Tag: Life

The Power of His Resurrection

~ iolaHC ~ Leave a comment

Philippians 3:10-11 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 

‘That I may know him’ – this is life eternal (John 17:3).

‘Power of his resurrection.’ He longed for the resurrection of the body (3:11, 21; 1Cor. 15:1-58; 2Cor. 5:1-21).

‘The fellowship of his sufferings’ – Not fellowship with Him in His vicarious sufferings, but in the offence of the cross and martyrdom for truth (2Cor. 1:5-7; Col. 1:24; 1Pet. 4:13).

‘Conformable’ [Greek: summorphoo] to be formed or fashioned like. Paul wanted to know Christ and the power which was in His resurrection, and to share in His sufferings, even to die as He died.

‘Resurrection of the dead’ – This is the 3rd New Testament prophecy in Philippians (3:11) and is unfulfilled until the coming resurrections.

‘Of the dead’ [Greek: ek and nekron] out from among the dead. This means that some of the dead will be resurrected from among the rest of the dead. It refers to the resurrection of the righteous from among the wicked dead (3:21; Luke 20:35; 21:36; 1Cor. 15:23, 51-54; 1Thess. 4:13-17; Rev. 20:4-6).

The Excellency of the Knowledge of Christ Jesus

~ iolaHC ~ Leave a comment

Philippians 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ

‘Count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.’ I not only count all things a total loss to win Christ, but I depend upon Him to save my soul.

Twelve great practices of Paul as an example to other Christians: To worship God in Spirit (3:3; John 4:24). To rejoice in Christ alone (3:1, 3; 4:4). To have no confidence in the flesh (3:3-8). To count all things loss (3:7-8). To count all things but dung (3:8). To have no self-righteousness (3:9). I follow after knowledge (3:8, 12). I forget the past (3:13). I reach out for future things. I press toward the prize (3:14). I strive to be an example (3:15-19). I look for the Saviour (3:20).

‘That I may win Christ’ – Twelve great desires of Paul that should be shared by all Christians: That he may win Christ (3:8). That he may be found in Him (3:9). That he may have His righteousness. That he may know Him (3:10). That he may know His power. That he may fellowship of His sufferings. That he may be conformed to His death. That he may be in the first resurrection (3:11-12). That he may be perfect (3:12-13). That he may win the prize (3:14). That he may be one with all other believers (3:15-19). That he may be changed in the body (3:21).

Be of Good Comfort

~ iolaHC ~ Leave a comment

Philippians 2:19-25 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s. But you know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he has served with me in the gospel. Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me. But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly. Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants. 

‘Timotheus’ – this is Timothy who was converted by Paul on his first trip (Acts 14:6-7 with 1Tim. 1:2). Part Jew and Greek, uncircumcised, but a good Christian (Acts 16:1-3). A miracle worker like Paul (1Cor. 16:10). Paul’s companion from here on (2:19; Acts 16:1-3; 17:14-15; 18:5; 19:22; 20:4; Rom. 16:21; 1Cor. 4:17). On a mission (Heb. 13:23). It is believed by some that he was Paul’s scribe in writing Hebrews and Galatians. He had the gifts of the Spirit (1Tim. 4:14; 2Tim. 1:6). He was a great student of Scripture (2Tim. 1:5; 2:15; 3:15).

‘Know the proof of him’ – This known proof of Timothy is stated in Acts 16:1-3; 17:14.

‘With the father’ – Timothy worked with Paul, not for him (1Cor. 16:10).

‘How it will go with me’ – He was confident of being liberated (2:24; 1:19, 25-26).

‘My brother, and companion in labour, fellow-soldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.’ Seven facts regarding Epaphroditus: A brother in Christ (2:25); a companion in labour [Greek: sunergos] fellow-labourer in (4:3); fellow-soldier [Greek: sustratiotes]; your messenger [Greek: apostolos] apostle; Minister [Greek: leitourgos] public servant; had a physical breakdown because of overwork (2:26-30); was healed (2:27-29).

Of No Reputation Part 1

~ iolaHC ~ Leave a comment

Philippians 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men

‘Made himself of no reputation’ – The “Kenosis” of Christ: [Greek: kenoo] to empty out, drain. It is translated “make void” (Rom. 4:14; 1Cor. 9:15); “make of none effect” (1Cor. 1:17); “be in vain” (2Cor. 9:3); and “make of no reputation” (i.e., He emptied Himself; 2:7).

Of what did Christ empty Himself? It could not have been His divine nature, for He was God not only from all eternity (Mic. 5:1-2; John 1:1-2; Heb. 1:8; Rev. 1:8-11), but God manifest in flesh during His life on earth (Isa. 7:14; 9:6-7; Mat. 1:18-25; John 1:1-2, 14; 1Tim. 3:16). Christ emptied Himself of: [1] Equality with God (2:6-7; John 14:28; 1Cor. 11:3). [2] God-form or God-body, the spirit body that He lived in from eternity, to take human-form (2:6-8; 3:21; Mat. 1:18-25; Luke 1:35; 24:37-40; John 1:14; Zech. 13:6; Gal. 4:4; Rom. 8:3). [3] Immortality of body (1Cor. 15:3; Ps. 16:10; 1Pet. 2:24; 3:18). As God, He could not die for our sins or take our place as a substitute (1Cor. 15:20-22). [4] The glory that He had with the Father before the world was (2:5-11; John 12:23; 17:5; Mat. 16:27). [5] His authority in heaven and on earth, which was given back to Him after the resurrection (2:9-11; Mat. 28:18; Eph. 1:20-23; 1Pet. 3:22). [6] His divine attributes and outward powers that He had with the Father from eternity. He had no power to do miracles until He received the Holy Spirit in all fullness (John 2:11; 3:34; Isa. 11:1-2; 42:1-7; 61:1-2; Luke 3:21-22; 4:16-21; Mat. 12:28; Acts 10:38). He could do nothing of Himself in all His earthly life. He attributed all His works, doctrines, powers, etc. to the Father through the anointing of the Holy Spirit (John 8:28).

To be continued…

Salvation

~ iolaHC ~ Leave a comment

Philippians 1:18-20 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. 

‘What then?’ Paul claims here that it mattered not to him how Christ was preached, provided He was preached. The apostles were commanded to get the Word of Christ out, as long as they stayed away from fiction (1Tim. 1:4; 4:7; 2Tim. 4:4; Tit. 1:14) and focus on what He taught (Matthew chapters 5-24) and the examples that He set (1Pet. 2:21-23).

‘Pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached.’ The Jews served God with pretence, but He was still preached whether they accepted Him or not. In John 15: 22 Christ stated that if He had not come and proved to them beyond doubt that He was the Messiah they would not have had the sin of rejecting Him, but now they have no excuse for this sin. They wilfully hated both Jesus and God the Father (John 15:22-24).

‘Salvation’ [Greek: soteria] deliverance. This refers to his temporal safety and freedom from chains and imprisonment. This he expected through their prayer and the continued supply of the Holy Spirit.

‘Earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.’ He had the utmost confidence in God that he would be upheld by grace in all his trials. He was ready for either life or death, providing Christ would be magnified in the outcome.

The Furtherance of the Gospel

~ iolaHC ~ Leave a comment

Philippians 1:12-17 But I would you should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. 

‘The things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel.’ My sufferings for Christ have furthered the gospel by provoking others to zeal for Christ (1:12-19). Everything we do must further the gospel in others’ lives (Mat. 5:16; 7:12), thus must our attitude always be like Christ’s was when He chose to lay His life down (1Pet. 2:21-23) even though He did nothing to please others, only that which God commanded (John 14:10).

‘Palace’ [Greek: praitorion] is the court in Rome where Paul was tried before Caesar. Here it refers to Caesar’s palace. The apostle’s defence caused his doctrines to be known in the palace and all other places (4:22).

