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
First Corinthians Chapter Two
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.
Romans 14:10, “You there, why do you [the weak believer] judge your fellow believer? Or you also, why do you [the strong believer] regard your fellow believer with contempt? For we shall all stand before the Evaluation Platform of God [the Judgment Seat of the Lord Jesus Christ]”
1 Corinthians 3:12-15, “Now if any man builds on the foundation [Christ] with gold, silver, precious stones, [produced in fellowship and so rewardable] wood, hay, straw [produced out of fellowship and so not rewardable], (13) each man’s work [Christian work or production] will become evident; for the day [The Evaluation Platform of Christ after the Rapture] will show it because it is to be revealed by fire, in fact the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work [not sin]. (14) If any man’s work which he has built upon it [the foundation] remains, he will receive a reward. (15) If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss [of his escrow blessing for eternity], but he himself will be delivered, yet so as through fire [the believer does not go through fire, but he will think that he did because of his shame].
Revelation 22:12, “Behold, I am coming soon, and My reward is with Me to decorate each winner according to his accomplishments.” ‘Soon’ refers to the immanency of the Rapture, for there is no prophecy left to be fulfilled before the Rapture. This verse says that the winners will receive their escrow blessings for eternity at the Judgment Seat of Christ [the Evaluation Platform of Christ].
1. The main purpose of this evaluation is to decorate the mature believers “My reward is with Me”.
2. Sin is neither mentioned at the Great White Throne Judgment for unbelievers nor at the Evaluation Platform of Christ for believers. The issue at the Evaluation Platform of Christ will be whether you will receive your Escrow Blessings or not.
3. The issue at the Evaluation Platform of Christ will be the quality of your production. Will you have gold, silver and precious gems or will it be wood, hay and stubble!
1 Corinthians 2
Verses 1-8, the answer to the question: Where is the debater of this age? This refers to the Greek professional debater who uses various types of techniques to belittle doctrine and to obscure the gospel. But the gospel constitutes absolute truth and therefore cannot be refuted by debater’s technique. The gospel and the mystery age doctrines are dogma and absolute whereas the debater’s technique deals with the relative. So, the eloquence and the persuasiveness of their logic and their technique is shattered by the dogma of God’s Word.
1 Corinthians 2:1
When I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or wisdom, communicating to you the mystery [there is more Greek manuscript-support for the Greek word musterion (mystery) as opposed to marturion (testimony)] of God [After presenting the gospel to the Corinthians, Paul taught the mystery doctrines of the Church Age].
Κἀγὼ ἐλθὼν πρὸς ὑµᾶς, ἀδελφοί, ἦλθον οὐ καθí ὑπεροχὴν λόγου ἢ σοφίας καταγγέλλων ὑµῖν τὸ µυστήριον τοῦ θεοῦ.
Paul didn’t come in the framework of Greek culture or as a great public speaker though he was. Paul came to Corinth in the Filling of the Spirit with a thorough understanding of the gospel and a complete understanding of the spiritual life. It is not the speaking ability of the communicator, but his understanding of both the gospel and knowledge of spiritual instruction as found in the Old Testament, but especially the mystery doctrines of the Church Age which are found in the New Testament epistles. So, Paul’s emphasis was not on the mechanics of expression, but on the content of the message.
1 Corinthians 2:2
For I resolved not to know anything while I was with you [their background and culture were not an issue to Paul] except Jesus Christ and this one having been crucified.
οὐ γὰρ ἔκρινά τι εἰδέναι ἐν ὑµῖν εἰ µὴ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν καὶ τοῦτον ἐσταυρωµένον.
Before Paul could communicate God’s word with emphasis on the mystery doctrines, he had to communicate the gospel-message. In so doing, Paul didn’t have to understand their background, religion or any other beliefs which they might have had. He didn’t have to reach them on some intellectual level. He only needed to understand the gospel for the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. When he walked into Corinth there was not a saved person. When he left thousands of people were born again and a great church was begun.
1 Corinthians 2:3
I came to you in weakness [realizing that there was no human solution to their situation] and fear [an extreme respect for the power of God] and much trembling [in his soul, he knew that his responsibility was enormous].
κἀγὼ ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ καὶ ἐν φόβῳ καὶ ἐν τρόµῳ πολλῷ ἐγενόµην πρὸς ὑµᾶς,
1 Corinthians 2:4
Both my doctrine and my preaching were not in persuasive words of man’s wisdom [not in Greek culture and philosophy; not in rationalism or empiricism], but in the demonstration of the Spirit [regarding the gospel: common and efficacious grace; Paul’s teaching after salvation was done under the Filling of the Spirit and the power of metabolized doctrine in his soul] and in his power [God’s power is used both in the presentation of the gospel and in the teaching of God’s word which follows].
καὶ ὁ λόγος µου καὶ τὸ κήρυγµά µου οὐκ ἐν πειθοῖ[ς] σοφίας [λόγοις] ἀλλ’ ἐν ἀποδείξει πνεύµατος καὶ δυνάµεως,
To the Corinthians it wasn’t so much what you said, it was how you said it. If you said it in an eloquent way with an excellent vocabulary it was very acceptable. However, Paul knew that all the human ability and power in the world cannot persuade even one sinner to trust in Christ as savior. Only the power of the Holy Spirit working through the gospel can break through into the human soul causing an unbeliever to believe in Christ.
A few points for clarification regarding the presentation of the Gospel:
1. Human public ability and eloquence will not bring a sinner to Christ.
2. Human popularity or success will not bring a sinner to Christ.
3. Human attractiveness will not bring a sinner to Christ.
4. It is not necessary to be intelligent or an intellectual to reach intellectuals.
5. You do not have to learn the unbeliever’s philosophy or viewpoint to present him with the gospel-message.
6. You do not have to cultivate people or become friends with them to witness to them.
If faith in Christ were founded on logic it could be refuted by logic. All it takes is a greater debater, a smarter person using logic. The objective of witnessing is not to win a debate, not to present a logical platform subject to debate, but to present an absolute: the gospel. The Holy Spirit does the rest.
