This page is a resource that we use for Christian bible study. We have developed some of the information on this page and we have borrowed information from other studies which are freely available. Our intent is to provide a study resource that we can access when traveling. We do not disagree with anyone's personal interpretation of scripture and our thoughts are not offered as an argument for the perspective from our understanding of this revelation. Please feel free to read or use the study material if it is of help. Thank you // JL|©
A. Considering the nature of faith
Faith is first and foremost a personal interaction between an individual and God.
God and each individual have personal ownership of this relationship.
From our understanding of this revelation, faith is also a primary building material for the local church.
Heb. 11: 1 " ... faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen "
In this verse, we prefer the literal translation used in the King James version for the Greek word "hupostasis", "substance" in place of "assurance" actually the word more literally means to "stand under" with the connotation of a supporting foundation for a building or with a little extension the meaning can be the primary essence of an object or action.
The Greek word translated here as "conviction" is "elegcho" which more literally means a "legal proof" like a property deed is the legal proof of ownership or a marriage license is the legal proof of relationship
The Greek word translated here as "things" is "pragma" the implication in the use of this word is not so much a reference to physical objects rather "a repetitive action or set of repetitive actions which maintain relationship" perhaps a good way to look at it is those activities which a couple do together repeatedly while maintaining relationship or if you prefer, the repetitive activities of legal relationship that two companies will pursue which have a shared, contractual, business relationship tracing the meaning of this word (pragma) to its root verb "prasso", we find additional clarification in that verbs definition as an action "performed repeatedly or habitually"... by extension, it is an action which is "practiced" resulting in some level of "accomplishment" ... sometimes, we also consider extension of this thread to our daily use of the English word "pragmatic" we find this scripture's focus for the use of this word, pragma, is not with reference to theoretical actions ... rather to ... practical and repeated activities. practiced endeavors, which work well based on cultural consensus, the situation and common sense.
The last word in this passage which we find interesting is the Greek word "blepo", translated here as "seen" pretty much a literal translation the interesting consideration of "blepo" is that the word is seldom, actually never, used else where in the New Testament except three times in this specific chapter of Hebrews. Paul reinforces the intended meaning of the verb by repeating its use in the third and seventh verse, note:
Heb. 11: 3 " by faith the world was created by the word of God ,,, so that what is seen (blepo) was made out of things that do not appear ".
Thus if we summarize our study so far ... what we see of creation is made from that which is not seen by the Word of God and with regard to faith faith is the "supportive foundation" for our repeated, or if you prefer practiced, actions to seek, establish, maintain and grow in a relationship with God faith is also Gods "proof" to us that is our guarantee that God reciprocates our effort to seek, establish, maintain and grow in this relationship this thread of revelation continues:
Romans 10: 17 "Faith comes from what is heard and what is heard from the Word of God"
So faith is pretty much what most people consider it to be from a starting foundation, it is for each person what he/she consider their personal faith in God to be ... in our study so far ... faith is the supporting foundation for those repetitive activities in a persons life which permit a person to seek God this is true for each of us as an individual and it also seems to be appropriate within the context of the local church faith is also Gods repetitive activity to confirm that the spiritual attributes of creation which we are not able to perceive, in the physical world, are indeed real and that God does seek reciprocal relationship with us
We seem to consistently find that complex spiritual truths, like faith, always function, practically, in complete simplicity faith has been perceived, embraced and has provided spiritual support for people across all cultures for thousands of years the intent of our study is not to make complex that which God has intentionally made simple and available to everyone rather to understand concepts of faith a little better for personal growth in our own relationship with God
Continuing this scriptural thread:
Isaiah 52: " you bear the vessel of the Lord you shall not go out in haste you shall not go in flight that which has not been told, you will see that which you have not heard, you will understand"
Jeremiah 31, 32, 33 + 34: " ... says the Lord I have loved you with an everlasting love and continue my faithfulness to you I will gather you from the farthest parts of the earth I will lead you back in a straight path on which you shall not stumble you shall be radiant over the grain, wine and oil your work shall be rewarded I make a new covenant (1) I will put my law within you (2) I will write it on your hearts (3) you shall know me (4) nothing is too hard I will reward each man according to his ways according to the work of his doings you will dwell in safety you will be my people I will be your God I will give you (1) one heart (2) one way (3) that you may revere me forever (4) for your good and the good of your children "
The scriptural thread which we are following originates in Heb. 11: 1 and finds first that faith deals with our relationship to God faith is the supportive foundation, the essence, for our personal repetitive activity to establish, maintain and grow in relationship with God ... and ... it is also Gods guarantee for reciprocation as this relationship develops
As Christians, our relationship with God is through Jesus Christ Christ is the supporting foundation (hupostasis ) of our relationship with God while it takes a while to think about this principle it is not that we have "faith in" Jesus Christ rather Jesus Christ "is our faith" in God this seems a bit semantic at first though is helpful as we continue to study this thread of revelation ...
1 Cor 1: 30 " God is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption "
Ep 1: 9 " He has made known to us in wisdom the mystery of His will according to His purpose set forth in Christ to unite all things to Him in heaven and on earth "
Weve always felt that this verse from Ephesians connects with the thread from Jeremiah 31 34 very nicely God's purpose to unit "all things" in heaven and on earth has a lot to do with our consideration that "Jesus is our faith" ... we present the concept not as a semantic argument rather we feel that there is practical value if we can come to understand a little better the meaning of pragma what ever activities we pursue as an individual, or the local church, to establish, maintain and grow in relationship with God, as Christians, the supporting foundation of that activity is Jesus Christ at this point in this study this often still seems a semantic argument to many folks that is the consideration: is our faith as Christians "in" Jesus Christ or is Jesus Christ "our" faith when we were younger we would often get stuck at points like this now we just keep going the answer which serves us best is that it is of course both and we continue with this study ...
