Holy Spirit

God in Human Form

Genesis 1:26 tells us that the human race came into existence through the creation of a single man who was called Adam. It states, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.’” The Hebrew word that is translated image, tselem (tsehˊ-lem) “means image in the sense of essential nature: human nature in its internal and external characteristics rather than an exact duplicate…God made man in his own image, reflecting some of His own perfections: perfect in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, and with dominion over the creatures (Genesis 1:26). Being created in God’s image meant being created male and female, in a loving unity of more than one person (Genesis 1:27). It also says in Genesis 1:26 that we were created after God’s likeness. The Hebrew word dᵉmuwth (dem-oothˊ) means “resemblance” and more concretely, “model, shape.” When we see family members, we sometimes notice a family resemblance. Family members look like each other because of the genetic code they share; so you might say that God’s creation of human beings was the result him replicating his own DNA, similar to a man and woman conceiving a child.

The conception of Jesus was possible because God and humans have similar natures and a genetic makeup that enables them to be joined together into a single entity. It says in Luke 1:30-35:

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.

It says in Hebrews 1:3 that the Son of God is “the exact imprint of his nature.” Jesus is the essence (G5287) of God, an exact copy of his character (G5481), represented in the form of a human being. Jesus told his disciple Philip, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

The announcement of Jesus’ birth indicates that he was not just the Son of God, but also the anticipated Messiah that would save God’s people from the guilt and power of sin and from eternal death (G4990). Luke 2:11 states, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” When he was presented at the temple, shortly after his birth, a man named Simeon spoke about Jesus’ role through the Holy Spirit. Luke says about Simeon, “And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel’” (Luke 2:26-32). Simeon said that he had seen God’s salvation (Luke 2:30). The Greek word that is translated salvation, soterion (so-tayˊ-ree-on) means “a savior, deliverer. Delivering, saving, bringing salvation” (G4992).

The idea that Jesus’ birth brought salvation into the world is expanded on in Titus 2:11-14. Paul wrote to Titus, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” The training that Paul was referring to was the training of a child, “i.e. educate, or (by implication) discipline” (G3811). According to Paul, salvation is a training process that humans go through in order to become more like God. It involves discipline that causes us to “renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives” (Titus 2:13).

The way that Jesus educated or you might say disciplined his disciples was by demonstrating for them appropriate behavior. The night before he was crucified, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet in order to teach them how sanctification works. John tells us:

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” (John 13:3-11)

“By his statement, ‘If I do not wash you, you have no share with me,’ it seems that the Lord was referring to the necessity of regular spiritual cleansing to remain in fellowship with him. Jesus did not say, ‘you have no share in me (en [1722] emoi), which would indicate Peter lacked salvation, but ‘you have no share with me (met’ [3326] emou), meaning Peter would have no communion and fellowship with him. Christians need constant cleansing and renewal if they are to remain in fellowship with God” (note on John 13:8).

Jesus went on to explain to his disciples the reason why he, the Creator of the human race, became a human being. John said:

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. (John 13:12-17)

Jesus wanted his disciples to understand that sanctification was not something that they could achieve independent of God. Sanctification is a process that involves service. Jesus demonstrated how to do it so that his disciples would have an example to follow. God was no longer just telling the people of Israel what they needed to do. Jesus showed the people how to do it by doing it himself.

Paul told the Philippian believers, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:4-8). Paul said that Jesus found himself in human form, making it sound as if Jesus woke up one day and discovered that he had been changed into a human being. The Greek word that is translated found, heurisko (hyoo-risˊ-ko) is “spoken of computation, measurement, to find, figure out a value, a distance, etc. (Acts 19:19; 27:28). To find out mentally, i.e. to invent, contrive, to find a way to do something” (G2147). When God formulated his plan of salvation, it seems likely that it was based on him finding a way to manifest himself in human form. The good news for us is that we don’t have to find a way to do the reciprocal. We were created in the likeness of God, all we have to do is believe that Jesus’ death on the cross is able to restore the divine image within us.

King of the Jews

The first prophetic vision that pointed to Israel’s Messiah in the Bible is recorded in the book of Numbers. Not long after the Israelites disobeyed God’s command to enter the Promised Land and take possession of it (Numbers 14:1-12), a false prophet by the name of Balaam was hired to curse God’s people. Because of Balaam’s interaction with Balak the king of Moab, God intervened and it says in Numbers 24:2 that the Spirit of God came upon Balaam, “and he took up his discourse and said:

‘The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
    the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
the oracle of him who hears the words of God,
    who sees the vision of the Almighty,
    falling down with his eyes uncovered:
How lovely are your tents, O Jacob,
    your encampments, O Israel!
Like palm grovesthat stretch afar,
    like gardens beside a river,
like aloes that the Lord has planted,
    like cedar trees beside the waters.
Water shall flow from his buckets,
    and his seed shall be in many waters;
his king shall be higher than Agag,
    and his kingdom shall be exalted.
God brings him out of Egypt
    and is for him like the horns of the wild ox;
he shall eat up the nations, his adversaries,
    and shall break their bones in pieces
    and pierce them through with his arrows.
He crouched, he lay down like a lion
    and like a lioness; who will rouse him up?
Blessed are those who bless you,
    and cursed are those who curse you.’” (Numbers 24:2-9)

The mention of a king whose kingdom shall be exalted indicated that God’s plan of salvation was going to be fulfilled in a way that people didn’t necessarily expect. The Hebrew word that is translated exalted, naçah (naw-sawˊ) “is used of the undertaking of the responsibilities for sins of others by substitution or representation (Exodus 28:12; Leviticus 16:22; Isaiah 53:12; cf. 1 Peter 2:24)” (H5375). After Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross, God exalted him to a position of honor. Peter and the apostles who were with him told the council that had arrested them for preaching the gospel, “The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him” (Acts 5:30-32).

Mark’s gospel tells us that after the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, “they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate” (Mark 15:1). The first question that Pilate asked Jesus was, “Are you the King of the Jews?” (Mark 15:2). The wise men who came to Jerusalem after Jesus’ birth asked a similar question, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2). It is possible that Balaam’s prophecy about a king whose kingdom would be exalted was intended to alert the secular world to the fact that a Savior was coming and that they as well as the Jews should anticipate the arrival of their Messiah. John’s gospel elaborates on Jesus’ interaction with Pilate. John 18:33-40 states:

So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

Jesus differentiated his servants from the Jews and indicated that his kingdom was not from the world. (John 18:36). What Jesus meant by his kingdom not being from the world was that his kingdom came from, and only existed at that time, in the spiritual realm. Jesus went on to explain to Pilate that the reason why he was born was so that we would know that the spiritual realm exists. Jesus referred to the spiritual realm as truth because it is the reality (G225) that the physical realm is based on or you might say patterned after (Hebrews 8:5).

Jesus told Pilate, “Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37). Being of the truth means that you have conformed to the nature and reality of things (G225). It says in Romans 8:29 that those whom God foreknew he also predestined “to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” The Greek word summorphos (soom-mor-fosˊ) means “jointly formed that is (figuratively) similar” (G4832). It also says in Romans 12:2 that you should “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” In this instance, the Greek word that is translated conformed is suschematizo (soos-khay-mat-idˊ-zo) which means “to fashion alike, i.e. conform to the same pattern” (G4964). Suschematizo has to do with the external condition of a person, whereas summorphos has to do with the person’s internal nature. Therefore, being of the truth means that you have been internally conformed to the nature and reality of things, as opposed to externally conforming to the pattern of the world around you.

