Sin & the Gospel

[If this is the first post of mine you came to, it's a good one to start with. Be to check out and learn from the others as well. Looking up all the references below gives you the gospel and the fair reason for judgement.]

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:8

Do you pass the test? Exodus 20*, Matthew 5:21-22, Matthew 5:27-28, Romans 1:28-32, Romans 2-3 ( see the text here )

It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the Judgment. Hebrews 9:27b
...all have sinned and fall short of the glory/reputation of God... Romans 3:23 
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Mashiach Yeshua our Master). Romans 6:23

Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the LORD, and there is no savior besides Me. Isaiah 43:10a-11
I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Ezekiel 33:11b
Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. Hebrews 9:22b

Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: "I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.” Isaiah 44:6
I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. Isaiah 46:10a
Jesus said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Luke 24:44

Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 1 Corinthians 5:7
"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." Isaiah 1:18a (about Israel in context, yet can apply to all)
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. John 3:16

Exodus 12 THE PASSOVER LAMB

And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send [it] away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:  And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. Leviticus 16:21-22

The next day [John the Baptizer] saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29

It pleased the LORD to crush him. He has caused him to suffer. If he would make himself an offering for sin, he will see His seed; He will prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. Isaiah 53:10

For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come. Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:11-15

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10
(Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16)
For we maintain that a person is justified (declared innocent) by faith apart from works of the Law. Romans 3:28

He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration...through Jesus Christ our Savior. Titus 3:5-6
[Jesus speaking] He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me... He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. John 14:21a, 24a
The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 1 John 2:4

...but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. Hebrews 9:26b-28

 Re: John 3:16

So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. Numbers 21:9

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 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. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already..." John 3:14-18a

[ also translated] ...God loved the world in this way: He gave His One Unique Son, so that everyone who trusts in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

[The disciples praying] For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur. Acts 4:27-28

[Peter preaching] ...delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. Acts 2:23-24

[Saul/Paul preaching] Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through this man is proclaimed to you remission/forgiveness of sins, and through Him everyone who believes/trusts is justified from all things... Acts 13:38-39a


Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins/misses the mark. Ecclesiastes 7:20
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God...
1 Peter 3:18a

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name. John 1:12

...they refused to love the truth that would save them. 2 Thessalonians 2:10b


"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." Mark 1:15
[ also translated ]
“The time has come, God’s Kingdom is near! Turn to God from your sins and believe the Good News!” Mark 1:15

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her. Ephesians 5:25
 

A woman came to [Jesus] with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table..."When she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her." Matthew 26:7,12-13

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Romans 5:1-10

Theophany/Incarnation texts:
God is not a man, lest He lie. Numbers 23:19a
God is spirit. John 4:24a
...A spirit does not have flesh and bones... Luke 24:39b

Theophanies rap (Genesis 18) by Hazakim
Dr. Michael Brown, Semitic scholar, on objections from traditional Judaism

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us... John 1:14
Jesus said to them,"...for I came out (emanated) and have come from God..." John 8:42

"...You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews..." John 4:22  

"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:24
[ also translated ]

"God is Spirit, and only by the power of his Spirit can people worship him as he really is."

John 4:24

Now do some leg work (or see the summary below first):

Matthew 27:50-51 with Hebrews 10:19-22 
Isaiah 49, 52, 53, Romans 3, and Romans 4 (whole chapters)

Jeremiah 31:31-34 with Matthew 26:28 & Mark 14:24 & Hebrews 10:29

Ephesians 2:11-13 with Romans 11:17-18

1 Corinthians 15, Luke 10, Isaiah 43:10
Ezekiel 33, Daniel 9:26, John 1:10-12

John 4 (dramatized), John 10:22-42 (Hanukkah) 

 

A Video on Justice & Love

Put simply: we broke the law and Jesus paid our fine. A good judge can't look the other way or accept any bribes; a full dispensing of justice is the only acceptable thing. Jesus took our punishment in our place. That's what "He died for our sins" means. I never understood that nebulous phrase until 3 years ago, when I heard the gospel explained. Previously I had assumed that the Bible either said it doesn't matter what you believe – you're good enough already (which is self-righteousness) – or that someone has to be worthy or good enough to "enter heaven" by obeying commandments. There's also the idea of someone's goodness and badness being weighed out on the two sides of a balance scale regardless of any faith or lack of faith they had in life. We don't do that in court (set robbers free because they happen to also give to charity), so how could the highest court do that?

 

The Good-O-Meter

With a Being that never sins, deception and lies have to look as bad to It as murder looks to us. Only that Being can execute judgements, and all those judgements are fair. He offers to take the bullet: Jesus can take the punishment for you; God's wrath poured out on Him. His substitutionary sacrifice satisfies God's justice and makes way for mercy.