1 Corinthians 2:5
So that your faith [faith in Christ for salvation; faith-perception and application after salvation] might not rest on men’s wisdom, but in God’s power [both at salvation and the spiritual life after salvation].
ἵνα ἡ πίστις ὑµῶν µὴ ᾖ ἐν σοφίᾳ ἀνθρώπων ἀλλ’ ἐν δυνάµει θεοῦ.
Principles of Evangelism:
Knowledge of salvation is necessary for witnessing. You cannot witness for Christ unless you know the gospel, 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us [as ambassadors] the ministry of reconciliation: (19) Namely that God [the Father] was by means of Christ reconciling the world to himself [the principle of unlimited atonement] not counting their trespasses against them [the penalty of our personal sins were imputed directly to Christ on the cross], and he committed to us, the doctrine of reconciliation. (20) Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were making His appeal through us. We [as ambassadors] invite you [through the gospel message] on behalf of Christ become reconciled to God. (21) And he (Father) made him [Jesus] who knew no sin [impeccability of Christ] to be a sin offering [Jesus Christ, the high priest offered himself as a sacrifice for the penalty of our sins] as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him [positional truth].”
The Christian has a two-fold witness ministry. Being a witness to the unbeliever and before angels in the Angelic Conflict are the responsibilities of every believer as per Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you [the Filling of the Holy Spirit]. And you shall be witnesses to Me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” [The human race was created to function as witnesses in Satan’s appeal trial. So, being witnesses to the unsaved human race is not the primary function of the Christian though important. So, even though a Christian may witness to many unbelievers during his lifetime, if that same believer does not function as a witness in this angelic appeal trial, basically he has failed in his primary mission.]
The effectiveness and clarity of the believer’s witness depends upon his understanding of the last judgment as taught in Revelation 20:12-15 and the convincing ministry as per John 16:8-11. These two passages make it clear that person sins are not the issue in salvation except the sin of not believing in Jesus Christ.
Witnessing is impossible apart from the ministry of the Holy Spirit, John 16:8-11, “And when that one comes, he will convince the world [the unbeliever] concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; (9) concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; (10) and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me [the need for perfect righteousness]; (11) and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged [If the greatest creature ever created did not escape judgment nor will you].”
Pertinent content of the Bible is the believer’s weapon in witnessing, 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the Word of the cross to the ones who are perishing [the ones rejecting the gospel] is foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” [If the unbeliever refuses to listen to the gospel or rejects the gospel information after hearing it (Common Grace followed by the Call of God the Father), then the gospel and all other spiritual information in the Bible will appear to him as foolishness. 1 Corinthians 2:14, “But the soulish-man [ψυχικὸς δὲ ἄνθρωπος] does not accept the things from the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are discerned spiritually]” [Regarding God’s word, the unbeliever can only understand the Laws of Establishment and the gospel via Common Grace and nothing else since the unbeliever does not have a human spirit.]
The dynamics of witnessing depend upon the believer’s mental attitude, Romans 1:14-16, “I am under obligation both to the civilized unbelievers [those with Greek culture and language] and to the uncivilized unbelievers [like the barbarians of Spain] both to wise [mature believers] and to the ignorant [includes baby, adolescent, and reversionistic believers]. (15) Thus, my eagerness to proclaim the good news [both the gospel and the spiritual life] to you who are in Rome. (16) For I am not ashamed of the good news regarding salvation, for it is the power of God for providing salvation to anyone who believes in Christ, both to the Jew foremost [first in privilege] and likewise to the Gentiles.” [Paul had a sense of obligation based upon a sense of honor. From that sense of honor toward God comes a sense of duty or responsibility toward others, both to the unbeliever and believer.]
There are two areas of witnessing namely the witness of the life as per 2 Corinthians 3:3, “Being manifested [to people and angels] that you are a letter from Christ, having been ministered to by us; therefore, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tables of stone but on the tablets of the human heart [stream of consciousness].” and the witness of the lips as per 2 Corinthians 5:14-21, “For the love for Christ keeps motivating us, having concluded this, that one died [a substitutionary death] for all, therefore all died [real spiritual death at birth]; (15) and He [Christ] died as a substitute for all in order that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and was resurrected [rose again] on their behalf. (16) Therefore, in the future we regard no one from the human viewpoint [according to the flesh]; even though we have known Christ from the human viewpoint [from the typical viewpoint that we had before we were saved], but now [with cognitive self-confidence and beyond] we know Him in this way no longer. (17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, and he is, he is a new spiritual species; the old things have passed away [lost their power over you like people emphasis over God emphasis]; behold, new things have come [the ten unique features of the Church Age; the ten Problem Solving-devices; the distribution of Escrow Blessings for time and the anticipation of the distribution of Escrow Blessing for the eternal state]. (18) Now, all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us [His ambassadors] the ministry of reconciliation, (19) namely, that God was by means of Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (20) Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God [by believing in Jesus Christ as your savior]. (21) He made Him who knew no sin to be a sin offering on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him [in union with Christ].”
There is reward for witnessing in fellowship with God, 1 Corinthians 3:13-14, “each man’s work [Christian work or production] will become evident; for the day [evaluation seat of Christ after the Rapture] will show it because it is to be revealed by fire, in fact the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. (14) If any man’s work which he has built upon it [Christ, the Rock] remains, he will receive a reward.”
The Faith-rest Drill (producing confidence and tranquility in the soul):
Walking by faith is a drill which must be practiced. This drill of applying God’s word to one’s difficulties and pressures produces tranquility in the soul. When the believer lives by faith, he applies biblical promises, principles and doctrines by faith to his experience. Living by faith is trusting in God’s thinking, not one's own false thinking. For example, God is perfect justice and as such he can only be perfectly fair to all his creatures, all the time. Therefore, it is an incorrect emphasis if you should state emphatically that people and life are unfair to me. Don't you realize that if a person treats you unfairly, God can discipline that person and provide extra blessing for you? Applying God’s word to your pressures, difficulties and disasters is a drill practiced.