The Jewish religious leader’s decision to deliver Jesus over to Pilate is evidence that they were not only conforming to the pattern of the world around them, but were also trying to negate the reality of God’s existence in the physical realm. It says in Mark 15:29-32 that the Jews derided and reviled Jesus. The Greek word that is translated derided, blasphemeo (blas-fay-mehˊ-o) means “to blaspheme” (G987) and oneidezo (on-i-didˊ-zo), which is translated reviled, means “to defame” (G3679) or ruin someone’s reputation. Oneidezo is derived from the word onoma (onˊom-ah) which is “spoken of God, where His name is said to be hallowed, revealed, invoked, honored” and “spoken of Christ as the Messiah where His name is said to be honored, revered, believed on, invoked” (G3686). Mark said of Jesus’ crucifixion:

And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. (Mark 15:29-32).

There is no doubt that the Jews knew who Jesus was, they referred to him as the Christ, the King of Israel, but not in way that was respectful or even appropriate for the situation. The Jews made it clear that they did not want to be identified as God’s servants, their allegiance belonged to Caesar (Luke 23:2)

Mark tells us that the inscription of the charge against Jesus read, “The King of the Jews.” It was as if Jesus’ true identity was the only thing that the Jews could hold against him. In Mark’s record of Jesus’ death, he noted that others believed who Jesus was in spite of the Jewish leaders’ defamation of his character. Mark wrote:

And when the sixth hourhad come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:33-39)

Jesus’ death was not the death of an ordinary man. The centurion who stood facing him saw Jesus stop breathing and declared, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39). The King James Version of Mark 15:39 says that the centurion saw that Jesus “so cried out, and gave up the ghost.” Giving up the ghost is explained in the Amplified Bible as being fully in control. It states, “When the centurion, who was standing opposite Him, saw the way He breathed His last [being fully in control], he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39). Jesus voluntarily, rather than involuntarily, stopped breathing when he took his last breath.

Jesus explained to his disciples that he had the authority to give up his life if he chose to. He told them, “The thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father” (John 10:10-18). Jesus later told his disciples, “Greater love has no one that this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13), and then, concluded his explanation with this statement, “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father” (John 16:25-28).

Jesus’ physical departure from earth is recorded in Acts 1:6-11. Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, his disciples asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). Jesus didn’t answer their question, but instead talked about his disciples receiving power when the Holy Spirit had come and their mission of spreading the gospel to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8). We don’t hear anything more about Jesus’ position as King of the Jews or God’s kingdom in the New Testament until we get to the book of Revelation, except for a brief mention of it in Paul’s first letter to Timothy. Paul told Timothy, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:15-17). Paul concluded his letter to Timothy with an admonition to fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12) and then stated, “I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen” (1 Timothy 6:13-16).

The end

Jesus’ Olivet Discourse focused on future events that were connected with his second coming. Jesus’ disciples wanted to know when these future events were going to take place, but Jesus told them, “no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matthew 24:36). Instead, Jesus identified signs that would indicate the end was close at hand. Jesus said:

“See that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. (Mark 13:5-8)

Jesus used the analogy of childbirth to describe the events leading up to his second coming. What we know about childbirth is that the labor pains usually come unexpectedly. They might start out as being barely noticeable, but they inevitably gain strength and become more frequent as time goes on. The Greek word that is translated birth pains, odin (o-deenˊ) is “used in the plural when warning of the sorrows that would follow wars, famines, and other catastrophes” (G5604). Odin is similar to the word odune (od-ooˊ-nay) which means “grief” (G3601).

Jesus indicated that “the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations” before the end would come and warned his disciples that, “brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:12-13). Childbirth is a very strenuous process and a woman may have to go through hours or even days of labor without any food or water. Endurance is necessary to make it to the end of the process and deliver the baby. The Greek word that Jesus used, hupomeno (hoop-om-enˊ-o) means “to stay under” in the sense of bearing trials, having fortitude, and persevering (G5278). Hupomeno is also translated as patient and suffer and is used in Hebrews 12:2 to describe what Jesus went through when he died on the cross. The reason why Jesus said “the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13) may have been because every woman has to go through the process of childbirth in order for a baby to be born. Jesus told a man named Nicodemus, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). You cannot separate the process of childbirth from the end result. Although the birth pains may not be felt at the beginning of the process, you will inevitably experience them if you are a child of God.

Jesus set the stage for his second coming with the appearance of a man he referred to as “the abomination of desolation” (Mark 13:14). When this man arrives on the scene, Jesus said, “Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, and let the one who is in the field not turn back or take his cloak” (Mark 13:14-16). The sudden appearance of “the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be” (Mark 13:14) triggers the final escape of those who expect to be saved (Mark 13:20). Jesus warned his disciples about a last ditch effort to trick believers into abandoning their faith. Jesus said, “And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ! Or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand” (Mark 13:21-23). Being on guard means that you have to pay attention to what is happening around you. It is connect to and dependent on the faculty of sight (G991).

Jesus talked about spiritual eyesight and the ability to discern spiritual truth in the context of understanding God’s word. After Jesus told the parable of the sower he explained to his disciples why he spoke to the people in parables. Jesus said:

This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

“‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,
    and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
For this people’s heart has grown dull,
    and with their ears they can barely hear,
    and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
    and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
    and turn, and I would heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. (Matthew 13:13-17)

“Jesus spoke in parables to explain spiritual truths, but those who had already rejected Jesus did not have divinely enlightened minds with which to perceive these truths, and no amount of explanation would make them understand (1 Corinthians 2:14). They could watch and hear Jesus with their physical eyes and ears, but they were not capable of understanding the truth in their hearts because they had rejected him (2 Corinthians 4:3, 4). Those who accept the true light they have been given will receive even more light, while those who turn away from the light will continue to be increasingly shrouded in darkness (Matthew 13:12). The word ‘for’ at the beginning of Matthew 13:15 should be understood as having the same meaning as ‘because.’ People do not hear and see because their hearts are full of wickedness; consequently, they fail to understand the truth that has been given them. They are so opposed to God’s message that they harden themselves against it, lest they should understand it and ask forgiveness of God. Once they reject Jesus, they also reject the possibility of understanding the parables that Jesus told (Isaiah 55:6-8)” (note on Matthew 13:10-17).

The filling of the Holy Spirit is essential for believers’ to be able to stay focused on the kingdom of God (Hebrews 3:7-11). Believers are warned in Hebrews 3:12-15 to not let their hearts become hardened. It states:

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said,

“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

The writer of Hebrews indicated that our hearts become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. It is not the sin itself that harms us, but the way that we deal with it. Hardening of the heart is basically stubbornness that is left unchecked. The Greek word that is translated deceitfulness, apate (ap-atˊ-ay) means “delusion” (G539) and is derived from the word apatao (ap-at-ahˊ-o) which means “to cheat” (G538). When a husband cheats on his wife, he usually deludes her into believing that everything is alright. He may even compensate by being overly attentive and affectionate to give her the impression that she is the most important person in his life. The more successful a spouse becomes at deluding his or her partner, the more stubborn they usually become in refusing to give up their sin of adultery.

