by Dionne Sabbay Thompson September 19, 2008
BE AWARE, THE SHEPHERD'S ROD DOCTRINES ARE DECEPTIVE & FALSE!
Writer's Corner
BUY IT TODAY! A Soul Sealed at Character Perfection
READ THE GREAT CONTROVERSY ONLINE - STRONGLY RECOMMENDED
THE KEEPERS OF THE FLAME - AN EIGHT PART SERIES (FREE)
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us (Matthew 1:23).
"You are in the most critical period of your life history. If you arouse the energies of the soul and direct them to securing things of eternal interest, and if you make everything subordinate to this, you will make a success of perfecting Christian character" (Testimonies For The Church Volume 3 page 43).
"We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord." Christ is the sinner's advocate. Those who accept His gospel behold Him with open face. They see the relation of His mission to the law, and they acknowledge God's wisdom and glory as revealed by the Saviour. The glory of Christ is revealed in the law, which is a transcript of His character, and His transforming efficacy is felt upon the soul until men become changed to His likeness. They are made partakers of the divine nature, and grow more and more like their Saviour, advancing step by step in conformity to the will of God, till they reach perfection" (SDA Bible Commentary Volume 6 page 1096.4).
"The Lord has a great work to be done, and He will bequeath the most in the future life to those who do the most faithful, willing service in the present life. The Lord chooses His own agents, and each day under different circumstances He gives them a trial in His plan of operation. In each true-hearted endeavor to work out His plan, He chooses His agents not because they are perfect but because, through a connection with Him, they may gain perfection" (Christ Object Lessons page 330).
"God will accept only those who are determined to aim high. He places every human agent under obligation to do his best. Moral perfection is required of all. Never should we lower the standard of righteousness in order to accommodate inherited or cultivated tendencies to wrong-doing. We need to understand that imperfection of character is sin. All righteous attributes of character dwell in God as a perfect, harmonious whole, and every one who receives Christ as a personal Saviour is privileged to possess these attributes" (Christ Object Lessons page 330).
Behold a virgin shall be with Child and they shall call Him "Emmanuel, God with us" (Matthew 1:23). In a sinful, fallen world, we need a Savior: the beauty of the Gospel is that God is not ashamed to be identified with us (Romans 1:16,17). Until the end of time, Emmanuel means God with us. God with us implies that Christ had the human nature of mankind. Thus the interpretation of Emmanuel is good news for us, as it shows that Christ is not ashamed to be identified with us. Christ is God, as a part of the Heavenly Deity who became man "I and my Father are one"; thus it is a comfort to us, as Adam was perfect while in unfallen nature (John 1:1,14. John 10:30, 1 Timothy 3:16, 1 John 5:7). Christ with us, enables mankind to have the similar mind of Him. Christ, victorious over sin, has enabled us to be sinless. Humanity before the flood was far superior to ours, as Adam lived 930 years; thus humankind's lifespan has significantly shortened. Our understanding of the humanity of Christ is crucial for the plan of salvation. If Christ did not become humanity, then God would have been accused of not aligning with mankind, as Satan wanted to label the Most High as unfair.
As the body of Christ, although physically separate, we are all spiritually connected through Christ (Acts 17:26, Ephesians 4:13). The Messiah took on sinful fallen nature, enabling us to overcome the world and it's contents: "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (John 1:29, Revelation 13:8). Every sinner needs a Savior and the plan of salvation was put into operation as soon as Adam sinned. Before we were converted God was not with us, and when God is not with us, there is no hope for salvation. Christ became a man, "in the likeness of sinful flesh", to redeem us from the sin of the earth (Romans 8:3, Philippians 2:5-11).
Romans 1:3 exhibits Christ's eternal purpose, stemming from the seed of David. Christ, our Redeemer, the seed of David, according to the flesh, being precisely forty-two generations from Abraham: as a generation is counted in this case as direct offspring (Matthew 1:1-17). Christ was born by the lineage of David, manifested in the flesh to redeem mankind from sinning (Galatians 4:4,5). Christ, living a sinless life edifies that all generations need not sin. Romans 7:14-24 exhibits how one's life in the flesh can take control, disabling one from being victorious over sin without the Savior. Yet, Romans 8 exhibits one's defeat of sin by obedience and faith in the Messiah (Exodus 20, Philippians 3:9). When the Holy Spirit is in control of our lives, we are overcomers, fed with heavenly, spiritual food "manna", honey wafers (Exodus 16:31, John 6:58, Revelation 2:17). Once we are converted, we are compelled to righteousness, aligning with Christ's propensity to be sinless (Acts 3:19, Revelation 14:1-5).
