GRACE AND THE TRUTH - DAILY INSPIRATION

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"THE GIFT OF CHRIST"    AUGUST 2, 2007


"THE GIFT OF CHRIST"





"But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore He saith, 'When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.' (Now He that ascended, what is it but that He also descended first unto the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also That ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints..." (Eph. 4:7-12).

While this wording might seem strange to the modern reader, the point is simple and must not be missed! The Lord Jesus Christ is the One Who came into this world [the lower parts] in humiliation and was "found in fashion as a man..." He was obedient unto death out of which He was raised, ascended, and seated on high, "far above all principality and power" in order that He might "fill all things."

From that exalted position and place, He received gifts of ministry from God and in turn gave them to "the church which is His body." His "giving" is an expression of His grace with the stated purpose, "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." And all this is to continue until "we all come to the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect [mature] man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Eph. 4:12-13). Unity of the Spirit leads to unity of the Faith.

Rather than spiritual gifts given to individual men, these gifts are stated to be men with spiritual enablement being given to the church, the body of Christ. They must be seen as the means used by the risen Lord to continue to bless and guide this church in His absence. The apostles and prophets were men whose works were inspired and who laid the foundation by writing the scriptures. The works of evangelists and teaching pastors were not inspired but were of a continuing and subsequent nature ministering the scriptures. The latter were to continue until the stated goals are reached, evidently until this church is complete and rapture to heaven!

These apostles were not the twelve, chosen by the Lord on earth, but called from heaven and associated with Paul in His ministry. And while these have disappeared, evangelists, pastors and teachers continue "until we all come to...unto a perfect man, ...the fulness of Christ," the rapture!

By Pastor Ivan Burgener

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From Grace And The Truth Ministries
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If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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REPROBATE CONCERNING THE FAITH    AUGUST 3, 2007


REPROBATE CONCERNING THE FAITH
By DICK WARE, Pastor




Scripture Reading: II Timothy 3:6-9

In II Timothy chapter 3 , we see the characteristic of "the last days" of the Dispensation of Grace, is a spiritual decadence in mankind. Certain people are "reprobate concerning the faith," and are like Jannes and Jambres (Pharaoh's magicians), who were counterfeiters and resistors of the truth. The "reprobates" (disapproved) ones that are with us today: have a form of Godliness, but deny its power; take people captive; never lead to God's truth; resist the truth; are disapproved by God, and will Come to a sudden end, Godly believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are not told to work with these people, but to turn away from them (Vr. 5).

I believe "the truth" and "the faith" in our context, is "the Body of Truth for the Body of Christ", committed to the Apostle Paul. It's "the Truth of the Gospel" Paul rebuked Peter, for not being consistent with in Galatians, and what Paul also calls "my Gospel" in the same book. It's the "ONE FAITH" in Ephesians 4:5, which is "THE UNITY OF THE FAITH" in 4:13. In II Tim. 3:10, it is what Paul calls "MY DOCTRINE", and he is giving it as the answer to the confusion and division that plagues the Body of Christ. Notice however, that vr. 10 doesn't end with Paul's doctrine, but goes on to his "manner of life," etc.

Christians need to realize that Satan majors in religion. He has his "false apostles", "deceitful workers", "apostles of Christ" and "minister of righteousness" (II Corinthians 11:13-I5). These folks are definitely "reprobate (disqualified) concerning THE FAITH". Satan is opposing "the Body of Truth for the Body of Christ" committed to the Apostle Paul. It's sad to say, but some believers are also found counterfeiting and resisting this Body of Truth. Where do you stand concerning THE FAITH?

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From Grace And The Truth Ministries
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If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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"THE WAY UP IS DOWN"     AUGUST  4, 2007


"THE WAY UP IS DOWN"
By M. Stanford





"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ" (Phil. 3:7).

"Whosoever will lose his life for My sake, the same shall save it" (Lu. 9:24). Once we learn this great paradox of the Lord, all will be gain, our good, and His glory.

" 'Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ' (Eph. 3:8 ). 'Unto me, who am less than the least.' In spiritual learning we take degrees downward, not upward. as in ordinary universities. It is a great temptation to those who serve to be arriving at something above the common standard, but God gives out His best work to 'less than the least.' His service wants depth, not height." --C.A.F.