The verse 1 Cor: 30 continues the spiritual thread to define to purpose of pragma our repetitive actions to establish, maintain and grow ... note that by grow we mean to develop our relationship with God dimensionally in many ways ... anyway these repetitive actions result in and increase wisdom by wisdom this verse is referring to a specific spiritual attribute which is termed wisdom in many bible verses if we are to maintain and continue to develop depth in our relationship with God, we require the spiritual attribute of wisdom at the risk of being far too repetitive ... as we are to grow in our relationship with God, we require increasing use-of or perhaps practice-with or perhaps amounts-of the spiritual attribute: wisdom as Christians, God has made Jesus Christ our source for spiritual wisdom (1 Cor. 1: 30) spiritual wisdom is both necessary for and fundamentally responsible for the growth of our relationship with God we will not focus on them in this study though we should also note that the outcomes of this activity (pragma) which generate spiritual wisdom include: righteousness, sanctification and redemption each pretty much a separate study on its own ...
Prov 9: 10 " reverence for the Lord is the beginning of wisdom "
Jas 1: 5 " if you lack wisdom ask God and it will be given "
Ecc 2: 26 " to those who please Him God gives wisdom knowledge and joy "
Jas 3: 13 " who is wise and understanding let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom "
Going back to that reference from Isaiah 52 " you bear the vessel of the Lord you shall not go out in haste you shall not go in flight that which has not been told, you will see that which you have not heard, you will understand " perhaps the vessel referenced here is faith
If we consider that faith is a spiritual vessel which we bear in our on-going activities to establish, maintain and grow (develop) our relationship with God one thought is that most vessels are utilitarian in nature, they are meant to hold, that is contain, something composition, form, capacity and fullness are all considerations which define the usefulness of a vessel e.g., the composition of a vessel is important because vessels of porous composition may make good containers for dry goods (grain) but perhaps not such good containers for liquids (wine and oil) ... a vessels capacity is dependent on the intended use and need ... a salt shaker and a rail road box car are both important containers though of much different capacity fullness is also relative to both use and need some containers are functional only when full while other vessels are not intended to ever be full
If we are correct and faith is the vessel referenced in Isaiah 52, then our study is taking us to a consideration that Jesus Christ, in each of our lives, is a vessel with considerations of composition, form, capacity, fullness, etc. if this is true, what does this vessel, Jesus Christ, contain?
We believe that the answer, in part, is spiritual wisdom. Wisdom the spiritual attribute which "accumulates" during the dynamic activities involving faith and our relationship with God remember that our definition, for pragma, from Heb. 11: 1 includes the consideration that the repetitive actions (activities) are "practiced" and result in some level of "accomplishment" partially through our efforts and partially as Gods guarantee.
Each person and each persons vessel is unique because the relationship of each person with God is unique consequently faith as a vessel for each person contains spiritual attributes, like wisdom, in a unique way it is unique for each of us and it is also unique when considered for various time periods of our life
Wisdom, its own unique attributes, its extent and the degree of its accumulation at any give time in our life is dependent on our personal effort, that is our personal effort seek, establish, maintain and grow in our relationship with God.
Faith permits growth through our efforts and Gods guarantee the consideration of faith as a vessel permits the concept that wisdom is gained and carried that is, spiritual wisdom accumulates within our faith as our relationship with God develops dimensionally, so also does the spiritual attribute of wisdom ... faith as a vessel changes dynamically in our life as we gain more spiritual wisdom or perhaps it is not more so much as a change in quality, an interesting consideration for vessel composition - grain/wine/oil from Gods perspective, wisdom, is dependent on the choices of our free will and functions to open avenues to new depths in our relationship with Him Prov 3: 19 20 " by wisdom the Lord founded the earth by understanding established the heavens by His knowledge the deeps broke forth and the clouds drop down dew "
Perhaps we should digress to a practical perspective or if you prefer application for this principle it is sometimes difficult to perceive the sincerity of faith in an individual or group of individuals ... faith constitutes repetitive activities which for most folks are a true and sincere seeking of God and Gods will ... at other times these same actions can be an intentional or unintentional masquerade however what cannot be counterfeit is spiritual wisdom ... wisdom is the outcome of repetitive activities which are a sincere seeking of God and Gods will and of some interest spiritual wisdom has specifically defined outward signs a good tool for discerning the intent of spiritual activity within the local church one might ask, how do you discern the presence of spiritual wisdom?