Take your choice of either tranquility or stress! As the believer applies God's word to his problems and pressures, he will possess tranquility in his soul. Tranquility means two things: complete confidence in God, and freedom from mental agitation caused by emotional sins. When the believer is controlled by such mental sins as fear, worry, anger, hatred, jealousy, bitterness, self-pity etc., he will have stress in his soul. For example, if he worries about his family problems, stress will occur. This can be illustrated with the following simple formula: (problems + mental sins = stress). Stress produces an agitation in the soul, whereas applying Bible doctrine by faith produces a phenomenal tranquility in the soul: (problems + applying Bible doctrine by faith = tranquility).
Applying Biblical promises, principles and doctrine by faith has always been a part of the believer's spiritual life. Abraham was promised a great progeny by God through his wife Sarah (Genesis 12:2, 13:6) for God certainly would not encourage Abraham to produce his progeny through adultery. At first Abraham did not have the spiritual strength to believe this promise and in discouragement assumed that his progeny would come through Eliezer (Genesis 15:2, 3). Even when Abraham was 86 years old, he still did not believe that God could manufacture a progeny through his wife, Sarah and so did produce a progeny through an Egyptian woman. The little brat Ishmael via Hagar was not to be the fulfillment of Genesis 12:2 (Genesis 16:1-3, 16).
It takes time to build up a strong faith as illustrated by Abram. The promise of a great progeny was initially given to Abram when he was still residing in his hometown, the 3rd Dynasty of Ur (Ur of the Chaldees). After leaving the 3rd Dynasty of Ur, Abram finally arrived in Canaan at the age of 75 (Genesis 12:4). Then, after arriving in Canaan, it took Abram another 24 more years to accumulate enough Bible doctrine in his soul to develop a faith strong enough to believe that he would have a son through Sarah. “And so not becoming weak in that faith, he completely understood his own body which had become [sexually] dead when he was approximately one hundred years old likewise, he completely understood the deadness of Sarah's womb [passed menopause]. He [Abraham] staggered not at the promises of God through unbelief but was strong in faith giving glory to God and being fully persuaded that what God had promised [a son through Sarah], God is able also to perform.” (Romans 4:19-21) You see, as Abraham learned more and more about God, his confidence in God increased. Romans 10:17 states, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” The believer listens to the Word of God today, and a little faith is developed. Then he listens tomorrow, and a little more faith is developed, and then the following day, and he continues to do so for his entire life. In this way his faith becomes stronger and stronger.
This stage-by-stage development of faith is illustrated by one of the Hebrew words for faith, qawah. This was the word used to describe the binding process which would produce a strong rope and is used to illustrate the strong faith of the mature believer waiting on the Lord (Isaiah 40:31). In order to make a strong unbreakable rope, one would begin with a single strand of thread which in itself would be very weak. However, when this single strand is twisted around a second strand and then around another and another, a strong rope is developed. The principle is as follows: As more and more strands are twisted together, the stronger the rope becomes. This process involved in making a strong rope depicts how faith is developed in stages. The first strand of faith is extremely weak. However, as the believer twists more and more strands of faith together, he will eventually have a strong faith. As baby believers, our faith is like a single fine thread with little strength. However, as the believer learns more and more doctrine and gains experience in applying his faith to pressure situations, he develops a strong, ropelike faith. At that point he will be able to walk by faith with great strength (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Before the Church Age, the spiritual life of the believer emphasized living one’s life by faith. For example, the Jews of the Exodus generation were taught how to walk by faith while they were still in Egypt. In Egypt, they were all taught about the promise which God made to Abraham namely that God would give the Jewish people a country of their own, a prosperous land “flowing with milk and honey”. So, when Joseph was dying, he made his brethren swear to take his bones out of Egypt and bury them in the promise land (Genesis 50:25). So, Joseph’s bones remained unburied, which meant that the Jewish families living in Egypt would pass by the vault of Joseph, and the Father would have the opportunity to teach his children not only teach about the integrity of God via God’s promise of a land of Milk and Honey, but also why Joseph refused to be buried in Egypt. In this way they learned to trust in the Lord. Moreover, they were taught that their spiritual life was to trust in the promises of God just as Joseph believed the promises of God. Thus, the Jews had a spiritual life before they crossed the Red Sea, before they received the Mosaic Law (the Mosaic Law taught about the cross, about confession of sins and many things related to establishment, but it didn't teach the spiritual life). The spiritual life of these believers was living their life by faith in God’s promises, principles, and doctrines.
Faith Testing:
When God gives a spiritual life to the believer, He is going to continuously test that believer’s spiritual strength. Therefore, the Jews were tested regarding their spiritual life as they were leaving Egypt. As the pillar of fire by night and the cloud by day, God the Son, the only manifest person of the Trinity, led them deliberately into a trap. He led them into a cul-de-sac at the Red Sea. There were mountains to the north and south and the Sea was to their front. Suddenly, behind this great multitude of Jews, arose a great cloud of dust. Pharaoh Amenhotep II was leading the greatest military force in the world at that time. Facing this great military force was over a million untrained Jewish slaves. The only Jewish people with any military training were Moses and possibly Joshua and Caleb. This was a hopeless situation from the human viewpoint. However, nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37). As a matter of fact, this was a test of faith because God had already promised the Jews that they would worship him at Mount Horeb. So, all, these Jewish adults needed to do was to apply what they already were taught. If they had done this, they would have passed the test. Now what did God already promise the Jews” Exodus 3:1, “Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the desert, and came to Horeb, the Mountain of God.” Exodus 3:12, “And He said, certainly I [God] will be with you [Moses], and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain [Mount Horeb and Mount Sinai being the same].”
Although there were more than one million Jewish adults, only Moses had the spiritual strength to apply this promise to this hopeless situation. While those Jews were immersed in fear and screaming about dying, Moses said, “Do not fear. Stand still and watch the deliverance of the Lord. The Lord will fight for you today” (Exodus 14:13). The Jews should have passed this test, but they kept concentrating on the problem - namely the advancing Egyptian military, rather than the solution - trusting in God’s promises. Initially, Moses concentrated on the advancing Egyptians in order to understand the situation, but when he realized that their situation was militarily hopeless, he concentrated on a divine solution, a solution based on his confidence in God and the promise which God had given him. So, he walked by faith and remained very calm in this tense situation.
