Loving the Loving God

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 “Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the LORD’S commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?

The Greatest Commandment: Love the Lord your God
As Moses preaches his final set of messages to the generation of Israelites who are poised to enter into the promised land, he is urging them throughout His messages to Love the Lord their God.  In Deuteronomy 6:4-5 we see this command to love God being most clearly articulated, with Jesus in Mark 12:30-31 defining it as the greatest commandment.  Other places throughout Deuteronomy reinforce the greatest commandment and most important priority of the believer: love the Lord your God. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; 7:7-9; 7:12-13; 10:12,15; 11:1,13, 22; 13:3; 19:9; 23:5; 30:6,16,20). 

So then with Moses' making this command the central thought of his message, the question is: Who is this God that we are to love? To answer this question, we must first consider what kind of God we are to love, followed by secondly thinking about Who this God is that we are to love.

The Loving God that we are to love - Sovereign and Singular
So what kind of God is God? First of all God is the Sovereign God - that is, He is in control of all places, all people and all times.  Deuteronomy 10:14 states: “Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it."  Numerous passages throughout scripture assert the Sovereignty of God.  In the New Testament we find these words in 1 Corinthians 8:6 - "yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. "  

As scripture asserts the Sovereignty of God we note a second trait of the kind of God we are to love, namely that He is Singular.  Deuteronomy 10:17 “For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.  Now when you read that  statement "God of gods", at first glance it may appear that Moses is perhaps saying that God is greatest among other gods.  Understand that this is a Jewish way of proclaiming uniqueness or greatness. To proclaiming something to be the "only, one and most greatest", the Old Testament Hebrew will take a word and then repeat that word again.   We see validity in this interpretation by noting 1 Timothy 6:15-16 "which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen."  God by nature is One God, Singular in existence and Sovereign in power.  

The Loving God who we are to love
In noting the kind of God we are to love in scripture, the next question is: Who is this God of love?  When you consider for just a moment what it takes to have love, you need three things: A Lover or source of love, A Loved One who receives the Love and who is the Object of the Lover, then of course the love cycling back and forth between the Lover and the Loved One.  As we will see in a moment, the loving God's identity can only be His Trinitarian, Three-fold identity as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

Illustrating the Trinity by the marriage relationship
Genesis 2:24 states: "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh."  The language used in this verse of "the husband and wife being one" is similar to the language we use to defining God's identity as "Three persons who exist as One God".  In reflecting on the marriage relationship in Genesis 2:24, we know that love was to be the central expression of the Husband, the lover, to his wife, the beloved.  I would point to the Book of the Song of Solomon, wherein this language of "lover" and "beloved" are used to describe the love of one spouse as received by the other spouse.  Clearly there is love between the husband and wife. Hence on the greatest of all human relationships, you have a lover (Husband) beloved (wife) and the love between.

Ephesians 1:6 describes God the Father loving God the Son: "to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved."1  Here you have God the Father, Eternal Love, directing such love to an Eternal Beloved - the Son.2   There was never a time God the Father has not loved, leading to the second truth then that there has to be an Eternal Second person to receive such love.  Furthermore, the Love shared between the Two has to be a Third Person and not just a force, since Eternal Love requires a Third Eternal person to embody the Love expressed. 3  

Illustrating children as the outcome of the husband and wife's loving union as picturing the Triune God's overflow of love choosing to create and redeem
Children are the natural by-product of the loving union of the husband and the wife.  I find it comical at times how children will be surprised by the fact that life existed before them.  When you look at the Bible, is it not God's way of telling us who by grace through faith have believed on Him that He loved the Son and the Son loved Him with the Holy Spirit going between both  before we came along or before He made this world?  Why do husbands and wives have children?  Because they desire to have beings with whom they can share the overflow of love that has already been occuring between themselves.  In an eternal and more profound way, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit did not create this world out of need, but choice.  Even though he knew man would sin, He sent His Son to express in human flesh how adamant He is to extend His love, by His Spirit, to those whom He loves, and whom need to believe in order to receive such love. 