"The test of genuine revelation is as to whether the one concerned is manifestly well crucified to a desire for power, position, influence. Can that one be resisted, assailed, thwarted, rejected, without in some form seeking to come out even or on top? An element of personal domination or self-vindication will spoil the outreach and discredit the servant. Oh, the peril of getting hold of Divine Truth in order to use it!" -T.A-S.

"We are wounded in order that we may learn from the great Physician how to bind up wounds and give aid. The Father visits us with trials in order to teach us to carry the burdens of others.
We ourselves must first go to school before we can be teachers of others."

"Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you" (John 15:16).

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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READY TO DEPART     AUGUST  5, 2007


READY TO DEPART
By JON D. BEKEMEYER, Pastor



Reading: II Timothy 4:6-8


The marathon runner has a rigorous life. He must maintain diet, get proper rest, and push his body to the limits of endurance (in spite of pain) as he trains for the race. Then, on the day of the race, he must follow the rules and follow the course. The rules and the course are set up by others.

The Apostle Paul was ever conscious of the fact that he was on a course set up by God Almighty (I Corinthians 9:23,24). He did not choose to be beaten, scoffed at, stoned or thrown in jail; but all these things were a part of his course. It is not that God caused these things to happen --- they were caused by wicked men. But  these difficulties were allowed by God and used for His glory.

These circumstances did not deter Paul because his goal was to "apprehend that for which (he was) apprehended of Christ" (Phil. 3:12) . He desired to finish his course with joy (Acts 20:24) Because of all this, at the end of his life, Paul was ready to depart. He had finished the job. He could truthfully write "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith".

As believers, we, like Paul, have a course of service. We must follow the rules as set forth in Paul's epistles. "And if a man strive for the masteries, yet is he not crowned except he strive lawfully" (II Timothy 2:5). Also, we must follow our course. To Archippus it is written, "Take heed to the ministry thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it." We would do well to heed the same admonition so that we may finish the course with joy.

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
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If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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INITIAL PREPARATION       AUGUST  6, 2007


INITIAL PREPARATION
By Miles Stanford




"Saul armed David with his armor .... And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not tested them" (I Sam. 17:38, 39).

Years of preparation are worth a moment of truth! Rest assured that once we are developed and trained by the Holy Spirit, the work whereunto He has called us will be ready and waiting (Acts 13:2). "Our Lord must have an instrument which He has formed in the fire and to which He has given peculiar knowledge of Himself."

"The greater the knowledge committed to a servant, the more necessary and important it is that he should be much alone with God about it, in order that he may realize the nature and effect of it on himself before he undertakes to make it known to others.

"It rebukes the haste and readiness with which many now enter the ministry, attempting to impress others with a measure of the truth which they have not proved for themselves. Surely the servant should ever be able to say: 'I believed, and therefore have I spoken' (II Cor. 4:13). It is better to lose time as to work in preparation for service than to lose time in repairing one's mistakes in undertaking a work for which one is not yet qualified."

"A servant's discipline must always be in advance of the service prepared for him. He cannot lead beyond the point to which he himself has been led. But when the depth and reality of the truth has been established in his own soul, he is made the channel of it."

"1 have found that many a thing which I had presented in an extreme way because I was sure of it, I put forth in a simpler and a more real way when I had touched it in my own experience."
- J. B. S.

"That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you" (I John 1:3).

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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APPREHENDED TO APPREHEND       AUGUST  7, 2007


APPREHENDED TO APPREHEND
By Miles Stanford




"I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord" (Phil. 3:8 ).

Positionally, our Father subjected our old nature to the Cross and its resultant death. Experientially, He applies the work of the Cross to our old life, thereby progressively holding it in the grip of that death. He is "unforming" the old nature in death, and conforming the new nature in life.

"Life more abundant requires that what He did for us shall be made good in us. In His Cross He dealt with our sins, and He also dealt with ourselves; but that is something which has to be made good progressively. It is as we ourselves are dealt with in the power of the Cross that the way is made for His life to express itself in ever deepening fulness.

"The fact is that it is the old life which is in the way of the new life and its full expression. It is the natural life which obstructs the course of the divine life. Thus what has been done for us has to be done in us, and as it is done in us that life becomes more than a deposit, more than a simple, though glorious possession; it becomes a deepening, growing power, a fulness of expression." - T. A-S.

