The Oracles of God
By
Lee

If anyone desires to understand scripture and know the truth they must base all their research upon the oracles of God.  What are the oracles of God?  The oracles of God are the old covenant writings by the prophets and holy men who wrote the scripture by inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God.  This makes the view of the understanding uniquely Jewish or from Jewish thought because it was to the nation of Israel that God gave His oracles.

KJV Acts 7:38
 38.  This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

The old covenant writings are the source of understanding, the lively oracles, and the place to begin your search for truth. Jesus and the Apostles taught the gospel from the old covenant writings because the new covenant writings were not yet written.

KJV Romans 3:1-2
1.  What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
 2.  Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

The Jews had an advantage over the Gentiles because they had the oracles, the beginning of knowledge.  The new covenant writings are a further revelation of those oracles that contained the knowledge of salvation in shadow form. Only by the light of Christ on the oracles can the shadows be explained to gain knowledge and wisdom.

KJV Hebrews 5:12
 12.  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

Many of the Jews in the days of Jesus would not come to light so that they could see what the shadow of the oracles were to teach them.  Instead they remained in the shadows practicing the works of the law in a vain attempt to become righteous by their own works.

KJV 1 Peter 4:11
 11.  If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

The foundation of truth begins with the oracles and proceeds from there into the light of Christ to reveal the meaning of those shadows. Today the churches have substituted Greek thought and ideas in an attempt to find truth that is uniquely Jewish in origin. If the shadows of salvation were given to the Jews why would someone look for truth in Greek ideas that had a culture far removed from Jewish ways. Salvation is not from the Greeks but from the Jews.

KJV John 4:22
 22.  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

Jesus was a Jew and he came to shed light upon the oracles of God.  Greek thought, ideas or philosophy are far away from the truth and to interpret scripture from this mind set will always lead to error.  The Greeks were a pagan people who had ideas about life, death and God that were completely wrong but yet most people today who claim to be Christian base their beliefs on this type of thinking and this has led to a multitude of false teachings.

Early in the primitive Catholic church an intense dislike developed for the Jewish people because they blamed the Jews for the death of Jesus and because of this they separated themselves from anything perceived to be Jewish and substituted their own Greek ideas for those that God gave to Israel. The oracles God gave to the Jews no longer had Jewish understanding but pagan Greek.  It is no wonder there are so many churches today all claiming to be Christian but teaching different doctrines.  The substitution of Greek thought to define Jewish thought  has produced Babylon.

If you desire to know the truth on any doctrine use the definition of words describing that doctrine from the old covenant writings, the oracles of God, as the truth from Genesis to Revelation will remain pure.  Truth never changes unless you change the way it is thought out and then it becomes a lie.  Greek plus Jewish will equal lie but Jewish plus Jewish will equal truth. Jesus was not a Greek but a Jew and if truth is to be revealed it will begin with the oracles of God.  An example of how Greek ideas changed the truth of the oracles of God is the false belief in the immortal soul that lives on after death in either heaven or hell.  This is a classic Greek idea of paganism that is in total opposition to the truth of the oracles of God and alien to Jewish thought.  If the oracles define what death is then that truth has not changed and is the same today as when it was written by the Holy prophets of God.

KJV Ecclesiastes 9:10
10.  Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

KJV Psalms 146:4
 4.  His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.

KJV Isaiah 38:18-19
 18.  For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.
 19.  The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.

KJV John 3:13
 13.  And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

The oracles plainly say that the dead are dead and have no life in any way, shape or form but Greek ideas changed this truth into a lie because Greek pagan beliefs in an after life entered and replaced Jewish thought.  Even the false idea of  life after death in heaven or hell is of Greek pagan belief and is totally against what the oracles teach about death.  Jesus taught that only by a resurrection from the dead can a man ever live again and this only because of belief in him as messiah and son of God.

KJV John 3:16
 16.  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Notice one must believe in Jesus to not perish and to have everlasting life.  If you do not you will perish, die, cease to exist.
Everlasting life is a gift from God because of our belief in Jesus and we do not have this life by nature if it is a gift through faith.

KJV Romans 6:23
 23.  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord.


KJV John 4:10
 10.  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

Everlasting life, immortality or living forever is a promise of God to the saints that will be fulfilled when Jesus returns and resurrects the saints to immortality.


KJV 1 Corinthians 15:52-57
 52.  In a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
 53.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
 54.  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
 55.  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
 56.  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
 57.  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

KJV 1 John 2:25
 25.  And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even everlasting life.