How to love the Loving God
Unless God is Triune in His identity, He cannot be the God of love whom we are to love.  So then how are we to love this loving God? Deuteronomy 11-13 outlines for us how we as believers are to love this loving God.  For the sake of brevity I have just mentioned the key verses in Deuteronomy and corresponding New Testament texts which emphasizes each key point:

1. Walk with Him in love.  Deut 11:1; Eph 4:1, 5:1-2

2. Serve Him in love.        Deut 11:13; 1 Cor 10:31

3. Hate Sin.                     Deut 12:1-2; 1 John 2:15

4. Love His Word.             Deut 12:32-13:1; Jn 14:21

May you and I strive to love this loving God who first loved us. (1 John 4:19)
End Notes__________________________

1 In Deuteronomy 10:15 tells us that this Sovereign and Singular God is the Loving God. As you travel the rest of scripture, you discover the true identity of this loving God. First of all He is the Father, the Eternal Source of love. Moses' final writing of Deuteronomy focuses entirely upon God the Father and His relationship to Israel His people. (Deuteronomy 1:31; 32:6). The Old Testament in fact ends by referring to God as Father. (Malachi 3:17) God the Father has been the Loving God from all eternity. There has never been a time where the Father was not the Loving Person of God. 

2 Which takes us to the Object of the Father's eternal affection, namely God the Son. Psalm 2:7 records a conversation taking place in Eternity where the Father says to His Son: “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You." Though the Old Testament focuses more on the Oneness of God's being rather than the plurality of His identity, we do see some reference to God the Son in passages like Proverbs 30:4. As you come to the New Testament, the Son has been with the Father from all eternity. (John1:1) Furthermore, He as always been loved. (Ephesians 1:6; Colossians 1:13) Therefore when God the Father speaks from heaven to Jesus at His baptism by John in Matthew 3:17, its not that the Father began to love Jesus then and there, rather He is stating the fact of His love which has been for the Son from all eternity. 

3 So if God the Father is eternally loving, and the Son has been eternally loved, then it only stands there to be a Person who embodies such eternal love. Scripture reveals this third Personification of such love to be the Holy Spirit. We meet the Holy Spirit as early as Genesis 1:2, and we see the Psalmist in Psalm 143:10 asking the Holy Spirit to lead and guide Him. Romans 15:30 identifies the Spirit of God as the Love between the Father and Son -"Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me". It is the Holy Spirit who as the Love between the Father and Son pours Himself into believer's hearts so as to affect love towards Jesus Christ and the Father. (Romans 5:5)

Ultimate Beauty:The Holy Trinity

Psalm 29:2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

God's glory in comparison to a city sky-line
Years ago I used to live about 30 minutes outside of Tulsa.  I can recall working different jobs in that area.  Sometimes I would be working a job at night and have to drive in or out of that city.  The skyline of course shimmered, with the lights of the skyscrapers and bridges glistening like diamonds on a black cloth.  In the past I've driven near other big cities as well, marveling at what man can do in the realm of architecture and cityscapes, lighting and effects. 

But then I changed jobs and began working in the early morning hours, running errands almost every week into Tulsa.  Often in my duties I would drive into the city in the early morning hours.  Psalm 19:1 speaks of how "the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows forth His handiwork."  As the sun of God's creation began to change the sky from the dawn of deep brown and orange into the gradual hues of the brillant sapphire, the sun's rays would hit the main skyscrapers.  At dawn those skyscrapers of metal and glass would be transformed into columns of flame and light.  As I drove, the glories of man were eclipsed by the glory of God shown through that morning sky. 

As in the dawning hours, I learned to look at the dusk of sunset in a whole new way.  At times, when driving near a city, my eye is no longer so much impressed with the lights of the city as the varying hues of the sunset overhead.  No city of this world can illuminate the soul, only the eye.  It takes the glory of God, refracted through the Person and work of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit to stir up genuine faith that will glory in the beauty of His holiness.

God's Holiness is the sum total of all His beauty
What is beauty? In art classes that I have taken, we would often define beauty by the standards of symmetry and perfect proportion.  If an object or a person pleased the eye and conveyed a sense of harmony and balance, we regarded it as "beautiful".  Certainly in one respect that is true.  However the scripture's definition of beauty goes one step further.  In the King James Bible, English Standard Version and New Living Translations, the above text at the head of today's blog reads about worshipping God in the "beauty" (KJV) or "splendor" (ESV, NLT) of His holiness.1

For something to be regarded "beautiful" in the Jewish mind meant that whenever the appropriate affections were kindled in my heart in a way that befit the object or person upon whom I was admiring, I would conclude them to be "beautiful". 

Staring at the sun can be either harmful or beautiful, depending upon what is included or excluded
God's holiness in respect to the Christian's relationship to grace is like peering at the Sun through a veil of clouds.  Take away the clouds and the sun will blind me.  God's holiness is regarded by the human heart untouched by grace as being painful and undesireable to look at.  However when grace comes to me and I believe, now I see that holiness transformed into a glorious sunrise - comprised of various hues of color and majesty.   


