What does the Mirror say about …

Mankind’s inclusion in Christ is the conclusion of grace – The Prophets saw it

Isa 9:2 The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light. The ones who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, on them, light shone.

See Isa 40:3-5 A voice cries: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the crooked places shall be made straight, even the rough places shall be made smooth. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

In the incarnate Christ, God removed every definition of distance; every possible excuse humanity could have to feel separated from God was removed once and for all.

Isa. 66:8 “Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be born in one day? Shall all people be brought forth in one moment?” The only scripture in the entire Old Testament that prophesies the third day resurrection includes us!

Hos. 6:2. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. RSV

Our co-inclusion in Jesus’ death and resurrection was prophesied 800 years B.C. through Hosea and 700 B.C. by Isaiah.

Is 52:10 The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Is 52:14-15 As many were astonished at him, his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the sons of men, so shall he startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they shall see, and that which they have not heard they shall understand.

Isa. 53:1-3 Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or comeliness that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Isa. 53:4-7 Surely he has borne our grief’s and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded by our transgressions, he was bruised by our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we were healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

Psalm 22 graphically portrays the crucifixion then concludes in verse 27 with, “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.”

Isa. 45: 22 Face me and be saved all the ends of the earth! [Note, ‘Be saved!’ Not ‘become saved!’] I am God; your idols are figments of your invention and imagination!”

Isa. 45:23 I have sworn by myself; the word of my mouth has begotten righteousness; this cannot be reversed! (The Hebrew word, יצא Yatsa can be translated, begotten like in Judges 8:30 “Every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall echo my oath!” [Thus, speak with the same certainty sourced in me!] The Hebrew word, ׁשב ׁע Shaba means to seven oneself, that is, swear – thus in the Hebrew mind, by repeating a declaration seven times one brings an end to all dispute! See Heb. ).6:13.16,17

Peter saw it

In dramatic fashion God re-writes Peters doctrine and changes his appetite! Acts 10:28 “God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.”

It’s when we see what Peter saw when God challenged his paradigms in Acts 10. I mean the man’s hungry, and when a Jew gets hungry he’s supposed to see favorite food pop-ups! But instead God shows him every unclean animal alive in their skins, feathers, warts and scales! Not neatly chopped up into a “Gumbo” or stew, and flavored with favorite spices! Alive, dirty and ugly! This happened three times; even with Peter trying his best take on a favorite scripture (Don’t eat anything unclean, remember!) God shows him in v 28 that he may no longer call anyone unclean or unholy!!

We have so underestimated what God did when Jesus died humanity’s death! Behold the Lamb OF GOD who takes away the sin of the world! He did it once and for all long before anyone but God believed it! And without our permission!

1 Pet. 1:3 Let us 1celebrate God with articulate acclaim! He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to his matchless mercy and tender compassions, he 2birthed us again when Jesus was raised from the dead. Now we are alive to witness the 3expectation of the ages unfold! (The word, 1eulogetos, means to brag, to bless, to speak well of. Jesus reminds Nicodemus that we are born anouthen, from above. [John 3:3, and John 3:13] No one can fully engage in heaven’s perspective, unless one’s heavenly origin is realized! The Son of man declares mankind’s co-genesis from above and now through our joint resurrection, we are reconnected again to our original identity as sons. The word 2anagennao, from ana, upward, [reconnecting with anouthen – Jn 3:3 – from above, where we came from in the first place]; and gennao, to regenerate, to give birth. As much as his death brought dramatic closure to our futile and failed attempts to justify and define ourselves, our co-resurrection rebooted the original blueprint of our Maker’s image and likeness in us. 3”A living hope” – the expectation of the ages concluding in life. See Colossians 1:27 – The mystery of the ages is unveiled! Christ in us!)

Peter realized that something happened to mankind in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Flesh and blood did not reveal this to him; he saw that we were hewn out of that same rock tomb!

Luke saw it

Acts 13:32-33 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you.”

The resurrection of Jesus declares humanity’s new birth.