Grace is unmerited favor; that word refers to God's mercy through forgiveness. Along with that forgiveness comes a transformation resulting in a person no longer wanting to stay in sin; they actually want to obey God. And they're given the ability to battle with their sins on a daily basis, knowing that they already have God's love and full forgiveness. (See this article – obedience isn't about earning favor).

You can look at an elevator and think it'll take you to the top floor – but nothing will happen until you step in and trust yourself to it. And a truly changed nature comes with being truly saved: hating sin (what you once loved to do) & having the enablement and overarching desire to do what's right. Perfection isn't in view here, but moving in that direction is. Diving into sin and swimming there is different from losing balance, falling in, and always turning back to the ladder. That joyful obedience stems from gratitude – the gratitude from having been rescued – and not from anything else.

By the way, just repenting doesn't do anything because it doesn't take care of justice. Without the first Pesach, Israel's history would have been pretty short! Just as those Israelites were physically delivered from death and from bondage through faith in God's provision and promise, many were spiritually delivered the same way – through faith in the covenant. (Romans 4)

*Exodus 20 Explanations & Some Tidbits

The "Ten Commandments" or Ten Words are a summary of God's law/instructions.
Included in those ten statements is a summary of God's moral standard (something which most people have a basic sense of in their conscience – see my "Worldviews" post). The rest of the Torah shows the full standard of "goodness" for all people along with the rest of the laws – sacrificial and governmental rules for God's chosen nation. Jesus takes all the guilt as the temple system foreshadowed, gathers people from various nations from the starting point of Israel, and enables His people to actually walk in true "goodness", which brings real joy.     

 

On Jealousy: If something rightfully belongs to you and you alone (and cannot be shared), you should be jealous over it when it's not in your possession. Spouses belong to each other; and if one of them was caught cheating, the other one would rightly feel both anger and jealousy. ("I am a jealous God...") Only YHWH was worthy of Israel's admiration – not pieces of wood or metal which didn't rescue or create them. It is in the context of wanting what's not yours that jealousy is bad.

On Slavery: First off, it was an invention of man only allowed by God insofar as it was voluntary servitude (for survival – food and housing), in a POW/inmate sort of situation, or for paying off debt. Kidnapping, cruelty, and unwarranted beating were always forbidden.
http://bible.cc/exodus/21-16.htm
(Speaking of different people having different roles, what's the problem with that? In order for an office environment to function, the manager has to do the job of the manager, the people in sales need to be working the sales calls, and the janitors – well let's just say the whole world would be a worse place to live in without them. And you wouldn't be happy if someone hired for front counter service spent all their time working in a cubicle away from the customers. The creation and assignment of different roles is not the same as advocating an upstairs-downstairs divide – a Downton Abbey-esque superiority and stigma.
Cultures develop that on their own, and wrongly.)

On the Iniquity of the Fathers: Everyone is accountable for their own sin only, and not for anyone else's. But sin can have horrible consequences here and now that ruin things for multiple people – not just for the one who committed the sin (source). On a slightly related note, no one deserves good things; one Christian radio host said once that he deserves to die in a hurricane. Yet so many of us get unspeakable pleasures in life: the ability to taste good food...pick your favorite thing. And look at the cross. (Romans 2:4)

On Pronouns: There’s no gender with God but we gotta use some sort of personal pronoun rather than the word “it”. I'd just go crazy if we didn't. Plus "it" carries the idea of something inanimate. The majority of pronouns used for God in the Bible are masculine, and that’s probably to get the idea of “His” power across to our human minds – since men are the biologically stockier of the two genders.

Look into this information. Don't think "religion" but rather "truth claims." I think that labels, such as "Christianity," can sometimes be limiting. One single word doesn't do justice as to what it indicates: the massive body of information behind it. It's actually a very Jewish thing to be a Christian. And that label itself is just as limiting: it's not about a culture at the very center, but rather about a being – God Himself – and what it means to have overwhelming peace with God.

Study more: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5D2071851931F4FF

Here's a sample of what I've put in my youtube playlist:

 

Grave = "Depths" = Sheol = Hades ≠ Gehenna

Baptism, Church, and the Names of God

[First off, if you don't know the main point of the Bible, learn that from my last two posts. Then come back here for some more "ed-jew-kay-shun."]

You might be wondering "What the heck is Baptism and Church all about?"
Well, I'll tell ya.