Jas 3: 13 " who is wise and understanding let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom "
Jas 3: 17 " wisdom is first pure then peaceable gentle open to reason full of mercy and good fruits without uncertainty or insincerity "
Gal 5: 22 " fruit of the Spirit love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and self-control "
Prov 3: 9 " honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of your produce "
Prov 3: 13 18 " happy the man who finds wisdom who gets understanding the gain is better than silver profit better than gold more precious that jewels that mans ways will be pleasantness his paths are peace all who hold fast will be happy "
Prov 3: 21 23 " keep sound wisdom you will walk on your way securely and your foot will not stumble "
Weve been studying faith faith is pretty much what everyone thinks it is and it is also something else faith is Jesus Christ, for us, because we are Christian for us, Jesus Christ is the supporting foundation or if you prefer the essential reason that we seek God Jesus is also our guarantee, from God, that our efforts to seek, establish, maintain and grow in our relationship with Him are reciprocated as we accomplish more growth and depth in this relationship, we accumulate or grow or change the quality of the spiritual attribute - wisdom wisdom uniquely expresses itself in an individual though in specific ways God has made it possible for us to identify folks who are accumulating, that is growing, in spiritual wisdom we have conceptualized that faith is a vessel for spiritual wisdom Jesus Christ, for us as Christians, is a vessel for each of us as an individual and for our local church group Jesus is our vessel which holds spiritual attributes, like wisdom our study may reference: capacity, composition, form, and fullness now we should continue:
B. Biblical models for faith as a vessel
Noah (Gen 6 9, Heb 11; 7)
Ark of the Covenant (Ex 25; 10 22, Deut 10, 2Kings 4)
Elisha and the Widows oil (2 Kings 4; 2 7)
Jesus' miracle at Capernaum (John 2; 1 12)
C. Three people that Jesus notes in the gospels for their faith
Three individuals whom Jesus notes for their faith:
the Centurion of Mat. 8; 5-10
the Canaanite Woman of Mat. 15; 21 28
the Woman at the well of John 4; 7 - 26
Before we begin our review of these three individuals it might be good to consider a dialog that Jesus has with his disciples in Mat: 18; 1 3 concerning who will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven: " unless you turn and become like children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven who ever humbles himself like this child he/she is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven " remember Rom. 4; 13 25 tells us that the kingdom of heaven, our inheritance, purchased through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, is available now through the righteousness of faith the kingdom of heaven or if you prefer the kingdom of God is here now and available for occupancy through faith faith is both the primary "support" for our repeated, or if you prefer practiced, actions to seek, establish, maintain and grow (develop) in our relationship with God and it is also Gods "proof" that is our guarantee, of that relationship now let us review these three individuals of faith which Jesus noted
C.1. Centurion with a sick servant
We find this encounter between Jesus and the Centurion in both Matthew 8; 5 - 10 and Luke 7; 1 - 10 the story from each reference tells us that this Centurion is a man of piety who had helped the local people and had build the town's synagogue the Centurion's concern is not for himself, rather his servant
There are two statements important to our current study on faith:
Centurion says to Jesus " I am not worthy to have you come under my roof say the word "
Jesus says to the Centurion " be it done for you as you have believed "
There are two words that we find interesting:
worthy hikanos from the Greek verb hiko, to arrive, and by extension "ample in capacity or amount" or "ready as in proper season", e.g. a fruit tree blooms and then bears fruit in its proper season
done ginomai perhaps in the Greek a meaning closer to: " to come to be "
The Centurion says to Jesus: "say what must be said" and Jesus' reply: "what you can believe will be" pretty interesting when you get it down to a current day's vernacular and consider that the frame of reference is that, following the event, Jesus feels that this Centurion has more faith than anyone he has met in Israel there is something to be learned here
We've been considering a concept that faith is a vessel the Centurion has the external signs of sincere faith in God if our premise that the spiritual attribute wisdom accumulates as one practices her/his faith and there are discernable manifestations of wisdom
Jas 3; 13 " . who is wise and understanding let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom "
Jas 3; 17 " wisdom is first pure then peaceful gentle open to reason full of mercy and good fruits without uncertainty or insincerity "
In addition to the spiritual attribute wisdom, this encounter suggests that there is another dimension at which this dialog occurs the Centurion says to Jesus " say what must be said and it will be done " note that in James 3; 13 + 17 that the outward, discernable, manifestations of spiritual wisdom deal with a person's interrelationships with other people, e.g.: meek, works, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy, etc. in contrast this dialog by the Centurion is a statement of understanding he understands how this spiritual process works essentially the Centurion understands "what is important" and "what is actually going on" from God's perspective note that it is good for us all to remember that "how" spiritual principles "work" is usually pretty close to "how" everything else that we understand "works" not too unbelievable when we consider that God is present every where and is with us in all things that we do
The thread of our study deals with faith and the concept that faith is a vessel Heb 11; 1 is the scripture verse which provides a definition for faith and selected text from Isaiah 52 introduces the context in which we conceptualize faith as a vessel: " you bear the vessel of the Lord you shall not go out in haste you shall not go in flight that which has not been told, you will see that which you have not heard, you will understand " the Centurion understands something he has never heard for that matter something no one ever heard except Jesus who is the living Word of God faith as a vessel is unique for each person and uniquely different at various times in each person's life the vessel changes as the contents change the contents are spiritual attributes we have noted wisdom and in this encounter with the Centurion we can see a second spiritual attribute: understanding
Prov 2; 2 " make your ear attentive to wisdom incline your heart to understanding "
Prov 2; 3 " raise your voice for understanding seek it like silver search as for hidden treasure then you will understand reverence for the Lord and find the knowledge of God "
Prov 2; 6 - 12 " the Lord gives wisdom from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding you will understand righteousness, justice, equity and every good path for wisdom will come into your heart knowledge will be pleasant to your soul understanding will guard you "
Prov 3; 19 - 20 " by wisdom the Lord founded the earth by understanding established the heavens by His knowledge the deeps broke forth and the clouds drop down dew "
From the verse Prov 3; 19 - 20 there is a dynamic relationship between wisdom, knowledge and understanding wisdom requires our free will and desire to seek God while understanding, that is spiritual understanding, is very much available only from relationship with God we gain or if you prefer increase in wisdom via that word pragma from Heb 11; 1 knowledge of God's will and knowledge of God is like the clouds dropping down dew and the deeps (within ourselves) providing the medium which permits our perception of "what is going on" and "what is really important" from God's perspective or if you prefer understanding wisdom, knowledge and understanding are acquired and contained within our "vessel of the Lord" - that is faith the mix varies from individual to individual and over time for everyone
When Jesus says to the Centurion " what you can believe will be " the word "believe" in Greek is from the same word group which we translate as faith throughout the New Testament pisteuo = to trust or have faith, pistis = conviction or persuasion, peitho = to rely we could rephrase the words of Jesus: " what your faith can hold will be " at this point we will leave the considerations of capacity and fullness for a little bit later in the study however we should not forget the consideration that Jesus Christ is our faith Jesus is the vessel which we are considering if you consider that reference to Isaiah 52 this vessel in not a burden
In both gospel accounts, the Centurion uses the Greek word hikanos as worthy, or perhaps better to state the context as "not worthy" his "spiritual capacity" is not ready or if you prefer "the season is not correct - as in the season for a fruit tree to bear fruit or a wheat field to be ready for harvest we could consider that this is a social formality however it is Jesus who remarks on the Centurion's level of faith if that is the case then we can conclude that as our faith changes with increasing levels of wisdom, knowledge and understanding, we come to know both God and ourselves better with a better knowledge of God's will, a better understanding of what is really important and what is really going on from a spiritual perspective from God's perspective.