Luke 13:23 Someone observed, Lord, so it seems that only a few are being saved? Jesus answered this person by speaking specifically to the religious Jews, who are part of his audience, but who witness him through their legalistic lenses and miss the entire plot!

Luke 13:28 To your shock and surprise you will eventually realize, that even your national heroes, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as well as the prophets (who you murdered), are in the house! And they didn’t get there by their own personal, agonizing efforts! (The phrase, weeping and gnashing of teeth is thought to derive from the hypothetical Q source, which “quoted” Matthew 8:12 and Luke 13:28. The other five occurrences [Matthew 13:42, Matthew 13:50, Matthew 22:13, Matthew 24:51, and Matthew 25:30] are all within the context of parables and are widely held to be redactional additions by Matthew.)

Luke 13:29 And they will arrive from the rising of the sun in the east to its setting in the west and from the north and the south and recline at the banquet in the kingdom of God.

Luke 13:30 And you will observe that there are those who seemed to be least important in your estimate [the Gentiles], to arrive first and eventually, those who thought they were leading the procession [the Jews], will also arrive! (Thus, Jesus concludes his answer to the question, “So, are only a few being saved?” Luke 13:23

Luke 15:1 Now all the people of reputation, the infamous tax-collectors as well as your regular sinners, were in the habit of crowding Jesus. They were magnetically drawn to him, addicted to his conversation.

Luke 15:2 But the Pharisees and Law Professors were furiously complaining about the warm hospitality with which Jesus embraced these people in their frequent banquets. (In the following three stories, Jesus justifies their frequent festivity!)

Luke 15:3 The constant murmuring of the professional religious leaders inspired this story.

Luke 15:4 Imagine you have a hundred sheep and one is lost; who of you would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go in search of the lost one, until he finds it?

Luke 15:5 And when he finds it, he rejoices and lifts it on his shoulders.

Luke 15:6 Then, as soon as he arrives home, he invites all his friends and neighbors to join him in celebration of his lost and found sheep.

Luke 15:7 I tell you, this mirrors heaven’s joy over the one 1out of sync person who 2awakens to their authentic identity, rather than over the ninety nine, who 3supposedly understand who they are and therefore need no persuasion. (The ninety-nine 3other sheep, is a reflection of the religious Pharisees and also reminds of the other brother in the third story, who didn’t join the party, neither did he enjoy the benefits of true sonship, since he thought he was ok! The condition of the “lost” sheep [apollumi] is compared to the word, αμαρτωλός hamartōlos, “sinner” from ha, negative and meros, portion or form; thus, to be without your allotted portion or without form, pointing to a disorientated, distorted identity; the word meros, is the stem of morphe; as in 2 Cor 3:18, the word metamorphe, with form; which is the opposite of hamartolos. Sin is to live out of context with the blueprint of one’s design; to behave out of tune with God’s original harmony. It suggests anything that could possibly distract from the awareness of our likeness. The word, metanoia suggests an awakening of one’s mind.)

Luke 15:8 Or, what woman who has ten silver coins and loses one, will not immediately light a lamp, sweep the entire house, and with the utmost scrutiny search every nook and cranny, until she finds it!

Luke 15:9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors to come and celebrate with her that she has found her precious coin. (The lost coin never lost it’s original value! Neither its authentic image and inscription, as pointed out by Jesus in another conversation, where he mentions the image and inscription on the coin in answering the question about taxes; then he says, “return to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and [whose image and inscription do you bear?!] return to God what belongs to God!)

Luke 15:10 I tell you, the faces of the celestial messengers light up with joy over a single person who 1re-discovers their authentic value and identity. (Note, the Greek word, metanoia, from meta, together with and νοιέω noieō, to perceive with the mind. It describes the awakening of the mind to that which is true; a re-alignment of one’s reasoning; it is a gathering of one’s thoughts, a co-knowing. Faith is not a decision; it is a discovery. It has nothing in common with the Latin word paenitentia – where the idea of penance and repentance stems from!)

