Peter said that he would repeat the important concepts of Scripture over and over until he died. Repetition can be monotonous, but it is also essential to firmly establish key points that must be remembered.
The most important discovery I have ever made, is how big God is, and how small we are. This concept is the coat-hook on which are hung all thestudies I have done. Because God is all-powerful, and in absolute control of everything, anything we learn about Him must place Him at the core of all divine operations, and in the spotlight of all human attentions. Any view or doctrine or practice that does not point to, or lead to, God...is not from God. We must remember that it's all about Him.
This means that believers must understand God's infinite power...and know this: meeting His standards requires us to access this power. Whether it is through these blogs, or the books at this website, or your own study from other sources, my prayer is that you are beginning to grasp the ways God has given us to function in our humanity, while achieving through His divinity...which is exactly what Jesus did.
Now...about the kingdom. The phrase, "kingdom of God" (or "heaven" or "Christ", etc.) can be interpreted many ways, as we are discovering in our studies for Book 7. One of the ways it can be envisaged is as the place of power. We have seen the phrase "inherit the kingdom" in our studies, and know that interpretations and applications vary. We will depart from all of these, and derive from the terms "inherit' and "kingdom" an application we have not seen in Christian literature. Generally, "inherit the kingdom" has been seen as "getting the benefits of heaven", either in the Millennial Kingdom, or in heaven itself.
I have another view of this phrase, as it appears in the original Greek language. "Inherit" means to possess, obtain or acquire. "Kingdom" means dominion of authority, or rulership. "Inherit the kingdom" means to acquire the rulership or power of something. We recall from previous studies the distinction between control of the sinful nature and that of the Holy Spirit. One or the other of these is in charge at any given time. To get the control of the Spirit, we must confess our sins. To keep it, we must study and grow to maturity in order to "walk by faith", which will enable us to "walk in the Spirit". If this is unfamiliar to you, read previous blogs or the books on this website, where these concepts are repeated ad infinitum.
Here is the point: The kingdom is power; inheriting is accessing that power. Inheriting the kingdom is acquiring the power of the Holy Spirit for Christian living. As per 1 Cor. 6:9-11, no person "in sin" can inherit (or obtain) this power. The sins must be removed. 1 Jn. 1:9 tells us that a believer's sins are forgiven by confessing them. Jesus said the "kingdom is within you", and Paul said "the kingdom is not a matter of talk, but of power". This is the power of the Holy Spirit, Who is within us, a power we acquire when we, as believers, are cleansed daily by acknowledging our sins to God. To enter the kingdom, we must be pure.
We will provide references and proof texts for this concept in the studies on morality (Book 7). These will show that "seeking first the kingdom of God" to have "all these things added" means we must stay in fellowship. This is the kingdom as it applies to us presenty while we are housed in these bodies. There is a sense in which we enter the kingdom for all eternity when we become believers, but we are referring currently to "inheriting the kingdom" during our Christian lives on earth.
Sin keeps us out of the kingdom, neutralizes the power of the Holy Spirit, and cuts off the supply line for "all things". When we seek the kingdom, we need look no further than the temple within us, and use the "keys" of confession and faith to enter and remain in His kingdom.
The most important discovery I have ever made, is how big God is, and how small we are. This concept is the coat-hook on which are hung all thestudies I have done. Because God is all-powerful, and in absolute control of everything, anything we learn about Him must place Him at the core of all divine operations, and in the spotlight of all human attentions. Any view or doctrine or practice that does not point to, or lead to, God...is not from God. We must remember that it's all about Him.
This means that believers must understand God's infinite power...and know this: meeting His standards requires us to access this power. Whether it is through these blogs, or the books at this website, or your own study from other sources, my prayer is that you are beginning to grasp the ways God has given us to function in our humanity, while achieving through His divinity...which is exactly what Jesus did.
Now...about the kingdom. The phrase, "kingdom of God" (or "heaven" or "Christ", etc.) can be interpreted many ways, as we are discovering in our studies for Book 7. One of the ways it can be envisaged is as the place of power. We have seen the phrase "inherit the kingdom" in our studies, and know that interpretations and applications vary. We will depart from all of these, and derive from the terms "inherit' and "kingdom" an application we have not seen in Christian literature. Generally, "inherit the kingdom" has been seen as "getting the benefits of heaven", either in the Millennial Kingdom, or in heaven itself.
I have another view of this phrase, as it appears in the original Greek language. "Inherit" means to possess, obtain or acquire. "Kingdom" means dominion of authority, or rulership. "Inherit the kingdom" means to acquire the rulership or power of something. We recall from previous studies the distinction between control of the sinful nature and that of the Holy Spirit. One or the other of these is in charge at any given time. To get the control of the Spirit, we must confess our sins. To keep it, we must study and grow to maturity in order to "walk by faith", which will enable us to "walk in the Spirit". If this is unfamiliar to you, read previous blogs or the books on this website, where these concepts are repeated ad infinitum.
Here is the point: The kingdom is power; inheriting is accessing that power. Inheriting the kingdom is acquiring the power of the Holy Spirit for Christian living. As per 1 Cor. 6:9-11, no person "in sin" can inherit (or obtain) this power. The sins must be removed. 1 Jn. 1:9 tells us that a believer's sins are forgiven by confessing them. Jesus said the "kingdom is within you", and Paul said "the kingdom is not a matter of talk, but of power". This is the power of the Holy Spirit, Who is within us, a power we acquire when we, as believers, are cleansed daily by acknowledging our sins to God. To enter the kingdom, we must be pure.
We will provide references and proof texts for this concept in the studies on morality (Book 7). These will show that "seeking first the kingdom of God" to have "all these things added" means we must stay in fellowship. This is the kingdom as it applies to us presenty while we are housed in these bodies. There is a sense in which we enter the kingdom for all eternity when we become believers, but we are referring currently to "inheriting the kingdom" during our Christian lives on earth.
Sin keeps us out of the kingdom, neutralizes the power of the Holy Spirit, and cuts off the supply line for "all things". When we seek the kingdom, we need look no further than the temple within us, and use the "keys" of confession and faith to enter and remain in His kingdom.
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