We find the encounter of Jesus and the Centurion from a consideration of faith is best summarized by Prov 2; 10 - 12 " wisdom will come into your heart knowledge will be pleasant to your soul understanding will guard you "
end of section C.1. on faith: Centurion with a sick servant
C.2. Jesus and the Canaanite Woman of Mat. 15; 21 - 28
Like the Centurion, this woman is not concerned for herself but another, her daughter ... an encounter, when we read it at times, that seems harsh, for certainly Jesus knows that redemption is for both Jew and Gentile ... the author of Matthew's gospel also knows this when you consider prior passages in the gospel's chronology ... there is a nice reference from Isaiah 42 in Mat 12; 21 ... "... in his name will the Gentiles hope ..." ... there is also Mat 13; 24-30, 37-43, this is the parable of the good seed ... and ... also ... Mat 13; 47-49 which is the parable of catching/sorting good and bad fish in a net ... so ... Jesus knows that redemption and salvation is available to this Gentile yet projects an overstatement from the classic Jewish perspective in his dialog with her ... interesting ... in verse 27, the woman uses the word "master" which in Greek is kurios ... a respectful term for supreme authority ... essentially for God ... it is in Jesus' reply that we see again that faith is the context which frames this woman's understanding of how spiritual processes work ... another demonstration of the dynamics in which the spiritual attributes faith and understanding can be seen in a person's life.
C.3. Jesus and the Woman at the Well of John 4; 7-26
While Jesus does not single out this woman for her faith, his dialog with her concerns faith ... it is interesting that, at this point in the gospel of John, Jesus also identifies himself as the Messiah, the Christ ...
Dialog between Jesus and this woman, again, concerns faith though it does not mention the word ... the focal point seems to be in verses 23 + 24: ... "... the hour is coming ... and ... now is ... when ... true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth ... such the Father seeks to worship Him ... God is a spirit ... those who worship Him ... must worship ... in spirit and in truth ..."
In this study on faith we have used Heb. 11; 1 as our key definition ... within that definition, the Greek word pragma permits our conceptualization that faith, as a collection of actions, is repetitive, practiced and practical in order that we might find, establish, maintain and grow in a relationship with God ... here, in verse 23 + 24, Jesus tells us that the Father is also seeking us, though the requirement is that we as individuals or a local church must find God and establish relationship in spirit and truth ... to restate this ... our relationship with God requires the practical application of spiritual tools (attributes like wisdom and knowledge) and truth (understanding) ... repetitive use of these spiritual attributes, or if you prefer - practice with them, permits us as people to meet God and for God to meet us ... pragma again seems best defined as those repetitive actions which permit two individuals to grow in relationship ... as Christians, Jesus is our Messiah/Christ ... that is ... Jesus is the vessel which permits the development of this mutual relationship between ourselves and God ...
D. Faith as the building block of the local church
The individual of faith, her/his local church and Jesus Christ, our Messiah, are all very closely linked in God's plan or if you prefer God's purpose to join that which is of heaven and that which is of earth ...
Ep 1: 9 " He has made known to us in wisdom the mystery of His will according to His purpose set forth in Christ to unite all things to Him in heaven and on earth "
Col. 1; 17 - 20 ... "... in him ... all things hold together ... he is the head of the body ... the Church ... for in him ... the fullness of God is pleased to dwell ... and ... through him ... reconciles all things ... on earth ... or ... in heaven ... making peace ... by the blood of his cross ..."
Note: we feel that we should never discount God's other initiatives of faith with so many other peoples, in so many places and across uncounted years of time ... however ... we are Christian, so this study is about Jesus Christ and God's revelation which is specific to the life of Jesus and his life in us as Christians. Over the years, we have found that the same measures of true faith ( attributes of spiritual wisdom ), which have been give to us as Christians as tools for the Church, are also very good measures for the identification of true faith in God no matter how or where it manifests itself ... we feel that faith is first and foremost a personal interaction between an individual and God ... God and each individual have personal ownership of their relationship ... from our understanding of this revelation, faith is also a primary building material for the local church ... to review the measures of true faith which are actually the attributes of spiritual wisdom ...
