Fear Not, 46

~ Christians Can Know God’s Peace, 2 ~

God does not want His children living in fear.  “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:2-3).

“Fear not,” or its equivalent, is recorded many times in Scripture—ALN will post one “fear not” each week during this calendar year.

This Week’s Verse  ~  Jesus said, “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12:4-7).

The Foundation Of Peace  ~  “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid” (Psalm 27:1).

The Solution If You Lack Peace  ~  “Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble” (Psalm 119:165).  “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You” (Isaiah 26:3).  “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Summary  ~  “No Christ = No Peace” versus “Know Christ = Know Peace”

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

3 Witnesses—Earth, 3of3

~ A Trinity On Earth—The Blood ~

There are three Witnesses on Earth (a second “Trinity” in this passage—the first being the Trinity in Heaven—see 1 John 5:6-13).

The Scripture  ~  “Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?  This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood.  And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.  For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.  And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one” (1 John 5:5-8).

The Third Witness On Earth Is The Blood  ~  “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22).  Without the shedding of innocent blood there is no atonement or salvation.  We know that in the New Covenant the blood of Jesus Christ—the only sinless perfect life—there can be no permanent forgiveness of sin. 

This aspect of salvation has to do with the expiation / propitiation aspects of salvation.  It relates to the judicial aspect of salvation where God The Father can accept the death of an innocent One as payment for our sin.  The washing with water related to the man-ward side of salvation and the blood relates to the Godward side of salvation. 

additional comment  ~  We see the water and the blood at the Cross of Calvary.  “Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.  Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him.  But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.  But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.  And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.  For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, ‘Not one of His bones shall be broken.’  And again another Scripture says, ‘They shall look on Him whom they pierced’” (John 19:31-37).

concluding thought  ~  In the first trinity presented by the Apostle John in this chapter we find the God head—all three members of the trinity in heaven.  In this second trinity John presents a trinity on earth which includes the Spirit of God, the Word of God, and Jesus Christ’s blood shed on the Cross of Calvary. 

Notice that God, The Father, never came to earth directly.  He sent His Word, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Spirit of God to earth.  In the First Covenant God’s Spirit was poured out on individuals at various times.  Later Jesus Christ came to earth by water and by blood.  Since that time the Spirit of God has been on earth dwelling in believers and exercising a restraining force on evil.  These three witnesses are united in testimony—a trinity affirming the same truths.

additional comment  ~  You may also be interested in two related topics:

The three part ALN post about the “3 Witnesses—Heaven” (October 27-28-29, 2015).

The three part ALN post “3 Tests” of 1 John (see January 20-21-22, 2015).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

3 Witnesses—Earth, 2of3

~ A Trinity On Earth—The Water ~

There are three Witnesses on Earth (a second “Trinity” in this passage—the first being the Trinity in Heaven—see 1 John 5:6-13).

The Scripture  ~  “Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?  This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood.  And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.  For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.  And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one” (1 John 5:5-8).

introductory comment  ~  There have been more than half a dozen reasonable interpretations of what the water is in this passage.  What is presented below in my opinion represents the best of the interpretations when the context of 1 John and the whole of Scripture is kept in the forefront. 

The Second Witness On Earth Is The Water  ~  Water has to do with the cleansing aspect of salvation, the morality aspect and the man-ward side of Christian life and our salvation.  The Psalmist understood the cleansing power of the Word of God.  “Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). 

Remember Jesus’ words to the Samaritan woman, “Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.  But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life’” (John 4:13-14).  The Word of God washes and cleanses us.  “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27). 

It is an inward washing that occurs by the Word of God.  “Peter said to Jesus, ‘You shall never wash my feet!’  Jesus answered him, ‘If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.’  Simon Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!’  Jesus said to him, ‘He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you [not everyone in the group He was talking to].’  For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, ‘You are not all clean.’ (John 13:8-11).

the bottom line  ~  The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to open the tap of the Water of Life to those who accept salvation through Jesus Christ. 

additional comment  ~  You may also be interested in two related topics:

The three part ALN post about the “3 Witnesses—Heaven” (October 27-28-29, 2015).

The three part ALN post “3 Tests” of 1 John (see January 20-21-22, 2015).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .