“Bearing the Image of Christ” Pressing on to maturity
1 Cor.15:47-58
A Current Event: There are those who have Rapture anxiety and they blame us who talk about it. Let me say we who believe in the Rapture did not invent the Rapture it is a Bible Doctrine, a God ordained event, 1 Thess. 4:13-17. Praise the Lord for those who talk about the Rapture and if you have anxiety about the Rapture seek the LORD through the Gospel for He is coming to catch away those who have believed in Him. Don’t miss the rapture!
Paul seems to have always spoke from what we have or from what we are in Christ, to encourage the believer to press on following Christ, e.g. Php 2:1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Php 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Php 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Php 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
How are the words used? “If” = assumes the condition to be true – “consolation” = being persuaded by Christ – being persuades by what we find in Jesus Christ.
“comfort of love” - ”comfort” the grounds of appeal to you in Christ,[ 1 Cor. 1:10 and Eph 4:1] “love’ = agape: If you go to 1 Cor. 13 the word “charity” is the Greek word “agape”. His love for us is the highest expression of love.
“if any fellowship of the Spirit” = Obedience to the Spirit = being led of the Spirit, Romans 8:14, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. The word “sons” is the word “hwee-os” not the word “Teknon” [The difference is seen in our study that included the younger son in Luke 15]. We will come back to the difference of then two words later in this study.
“if any bowels of mercies” “bowels” = inward felling of tender love and care. It is a word that shows the depts of the tender mercies that Christ has for us. Php 1:8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
Psa_25:6 Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.
Psa_40:11 Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
Psa_51:1 . Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Psa_69:16 Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.
Psa_103:4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
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Lam 3:22 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
Lam 3:23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
We will bear the image of the heavenly but to what extent is the question that will be answered at the JSOC. It is time that we reach a right conclusion now, to avoid a negative time at the JSOC : There is no way that we can live now unto ourselves and suddenly wake up in heaven and be a faithful Christian. 2Co_5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Who are the many sons of Hebrews 2:9 -12. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
There are two classes of Saints, not one which common theology would have you believe.
The sermon on the Mount is not to teach lost people how to be saved. If that were the case it would be teaching a works salvation and we know that is not the case. The LORD does not contradict Himself. If He promised everlasting life/eternal life by believing on Him, Joh 3:14-18 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
He would not in another place say you are saved through the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus Christ never made a promise that was not true and He never made a promise He did not keep. It is impossible for Him to lie: Heb 6:17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: Heb 6:18 That by two immutable things, [What are the two immutable things? His Promise, His Word, and His Oath both are unchangeable] in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, = [A strong reason by these two immutable things] who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope [Hope as used in the Bible is always truth or certainty, concrete] set before us:
Heb 6:19 Which we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Heb 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
The sermon on the Mount is given to the believer to tell how to live now. As James S. Hollandsworth said it is “How to prepare for the coming kingdom and to qualify for rewards in the eternal realm. Jesus is not focusing matters of soteriology but on matters of sanctification preparing to rule in His kingdom.”
We see the meaning of the word Hwee-os vs teknon
Matthew 5:9, Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Jesus used the word hwee-os for children and not the word teknon which is the normal word for children. But uses the word Hwee-os for mature sons, [which means one that is grown up or growing in Christ].
See John 1:12, But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons [teknon = a born son] of God, even to them that believe on his name: The same as found in 1 John 3:1.
The word hwee-os does not automatically mean you are an inheriting son but the context establishes the fact that it is being uses here as a mature son, one who is walking with Christ, e.g. Matthew 5:44 -45a, But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:….” The word children is hwee-os. Loving your enemies is not how you are saved but how you prepare for the JSOC.
Romans 8:16-17, The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God,. Children = teknon. There is a distinction showing two groups, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. A joint heir with Christ is conditional on suffering with Christ. There is a distinction made between all sons who are heirs of God and the sons who have gone on to maturity, Romans 8:14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. That does not refer to being saved but to be growing up to maturity. The word “sons”is the word “hwee-os”
I want to pick up here next Bible Study.
And I want to conclude with Luke 15:11-31. The word hwee-os conveys a great doctrine of eternal security, and a word of warning to the believer not to get lost in the Doctrine of Assumption. And it conveys to the believer the truth of being forgiven and restored to fellowship.
All three [3] parables: the Ninety and Nine, the Lost Coin and the parable of the Younger Son are to the saved about being restored. I want to uses the parable of the Younger Son.
1] The Younger son was a son before he left he was still a son in the pig pen. He is always called by the word hwee-os and he was still a son when he returned home. The fact he was called by the word hwee-os shows ownership, eternal security, when you are saved you are saved forever. The younger son was a son while in the pigpen.
2] The Younger son was received home by the Father and still referred to by the word hwee-os and restored to full fellowship. Just as any believer who is away from their Saviour can be restored.
3] The Older brother who was called by the word hwee-os until he refused to come in and welcome his brother home. Luk 15:28 -31 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
When the older brother refused to go in as the Father ask him the father said, Son,[the word teknon] thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. “Son” The father used the word teknon.
The sins of self-righteousness is as great as the sins of the pigpen. The younger brother came home but the older brother’s heart was far from home and he lost spiritual blessing.
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