Seeing the Triune God as both the source and object of Eternal beauty
To worship God in the beauty of His holiness involves my heart already tuned into finding it a thrill and fulfillment in God Himself.  As the Supreme source of Beauty, God in His exquisite beauty of holiness must be by nature One God and by identity the Trinity.  In thinking on what Christians of the past have written about the Ultimate beauty of the Triune God, comparing the Trinity at times to the things of nature, I thought of an illustration.2  Though the illustration below is limited and imperfect, I hope it can convey why it is the authors of scripture point us to the Triune God as Ultimate Beauty in His holiness. 

When we speak of beauty, say a rose, we have to have three essential elements: The root, the stem/petal and the scent.  Take away the root, you do away with the plant itself.  God the Father is the root relationship within the life of God.  From the root at the same time is begotten forth the stem and petal system.  The stem/petal system is what makes the life of the plant visible.  Ruin the petals and stem, you do away with the visible qualities of that Rose.  God the Son is He who makes visible and plain the otherwise unseen Father. (John 14:7) He is the Eternal Object of the Father's unending life, since the Son Himself has the identical unending life. (John 5:26) Then of course what would a Rose be without the scent? Is it not the scent of the Rose that alerts us to its presence and beauty?  I turn around because of the scent proceeding from the petals and stem tied into the root.  All three are interlinked.  The Holy Spirit is the Third member of the Trinity Who draws, convinces and woos the heart to conclude that salvation is needed and that Christ alone can save. (John 16:13-16)

I hope that with some of these thoughts the Lord has shown you just how Ultimately Beautiful and worthy the Triune God is of worship and adoration. 

Endnotes:_______________________________________
1 In page 207 of "Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament" (TWOT), the Hebrew word translated "beauty" or "splendor" is defined as referring to "God's goodness" (Leviticus 23:40; Psalm 111:3; Isaiah 35:2); the beauty of a wife (Proverbs 31:25) and the splendor of a king in his majesty. (Psalm 21:5). Further study reveals that this same word can also speak of the splendor or beauty of cities like Jerusalem. (Isaiah 5:14, Lamentations 1:16) As I looked at these passages, I discovered that often this word translated "beauty" or "splendor" evoked certain affections or emotion in a person. 

2 The Christian writers of which I speak include: Tertullian, Augustine and Jonathan Edwards.  The early church fathers Tertullian (2nd century) and Augustine (4th century) often drew parallelels between the Trinity and things such as plants and various aspects of people.  I know the limitations in such illustrations and use them on a limited basis - due to the fact that the Triune God is in a class by Himself, incapable of ultimate comparison and Worthy of our adoration and worship and love.  Jonathan Edward's (16 century American theologian and preacher) writings on the Trinity have really helped me understand better the significance of the Trinity to understanding the Bible and living the Christian life.  I think of these three particular writers, since all three wrote significant pieces on the Trinity.  In the words of one writer (can't think of their name off hand), I stand as a dwarf on the shoulders of giants in order to admire the lofty heights of the glory of God. 

Body, soul, spirit, Life, Salvation, Death, Resurrection

1 Thessalonians 5:23 "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ."

Today's blog will attempt to tell the complete saga of man, a soul with a spirit clothed in a body, through five main points covered in scripture: creation, fall, redemption, death and resurrection.

1. Man as a soul, with a spirit clothed in a body at creation.
Man is a three-fold being who was created to know God and excercise authority in this world. As we noted yesterday we defined man as a soul with a spirit clothed in a body.  After working our way through many scriptures and several observations, we concluded that man is essentially a three-fold being: body, soul and spirit.  Second, though a second viewpoint (dichotomy) terms man a two-fold being, immaterial/material, we did not entirely dismiss that view out of hand.  The reason being is because from Genesis 1:26-27 and Genesis 2:7 we see God revealing the creation of man from two angles: a spiritual being in a physical body who was to walk with God and a soul clothed in a body who was to take dominion over his surroundings and be self-aware. 

In short, here is what we learn of mankind as originally created:

1. Humanity's body was perfect, capable of interracting and working the physical environment.  Being that the body of man was made from the earth, God embdued the body with five senses and the capability to be aware of the world.

2. Humanity's soul is the life of the man.  The soul was breathed from the Spirit of God embduing physical life into the man.  Man was uniquely created with the ability to think, feel, choose and have conivictions or a conscience.  The soul is the man himself. We could say, with older Bible teachers of the past, that the soul is simply man's self awareness and the body is his center of world awareness.

3. Humanity's spirit was to be the aspect of man wherein he communed with God.  Being made in the image of God meant among other things that man alone could communicate and be communicated to by God in his spirit. 


