MAX KLEIN BIBLE MINISTRIES
The Seven Baptisms
Written by: Max Klein
Baptism means identification or association:
Introduction:
1. This meaning began in Homer's time. Homer wrote of the one-eyed giant, Cyclops who had trapped Ulysses and his men in a cave and was eating them one at a time. The ingenious Ulysses devised a plan. He had his men sharpen a large log and together they rammed this log into the eye of the one-eyed Cyclops rendering him blind. They identified (baptized) the sharpened log with Cyclops’ eye which changed Cyclops from a seeing giant to a blind giant. Having blinded the Cyclops, they were able to maneuver their way out of the cave. Another example by Homer: Homer's Odyssey, book 9, used baptism for hot metal identified (baptized) with water when a smith dipped a piece of hot iron into water. This is how a blacksmith would temper swords in the ancient world. After this identification, the sword was made stronger and so less likely to bend.
2. Xenophon said that the Spartan military recruits after finishing infantry training would identify (baptize) their spears with pig’s blood. They would run by a barrel of pig’s blood and thrust their spears into this blood. This ritual, identified their spears with killing and the soldier’s readiness for combat with the enemy.
3. Euripides used the word for a ship identified with the bottom of the sea when it sank. Before sinking, the ship was valuable; after sinking it had no value at all.
4. So "baptize" in the classical Greek meant to identify one thing with another so that the characteristics of the original thing were altered. Therefore, the interpretation of the word "baptism" is identification with something that brings about a change.
5. There are a number of cognates related to this Greek word such as bapto, baptizo, baptisma, baptismos, baptistes, and embapto. A few examples follow:
6. John 13:26, “Jesus then answered, ‘That is the one for whom, I shall dip [the future of the Greek word bapto] the morsel and give it to him. So, when he had dipped [the aorist participle of bapto; the sop now takes on a new meaning that of honor] the sop [the morsel], He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.”
To give someone a sop [a special bit of food usually a piece of bread or meat with a tasty sauce] was the highest honor of a banquet. At a banquet a special piece of bread or meat was prepared along with a special sauce for the guest of honor who would then honor someone by giving it to that person. Jesus as the guest of honor took this sop and dipped it into a special sauce and gave it to Judas. In this way, the Lord Jesus Christ honored Judas as a member of the family of God, and for his ministry as an apostle to the Lost Sheep of Israel. This honor should have given Judas second thoughts regarding his plan to betray Jesus to the Sanhedrin.
7. Matthew 3:7, “but when he [John the Baptizer] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism [identification: the Greek word baptisma], he said to them, “You brood of vipers [poisonous snakes], who warned you to flee from the wrath to come [Baptism of Fire: identification with the fire of Torments and then the Lake of Fire]?”
8. Hebrews 6:1-2, “Therefore, leaving behind the elementary teaching about Christ, let us advance to maturity, not laying again the foundation [of the basics such as]: a change of thinking about dead works [just as an unbeliever must have a change of mind about Christ to obtain salvation, so the believer must have a change of mind about legalism (dead works) in order to obtain the spiritual life], and of faith toward God [Faith-Rest Drill], (2) doctrine of baptisms [the Greek word baptismos; a reference to the seven types of baptism as found in Scripture] as well as the laying on of hands [ritual rebound in the age of Israel], and of resurrection from the dead, and of eternal judgment [the Great White Throne Judgment].
9. Matthew 3:1, “In those days John the Baptizer [the Greek word baptistes; when John baptized someone into the Jordan River, the converts were identified with the plan of God and his kingdom.] came proclaiming [as a herald] in the desert of Judea.”
There are two categories of identification in Scripture namely an actual identification or a real baptism and a representative identification or a ritual baptism which uses water.
The four real or actual identifications with something that has significance.
1. The Baptism of Moses: 1 Corinthians 10:1-2 presents the baptism of Moses, "For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; (2) and all were baptized [the Greek word baptizo] into Moses in the cloud [the Lord] and in the sea." This was a real identification in which Moses was identified with the Lord and the open path through the Red Sea and the Jews were identified with Moses. By the way, none of the Jews got wet, only Egyptian unbelievers who were immersed in the water as a means of death.
2. The Baptism of the Cross is found in Matthew 20:22, “But Jesus answered [Salome by addressing her sons] and said, “You [plural: a reference to James and John] do not know what you [James and John] ask. Are you [James and John] able to drink of the cup [bear the punishment of all the sins of the world] that I am about to drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism [the sins of the world identified with Christ followed by the Father judging them] that I am baptized with [identified with]?” They [James and John] said to Him, “We are able. [the dumbest statement that James and John ever made]” [I selected the longer text as did Jerome.]
3. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Retroactive Positional Truth and Current Positional Truth) occurs at salvation for Church Age believers only.
Colossians 2:12. Having been buried [aorist participle] with Him [Jesus Christ] by means of the baptism [God the Holy Spirit identified us with the burial of Jesus Christ as part of our salvation] by means of which [Baptism] you have been raised up [main verb] with Him [in union with Jesus Christ seated at the right hand of the Father] through faith [at the point of salvation] in the operational power from the source of God who has raised Him [the humanity of Christ was given a resurrection body] out from the dead [physical death].
Romans 6:3-9:
Romans 6:3: Or do you not know that all of us who [a correlative] have been baptized into [identified with] Christ Jesus [Current Positional Sanctification: we are in union with Christ in his life in heaven], have been baptized into His death [Retroactive Positional Truth and so identified with his substitutionary spiritual death on the cross]?
Positionally, (in union with Christ) we share His righteousness, heirship, priesthood, destiny, election, eternal life, royalty, sonship etc. All these making us a new spiritual species in Christ Jesus. The plural correlative hosoi (ὅσοι) means that if we were identified with Christ in heaven and we were, then also we have been identified with Christ in his substitutionary spiritual death in which he removed the power of sin nature. Thus, the sin nature should not have power over our lives.
A few more points will be noted:
1. Note that the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation enters the believer into union with Christ at the right hand of God the Father which union is called current positional truth.
2. This verse also mentions identification with Christ in His spiritual death on the cross which identification theologians call retroactive positional truth. Retroactive positional truth also includes identification with Christ in His physical death and burial as well.
3. Identification with Christ in His death, then, has a two-fold connotation namely all personal sins were judged at the cross and since that is the case, God the Father is free to provide in grace, the Recovery Procedure. The second connotation is that good and evil were rejected by Jesus on the cross since good and evil are a part of Satan’s policy and plan. On the cross, Jesus relied on the proto-type spiritual life which operated under the two power options namely God’s power system.
4. So, the old sin nature’s ruling power over the Christian has been broken since all sins were judged on the cross and the Recovery Procedure has been provided. So, Retroactive Positional Truth has destroyed the sovereignty of the old sin nature over the life of the Christian.
5. Also, since Jesus rejected the good and evil policy of Satan so should the believer reject Satan’s policy of good and evil as the believer applies Retroactive Positional Truth.
Romans 6:4: Therefore, we have been buried together with Him through the identification [Baptism of the Spirit] into His death [physical], in order that just as Christ has been raised up from the dead [on Resurrection Sunday], through the glory of the Father [through the Father’s power], [So also we, the dead in Christ, will be raised from the dead by the power of the Father, and those alive at the Rapture, by the power of the Holy Spirit.] in this manner we also might walk in newness of life [Experiential sanctification should reflect our future ultimate sanctification.].
Christ had to die physically “and Jesus having shouted clearly with a loud voice said, Father, into your hands I deposit my [human] spirit, and having said this, he exhaled” (Luke 23:46). This last exhale caused His soul and spirit to depart from his mortal body resulting in physical death. Just as Christ had to die physically in order to obtain his resurrection body, so we must depart from our body of corruption, or mortality in order to receive our eternal body called our resurrection body.
The Newness of Life:
1. The newness of life provided through the baptism of the Spirit includes positional freedom from producing good and evil. Not only are we free from the tyranny of good and evil but we are also free from having to produce good and evil.
2. The believer has no obligation to improve the devil’s world through social action, socialism, welfare state, communism, environmentalism, or any social gospel, social action, getting involved, etc.
3. The human race is protected from Satan’s policy of good and evil through the laws of divine establishment which promote freedom instead of improvement at the cost of freedom.
4. In addition to the Laws of Divine Establishment the believer is insulated from good and evil positionally through the baptism of the Spirit.
5. Divorced from the Old Sin Nature positionally and its useless activity of human good and the function of evil, the life of the believer can be devoted to glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ through maximum knowledge and application of Bible doctrine.
Romans 6:5: For if we have become united with Him [Christ, the new husband] in the likeness of His death [the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross], and we have, and not only this, but also, we shall be [united in the likeness] of His resurrection [Current Positional Truth: in union with the resurrected Christ].
Romans 6:6: Be knowing this [through Retroactive Positional Truth], that our old man [our former husband, the sin nature dates back to the Garden] has been crucified together [with Him], in order that the [human] body, with reference to its sin nature, [the sin nature located in the body] might be rendered powerless [when we use Recovery Procedure and the two power options], that we should no longer be slaves to the sin nature.
“Our old man has been crucified with Him” meaning that the power of the sin nature has been broken on the cross. Since the power of the sin nature was broken by the work of the cross, we as believers have no excuse for not executing the spiritual life. We will not be able to say to Christ at our evaluation that our sin nature was too powerful for us to execute the spiritual life.
A few points for further clarification:
1. Retroactive positional truth is that phase of the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation which identifies the believer with Christ in His spiritual death, physical death and his burial.
2. In the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross all the personal sins in human history were imputed to Christ, but at the same time the other two trends of the old sin nature were not imputed for judgment.
3. Good and evil is the policy of Satan as the ruler of this world and the function of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life. In fact, the sin nature functions as the agent of Satan.
4. Good and evil were not imputed for judgment on the cross. Hence, in the spiritual death of Christ on the cross they were rejected to remain an issue in the angelic conflict, rejected to be perpetuated in human history as an issue every believer must face, and either overcome through the intake of doctrine or be entrapped by ignorance of doctrine and therefore lose out in glorifying God in time.
5. We are identified with Christ in His spiritual death, which means that we must understand that our sins have been judged and that good and evil has been rejected.
6. It all adds up to the fact that the sovereignty of the old sin nature over human life has been made powerless through retroactive positional truth.
7. The imputation of all personal sins of the human race to Christ on the cross means that the believer through the rebound technique is instantly forgiven sins, cleansed from all wrong doing which includes Satanic good and evil, restored to fellowship and filled with the Spirit.
Romans 6:7: For we who have died [the Christian is identified with the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ: theologically called Retroactive Positional Truth] have been acquitted [positional deliverance] from [the power of] the sin nature.
A few points for further clarification:
1. A dead person is discharged from the obligations of his former sphere of life. This is why the word “death” is used in this context. It is not a literal, physical death we are discussing but identification with Christ in His death.
2. As unbelievers we were under the authority of Satan as the ruler of this world, and under the authority of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life.
3. Both the power of Satan and the old sin nature have been abrogated through the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation.
4. This passage, then, emphasizes the annulling of the power and the authority of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life.
5. Positionally, the power of the sin nature has been broken. Experientially, the old sin nature controls to the extent that we fail to understand and utilize the provision and support of logistical grace.
Romans 6:8: Now if we have died with Christ, and we have [retroactive positional truth], we also believe that we shall live in association with Him [the instrumental of association; a reference to Current Positional Truth].
In this verse, the 1st Class conditional sentence shows the relationship between Retroactive Positional Truth with Current Positional Truth. The protasis, the ‘if’ clause states the reality of Retroactive Positional Truth and the apodosis, the concluding clause states the doctrinal inference and the reality of Current Positional Truth. While Retroactive Positional Truth presents positional rejection and separation from good and evil as the policy of Satan and the function of the old sin nature, Current Positional Truth relates the believer to the function of the royal family of God. In other words, they have separate functions.
Romans 6:9: Knowing that because Christ has been raised from the dead [He received a resurrection body], no longer can He die; [physical] death is no longer a master over Him.
Analysis:
1. Retroactive positional truth destroys the sovereign authority of the old sin nature over human life. Current positional truth, on the other hand, destroys the limited authority of physical death in human life.
2. Instead of being ruled by the old sin nature located in the cells of the human body and influencing our souls toward sin, good and evil, we now have a new sovereign, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are identified with Him in His deaths, in His burial, resurrection, ascension and session.
3. Before salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit our lives were under the absolute rule of Satan who is the ruler of this world and under the rule of the old sin nature which is the ruler of life, and under the limited rule of physical death. All of that, of course, has been changed since salvation.
4. Now both retroactive and current positional truth have abrogated the authority and power of these former rulers. The power of Satan over our lives has been broken through identification with the rejection of good and evil namely Satan’s policy and plan and through our position in union with Christ. The power of the old sin nature is broken through retroactive positional truth and the power of physical death is broken through current positional truth.
5. Therefore, having studied these things by principle and by implication we are now ready for application, verses 12 & 13 specifically.
6. Having been positionally liberated from the sovereignty of the old sin nature as an absolute ruler, and the authority of physical death, we must recognise and apply doctrine for the experiential victory commanded in verses 11-13.
Galatians 3:25-28, “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under the authority of [have need of] a school bus. (26) For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (27) For all of you who were baptized into Christ [identified with Christ through union with Him] have clothed yourselves with Christ. (28) There is neither Jew nor Greek [no racial distinction], there is neither slave nor free man [no social or economic distinction], there is neither male nor female [no gender distinction]; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [All Christians have the same privileges and opportunities to execute the spiritual life.]”
Current Positional Truth, Elaborated:
In the Church Age, Current Positional Truth establishes our relationship with Christ as opposed to religion. It refers to the Church Age believer in union with Christ and is the key to understanding the Church Age and how the royal family came into being. Therefore, it is the basis for distinguishing between Christianity and religion. Christianity is a relationship with God without merit whereas religion is a system of works to gain the approbation of God. Never shall the twain meet!
The mechanics of Current Positional Truth is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, whereby the Spirit enters us into union with Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:13, “For also by agency of the one Spirit we are all baptized [identification resulting in becoming a new spiritual species] into one body [in union with Christ], whether Jews or Greeks [racial distinctions are removed], whether slave or free [class and economic distinctions are removed], even all were made to drink [the aorist passive, the voice of grace] the one Spirit [The Holy Spirit did not ask us whether we wanted to be put into union with Christ or not.].” Ephesians 4:5, “One Lord [becomes our Lord positionally at Salvation]), one faith [faith alone in Christ alone; Acts 16:31], one baptism [Baptism of the Holy Spirit takes place at salvation].”