God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, condemning sin. The Most High sent His Son, the Messiah, in the flesh to meet the problem of sin, head on, eradicating the excuse for such. We must let the Word take full control of our lives. Philippians 2:7 describes the nature of Christ "But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men". Within Romans 8:3, Paul is identifying that mankind was in the likeness and nature of Christ. The law was weak through the flesh, as the flesh was sinful and unable to produce righteousness (Isaiah 64:6). God had to send His Son in the sameness of sinful flesh in order to condemn the latter. Paul is clear when emphasizing that the likeness of Christ was nature and substance.
Hebrews 2:14-18 edifies that the Messiah took on our fallen nature in order to become a propitiation for our sins, delivering us from the bondage of sin. Christ was born from the seed of Abraham, redeeming us exactly at the point of our problem of being in fallen flesh. Christ identified with us, so we could identify with Him, which helps us to recognize the victory that exists in the Messiah. Hebrews 2:18 proves that the Messiah was tempted as we are yet, without sin, clarifying that the Messiah identified with all of mankind. Hebrews 2:9 describes that the Messiah had to be made after death which entered after sin, which means that the Son of God had to die, allowing our victory in Him. Christ's name is "Emmanuel" which is "God with us" and in order to be with us, He identified with us. The Messiah was made a little lower than the angels, enabling us to have eternal life in Him (Hebrews 2:9).
The Gospel shows that we can be victorious over sin. 1 John 4:2,3 edifies that the spirit of the Antichrist was in the world, identifying as anyone against the doctrine of Christ. Anyone who denies that Christ came in the fallen flesh, is the Antichrist. John emphasizes that we must be grounded in Christ, being reborn and sinless in nature. We must be in Christ, as He proved His righteous, spotless work at the cross of Calvary. We are all legally and spiritually in the Messiah, righteously by faith (Philippians 3:9).
BE AWARE, THE SHEPHERD'S ROD DOCTRINES ARE DECEPTIVE & FALSE!
Writer's Corner
BUY IT TODAY! A Soul Sealed at Character Perfection
READ THE GREAT CONTROVERSY ONLINE - STRONGLY RECOMMENDED
THE KEEPERS OF THE FLAME - AN EIGHT PART SERIES (FREE)
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us (Matthew 1:23).
"You are in the most critical period of your life history. If you arouse the energies of the soul and direct them to securing things of eternal interest, and if you make everything subordinate to this, you will make a success of perfecting Christian character" (Testimonies For The Church Volume 3 page 43).
"We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord." Christ is the sinner's advocate. Those who accept His gospel behold Him with open face. They see the relation of His mission to the law, and they acknowledge God's wisdom and glory as revealed by the Saviour. The glory of Christ is revealed in the law, which is a transcript of His character, and His transforming efficacy is felt upon the soul until men become changed to His likeness. They are made partakers of the divine nature, and grow more and more like their Saviour, advancing step by step in conformity to the will of God, till they reach perfection" (SDA Bible Commentary Volume 6 page 1096.4).
"The Lord has a great work to be done, and He will bequeath the most in the future life to those who do the most faithful, willing service in the present life. The Lord chooses His own agents, and each day under different circumstances He gives them a trial in His plan of operation. In each true-hearted endeavor to work out His plan, He chooses His agents not because they are perfect but because, through a connection with Him, they may gain perfection" (Christ Object Lessons page 330).
"God will accept only those who are determined to aim high. He places every human agent under obligation to do his best. Moral perfection is required of all. Never should we lower the standard of righteousness in order to accommodate inherited or cultivated tendencies to wrong-doing. We need to understand that imperfection of character is sin. All righteous attributes of character dwell in God as a perfect, harmonious whole, and every one who receives Christ as a personal Saviour is privileged to possess these attributes" (Christ Object Lessons page 330).