The word "baptism" comes from the Greek baptizō and literally means “dipping.” The reason Christians do it is because of ancient Jewish ritual baths called mikvehs. Even now, in modern times, dipping oneself in the mikveh is a symbol of purification. John the Baptist didn’t invent it – it was a common practice in Ancient Israel. *see embedded video*

Once people started claiming faith in Jesus as the anointed redeemer (Christ / Messiah), God-appointed sacrifice – voluntarily killed in their place to satisfy justice, for the forgiveness of their sins – they used “baptism” or the mikveh as an extra special symbol: as a public declaration of their faith, they showed outwardly what had happened to them on the inside. Going down into the water and coming up out of it also gave an interesting parallel in identifying with Jesus – dying to self and rising up to new life with Him (the resurrection being the sign that Jesus' sacrifice was accepted).

1 Peter 3:21 "Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ..."

The meaning of the word "church" is assembly. Really any kind of assembly – or gathering of people – called out for whatever reason. One of the more specific uses of that word in the Bible is for all of the believers/Christians in a local area or the total population of believers worldwide. The word is pretty much synonymous with the term synagogue – see James 2:2.

The purpose of coming together is to learn from and teach each other. There is the opportunity to make really purposeful relationships in which people build each other up, have accountability with each other in terms of sin, and help each other in their spiritual gifts; iron sharpens iron. And it is all centered on worshiping the God that rescued them. *see embedded video*

People don't go to church – they are the church. And then there are false-yet-professing "believers" sitting among and worshiping with the church (False Converts).

And the only reason the Church exists on Earth at all is so that its people will be equipped to go out and spread the Good News.

Euaggelion is the Biblical Greek term for “good news.” That would be basar/besorah in Hebrew (see Isaiah 61:1), evangel in Latin, and gospel in Old English. All those terms are calques for you linguistic types. :]

Evangelism, gospelism – whatever you want to call it – the purpose for the people of God’s church here and now is to spread the message: explaining why it’s a terrifying thought that God is good (as Paul Washer says) and explaining the great gifts of mercy and grace through the cross – the penal substitutionary atonement. Forgiveness available through repentance and faith (which are two sides of the same coin).

"I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." Acts 20:20-21
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:8-10

Names

While I'm on the subject of word meanings and word origins, I'll add in a little about names. I'm no expert on this subject, but I'll tell you the information I do know (possible errors and all).
God's epicenter for revealing Himself to humanity – and the epicenter of redemption – was the Middle/Near East among people of a certain culture and mindset (John 4:22). In what became the Hebrew culture, names were more than a simple identifier. They weren't chosen for children simply based on how they sounded. Meaning was master. A person could be named based on circumstances:

Abraham fell on his face and he laughed ויצחק (vayitsachaq), and said in his heart, "...will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?" ... God said, "...Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac יצחק (Yitschaq); and I will establish My covenant (legal alliance/pledge/promise) with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him." -from Genesis 17

Or based on a quality: Gabriel means "warrior of God" or "man of God."

Giving a name that denoted character may have been hit and miss for many parents, but the God of scripture knows His own character for sure.

With that explained, let's go to the names and words associated with God and Jesus (the radiance of His glory...the image of the invisible God...in who all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form – as Hebrews 1:3, Colossians 1:15, and Colossians 2:9 state).

• English "Jesus” = Greek "Iesous" = Hebrew “Yehoshua” or "Yeshua" (Joshua). The meaning is "YHWH (God) SAVES."

Matthew 1:21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

• Germanic “God” (called-upon one) = Greek "Theos" (deity) = Hebrew “Elohim” (ruler). Elohim is used a few times throughout the Hebrew Bible to refer to various kinds of authorities and powers, but has its supreme meaning when referring to the creator of the universe and ruler of all existence. This noun also happens to be used with both singular verbs and plural verbs, based on which Being or group of beings a sentence is referring to. (source)

When English Bibles use the phrases "the LORD" and "Lord GOD" with small caps it is referring to the name YHWH יהוה. A little over 2000 years ago, when people stopped saying that name out of reverence, its accurate pronunciation was lost to history since written vowels were not in use at the time. They didn’t need to do that, seeing as everyone in the Tanakh/Old Testament had no problem saying the name. But anyway, they used the word “lord” (master) in its place. In Hebrew, adon, and in Greek, kyrios.

So when Jewish people today open up a scroll – or a Bible printed in Hebrew – and see יהוה, they say either Adonai (“My Lord”) or Hashem (“the Name”) instead. Some English translations frequently employ those words, too.