Principles of Fear and Stress:
“As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and there were the Egyptians marching after them. They were terrified and screamed to the Lord.” (Exodus 14:10). The Jews used faith in salvation; now they needed to apply the promises of God by faith to this pressure situation at the Red Sea. If one does not use faith for salvation, it is hopeless, so also if one does not use faith in the spiritual life, it is hopeless. Colossians 2:6 states, “Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus your Lord [a metaphor for believing in Jesus Christ as one’s savior], so be walking in him [the spiritual life after salvation]”. We used faith for salvation, now we must use faith for the spiritual life. The only difference is the object of faith. In salvation the object of faith is the Lord Jesus Christ. In the spiritual life, the object of faith is the thinking of Jesus Christ.
To the arrogant Exodus generation, security was more important than their relationship with the Lord. As a result of that generation’s emphasis on personal security, they became involved in the emotional sin of fear and irrationality. God does not answer prayer when the believer is out of fellowship and controlled by his sin nature as per Psalm 66:18, “If I regard iniquity in my heart [stream of consciousness], The Lord will not hear [will not answer my prayer].” The Jews should not have attempted to pray out of fellowship with God and in a state of emotion, the prayer of “Help! Help!” Rather, they should have prayed to the Father thanking him for this opportunity to watch the Lord’s power in delivering them at the Red Sea. Fear, however, destroyed their perspective of the situation.
Principles related to fear:
1. It is possible to learn a lot of doctrine and yet fall apart in a sudden pressure situation.
2. Sudden disaster often places the believer in a panic situation resulting in a failure to apply doctrine to that situation.
3. The courageous person is able to think under great pressure, whereas the person with fear is not able to think rationally under this same great pressure. The difference is the ability to concentrate under pressure. Now, if you have a problem concentrating in normal situations, you will surely have a problem concentrating under pressure in an abnormal situation.
4. Concentration is not only required in learning Bible doctrine, but even to a much greater extent in applying Bible doctrine. This is especially true when historical disaster occurs, because in historical disaster, a person may have several categories of pressure to deal with, namely personal, national, and sometimes even international.
5. Adversity and great pressure can easily lead to stress in the soul when truth is not applied to the situation. When a believer is under stress, he is not able to think objectively.
The Jews expressed all the above principles of fear through their rebellion against Moses in Exodus 14:11a, “They said to Moses, ‘Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?’” Now keep in mind that these Jews did not have to leave Egypt. Moses did not bind them hand and foot in order to take them out. So, why are they blaming Moses? Arrogant people never take responsibility for their decisions. Furthermore, Moses was only God's agent. It wasn't his idea to bring the Jews out of Egypt; it was the command of God. God was going to remove the Jews from Egyptian slavery in order to make them a great and special nation, the first client nation in history.
A believer without truth in his soul will become emotional under pressure like expressing cowardice and when quoting Scripture, will distort it. A coward dies many times, but a brave man dies only once. Under fear, emotion took control of these believer’s souls, and they became irrational. In their state of irrationality, they possessed a false view of their situation. Their false viewpoint was that they were already dead. The true view was that God would deliver them. Exodus 14:12, “Is this not the word which we spoke to you in Egypt? Let us alone that we may be slaves to the Egyptians because it is good for us to be slaves to the Egyptians rather than to die in the desert.” Initially, when the Jews heard that God was going to remove them from slavery, they welcomed the idea: “And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.” (Exodus 4:31). However, once the Egyptians started to give them a hard time, they changed their minds about going: “And they said, may the Lord look upon you and judge you [Moses and Aaron]! You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.” (Exodus 5:21)
Even with the continued assurance of the Lord, the Israelites refused to humble themselves to God’s purpose. “And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’ Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.” (Exodus 6:8, 9)
Principles related to stress:
1. Adversity is outside pressure of life; stress is inside pressure of the soul.
2. Stress is caused by oneself; adversity is caused by other people and outside circumstances.
3. Adversity is inevitable; stress is optional.
4. Stress destroys the spiritual life of the believer. Therefore, the believer must name the sin which caused the stress to God the Father as soon as possible.
5. There is a definite relationship between stress and cognition, namely stress lowers cognition.
6. Stress makes a person forgetful and impairs the memory in regards to acquiring new knowledge. Therefore, stress impairs the ability to learn.
7. Stress affects a person's perception of reality. At the Red Sea the Jews with stress in their souls considered themselves already dead.
8. If a person remains in a stress situation too long, all his cognitive ability will be destroyed, and he will enter into a psychotic state.
People controlled by emotion and possessing false priorities easily succumb to fear when pressure occurs. If the Faith-rest drill or some other problem-solving device is not used when a person faces difficult problems or pressures, the believer will easily enter into a state of fear. In a state of fear and stress, he cannot solve his problems rationally. Only the stable Christian with doctrine in his soul can handle the pressures of life and glorify God.
Strength in Faith, Weakness in Emotion:
Now, after God had delivered the Jews, they sang beautifully praising him for their deliverance, but singing does not imply spiritual strength. These believers were not praising and singing because they respected and loved God. They were expressing their appreciation to God for delivering them. Their appreciation was based on their emotional relief from being delivered, not on their appreciation of the Lord. To these Jews the most important priority in their life was their safety, not a harmonious relationship with God. Praising God and singing hymns has meaning if one has a close relationship with God based on knowledge. However, if the believer is ignorant of God and His plan, his relationship with God will be related to emotion. An emotional relationship has no strength!