"You may have been in the fires and have been having a pretty hard and painful time in your spiritual life, but that only means that God has been preparing you for something more. No, God is not a God who believes in bringing everything to an end. He is always after something more. And if He has to clear the way for something more by devastating methods (Cross), well, that is all right, for it is something more that He is after. There is so much more, far, far transcending all our asking or thinking."

"I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:12).

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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LET IT GET YOU DOWN      AUGUST  8, 2007


LET IT GET YOU DOWN
by C. R. Stam



"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 3: 14).

When adversity strikes, the world keeps telling us: "Don’t let it get you down," but believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have learned that it is good to let troubles and difficulties get them down -- down on their knees.

A native evangelist in Africa sat outside his hut discouraged and unhappy. Trouble and disappointment had brought "great coldness" into his heart and he seemed ready to give up. The Lord, he felt, had utterly forsaken him. As he sat there, though, his little girl kept nudging him and saying: "Daddy, go inside and pray ." Finally it worked! The evangelist went inside, poured his heart out to God and arose feeling sure that the Lord would see him through.

It is good for us to get down on our knees before God. There is no attitude more appropriate to the redeemed sinner. And as we pray, often falteringly....

"The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit Himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
"And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose"
(Rom. 8:26-28 ).

"Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding. shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:6,7).

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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OLD REJECTED, NEW ACCEPTED        AUGUST 9, 2007


OLD REJECTED, NEW ACCEPTED
By Miles Stanford




"You were set free from the tyranny of Sin, and became the bondservants of Righteousness" (Rom. 6:18, Wey.).

The principle underlying resurrection life is, of all things, death. "For since we have become one with Him by sharing in His death, we shall also be one with Him by sharing in His resurrection .... Surrender your very selves to God as living men who have risen from the dead" (Rom. 6:5,13, Wey.). Let the facts of your position overwhelm the feelings of your condition.

"By exercising faith in the Word, apart from any feelings, be 'planted together with Him in the likeness of His death' (Rom. 6:5). Only by thus standing in your position will you begin to experience 'the likeness of His resurrection.' Reckon on your life-union with Him. Reject the old life on the basis of your death in Christ on the Cross, and count yourself alive in Him until He makes experiential your resurrection position. Do not forget that you must stand firmly upon the specific truths: 'dead indeed unto sin - alive unto God in Christ Jesus' (Rom. 6:11).

"The sharing of His life is our blessed experience just in the measure in which we share His death. So many of us are content merely that the Cross should be the power to save us from the penalty of sin, but death was not the end of the manifestation of Christ. It was resurrection, and it is the risen life, shining forth in the believer, that alone can carry out the purpose of God in redemption. The believer, in whose daily attitude the mark of resurrection is seen, becomes what the world is looking for, a convincing witness to the power of the Living Redeemer." - G.W.

"That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection" (Phil. 3:10).

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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FIXED POSITION        AUGUST  10, 2007


FIXED POSITION
By Miles Stanford





"And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (Luke 9:23).

True spiritual experience will result from our standing immovable in our position "in Christ." All too often believers allow certain "experiences" to move them from the faith-ground of their objective position, and they are soon adrift on the sea of subjective feelings and unscriptural influences.

"The Christian life is essentially a continuous dying, and a continuous living. Of course, there may come a particular crisis in experience where the Spirit of God brings the soul face to face with a definite issue as to a willingness for the Cross, and a yielding of the life to God. Yes, the first revelation of the secret of victory also may constitute a real crisis in the life of the believer, but that crisis or experience can never, in itself, avail for the future.

"There is a subtle danger in relying upon some isolated experience of 'sanctification,' so-called. The victorious Christian life is a Person, not an experience. Following the crisis, whatever phase or landmark in the life that may represent, there must be the daily reckoning, the moment-by-moment abiding and the control of the Holy Spirit. Whatever may have been our experience of holiness, and the measure of spiritual attainment in the past, we can never get beyond the need of abiding in Christ and the continuous reckoning of faith." - R.W.

"For we, alive though we are, are continually surrendering ourselves to death for the sake of Jesus" (II Cor. 4:11, Wey.).