‘Affliction to my bonds’ – from 2Timothy 1:16 we see that others were ashamed of Paul in chains. His life had been one of suffering and labour for Christ. Now from all appearances, he was abandoned by his friends and in the hands of ruthless men. He was in prison and in chains, yet he was triumphant overall and unshaken in his faith. He felt no evil and feared no man or devil. Sin had lost its power, death its sting, the grave its victory, and hell its torments. No murmuring came from his lips or bitterness from his heart. He was a man’s man and God’s faithful servant, ready to die for the cause of Christ and the gospel.

Your Love May Abound

~ iolaHC ~ Leave a comment

Philippians 1:9-11 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That you may approve things that are excellent; that you may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. 

‘That your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment.’ Five requests for congregations in Philippi (1:9-11): Increased love in knowledge and judgment. Approval of excellent things. Sincerity to the end. Without offence till the day of Christ. Filling with fruits of righteousness.

If we want to increase our love for God, we need to study His Word to get the necessary knowledge of Him and then we will experience this knowledge when discerning between judgement for either blessing or curse when we are doers of the Word and not just hearers (Jas. 1:22-26).

‘All judgment’ [Greek: aesthesis] discernment.

‘Excellent’ [Greek: diaphero] differ. We are to test all things and disapprove of those that differ from the gospel (1Thess. 5:22).

‘Sincere’ [Greek: heilikrines] pure, uncorrupted. The word means without wax, an allusion to finishing cloth with gummy materials hiding flaws until carefully examined by looking through it in sunlight. The Greek might be translated “sun-judged.”

‘Without offence’ [Greek: aproskopos] not striking against; not stumbling; void of offence to God or man; neither stumbling nor causing others to stumble (1:10; Acts 24:16; 1Cor. 10:32; 1Pet. 1:17).

‘The day of Christ’ – In the day when Christ comes to receive saints unto Himself (1:6, 10; 2:161Cor. 1:8; 5:5; 2Cor. 1:14).

‘Fruits of righteousness’ – Fruits of that justification which comes by faith and the new creature experience (2Cor. 5:17-18; Rom. 5:1-11).

Grace Be unto You Part 1

~ iolaHC ~ Leave a comment

Philippians 1:2 Grace be unto you…

It is one of the greatest blessings that we can greet one another with, as we see Paul uses to bless his fellow believers from Philippi, but it is also the most misunderstood and overused part of the gospel blessings. Indeed, grace cannot be withheld from man because of demerit, lessened by demerit, or mixed with the law of works; but this does not prove that there are no conditions men must meet to get the benefits of grace. Not one scripture teaches unconditional grace, or that God gives grace to men who disobey the gospel. If so, then God is under obligation to save all, even sinners who disobey if He saves even one (Rom. 2:11). God is under obligation to saints only when they walk in the light and remain true to the gospel (1Jn. 1:7). He is not under obligation to sinners until they come to full obedience to the gospel. Grace teaches men to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly, righteously, and godly here and now (Tit. 2:11-12). If people do not obey its teaching grace can go no further. Anyone may: Receive grace in vain (2Cor. 6:1). Frustrate it in his life (Gal. 2:21). Fall from it (Gal. 1:6-8; 5:4). Fail of the grace of God (Heb. 12:15). Turn it into lasciviousness (Jude 1:4). Sin despite it (Rom. 6:1). Continue or discontinue in it (Acts 13:43). Minister it to others (1Pet. 4:10). Grow or not grow in it (2Pet. 3:18). Receive or reject it (John 3:16; Rev. 22:17; Heb. 12:15; Jas. 4:6).

To be continued…

Followers of God

~ iolaHC ~ Leave a comment

Ephesians 5:1-4 Be you therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also had loved us, and had given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as become saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. 

‘Followers’ [Greek: mimetes] imitators; mimic the gait, speech, accent, and manner of life of another. In 1Corinthians 4:16, Paul advises the Christians to follow or imitate him as he imitated Christ (1Cor. 11:1; 1Thess. 1:6; 2:14; Heb. 6:12; 1Pet. 3:13). Here, it means to imitate God as children do their parents; imitate His acts, words, nature, ways, graces, and Spirit.

