Hear, Then Do

This has been a hard post to write. After writing about sharpening your sword in my last post, I realized how easy it is to get cut by that very sword. As it says in Hebrews 4:12, For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

To provide more context regarding the verse from James, here are verses 22 through 25, But become doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he looked at himself and has gone away, he immediately forgot what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of freedom, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does.

What made this post difficult to write is the fact that I have heard, read, and studied the word for most of my life, yet, when it comes to doing what it says, I too often find myself struggling like Paul as he wrote in Romans 7:15-25, For what I am working out, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want, I agree with the Law, that it is good. So now, no longer am I the one working it out, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the working out of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one working it out, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that in me evil is present—in me who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in my members, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a captive to the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.

Wretched indeed! The mirror of the word reveals the ugliness of sin, but once I walk away that image fades from memory and is replaced by one of my own imagination that doesn't look so bad to me. As James wrote, that's delusional. The key is to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, as Paul wrote in Romans 12:2. Elsewhere, Paul again references a mirror, But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. [2 Cor. 3:18] So the key is found in submission to the Holy Spirit, granting Him control of our lives. That's where transformation that leads to sanctification begins.

Sharpen Your Sword

 

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. [Ephesians 6:11-17 ESV]

When Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, his reply each time was to quote the word of God. Since Jesus is our example, we can do no better than to follow his example when confronted by the devil's temptations. But as the only offensive weapon in our armor, it's only effective if we are proficient in wielding it. Paul wrote to Timothy telling him, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." [2 Timothy 2:15 LSB] The King James Bible translates "Be diligent" as "Study". That's why getting a daily dose of God's word is so essential in equipping us to win the battle against temptation.

But it's not just the devil we war against. Our own sinful nature provides its own temptations. James reminds us that we are tempted when we are carried away and enticed by our own lusts. [James 1:14] Here is where the word of God can also help us. In Hebrews 4:12 we read, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

So listen, read, meditate, memorize, study - do anything and everything you can to take in the word of God and by that, you will be sharpening your sword.

Your Body is a Temple - Part Three

 

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV

Having established that we belong to God and that His Holy Spirit now dwells within us, we become caretakers of our temple with the responsibility to guard our temple against any and all things that would defile it. That said, I want to close the study of this scripture for now with a few other observations and scripture references.

In thinking about the role of a caretaker in guarding against things that would defile the temple, I thought that a better term might be that of a soldier. A caretaker might be armed with a mop, as in the photo from my last post, while a soldier is equipped with everything he needs to resist the enemy. Read Ephesians 6:11-18.

But how do we know when we're being tempted to allow something to enter that would desecrate our temple? We know from 1 John 3:20-21 that we have a conscience that convicts us, but usually conviction comes after the fact. We need an early warning system like the watchmen in the Old Testament who looked outside the city for any sign of an enemy. The idea of being watchful is also found in the New Testament when Jesus chided His disciples for sleeping after He had asked them to watch with Him. "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” [Matthew 26:41] I'm currently reading a book by John Owen called, "Temptation: Winning the Battle Before the War". In it, Owens makes the statement, "Our Savior prescribes two means for prevention: watch and pray."

But, you say, I've tried to be on my guard but I still get surprised by the enemy. Remember, the command to watch is accompanied by the command to pray. It's not an either/or proposition but requires both. We need to pray that our spirit is listening to the Holy Spirit who will sound a warning should temptation arise. Each letter to the seven churches in Revelation concludes with the warning to "hear what the Spirit says to the churches." But asking the Holy Spirit to speak words of warning requires that we ask in faith, as James says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." [James 1:5-8 ESV]

That reminds me of the lukewarm Christians in Laodicea who because they were neither hot nor cold were in danger of being spit out. Vigilance regarding temptation requires more than casual observance. A lukewarm attitude invites disaster. Hearing the Holy Spirit also calls for shutting out external noise that distracts us. One of my favorite Bible stories is found in 1 Kings 19:11-12 when the Lord spoke to Elijah in a whisper. In Psalm 46:10 we read, “Be still, and know that I am God", which inspired me to write the following chorus.

Be still and know that I am God, says the Word of the Lord.

And as we gather let our hearts be all in one accord.

For in the stillness we may find a place of quiet rest,

Where God's own Spirit speaks to us with words by which we're blessed.

I realize there is much more that could be said regarding these verses, but I do pray that these last three posts have been helpful, and maybe even given you a new sense of urgency regarding your own watchfulness. Watch and pray!

Your Body is a Temple - Part Two

 

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV

As this scripture states, we were bought with a price so we are no longer our own. Our body now belongs to God and the Holy Spirit occupies it. We are now what I call caretakers, tasked with the responsibility of caring for our temple in a manner that glorifies God. We must not allow anything to defile our temple.

Paul made that clear in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17. Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. The fundamental idea of being holy is separation, consecration, devotion to the service of Deity, sharing in God's purity, and abstaining from earth's defilement. What are earth's defilements? As Paul told the Colossians, put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these, the wrath of God is coming (vs. 3:5-6). John also speaks of worldly defilements in 1 John 2:16, for all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.

But let's back up and get clear on the price that God paid to purchase our bodies. When speaking to the Ephesian elders, Paul said, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." Acts 2:28 LSB

This is the first time I noticed God saying that He shed His own blood, which makes the strongest case for the deity of Jesus that I have found so far. Jesus said that He and the Father are one and this verse confirms that in the strongest possible sense.

I have at least one more post on this scripture so stay tuned for part three.

Your Body is a Temple - Part One

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV

I've recently been reading chapter 6 of 1 Corinthians for other reasons, but because my previous post was about the Holy Spirit, this seemed like an appropriate scripture for my next post. At 75, my temple has suffered abuse and is not in the shape it should be, had I taken better care of it. When we're young and active we can get by with some things that we pay for as we age, at least if we continue to subject our bodies to those abuses.

In my case, I paid with a heart attack almost two and a half years ago. I was overweight and had high cholesterol and high triglycerides. One stent later and prescription drugs for cholesterol and high blood pressure and I'm still struggling to lose weight. But I was recently introduced to books by Dr. Don Colbert on the Keto Zone Diet, and by following his plan I'm slowly starting to lose weight. He stated that gluttony was one of the biggest culprits when it comes to being overweight or obese.

I never considered myself to be a glutton but a person does not have to be one to abuse their body with food. All you have to do is follow the Standard American Diet (SAD). Isn't that an appropriate acronym? Conviction can come from the mirror, the scale, or comments from other people, however, when it comes to defiling our temple, the Holy Spirit is also ready to convict us of any and all abuses. Since these two verses are packed with a lot of things to consider, it's going to require multiple posts to cover it like it needs to be covered, hence Part One in the title.

The Dove Symbolizes the Holy Spirit

And after being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon Him, and behold, there was a voice out of the heavens saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Matthew 3:16-17 LSB

Jesus said, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak from Himself, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you." John 16:13-15 LSB

So any study of the Bible needs to include the Holy Spirit. Approaching the Bible with only human intellect will not get the job done. We read in 1 Corinthians 2:14 that the person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

It's as simple as asking. Jesus said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8 NIV

Bible Study with Phil

I created this blog to share things I've learned from studying the Bible. I have no credentials from a seminary or Bible college, but I do have the most important person one can have as a teacher in the Holy Spirit. I don't have a preferred translation since each one has its own strengths and weaknesses. I prefer comparing them and that's where the e-Sword program shines. In addition to multiple translations, it has commentaries, dictionaries, and a place to take notes that are linked to a specific verse. This site is new so it's a work in progress as I learn how to use Google Sites.