Jas 3: 13 " who is wise and understanding let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom "
Jas 3: 17 " wisdom is first pure then peaceable gentle open to reason full of mercy and good fruits without uncertainty or insincerity "
Gal 5: 22 " fruit of the Spirit love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and self-control "
So why is faith a building block of an individual's local church ... and ... why not extend this consideration to include any given region's denomination group ... or ... an entire Christian denomination ... or ... for that matter ... why not the entire Christian church on earth ... perhaps a good question ... when we were younger - we'd often get "stuck" on points like this though now we just consider it can be all or what ever any given individual best feels represents their on-going and personal interaction with fellow Christians ... one cannot grow in spiritual wisdom without personal interaction with other Christians ... interaction with all peoples is important in an individual's life ... however ... as Christians, we need personal interaction with other Christians, for the generation of spiritual wisdom ... without spiritual wisdom a person cannot grow in her/his relationship with God ... there is dimension in all relationships ... both individuals in a relationship have responsibility for the growth and dimension of their relationship ... God does His part ... as Christians, we need to interact with each other as part of our part ... we find that pretty interesting ...
Ep. 3; 16 - 21 ... "... he may grant ... you ... to be ... strengthened with might through his spirit ... that ... Christ may dwell in your heart ... through faith ... that you ... may have power ... to comprehend ... the ... breadth ... length ... height ... and ... depth ... to know the love of Christ ... which surpasses knowledge ... that you may be filled ... with all the fullness of God ... "
We could digress on fullness at this point though feel it is better to note that we have four dimensions in this image from Ephesians chapter 3 ... breadth, length, height and depth ... if we return to our consideration that faith is a vessel ... then ... in addition to attributes like: composition, capacity and fullness ... we need to consider what constitutes the fourth dimension of a vessel ... or ... at least for our image that faith is a vessel ... remember ... our study developed this concept and extends it to suggest that Jesus Christ is actually our faith ... why is it necessary to consider that our faith "is Jesus" rather than "in Jesus" ... perhaps we can begin to find an answer:
Ep. 1; 22 - 23 ... "... he (God) has put ... all things ... under his (Jesus Christ's) feet ... and has ... made him (or if you prefer: given him) ... head ... over all things ... for (or if you refer: to) ... the Church ... which is his body ... the fullness of him ... who fills ... all ... in all ..."
The local church is the body of Jesus Christ ... our consideration that Jesus Christ is the "vessel of the Lord" ... now ... extends to the local church ... the local church is the vessel in which we accumulate the spiritual attributes which are necessary of our personal growth in relationship with God ... so far we have encountered four spiritual attributes associated with our personal relationship to God: wisdom, knowledge of God's will, knowledge of God and understanding ... we find it important to remember that it is in the experience of all people of faith that they intrinsically wish, and need, to "congregate" with others of similar faith ... while it is often difficult to conceptualize Jesus as this vessel which we have been considering with limiting characteristics like composition, capacity and fullness ... the image may now be of some use as we study how faith works as a basic building block of the local church ... the body of Christ ... we have no argument against the hierarchic organization of various Christian church groups ... we actually feel that they, pretty much, represent a healthy and active interaction of the Holy Spirit with various peoples who have slightly different perceptions of God ... the local church group becomes the primary focus in these threads of revelation as that is where the far majority of Christians are interacting with each other ... for those folks who practice their faith and Christian calling at other levels of organization, then that is where they are interacting with other Christians for growth and depth in their relationship with God ... essentially, the definition of what the "local church" is references what is "local" for each individual of faith ... it is relative ...
Col. 1; 17 - 20 ... "... in him ... all things hold together ... he is the head of the body ... the Church ... for in him ... the fullness of God is pleased to dwell ... and ... through him ... reconciles all things ... on earth ... or ... in heaven ... making peace ... by the blood of his cross ..."
Col. 2; 9 - 10 ... "... in him ... the fullness of the deity dwells ... bodily ... you ... have come to ... fullness of (or if you prefer: complete) life ... in him ... who is the head ... of all ... rule and authority (or if you prefer: principality and power)
Faith, that is the composite faith of church members, is what builds the local and extended church into the habitation of God ... we see in 1 Cor. 12: 4 - 11 that faith is the 3rd gift of the Holy Spirit ... this thread continues in Ep. 4; 11 - 16 ... "... his gifts were that some should be ... apostles ... prophets ... evangelists ... pastors ... teachers ... for ... the perfecting of the saints ... the work of the ministry ... the building up of the body of Christ ... until ... we all attain ... the ... unity of faith ... the knowledge of the Son of God ... to ... mature manhood ... to the measure of the fullness of Christ ... so that ... we may no longer be children ... carried about with every wind of doctrine ... by the cunning of men ... by their craftiness in deceit ... rather ... speaking the truth in love ... we are to ... grow up ... into him who is the head ... into Christ ... from whom ... the whole body ... joined and knit together ... is working properly ... making bodily growth ... up builds itself in love ..."
Each person, of faith, brings to the local church her/his accumulated spiritual wisdom ... and ... as each person grows in their faith within the local church, this spiritual attribute increases both for the individual and for the congregation of the local church ... we have a feeling that the other three spiritual attributes are also involved: knowledge of God's will, knowledge of God and a spiritual understanding of God's purpose ... these three accumulate ... not so much within the individual ... as ... within the body of Christ ... the local church ... the individual members of a local church benefit and grow in these attributes ... though ... the medium in which they are gained is the local church ... note that the gifts of the Spirit from 1 Cor. 12; 3 - 11 ... and ... church structure definitions from Matthew 5 and 1Cor. 12; 28 ... do not represent the management of individuals ... the manifestation of spiritual attribute wisdom within a local church group that is seeking relationship with god provides appropriate controls for the management of individuals within that local church group ... rather ... the gifts of the Spirit and church structure definition are controls for acquiring, accumulating and using these additional three spiritual attributes to grow, or perhaps a better term might be "move", closer to God both as individuals and as the local church group ... this enables ... God to move closer to us as individuals within the structure of the local church ... note a prayer of Jesus to the Father in John 17; 22 - 23 ... "... the glory which You have given me ... I have given to them .. that they may be one ... as we are one ... I in them ... and ... You in me ... that they may be made perfect in one ... so that ... the world may know ... that you have sent me ... and ... loved them ... as you have loved me ..."