2. Man as a living soul, clothed in a body, died in his spirit at the fall
When Adam and Eve heeded the voice of the serpent tempting them in the garden to partake of the tree, the scripture says that for Eve, the tree was pleasant to the eyes and desireable to eat.  She had already began to alter God's word in her mind and by her will she chose to abnadon the grace of God on her life in preference to her soulish desires.  Adam willfully chose his wife over God and the two of them fell from the Grace that has been clothing their mortal bodies.  As souls they continued to live, however the curse of death and decay began to set in, killing their spirit, affecting their soul totally to the point of where they could only live by their own desires.  The bodies of the both of them would be subject to physical death.  All of this of course ended up affecting every single person born into this world, with the sin and guilt of Adam passed down through the bloodline of the father's side. (1 Peter 1:17-18) In short:

1. Man died in his spirit
2. Is corrupted in his thinking, feeling and choosing in his soul.  Nothing he can do, apart from grace and saving faith can please God.
3. Will die in his body.

3. Saved man is a soul who has a resurrected spirit and lives in a body
When a man is born again by the Spirit of God and believes on Jesus Christ for the forgivness of sins, the Bible is clear on what takes place.  First, the Holy Spirit at saving faith has pentetrated past my mind, emotions, will of my soul and through God Word, pierces the dividing wall between soul and spirit. (Hebrews 4:12) As He shows me the awfulness of my sin and the awesomeness of Jesus Christ, by the New Birth I believe and am saved, born again, justified or decllared righteous and adopted into God's family. (John 1:12-13; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:3; Romans 8:16-17)  At salvation I am instantly saved in my spirit or "inner man" by the New Birth or Regeneration. As I grow in grace through the process of sanctification, I am being saved in my soul as I conform my mind, emotions and will to God's Word.  Though sin indwells my soul, my new nature in my spirit is the working of the Spirit who desires to affect me in my soul.  The body of course is still decaying.  In short:

1. My spirit or inner man is made alive by the New Birth
2. My soul is being saved and I through Christ am urged daily by the Spirit in my human spirit to go to the scriptures and be led by Him
3. My body is still decaying.  I realize now as a Christian I am to look forward to resurrection. 

Sadly not everyone will by grace through faith believe on Jesus Christ.  It is God's grace, His Spirit and His word which prevail upon people to choose and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is man who choosing to reject Christ apart from grace deems himself unworthy of eternal life. (Acts 13:46) Unless the Spirit of God moves, and unless a person believes and repents of his sins, they will still be a soul with a dead human spirit living in a decaying body.  An unbeliever functions in their body, soul and dead spirit much like those who evidence never having been truly saved as seen in 1 Timothy 5:6 "she who gives herself to wanton pleasure is dead even while she lives."

4. Saved people are souls, with living spirits who die and leave behind a dead human body and go to heaven.  Unsaved people are souls, with dead spirits who leave behind a dead human body and go to hell to await judgment
So what occurs at death?  For the Christian, the Bible states in 2 Corinthians 5:6 "Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord"  The Christian as a soul with a spirit goes immediately into the hands of the Lord in Heaven, where he is welcomed with a glorious entrance. (2 Peter 1:11-12)  The body, called by Paul (2 Corinthians 5:1-5) and Peter (2 Peter 1:14) a tent, refers to the frail and temporary nature of our current physical body that eventually returns to the dust from when it came.  Unbelievers, when they die, are souls with dead human spirit who immediately go to a place called Sheol, Hades or hell, as exampled by the Rich Man in Luke 16:29-31.  Contrary to pop culture today, when a person dies, it is a one way trip to the immediate presence of God for believers and Hell for sinners.  With those sober realities outlined, we must understand that scripture reveals one more point in its saga of believers/unbelievers in the body, souls and spirits....

5. There is to be a resurrection for the righteous and a resurrection of the unrighteous
Though a Christian in their souls and spirit go immediately into the presence of the Lord, the totality of His salvation for them is not yet complete.  Yes they are free from the penalty of sin in their spirit - thus in that respect they are instantly saved.  Concerning their souls, they are progressively saved by the Spirit's sanctifying work, making them more and more like Jesus while they excercise their mind, emotions and will in His Word - hence the removal of sin's power.  And even when they get to Heaven, believers certainly enjoy a dimension of existence whereby they are set free from the presence of sin - i.e glorification.  However the Christian in that state is looking forward to the day they get a resurrected body like their Lord.  At His return, Christ will resurrect every believer, Old and New Testament, transforming their bones and decay into a glorified resurrected body - setting the body free from the putrification of sin. (Daniel 12:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; 1 John 3:1-3)  The ressurrection represents the goal of redemption, a hope that was first revealed to men such as Job (Job 14:14; 19:25-28) and Abraham (Hebrews 11:19)