All three of the gospel versions of Jesus’ Olivet Discourse (Matthew, Mark, & Luke) contain the same key conclusions within Jesus’ message: 1) we will see Jesus coming in the clouds (Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:26), 2) we will see certain things taking place that will let us know his return is near (Matthew 24:33; Mark 13:29; Luke 21:31), and 3) the day will come upon everyone suddenly and will affect the whole earth (Matthew 24:37-39; Mark 13:36-37; Luke 21:34-35). Luke recorded this depiction of Jesus’ return:

“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:25-28)

Luke used the phrases straighten up and raise your head to convey the impact that Jesus’ return should have on believers. Mark’s record of Jesus’ parable of the fig tree emphasizes the confidence that believers should have as they see the evidence of his imminent return. Jesus told his disciples:

“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Mark 13:28-31)

Jesus pointed to the fig tree as evidence of his return. Previously Jesus used the fig tree to teach his disciples a lesson about faith and his final public rejection by Israel (Mark 11:12-14, 20-26). It is likely that Jesus intended his disciples to think about both of these things as they prepared for his return. Matthew’s exposé on Jesus’ second coming linked the event with the flood that occurred in the days of Noah. Noah’s great faith contrasted with the unbelief of everyone around him is an indicator that there will be a stark contrast between believers and unbelievers in the final days before Jesus’ return. Matthew also connected Jesus’ parable of the tenants (Mark 12:1 12) with his account of what would happen in the end. Matthew recorded these words from Jesus’ message:

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 24:36-51)

Jesus’ indicated that no one knows the day or hour or his return, not even himself, “but the Father only” (Matthew 24:36). Jesus encouraged his followers to “stay awake” (Matthew 24:42), a phrase that is repeated three times in Mark’s brief account of Jesus’ final words (Mark 13:32-37). The Greek word gregoreuo (gray-gor-yooˊ-o) appears to be connected with the activities of a guard who stands watch at night while everyone else is asleep (G1127). Gregoreuo is derived from the word egeiro (eg-iˊ-ro) which conveys the idea of “collecting one’s faculties” and is used figuratively to refer to wakening from “obscurity, inactivity, ruins, nonexistence” (G1453). Egeiro was used by Jesus in the context of the authority of the Son and rising from the dead. Jesus said, “For as the Father raises (egeiro) the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will” (John 5:21).

Luke’s conclusion of Jesus’ Olivet Discourse suggests that some Christians may go through the Great Tribulation and some may escape. Luke stated, “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:34-36). Luke said that believers need to pray for strength in order to escape the things that are going to take place. The King James Version of Luke 21:36 states it differently. It says, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things…” Paul used the same phrase in his second letter to the Thessalonians where he talked about the judgment at Christs coming. Paul said, “This is the evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thessalonians 1:5-8).

Paul’s clarification of what happens in the end makes it clear to us that God’s judgment is intended for those who do not know him and for those who do not obey the gospel of Jesus Christ. Based on this, it would make sense that being counted worthy would mean that you do know God and have obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ, but Jesus indicated the real problem was not knowing when he would return. He said, “Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake” (Mark 13:35-36). The night before Jesus was crucified he was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthew tells us, “And he came to his disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, ‘So could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:40-41). The issue that Jesus addressed was the conflict between our spirit and our flesh. Jesus said the spirit inside of us is willing to do what God wants us to, but our flesh, the part of us that makes us human, is unable to resist temptation, it tends to vacillate in opinion and/or faith (G772). Staying awake means that you have to be spiritually alert and pay attention to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus used his parable of the ten virgins to convey the importance of the filling of the Holy Spirit when it is clear the end is near. Jesus said:

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. (Matthew 25:1-13)

The sudden and unexpected arrival of the bridegroom caught all of the ten virgins off-guard, but the five that had kept their lamps full and were ready to leave when the time came were able to enter the marriage feast before the door was shut. The interesting thing to note was that the five foolish virgins returned after filling their lamps, but they were not allowed to enter because the bridegroom didn’t recognize them. The command to watch suggests that after Jesus arrives believers will no longer be able to rely on the filling of the Holy Spirit to keep them in fellowship with God. The only way believers will be able to distinguish themselves is by not taking the mark of the beast and therefore, being willing to die for their faith (Revelation 13:16-17; 14:12-13).

Delegated responsibility

The Bible doesn’t tell us why God created the heavens and the earth, but it does explain the reason why God created the first man, Adam. It says in Genesis 2:5-15, “When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature…The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” The Hebrew word that is translated work, ‘abad (aw-badˊ) means “to work, to serve. This labour may be focused on things, other people, or God. When it is used in reference to things, that item is usually expressed: to till the ground (Genesis 2:5; 3:23; 4:2); to work in a garden (Genesis 2:15); or to dress a vineyard” (H5647). Jesus’ parable of the tenants reveals to us God’s intention when he delegated the responsibility of working the land to mankind. Jesus said:

And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this Scripture:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away. (Mark 12:1-12)

Jesus described the people who had been delegated responsibility for working in the man’s vineyard as tenants. A tenant is “a land-worker” (G1092), as opposed to a land owner. The land was given to the tenants on a temporary basis in exchange for “some of the fruit of the vineyard” (Mark 12:2), but the tenants didn’t fulfill their end of the bargain. Jesus’ parable made it clear that the tenants wanted to own the land themselves. When the man sent his son to collect the fruit that was owed to him, “those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours’” (Mark 12:7).

Isaiah 5:1-7 provides additional insight into Jesus’ parable of the tenants. “The imagery used in this song to describe Israel as God’s vineyard was used by Jesus in his ‘parable of the tenants (Matthew 21:33-41)” (note on Isaiah 5:1-7). Isaiah began his song with a declaration of the LORD’s love for his vineyard (Isaiah 5:1), and then, he stated, “My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes” (Isaiah 5:1-2). Isaiah concluded, “For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold bloodshed, for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!” (Isaiah 5:7). With this statement in mind, it makes sense that the tenants in Jesus’ parable wanted to kill the heir in order to obtain his inheritance, but the tenants were operating based on faulty logic. Jesus pointed this out when he quoted the scripture, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Mark 12:10).

Peter explained Jesus’ quotation of Psalm 118:22 in the context of a spiritual house that is being built out of living stones and reminded the elect exiles of the Dispersion (1 Peter 1:1) of God’s conditional promise to the Israelites (Exodus 19:5-6). Peter said:

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
    a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

“The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,”

and

“A stone of stumbling,
    and a rock of offense.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:1-10)

Peter differentiated between believers and unbelievers and said of those who rejected Jesus, “They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do” (1 Peter 2:8). The Greek word that is translated destined, tithemi (tithˊ-ay-mee) means “To place or ordain someone in a position, to make somebody something; e.g., to make Abraham the father of many nations (Romans 4:17), to make the Son heir of all things (Hebrews 1:2). You might say that the Israelites were set up for failure in that they had the delegated responsibility of establishing God’s kingdom on earth, but they did not have the spiritual capability of doing it.