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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"THE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS"       AUGUST 11, 2007


"THE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS"
by C. R. Stam



St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, refers to those who receive “the abundance of grace” and “the gift of righteousness” (Rom.5:17) which God in love bestows upon all who trust in His Son for salvation.

The Bible declares that no man can ever stand uncondemned in the sight of God, the Judge of all, unless he receives righteousness as the gift of God's grace.

Quoting from the Psalms, the Apostle says in Romans 3:10; “It is written, there is none righteous, no, not one”. This is why Paul pitied those who continued to go about “to establish their own righteousness” (Rom.10:3). He knew that their struggle was utterly futile, that they needed to be saved (See Verse One).

Let us thank God that the Lord Jesus Christ took the condemnation and judgment of our sins upon Himself at Calvary so that His righteousness might be imputed to us by grace through faith. Regarding Abraham’s justification before God, the Apostle says: “What saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Rom.4:3).

Abraham’s justification, of course, was based on the fact that Christ was to die for sin, but Christ’s death is now past; it is an historical fact. Thus righteousness is now proclaimed through Christ and offered to all as a gift. “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom.5:8 ). “God hath made Him to be sin for us…that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (II Cor.5:21).

But we must receive this righteousness as a gift, for “to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, HIS FAITH is counted for righteousness” (Rom.4:5).

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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"COMPLETE IN CHRIST"  Part 1      AUGUST 12, 2007


"COMPLETE IN CHRIST"
Part 1
by William B. Hallman



Colossians 2:8-10 - "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:"

The greatest discovery that any human being can make is the discovery of the all-sufficiency of Christ, and the utter worthlessness of man without Him. Christ is all, and in Him we have all. Without Him we are nothing, absolutely nothing. It makes no difference how many times we multiply ciphers: they will be devoid of all magnitude or quality until we place some digit before them. But once a digit is placed before them, they take on meaning, value, significance.

"Christ is all" is the covering principle of this Book of Colossians. Look at the following verses: "That in all things he might have the preeminence," (1:18 ); "In Him should all fulness dwell," (1:19); "In Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge," (2:3); "In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily," (2:9); "In Him, which is the Head of all principality and power," (2:10); "Christ is all and in all," (3:11).

I am sure we all can sing with Charles Wesley, "Thou, 0 Christ, art all I want, more than all in Thee I find."

Browning wrote: "I say, the acknowledgment of God in Christ, accepted by that reason, solves for thee all questions in the earth and out of it, and has so far advanced thee to be wise." And it was Bishop Moule who said: "No surer test according to Scripture can be applied to anything claiming to be Christian teaching. Where does it put Jesus Christ? What does it make of Jesus Christ? Is He something in it, or is He all?"

This Epistle of Colossians is a positive presentation of the antidote to every form of heresy. Epaphras had come to Paul at Rome with the news that real danger of false teaching had beset the church at Colosse. This new heresy called Gnosticism was a combination of Judaic Ritualism and Oriental Mysticism (See 2:16-18 ). These Colossians were asked to accept something in addition to Christ. They taught that Christ was not sufficient, not unique. They taught an additional philosophy (V.8 ), an additional astrology (V. 8 - "elements of the world" have to do with stars and planets), an additional circumcision (V. 11); additional ascetic rules and regulations (Vs. 16,20-23), and additional worship of angels (V.18 ).

When anyone says that we are to be saved or kept by the Law, they have never understood the phrase: "Complete in Him." "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth" (Rom. 10:4). When anyone suggests that we can add to our salvation by doing something, they have never understood the phrase, "Complete in Christ." "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8 ). When anyone suggests that water baptism in any form is necessary for salvation, or as a testimony to one's faith, or the door to the church, they do not understand the phrase, "Complete in Him." For we are "Buried with Him in baptism" (Col. 2:12). When we are told that we must keep the sabbath, we know men do not understand the completeness we have in Christ. "the sabbath days which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ" (Col. 2:16-17).

The word translated "fulness" in 2:9 is in the Greek the word pleroma, and the word "complete" in 2:10 is the word peplero-menoi. This latter is a perfect passive participle of the word pleroo. The word means to "make full, to fill up, to fill to the full, to diffuse throughout, complete, nothing wanting." So the great word in this Epistle, both with reference to Christ and to the believer in Christ is this word pleroma or pleroo. This fulness is worked into the very structure and language of the Epistle. (See 1:9; 1:19; 1:24; 1:25; 2: 2; 2:9; 2:10; 4:12; 4:17).