Sadly for unbelievers, they await the final judgment which will occur a thousand years after the resurrection of the righteous.  Though not spelled out in near the detail as that of believers, unbelievers evidently will have a ressurected body capable of withstanding eternal judgment. Daniel 12:2b tells us that the resurrection of the wicked will receive a body that is "disgraceful, existing in everlasting contempt".  Christ at that final judgment will cast them into the Lake of Fire, along with the Devil and his fallen angels. (Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15)

Conclusion: Today's blog attempted to tell the complete saga of man, a soul with a spirit clothed in a body, through five main points covered in scripture: creation, fall, redemption, death and resurrection.  My prayer is that this will aid you in your study of the scripture and perhaps shed light on both your own life and your dealings with others.  Remember, what is done on this earth will pass, what is done for Christ will last. 

A soul, with a spirit, clothed in a body

Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Genesis 2:7  Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.


Man is a soul, with spirit, clothed with a body  
David in Psalm 8:4-5 asks - "What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? (5) Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty!"  Human beings are uniue among all of God's creations.  In the two passages of Genesis quoted above, we see the creation of man from two different angles. 

Man is a spiritual being: having a spirit and a physical body, a two-fold spirit/body creature
In the Genesis 1:26-27 we see the emphasis placed upon man the physical being created with the capacity to communicate and be communicated to by God.  Man is thus a spiritual being with a physical body.  In some places in scripture, we are given this two-fold view of man as a spirit in a body.  (Psalm 31:5; Ecclesiastes 12:7; Luke 23:46; John 19:30; Acts 7:59; James 2:26; 1 Corinthians 7:34)  

Man is a soul clothed with a body, a two-fold soul/body creature who perceives himself and relates to this world
Then in Genesis 2:7 we see the same creative event from the standpoint of man the physical being in relationship to himself and his surroundings.  The text in the original language reads that God breathed into the nostrils of man and he became a "living soul".  Here we see man "becoming a soul" with a physical body, endued with the breath of life from God.  Throughout scripture we at times we see a two-fold picture of man as a soul clothed with a body - emphasizing man as he perceives himself in relationship to his surroundings. (Genesis 35:18; 1 Kings 7:21; Isaiah 53:12; Luke 12:20)   

Now some Bible teachers have concluded that man is a two-fold being, material body and immaterial spirit or soul. 1 They will point out at times how the scripture will use the terms "spirit" and "soul" interchangeably.  Furthermore, the term "heart", which is used in scripture to describe the source from whence man thinks, feels and acts, is used either to describe the soul or spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5;Mark 12:30-31) 2 

Mankind is a soul, with a spirit clothed in a body
In the progressive revelation of scripture, we come to discover that the passages speaking of man as a spirit/body, and those referring to man as a soul/body are viewing man from two angles, just as we have witnessed in Genesis 1:26-27 and 2:7.  Further study will reveal that mankind is not just a two-fold being, but a three-fold being: a soul, with a spirit clothed with a body.3  Three passages in the New Testament bear out this important insight, two of which simply define mankind as a three-fold being and one of which explains this truth in detail:

1. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2. 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."

3. 1 Corinthans 2:1-3:4. (Natural Unsaved man, Saved Spirit-filled man, Saved Spirit-indwelt carnal man).  In 1 Corinthians 2 we see the contrast between unbelievers who are operating as living souls, with a dead human spirit clothed in a body and believers as living souls, with regenerated spirits clothed in a body. When we come to 1 Corinthians 3:1-4, we find believers who with regenerated human spirits quenching the Holy Spirit and relying more on their carnal appetites in their soul and bodies.  

First, natural unbelieving man is a living soul who thinks (mind), feels (emotions), chooses (will) and has convictions (conscience).  However his human spirit, which was designed originally to commune with God, is dead, thus to the natural man, operating as a sinful soul with a dead human spirit, regards the Gospel and the things of God as incomprehensible (1 Corinthians 2:6-8) and foolish (2:14). 

Next Paul describes what takes place at salvation.  The natural man is engaged in conviction and grace by the Holy Spirit, who penetrates past the mind, emotions and will of His soul into his spirit.  With that Divine working of the Spirit, the soul of the man responds at the resurrecting work the Spirit is doing in that persons human spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:10-13)  Natural man becomes supernatural.  He is instantly born again in his human spirit by God's grace working faith as he chooses Jesus Christ.  The Christian with his soul is able to take into his mind, emotions and will God's Word, enabling him to commune with the Holy Spirit who lives in his human spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:10-13, 6:16, 19-20; James 1:18)  Overtime, the Christian can begin to think and act more and more like Jesus, since with God's word he is developing the mind of Christ, which is the sum total of the contents of divine scripture.   

