To: Hebraic-Foundations@yahoogroups.com
From: "Pastor Buddy Martin" <Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org>
Date sent: Tue, 18 Dec 2001 15:22:02 -0600
Subject: HF051 - In the Presence of the Divine
Hebraics,
This is Bible Study HF051 - In the Presence of the Divine.
A Scripture quoted most frequently by believers is John 3:16, which
says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal
life."
In this study we want to look at what the term 'eternal life' actually
means. As a way of approach, lets ask three questions. Does
eternal life simply mean that we will live eternally? Or, does it mean
that there is a life that comes from God, that believers now enjoy?
Or, does it merely speak of our going to heaven?
Eternal life means all these things and more. Eternal life includes a
'forever-ness' in heaven. But eternal life also addresses a reality of
life in which every believer lives in and draws from the presence of
the Divine. And this is why eternal life can never be attached to a
religion. Religion is what men do. Eternal life is what God gives us
in Christ.
A certain thing happens when a person is born again. This certain
thing is a discernable awareness that a change has taken place in
life. Its not merely an emotion. Emotions come and go. This
change has a permanent effect. The newly born person now has
what can be called 'God awareness.' And the interesting thing is
that the God awareness doesn't go away. It will be there the next
morning. It will be there even in a time of failure.
Before I go further, let's gather some Scriptural support for how the
Divine is implanted in the human spirit at the moment of our birth
from above. The common word for this 'implantation' in the New
Testament is called 'the testimony.' When a person is born again
they are given 'the testimony.'
Jesus said, "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the
sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is
going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." The Lord has just
said, "That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of
Spirit is spirit." (John 3:6-8)
The spirit of man is considered to be the deepest part of the
human's inner make-up. And the Spirit of God is no less that the
deepest of God Himself. Put these two things together and you
have Divine life in the inner man. No person can be born again and
not know it. When our spirit is filled with Divine life, we know it. We
may not be able to explain it, but no one can take away what God
has done in our spirit.
Paul later explains it thus; "Now we have received, not the spirit of
the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the
things freely given to us by God." He then says, "Which things we
also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those
taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual
words." (1 Cor. 2:12,13)
How deep is this life interchange with the Divine? Paul adds that
the Spirit of God has the 'deep' of God in Him. It is this deep of God
that we began to experience as an outworking of our birth from
above.
As for the testimony that cannot be refuted, the apostle said, "The
Spirit Himself testifies (bears witness) with our spirit that we are
children of God." (Romans 8:16)
The apostle John says something that may seem a little confusing,
but the context has to be considered. "As for you, the (life)
anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have
no need for anyone to teach you; but as His (life) anointing teaches
you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has
taught you, you abide in Him." (1 John 2:27)
The apostle is coming against the Gnostics, who tried to convince
folk that they alone had an inside track on the things of God. So in
order to received anything from God, you had to go to the Gnostic.
(Boy, do we ever have them with us today.) John says, "No way."
Every child of God knows exactly what God is like, and has the
Spirit of God inside them to instruct them in the way of truth.
Later John says, "The one who believes in the Son of God has the
testimony in himself." He then says, "These things I have written to
you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may
know that you have eternal life." (Cf. 1 John 5:9-13)
The wonderful thing about eternal life is that it is not an issue of
cross the 't' and dotting the 'i.' People can have some of the oddest
beliefs, and yet if they have believe in and have received the Son of
God for who He is, they have eternal life. No religious group has a
corner on God things. There is no 'best' religion.
Now let's center more on the heart of our study, that is, our life 'in
the presence of the Divine.' When a person truly believes in Jesus
Christ, there is an interchange that takes place in the Spirit. They
trade their old life for the life of Jesus Christ. He literally enters the human
spirit in a spiritual form. And this is what the 'Abba! Father!' experience
speaks of.
The apostle said, "Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit
of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!'" In another place
Paul refers to this experience as the seal of the Spirit. The seal
itself is eternal, which means it cannot be broken. (Cf. Gal4:6;
Eph1:12; 4:30)
From the moment of our birth from above, Divine awareness
becomes part of our life. The believer lives with a consciousness of
belonging to the Lord. This is why believers become uncomfortable
in the presence of sinfulness. No one has a sensitive conscience
like that of a true believer. It is this sensitiveness that helps guide
the believer into doing what is right before God.
So its not a matter of having permission to sin. It is a matter of a
believer's inability to continue in any form of sin. Its like trying to
place a sheep among pigs. The sheep may get muddy in the pen,
but he is not going to remain that way. It is contrary to a sheep's
nature to live like the pigs. John said, "No one who is born of God
practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot
(practice) sin, because he is born of God." (1 John 3:9)
What a wonderful thing, living in the presence of the Divine, or
having a conscious relationship with Jesus Christ. Paul tells us not
to 'grieve' the Holy Spirit of God. How can we know we have grieved
the Spirit of God if there isn't Divine awareness? We know because
the Holy Spirit grieves in us. This sinking feeling we get in times of
missing the Lord, is the Lord's way of say, "You missed it. Lets get
it right."
So, what does eternal life mean? Does it mean that we will live
eternally? Does it mean that there is a life that comes from God,
that believers now enjoy? Does it merely speak of our going to
heaven? It means all this and more.
Eternal life is the life of the Son poured into our spirits. It is the true
testimony that we believe in the resurrected Lord of glory. Eternal life carries
its own witness. It is Jesus helping us process life to its fullest. Eternal
life is having Jesus rise up from within us to declare His own victory. And this
is why we are to have faith in Jesus alone.
Paul gives the best description to the life we now have. He says, "I
have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by
faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."
(Galatians 2:20)
Just a final thought --- Now that we know what eternal life is, in a
sense, a question remains. How does a person receive eternal life?
There is only one answer to that question. And it is quite simple. It
is written, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but
have eternal life."
Be blessed. The study is open for discussion.
Buddy
Lawrence E. (Buddy) Martin, HF Host
email: Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org
Web: http://www.ChristianChallenge.org
"See to it that no one comes short of the grace
of God; that no root of bitterness springing up
causes trouble, and by it many be defiled." (Heb12:15)