This is a good time to note again that these principles are not complex ... rather ... God has made them very simple ... even the smallest children in our churches understand these principles ... we see them constantly at work in our local church groups ... the purpose of this study is to follow a thread of scripture that we might better understand and utilize these spiritual attributes in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ in our local church ... the gateway to the presence of God is the local church ... again, a simple principle perceived by almost everyone ... note this passage Heb. 10, 19 - 25 ... "... we ... have confidence to enter the sanctuary ... by the blood of Jesus ... the new and living way ... opened for us through the curtain (torn curtain of Holy-of-Holies in Lk 23; 44 - 45) ... that is His flesh (or body) ... let us draw near ... in full assurance of faith ... (1) hold fast the confession of our hope ... (2) stir one another up to love and good works ... (3) not neglecting to meet together ... (4) encouraging one another ..." ... the local church is the body of Christ ... it is the gateway to the presence of God ... it is a vessel for four spiritual attributes: wisdom, knowledge of God's will, knowledge of God and understanding ...
1 Cor. 3: 9 - 10 ... "... you are God's building ..."
Eph. 2: 2 ... "... you are built together for a habitation of God through the spirit ..."
Jude: 20 ... "... build up yourselves on your most holy faith ..."
Isaiah 28: 16 ... "... I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation ..."
1 Cor. 3: 11 ... "... no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid in Jesus Christ ..."
Colossians 2: 7 ... "... rooted and built up in Christ, established in the faith ..."
God establishes faith with each individual and then uses the composite faith of the local church group as the building blocks for His habitation on earth. We find faith linked to the Word of God:
Rom 10: 17 ... "... faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God ..."
Acts 20: 32 ... "... the Word of God's grace is building you up ..."
Heb. 11: 3 ... "... by faith the world was created by the Word of God ..."
Heb. 4: 12 ... "... living and active, the Word of God is sharper than any two edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart ..."
Isaiah 55: 11 ... "... so shall my Word be that goes forth from my mouth, it shall not return empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it ..."
John 14: 21, 23 ... "... he who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me and he who loves me will be loved by my Father and I will love him and manifest myself to him ... if a man loves me, he will keep my word and my Father will love him and We will come to him and make Our home with him ..."
John 17: 17 ... "... part of a prayer of Jesus ... sanctify them through Your truth, your Word is truth ..."
1 John 2: 5 ... "... whoever keeps His Word, in him love for God is perfected ..."
1 John 5: 1 - 5 ... "... everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God ... everyone who loves the parent loves the child ... by this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey His commandments ... this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments ... His commandments are not burdensome ... whoever is born of God overcomes the world, this is the victory which overcomes the world, our faith ... who is it who overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God ..."
Eph. 5: 25 - 27 ... "... Christ loved the church and gave himself for it that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word ... that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish ..." ... note: a link to the spiritual principle of sanctification: Word of God -to- faith -to- sanctification
E. Faith and the Kingdom of Heaven or if you prefer the Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God ... or if you prefer ... the Kingdom of Heaven ... is not just where we are or where we will be ... it is where God is and has dominion ... our free will, our faith, Jesus Christ, our engagement in and with our local Church, the personal growth we achieve in our relationship with God ... all ... represents considerations for our conceptualization of what and where and when God's kingdom is ... we like to think of the Kingdom of God (heaven) as that state of our being in which God rules ... when God is able to rule, heaven and earth are reconciled or if you prefer: united ...
Ep 1: 9 " He has made known to us in wisdom the mystery of His will according to His purpose set forth in Christ to unite all things to Him in heaven and on earth "
Col. 1; 17 - 20 ... "... in him ... all things hold together ... he is the head of the body ... the Church ... for in him ... the fullness of God is pleased to dwell ... and ... through him ... reconciles all things ... on earth ... or ... in heaven ... making peace ... by the blood of his cross ..."
Jeremiah 31, 32, 33 + 34: " says the Lord I have loved you with an everlasting love and continue my faithfulness to you I will gather you from the farthest parts of the earth I will lead you back in a straight path on which you shall not stumble you shall be radiant over the grain, wine and oil your work shall be rewarded I make a new covenant (1) I will put my law within you (2) I will write it on your hearts (3) you shall know me (4) nothing is too hard I will reward each man according to his ways according to the work of his doings you will dwell in safety you will be my people I will be your God I will give you (1) one heart (2) one way (3) that you may revere me forever (4) for your good and the good of your children "
We find this consistent with the concept that God is seeking to be closer to us as individuals: Gal. 4: 9 ... "...now that you have come to know God, or rather be known by God..." ... and ... James 4: 8 ... "... draw near to God and he will draw near to you ..."....
Ps 16; 11 ... "... show me the path of life ... in thy presence ... there is ... fullness of joy..." ... consider the harmonic-of-3: righteousness, peace and joy ...
