to nag you, a greater power has now been given. Doctrine is the instruction manual to that power.

 

So it is one thing to say that I was born this way and quite another to say there is nothing that I can do about it. The first step is for the unbeliever to become a believer.

 

At salvation, all genetic, environmental, and volitional handicaps have been eliminated.

 

Only the believer is foreordained under the provision of the divine decree of election and predestination.

 

1 Peter 1:1-2

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge [prognosis - predetermined purpose] of God the Father

 

Turn to:

EPH 1:5

In love, He predestined [proorizo - predesigned] us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

 

EPH 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

 

EPH 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace,

 

EPH 1:8 which He lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight

 

EPH 1:9

He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed [protithemi - predetermined] in Him

 

EPH 1:10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth. In Him

 

EPH 1:11

also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined [proorizo - predesigned] according to His purpose [prosthesis - predetermined plan] who works all things after the counsel of His will,

 

John 15:16 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you.

 

 “appointed” - aorist active indicative of ti,qhmi(teeth-ay-mee)[tithemi] = to lay down, to put, to place, to set, to lay out. God has laid out for you a plan or an appointed way, your introduction to predestination.

 

This appointment concerns the place where God set you in the body of Christ at the moment of salvation.

 

1 Cor 12:18 But now God has placed [tithemi] the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.

 

An appointment in the body of Christ demands a supernatural spiritual gift that is to be exercised for the common good of the body.

 

1 Cor 12:28 And God has appointed [tithemi] in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.

 

1 Cor 12:29 All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they?

 

1 Cor 12:30 All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?

 

In other words, don’t envy a spiritual gift, don’t despise a spiritual gift, but accept your spiritual gift as one that was appointed graciously for you and is perfect for you.

 

1 Cor 12:31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts [faith, hope, and love].

 

Verse 31 shows that your appointment is not an end all be all arrangement. It is a beginning. It begins with your place in the body, what spiritual gift you were graciously given, what PT you were called to, your geographical location, your surrounding people and influence, etc.

 

The believer possesses his spiritual gift forever, however, it will not function without divine virtue. That’s why verse 31 is written.

 

The Corinthian’s were enamored with the gift of tongues thinking that it was a superior gift. Certainly it was a spectacular gift, and one that drew attention, but the purpose of a spiritual gift is not to draw attention, but to serve the body of Christ for its good.

 

The normal function of the spiritual gift begins at spiritual adulthood, so we are not commanded to desire a gift; rather, we are to desire doctrine, confidence of the future, and agape love.

 

What God has predesigned for you had begun at salvation and although your position in the body of Christ is quite wonderful, you are entreated to press on from there to develop the virtues of faith, hope and love through your daily intake of BD under the FHS.

 

1 Cor 12:31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts.

And I show you a still more excellent way.

 

The following verses show that if I can speak in tongues, have the gift of prophecy, wisdom, knowledge, faith, giving, or even martyrdom, but I don’t have agape love then I am nothing.

A part from the gift of giving all of the spiritual gifts mentioned here are temporary gifts given by God before the canon of scripture was complete.

 

1 Cor 13:9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;

 

1 Cor 13:10 but when the perfect comes, the partial [the gift of knowledge, prophecy, and by inference all other temporary gifts] will be done away.

 

 “the perfect” - to, te,leioj[to teleios; adjective, singular neuter] = the complete, the finished, the perfect. This refers to the completed canon of Scripture.

 

The neuter tells us that this cannot be a person, this is not TLJC, but a thing or object. Verse 9 reveals the partial canon and hence the need for certain gifts to fill in the gaps. Verse 10 looks forward to the completed canon when the temporary spiritual gifts, referenced by Paul to be childish, will be done away with.

 

This becomes an extremely important verse pertaining to temporary spiritual gifts and the completed canon of Scripture.

 

In 45 AD the first book of the canon was written:

 

James 1:25

But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.

 

Verse 11 is an illustration. A child is given temporary things to learn from, which things become a representation of temporary spiritual gifts.

 

1 Cor 13:11 When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.

 

The believer or unbeliever who is pretending to have the gift of tongues, prophecy, knowledge, healings, miracles, etc. are still coloring their coloring books and identifying animals and shapes and then presenting them to God or others as a great achievement.

 

Verse 12 is a further illustration similar to the one given in verse 11. As the incomplete canon limited knowledge so does time compared to eternity. Verse 12 is the difference between learning the completed canon in time compared to what you will know in eternity.  

 

1 Cor 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known.

 

Corinth at the time made the best mirrors in the world, but they were still terrible compared to today’s mirrors. They were constructed out of polished metal, so no matter how well they were polished the reflected image was still obscure, therefore this becomes a perfect illustration for the difference between time and eternity.

 

1 Cor 13:13 But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.