Jesus’ identified the problem that the Israelites had in his conversation with a man named Nicodemus. John 3:1-6 states:

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Jesus used the term born again to describe what happens when a person is spiritually regenerated; “that free act of God’s mercy and power by which he removes the sinner from the kingdom of darkness and places him in the kingdom of light” (G3824). The Holy Spirit enables this to take place. “In the New Testament, referred to as ‘the Spirit of God,’ ‘the Holy Spirit,’ in an absolute sense as ‘the Spirit’; the Spirit of Christ as being communicated by Him after His resurrection and ascension…The Holy Spirit is everywhere represented as being in intimate union with God the Father and God the Son…As coming to and acting upon Christians, illuminating and empowering them, and remaining with them, imparting to them spiritual knowledge, aid, consolation, sanctification, and making intercession with and for them” (G4151). Jesus told his disciples, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:15-17). Jesus went on to say, “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:25-26), and then, Jesus concluded, “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go away, I will send him to you” (John 16:

Jesus told his disciples that it would be beneficial for them if he went away because, “If I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you” (John 16:7). On the day of Pentecost, believers were filled with the Holy Spirit for the first time. Afterward, Peter preached his first sermon “and there were added that day about three thousand souls” to the fellowship of the believers “And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:41, 47). In his letter to the Galatians, Paul talked about the fulfillment of the law and the believer’s need to walk by the Spirit. Paul said:

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love…For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (Galatians 5:1-18)

Paul said that neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counted for anything, “but only faith working through love” Galatians 5:6). Faith is necessary for spiritual work to be accomplished and love is the fruit or output of that work. Paul indicated that the whole law could be fulfilled in one word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Galatians 5:14). Paul went on to identify the fruit of the Spirit and he put love at the top of his list. Paul said, “Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).

Jesus’ parable of the tenants does not mention why the tenants did not want to give the owner some of the fruit from his vineyard. It is possible that there was no fruit or that the fruit was bad and the tenants didn’t want the owner to know about it. Isaiah’s song tells us that the vineyard, the house of Israel, yielded wild grapes (Isaiah 5:2). The Hebrew word that is translated wild, be’ushiym (be-oo-sheemˊ) refers to “poison berries” (H891). Jesus likened bad fruit to the teaching of false prophets and said, “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

Jesus concluded his parable of the tenants by asking his listeners the question, “What will the owner of the vineyard do?” and then, told them, “He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.” (Mark 12:9). Peter’s identification of believers as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9; Exodus 19:6) suggests that the delegated responsibility of working in the vineyard had shifted from the nation of Israel to the body of Christ. One of the key indicators of this shift is the emphasis Paul placed on believers producing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:21-26). Paul encouraged the Ephesians to walk in love and instructed them to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:1, 18). Luke is the only gospel writer who referred to people being filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke indicated that John the Baptist was “filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15), and that his parents, Elizabeth and Zachariah were also filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41, 67). Luke tells us that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit when he was “led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil” (Luke 4:1-2). The Greek word that is translated full, pleres (playˊ-race) speaks “of the effects of spiritual life and qualities, seen in good works” (G4134). The connection between being filled with the Holy Spirit and the production of good fruit is evident not only in Jesus’ ministry, but also in that of the Apostle Paul.

Paul identified himself with believers who were taking their delegated responsibility seriously and were embracing the inner working of the Holy Spirit. Paul said, “Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code” (Romans 7:4-6). Paul talked about the way of love in his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 13) and encouraged the Ephesians to walk on love (Ephesians 5). Paul also explained in his letter to the Philippians that the way of love meant that you look not only to your own interests, but to the interest of others (Philippians 2:4). Paul instructed the Philippian believers to, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:5-8). Paul concluded his argument by stating, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).

Transformation

Mark’s gospel, as well as Luke’s, is a second hand account of the events that occurred during the ministry of Jesus Christ. “It is generally accepted and supported by the writings of the church historians that Peter was Mark’s source for the information contained in his gospel” (Introduction to the gospel according to Mark). Mark’s emphasis was on the supernatural power of the Christ. “His actions, rather than words, are given the most attention, particularly the miracles he performed to demonstrate his divinity.” The latter half of Mark’s short gospel focuses in on the events surrounding Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Three times Mark mentioned Jesus foretelling his death and resurrection and concluded his gospel with a brief account of Jesus’ post resurrection appearance to two of his disciples. Mark said, “After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them” (Mark 16:12-13). Luke’s detailed account of what happened on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) indicates that Peter was one of the two disciples that saw Jesus appear in another form after his resurrection (Luke 24:34). The Greek words that Mark used to describe what happened, appeared phaneroo (fan-er-oˊ-o), another heteros (hetˊ-er-os), form morphe (mor-fayˊ) suggest that a side of Jesus that the disciples had never seen before was apparent to them on the road to Emmaus.

Peter’s close relationship with the Lord may have been limited by the human aspects of Jesus’ nature that restricted the full expression of his personality while he was alive on earth. There was a part of Jesus that Peter was completely unfamiliar with that was revealed to him on the road to Emmaus. The change that occurred through Jesus’ death and resurrection is alluded to in Mark’s account of his transfiguration. Mark tells us, “And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them” (Mark 9:2-3). The Greek word that is translated transfigured, metamorphoo (met-am-or-foˊ-o) is derived from the words meta (met-ahˊ), which means “accompaniment” (G3326), and morphoo (mor-foˊ-o), which is derived from the same word as morphe, and has a similar meaning, “form, shape” (G3445). During his transfiguration, Jesus was seen by Peter, James and John in a way that others either could not or were not allowed to. Paul explained in his second letter to the Corinthians that only believers are able to see or more specifically to look at, the glory of God and the effect of beholding the glory of the Lord is transformation. Paul said:

Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:12-18)

Paul said that we, believers are being transformed into the same image as Christ. Paul said more about this in his letter to the Romans. Paul stated, “I appeal to you therefore brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2). Paul identified spiritual worship as a prerequisite to transformation and indicated that it leads to a believer being able to discern the perfect will of God.

Paul’s concern for the Galatians had to do with them becoming more like the pagans around them than Christ, their Lord and Savior. Paul asked, “Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!” (Galatians 4:16-19). Paul likened the process of transformation to childbirth and said that the end result is Christ being formed in us. Paul used the word morphoo, which is translated formed in this instance. It says in Genesis 2:7 that God “formed the man of dust,” indicating that there is a physical element involved in transformation. It could be that our need for transformation is rooted in the effect that sin has on our physical bodies. Paul said that believers are “transformed into the same image” of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18). An image is “a likeness that is (literally) statue profile or (figuratively) representation resemblance” (G1504). The second of the Ten Commandment that the Israelites were given after they were delivered from slavery in Egypt was, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:4-6). Idol worship was the primary reason why the Israelites were unable to keep the Ten Commandments. They were taken into captivity and punished severely for worshipping images of false gods.

Essentially, the reason why God forbade idol worship was because of the effect in has on our minds. Paul said that we should not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of our minds (Romans 12:2). The Greek word that is translated conformed, suschematizo (soos-khay-mat-idˊ-zo) means “to fashion alike, i.e. conform to the same pattern” (G4964). In other words, Paul was saying that we become like or conform to the things that we think about. Thus, renewing our minds is dependent upon us changing our thought patterns. Peter said in his first letter, “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:13-16). The Greek word hagios (hagˊ-ee-os) means “consecrated, devoted, sacred, holy” and is “spoken of those who are purified and sanctified by the influences of the Spirit, a saint. This is assumed of all who profess the Christian name” (G40).