‘Given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God.’ The twofold sacrifice of Christ: As an offering; the same as in Leviticus 2:1 to show gratitude for temporal blessings received. As a sacrifice for sin (Matt. 26:28; 1Pet. 2:24); the same as in Leviticus 1:9; 3:16.

‘Sweetsmelling savour’ – An aroma of a sweet smell to God. That is, God was well pleased with the offering and sacrifice of Christ because it made possible the redemption of His fallen creation (Rom. 8:18-24).

‘But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as become saints.’ Six forbidden things to saints (5:5-6): [1] Fornication (Matt. 5:32; 19:9; 1Cor. 7:2; 10:8; 1Thess. 4:3; Rev. 9:21); [2] Uncleanness (Rom. 1:21-32; 6:19; 2Cor. 12:21; Gal. 5:19); [3] Covetousness (Matt. 6:19-21; Luke 12:15; Rom. 13:9; Heb. 13:5; 1Jn. 2:15-17); [4] Filthiness [Greek: aischrotes] meaning ugliness, baseness, vileness, shame, infamy; [5] Foolish talking [Greek: morologia] speaking foolishly; idle, stupid talk; [6] Jesting [Greek: eutrapelia] ribaldry; indecency sugar-coated-in mirth to make it more corrupting; coarse jesting; obscene and offensive conversation.

Putting Away

~ iolaHC ~ Leave a comment

Ephesians 4:25-30 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be you angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needed. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption. 

‘Putting away’ [Greek: apotithemi] the aorist participle has the sense of “having put away.” We have to be done with the noted sins to be Christians as commanded in Romans 6, 1Peter 2:21-23 and 1 John 3.

‘Lying’ [Greek: to pseudos] the lie. It is the lie that is put away. This has to do with putting away satan who is the father of the lie (John 8:44; 2Thess. 2:11). It was a common thing for the heathen teachers to declare that a lie is better than the truth when it is profitable and less hurtful. Having been brought up in such a loose system of morality, these converts needed this admonition. Part of this verse is quoted from Zechariah 8:16.

‘Angry’ [Greek: orgizo] to make angry, provoke to anger, irritate (4:26; Matt. 5:22; 18:34; 22:7; Luke 14:21; 15:28; Rev. 11:18; 12:17). The reference is to being provoked to sin by satan, but one must not yield to such provoking or give place to the devil (4:26-27). The words “anger” and “angry” are used 278 times in the Bible, but only 12 times in the New Testament The faculty to be angry is God-created and perfectly sinless in itself. The misuse of it and all other faculties is what God condemns. God, Himself has been angry many times because of sin (Num. 11:1, 10, 33; 12:9; 14:11; Ps. 7:11). One must have a cause if he is to be angry (Matt. 5:22; Rom. 1:18; Jas. 1:19). God never de-humanizes or uncreates one in sanctification. Anger is allowed by the gospel (Mark 3:5), but not sin because of it.

‘Corrupt’ [Greek: sapros] useless, putrid, obscene (Matt. 7:17-18; 12:33; 13:48; Luke 6:43).

‘Grieve not the holy Spirit of God.’ Grieve not by doing any of these forbidden things of Ephesians 4:17-5:18.

‘Sealed unto the day of redemption’ – Sealed: For security (Matt. 27:66; Rev. 20:3). To hide, as the contents of a letter (Rev. 10:4; 22:10; cp. Deut. 32:34). To confirm or approve by testimony (John 3:33; 6:27; Rom. 15:28). To confirm ownership (1:13; 4:30; 2Cor. 1:22; Rev. 7:3-8). The Holy Spirit of adoption is given to everyone who repents (1:13; 4:30; Rom. 8:9, 14-16; 2Cor. 1:22) and he who has this Spirit has God’s seal that he belongs to the heavenly family.