Sadly, and thirdly, Paul explains what can happen to a Christian who though having the indwelling Holy Spirit in his human spirit, decides for a period of time to listen to the remaining carnal remnants of sin in his soul. (1 Corinthians 3:1-4)  As a result, the Spirit of God is greived and quenched, meaning that unless the Christian repents, no communication and leading by the Spirit will occur lest that Christian repents. (Ephesians 4:30-32; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 2 Timothy 2:24-26).  This condition of the Christian is what we term "carnal".  In affect, the Christian operates as a "reverse hypocrite", meaning that he is trying to be what he really is not, namely acting as an unbeliever even though He is a Christian.  Thankfully God the Father will not let a Christian operate persistently in this condition for too long without executing fatherly discipline to turn the child of God back. (Job 5:17; Proverbs 3:12; Hebrews 12:6-8)

Endnotes:_____________
1 This position which is quite popular among conservative Bible believing Christians is called "di-chotomy" proposes man to be a two-fold being - immaterial and physical.
 
2 I will grant, the language used by scripture to explain the nature of human beings can exhibit overlap, however the primary point of the Bible's description of mankind is not merely clinical. Rather the Bible is describing man primarily as a spiritual and moral individual in need of salvation and resurrection. 

3 This position of viewing man as a three-part being is what we term "tri-chotomy".  My own viewpoint on this subject is that with dichotomy and trichotomy, people should not pit one against the other.  I believe that dichotomy represents legitimate observations of scripture that do define man in a two-fold way, however the viewpoint needs to follow through and see how the Bible takes those insights and shows man to be a body,soul and spirit.  Thus I do see man as a trichotomy, however we need to understand that there is two ways to speak of man.  First, man is a spirit being with a body, classified as seperated from God spiritually as a sinner or knowing God spiritually as a Christian.  Second, mankind is a soul clothed with a body who can be creative and interact with the world around him. As a sinner he is subject to the appetites of the fallen drives and thus operates completely out of the mind, emotions and will of the soul through his physical body. 

 

Jacob's Vision of Heavenly Glory

Genesis 28:12 "He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it."



Yesterday we looked at Abraham's vision of heavenly glory, noting the God centeredness of what He saw in his vision.  He saw the Lord, called in the Hebrew "Adonai" - the Master of all things.  He saw how the Lord reigns in various aspects in providence, redemption, revelation and prophecy.  Today we will be looking at Abraham's grandson Jacob.  Jacob's conversion experience is recorded for us in Genesis 28.  As you will see in this very brief overview of what Jacob saw and witnessed, his vision of Heavenly glory entails the vision of a ladder, with its top reach up to Heaven. 

Which Heaven was Jacob able to see into?
For regular readers of my blog, I had blogged several days ago about what the Bible teaches about Heaven in a post entitled: "The Bible's Four Heavens".  In that blog it was noted that the Bible's use of the word Heaven can refer to the 1st heaven - the air; the 2nd heaven - the universe; the 3rd heaven - the present abode of God; and the New Heavens, which will be manifest at the end of Christ's millennial reign.  I wanted you the reader to ask yourself: "which heaven is Jacob peering into?"  It can't be just the 1st heaven, the sky, since that is normally populated by birds.  It can't be the 2nd Heaven - the universe, since that is the domain of planets, stars and moons.  What Jacob is seeing into is the third Heaven - the domain of angels and the highest aspect of that being the abode of the Infinite Holy Triune God.

What was Jacob's ladder?
Quite literally heaven came down to him - and no doubt it caused him to shudder in fear and wonder.  Genesis 28:16-17 16Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”  The focal point of this vision was the ladder.  Some have suggested that the pillar which Jacob set up and anointed with oil was a replica of that vision. Whatever the case may be, the point is that the ladder coming from the top to the bottom occupied the center stage.  Now why do I say that? Because it is not until almost 2,000 years later that Jesus says these words at the onset of His ministry in John 1:51 -  "And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”  That ladder which Jacob saw was none other than an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ.!

What can we gain about heavenly glory from Jacob's vision?
As we now have seen, Jesus Christ is that ladder reaching from heaven to earth.  In John 14:6 Jesus says of Himself - "I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but through me."  As we close out this blog today, I want to leave you with three thoughts that explain what Jacob saw in his vision of heavenly glory - pointing the way to the Lord Jesus Christ:

1. He saw the way to Heaven.  Genesis 28:12
Jesus Christ reaches from the top to the bottom.  All other religions teach about the way to Heaven, whereas Jesus alone claims He is the way to Heaven. 