Transformation is typically a lifelong process for followers of Christ, but as in the case of Jesus’ transfiguration, it can also happen instantaneously. Paul talked about an instantaneous transformation of believers that will occur when Jesus returns to the earth. In the context of the imperishable body that believers will receive after the resurrection of the dead, Paul said:

I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:50-57)

Paul indicated that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God and then, went on to explain that there are two kinds of bodies that humans can inhabit, a perishable an imperishable one. Paul said that believers who are alive when Jesus returns will “be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). The change that will take place in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, may not necessarily be a physical one. What happens when Christ returns is that believers are no longer subject to death, our mortal natures are exchanged for immortal ones (1 Corinthians 15:57). What this means is that there is no longer any basis for us to lose our lives. We will from that point forward experience life in an absolute sense and without end (G2222).

Paul’s instruction to “not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2), stressed both an internal and external change. Anakainosis (an-ak-ahˊee-no-sis) “means ‘a renewal’ and is used in Romans 12:2 ‘the renewing (of your mind),’ i.e. the adjustment of the moral and spiritual vision and thinking to the mind of God, which is designed to have a transforming effect upon the life; and stresses the willing response on the part of the believer. In Titus 3:5, ‘the renewing of the Holy Spirit’ is not a fresh bestowment of the Spirit, but a revival of His power, developing the Christian life, stressing the continual operation of the indwelling Spirit of God. Palingenesis (G3824) stresses the new birth; whereas, anakainosis stresses the process of sanctification” (G342). Paul indicated that believers are transformed by the renewing of their minds. In order for the outward transformation to take place, our minds must “undergo a complete change which, under the power of God, will find expression in character and conduct” (G3339). Paul summed up his topic of the transformation of believers in his letter to Titus, making it clear that regeneration and renewal are works of the Holy Spirit. Paul concluded, “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration, and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7).

God’s family

The LORD’s unconditional promise to David that he would be the father of an everlasting kingdom (2 Samuel 7:16) changed the way God dealt with the nation of Israel. God told David, “I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:12-16). “This refers initially to Solomon but was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the ‘Son of David’ (Luke 1:31-33; Acts 2:25-35) who reigns at God’s right hand (Psalm 2:7; Acts 13:33)” (note on 2 Samuel 2:13). The Father/Son relationship between God and Jesus Christ made it possible for believers to become members of the family of God (Ephesians 1:5).

Paul tells us in Romans 8:14 that being led by the Holy Spirit is an indicator that you are a child of God. Paul said:

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:14-17)

Paul said that the Holy Spirit’s activity inside of a believer bears witness to the fact that he has a parent/child relationship with God.

Jesus repeatedly referred to God as your Father in his Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said, “’You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven’” (Matthew 5:43-45). The Greek word that is translated sons, uihos (hwee-osˊ) is spoken of “those whom God loves and cherishes as a father. Generally of pious worshippers of God, the righteous, the saints (Matthew 5:9, 45; Luke 6:35; 20:36),” but is also used to refer to, “One who derives his human nature directly from God, and not by ordinary generation: spoken of Jesus (Luke 1:35); implied of Adam (Luke 3:38)” (G5207). Jesus told his followers:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:7-11)

Jesus compared a believer’s relationship with God to that of a natural born child and its parent and said that we should expect to receive good things from God when we ask him for them. The Greek word aiteo (ahee-tehˊ-o), which is translated ask, has to do with prayer, and “is strictly a demand of something due” (G154/4441). Just as a child is dependent upon his or her own parents to provide daily food and shelter, so is a child of God dependent upon him to provide the daily necessities of spiritual life.

Jesus made it clear to his disciples that he didn’t recognize relationships that were established through physical birth. Mark tells us, “And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:31-35). Jesus considered his followers to be his family and said the thing that distinguished them from everyone else was that they do the will of God. Jesus elaborated on this point in his Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23)

Jesus used the Greek word ginosko (ghin-oceˊ-ko) to indicate his lack of a spiritual relationship with a person. Ginosko is used “in the sense to know, as being what one is or professes to be, to acknowledge (Matthew 7:23)” (G1097). “In the New Testament ginosko frequently indicates a relation between the person ‘knowing’ and the object known; in this respect, what is ‘known’ is of value or importance to the one who knows, and hence the establishment of the relationship, e.g., especially of God’s ‘knowledge,’ 1 Corinthians 8:3, ‘if any man love God, the same is known of Him’…”such ‘knowledge’ is obtained not by mere intellectual activity, but by operation of the Holy Spirit consequent upon acceptance of Christ.”

Paul described the spiritual birthing process that every believer has to go through in his letter to the Ephesians. Paul stated:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:3-6)

Paul indicated that the process of spiritual birth begins with God choosing us and also stated that God chose us “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4). That means that God’s family was established before he even thought about creating the world. After God chose the members of his family, he exercised his love toward them by determining in advance that each one of them would be adopted and become “heirs of His covenanted salvation” (G5206; Ephesians 1:5). The process of spiritual birth concludes with God blessing all who were predestined to become his children by giving them the grace to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior so that their sins can be forgiven and they can go to heaven to be with him when they die (Ephesians 1:6-10).

Jesus told the Jews who claimed that God was their Father, but did not believe his gospel message, that they belonged to a different family, the family of Satan. John 8:31-47 states:

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

Jesus differentiated between those who were descendants of Abraham who were actually members of God’s family and those who were not. The key characteristic of a member of God’s family is telling and believing the truth.

Jesus encouraged his followers to not be anxious and told them that they could depend on God to take care of them because they were members of his family. Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:25-33). Jesus said that the way God takes care of his children is by adding things to them. The Greek word prostithemi (pros-tithˊ-ay-mee) has to do with placing something near or in the pathway of the person that it is intended for and means “to place additionally” (G4369). In other words, God gives his children more than they already have or more than they can provide for themselves. Jesus used the example of the lilies that grow in the field compared to King Solomon, who was the richest man who ever lived, and said, “I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:29-30).

Spiritual Communication

Paul’s in-depth discussion of love in his first letter to the Corinthians was followed by a topic that may have seemed irrelevant, but was extremely important for the Corinthian believers’ understanding of how the body of Christ achieves spiritual maturity and maintains its spiritual health over time. Paul began by encouraging the Corinthians to, “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy” (1 Corinthians 14:1). The primary focus of the Old Testament prophet Joel’s warning to the people of Israel was the day of the LORD, a time that is associated with God’s judgment, but in his message, Joel identified a period of time when God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh and prophesying would be a common practice among believers. Joel stated:

“And it shall come to pass afterward,
    that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
    your old men shall dream dreams,
    and your young men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female servants
    in those days I will pour out my Spirit.”

There is a controversy over the time when this prophecy was (or will be) fulfilled. Some people believe that the ‘first stage’ of this prophecy was fulfilled at Pentecost (Acts 2:17-21), when Peter cited these verses from Joel in response to the question from the multitude, ‘What does this mean?’ (Acts 2:12). They claim Peter connected the events of that day with Joel’s prophecy about the coming ‘day of the LORD’ (v. 31). However, many of the parts of the prophecy were not fulfilled in Acts: sons and daughters did not predict; young men, as a group, did not see visions; and old men did not dream dreams (cf. Joel 2:28). Those who believe that Pentecost was the ‘first stage’ claim that Peter was saying that only the first part of Joel’s prophecy was being fulfilled. Others claim that none of this prophecy was fulfilled at Pentecost. Instead it was merely used by Peter, in response to those who said the disciples were drunk (v. 13) as an example of how the work of the Holy Spirit may be marked by extraordinary phenomena. The ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy will take place at the second coming of Christ at the end of the great tribulation. The day of darkness and gloom, along with the wonders of the heavens, will follow the opening of the sixth seal (Joel 2:2, 30, 31, cf. Revelation 6:12)” (note on Joel 2:28-32).