Mark 12; 28 - 34 ... this is the dialog of Jesus with the Scribe who answers wisely in verses 33 (Deut 4; 39) and verse 34 (Hos 6; 6) ... there is only one God, we need to love God with our whole heart, understanding, soul, strength and love our neighbor as oneself, these are more than the whole of burnt offerings and sacrifice ... what we find important to this thread of inquiry, for this study, is the response of Jesus in verse 34 ... "... you are not far from the kingdom of heaven ..." ... it is obvious and it also may bear some thought ... why is this wise Scribe "not far" from the kingdom of heaven ... perhaps he is "not far" from that point of being where God could have dominion in his life ...
F. Faith and the mustard seed the meaning of covenant
We find 1Chron. 16: 4 helpful in this study as it contains a harmonic-of-3 associated which Davids renewal for tabernacle-worship in Israel: " he appointed certain Levites as ministers before the ark of the Lord, to invoke (ask), to thank and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel " ask/thank/praise grain/wine/oil
Ps 51: 10 17 " create in me a clean heart (ask//grain) put a new steadfast spirit within me (thank//wine) restore to me the joy of my salvation (praise//oil) open my lips my mouth shall show forth praise the sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit a broken and contrite heart " ... the Hebrew word in Ps 51 for "broken" is shabar, a word which might be translated more literally "to burst for forth" in a way similar to bring to birth
Mat. 17: 20 + Lk. 17; 6 " if you have faith as a grain of a mustard seed, you could say to this sycamore tree be rooted up and planted in the sea and it would obey "
Mat. 21; 21 - 22 " if you have faith and never doubt if you say to this mountain be taken up and cast into the sea it will be done what ever you ask in prayer you will receive if you have faith "
Mark 11; 22 24 " have faith in God who ever says to this mountain be taken up and cast into the sea and does not doubt in his heart but believes what he says will come to pass it will be done for him what ever you ask in prayer believe that you will receive it and you will "
The interesting thing about faith and covenant is that while faith, as a building block of the church, is intrinsic to the gateway to the kingdom of heaven ... it is in the study of covenant that we can see why ... note this passage from Isaiah 42; 6 - 9: ... "... I have called you to righteousness ... have given you as a covenant to the people ... a light to the nations ... to open eyes that are blind ... to bring out ... from prison ... those who sit in darkness ... the former things have come to pass ... new things I now declare ..." ... we are given in covenant by God ... one might ask if this passage is talking about "me" ??? ... if it is, just what is God expecting of us ??? ... we find a good start to understanding this in three passages ...
Hosea 6; 6 ..."... I desire ... steadfast love ... and ... knowledge of God ..." ...
Micah 6; 8 ..."...what does the Lord require... to do justice ... love kindness ... and ... walk humbly with God ..." ... the "love kindness" in this verse from Micah is also translated "steadfast love" ...
Isaiah 66; 1 - 2 ... "... what is the place of my rest ... he that is humble ... contrite in spirit ... and ... reveres my word ..." ...
Two Harmonics-of-3 which are insightful to this process and spiritual attributes:
| Ps 100 |
make a noise with gladness God is good
|
enter His
gates with
thanksgiving God is love |
enter his
court with
praise God is faithful |
|
Rom 12; 2
|
will of God | good | acceptable | perfect |
It is "good" when we recognize the kingdom of God, it is "acceptable" when we enter that gate and it is "perfect" (with regard to the will of God) when we become the agent of God's will ... thus this study's journey ... from a definition of faith ... to a consideration that ... faith is a vessel ... faith is a building block of the local church - the habitation of God ... that the body of Christ (e.g. the local church) is the gateway to the kingdom of God (heaven) - or if you prefer, that state of being in which God's will has dominion in our life ... and finally to covenant ... we, the local church, are given by God in covenant ... Jesus emphasized this principle when he said: Mat: 18; 1 3 concerning who will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven: " unless you turn and become like children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven who ever humbles himself like this child he/she is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven " this thread continues in many references:
Mat. 20: 26 - 28 ..."...whoever would be great among you
must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave;
even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life
as a ransom for many ..." ...
Mat. 23: 11 - 12 ..."... He who is greatest among you
shall be your servant; whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever
humbles himself will be exalted ..." ...
Mark 9: 35 ..."... If anyone would be first, he must be
the last of all and servant of all ..."...
Mark 10: 43 - 44 ..."... whoever would be great among you
must be your servant, whoever would be first among you must be slave to all
..."...
Mat 5: 34 - 37 ..."... Do not swear at all ... let what
you say be simply yes or no; anything more than this comes from evil ..."...
We often tend to think of servant and slave references within the context of we know about human relations ... and that is not incorrect ... the attributes which scripture identifies as signs of true spiritual wisdom pretty much will move the dynamics of people-interactions to a positive and supportive environment in which individuals, mutually, put the need of the local church group and its members ahead of their own ... however ... we should also not forget that within the vessel which we have conceptualized as "faith" ... spiritual attributes are accumulating in both individuals and the local church group ... it is in our consideration of multiple spiritual attributes that the power which we some time perceive begins to work ... for God's purpose ... that is ... to unite things of heaven with things on earth ... some Harmonics-of-3 which help this conceptualization:
| Joel 2; 19
|
grain | wine | oil | |
|
Deut. 11; 14
|
He will give rain for your land in its season; the early rain and the latter rain that you may gather ...