2. He saw the Truth that gets you to heaven. Genesis 28:13-17
All other religions, ideologies, philosophies and "isms" will teach you morality, but know this - their roads paved with bricks of human effort will lead straight to the gates of hell.  However what did Jacob say: that the place of his vision, Bethel, was the "gate of Heaven".  Jesus Christ is the way.  In fact Jesus Himself says in John 10:9 that he is the doorway, the gateway through which the sheep can enter.  Truth by nature is exclusive - and Jesus Christ alone is the true and tried way by which you by grace through faith can enter into Heavenly glory.

3. He saw the life of Heaven. Genesis 28:18-22
Jacob's life was never the same from that encounter.  He did not know what He saw by name, but the substance of the person of the Son was ever stamped on His heart - Jacob literally saw the Lord through the veil of visions and shadows.  He saw that living ladder, Jesus Christ.  When he had went to sleep, he was a rebel - however when he awoke, and grace called Him, and He believed upon the one whom He saw, Jacob became a worshipper.  His speech changed, his actions changed and even his pocketbook changed.  He wanted to talk about the things of God, do the things of God and give toward the things of God.  In other words - the life of God in heaven entered into his life.  Jacob was never the same from that moment. 

Abraham's Vision of Heavenly Glory

Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.”



Abraham saw the master of all things, Adonai, the Lord of Heavenly Glory
Acts 7:2 tells us about Abraham -  "And he said, “Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran."  What characterized Abraham's walk with God was the fact that he heard and saw God.  In Genesis 15 the Lord appears to Abraham in a vision of Heavenly glory.  What God does is to take this 75 year old Patriarch by way of dreams and vision through four centuries of time to the days of Moses and the Israelites.  What is it that this patriarch saw? He saw the Lord (Adonay in the Hebrew), the master of all things. 

This chapter is significant in that the Lord, the Master of all things, utters a phrase that we see for the first time in scripture: "Do not fear". (Genesis 15:1)  Over 200 times in the Bible do we see God saying this to His people.  When you and I have been impacted by the Master of all things, Adonai, The Lord, we will have no fear.  If you will but fear God, you will fear nothing else, but if you fear everything else but God, you will be bound by fear. 

So with that bit of introduction, what exactly did Abraham see in regards to the Heavenly glory of the Lord? What we discover from this chapter as well as others that speak about heaven and its glory - God is at the center and circumference.  Heaven is heaven only because of the fact that it is a radically God centered reality.  Abraham saw the Lord, Adonai reigning in His glory.  Note by way of key thoughts what Abraham saw when he beheld the Lord reigning in His heavenly glory:

1. The Lord Reigns in Providence in Heavenly glory.
Genesis 15:1-5

2. The Lord Reigns in Redemption in Heavenly Glory.
Genesis 15:6-8

3. The Lord Reigns in the Revelation of His Heavenly Glory. Genesis 15:9-17

4. The Lord Reigns in Prophecy which foresees His Heavenly Glory. Genesis 15:18-21

The man who was always looking up
This wonderful chapter centers the reader on God, for we are seeing the events, both past, present and prophetic, through the eyes of a prophet of God, Abraham. (Genesis 20:7)  Heavenly glory is what drove Abraham to walk all over the land of Canaan, as he was a man searching for city whose builder and maker is God. (Hebrews 11:7)  As you follow Abraham's 175 years of existence, you find a man who is becoming more and more Heavenly minded.  Hebrews 11:10 tells us that He was looking for a better country, with Hebrews 11:12 telling us that He was directed to look into the stars of Heaven.  When you have been touched by God's Heavenly glory, your heart pines for that which is eternal.  Colossians 3:1-3 tells us as Christians to keep our eyes fixed on things above, where Christ is.  John 14:1-3 tells us that Jesus has went on to build and prepare a place for the child of God. 

May you and I today be like the patriarch Abraham, the father of faith, who was captured by the Master of all things, Adonai, the Lord of Heavenly Glory. 

Enoch's Vision of Heavenly Glory

Genesis 5:21-23 Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of MethuSelah, and he had other sons and daughters. 22So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 23Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.


Meet the man who walked with God
Some 50 or so times in scripture we find reference to the concept of "walking with God".  The first time we find reference to man walking with the Lord is in Genesis 5:21.  Enoch was part of the redemptive bloodline that ran from Adam to Noah.  In Genesis 5 we see a total of 1656 years, with Enoch in comparison being the youngest (a mere 365 years of age when the Lord took him away).  In those ten generations that stretched from Adam to Noah, Enoch was without the question the brightest star in that constellation of pre-flood patriarchs.1  Enoch and only one other man in scripture, Elijah, left this world without tasting the pain of death.  Enoch's walk with God was so unique, so close, that God saw fit to take him, "translate him" out of this world and into heavenly bliss. 