Jesus substantiated the content of Joel’s prophecy about the Holy Spirit being poured out on all flesh when he said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Jesus went on to say, “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:22-23). The day that Jesus was referring to was the “Day of the Lord when Christ will return to judge the world and fully establish His kingdom” (G2250). Jesus talked about the final judgment in his Olivet Discourse. Jesus told his disciples, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:31-32). The fact that people will have to be separated one from another indicates that the two groups, identified as the sheep and the goats, have similar characteristics, but do not belong together. Jesus said, “And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left” (Matthew 25:33). Jesus explained the reason for this separation in the conclusion of his message. Jesus said:

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:41-46)

The goats thought that they had done what was expected of them, but Jesus pointed out that they had not actually ministered to him in the way that they thought they had. The Greek word that is translated minister, diakonos (dee-akˊ-on-os) refers specifically to “a Christian teacher or pastor (technically a deacon or deaconess)” and means “an attendant, i.e. (genitive) a waiter (at table or in other menial duties)” (G1249). A word that is comparable to diakonos is dioko, a word that Paul used in 1 Corinthians 14:1, to introduced the topic of prophecy and tongues. Paul encouraged the Corinthian believers to, “Pursue (dioko) love.” Another way of saying it might be, minister love or follow Jesus’ example of love. With that in mind, the reason why the shepherd determined that the goats had not ministered to him may have been because their actions were not motivated by love, the standard that God established when he gave us his only Son so that we would not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

Paul contrasted prophesying with speaking in tongues in order to show the Corinthians that spiritual communication serves multiple purposes. Paul said:

For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. (1 Corinthians 14:2-3)

Paul identified three things that result from a believer prophesying: upbuilding, encouragement, and consolation. When believers prophesy, they are speaking under the divine influence of the Holy Spirit and are acting as interpreters of God’s mind and will (G4395).

Paul indicated that upbuilding could result from both prophesying and speaking in tongues, but one had an internal effect whereas the other produced an external result. Paul said, “The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but he one who prophesies builds up the church” (1 Corinthians 14:4). The Greek word that is translated builds up, oikodomeo (oy-kod-om-ehˊ-o) is used figuratively, “to build up, establish, confirm. Spoken of the Christian Church and its members who are thus compared to a building, a temple of God, erected upon the one and only foundation, Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:9, 10) and ever built up progressively and unceasingly more and more from the foundation” (G3618). Paul called the process of building up the church, edification and said of Jesus in his letter to the Ephesians, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherdsand teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 411-16).

Paul used the word comfort to link together the concepts of encouragement and consolation in his second letter to the Corinthians. Paul wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3-7). Paul said that God comforts (encourages) us in our affliction, “so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:4). The way that we comfort others is by sharing scriptures with them that God has brought to our minds in times of trouble or distress so that it encourages them as they go through the same kind of situation.

Paul made his case against speaking in tongues as opposed to prophesying by emphasizing the importance of knowing the meaning of what is being said. Paul told the Corinthians:

So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will speak into the air. There are doubtless many different languages in the world and none without meaning, but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. (1 Corinthians 14:9-11)

The Greek word that is translated meaning in this passage is dunamis (dooˊ-nam-is), which means “force (literal or figurative); specially miraculous power (usually by implication, a miracle itself” and is “Spoken of the essential power, true nature or reality of something (Philippians 3:10; 2 Timothy 3:5). As opposed to logos (G3056), speech merely (1 Corinthians 4:19, 20; 1 Thessalonians 1:5). Metaphorically of language: the power of a word, i.e. meaning, significance (1 Corinthians 14:11).

Paul went on to explain that the mind plays an important role in the fruitfulness of our spiritual communication. Paul said, “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful” (1 Corinthians 14:14). The Greek word that Paul used that is translated unfruitful, akarpos (akˊ-ar-pos) appears in Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the sower. Jesus told his disciples, “As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and it proves unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22). It seems that the effectiveness of spiritual communication is linked to the believer’s mind being able to keep God’s word from being crowded out by thoughts that contradict it. Paul used the example of an unbeliever being convicted of his sins to convey his point that the clarity and simplicity of God’s word are powerful enough to bring a sinner to repentance. Paul said, “If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you” (1 Corinthians 14:23-25).

Love

The Apostle John wrote in his first letter, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 John 4:15-16). John stated that God is love, meaning that God is “the author and source of love, who Himself is love” (G26). There are multiple words in the Bible that are translated into the English word love. The kind of love that John was talking about when he said that God is love is “spoken especially of goodwill toward others, the love of our neighbor, brotherly affection, which the Lord Jesus commands and inspires (John 15:13, 17:26; Romans 13:10; 1 Corinthians 13:1; 2 Corinthians 2:4, 8: 2 Thessalonians 1:3; Hebrews 6:10; 1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 4:7). Paul indicated that agape (ag-ahˊ-pay) love was a more excellent way (1 Corinthians 12:31). The Greek word that is translated way, hodos (hod-osˊ) means “a road.” Paul used the word hodos to express the idea of getting somewhere, reaching a destination. Paul had been talking about spiritual gifts and being a member of the body of Christ, and wanted his readers to understand that love was the ultimate goal with regard to achieving spiritual success as a member of the body of Christ.

Paul started his discussion of love by making it clear that none of the spiritual gifts that a person might receive from God would be beneficial to him or the body of Christ without love being present in is life. Paul said:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

Paul emphasized the point that nothing could be gained by making extreme sacrifices unless love was the motivation behind it. John tells us in his gospel account, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Paul identified love as a fruit of the Spirit in his letter to the Galatians (Galatians 5:22-23). Jesus often used the concept of fruit in his teaching (Matthew 13:8, 26; 21:34, 43; Mark 4:29; 11:14; Luke 13:6; John 4:36). John the Baptist told the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to him to be baptized, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the foot of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:7-10). John associated bearing fruit with repentance. The Greek word metanoia (met-anˊ-oy-ah) means “A change of mind” and in a religious sense, implies “pious sorrow for unbelief and sin and a turning from them unto God and the gospel of Christ” (G3341). John indicated that bearing good fruit was a requirement for spiritual survival, stating that, “Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:10).

Jesus said of a tree and its fruit, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-20). Jesus said that a healthy tree bears good fruit and a diseased tree bears bad fruit. The terms healthy and diseased have to do with the spiritual condition of a person’s heart. Jesus said “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person” (Matthew 15:19-20). Jesus clarified this point even further when he told the Pharisees, “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:33-37).

Jesus indicated that the evidence, or fruit if you will, of the spiritual condition of a person’s heart is the words that come out of his mouth. The Greek word logos (logˊ-os) appears two times in Matthew 12:33-37. Logos is translated as both words and give account. Logos means “something said (including the thought); (by implication) a topic (subject of discourse), also reasoning (the mental faculty or motive; by extension a computation; specifically (with the article in John) the Divine Expression” (G3056). John used the word logos three times in the opening statement of his gospel. John said, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). It could be that the words that will justify or condemn us are directly related to the Word, Jesus Christ. Paul interjected into his discussion about spiritual gifts the statement, “You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says ‘Jesus is accursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:2-3). According to Paul, the Holy Spirit controls the believer’s speech and will align it with his faith in the Lord. Thus, confirming or denying that a relationship with the Lord exists.