Current Positional truth guarantees that there will be no judgment for believers in eternity, Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Thus, the condemnation which occurred at the first birth was removed at the 2nd birth. As a result of being born with the sin nature and the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin, we were condemned to the Lake of Fire for all eternity, but now that has been removed. Romans 5:12, “For this reason just as through one man [Adam] the sin [nature] entered into the world [procreation], and so spiritual death through the sin [the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin to the sin nature], and so spiritual death spread to all mankind, because all sinned when Adam sinned [since we were all genetically in Adam when he sinned, we will receive Adam’s Original Sin].” However, at our spiritual birth, the 2nd birth, our pre-salvation sins were all forgiven including Adam’s Original Sin. After which, the Spirit entered us into union with Christ where there is now no condemnation (Romans 8:1).
Current Positional truth qualifies the believer to live with God forever. To live with God forever, the believer must have eternal life and God’s perfect righteousness, 1 John 5:11-12, “And this is the deposition [testimony] that the God [the Father] has given to us, eternal life, and this life is in his son [Since we are in union with Christ, we share this life.]. (12) and he who has the son [a relationship with the Son] has the life [eternal life] and the one who does not have the son of God [relationship with the Son] does not have the life [eternal life].” 2 Corinthians 5:21, “And He [the Father] made Him who knew no sin [perfection] to be a sin offering [imputation of sins on the cross] as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him [current positional truth].” To live with God forever means you must have His life, and you must be as righteous as He is.
Positional truth guarantees the believer’s eternal security, Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded that neither death [nothing in death] nor life [nothing in life] nor angels nor principalities [ruling angels] nor powers [human organizations] nor things present nor things to come (39) nor height [nothing in heaven] nor depth [nothing in Hades] nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eternal life in Christ is for all eternity!
Positional truth belongs to all categories of believers whether they be apostate, mature, immature, spiritually adult, or carnal. Since Current Positional Truth occurs at the point of salvation before experience in the Christian life begins, it doesn’t depend on that experience. 1 Corinthians 1:2, “to the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus [at salvation], called saints together with all who call upon the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, their [Lord] and ours.” So, even though you may be carnal or in reversionism, you still have positional truth. Being in union with Christ has nothing to do with what you do [experiential righteousness], or don’t do [failure to execute God’s plan]. Current Positional sanctification is completely the work of God the Holy Spirit and so is not based upon our volition, but on the sovereign decision of God. We make the decision to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, but we don’t make the decision to enter into union with Christ “all were made to drink the one Spirit” as per 1 Corinthians 12:13. God the Holy Spirit graciously did that for us and so it cannot be undone.
Current Positional truth creates a new spiritual species in Christ as per 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ and he is, he is a new spiritual species. The old things have lost their power; behold, new things have come to pass.” You become a new spiritual species at salvation by being put into union with Christ. It is what God does for you, and therefore it is grace. It is not what you do after salvation, such as the self-righteous works of legalism. The “old things” have to do with spiritual death and those things related to that death; the “new things” refer to things you receive at salvation such as the 40 assets and the unique spiritual life.
Positional truth should motivate the production of divine good and a pattern of life compatible with royalty as per Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his creation, having been created in Christ Jesus [a new spiritual species with many assets] for the purpose of divine good production [via experiential sanctification] which the God [the Father] has prepared in advance [in eternity past, God the Father provided election and predestination as part of our Portfolio of Invisible Assets], that we in the sphere of them [election and predestination] may pattern our lives.”
Even though a Christian may die the Sin on to Death, he will not lose his position in union with Christ (1 John 5:18-20), and so cannot lose his salvation. In order for a believer to lose his position in Christ, he would have to sin in that status, but since the believer cannot sin in union with Christ, he cannot lose his position in Christ and so cannot lose his salvation. Thus, it is comforting and reassuring to a believer to know that even though a loved one may have died the ‘sin on to death’, he has not lost his salvation.
Because we are in union with Christ, we share His:
1. Eternal life, 1 John 5:11, “And this is the deposition [testimony] that the God [the Father] has given to us, eternal life [At salvation, God the Father imputes this life to the human spirit], and this life is in his son [The Christian also shares the life of Christ through union with Him]. (12) and he who has the son [a relationship with the Son] has the life [eternal life] and the one who does not have the son of God [relationship with the Son] does not have the life [eternal life].”
John 14:6, “Jesus said to him [Thomas], ‘I am the way, the truth and the life [eternal life]; no person [in human history] comes face to face with the Father [having an eternal relationship with the Father] except through Me.’”
2. Perfect righteousness, 2 Corinthians 5:21, “And he (God the Father) made him [Jesus] who knew no sin (perfection) to be a sin offering as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him [positional truth]. Sharing the righteousness of Christ, we become the objects of God the Father’s love as per Romans 8:39.
3. Election, Ephesians 1:4, “just as He [the Father] has elected us for Himself in Him [Jesus Christ] before the creation of the world [in eternity past], that we may be set apart [experiential sanctification] and blameless [ultimate sanctification] in the presence of Him [Father].”
4. Destiny, Ephesians 1:5, “By means of love, He has predestined us for the purpose of adoption as adult sons to Himself through Christ Jesus our Lord according to the grace purpose of His will.”
5. Sonship, Galatians 3:26, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”
6. Heirship, Romans 8:16-17, “The Spirit Himself testifies together [bears witness] with our [human] spirit, that we are the children of God. (17) Now, if we are children and we are, also heirs, on the one hand heirs of God [the Father], and joint heirs with Christ. If indeed [if it is true that], we suffer with Him [pass all three stages of undeserved suffering], that also we might be glorified with Christ.”
7. Sanctification, 1 Corinthians 1:2, “to the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints together with all who call upon the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, their [Lord] and ours.”
8. Priesthood, Hebrews 7:12-19, “For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change in the Law also. (13) For the One [the Lord Jesus Christ] concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe [the tribe of Judah] from which no one has officiated at the altar. (14) For it is evident that our Lord has descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests, (15) and this is clearer still, if another priest arises similar to Melchizedek, and there has, (16) who has become a priest not on the basis of physical requirement [a reference to the Levitical Priesthood] but on the basis of indestructible life [the Lord’s priesthood is forever]. (17) For this reason, it is witnessed, ‘You are a priest forever similar to the order of Melchizedek.’” [We are in union with Christ. Therefore, we are royalty and priests forever. We represent ourselves before God as royal priests.] (18) For, on the one hand, there is a rescinding of the former commandment [the Mosaic Law that authorized the Levitical priesthood] because of its weakness and uselessness (19) (for the Law brought nothing to completion), but on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope [the second door of hope for the Church Age believer—a personal sense of destiny—by which we enter the adult spiritual life] through which we draw near to God.”
Hebrews 7:26-28, “For it is fitting that we should have such a high priest, impeccable integrity, the One who cannot do evil, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; (27) Who does not need daily, like those Levitical priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for their own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He [Jesus] offered up Himself. (28) For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of His [God the Father’s] oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, who has become perfect forever [Jesus Christ is a perfect high priest].”