|
grain | wine | oil |
|
Deut. 11; 22 |
loving the Lord your God |
walking in all His ways |
cleaving to Him |
| Deut. 7; 12 -
13
|
God will keep His covenant which He swore to your fathers to keep ... he will
|
love you | bless you | multiply you |
|
Mat 23; 23
|
justice | mercy | faith |
| Rom 12; 2
|
will of God | good | acceptable | perfect |
|
Acts 17; 28
|
God is not far | live | move | have our being |
|
Rev 4; 9
|
glory | honor | power |
| Ecc 2; 26
|
God gives to a man that which is good
|
wisdom | knowledge | joy |
|
James 1; 4
|
perfect | complete | lacking in nothing |
| Rom 14, 17 |
The Kingdom of God does not mean food or drink but ......... in the Holy Spirit
|
righteousness | peace | joy |
|
1 Cor. 12: 4 - 6 |
varieties of gifts but the same Spirit
|
varieties of
service
but the same Lord |
varieties of
workings
but it is the same God who inspires them |
|
|
John 14: 6
|
Jesus: "I am | way | truth | life |
|
Eph 5: 9
|
Fruits of Spirit | goodness | righteousness | truth |
| Mark 4: 28
|
... the earth produces of itself | first
the blade |
then
the ear |
then
the full grain of the ear |
We do not mean to over use these fine threads of revelation ... it is just that they add so much, in many different ways and at different times, when we consider these concepts with others ... perhaps most applicable at this point in this study is:
| Rev 17; 14
|
... and those with Him (the Lord) are: | called | chosen | faithful |
We'll continue on with a few more threads of scripture related to covenant ... it is interesting to note that the kingdom of God (heaven) deals with God's dominion in our life ... perhaps ... our submission to God's will is one way to consider the kingdom though it is not submission to the commandments or laws of God so much as the incorporation of spiritual attributes into our life ... we are called ... by the Word of God ... then ... we are chosen ... very much through the action of faith ... the spiritual attributes of wisdom, knowledge of God's will, knowledge of God and understanding become living attributes within our life ... at that point ... we as individuals are a vital component of the local church and the local church itself is a vital component of God's will as it unfolds on earth ... it is at this point that we become useful to God in many different ways ... for ... uniting things of heaven and things on earth ... becoming a source of God's light which is the truth of His presence ... etc. ... these are possible because these spiritual attributes are alive within our life ...
Isaiah 28; 9 - 13 + 16 - 29 + 32; 1 - 18 ... "... to whom will he teach knowledge ... to whom ... explain the message ... it is ... precept upon precept ... line upon line ... here a little ... there a little ... I lay ... a foundation ... a stone ... a precious corner stone ... a sure foundation ... he who believes will not be in haste ... I ... make justice the line ... righteousness the plummet ... your covenant with death ... annulled ... give ear ... hear my voice ... does he who plows for sowing plow continually? ... does he continually harrow the ground? ... each will be a hiding place from the wind ... a covert from the tempest ... like streams of water in a dry place ... like the shade of a great rock in a wary land ... then ... the eyes of those who see will not be closed ... the ears of those who hear will hearken ... he who is noble devises noble things and by noble things he stands ... until ... the spirit ... poured upon us from on high ... and ... the wilderness becomes a fruitful field ... the fruitful field ... a forest ... justice will dwell in the wilderness ... righteousness will abide in the fruitful field ... the effect of righteousness will be peace ... the result of righteousness ... quietness ... and ... trust ... my people will abide in a peaceful habitation ... in secure dwellings ... and ... in quiet resting places ... "
We find folks often conceptualize these principles in many different ways ... they are certainly simple by God's design and perceived by all peoples of faith ... so ... it should not be surprising then that these spiritual attributes may express themselves in individuals and various local church groups in many different ways including social, theological and evangelical activism ... probably there is no "incorrect" way in which spiritual attributes develop and overflow in the actions of individuals and a local church, so long as you can measure the outward signs of spiritual wisdom in this activity ... we personally feel that "activisms" are healthy at least until an individual or church group may become too focused on the activity and begin to loose sight of God's will ... in such situations people become less aware of and responsive to the Holy Spirit ... and ... less appreciative of diversity ... less tolerant of differences ... when we were younger we would engage such situations ... however ... now we feel that a focus on God and God's will is paramount ... there are many well developed scriptural threads which help these situations ... one starts at:
Isaiah 43; 18 - 21 ... "... remember not the former things ... I am doing a new thing ... it springs forth ... a way in the wilderness ... rivers in the desert ... to give drink to ... the people ... I have formed for myself ... that ... they ... may declare my praise ..."
The purpose to unite ... things of heaven ... with ... things on earth ... is that ... we may declare God's praise ...
G. References:
|
Heb 11, 1 - 13, 39 |
defined as assurance (substance) |
|
1 Cor 12, 4 - 11 |
Gift of the Holy Spirit |
|
1 Cor 12, 27 - 29 Eph 4, 11 - 13 |
roles |
|
2 Cor 12, 9 - 10 |
power in weakness |
|
Eph 5, 15 - 22 |
filled with the spirit, three outward signs |
|
Eph 6, 12 - 13 |
principalities and powers |
|
Titus 1, 8 - 9 ; 3, 4 - 8 |
soundness of faith |
|
Eph 2, 8 |
saved by faith |
|
Gal 3, 23 |
freedom from law |
|
Rom 10, 17 |
faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God distinguish scriptural faith from faith in general |
|
1 Chron 17, 23 (David) Luke 1, 38 (Mary) |
"according to Thy Word" |
|
Mat 8, 5 - 10 |
centerian |
|
John 4, 7 - 26 |
woman at well |
|
Mat 15, 21 - 28 |
Cannite woman |