Luke 15:11 Then he continued, A certain man had two sons,

Luke 15:12 The youngest approached his father and said, Father, give me my share of our inheritance. So, the father gave them his life. (See Luke 15:31 “All that I have is yours!” Jesus shows the Father in a different light to the ideas they’ve had of the god of their law! Deut 21:18-21. See John 14:9.)

Luke 15:13 Within a few days the young man had gathered all his belongings and left to a foreign country far away from home. There was nothing holding him back now, and he soon squandered his inheritance, living it up without any restraint.

Luke 15:14 By now he exhausted his resources and to make matters worse, a severe famine gripped that land. He began to be in dire need.

Luke 15:15 So he journeyed further into the country and attached himself to a local citizen who sent him into his fields to shepherd his pigs.

Luke 15:16 He was so desperately hungry that he was even craving to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were feeding on, but no one would allow him to.

Luke 15:17 At this point he 1came to his senses! Thinking out loud he said, My father has many hirelings working for him, and everyone has more than enough to eat, and here I am, dying of hunger. (The word, 1erchomai, to come – eis heauton to one’s self – to one’s senses; to return to self – [Greek English Lexicon by C.Grimm Wilke.]

This reminds of the Genesis story; the Sword would always point back to mankind’s original identity. The Hebrew word in Gen 3:24, [where the cherub with the flaming sword was positioned at the Eastern Gate of Eden], the word, הפך hâpak is a primitive root; meaning to turn about; by implication to change, to return, to be converted, turn back. Here, in Luke 15 the prodigal son returns to himself – Plato is quoted by Ackerman [Christian Element in Plato] as thinking of redemption as coming to oneself!

Though he turned to himself, he did not find himself in his shame – he found himself in his father’s embrace!)

Luke 15:18 He was up and ready to go and began to rehearse what he would do, I will travel home to face my father and tell him that I have sinned against heaven and before him;

Luke 15:19 I will convince him that I am no longer worthy to be called his son and beg him to employ me as one of his hired servants!

Luke 15:20 And with that, he got up and began the return journey to his father. He was yet a long way from home when his father saw him and, filled with compassion, ran to his son, flung his arms around his neck and kissed him fondly.

Luke 15:21 When the son caught his breath, he began his rehearsed sinner’s prayer, Father, I have sinned before heaven and in your face, I am not worthy to be known as your son…

Luke 15:22 The father wasn’t paying any attention to this and didn’t give him a chance to finish his rehearsed plea; he merely instructed his slaves to immediately bring out the best robe and clothe him in it and give him a ring to put on his finger and shoes for his feet!

Luke 15:23 In full anticipation for his son’s return, he now also had the grain-fattened calf brought and slaughtered. It was party-time! So, “with our minds flooded with joy, let the merry celebrations begin!” (The word, εὐφραίνεσθαι euphrainesthai from eu, good, celebrating goodness and well being; well done! And phren, mind; thus to be celebrating in a merry frame of mind.)

Luke 15:24 This is the reason for our joy: my son here, was dead, and he was revived! He seemed to be lost forever, but here he is, found! And so they began their merry celebrations.

Luke 15:25 The older brother was returning from the field and approaching the house, he heard what sounded like a concert of instruments and a choir of voices singing and dancing.

Luke 15:26 Alarmed, he called one of the boy-servants and asked him what this was all about.

Luke 15:27 The boy answered, Your brother is here. So, your father sacrificed the grain-fattened calf to celebrate your brother returning home in good health.
Luke 15:28 The news enraged the older brother who had no desire to join them. Then his father went out and 1pleaded with him. (The word 1parakaleo, from para, a Preposition indicating close proximity, a thing proceeding from a sphere of influence, with a suggestion of union of place of residence, to have sprung from its author and giver, originating from, denoting the point from which an action originates, intimate connection; and kaleo, meaning to identify by name.)

Luke 15:29 He answered his father, Consider the many years that I have toiled for you like a slave! And at no time did I ever dodge any of your commandments; yet, you never considered rewarding me, even with a little lamb, so I could party with my friends!

Luke 15:30 However, when this son of yours comes here, having devoured your savings by wasting it on prostitutes, you slay the grain-fattened calf!