Enoch may had seen the coming flood
One Bible trivia question that many will want to know the answer to is: "who was the oldest man in the Bible?" Answer: Methusaleh.  Enoch's wife (unnamed) had his son when Enoch was 65 years age.  The name and facts about Methusaleh suggest that Enoch would had seen the coming world-wide flood of Noah.2  To have possible seen the coming flood of Noah almost a millennium in advance must had been a frightening thing for Enoch. 

Were not told in scripture why Enoch started walking with God right after Methusaleh's birth, but my hunch is that this possible prophetic glimpse of the deluge that was to wipe out virtually every formm of life permantly altered Enoch's life.  I find it equally interesting that Enoch's name in the Hebrew means "dedicated one", and thats exactly how he lived out the remaining three centuries of his life before being wisked away by the Lord. 

Enoch definitely saw the heavenly glory of Jesus Christ's soon return
Enoch's life is surrounded by surprise and mystery.  Like a flash of lightening, he appears on the stage of world history in Genesis 5, only to be wisked away once again.  We see not mention of him (except in genealogical listings) until we arrive at the little book of Jude.  Jude 14-15  "It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, 15to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

This two verse statement is remarkable, in that Enoch, in prophetic vision, saw history's two greatest events: one that forever altered this world near the beginning of history, and Christ's return which will mark the tail end of human history.  For the remainder of today's blog, I just want to list in a series of bullet points Enoch's vision of heavenly glory as recorded here in Jude 14-15.  The glories of heaven seen by prophets and apostles in the Bible have several themes in common.  What was it that Enoch saw in his vision of heavenly glory? Furthermore, what is the take away for you and I today dear reader? Note these thoughts....

1. God's Word is the sole basis for describing Heaven's glories
Jude notes that Enoch "prophesied, saying".  Many, Many times in the Bible we see the phrase: "thus says the Lord' to indicate God speaking through a prophet or apostle.  In Amos 3:7 we discover that God's will is not known save through his prophets.  Any attempt to describe the unseen glory of heaven apart from the Word of God will lead to wrong thinking about Heaven.  Scripture alone is divinely inspired (2 Timothy 3:16); without error (Proverbs 30:4-5) and completely trustworthy. 

2. God the Son is the central focus of Heaven's glories
Jude next tells us the central focus of Enoch's visions and prophecies: "Behold the Lord came..".  God the Son is the commanding figure of Heaven.  I find it interesting in Jude's text that to Enoch, the Lord is not coming, but rather "came".  Why "came?" from God the Father's perspective, which sees the end from the beginning, everything, including Christ's return, is a done deal.  Time and time again, as you view the Bible's portrayals of heaven, God, not man, is the central focus.  Heaven is a God saturated, Christ exalting place. 

3. God's saints are included in Heavenly glory
Saints are living Christians who are living for Jesus now and preparing for eternity in Heaven.  Jude's use of the word translated "saints" is the Greek word that we could just as easily translate "holy ones".  I believe the reason the Holy Ghost led Jude to choose this word is that in other contexts, "holy ones" could either refer to angelic beings or human believers who are with the Lord now and will return with Him in glorified bodies.3   Heaven's glorious truth includes the people of God, since it is there that they will be joined with their Lord and be made like Him. (1 John 3:1-3)

Endnotes____________________
1 Abel was no doubt a godly man, however he was martyred and did not live for centuries for us to determine how he would had fared under testing and trial. Noah was godly as well, without peer in his day. However we find Noah after the flood becoming caught up in an episode of drunkenness (he of course is still regarded a hero of faith in Hebrews 11). 

2 First, Methusaleh's name in the Hebrew means "in the year it was sent". That otherwise strange meaning would find its meaning when the flood came. Secondly, Methusaleh's age of 969 years, other than making him the oldest man who ever lived, also had his final year on earth ending the year of the worldwide flood!

3 Certainly we see references to God in His glory being accompanied by angels who are called His "holy ones". (Deuteronomy 33:2) Christ too, as the Eternal Son of God, will return to earth in the glory of His Father with the holy angels. (Mark 8:38) However this phrase "holy ones" more often than not refers to the human saints who have died in the Lord and are returing with Him in their glorified resurrection bodies. (1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 1 Thessalonians 3:13) I personally think there is enough leeway in the usage of this word to include both the angelic hosts protecting the resurrected saints as both accompany Jesus in His return.