Do you see how Greek ideas have turned the truth of the oracles of God into a lie?  This is only one example, there are many more and in this blog I expose these lies and tell you the truth of the oracles of God.

The Baptism of Jesus

By

Lee

In Matthew 3 Verses 13 to 17 is the account of Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist.

Matthew 3:13    Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.

This would be the symbol of the death and resurrection of Jesus into which we are baptized.

14 And John tried to prevent him saying, “I have need to be baptized by you and you are coming to me?”

John said he needed to be baptized so why would anyone else think baptism is not needed and John had the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb. Luke 1:15     It is just like Cornelius, it does not matter if you have the Holy Spirit first you still need baptized.

15. But Jesus answered and said to him, “permit it to be so for now for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”  Then he permitted him.

John understood what Jesus said and agreed to baptize Jesus.

Daniel 9:27 “to bring in everlasting righteousness”

16. Then Jesus when he had been baptized came up immediately from the water and behold the heavens were open to him and he

saw the spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon him.

Daniel 9:27 “to anoint the most holy”

17. And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.”

To understand these verses we must ask the questions; who, what, where, when, how and why and depend upon God to answer them from the scripture.

First we know that Jesus was without sin and was unable to sin because God created Jesus righteous, Jesus was as righteous as God, and this is how when we see Jesus we see the Father.  Jesus had no need to be baptized for himself, which means he did this for another reason.  That reason Jesus told John, who first tried to prevent the baptism saying he had need that Jesus baptize him, was to fulfill all righteousness.  What could it mean to fulfill all righteousness?  Scripture says that through Jesus the saints become righteous.  Through our faith in Jesus as Gods son and messiah, we are accounted to be righteous just as Abrahams faith was accounted to him for righteousness. 

In the book of Romans chapter 4 the faith of Abraham is accounted by God as righteousness and Abraham is called the father of the faithful and we saints are all of the seed of Abraham through Jesus.

Romans 4:11 says that circumcision was given to Abraham as a sign, a seal of the righteousness of the faith he had, faith in God and a future messiah and son of God.  This seal or sign of circumcision is replaced in the new covenant by baptism and the baptism of Jesus was that act of replacement for all the ancient saints that had never been baptized.  We know that circumcision was done away in Christ who gave his flesh as the true sacrifice and not the flesh of the foreskins of men but until Christ came, circumcision was the seal God gave to Abraham.  Just as all Israel in 1 Corinthians 10:1-2 were baptized into Moses while passing under the cloud and through the sea all the saints both ancient and modern are baptized into Jesus.

Therefore, our righteousness and all righteousness was fulfilled by Jesus in the act of being baptized by John the Baptist.

 The saints who lived before Jesus like Noah, Abraham, Moses and David all knew of the messiah and the message of the gospel and looked forward in faith to the first advent but none of them were ever baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

Luke 10:24 “For I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see and have not seen it and to hear what you hear and have not heard it.”

While it is true all these ancient saints had the Holy Spirit, they were never baptized. 

A new covenant example of this is the story of the house of Cornelius that received the Holy Spirit first and then later baptized in the name of Jesus.  This happened to show the Apostles that God was calling the Gentiles into the faith as well as the Jews.  The ancient saints needed baptized in the name of Jesus and that God would confirm Jesus as His son and messiah. 

This confirmation from God is in verses 16 & 17 with the Holy Spirit anointing Jesus for his ministry as messiah and that Jesus was indeed the son of God by a voice from heaven.

David in Psalm 20:1-6 speaks of this future baptism of Jesus in Verse 2 the help from the sanctuary is the helper, the Holy Spirit.

Verse 3 your burnt sacrifice is your broken contrite heart that is to God a sacrifice.

Verse 4 God grants you the desire of your heart for where your heart is there your treasure will be also.

Verse 5 then we will rejoice in God and in His salvation and set up our banners or plant our flag in Him as He answers our petitions or prayers. 

Verse 6 God saved Jesus from the grave and set Jesus at His right hand. When Jesus was baptized by John God answered from His holy heaven with a voice saying, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.”  Jesus is the right hand of God the saving strength of us all. 

Verse 9 All the saints of the time before Jesus called to God to save them in the messiah they had faith in even though they knew Jesus would not be born in their lifetime. The King, the great God answered this psalm when God confirmed Jesus as messiah and His son at his baptism by John the Baptist.

And thus, it is as Jesus told John, “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

Physical circumcision was outward in the flesh before the time of Jesus and was a sign God gave to Abraham.

Matthew 11:13 “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.”