Luke 15:31 He said to him, My dear child, you are always with me and all that I have is yours!

Luke 15:32 To now have our minds flooded with merriness and exceeding joy is fitting, because your own brother was dead and he is alive again. He was lost and is found! (In all three stories, the term lost implies ownership – you cannot be lost unless you belong.

Jesus again, points the Pharisees and the law professors to the fact that the Gentiles and the Jews have the same Father and share the same value and heirship! Sonship squandered, reduces life to slavery – this was true for both brothers in the story.

Oh, the beauty of a Father who is not offended by the ‘other’ brother’s initial attitude, but pleads with the same urgency—”My boy, Come join the party!”

I can even see the stubborn brother beginning to tap his feet because of the irresistible appeal of the festive sound and the constant echo of the Father’s invitation.

Sin is singular – its symptoms are plural – its been a sonship thing from the beginning – no wonder Jesus says freedom indeed is found in the truth of our authentic and redeemed sonship – Sin is not about things you do or don’t do – sin is missing out on sonship!

Would you say that the church in all its many groupings have “successfully converted” about 10 percent (or even 1% perhaps!) of the entire human population? While Jesus reveals in this amazing story that 99 sheep in the fold is not enough! He goes after the last one, not out of a sense of duty until he finally gives up on it, but, he seeks UNTIL he finds the one!

The GOOD NEWS is that the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son, are now all found safe and sound in Jesus!

His death was the doorway into the very domain in which mankind was held prisoner; he descended into the darkest and deepest dungeons of our lostness and in the resurrection, he led us as trophies in his triumphant procession on high. Eph 4:8,9.

His return to the Father is humanity’s return!

The problem is, most people [including most Bible believers] don’t know it! This is why we live our lives with persuasion, intent and passion to tell them! Isa 40:9.

Multitudes are in hell on this side of the grave; we have the keys to unlock a door that was already opened when Jesus went there as a man to free the human race from Adam till Noah to now! Wow, what joy to introduce people to the freedom of sonship! Let’s not make the other brother our reference when we can know the Father’s heart!)

You cannot be lost unless you belong, to begin with! Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness of it!

Paul saw it

Col. 2:14 His body nailed to the cross hung there as the 3document of mankind’s guilt; in dying our death he 1cancelled the detailed 2hand-written 3record which testified against us. Every 1stain on our conscience, reminding of the sense of failure and guilt, was thus fully blotted out. (The word, 1exaleipho, comes from ek, out of, and aleipho, with a, as a particle of union, and liparos, to grease, to leave a stain; guilt, as well as all hurtful memories were like grease stains upon the conscience. In N.T. only here and Rev 3:5; 7:17; 21:4 and in Acts 3:19 “Be awakened in your minds and fully converted to face the fact of your redeemed innocence – your sins have been thoroughly blotted out!” Plato used it of blotting out a writing. The word, 2cheirographon, translates as hand-written. The word, 3dogma, comes from dokeo, a thought pattern; thus thought patterns engraved by human experience of constant failure to do what the law required. In his personal handwriting mankind endorsed their own death sentence. The hands of fallen mankind struck the body of Jesus with the blows of their religious hatred and fury when they nailed his bloodied body to the tree; they did not realize that in the mystery of God’s economy, Jesus became the scapegoat of the entire human race! [Isaiah 53:4, 5] See notes on Heb 8:12. “The slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant cancelled and nailed to Christ’s Cross.” —The Message.)

Col. 2:15 In him dying mankind’s death, he 1defused every possible claim of accusation against the human race and thus made a public 2spectacle of every 3rule and authority in God’s brilliant triumph, demonstrated in him. The 4voice of the cross will never be silenced! (The horror of the Cross is now the eternal trophy of God’s triumph over sin! The cross stripped religion of its authority to manipulate mankind with guilt. Every accusation lost its leverage to blackmail the human race with condemnation and shame! The word, 1apekduomai, is translated from apo, away from, and ekduo, to be stripped of clothing; to disarm; the religious facade that disguised the law of works as a means of defining a person’s life, was openly defeated. Same word used in Col 3:9. The dominance of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil [poneros, hard work and labor] was ended. The word, 2deikmatizo, means to exhibit in public. See 3commentary below of the words arche, rule and exousia, authority. The word, 4parresia, comes from pas, all and rheo, outspokenness, pouring forth speech.