One can relate to a hymn cognitively or emotionally or both since a hymn contains both lyrics and melody. The purpose of the lyrics is to stimulate thought whereas the purpose of the melody is to stimulate one’s emotion pleasurably. If the believer understands and appreciates the lyrics of a hymn only then can he benefit from his singing and at the same time enjoy the melody. However, if the believer does not understand and appreciate the lyrics of a good hymn, his singing has no spiritual value and becomes a meaningless emotional activity related only to the melody. “The Lord is my strength and song, and he has become my deliverance. This is my God, and I will praise him. My father's God; I will extol him.” (Ex. 15:2). “The chiefs of Edom were dismayed; the leaders of Moab, trembling grips them; all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.” (Ex. 15:15)
Three days after the Jews sang ‘the Lord is my strength’, they demonstrated that they had no spiritual strength at all for they immediately began complaining under the pressure of a simple test. Then one year later after singing about how confident they would be in combat, and how fearful the Edomites, Moabites and the inhabitants of Canaan would be of them, the Jewish army refused to enter the land and wept all night in their fear of the Canaanites! So, the Edomites, Moabites and the inhabitants of Canaan didn't need to worry about that generation of Jews for those men were too cowardly to fight their way into the land (Numbers 14:1-11). You see, a believer can sing and praise God until he passes out from exhaustion, but all of this is meaningless unless that believer has strength in his soul from knowledge of God and a continuous fellowship with Him. These Jews produced sinful emotion on one side of the Red Sea and non-sinful emotion on the other side of the Sea. They swung from one end of the emotional spectrum (fear) to the other end (relief from being delivered). Only Moses had divine thought in his soul and true capacity to handle all situations in life. So, when he sang, it had meaning. For the rest of the Jews singing was meaningless, because every time they [with exception of Joshua and Caleb] had a pressure situation they would worry and fear about their safety and never even once considered God’s provision and plan for their lives. So, they continued to complain and complain until they died in the desert because the majority of these Jews never learned to apply the Word of God by faith to their experience.
“For we also have been evangelized as they had been [the Jews of the Exodus generation were believers], but the word they heard [after salvation] did not profit them, because those who heard it did not mix it [knowledge of the Word] with faith [failure in faith-perception]. For we who have believed [faith-perception and application regarding the promises, principles and doctrines of God’s word] enter into the rest [of contentment and tranquility from trusting in God].” (Heb. 4:2, 3)
1 Corinthians 2:6
Yet, we do communicate [Paul’s teaching] wisdom among those who are mature [argues for the effective witnessing based on spiritual growth] a wisdom however not of this age nor the rulers of this age [world] who are fading out [sic transit gloria mundi: Human greatness, achievement, and success fades and disappears. There is nothing more unstable than the standards for achievement etc. What people think is not important; only what God thinks is important.]
Σοφίαν δὲ λαλοῦµεν ἐν τοῖς τελείοις, σοφίαν δὲ οὐ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου οὐδὲ τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου τῶν καταργουµένων·
Proper Evangelism:
1. Give the unbeliever information pertinent to salvation and stay on the subject. Avoid false issues such as legalism, salvation by change of behavior, feeling sorry for sins, joining the church, etc.
2. Never put the cart before the horse. Do not try to get the unbeliever to live the Christian way life. The issue is not living the Christian life, the issue is “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved,” Acts 16:31; John 3:36.
3. Be sure to declare the good news [the gospel], and in the good news do not confuse it with the issue of sin for that has been removed. Only emphasize the person of Christ and His work on the cross. However, after explaining the good news, you may state what will happen if the unbeliever should reject the good news.
4. Do not add to the gospel. Nothing is accomplished by getting a person to give up his sins, to improve his behavioral pattern, or to feel sorry for his sins, to join a church or to walk down a church aisle.
5. Provide information and do not get in the way of the Holy Spirit with regard to the decision of faith. You can’t force the volition of any member of the human race; even God can’t do that.
6. Never ask an unbeliever for money, and avoid any kind of a gimmick that would confuse the issue like asking him to come forward or to stand up during an evangelistic appeal.
Pitfalls in our personal witnessing:
1. Avoid argumentation. You are not trying to win a debate; rather you are trying to win a soul to Jesus Christ. Hence, your job is to disseminate information rather than to argue over its validity.
2. Do not be sidetracked by false issues such as: Is the Bible the Word of God? Use the Word of God, don’t argue as to whether the Bible is valid or not. The issue as to whether the Bible is the Word of God or not is an issue for the believer but not for the unbeliever.
3. Deal with the individual alone wherever possible. Often people will give you a hearing, but they will not do so in the presence of others who might ridicule them.
4. Avoid the concept that you must speak to a certain number of individuals each day or you are not spiritual. This is a human viewpoint-pressure system.
5. Avoid bragging about witnessing.
6. Avoid judging other believers for their apparent failure to witness. This is putting your nose into the affairs of other people.
1 Corinthians 2:7
But we communicate the wisdom of God in a mystery [Church age mystery-doctrines demonstrate the wisdom of God] which has been concealed [to the Old Testament writers] which God predesigned before the ages [the dispensations] resulting in our glory [If the Christian should execute God’s plan, he will receive glory both in time and in eternity].
ἀλλὰ λαλοῦµεν θεοῦ σοφίαν ἐν µυστηρίῳ, τὴν ἀποκεκρυµµένην, ἣν προώρισεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων εἰς δόξαν ἡµῶν·
Mystery Doctrines of the Church Age:
Vocabulary based on the Ancient Cults:
The Greek word musterion is a reference to the secrets of the ancient cults. Only those who were initiated into the fraternities and sororities of these cults knew the mystery doctrines or their secrets. The mystery cults of the ancient world were all demonic. Some of the famous mystery cults included: The mystery cult of Eleusis related to the goddess Demeter (Ceres) adopted by Athens, the mystery cult of Isis, the cult of Egypt, the mystery sorority of Dionysus for women whose rites included heavy drinking, drugs, ritual shouting and ecstasies, wild frenzied dancing, lesbian homosexual perversions, and human sacrifice, the mystery cult of Mithras was for men only, worshippers of Cybele who often castrated themselves in the madness of the rites, and the Orphic mystery cult centered around the singer Orpheus. Though these cults were said to be famous, infamous would be a better word to use.