Continued

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From Grace And The Truth Ministries
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If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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"COMPLETE IN CHRIST"  Part 2     AUGUST  12, 2007


"COMPLETE IN CHRIST"
Part 2
by William B. Hallman




Not only in Colossians, but in the whole Bible we have tributes to Jesus Christ. He is seen in every promise, parable, prophecy, type, poem, narrative, allegory, and symbol. He is likened to the sun, the stars, the shepherd, the lamb, the lion, the door, the cornerstone, the foundation, the bread, and the wine. Everything about Him is superlative. He is the "Lord of Lords," "the King of Kings," "the fairest among ten thousand."

Nothing can go beyond completeness. You can add nothing to it. You might as well try to purge a sunbeam, or purify the whiteness of the newly fallen snow as to add to that which is already perfect. And it is not only true that "all fulness dwells in Him," but also that we are "complete in Him."

One day Michelangelo went into the studio of the young painter Raphael, and finding him gone, left without leaving his name. But before he went, he took a piece of chalk and wrote on the canvas of the poor and meager design of Raphael a bold and sweeping line with the word "amplius" (wider). When Raphael returned and saw this, he knew immediately who had been there and done this. He thus changed his style. So our Lord points to His fulness and our narrowness and emptiness, and challenges us to partake of His fulness - His pleroma.

It is the privilege of every person to recognize their completeness in Christ. This can be done first,

BY RECOGNIZING CHRIST'S FULNESS

"For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (2:l0).

Alford paraphrases this verse - "For in Him all the complete perfection essential to the Godhead abides corporeally, substantially, and really, and not in the manner of shadows."

Christ's fulness is resident in His Person - ("in Him" - en auto). This phrase is given the emphatic position in the verse, and draws our attention first to the One Who has the fulness. The Holy Spirit wants us to see Him, even before we see His fulness. This is important.

We must also recognize the Permanence of this fulness in the word "dwelleth"- katoikei. This word means "to settle down, to be at home." Deity is at home in Christ, and dwells so in a permanent way.
 
Continued

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If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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"COMPLETE IN CHRIST"  Part 3     AUGUST  14, 2007


"COMPLETE IN CHRIST"
Part 3
by William B. Hallman






There is also the Plenitude of this fulness as seen in the words, "all the fulness of the Godhead" - pan to plerorne tes Theotetos. To make this matter exceedingly clear, the Apostle uses the word "pan "-- (all), emphasizing that the fulness is complete. There is no portion of the plenitude that is not present. Paul is pointing out further by the use of the word Theotetos (Godhead) that not the mere quality of God resides in Christ, as seen in Romans 1:20 by the use of the word Theiotes; but the absolute essence of God dwells in Christ. Christ is not merely like God, that is Divine, but He is Theos - God. This was Paul's declaration against the Gnostics before Athanasius had to oppose Arius (who said that the Son is not of the same substance as the Father, but was created as an agent for creating the world), or we the modern cults of Theosophy, Bahaiism, Unity, Christian Science, Jehovah's Witnesses, The Mormons, etc.

In this fulness of Christ we also recognize the place in the word "bodily" - somatikos. This is an adverb modifying the verb "dwell," pointing to the manner. It means "bodily," or "in bodily manifestation." This does not mean a mystical dwelling, nor a mere spiritual dwelling, nor a limited bodily dwelling. It does mean an eternal bodily dwelling. There can be only one tenable explanation and that is, that Christ was and is God. All the fulness dwelt in Him before the incarnation, during the incarnation, and continues so permanently. Since "in Christ" the plenitude dwells permanently, and bodily, there is the manifestation that gives the lie to all forms of Gnosticism, which perverts the truth about the person of Christ.

If the foregoing exposition is true, and it is, then certain things follow in logical sequence.

