Salvation is all by the grace of God through faith without works of any kind. The letters that are written to saints tell us to stop sinning. We are all in a state of imperfection. As Romans 3:23 says, all sinned and are continually falling short of the glory of God.
We all have our blinders, biases and sins. We all are called to grow up. Salvation isn't even based on knowledge. Colossians 1:10 says we are to be increasing in the knowledge of God. When God saves us, at the beginning, we are but babies in Christ. That is what Paul calls the Corinthian (I Corinth. 3:1-2) saints. But he does it as a rebuke. They should be farther along, eating solid food not milk. We all should be watchful of ourselves. Are we babies when we should be growing up? Am I content with milk when I should be eating steak? I prefer fish and chicken!
John 4:21 Jesus says to her, Woman, believe me, the hour is coming, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, you will worship the Father.
The book of John does not emphasize the physical, whether it is the Samaritan place of sacrifice or the Jewish place of sacrifice. There is no one sacred place.
Even the book of Hebrews sets forth the concept that would be the most radical to its readers as Jews. And as Christians who are Gentiles, we should listen to it too.
Heb 12:18 For you have not come to the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor to blackness, and darkness, and tempest ...21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I am exceedingly afraid and trembling... but you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, 23 the universal gathering; and to the assembly of the firstborn who are registered in heaven; and to God, judge of all; and to the spirits of just men made perfect; 24 and to Jesus, mediator of a new covenant; and to the blood of sprinkling, speaking better than Abel.
The writer tells the readers you have not come to Mount Sinai where the Law was given. Moses has been replaced by Christ. they have come to a spiritual, non-physical place. it is a place not made with hands.
Hebrews 9:11 But Christ having become a high priest of the good things to come, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, (that is, not of this creation,) 24 for Christ did not enter into holy places made with hands, figure of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us.
13:13 therefore let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach: 14 for we do not have here an abiding city, but we seek the coming one.
As the Jewish believers were to leave behind the physical temple and all the things that go with it, the sacrifices, the priesthood, the national identity, they were to stop following Moses and follow Christ and bear the same reproach that he experienced. He was treated like the remains of the sacrifices which were disposed of outside the camp (13:11-12). We have no temple here, we have no nation, we have no inheritance here.
Those who emphasize the "one person ministry" think of ministry in the professional sense. As believers, we do not surrender our minds and hearts to anyone but God. A friend of mine had a brother in law who was a "pastor." He asked my friend, how come I can't get people to do anything? My friend didn't mince words. He said, look at what you teachand at your own example and what you teach by that example. The church gives lip service to the concept of the one Body, many members.
Eph 4:11 And he gave messengers and prophets and evangelists and shepherds and teachers.
The word "apostle" is not a translation. It's just the Greek sounds brought over into English letters. The Latin Vulgate didn't translate it either. My suspicion is that the emphasis on hierarchy in Jerome's time led him not to translate it. The KJV does translate it as "messenger" twice (phil. 2:25, II Cor. 8:23). Once the KJV translates it as an action word (John 13:16 "he that is sent"). These references have nothing to do with the twelve or Paul. In the teaching of the Roman church, the twelve are seen as cardinals while Peter is the Pope.
"Prophet" is also not a translation. It is used of a divine spokesperson. It is used primarily of someone who speaks for someone else, much like the word "apostle." "Apostle" emphasizes that someone is sent by someone else. John 13:16 puts the word in the same category as a servant or slave. "Prophet" emphasizes someone who speaks. This includes foretelling future events, but the primary emphasis is simply telling something.
The word "pastor" is a Latin word. It represents the idea of a shepherd. Some of the English translations in the 1500's translated this as shepherd. The instructions given to the KJ translators were to keep "church" terms. King James despised the Geneva Bible as much as Henry VIII did the Tyndale Bible.
I Cor. 12:29 Are all messengers? are all prophets? are all teachers? 30 Are all doers of miracles? do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak with languages? Do all interpret?
Without a doubt, there is a vast difference between the churches created by human ingenuity and craftiness and the church/assembly which is the Body of Christ created by God.
The passages in romans 12 and I corinthians 12, especially, emphasize the many members and the one body, not one member.
Unfortunately for christians this has been going on for almost 2000 years. It seems that even before christians allowed themselves to be compromised by constantine, they were already practicing the one member ministry.
Rom 12:4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same work:
5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members of one another.
Verses 6-8 list a sampling of the gifts. There is the gift of prophecy. This would be in keeping with the gifts of revelation mentioned in I Corinthians 12-14. I Thessalonians 5:20 also addresses this gift(do not treat prophesying with contempt). There are also the gifts of serving and teaching. Some prophesy, some serve, some teach. Some encourage and exhort. Some share with others. Some are protectors and guardians, giving aid and care to others. Some show mercy and compassion.
One person does not accomplish all these actions. Paul has stated that, all members do not have the same work or function. The Body does not rely on one person to carry out all these functions. Many members are gifted in different ways. The many members of the Body do not rely on one person to do all these things. The many members of the Body are not passive. The members of the Body are to be active.
I Cor. 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.
Rom. 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to every one among you, not to think above what it is necessary to think; but to think sensibly , to each one as God distributed the measure of faith.
None of us are to think more highly of ourselves. We didn't gift ourselves. God is the one who gave us whatever work we have to do. And it says, to each one as God gave.
Two words which pertain to most of this life, if not all of this life.
Posted : 24 May, 2022 08:10 AM
I get your point now. You confused me with want and need. Now that God has saved us, truly, we both need and want Him. God works in us so that we desire and work for His good pleasure (philippians 2:13).
I am not a preterist in any sense of the word. I am not anti Semitic in any sense. I believe that God will fulfill His promises to Israel. Just as God fulfilled the prophecies regarding the first coming of the Messiah, He will fulfill the prophecies regarding the second coming and that includes the establishment of His people, and "israel will be saved"(romans 11:26).
When Paul wrote about the conversion of the Thessalonian believers, he said that they were waiting for God's son from heaven (1thess. 1:10). To the Corinthian saints he wrote, we will not all die but we will all be changed (1 corinth. 15:50). He tells Titus, we are waiting for the blessed hope(Titus 2:13).
The expectation was that Christ would come at any time. I was very disappointed when I read Hal Lindsey's book years ago. Since then, every time I hear a preacher say the "restoration" of israel in1948 is a sign of the end times, I just cringe. Could Christ have come back before israel was "restored?" Every believer in the previous 1900 years had a legitimate hope and expectation of the return of Christ. They didn't have to wait for the establishment of Israel as a nation. In fact, the old testament view of the restoration of israel is not the same as the mere establishment of the secular political state in 1948. Israel is just another nation, like any other. There is nothing sacred about being Jewish. From the biblical viewpoint there are no jews or gentiles. God isn't dealing with the world on any national physical tribal basis. People are either lost or saved.
There is no longer greek or jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, scythian, slave or free(colossians 3:11).
