The doctrine of glorifying God, Part 21, John 15:8Title: The doctrine of glorifying God, Part 21, John 15:8.
Point 4: Becoming an expert witness for the prosecution in the Angelic Conflict glorifies God.
a. Summary of the Angelic Conflict. 1. Angels are divided into fallen and elect. Satan is the head of the fallen angels and all were sentenced to the Lake of Fire, Mat 25:41.
2. The sentence was appealed by Satan asking, “How can a loving God throw His creatures into the Lake of Fire,” therefore accusing God of being unjust and unrighteous.
We know this since Satan and the fallen angels were sentenced, but the execution of that sentence doesn’t occur until the end of human history, therefore, what is occurring in human history is the appeal trial of the Angelic Conflict.
3. Mankind was created with a free will with the choices of God’s plankingdom and Satan’s plankingdom before him so that he may resolve this conflict over God’s fairness and matchless grace.
It’s not a majority vote or an electorate college. All that is needed are two witnesses.
4. Jesus Christ became a man and through His cross He revealed the righteousness and justice of God and became the strategic victor in the conflict.
5. Any believer who chooses Christ and grows to spiritual maturity and can therefore receive God’s highest and best becomes a tactical victor and the second witness needed for resolution of the question of God’s character.
Why not end the conflict after the second witness? God’s plan, in spite of evil and sin, is to bring many sons to glory.
God’s not only interested in victory. To Him victory is assured against all enemies. God is interested in a victory that overruns to all believers in an unfathomable and supernatural way.
Heb 2:8 For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.
Heb 2:9 But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God [ablative of source – “from God”] He might taste death for everyone [on behalf of every man = unlimited atonement].
The humanity of Christ goes from being lower than the angels in the first advent to higher than the angels after His victory on the cross. So verse 9 is his victory in the angelic conflict and since there is no article in front of “grace” the Greek emphasizes grace as the policy in God’s plan.
In verse 10 we have our victory through Him.
Heb 2:10 For it was fitting for Him [this is an idiom which states that God was and is always qualified and capable for handling His plan. His plan seems complex and difficult to us but it is easy for Him], for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect [complete, cross the finish line, to carry through to completion] the author [captain or crowned prince] of their salvation through sufferings.
“perfect” – to complete, to cross the finish line, or to carry to completion. “author” – captain or Prince Ruler.
There are wonderful contrasts here.
God is qualified – mankind is not Our glory – Christ’s sufferings God brings – believers cross the finish line Many sons – the Prince leader of their salvation That is grace!
The Lord said of the first Adam that it was not good for man to be alone and God gave him a suitable help-mate. The last Adam, Jesus Christ, was completely alone on the cross and God the Father came to the same conclusion. The mate for the last Adam is the royal family of God, His bride, His body, and His priests.
When man fell satan gained control or rulership of the world, but at the cross Christ dethroned satan and gained rulership of the world, which He now possesses, however, He will not take the world until all His citizens are lined up and ready, which will not occur until the end of the Tribulation.
Heb 2:11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,
Heb 2:12 saying [Psa 22:22], "I will proclaim Thy name to My brethren , In the midst of the congregation I will sing Thy praise. "
Psalm 22 begins with (Ps 22:1) My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.
And all the way to verse 18, “for My clothing they cast lots,” is a description of the cross from the Lord’s perspective. From verses 19-21 there is a change in perspective since there is victory. And then in verse 22 we have the picture of the victorious Lord, the first witness, proclaiming that victory to His bretheren, which we now know to be the RFOG.
The significance of this quote is amazing.
The victory proclaimed is the result of the plan to which He submitted Himself in His humanity. It is the plan and His submission to it that gave the victory.
Heb 2:13 And again [Isa 8:17-18], "I will put My trust in Him. " And again, "Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me. "
Both the Lord and His bride trust in the plan of the Father. So we have here the victory of the AC from the divine side [God is worthy to be trusted] and the humanity side [the Lord’s humanity and the RF trust in the Father].
When you trust you are relying on the merits of God’s gifts and God’s power towards you. The reason you trust is because you recognize that you cannot accomplish the victory from the source of your own humanity. God is qualified while mankind is not. God is fitting while mankind is powerless. Therefore, our sharing in the victory of our Lord can only come by means of grace.
Rom 11:6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.
“It” in this verse refers to all forms of deliverance. It includes salvation as well as deliverance from all the problems and trials of life in adversity as well as prosperity.
Heb 2:14 Since then the children share in flesh and blood [blood and flesh], He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil;
“share” – perfect active indicative of koinoneo [koinoneo] = to be in a permanent [perfect tense] partnership. The children have always been blood and flesh with an OSN.
But what about the Prince Leader? It says that He Himself likewise also partook of the same, but from the original language we see that it is not exactly the same. One word reveals in spectacular form that Jesus Christ is our one and only Celebrity and the only one worthy. So take the pressure off yourself. Stop trying to become the celebrity in your own life or in someone else’s for the one true Celebrity has already come and already accomplished the victory.
“partook” – aorist active indicative of metecho [metecho] = to share in the sense of taking hold or to become a partaker. While Jesus Christ became blood and flesh He did not possess an OSN.
Why does God the HS use a different word for Christ’s partnering with us than what we share with one another? The aorist tense points to the moment of the virgin birth. Through the virgin birth Christ was born impeccable, without a sin nature and so He had no home or target for Adam’s original sin. He remained impeccable up to the cross through the power of doctrine and the Spirit and through that cross He rendered powerless the devil who had gained power over death. Therefore, our Prince Ruler is the One and only Celebrity of the universe. |