The Greek word hodos, which is translated way in 1 Corinthians 12:31, was used by Jesus in his discussion about the golden rule. Jesus said:

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:12-14)

These statements were followed by Jesus’ comment about a tree and its fruit, so it seems safe to assume that the way had something to do with the result that was produced by spiritual activity. When hodos is used metaphorically, it refers to “a course of conduct” or “a way of thinking” (G3598).

Paul told the Corinthians that he was going to show them “a still more excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31) and then, started talking about love (1 Corinthians 13). Paul was most likely referring to the Corinthian believers’ lifestyle and may have been concerned about their behavior not being consistent with a follower of Christ. Paul described love for them so that the Corinthian believers would know exactly what he was talking about. Paul said:

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

Paul’s description of love made it obvious that love was not the norm for human behavior. In fact, it seems likely that love was the opposite of what Paul was seeing in the Corinthians’ behavior. Paul set the bar high when he said that love was “a still more excellent way,” but his description made it seem like love was an impossible thing for anyone to achieve.

Paul went on to explain that love is an eternal quality that is evidence that believers have been born again and are in the process of becoming like Christ. Love is an indicator of spiritual maturity and cannot be attained apart from the work of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s heart. Paul stated:

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:8-13)

Paul indicated that faith, hope, and love will abide, meaning that these qualities are permanent and will still be evident in us after we are resurrected. Paul’s statement, “Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:13) seems to suggest that faith, hope, and love have to do with us being able to know God and others that we have eternal relationships with. The Greek word that Paul used to indicate knowing someone fully and being fully known was epiginosko (ep-ig-in-oceˊ-ko). Epiginosko means that you know someone well enough to recognize them, you are fully acquainted with the person (G1921). This type of recognition is not based on physical characteristics, but an internal understanding of the person that gives you the confidence to boldly approach him, as believers are instructed to do with Jesus, our great high priest in Hebrews 4:16.

Paul’s statement, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13) makes it seem as if Paul wanted believers to realize the extreme importance or value of love being evident in their lives. It’s possible that the list: faith, hope, and love; was meant to show the progressive ordering of how the Holy Spirit develops these three qualities in believers. The Holy Spirit starts by developing our faith, then he develops a hope for something more in our relationship with God. Finally, the Holy Spirit produces love, the actualization of our intimacy with God. Another way of looking at faith, hope, and love is that each of these qualities has a varying ability to help us know God and others. If love is the greatest of the three, then that would mean love is the best way we have of knowing God and others intimately. This makes sense from the standpoint that love usually involves personal contact with another person. Paul said, “Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face” (1 Corinthian 13:12), indicating that there was a change in the quality of the contact. Paul talked about this in his letter to the Romans. Paul wrote:

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, wehave peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faithinto this grace in which we stand, and werejoicein hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)

Paul said that we gain access to God by faith, but hope is what draws us closer to him as we go through the process of spiritual maturation. When our hope reaches a point of coming to fruition, Paul indicated, God’s love is poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. The phrase poured into suggests that love is an all or nothing type of quality (G1632). It doesn’t increase over time, as seems to be the case with hope. It’s possible that Paul viewed love as the greatest of the three qualities, faith, hope, and love because its production capability is limitless, since we receive the full measure of its potential all at once. The presence of love is an indicator that we have reached spiritual maturity, we are adults in God’s eyes (1 Corinthians 13:11).

The body of Christ

Jesus first hinted at the special qualities of his body when the Jews asked him to show them a sign as evidence of his divine power. Jesus responded to the Jews’ request by stating, “’Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews then said, ‘It has taken forty six years to build this temple, and will you raise it in three days?’ But he was speaking about the temple of his body” (John 2:19-21). Paul elaborated on the connection between the temple and Jesus’ body in his first letter to the Corinthians. Paul talked about the difference between people of the flesh and spiritual people (1 Corinthians 3:1-4) and then, referred to believers as “God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:9). Paul asked the Corinthian believers, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16) and went on to say, “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, ‘The two shall become one flesh.’ But he who is joined in the Lord becomes one spirit with him” (1 Corinthians 6:15-17). Paul used the Greek word kollao (kol-lahˊ-o), which is translated joined, to describe the spiritual union that takes place when a believer is born again. Paul compared this union to sexual intercourse between a man and woman, but indicated that rather than becoming one flesh, the believer becomes one spirit with Christ.

The Greek word kollao means “to join fast together” and refers to a personal attachment that is similar to glue or cement (G2853). In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul compared the relationship between a husband and wife to that of Christ and the church. Paul said:

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

…In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:22-32)

The Greek word that is translated hold fast, proskollao (pros-kol-layˊ-o) is a combination of the words pros and kollao. Pros indicates movement toward something or someone “with the dative by the side of, i.e. near to” (G4314), whereas kollao on its own suggests that a physical connection already exists.

Paul indicated that the church, all who are born again, are members of the body of Christ and referred to this doctrinal truth as a profound mystery. What Paul meant by a profound mystery was that being a member of the body of Christ or being able to comprehend what it means to be a member of the body of Christ is too big of an idea for us to comprehend, it is above human insight. Jesus first introduced this idea through his institution of the Lord’s Supper. Matthew’s gospel tells us:

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of thecovenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” (Matthew 26:26-29)

The Greek word that is translated body in Matthew 26:26 is soma (soˊ-mah), “A noun meaning body, an organized whole made up of parts and members.” It is “spoken of a human body, different from sarx (G4561), flesh, which word denotes the material of the body” (G4983). One way of interpreting Jesus’ statement, “Take, eat; this is my body” (Matthew 26:26) might be let my parts and members become a part of you.

Paul prefaced his discussion of the body of Christ in his letter to the Corinthians with an overview of spiritual gifts. Paul likely connected these two topics because of the dependency of one upon the other. Paul began by stating, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed” (1 Corinthians 12:1). Paul didn’t want the Corinthian believers to ignore the fact that spiritual gifts were linked to the activities of the body of Christ. Paul said:

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)

Paul indicated that gifts were a manifestation or expression of the Holy Spirit and were intended for the common good of the body of Christ. The Greek word sumphero (soom-ferˊ-o), which is translated common good, literally means “to bring together” (G4851); the idea being that the common good is an incentive for membership in the body of Christ. Paul told the Corinthians:

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)

Paul said that we are baptized into one body and made to drink of one Spirit, suggesting that a connection exists between participation in the Lord’s Supper and membership in the body of Christ.

The Greek word that is translated baptized in 1 Corinthians 12:13, baptizo (bap-tidˊ-zo) means “to wash, to cleanse by washing” (G907). John recorded in his gospel that during the Lord’s Supper, “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him” (John 13:3-5). Jesus told Simon Peter, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand” (John 13:7). Jesus used two different Greek words that are both translated understand. In reference to not understanding now, Jesus used the word eido (iˊ-do) which has to do with perception (G1492). Whereas, the Greek word ginosko (ghin-oceˊ-ko) has to do with knowing “in a completed sense, that is, to have the knowledge of” (G1097). When Peter responded to Jesus, “’You shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.’” (John 13:8). “By this statement, ‘If I do not wash you, you have no share with me,’ it seems that the Lord was referring to the necessity of regular spiritual cleansing to remain in fellowship with him. Jesus did not say, ‘you have no share in me (en [1722] emoi), which would indicate Peter lacked salvation, but ‘you have no share with me’ (met’ [3326] emou), meaning Peter would have no communion and fellowship with him. Christians need constant cleansing and renewal if they are to remain in fellowship with God” (note on John 13:8).