Jesus would fulfill all the prophecy about himself, the things of the law concerning him; the sign of circumcision ended at the baptism of Jesus, and baptism took its place.

A “sign” is like a promise, token or prelude to a future event that looks to fulfillment.  This sign of circumcision indicated Abraham’s faith in messiah and the gospel.  This sign of circumcision was fulfilled at the baptism of Jesus and Abraham’s faith was confirmed.

Romans 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the Fathers.

Genesis 17:11 “And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin and it shall be “sign” of the covenant between you and me.”

This was not the old covenant that God was talking about; it was the new covenant because God did not make the old covenant with Abraham or any of the Fathers.

Deuteronomy 5:3 “The Lord did not make this covenant with our Fathers but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive.”

Circumcision was a sign for the new covenant baptism of Jesus that fulfilled the faith and imputed righteousness of the saints before the new covenant began to be preached to the world and was not affected by the giving of the law as Paul says in Galatians 3:15-18.  

When Jesus was baptized, the new covenant great comission came into effect and circumcision since being fulfilled was done away and replaced with baptism in Jesus that is of the inner heart and not outward in the flesh.  It is now by the flesh of Jesus and not by a sign in the flesh of man.

God gave the new covenant to Abraham but because Jesus was not yet born and baptism not yet instituted God gave the sign of circumcision that would expire when Jesus would be baptized by John the Baptist. Romans 2:28-29 explains this fact. 

Baptism is to the new covenant as circumcision is to the old.  If you were not circumcised you could not enter the old covenant or keep the Passover and if not baptized could not enter the new covenant or keep the Passover of Jesus, see Mark 16:16.  Romans 4:11-12 states that baptism was a sign of the faith of Abraham that would apply to both circumcised and uncircumcised.

The cutting of the foreskin was replaced by the cutting of the heart, see Acts 2:37-38, these Jews were cut to the heart or circumcised in the heart and were ready to be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit. 

Romans 4:16  I will paraphrase; That the promise might be sure to all the seed----Jesus was baptized by John to fulfill all righteousness----not only to those under the law and circumcision but also to those of faith and baptism.

Jesus fulfilled all the law and once fulfilled it is no longer to be observed otherwise it would deny the fulfillment, the work of Christ. And this is why today we no longer circumcise we baptize.

If you are reading this paper baptism should become most important to you as it was with Jesus and John the Baptist and to honor the command of Jesus to be baptized in His name to receive all the promises God gave to Abraham, to become Abraham’s seed and heir to those promises.

FORGIVENESS

By

Coni

Matthew 6:12-15- In order for God to forgive you, you must be willing to forgive others.

Matthew 18:21-35- there is no limit to how many times God forgives us so there is no limit to how many times we forgive our brother.

Luke 17:3-4- The guilty party should ask or repent to receive forgiveness and each time we are to forgive.

Ephesians 4:32 – Forgiveness and mercy is to teach us something.

Colossians 3:13 this is repeated

John 20:23 – We are to become like Jesus who had power on Earth to forgive sins.  See Matthew 9:6 and 1 John 4:17 and Matthew 18:15-35.

God is willing to forgive if we ask and repent of our sins and we must accept that forgiveness putting the sin behind us and move forward.  Mercy and forgiveness are a function of Gods love extended to us.  Just as God will not forgive the unrepentant we cannot either, in this case their sins are retained.

In order to be forgiven, we also have to be willing to forgive others. Sometimes we will have to be willing to forgive repeatedly. There is no limit to the times we may have to forgive, we are in the world but not of the world and this is unfortunately they way things are. We always pray for forgiveness from the Lord, but we as individuals must be able to forgive others as well.

        On a personal level, as a converted person, when someone does wrong to you they must ask for your forgiveness, but if they do not ask you for your forgiveness, then we need to forgive them anyway because we are converted and wishing to be more like Christ. For instance when on the cross, Jesus said, “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do”. We all do things and think things we need to ask the Lord forgiveness for and we need to forgive others whether they are converted or not. If we as individuals are truly trying to be more like God and Christ, we must behave like Christ, and forgive and forget the sins our transgressors. 

        Like Jesus, we have the power to forgive sins of others who ask for forgiveness. Being able to forgive is a learned trait for us; it takes practice and is always a work in progress, a development of character so to speak. We will need this character trait in the millennium, so we need to be willing to practice what we believe so that it becomes first nature to us.  Even now, we partake of the divine nature of God and of His son Jesus. 2 Peter 1:4 – “by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

God is creating us after His image and likeness and forgiveness is part of this process.