Let My People Think

Posts tagged ‘new covenant’

Discipleship

learning

Here is one cluster of disciple qualifications, per Jesus himself:

Luke 14:26
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.

Luke 14:27
And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

Luke 14:33
So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

It’s clear that we have to fulfill ALL of the above, to be his disciple.  Trying to fulfill doesn’t count, either.  

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Difficult Questions

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Entropy (a.k.a. sin)

death

A man was not created to die.  However, through Adam sin (NOT sins plural, but sin singular) entered the world.  Through sin entered death.

God stated the man’s problem from that point on like that “to-die you-shall-die” in Hebrew (usually translated “you shall surely die”, which misses the point: death is both a process and a final destination).  So sinis the force that drives the process of destruction, corruption – i.e., death as a process, which leads to death as a finality.

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New Covenant

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Partaking of the Lord’s body

communion

Let’s look at the primary text concerning the communion / Lord’s supper / partaking of the Lord’s body:

1 Corinthians 11
29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

Let’s begin by establishing the cause-and-effect sequence, as laid out in the passage, which is as follows: people act in a certain way, the result of that is them being weak and sick, and after that the Lord teaches them something. Rather than the Lord acting a certain way, and they are weak and sick as the result.

Let’s look at the verses in sequence.

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New Covenant

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Lord’s prayer

Matthew 6:9-13
9 In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen

As with any prayer of petition, I believe that the so-called “Lord’s prayer” was also was meant to be answered, and it largely has been, on the cross.

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New Covenant

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Baptism – into what?

immersion

Let’s start off with this passage:

1 Peter 3:21
There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

I think this pretty clearly defines the baptism that saves us as the answer of good conscience toward God, and even underscores it not to be a washing. That’s the solution to successfully passing Mark 16:16 test:

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New Covenant

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Protection from persecution

hands-in-chains

Persecution and harm resulting from persecution aren’t the same thing.

Let’s consider a question that might be asked in the following format (which is fairly typical for this sort of question):

If you are a Christian in a work camp in North Korea and you read the protection scriptures it might seem that they are not true.

Here’s an analogous question:

If you are a Christian hospitalized with a life-threatening desease and you read the healing scriptures it might seem that they are not true.

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Difficult Questions

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Tithing

money

It’s very interesting to note that I never heard anyone preach this verse from Deuteronomy 14:26 (KJV): “And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household”. Ouch. Yep, that’s in the Bible all right.

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New Covenant

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Legal aspects of our position “In Christ”

courthouse

To help us make more sense of our position “in Christ”, here are some thoughts concerning its legal underpinnings.
 
First off, let’s see how you “got into” Christ.  A person gets baptized (a much more exact meaning of the word is “immersed, with lasting effects”) into Christ the moment they believe in him: 
 

Mark 16:16
16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

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New Covenant

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