Therefore, a vocabulary was developed in the Attic Greek for these cultic functions. The Greek word museo means to be initiated into the mysteries of the fraternity or sorority. This initiation was comprised of learning through inculcation, the secrets and doctrines of the fraternity (sorority) which secret doctrines were never to be revealed to outsiders. The Greek word muste referred to those who were initiated, to those who persevered until they actually learned all the fraternity (sorority) doctrines which doctrines were called mystery (musterion in the Greek).
Paul borrows the Greek word, musterion of the ancient cults to explain the Church Age and its unique doctrines:
The word musterion came down into the Koine of the New Testament. Musterion referred to the content of the doctrine, the actual principles and points that had to be learned to understand the spiritual life of the Church Age. The apostle Paul who used this word twenty-three times in the New Testament, took this noun away from the Greek fraternities (sororities) and gave it, under the ministry of the Holy Spirit, a Biblical definition which stands in the Word of God forever.
The meaning of Mystery (musterion in the Greek) in the Church Age:
The word “mystery” (musterion in the Greek) refers to Church Age doctrines that were never revealed in Old Testament times. In the Old Testament, the Church Age with its unique spiritual assets was completely blacked-out. None of the following unique doctrines were known to the Old Testament writers of Scripture such as:
1. The five things provided by the Holy Spirit at salvation namely the Baptism of the Spirit, Regeneration, Indwelling of the Spirit, a spiritual gift, Sealing of the Spirit, and the Filling of the Spirit. Though Regeneration and Efficacious Grace are provided as well, they are not unique to the Church Age..
2. The new spiritual species of the royal family of God,
3. The unique protocol plan of God with its precisely correct procedure,
4. The equal privilege and equal opportunity of every Church Age believer to execute the protocol plan of God,
5. The portfolio of invisible assets,
6. The unique royal commissions of the royal priesthood and the royal ambassadorship,
7. The indwelling of each member of the Trinity in the body of every Church Age believer,
8. The 100% availability of divine power (the omnipotence of the Father, Son, and Spirit),
9. The dispensation of invisible heroes has personal, national, international, and angelic impact.
10. Marriage in the Church Age, which may need a little elaboration, is also part of the Mystery doctrine. No unbeliever could fulfill the phrase “as unto the Lord” as found in Ephesians 5:22 and the clause, “just as the Lord loved the Church and gave himself as a substitute for her” (5:25). As a matter of fact, only mature believers have the ability to obey these commands; growing believers should be challenged to advance to spiritual maturity in order to fulfill these mandates. Furthermore, these commands found only in Ephesians were never given to any Old Testament believer. Moses, for example, was never given the command found in Ephesians 5:25 since to execute these commands requires the power of the ‘mystery doctrines’ as found in the New Testament Epistles and the power of the Filling of the Holy Spirit. So, this passage was designed for Church Age believers only. In the Old Testament both unbeliever-marriage and believer-marriage were under the Laws of Establishment whereas in the Church Age, the Christian marriage is not only under the Laws of Establishment, but is related to the spiritual life as well. Thus, the standard of believer-marriage in the Church Age was raised to the highest possible level. This makes Christian marriage in the Church Age unique and a part of the mystery doctrines. Ephesians 5:32, “And this mystery is great, but I am speaking with reference to Christ and with reference to the Church.” The divine institution of marriage during the Church Age is far more important and has greater repercussions than any other period of human history because it is related to the mystery doctrine of the Royal Law.
The Church Age and the Mystery Doctrines are not mentioned in the Old Testament; the Church Age and these doctrines are skipped-over:
There are a number of Old Testament passages which could have mentioned the Church Age but passed over it. Between the following passages the Church Age occurred and so could have been revealed, but it was passed over in silence: Daniel 2:40-41, “Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron [the Roman Empire]; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so like iron that breaks in pieces, it [the Roman Empire] will crush and break all these in pieces. [the Church Age] (41) And in that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay [the consolidation of the Revived Roman Empire in the Tribulation].” Daniel 7:23-24, “Therefore, he said [the interpretation from the angel], ‘The fourth beast shall be a fourth empire upon earth [the Roman Empire], which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and crush it. [After speaking about the Roman Empire, Daniel skips over the Church Age and proceeds to the Tribulation.] (24) And as for the ten horns [the Revived Roman Empire], out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise: and another [a little horn, the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire] shall arise after them; and he shall be different from the previous ones [Satan’s servant, the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire] and he shall conquer three kings.”
Jesus prophesized in part regarding the Mystery-Doctrines:
John 14:20, “In that day [Pentecost] you will know [they did not understand it when Jesus taught it] that I am in My Father [identification of Jesus Christ with the essence of God], and you in Me [Baptism of the Spirit], and I in you [Indwelling of Christ in every Church Age believer].” Acts 1:5-8, “For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized by the Holy Spirit [identification with Christ in heaven] not many days from now. (6) Then, indeed, these coming together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, do You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel [His millennial reign]? (7) And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put under His own authority. (8) But you shall receive power, the Holy Spirit coming upon you [the Filling of the Holy Spirit]. And you shall be witnesses [both to unbelievers of the human race and to angels with regard to the angelic appeal trial] to Me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’”
The Mystery-doctrines for the Church Age as taught by Paul:
These mystery doctrines are now revealed, Romans 16:25-26, “Now to Him who is able to establish [stabilize] you [through the spiritual life] according to my good news and the preaching of Jesus Christ, on the basis of the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret [concealed] for long ages past [past dispensations]. (26) But now [in the Church Age] has been revealed through the prophetic Scriptures [of the New Testament] by the decree of the eternal God, having been made known to all the Gentiles, for the purpose of obedience [to the plan of God] from doctrine.” Ephesians 3:2-6, “Inasmuch as you have heard about the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for your benefit, that through revelation, the mystery doctrine was made known to me just as I have already written briefly. By reading this, you ought to be able to understand my technical knowledge about the mystery of Christ which was not made known to mankind in other ages [other dispensations], so that it has now been revealed to His holy apostles, even the prophets, by the Spirit; that Gentiles are fellow-heirs and members together of the same body and sharers together of the same promises in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.” Never before in human history has the grace policy of God promised so much for the ordinary believer, no matter how insignificant his life may be.
Pastors are mandated to teach the Mystery-doctrines:
1 Corinthians 4:1, “Let a person regard us [communicators of God’s Word] as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:7, “But we communicate God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden assets which God predestined before the ages for the purpose of our glory.” These doctrines of the Church Age will manufacture invisible heroes when Christians are willing to learn them from having correct Biblical priorities. 1 Timothy 3:9, “With a pure conscience, keep holding the mystery, even the Church Age doctrine.” Colossians 1:25-26, “Concerning which [body which is the Church] I have become a minister with reference to the dispensation from God having been given to me for my benefit [it is to the advantage of the communicator to be oriented to dispensations] for the purpose of [communicating it to] you [directional] to fulfill [every time the communicator teaches] the Word of God [Bible doctrine must be taught to the congregation in the frame work of dispensations.] (26) That is, the mystery which has been hidden from past dispensations and generations [within those dispensations], but now has been revealed to the saints [the Royal Family of God].” Since this mystery is now revealed, there is no excuse for ignorance.
So, it is the pastor’s job to inculcate the mystery-doctrines, to inculcate through repetition. Ephesians 3:9, “And to make perspicuous what is the dispensation of the mystery.”
There is a link between the great power experiment of Hypostatic Union and the great power experiment of the Church Age.
1. Colossians 2:2, “That their right lobes may be encouraged, having been held together by means of love, and resulting in all the riches from the full assurance of technical knowledge [insight] resulting in metabolized knowledge of the mystery of the God, that is, Christ [who utilized the Filling of the Spirit].” Note the linkage between the great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union and the great power experiment of the Church Age. The humanity of Christ pioneered maximum utilization of divine omnipotence inside the prototype spiritual life. We have the operational type spiritual life for the utilization of that same power. 1 Timothy 3:16, “And by consent of all, great is the mystery of the spiritual life: the unique One [Jesus Christ] who appeared in a human body was vindicated by means of the Holy Spirit; He was observed by angels; He was proclaimed among the nations; He was the object of faith in the world; He was taken up into glory [ascension and session].” Our Lord’s humanity resided inside the prototype spiritual life where He depended entirely upon the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit and metabolized doctrine. Today we have exactly what the humanity of Christ had. He functioned in the prototype; we have the operational-type. The strategic victory of our Lord during the great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union resulted in a second Christocentric dispensation: the great power experiment of the Church Age. The great power experiment of the Church Age derives its precedence from the great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union. So, the dispensation of the Hypostatic Union has two applications. First, it serves as a permanent line of demarcation between the dispensation of Israel in the Old Testament and the dispensation of the Church in the New Testament. Secondly, it also serves as a precedence for the unique spiritual life of the Church Age with its mystery doctrines.
Distinguishing between the Age of Israel and the Church:
The modus operandi of Israel is based on being a new racial species. The modus operandi of the Church is based on being a new spiritual species. Therefore, Israel did not have the 100% availability of divine power as we have nor did Israel have the indwelling of all three persons of the Trinity, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the universal priesthood of the believer, the universal royal family of God composed of all believers, the equal privilege and equal opportunity of both Jews and Gentiles, the modus operandi of the protocol plan of God, and the extremely high mandates required in Christian marriage.
Using the Mosaic Law for the spiritual life of the Church Age instead of the Mystery-Doctrines:
Throughout the Church Age, there has been the prevalence of using the Mosaic Law for the Christian way of life. The Mosaic Law became the center of attention for explaining the Christian way of life, and self-determined morality became the order of the day instead of Spirit-filled virtue. The result of morality combined with arrogance related to Sabbath observance, tithing, ritual muttering of the alleged Lord’s Prayer. All these things are not the Christian way of life. For the protocol plan of God for the Church Age derives its precedence from the great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union, not from the Old Testament and not from the Mosaic Law.
In conclusion, the dispensation of Israel provides no precedence for the Church Age. All precedence for the protocol plan of God is taken from the great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union.
“Resulting in our glory” In the eternal state, certain believers will wear a Uniform of Glory. Revelation 3:5, “Thus, the winner [he who overcomes] will be clothed in white garments [a reference to the translucent uniform of glory worn by those who hold the Order of the Morning Star]; and I will never blot out his title [of knighthood] from the book of eternal life, in fact I will acknowledge [the presentation of these winners in the court of heaven while the Tribulation is occurring on the earth] his title [of knighthood] before My Father and before His angels.”
1 Corinthians 2:8
The wisdom which none of the rulers of this age have understood for if they had known, but they did not, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory, but they did. [a contrary to fact conditional sentence]
ἣν οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἔγνωκεν, εἰ γὰρ ἔγνωσαν, οὐκ ἂν τὸν κύριον τῆς δόξης ἐσταύρωσαν.
The wisdom of God can only be known by the believer who advances in God’s plan. Since none of these rulers in Jerusalem or in Rome were believers, they did not understand this wisdom. It refers to the Roman empire represented by the governor of the Roman province of Judea, Pontius Pilate. It also represents the Jewish political leaders such as Herod the Fox, and the Jewish religious leaders represented by the Sanhedrin.
The Lord of Glory is a reference to the deity of Christ. Since deity cannot have anything to do with sin and since deity is a spirit and omnipresent, deity cannot be punished for the sins of humanity. So, this is telling us that while the humanity was paying for the penalty of the sins of the world, He was simultaneously God. Though Jesus Christ was the God-Man in hypostatic union starting at the Incarnation, only his humanity was punished for all the sins of humanity.
1 Corinthians 2:9
But just as it has been written [Isaiah 64:4; 65:17] things which the eye has not seen and the ear has not heard [empiricism as a system of perception] also the things which have not entered into the right lobe [stream of consciousness] of man [rationalism as a system of perception] all which the God has prepared for those who love him [Escrow Blessings for time and eternity].
ἀλλὰ καθὼς γέγραπται, Ἃ ὀφθαλµὸς οὐκ εἶδεν καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, ἃ ἡτοίµασεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν.