To remember all the phrases simply, here are the English presentations alongside the original manuscript presentations and their meanings:

• lord =  adon / kyrios = master
• my lord = adonai 
• the LORD = Yahweh 
• Lord GOD = adon Yahweh = master Yahweh
• God = El, Elohim = ruler
• my God = Eli, Ehohei
• the LORD God = Yahweh Elohim = the existing/true supreme ruler (see below)

The meaning of Yahweh/Yehovah/Jehovah is connected with the I AM* statement in Exodus 3:14-15

"I AM THAT/WHO I AM אהיה אשר אהיה (ehyeh asher ehyeh) ... Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'The LORD יהוה, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations."

Based on stuff I've read, my little paraphrase of that passage has God basically telling Moses "I exist because I exist (I am the self-existing one) ... say to the Israelites 'He Exists' has sent me to you." http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_Yahweh_mean

Now back to the name “Jesus.” How did we get that from Yehoshua? Well, another given name in the Bible is Yeshua – a shortened form of Yehoshua. And when transferred over into the Greek language letter by letter (transliteration) it became Iesous, pronounced Yay-soos. Greek has no “sh” sound and the “s” added at the end has to do with grammar. http://jesusisajew.org/YESHUA.php

“Iesous” rendered with Latin letters is IESUS, and about 500 years ago in the English language the letters I and J sounded identical. French influence gave us the hard J sound, so printings of “Jesus” gradually lost that I/Y sound at the beginning. That’s where the name “Jesus” comes from. It is equivalent to Joshua. The ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible calls Joshua, Moses’ successor, Iesous. *see embedded video*

There is a Hebrew word, yeshu'ah, which means “salvation/deliverance.” Sounds pretty similar to "Yeshua.” Click the link and scroll down to read the verses and passages that used that word.

There also might be a prophesy about the name Joshua in relation to the coming Messiah (“anointed one” or “Christ” in Anglicized Greek) in Zechariah 3:8-10, 6:11-13. It was written around 500BC. The branch and the vine were phrases some prophets used to refer to a promised coming deliverer.

That's it for now. See ya next time!

www.youtube.com/News2urEars

*Jesus applied the title "I AM" to himself on a few occasions:
A John 8 audio dramatization: Before Abraham was...

Another edit/addition:
The word angel – which mistakenly conjures up images of European dudes in bathrobes or naked babies with two wings – simply means messenger. Particular humans and solely spiritual beings are both referred to as angels. The "messengers from Heaven" have no physical or material form, but were manifested to people in various ways. Check out this message on the encounters with Abraham, Lot, Isaiah, and Ezekiel: part one & part two.

The word "Lucifer" just means "morning star" and was not specifically the name of Satan before he fell. It is only in the Latin Vulgate translation, and only in the 14th chapter of Isaiah, that the word lucifer is used in the Bible – and not everyone agrees that that passage is partially about Satan. But whether it is or not, lucifer is not exactly used there as a name. Even Jesus is referred to as a morning star of sorts in the Book of Revelation. What is true about Satan is that "he" is a rebellious angelic being who stirs up evil in the world. He isn't big and powerful like God but just evil, like a negative version of God. Satan is limited. He is incomparable to God like any other created thing and will be punished along with his fellow rebels and unforgiven humanity, after the resurrection, in Gehenna. The Bible doesn't teach "pitchfork theology." Oh, and by the way, the word "Satan" simply means enemy and "devil" means liar/accuser/slanderer.

One last side note, in regards to the often twisted verse in John chapter ten where Jesus says "you are gods"...
During a confrontation at the time of Hanukkah (The Feast of the Dedication) some Judeans picked up stones to stone Jesus for claiming to be God. (The Greek word is rendered "Jews" in most translations, but it's probably used as a locative term here rather than an ethnic term – Jesus and his disciples being Jews from Galilee in the north and these Jews being natives of Judea in the south.) His response to them is a little confusing, but the commentaries on verse 34 here help a lot. Since another meaning of the word Elohim is "earthly ruler," Jesus may have been basically saying to them in that moment: "Wait a second, you have no problems calling each other rulers, so why bar me from using that term?"

It looks like, to some, that it wasn't until the Festival of Lights (symbolic of Revelation) that Jesus chose to finally let the cat completely out of the bag. Although he did make the big John 8:58 statement previously, he had also been telling people whom he healed not to say anything openly about him. So once the John 10 confrontation rolled around he held back for a while until verse 38. The big reveal! Either that or He just didn't want politically-minded people raising Him up in some of those earlier instances.

Source (for some of that info):
 Messianic Jewish/Hebrew Roots Pastor Mark McLellan on Jesus & Hanukkah
http://www.graftedin.com/sermons/121201.mp3

Here's a couple minutes from Jews for Jesus about Jesus & Passover
and Mark McLellan's foundational sermon on the same topic, if you haven't heard it yet: http://www.graftedin.com/sermons/120331.mp3