9. Royalty, 1 Peter 2:9, “ But you and only you are an elect [elect by God the Father] race [as a new spiritual species], a royal priesthood [since Jesus is a king-priest], a holy nation [God’s entity: a nation of priests: every Christian is a priest], a people for God’s own possession [a protected people], so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him [Christ] who has called [in eternity past] you out of darkness [spiritual death and the Cosmic Systems] into His amazing light [his plan];”
10. New Spiritual Species, 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ and he is, he is a new spiritual species. The old things have lost their power [Old Covenant]; behold, new things have come to pass [This would include the New Covenant to the Church.].”
Current Positional Truth changes our relationship with Angels.
1. Through current positional truth the believer is higher than angels positionally.
2. Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, and so superior to all angels. By virtue of being in union with Christ, every believer is now positionally superior to angels.
3. Positional truth has fulfilled the believer’s triumph with Christ in the angelic conflict. We are victorious with Him already.
4. Furthermore, positional truth demands compatibility with experiential righteousness. Therefore, the believer’s walk on this earth must be compatible with positional truth since we have perfect security in Christ, we have the freedom to choose for Jesus Christ, to love Jesus Christ, to respond to His love, and to fulfill our purpose on this earth.
What positional truth is not?
1. It is not an experience, emotions or ecstasies.
2. It is not progressive; it cannot be improved in time or eternity.
3. It is not related to human merit or ability.
4. It cannot be changed by God, man or angels. It is eternal in nature.
5. It is not obtained gradually as you grow in grace, but in toto at salvation.
6. It is not known apart from the metabolization of doctrine.
7. From understanding the doctrine of positional truth, we progress in our spiritual life, but we cannot improve it since it is perfect at salvation.
8. We are not in Christ because of what we do (execution of the spiritual life) or fail to do (fail to execute the spiritual life), but because of what God has done.
A few points of explanation:
1. The conclusion from positional truth, whether retroactive or current, is that the Christian must apply these doctrines to his spiritual life.
2. In Romans 7:1-4 where we have an illustration of a woman whose first husband has died freeing her to marry another. This is what actually happens to us as believers at salvation. The old sin nature is the husband up to the point of salvation, but at the moment we believe in Jesus Christ positionally the sin nature is dead, as it were, the first husband has died and we have a new husband through union with Christ. Retroactive Positional Truth removes our first husband, the sin nature whereas Current Positional Truth enters us into union with Christ, our new husband.
3. The old sin nature-husband is still around, still seeking to regain his control over his former wife, the believer. But union with the second husband, the Lord Jesus Christ, has broken the first husband’s authority over the former wife.
4. The Baptism of Fire:
Matthew 3:11, “On the one hand I [John the Baptizer] baptize you [believers] by means of water because of a change of thinking [about Christ], but the one coming after me is mightier than I whose sandals I am not worthy to lace [loosen, remove]. He himself will baptize by means of the Holy Spirit [a reference to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Church Age] and by means of fire [a reference to the Baptism of Fire at the 2nd Advent].”
Baptism of Fire: The baptism of fire (identification with fire) is defined as the judgment of unbelievers both Jew and gentile at the Second Advent. They will be removed from the earth and placed in fire for 1000 years until the Last Judgment, Luke 3:16-17; Mathew 25:31, 33. The analogy to the Baptism of Fire is found in Matthew 24:36-41. The one left in the field is the mature believer; the one taken is the unbeliever.
Parables of the Baptism of Fire:
1. The wheat and the tares (the unbelievers), Matthew 13:24-30, 36-40.
2. The good and bad fish (unbelievers), Matthew 13:47-50.
3. The ten virgins: five wise, five foolish (the unbelievers), Matthew 25:1-13.
4. The sheep and the goats (the unbelievers), Mathew 25:31-46.
5. The talent test, Matthew 25:14-30. The one talent man represents the unbeliever.
If Jesus Christ had not been rejected by the Jewish people, then the age of Israel would have continued until its completion (the Tribulation completes the age of Israel). (However, they did reject Jesus Christ as Savior and Messiah and so the client nation was destroyed, and the Church age was intercalated that is inserted before the age of Israel was complete.) After the completion of the age of Israel at the end of the Tribulation, comes the wrath of God namely the Baptism of Fire when the Lord removes both Jewish and gentile unbelievers from the earth and identifies them with fire forever. After which, the Millennial reign begins.
The Three Ritual Baptisms. None are extant at the present time. They are representative identifications in which water is used as a training aid to represent some principle of doctrine.
1. The Baptism of John is found in Matthew 3:2-6, “Saying, ‘Change your thinking [regarding Christ] for the kingdom of heaven is near.’ [The future king was already on the earth] (3) For this is what was communicated through Isaiah, the prophet saying, ‘The voice of one [John the Baptizer] proclaiming loudly in the desert [of Judea]. Prepare [the aorist tense is a one time-decision] the way of the Lord [an idiomatic expression for salvation]. Keep on making upright [the use of the Recovery Procedure followed by the development of experiential righteousness] His paths!’ (Isaiah 40:3) (4) Now, John himself kept on having a garment of camel’s hair [very uncomfortable] and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. (5) Then [after John went where God wanted him to be] Jerusalem kept on going out to him [face to face] and all Judea and all the districts around the Jordan. (6) and they were being baptized [identified with the kingdom] by him [under John’s authority] in the Jordan River [where Israel crossed when they entered the land], and they kept on confessing their sins [post-salvation confession of sins].”
MAX KLEIN BIBLE MINISTRIES
Second Corinthians Chapter Nine
A verse-by-verse commentary by Max Klein
Let us bow our heads; If we need to use the Recovery Procedure as found in 1 John 1:9, let us do so at this time that we might be in fellowship. (pause) Father, we thank you for the privilege and opportunity to study your word and for the freedom that you have provided for us here in Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.A.; furthermore, we express our appreciation to God the Holy Spirit who will enlighten us regarding the message this evening. We as priests pray this through the person of our Lord Christ Jesus, our High Priest, Amen.
Outline:
Verses 1-5, the Corinthian reception of the delegation.
Verses 6-15, the benefits of giving.
2 Corinthians 9:1
For indeed concerning this ministry [aid] to the saints, it keeps on being superfluous [there is no need for Paul to remind them, but he will anyways] for me to write to you.
Περὶ µὲν γὰρ τῆς διακονίας τῆς εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους περισσόν µοί ἐστιν τὸ γράφειν ὑµῖν,
2 Corinthians 9:2
For I know your eagerness to help for which I have been boasting [in a good sense] about you [Paul uses the Corinthians as an illustration] to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia [Achaia is the province in southern Greece in which Corinth is located] were ready to give; and your noble aspiration has stimulated many of them [those in Macedonia].
οἶδα γὰρ τὴν προθυµίαν ὑµῶν ἣν ὑπὲρ ὑµῶν καυχῶµαι Μακεδόσιν ὅτι Ἀχαΐα παρεσκεύασται ἀπὸ πέρυσι, καὶ τὸ ὑµῶν ζῆλος ἠρέθισεν τοὺς πλείονας.
Carnality hindered the Corinthians from completing their offering to help the destitute in Judea. As Paul writes, they are back in fellowship with God and so their desire to help in this offering has been restored. Doctrine gave the Corinthians the willingness to give, but loss of fellowship temporarily removed this desire.
2 Corinthians 9:3
But [introduces some doubt since the Corinthians have not been known for their great integrity, but for their instability] I am sending the brothers [Titus, Luke and another individual] in order that our boasting [laudatory testimony] about you in this matter should not prove to be empty [falsified], but that you may be ready [with your offering], as I said you would be.
