Thinking with grace rather than justice, part 13; John 15:18.

Title: Thinking with grace rather than justice, part 13; John 15:18.

 

Just as the Law increased sin so does legalism. Heavy handed rules only promote rebellion, Rom 7, while grace promotes true obedience.

 

John 15:18 "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.

 

John 15:19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

 

John 15:20 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

 

Rebellion against grace is rebellion against Christ and rebellion against Christ is rebellion against the positive believer, which equals persecution.

 

I want to stress that there is no way that any positive believer can think, say, or do anything that will stop the persecution, the unfairness, the adversity, the problems, or the pressure.

DAN 9:24 "Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place.

 

DAN 9:25 "So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.

 

DAN 9:26 "Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince [anti-Christ] who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined [decreed].

 

1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not be surprised [literally: stop being shocked - meaning that Peter’s audience keeps on being shocked] at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing [peirasmos], as though some strange thing were happening to you;

 

 “strange” - unexpected; not divine discipline since one expects that. “happening” - to walk with your feet close together; meaning instability.

 

 

1 Peter 4:13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing [in contrast to being shocked]; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation [excitement at the JSOC and not embarrassment as well as excitement in time in anticipation of that event].

 

1 Peter 4:14 If you are reviled [censored, insulted, shamed or disgraced] for the name of Christ, you are blessed [happiness to you], because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

 

“If you are reviled” is a first class condition, meaning that you will be.

 

We have a really misleading translation at the end of vs. 14.

 

 “rests” - n`apau,w[anapauo] = to refresh, to give ease, to recover and collect one’s strength.

 

Epi with the accusative pronoun means that the refreshment is above you, i.e. from above or from the source of the Spirit and the doctrine.

 

People have taken this phrase “the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” has come to mean some sort of second blessing or anointing by the HS, which is not in view here at all. The Spirit of God is in you, not on you. Ignorance of doctrine makes for all the falsehoods, legalism, immoral degeneracy, and emotionalism in the professing Church.

 

1 Pe 4:14 If you are censored, reviled, insulted, shamed, or disgraced for the person of Christ, happiness to you, for the glory of the God even the Spirit refreshes you from above. (corrected translation)

 

1 Peter 4:15 By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer [ignoring the life of others], or thief [ignoring the property of others], or evildoer [ignoring the rights of others], or a troublesome meddler [ignoring the privacy of others];

 

A believer should honor the lives, property, rights, and privacy of all men, but it is not this that makes him spiritual. (Divine establishment)

 

However, we live in a world where ourselves or people we love may be hurt or even murdered by another, be stolen from, have their rights violated, and have their privacy intruded upon. This is going to happen and there is nothing we can do to stop it.

 

For the Church at large to attempt to try and clean up the world so that these things don’t happen is a church that is trying to end all suffering in this world while they completely ignore the fact that we have been called to it!!!

 

Phil 1:29

For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake

 

The world has become full of babies who want no adversity and certain people have taken advantage of that and promised them a world with no suffering, when in fact all these people wanted to do was to get rich since no sane person would promise such a thing, so they get elected to power and then when they can’t deliver on the no adversity promise the babies all whine and throw tantrums.

 

Progressivism while using the tool of science is trying to legislate God right out of history. Will it work? Ask Israel.

 

Here is a sample of what they’re trying to do: Sean Carroll from the California Institute of Technology:

 

Some versions of quantum gravity theory, including string theory, predict that our life-giving universe is but one of an infinite number of universes that altogether make up the multiverse. Among these infinite universes, the full range of values of all the physical constants are represented, and only some of the universes have values for the constants that enable the formation of stars, planets and life as we know it. We find ourselves in one of the lucky universes (because where else?).

 

Some theologians counter that it is far simpler to invoke God than to postulate the existence of infinitely many universes in order to explain our universe’s life-giving perfection. To them, Carroll retorts that the multiverse wasn’t postulated as a complicated way to explain fine-tuning. On the contrary, it follows as a natural consequence of our best, most elegant theories.

 

Once again, if or when these theories prove correct, “a multiverse happens, whether you like it or not,” he wrote. And there goes God’s hand in things. [end quote]

 

Does it dawn on a big juicy brain like his, trained in prestigious universities for hundreds of thousands of dollars that he has no proof, no tangible evidence, and no hope except a theory and so to believe in this is to have faith?

 

I would ask, do you have a man who came to earth, performed miracles, prophesied, was prophesized of, died and was raised and before he disappeared into the clouds in the sight of two eye witnesses, he said string theory is right!

 

1 Peter 4:16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian [rare use of this word this early in the Church-age], let him not feel ashamed [emotional shame, guilt, disgrace, feeling of penance], but in that name let him glorify God.

 

We’re not going to be perfect in testing and persecution, so when we fail we must rebound and not get ashamed or guilty, which is just emotion.

 

“in that name [Christ or God] let him glorify God,” using doctrine and the Spirit to find refreshment in the midst of adversity brings glory to God and is rewarded at the JSOC.