Paul elaborated on Jesus’ comment about Peter not having a share with him in his explanation of how the body of Christ functions in a way that is similar to the human body. Paul said:

But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. (1 Corinthians 12:18-27, NLT)

Paul’s statement, “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it,” was intended to emphasize the fact that both unity and individuality are necessary for the body of Christ to function properly. One of the keys to understanding how this works can be found in 1 Corinthians 12:24, which contains the statement, “God has so composed the body.” The Greek word that is translated composed, sugkerannumi (soong-ker-anˊ-noo-mee) means “to commingle, i.e. (figurative) to combine or assimilate” (G4786). Assimilation has to do with taking in information, ideas, or culture and understanding them fully. In reference to the body or any biological system, assimilation means to “absorb and digest (food or nutrients)” (Oxford Languages). Therefore, Jesus’ instruction during the Lords’ Supper to, “Take, eat; this is my body” (Matthew 26:26), had the connotation of becoming assimilated into the body of Christ.

Paul talked about unity in the body of Christ in the context of spiritual gifts and maturing as a believer in his letter to the Ephesians. Paul said of Christ:

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Paul noted that the goal of Jesus’ ongoing ministry was building up the body of Christ, and also indicated that when each part was working properly, it made the body grow so that it built itself up in love. Working properly means that each part is active and is doing what it’s designed to do; the body of Christ is efficiently using its resources. In order for that to happen, there can’t be any division or gap in the body’s members. Paul admonished the Corinthians about this early in his letter. Paul stated, “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10). The Greek word that Paul used that is translated united is translated perfectly joined together in the King James Version of the Bible. Katartizo (kat-ar-tidˊ-zo) means “to be suitable, such as one should be, deficient in no part” and implies that an adjustment has to be made in order to fit everything together so that it is finished, complete (G2675).

Paul indicated that the parts of the body are joined and held together by Christ, who is the head of the body (Ephesians 4:16). The head describes Christ as being the one to whom others are subordinate. In the context of a building, Jesus was described as being the cornerstone. In relation to architecture, a cornerstone is traditionally the first stone laid for a structure, with all other stones laid in reference. A cornerstone marks the geographical location by orienting a building in a specific direction. It is the rock upon which the weight of the entire structure rests. Jesus referred to himself as the cornerstone after telling his followers The Parable of the Tenants (Matthew 21:33-40). Jesus stated:

But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. (Matthew 21:38-45)

Jesus spoke of the cornerstone in a way that was counter intuitive to its intended purpose. Jesus indicated that a person could fall on the cornerstone and said, “When it falls on anyone, it will crush him” (Matthew 21:44). What I believe Jesus meant by this statement with regard to his method of joining and holding together the body of Christ was that those who interfere with or perhaps imitate the building up of the body will be destroyed in the process, as opposed to those who are working properly being strengthened by his support.

Sexual immorality

Christianity as a religion was meant to replace Judaism, which was the expression of the covenant that God established with the Israelites, the ancestors of the Jews. There was a lot of confusion in the early years of Christianity about what was expected of Christians; how people became Christians, and how they were supposed to live. Many of the Jews that converted to Christianity wanted to hold on to the traditions that they had followed for many centuries, in particular, the requirement for males to be circumcised. During the time of the Apostle Paul’s ministry, there was a heated debate about this matter. Acts 15:1-2 tells us:

But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question.

Paul and Barnabas were considered to be key leaders in the Christian movement and were both filled with the Holy Spirit. “When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them” (Acts 15:4). It was important that Paul and Barnabas had not only been set apart for the work of preaching the gospel (Acts 13:2-3), but also had been designated by the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 13:4-12). The stories they shared about the work God was doing among the Gentiles was taken as factual evidence of God’s will in the matter. Acts 15:6-12 states:

The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.

The discussion between Paul and Barnabas and the Jerusalem Council resulted in a letter being written to the Gentile believers in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia (Acts 15:22-23). The letter stated:

“Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled youwith words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth.For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” (Acts 15:24-29)

The requirement that believers “abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled” had to do with the Gentile culture of that day which involved pagan worship practices that were offensive to God, but the stipulation that believers abstain from sexual immorality had to do with them being a member of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians focused on sexual immorality in the context of the Church being defiled. Paul stated in his letter, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you” (1 Corinthians 5:1-2). Paul’s harsh judgment of the sexual immorality that was going on was based on his comparison of it with pagan practices. Paul said it was “of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans” (1 Corinthians 5:1). Paul went on to say, “You are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 5:5). The destruction of the flesh was “spoken of a temporal destruction of the flesh, leading to restoration and salvation of the soul” (G3639). Paul indicated that the destruction of the flesh was the result of the believer being delivered to Satan. What Paul meant by being delivered to Satan was that the sexually immoral believer should be allowed to continue in his sinful behavior so that the ruin and destruction in his life that resulted from it would drive him back to the Lord. Jesus gave an example of this in his parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). The prodigal son squandered his property in reckless living, but when he came to himself, he arose and came to his father and said, “I am no longer worthy to be called your son” (Luke 15:21). In response, the son’s father called for a celebration, stating, “’For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate” (Luke 15:24).

Paul made it very clear that the person that was involved in sexual immorality in Corinth was in fact a believer. Paul said:

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the churchwhom you are to judge? God judgesthose outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” (1 Corinthians 5:9-13)

Paul indicated that in order to not associate with unbelievers who were sexually immoral, believers would have to go out of the world. Paul also noted that it was not his place to judge outsiders, but then, he urged the Corinthians to purge the evil person from among them.

Paul’s explanation for why believers should flee sexual immorality was that they should not be dominated by anything (1 Corinthians 16:12). The Greek word that is translated dominated, exousiazo (ex-oo-see-adˊ-zo) means “to control” (G1850). Exousiazo is derived from the word exousia (ex-oo-seeˊ-ah), which designates, “Power over persons and things, dominion, authority, rule” (G1849). Exousia is sometimes translated power and sometimes authority. During Jesus’ ministry, the Jewish leaders often challenged his authority to do the things he did. On one occasion, Matthew’s gospel tells us:

And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. (Matthew 21:23-27)

Following this exchange with the chief priests and the elders, Jesus told the parable of the two sons (Matthew 21:28-32) and the parable of the tenants (Matthew 21:33-40) to communicate his point that obedience is evidence of submission to someone’s authority. When Paul said that believers should not be dominated by anything, he meant that they should not submit themselves to Satan’s authority by doing the things that he wants them to.

Paul told the Corinthian believers:

The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joinedto a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sina person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:13-20)

Paul said that every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body (1 Corinthians 6:18) and then, argued that believers are not their own, but were bought with a price. The point that I believe Paul was trying to make was that Jesus’ death on the cross gives him the right to control everyone’s behavior who has claimed his death as payment for the penalty of their sin. Paul wanted believers to understand that sexual immorality was an indicator that a person was not under the control of Jesus Christ, and therefore, even if he was saved, it proved that he had not submitted himself to God’s authority.