Christ is Head of all creation. "For by Him were all things created, ....all things were created by Him, and for Him. (Col. 1:16-17). In creation Christ is preeminent. Every form and kind of matter, simple and complex were created by Him. The atom and the star, the sun and the cloud, every grade of life from the worm to the angel, every order of intellect and being around and above us, the splendors of Heaven and the nearer phenomena of the earth are the product of the first-born of all creation. Three prepositions are used in relation to Christ as Creator -- en, dia, and eis, -"in Him," "through Him," and "for Him." Christ is the source, the means, and the end of all creation. He is also the conserver of all - "by Him all things consist" (Col. 1:17). He impresses upon creation its unity and solidarity, making it a cosmos instead of a chaos. He feeds the sun with fuel and the sparrow with corn. He guides the planets in their courses, and keeps the heart beating in man. He cares for the tiniest insect that makes the coral and the mightiest leviathan which plows the deep. He guides the seraph and the cherub in their interspacial missions. The helm of the universe is in His hands that were nailed to Calvary for you and me. Everywhere we behold His footprints; out of every storm and solitude we hear His voice across the darkness saying:  "It is I, be not afraid."

Christ is also the Head of all redemption. "And having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself" (Col. 1: 20). He is both the "Author and Finisher" of our faith; the "Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and End" of our redemption. When He cried, "It is finished," it was finished. Nothing was left undone, and nothing need be added. In the incarnation He became both God and man; in the crucifixion He became our means of peace and provision for every spiritual blessing; in the resurrection He became our power over death, the grave, and lake of Fire; in His ascension and seating at God's right hand, He became our guarantee of all future glory with Him. Nothing has been left undone for our future glorification with Him "in the Heavenlies."

Christ is the Head of the Church, His Body. "And He is the Head of the body, the church" (Col. l:l8 ). The head is the glory of the body. There the chief beauty of manhood dwells. Christ is fairer than all. We are circumcised with Him, baptized with Him, risen with Him, ascended with Him, and seated with Him in glory. What a complete identification! It is the head which unifies the body, coordinates all its movements, regulates all its actions. From the head comes the mandate which lifts the hand and moves the foot.

Christ is again the Head of our Hope. "When Christ Who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory" (Col. 3:4). Christ takes care of all our sorrows, sufferings, trials and tribulations. Matthew Arnold shows the failure of the Greek religion to take into account the sorrows of life. It was only a fair weather religion. Twenty miners were once buried in a coal pit in Wales, standing in water to the waist, until but five remained. Yet they were singing, "In the deep and mighty waters there is none to hold my head, But my only Saviour Jesus, Who was offered in my stead." The South Sea Islanders have a palm tree that they use for bread, drink, clothing, shelter, light, material for books, cordage for boats, and for needles. So our Lord Jesus Christ is all and in all. We are God's heavenly people; our citizenship is in Heaven, and from thence we look for our Saviour. "Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13).

Continued

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Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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[nChrist]

 "COMPLETE IN CHRIST"  Part 4     AUGUST  15, 2007


"COMPLETE IN CHRIST"
Part 4- Conclusion
by William B. Hallman





The "fulness" of Christ is but half of the story. The apostle hastens on to show the other side. So we must also



RECOGNIZE THE CHRISTIAN'S FULNESS



Ye  are complete in Him" (2:10). Note our present possession in the words "ye are." This word in the Greek holds the emphatic position. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God" (I Jn. 3:2). Note also our present position - "In Him." Again the Greek gives this an emphatic location. "In Him" is the richest little phrase in all of Paul's Epistles. This is the sphere of the believer's life. It is a sphere, not a mere circle. We are "in Him" surrounded above, beneath, beside, and all around. So nothing can come from without to harm us, and with Him within we should be "more than conquerors." "In Him" we have all that He has, and He is our fulness, our complement, our completeness. See also our past perfection as believers. The word is pepleromenoi, and means "complete, filled full, perfected." This is a perfect, passive participle, so it represents a past perfect work. Demosthenes used the word here translated "complete" in describing a ship fully manned. Truly our ship is fully manned, from prow to stern, by her Captain Who steers the vessel, stills the storm, guides through rocks and reefs, feeds the crew, fills every need, and brings the vessel to its desired haven.

If we are "complete in Him," and we are "by grace through faith," then it follows what Paul sets forth in this Epistle.