ἔπεµψα δὲ τοὺς ἀδελφούς, ἵνα µὴ τὸ καύχηµα ἡµῶν τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑµῶν κενωθῇ ἐν τῷ µέρει τούτῳ, ἵνα καθὼς ἔλεγον παρεσκευασµένοι ἦτε,
2 Corinthians 9:4
For if any Macedonians should come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to say anything about you, would be ashamed of having been so confident.
µή πως ἐὰν ἔλθωσιν σὺν ἐµοὶ Μακεδόνες καὶ εὕρωσιν ὑµᾶς ἀπαρασκευάστους καταισχυνθῶµεν ἡµεῖς, ἵνα µὴ λέγω ὑµεῖς, ἐν τῇ ὑποστάσει ταύτῃ.
2 Corinthians 9:5
So, I thought it necessary [based upon his wisdom] to urge the brothers [the delegation] to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then, it will be ready as a generous gift [the believer who recognizes that the Lord has blessed him in grace will give in grace], not as one grudgingly given [in legalism].
ἀναγκαῖον οὖν ἡγησάµην παρακαλέσαι τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἵνα προέλθωσιν εἰς ὑµᾶς καὶ προκαταρτίσωσιν τὴν προεπηγγελµένην εὐλογίαν ὑµῶν, ταύτην ἑτοίµην εἶναι οὕτως ὡς εὐλογίαν καὶ µὴ ὡς πλεονεξίαν.
2 Corinthians 9:6
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly [analogy to giving sparingly or miserly; no appreciation for the source of blessing] will also reap sparingly [If you are parsimonious in the amount of seed that you use in sowing, you will have a reduced harvest], and whoever sows generously [analogy to a believer giving generously because his motivation is to please the Lord] will also reap generously.
Τοῦτο δέ, ὁ σπείρων φειδοµένως φειδοµένως καὶ θερίσει, καὶ ὁ σπείρων ἐπí εὐλογίαις ἐπí εὐλογίαις καὶ θερίσει.
2 Corinthians 9:7
Each person to the degree he has determined [not a percent] by means of his right lobe [by means of his thinking in private from metabolized doctrine in his own private soul] so give, not from distress of mind [never give because you are pressured], not under compulsion of emotion [giving is worship so worship must be related to doctrine, not emotion] for God loves [anthropopathism for approval] a grace-oriented giver.
ἕκαστος καθὼς προῄρηται τῇ καρδίᾳ, µὴ ἐκ λύπης ἢ ἐξ ἀνάγκης, ἱλαρὸν γὰρ δότην ἀγαπᾷ ὁ θεός.
Giving is both Christian service and worship and so is a function of our priesthood. As such, it must be executed with maximum privacy. All giving must be done privately as unto the Lord. If public recognition is given to the one who gives, this principle has been violated. Christian motivation is extremely important. Thus, making a public display of the giver and the amount he gives not only violates the priesthood of the believer, but also encourages approbation lust and other false motivations. Proper mental attitude is the issue, not the amount given.
2 Corinthians 9:8
God is able to make all grace abound to you [provides extra funds for the grace-oriented believer] that always having a sufficiency in everything [money to give to a grace cause] you may have an abundance for every good deed.
δυνατεῖ δὲ ὁ θεὸς πᾶσαν χάριν περισσεῦσαι εἰς ὑµᾶς, ἵνα ἐν παντὶ πάντοτε πᾶσαν αὐτάρκειαν ἔχοντες περισσεύητε εἰς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθόν,
God provides in grace both spiritual and material blessings which are combined in giving. One cannot exist without the other. The principle is that the inflow of grace should result in the outflow of grace.
2 Corinthians 9:9
Just as it stands written [a quote from Psalm 112:9; the result of “All Scripture is God-breathed”], He scatters abroad [God provides extra money to certain generous people]; He gave it [via these generous believers] to the poor. His righteousness abides forever [God’s righteousness supports grace-oriented giving].
καθὼς γέγραπται, Ἐσκόρπισεν, ἔδωκεν τοῖς πένησιν, ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ µένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.
2 Timothy 3:16-17: All Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness [virtue] (17) that the man of God might be proficient [capable], having been well equipped [prepared] for every good work [Christian service].
“All Scripture” refers to the entire canon both the New and the Old Testament. The Greek word theopneustos means “God-breathed.” Breathing includes both inhale and exhale. The expression “God-breathed” tells us how God has revealed his plan through human writers. The inhale was God the Holy Spirit revealing to the writers of Scripture the message which he wanted written in the Bible. The exhale was the writing of the canon under the control of the Holy Spirit.
Definition: God the Holy Spirit so supernaturally directed the writers of Scripture that without waving [changing] their human intelligence, their individuality, their personal feeling or any other factor of human expression, his complete and coherent message was recorded with perfect accuracy in the original languages of Scripture; the very words [each word] bearing [having] the authority of divine authorship.
All Scripture is profitable for teaching. The Greek word for teaching is didaskalia. Teaching (didaskalia) is done by the one with the gift of teaching. After the departure of the apostles who possessed the gift of teaching, only pastors (ministers) are authorized to teach the Word of God. Only those with the gift of pastor-teacher poimen-didaskalos as per Ephesians 4:11 are approved by God to teach adult Christians. This teaching is always to a group, never one person teaching another person individually.
The only Christian who is qualified (equipped) for Christian service is the righteous believer, the one who loves God. In this passage verse sixteen precedes verse seventeen, spiritual preparation precedes service.
2 Corinthians 9:10
Now he [God] that provides graciously the seed [God providing the capital in an agricultural society; by analogy logistical grace for the believer] to the sower [by analogy the believer] provides graciously for the act of eating, and at the same time multiplies your seed sown [for grace-giving], and even enlarges the harvest of your grace virtue [in context the Christian who is a grace-oriented giver].
ὁ δὲ ἐπιχορηγῶν σπέρµα τῷ σπείροντι καὶ ἄρτον εἰς βρῶσιν χορηγήσει καὶ πληθυνεῖ τὸν σπόρον ὑµῶν καὶ αὐξήσει τὰ γενήµατα τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὑµῶν·
The grace of God as it relates to agriculture: This means that in an agricultural economy of the ancient world no sower ever earned the harvest. God supplies the seed, the sunshine, the rain, the chemistry of the soil, and protection from anything that would devastate the harvest. God provides everything necessary in providing for a good harvest. By analogy, God provides in grace everything the believer needs even for his grace-giving.
“And even enlarges the harvest of your grace-virtue” [the very advanced believer has tremendous integrity of soul and also has maximum grace orientation. By contrast, a believer living in the Cosmic System may give a lot of money, but his motivation is always false, and he has no understanding or function of grace. He is legalistic and arrogant to the core. This type of believer will not receive extra blessing from the Lord whereas the Lord will multiply the blessing of a gracious and generous giver with spiritual integrity.
2 Corinthians 9:11
You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
ἐν παντὶ πλουτιζόµενοι εἰς πᾶσαν ἁπλότητα, ἥτις κατεργάζεται διí ἡµῶν εὐχαριστίαν τῷ θεῷ
2 Corinthians 9:12
This service [giving is recognized as Christian service] that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the saints [Logistical Grace provision] but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanksgiving to God.”