Both empiricism and rationalism as systems of perception are meritorious for this reason, God the Father did not use these systems of perception; rather he used a non-meritorious perceptive system namely faith for His plan. He used faith both in salvation and in the spiritual life. Since God provides all the merit, man has to use a non-meritorious system to appropriate what God has provided. Therefore, it is impossible for an unbeliever to understand the gospel and for the believer to understand the Word of God when he approaches on the basis of rationalism or empiricism.
1 Corinthians 2:10
But to us for our benefit, God [the Father] has revealed [his plan for the Church Age believers] through the Spirit [the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit] for the human spirit [through the Filling of the Spirit] investigates all things even the deep things from God [revealed in Scripture],
ἡµῖν δὲ ἀπεκάλυψεν ὁ θεὸς διὰ τοῦ πνεύµατος· τὸ γὰρ πνεῦµα πάντα ἐραυνᾷ, καὶ τὰ βάθη τοῦ θεοῦ.
God the Holy Spirit as our mentor is the teacher of the word of God. John 14:26, “But the Mentor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and He will cause you to remember all that I have communicated to you [since they have forgotten most of the teachings of Jesus].”
God the Holy Spirit, as the mentor, teaches the Christian, Bible doctrine. If the believer is not interested in learning God’s Word and does not give learning Biblical truths its rightful place as the number one priority in his life, then that Christian in effect has rejected the mentorship of God the Holy Spirit and will fail in his spiritual life for apart from the mentorship of God the Holy Spirit, the believer is helpless to understand and execute the protocol plan of God for the Church Age.
1 Corinthians 2:11
For what man understands [who among men has known] the things [thoughts and ideas] of man except the frame of reference of man [by building knowledge upon knowledge via his human I.Q.] which is in him [the soul with the frame of reference via human I.Q.]. So even the things [thoughts] of God no one has known except the Spirit of God [The Holy Spirit teaches our human spirit through His power and authority via the Filling of the Spirit].
τίς γὰρ οἶδεν ἀνθρώπων τὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰ µὴ τὸ πνεῦµα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ; οὕτως καὶ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐδεὶς ἔγνωκεν εἰ µὴ τὸ πνεῦµα τοῦ θεοῦ.
1 Corinthians 2:12
Now, we have not received the world’s frame of reference, but [we received] the spirit [human spirit] from the source of God in order that we may know the things [pertaining to our spiritual life] graciously given to us [freely given and undeserved] for our benefit from God.
ἡµεῖς δὲ οὐ τὸ πνεῦµα τοῦ κόσµου ἐλάβοµεν ἀλλὰ τὸ πνεῦµα τὸ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα εἰδῶµεν τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ χαρισθέντα ἡµῖν·
1 Corinthians 2:13
Which things we communicate [by categories] not by the words taught from human wisdom, but by the teachings taught by the Spirit [Holy Spirit]; we are explaining spiritual matters [bringing together spiritual truths] to spiritual apparatuses [Operation Z: to believers with a human spirit].
ἃ καὶ λαλοῦµεν οὐκ ἐν διδακτοῖς ἀνθρωπίνης σοφίας λόγοις ἀλλí ἐν διδακτοῖς πνεύµατος, πνευµατικοῖς πνευµατικὰ συγκρίνοντες.
At the moment you believed in Jesus Christ, God the Holy Spirit created a human spirit in which God the Father immediately imputed eternal life. This is called being born again. You were born the first time when human life was placed in your soul; you were born a second time when eternal life was imputed to your human spirit.
Human I.Q. is a genetic factor related to your biological life. Though the mentality of the soul works through the human brain in which is your human I. Q., human intelligence is not the basis for perception of Bible doctrine. Since the major factor in your spiritual life is cognition, metabolization, and inculcation of Bible doctrine, it is obvious that God, in providing equality, has provided an equal system. This is why you received a human spirit and the Filling of the Holy Spirit at the moment of your salvation. The Filling of the Spirit takes human I.Q. with all its inequalities and converts it into spiritual I.Q. Spiritual I.Q. then gives everyone the same equal opportunity for perception, metabolization, and application of Bible doctrine for the dynamics of the spiritual life.
1 Corinthians 2:14
But the soulish man [the unbeliever without a human spirit] does not acquire [receive] the things [the spiritual truths] from the Spirit [Holy Spirit] of God for they [spiritual truths] are absurd [senselessness] to him, and he is not able to acquire knowledge [the spiritual truths] because they [the spiritual truths] are discerned in a spiritual manner [the Holy Spirit takes the pastors accurate teaching and makes it understandable to the human spirit of believers].
ψυχικὸς δὲ ἄνθρωπος οὐ δέχεται τὰ τοῦ πνεύµατος τοῦ θεοῦ, µωρία γὰρ αὐτῷ ἐστιν, καὶ οὐ δύναται γνῶναι, ὅτι πνευµατικῶς ἀνακρίνεται·
Jude 19: These [unbeliever-apostates] are the ones who keep on causing divisions [apostates are troublemakers], soulish ones [psuchikoi] a reference to unbelievers] not possessing a [human] spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:15
But the spiritual man [the growing believer functioning under the spiritual gift of a qualified pastor] discerns [investigates] all things [including the mystery doctrines of the Word of God], but he is judicially examined by no one [the privacy of the priesthood],
ὁ δὲ πνευµατικὸς ἀνακρίνει [τὰ] πάντα, αὐτὸς δὲ ὑπí οὐδενὸς ἀνακρίνεται.
1 Corinthians 2:16
For who has known the thinking of the Lord [title for deity] that he should instruct him [no one], but we have the thinking of Christ [as found in the Bible].
τίς γὰρ ἔγνω νοῦν κυρίου, ὃς συµβιβάσει αὐτόν; ἡµεῖς δὲ νοῦν Χριστοῦ ἔχοµεν.
Apparently, many Corinthians were instructing the Lord through prayer. This is not unusual for many Christians consider the Lord as their servant rather than their being servants of the Lord. Even though we cannot know the thinking of infinite God, much less instruct Him, we can learn the thinking which He has revealed to us in the Bible.