We are complete without philosophy. "Beware lest any man spoil  you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments (elements) of the world, and not after Christ" (2:8 ). We need no sophisms of this world to prop our faith. There is nothing new in philosophy except old error. One day three friend philosophers came to Job to comfort him and to set him straight as to his thinking. These three represent the reasonings of the best of men. Eliphaz reasons on human experience (4:8;5:3;15:17) - "Even as I have seen," "I have seen," "I have seen." It is what he had seen, heard, and felt. Bildad comes with human tradition (8:8,10) - "For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age," "search of the fathers." Zophar reasons on human merit (11:13-14) --- "If thou prepare thine heart." This is the gospel of humanism. Six thousand years of human gropings after wisdom have not given men the true knowledge of God, nor His ways with man. Man's reason is inadequate to understand either the will or way of God. If man by his own reason could find God, and His way of redemption, then there would be no need of a revelation. Like little David we are content with the sling and the stones. As for the armor of philosophy, we leave that to proud Goliath to wear. "Spoil you" says Paul. The word is sulagogon, and means "to carry off as a captive, a slave, as booty." It is used of kidnapping and plundering a house, also seducing a maiden.

We are also "complete in Him"  without ceremonies. "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross; Let no man therefore Judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days" (2:14, 16-17).

All these ceremonies had their day. They belong to the time of shadows; we now have the Substance, Christ. "Finished are the types and shadows of the ceremonial law."  Circumcision, sacrifices, passover, water baptisms, temple services, priestly functions, etc. etc. are but "beggerly elements" of a past age, encumbrances no longer needed. Who looks for the moon as long as the sun is shining? We are in the day of the Substance, not in the night of the shadows. But man is so prone to be religious, and add something to Christ. He must "touch," and "taste," and "handle" something.

Again, we are "Complete in Him" without any human merit. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8-9). All our righteousness are but filthy rags. If we were "dead in sins," and we were, how could a dead man do anything? He cannot see, hear, touch, smell, speak, or walk. So how utterly foolish it is like Zophar to talk about preparing one's heart to appease God or to merit His favor.

Therefore if "in Him" there dwells all "the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and we are "complete in Him," let us live as those who know this fulness! The Pauline doctrine of Christ is His absolute "fulness,"  His pleroma. And the doctrine of the members of His body is the doctrine of "ye are complete in Him." Christ should therefore command all our worship, our admiration, our love. There is at our disposal the infinite merit of His righteousness; the infinite efficacy in His blood; and the infinite power of His resurrection and glorification.

The celebrated artist Danneker's asked by Napoleon to paint Venus for the Louvre, and declined. An enormous sum was offered him, but still be declined. The little emperor angrily demanded the reason. "I have just painted Christ," was the answer, "and I can never lower my brush to paint such an inferior subject as Venus."

Let us therefore sing:

Now blest in heavenly places
In Christ at God's right hand;
And filled with all His fulness
Complete in Him to stand.
Sing to the praise and glory
Of Him Who thus hath shown
Such gracious love and mercy,
To call us for His own.

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From Grace And The Truth Ministries
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If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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[nChrist]

TRANSFERRED AND TRANSFORMED  AUGUST  16, 2007


TRANSFERRED AND TRANSFORMED
By Miles Stanford




"If [since] ye, then, be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God" (Col. 3:1).

The growth truths seem complicated and difficult to understand on first encounter. However, with progress in grace we find them to be as clear and logical as the truth of justification. For both time and eternity, all is summed up in John 17:3: "And this is life eternal. .. [to] know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ." Study on!

"The marvel of divine grace is that not only has everything according to the heart of God been secured for me through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, but that I, a child of Adam, should be, not only in peace with God where I was under His judgment, but that I am transferred from Adam to Christ, and I am to have Christ formed in me now.

"I am born of God - of new and divine origin - a new creation to be here on earth now where I was a child of Adam, in the grace and beauty of Christ, led by His own power to stand for Him; daily more and more 'transformed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord' (II Cor. 3:18 )."

"I used to study this passage and that passage to obtain guidance and light. I see now that if I were really near Him beholding His glory (II Cor. 3:18 ), I should be transformed, should come from Him so impressed with Himself that His interests would, as it were, naturally control me." - J.B.S.

"When the heart has found its rest and satisfaction in Him, it can turn to Him naturally and continually in every circumstance."

"Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth" (Col. 3:2).

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

Click Below For FREE Email Subscription:
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/pop_up.htm
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