ὅτι ἡ διακονία τῆς λειτουργίας ταύτης οὐ µόνον ἐστὶν προσαναπληροῦσα τὰ ὑστερήµατα τῶν ἁγίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ περισσεύουσα διὰ πολλῶν εὐχαριστιῶν τῷ θεῷ
This is in the context of giving. So, if you desire to give with the correct attitude, God will even provide the funds for you to give. We are really God’s stewards with the money entrusted to us.
Logistical Grace: Introduction taken from ‘Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary’ page 116.
“Grace pipeline: (a) Terminology that illustrates how God blesses the believer in time; (b) the figurative pathway through which the perfect integrity of God sends blessing to His own righteousness residing in the believer.
For every believer God constructs a grace pipeline—a channel through which He can pour out blessings and privileges without compromising His perfect character. On one end of the pipeline is divine love and integrity, the source of all blessing. On the other end, the receiving end, is the believer with God’s righteousness imputed to him at salvation [see justification].
Because of this imputed righteousness, God’s own perfection residing in us, meets His perfect standards, He is free to personally love and bless us. The integrity and love of God supply our every need (Phil. 4:19). Following the initial blessings of salvation, God sends down this pipeline His ceaseless logistical support for all believers, winners and losers, as well as superabundant blessings for believers who possess spiritual capacity from doctrine.
The encapsulated grace pipeline, sealed and secured by divine integrity, represents the exclusion of human merit as a source of blessing. God’s justice performs all the work, His righteousness holds all the merit, and His love as the motivation is constant and unfailing. No human action, ability, or self-righteousness can break through the encapsulation and take credit for what God does in grace.”
Definition and Description of Logistical Grace. By understanding the military word, ‘logistics,’ we can better appreciate God’s support for each believer.
1. Logistics is a military word which refers to the military science of supply, provision, and planning of troop movement. Logistics is the provision, movement, and maintenance of all resources and services necessary to sustain military forces. Logistics involves the national economic capacity and the nation’s capability to support its military forces. Logistics is also defined as the military science of planning, handling, and implementation of personnel under every possible military condition. Logistics includes the design, development, acquisition, storage, movement, distribution, maintenance, evacuation, and disposal of material. It includes hospitalization of personnel, and the construction and maintenance of housing facilities.
Hence, logistics is a technical military term for sustaining troops in every form of military activity and maneuver, i.e., in the barracks, in the field, in the battle, before the battle, and after the battle. Logistics is the science of supporting troops in advance, retreat, evacuation, reconnaissance, attack, exploitation, and pursuit. The Battle of Dunkirk in World War II is a dramatic illustration of the importance of logistics.
From this military nomenclature comes a Bible doctrine based on analogy. Logistics always plays a very important and dramatic part in warfare, but logistics plays an even greater part in your life as a believer. Every believer is alive today because of logistical grace. The word “logistics” comes from three Greek words. (1) Logistes, an inspector of accounts, an auditor, a calculator. (2) Logismos, a thinker. (3) Logistekos, a person skilled in calculation.
2. Logistical grace is defined as divine planning, divine support, divine provision, and divine blessing for the execution of the Protocol Plan of God by the royal family for the fulfillment of God’s will, purpose, and plan for your life.
3. Logistical grace includes three factors of divine provision: first, life support for every Church Age believer. This explains how and why we are alive every moment. Secondly, some blessing is provided for every Church Age believer whether winners or failures since all Church Age believers are members of his royal family. Thirdly, Logistical Grace provides the opportunity for spiritual advance. While winners utilize logistical grace to grow spiritually, others fail to take this opportunity.
4. The basis of logistical grace is divine integrity. What the righteousness of God approves, the justice of God blesses. This is the basis for logistical grace. At the moment of salvation, the righteousness of God was imputed to every believer by the justice of God since the Father’s righteousness was satisfied by the work of Christ on the cross. This means that God will support and sustain you regardless of how undeserving you are. This is true in every dispensation since the imputation of divine righteousness occurs in every dispensation.
5. There are three results from the imputation of divine righteousness to the believer.
(1) First, God the Father sees His imputed righteousness and consequently declares that believer to be righteous and qualified to live with him forever.
(2) Due to imputed righteousness at the point of salvation, God’s love changes from impersonal love to personal love.
(3) There is a pipeline from the justice of God to the imputed righteousness of God by which we receive logistical grace.
In the function of the policy of grace, there can be no compromise of divine attributes. God has found a way, through logistical grace, to bless each believer without compromising His attributes. So, we cannot justify blessing from God on the basis of Christian works. God cannot accept anything less than perfect righteousness as the object of divine blessing. Therefore, God cannot bless anything less than his own perfect righteousness imputed to the believer. The grace pipeline excludes human merit and ability from all blessing from God. This pipeline excludes man’s works and ability; man doesn’t earn or deserve any of these things.
Matthew 6:33. Seek first the kingdom of God and His [imputed] righteousness, and all of these things shall be added to you.
2 Corinthians 9:8. God is able to make all grace abound to you [provides extra funds for the grace-oriented believer] that always having a sufficiency in everything [besides logistical support, money to give to a grace cause] you may have an abundance for every good deed.
2 Peter 3:18. But grow by means of [logistical] grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
6. Besides providing life support and blessing, logistical grace provides the opportunity for the perception and execution of the Protocol Plan of God. Every believer has equal privilege and equal opportunity to execute God’s plan and glorify God.
As a part of this aspect of logistical grace, the following assets are given to us: The creation of a human spirit at the moment of salvation. The teaching ministry of God the Holy Spirit under Operation Z. The provision in every generation of the appropriate number of male believers with the gift of pastor-teacher in order that the Christian will have equal opportunity to grow spiritually.
7. Logistical grace is imputed through the grace pipeline. At one end of the pipeline is divine justice, the source of divine blessing to all believers, winners or losers. At the other end of the pipeline is divine righteousness, the recipient of divine blessing given to every Church Age believer, winner or loser. So, we are not blessed because of what we do for God, but because of what God has done for us. Therefore, the pipeline excludes all human ability, morality, talent, giving, sacrifice, service, or any other patronizing function of legalism as the source of divine blessing.
8. The Testimonies of Logistical Grace.
(1). The anthropomorphic testimony of Logistical Grace is found in Deuteronomy 33:27a. “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms [an anthropomorphism for Logistical Grace].”
(2). David gives the testimony of old age to logistical grace. Psalm 37:25, “I have been young, but now I am old; yet I have never seen the righteous [a reference to the believer with God’s imputed righteousness] forsaken [God never forsakes the believer though many forsake him] nor His seed [believers] begging for bread [The Lord may permit the believer to face hunger as a test, but the Lord will never allow a believer to starve unless it is his will that a mature believer honor him in a special way through starvation for example Lazarus]; .”
(3). The testimony of David in dying. Psalm 23:1-6. “The Lord is the One shepherding me; therefore, I cannot lack for anything. He causes me to lie down in green pastures of choice food [life support]; He leads me to waters of refreshment [life support]. He restores my soul [through the use of the Recovery Procedure]; He guides me in paths of righteousness [Problem-solving Devices] because of His reputation. Also, when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death [dying grace], I cannot fear evil because You are with me [occupation with Christ]. Your rod [divine discipline] and your staff [divine deliverance], they comfort me. You have prepared before me a table in the presence of my enemies [logistical grace and beyond]; you have anointed my head with oil [promotion]; My cup [Escrow Blessings for time] is overflowing. Only the good [the prosperity of Escrow Blessings] and grace shall pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever [Escrow Blessings for eternity].”
