|
Forms
of the Word of God (II) In the discussion that the
Spiritual Word not Physical Word saves us, there is more that needs to be
addressed. When I first rejected the concept that we are saved by
the Spiritual Word independent from the Physical Word, I immediately
thought of many verses that I thought would show that we need to be
in the environment of the Physical Word. I would like to look at two
of those and explain what I think they truly mean. However there is
one Biblical principal that has to be set forth. That is, there are
two parts of our salvation. The first being our soul is saved in
this first creation at the moment the Holy Spirit indwells us. The
second part of our salvation happens when we receive our glorified
spiritual bodies on the resurrection of the last day. I think that
most reading this are already familiar with this, but let us
establish this with scripture. The best place I think shows these
two salvations is in John chapter five. Jn 5:25 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the
dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear
shall live. Jn 5:25 says the hour is coming and now is. Because it "now is" that means it is already happening now. This could only be referring to when we become saved. The dead are those who are spiritually dead and now are spiritually alive, His elect. This matches Eph 2:5-6, talking about our salvation. The voice they hear is from the Spirit of God. Eph2:5-65 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised
us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus: Jn 5:28-29 would be on
the last day when our mortal bodies are transformed and caught
up to be with our soul that is present with the Lord. The
unsaved mortal bodies are likewise appointed to stand for
Judgment. This matches the following: 1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. Joh 12:48 He
that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that
judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge
him in the last day. This truth of two parts
of our salvation is also seen in the following verses. Ro 13:11 And
that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of
sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The verse shows a
future salvation for someone who is already a believer. To be a
believer means that we are already saved in our souls. The
future salvation is when we receive our glorified spiritual
bodies on the last day. 1 Peter 1: 5 Who
are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready
to be revealed in the last time. Again the context has
in view the return of Christ, and those in view are saved
individuals. But it shows a future salvation, the one that is
due on the last day in the new heavens and new earth. Now that
we have that principal established we need to keep it in mind as
we look at some verses. Remember that I said when I first heard
this idea of salvation apart from the Physical Word (the shadow)
by the Spiritual Word (the substance), I immediately thought of
some verses that show we need to be in the hearing of the
Physical Word. Here they are. Rom 1:16 ¶ For I
am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of
God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew
first, and also to the Greek. Doesn't this dispute what I am saying? The gospel preached (Physical Word) by Paul a man, saves. But look at whom it saves, "one that believeth"! Are we to admit that the free will doctrine is correct? The tense of this word "believeth" shows that it is something that is accomplished already. So we can't say that the believing and Salvation happen simultaneously. Well what this
truly means is that this verse is explaining what the scriptures
do for someone who has already been saved - Someone who has been
quickened by the word that is spirit, independent from the
Physical Word. Now that this believer is saved, God is exposing
him to the scripture to guide him unto (future) the salvation
that comes on the last day. How about this verse: 1 Cor 1:18 For
the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness;
but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. Notice in this verse
the preaching of the Physical Word is not power to save someone,
but it is power to someone who has already been quickened by the
word that is spirit. So what we learn is
that the scriptures are for us to use while we exist with the
outer man (Rom 8:22-23). It is what guides us in the doctrines
we are to believe and encourages us to mortify the deeds of the
flesh. This is why a true believer knows that election is true,
he reads about it and it confirms something that feels correct
because the Spirit lives in him. The scripture is not to save a
soul, but to complete "the man of God" who is already saved. 2 Tim 3:66 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 2 Tim 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. This is what Christ is
showing in the parable of the sower and the seed. He identifies
the seed as the word of God and the ground as people receiving
that word. Lu 8:11 Now the
parable is this: The seed is the word of God. This shows that there
is a "physical word" of God. I can say that because it did not
have an effect on the man receiving it. If we were to say that
Christ the Spiritual Word was in view here then we would be
saying that the devil is able to "take away" Christ. Now we know
that this couldn't be true, so we know that this seed represents
the Physical Word, the scriptures. Lk 8:12 Those by
the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and
taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should
believe and be saved. Now the person that it
did have a positive effect on was described as "good ground"
This is extremely important to note. It was not the seed that
made the ground good, it was the good already! Lk 8:15 But that
on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart,
having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with
patience. This person was already
saved when he heard this word. The word is the same word that
the devil had taken away, so it was not the Word that Is Spirit,
Life and truth. It was not the Word that saves! This word was
the scriptures that can never be anything more than a shadow of
the substance, the Spiritual Word that had already saved him.
Then when he was exposed to the scriptures as a believer still
living in this world, it had a positive effect on his life here.
They testify of Christ, they are not Christ. If we say they are
Christ then we say Christ can be taken away by the devil. Ps 119:89 For
ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Mark Manning |