Behold a virgin shall be with Child and they shall call Him "Emmanuel, God with us" (Matthew 1:23). In a sinful, fallen world, we need a Savior: the beauty of the Gospel is that God is not ashamed to be identified with us (Romans 1:16,17). Until the end of time, Emmanuel means God with us. God with us implies that Christ had the human nature of mankind. Thus the interpretation of Emmanuel is good news for us, as it shows that Christ is not ashamed to be identified with us. Christ is God, as a part of the Heavenly Deity who became man "I and my Father are one"; thus it is a comfort to us, as Adam was perfect while in unfallen nature (John 1:1,14. John 10:30, 1 Timothy 3:16, 1 John 5:7). Christ with us, enables mankind to have the similar mind of Him. Christ, victorious over sin, has enabled us to be sinless. Humanity before the flood was far superior to ours, as Adam lived 930 years; thus humankind's lifespan has significantly shortened. Our understanding of the humanity of Christ is crucial for the plan of salvation. If Christ did not become humanity, then God would have been accused of not aligning with mankind, as Satan wanted to label the Most High as unfair.
As the body of Christ, although physically separate, we are all spiritually connected through Christ (Acts 17:26, Ephesians 4:13). The Messiah took on sinful fallen nature, enabling us to overcome the world and it's contents: "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (John 1:29, Revelation 13:8). Every sinner needs a Savior and the plan of salvation was put into operation as soon as Adam sinned. Before we were converted God was not with us, and when God is not with us, there is no hope for salvation. Christ became a man, "in the likeness of sinful flesh", to redeem us from the sin of the earth (Romans 8:3, Philippians 2:5-11).
Romans 1:3 exhibits Christ's eternal purpose, stemming from the seed of David. Christ, our Redeemer, the seed of David, according to the flesh, being precisely forty-two generations from Abraham: as a generation is counted in this case as direct offspring (Matthew 1:1-17). Christ was born by the lineage of David, manifested in the flesh to redeem mankind from sinning (Galatians 4:4,5). Christ, living a sinless life edifies that all generations need not sin. Romans 7:14-24 exhibits how one's life in the flesh can take control, disabling one from being victorious over sin without the Savior. Yet, Romans 8 exhibits one's defeat of sin by obedience and faith in the Messiah (Exodus 20, Philippians 3:9). When the Holy Spirit is in control of our lives, we are overcomers, fed with heavenly, spiritual food "manna", honey wafers (Exodus 16:31, John 6:58, Revelation 2:17). Once we are converted, we are compelled to righteousness, aligning with Christ's propensity to be sinless (Acts 3:19, Revelation 14:1-5).
God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, condemning sin. The Most High sent His Son, the Messiah, in the flesh to meet the problem of sin, head on, eradicating the excuse for such. We must let the Word take full control of our lives. Philippians 2:7 describes the nature of Christ "But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men". Within Romans 8:3, Paul is identifying that mankind was in the likeness and nature of Christ. The law was weak through the flesh, as the flesh was sinful and unable to produce righteousness (Isaiah 64:6). God had to send His Son in the sameness of sinful flesh in order to condemn the latter. Paul is clear when emphasizing that the likeness of Christ was nature and substance.
Hebrews 2:14-18 edifies that the Messiah took on our fallen nature in order to become a propitiation for our sins, delivering us from the bondage of sin. Christ was born from the seed of Abraham, redeeming us exactly at the point of our problem of being in fallen flesh. Christ identified with us, so we could identify with Him, which helps us to recognize the victory that exists in the Messiah. Hebrews 2:18 proves that the Messiah was tempted as we are yet, without sin, clarifying that the Messiah identified with all of mankind. Hebrews 2:9 describes that the Messiah had to be made after death which entered after sin, which means that the Son of God had to die, allowing our victory in Him. Christ's name is "Emmanuel" which is "God with us" and in order to be with us, He identified with us. The Messiah was made a little lower than the angels, enabling us to have eternal life in Him (Hebrews 2:9).
The Gospel shows that we can be victorious over sin. 1 John 4:2,3 edifies that the spirit of the Antichrist was in the world, identifying as anyone against the doctrine of Christ. Anyone who denies that Christ came in the fallen flesh, is the Antichrist. John emphasizes that we must be grounded in Christ, being reborn and sinless in nature. We must be in Christ, as He proved His righteous, spotless work at the cross of Calvary. We are all legally and spiritually in the Messiah, righteously by faith (Philippians 3:9).