(4). The testimony of Paul is found in Philippians 4:19. “My God shall supply all your needs [logistical grace support] according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” God will never run out of riches to support you which “riches” are based on the integrity of God.
(5). The testimony from our Lord is addressed to the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9. “Then He assured me, ‘My grace [logistical grace] has been and still is sufficient for you. For the power is achieved with weakness [the believer is forced to rely on divine power when human dynamics is unable to resolve the problem].’ Therefore, I will boast [in the sense of esprit-de-corps] all the more gladly about my weaknesses [no human solution] in order that the power of Christ [the Prototype Spiritual Life] may reside in me [through the Operational Type Spiritual Life which was proven more than adequate via the Prototype Spiritual Life].”
(6). The testimony of the prophet Jeremiah is found in Lamentations 3:20-25, written as the fifth cycle of discipline was being administered. “Surely my soul remembers and is humbled within me [Jeremiah’s grace orientation]. This I recall to mind; therefore, I have hope [faith under pressure]. The Lord’s gracious functions never cease [perpetuation of logistical grace even to enslaved believers]; His compassions [Logistical Grace] never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion [Occupation with Christ],’ says my soul; ‘therefore, I have faith under pressure [in Him].’ The Lord is good to those who trust in Him, to the soul who seeks Him.”
Logistical grace keeps the believer alive.
1. No believer can live on this earth apart from logistical grace support. Hebrews 2:14, “That through death He might render powerless him who has the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver those who, through fear of death, were subject to slavery all of their lives.” One of the greatest enslavements in life is fear of death.
2. Logistical grace is the basis for the perpetuation of the believer’s life in time. Psalm 33:18, “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who respect Him, on those who wait for His grace to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in depression.”
Psalm 56:13, “For you have delivered my soul from death, indeed my feet from stumbling, that I may walk with God in the light of life [To walk with God in the light of life means you know about logistical grace, appreciate it and utilize it].”
3. Under logistical grace, God can and does prolong life. Psalm 79:11, “According to the greatness of Your power, you preserve those who are doomed to die.” Psalm 68:19-20, “Blessed be the God who daily bears our burdens [logistical grace], the God who is our deliverance. God is to us a God of deliverances, and to God belongs the escape from death [under Logistical Grace].”
4. The Logistical Grace Rationale: Matthew 6:25-34. For this reason, I say to you, stop worrying about your physical life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear [God will provide the necessities of life under the concept of ‘logistical grace’]. Is not human life [on this earth] more than food [for the body] and your body [the location of your soul] more than clothes? Yes, of course [the soul should be emphasized over the body]. (26) Look at the birds of the sky; they do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Yes, you are. (27) Which of you by worrying can add a day [a small span of time] to his life span [another meaning: can add 18 inches to his growth]? (28) And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not work nor do they spin [weave cloth]. (29) In fact, I say to you that even Solomon in all of his glory [the best dressed man in his day and possibly in history] did not clothe himself like one of these; (30) in fact if God keeps clothing the common grass of the field, and He does [clothes with flowers] which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace [they shrivel up], will He not much more [pollo mallon] clothe you? O you, of little faith [failure to apply God’s Word]! (31) Therefore, do not worry, thinking [The Greek word “lego” can be translated as thinking if the context warrants it], ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ (32) For the gentiles [unbelievers] strive after all of these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. (33) But seek first the kingdom [eternal kingdom] and his righteousness [imputed righteousness], and all these things [the necessary provisions in life – logistical grace] will be given to you as well. (34) Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow has its own worries [Don’t concern yourself with the problems which may occur tomorrow.] Each day has enough evil [trouble] of its own.
Romans 8:31-32. Therefore, face to face with these things, to what conclusion are we forced? If God is for us, and He is who can be against us? [No one can prevent God’s promotion of the Christian either in time or in eternity. The following a fortiori is given as evidence.] (32) God, who did not even spare His own Son, but as a substitute for all of us He delivered Him over to judgment, how [introducing an a fortiori] shall He not also with Him graciously give us all things?
Logistical grace includes six categories of support.
1. Life-sustaining support is provided by God. No believer can depart from life apart from God’s will. Therefore, all the forces of hell cannot remove even one believer apart from God’s permission. God also provides all that it takes to support life. Psalm 48:14, “This God is our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even unto death.”
2. Temporal needs such as food, shelter, clothing, transportation, environment, time, a job, etc. are provided by God as per Matthew 6:33.
3. Security provision is taught in the doctrine of eternal security. Your security is from God. This includes the assignment of guardian angels, and the provision of the Laws of Divine Establishment for freedom to advance to maturity. If positive to Bible doctrine, God provides the security for you to make that advance, as in the wall of fire. 1 Peter 1:5, “We are kept by the power of God.”
4. Spiritual riches are provided by God, such as our portfolio of invisible assets, the ten problem solving devices, and the unique factors of the Church Age. It also includes the provision of doctrinal teaching from your right pastor, privacy and security necessary to maintain positive volition, the royal family honor code, and discernment to see distractions and set them aside. Spiritual provision of an evangelist, a pastor, the privacy of your priesthood, the Canon, and a local church are all provided for you.
5. Blessings are given to every believer, both winners and losers. These are not to be confused with escrow blessings which are far greater.
The Issues of Logistical Grace.
1. Logistical grace is the basis for stability in time. 1 Peter 5:12, “I have written you briefly exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.”
2. Logistical grace is designed for momentum in the plan of God. Hebrews 12:28, “Therefore, because we have received to ourselves an unshakable kingdom, let us keep holding grace, through which we might render acceptable service to God with reverence toward Christ and respect toward doctrine.”
3. Logistical grace continues in reversionism (apostasy).
2 Corinthians 6:1, “Do not receive the grace of God in vain [You do so, when you do not execute the spiritual life given to you in grace].”
Galatians 5:4, “From the source of Christ [Christ is the source of our salvation and spiritual life], you have become ineffective [because of their legalism related to the Mosaic Law]; such a category as you who are seeking to be righteous by the Law [being made righteous by the Mosaic Law]. You have drifted off course from grace [Though the Galatians were not availing themselves of the spiritual life given to them in grace, they were still under God’s discipline administered in grace].
Hebrews 12:15, “See that no one falls short of the grace of God that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it, many be defiled [You can fail the grace of God, but God’s grace will never leave or fail you].”
Grace Orientation:
The Grace Plan of God: God’s plan is based on grace, not some philosophical system of human works. Grace means freely given and undeserved. God does all the giving; we undeservedly reap all this giving. For example, in grace God provides for all believers the same spiritual I.Q. Human I.Q. plus the Filling of the Spirit equals spiritual I.Q. Any Christian who implies or states that he, the one with a high human I.Q. alone is able to learn the deep matters of God is in a state of arrogance and does not understand God’s system of grace. 1 Corinthians 15:10a, “By the grace of God I am what I am.” When we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, we became the recipients of the greatest possible endowment of grace, and grace pursues the advancing believer his entire life.
2 Corinthians 13:14, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ [the greatest acts of grace took place at the incarnation and on the cross] and the love of God [the Father the author of reciprocal love] and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit [the enabling power of the Spirit].”
Taken from Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary page 116:
“Grace orientation: The mental attitude of the believer who recognizes that everything he is and will ever be depends solely upon the power and plan of God. Saved by grace, the believer lives by grace. From the realization of this unmerited divine favor comes grace orientation—the attitude of total reliance on God, adjustment to His grace policy, and utilization of limitless grace provisions. All power for executing God’s plan comes from grace (1 Cor. 15:10; 2 Tim. 2:1; Heb. 13:9), and without it, believers could not survive in the devil’s world. Accordingly, Scripture exhorts believers to “stand firm in it!” (1 Pet. 5:12). “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord” reinforces this mandate, for there can be no grace orientation without humility (James 4:10). Nor can there be growth in grace without following the tandem command to grow in the “knowledge of our Lord” (2 Pet. 3:18). Once the believer submits to God’s plan and adapts to grace procedures, he realizes that God alone does the work to meet his needs and solve his problems (2 Thess. 2:16; 2 Pet. 1:2–4). No longer preoccupied with human works and achievement, he relates God’s policy to himself and others. Encouragement, comfort, and self-exhortation come from divine wisdom in his soul, not from his own flawed desires, impulses, and understanding. A relaxed mental attitude is the basis of his conduct, meaning he demonstrates sensitivity and tolerance toward the weaknesses of others (Eph. 4:31–32; 1 Cor. 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:5). By winning the battle over legalism and pride, he invisibly, often unknowingly, represents the grace attitude of Christ to the world (2 Cor. 1:12; 8:9). The greatest heroes of the Bible reached maturity not by their own genius or strength but by fully submitting themselves to the gracious hand of God. David, at one of the lowest points of his life, penned a beautiful testament to God’s matchless grace in Psalm 23, acknowledging that “the Lord is the one who keeps on shepherding me, I cannot and do not lack anything” (Ps. 23:1, expanded translation). The Apostle Paul, humbled by intense suffering, recognized that “when I am weak, then I am strong,” as he fully oriented to his helplessness in light of God’s all-sufficient grace (2 Cor. 12:7–10).”
The Axioms of Grace:
1. God is perfect; therefore, His plan must be perfect.
2. A perfect plan can only originate and function from a perfect God.
3. If man can do anything meritorious in the plan of God, it is no longer perfect.
4. A plan is no stronger than its weakest link. For this reason, grace excludes all human merit, all human ability and talent.
5. Legalism (human good produced outside of the plan of God) is the enemy of grace.
6. Therefore, the works of human righteousness have no place in the plan of God.
7. All good produced outside of God’s plan is motivated by human self-righteousness and arrogance.
More about grace:
1. Maximum indoctrination results in grace increase. Notice that grace is related to the intake of doctrine, not our failures and disasters.
2. Grace is the policy or characteristic of the love of God, in providing blessing for the believer in time as well as in eternity.
3. God’s integrity does not depend on man’s sinfulness or the production of human good and evil.
4. The integrity of God is not sponsored by the function of the old sin nature or its trends.
5. Acts of personal sin do not increase grace blessing from the justice of God, but rather increase discipline and punishment from the justice of God.
6. Being under the authority of God’s grace does not encourage us to acts of personal sin, but we are motivated to press on to maturity through the consistent intake of Bible doctrine.
7. Being under the authority of grace means utilization of grace. Utilization of grace means utilization of grace provision for victory over the old sin nature. This means advance to maturity where we both glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and receive those maximum blessings from the justice of God. Those blessings are described as “exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or think.”
8. Therefore, the believer cannot perform an occasional act of sin with impunity. There is always discipline. The believer cannot perform an act of human good with impunity. There is condemnation of that human good from the justice of God. And there cannot be a series of sins resulting in evil, or a series of human good acts resulting in evil, without divine punishment to individuals involved. In other words, we never function under the old sin nature with impunity.
9. Being under the authority of grace rather than the Law does not imply that the justice of God no longer administers punitive action for the believer who chooses to sin, perform human good, or to become involved with evil.
10. Divine justice punishes sinfulness and divine justice blesses growth in grace.
11. Therefore, freedom from being under the Mosaic Law does not imply immunity from punishment or discipline.
Grace does not imply License:
1. Grace is never increased and never advanced by any function of the old sin nature, whether sin or good or evil.
2. Grace is the policy of God. Therefore, the Christian must use God’s grace provision in order to defeat the sin nature.
3. The old sin nature, as an agent of Satan is opposed to grace. The old sin nature’s counter attack comes in the field of Satanic good and evil, but grace is strictly from God.
4. Therefore, we have in this verse a rhetorical question which is a false assumption of two antithetical failures. One of these failures is legalism and the other is antinomianism.
5. The grace of God never encourages sin. To the legalist, a great sinner himself being immersed in mental and verbal sins, grace always appears to give the antinomian Christian a license to sin since the legalist only places emphasis on overt sins. To the antinomian believer, grace is not used to recover fellowship and advance spiritually, but an excuse to keep on sinning. Neither the legalist nor the antinomian believer advances under grace and the two power options.
6. Neither legalism nor antinomianism can break away from the ruling power of the old sin nature over life because both are distortions.
7. Only the divine provision and the divine support of logistical grace can exploit the positional victory over the Old Sin Nature.
2 Corinthians 9:13
Through the testing for approval of this ministry [Corinthian grace giving] they [Jewish believers in Jerusalem] glorify the God upon the subordination of your [Corinthian] acknowledgement to the gospel of Christ [the Corinthians recognized that they were saved by grace and now give in grace], through the generosity of the contribution toward themselves [destitute Jewish believers in Jerusalem], and toward all.
διὰ τῆς δοκιµῆς τῆς διακονίας ταύτης δοξάζοντες τὸν θεὸν ἐπὶ τῇ ὑποταγῇ τῆς ὁµολογίας ὑµῶν εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἁπλότητι τῆς κοινωνίας εἰς αὐτοὺς καὶ εἰς πάντας,
The Jerusalem believers glorify God because this administration of giving has been tested and approved. It was tested at the point of giving; it had to be grace giving. It was tested at the point of administration; it had to be properly administered. It was tested at the point of transportation; it had to be properly transported from Corinth to Jerusalem. It was tested at the distribution point which was Jerusalem itself. The believers who had needs were provided for from these funds.
2 Corinthians 9:14
And by their intercessory prayer on your behalf [the destitute Jews were motivated to pray for the Corinthians], a longing after you with deep love because of the surpassing grace of [the] God upon you.
καὶ αὐτῶν δεήσει ὑπὲρ ὑµῶν ἐπιποθούντων ὑµᾶς διὰ τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν χάριν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐφ’ ὑµῖν.
Giving is a test when you give to someone whom you instinctively do not like. The Corinthians as Greek Gentiles instinctively did not like Jews. The Corinthians were the antithesis of the Jewish believers in Jerusalem. The Corinthians were known for antinomianism, the Jewish believers of Jerusalem were known for their legalism. Antinomianism and legalism are antithetical. So, there is a natural antagonism, both racial and sin nature trends. However, these natural antagonisms were removed through spiritual growth.
2 Corinthians 9:15
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift [a reference to Jesus Christ providing the free gift of salvation; expressing one’s appreciation adequately for this gift is beyond the ability of human language]!
χάρις τῷ θεῷ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀνεκδιηγήτῳ αὐτοῦ δωρεᾷ.