“He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.” — The Message

See commentary for 1 Corinthians 15:24, The complete conclusion in his work of redemption is celebrated in his yielding the full harvest of his reign to God the Father, having brought to nought the law of works which supported every definition of dominion under the fall, including all principalities, all authority and every dynamic influence in society. [He brought to nought the law of works, katargeo, from kata, meaning intensity, and argos, meaning labor; thus free from all self effort to attempt to improve what God has already perfected in Christ. All principalities, 3arche, or chief ranks, i.e., kings, governors; this includes any governing system whereby one is ranked above the other on the basis of their performance or preference. All authority, 3exousia, comes from ek, denoting origin and eimi, I am; in this case, because of what I can do I am defined by what I can do better than you; therefore, I have authority over you. Every dynamic influence in society, dunamis, means power, in this case, willpower. Every government structure in society will be brought under the dominion of grace where the Christ-life rules.]

In 1 Corinthians 2:7-8, We voice words of wisdom that was hidden in silence for timeless ages; a mystery unfolding God’s Masterful plan whereby he would redeem his glory in mankind. Neither the politicians nor the theologians of the day had a clue about this mystery [of mankind’s association in Christ]; if they did, they would never have crucified the Lord whose death redeemed our glory!)

Eph. 2:5 This is how grace rescued us: while we were yet in that state of deadness and indifference in our 1deviations, we were 2co-quickened together with Christ! We had nothing to do with it. Grace 3freed us, once and for all from the lies that we believed about ourselves under the performance-driven system, and now 4defines our authentic identity! (The word often translated, trespasses, παράπτωμα 1paraptoma, deviation; from para close proximity and pipto, to descend from a higher place to a lower; to stop flying, petomai, to fly. Losing altitude speaks of mankind’s fallen mindset. Col 3:1-3. The verb συνεζωοποιησεν 2sunetzoopoiesen [co-quickened] is the Aorist Active Indicative, describing an action that was completed in the past. The sentence, χάριτί 2ἐστε 3σεσῳσμένοι – literally translates, “By grace you are – having been saved!” The verb, 4este is the Present Active Indicative of eimi, I am – indicating the continues state of your being which celebrates an 3unstoppable freedom that happened in your favor! The verb 3sesoosmenoi, having been rescued; is the Perfect Passive Participle, describing a state that exists, as a result of something that happened previously. The basic thought of the Perfect Tense is that the progress of an action has been completed and the results of the action are continuing on, in full effect. In other words, the progress of the action has reached its culmination and the finished results are now in existence. We had no contribution to our salvation! God’s Master- Plan unfolded in the mystery of the gospel declaring our joint inclusion in Christ’s death and resurrection. This is the mystery of grace, God reveals us in Christ! Now we may know, even as we have always been known! 1 Cor 13:12. Of God’s doing are we in Christ! 1 Cor 1:30. God saw us in Christ, in his death and resurrection before we saw ourselves there! He declared mankind’s co-resurrection with Christ 800 BC. This is the only scripture in the entire Old Testament that specifically mentions the third day resurrection and it includes us! “After two days he will revive us, on the third day, he will raise us up!” Hosea 6:2.)

Eph. 2:6 We are co-included in his resurrection. We are also co-elevated in his ascension to be equally present in the throne room of the heavenly realm where we are co-seated with him in his executive authority. We are fully represented in Christ Jesus. (We have wasted so much time trying to get there, when “there” is where we are to begin with! Our joint position in Christ defines us; this can never again be a distant goal to reach through religious devotion or striving, but our immediate location. Col 3:1-3.)

Eph. 2:7 (In a single triumphant act of righteousness God saved us from the “guttermost” to the uttermost. Here we are now, revealed in Christ in the highest possible position of bliss! If mankind’s sad history could not distract from the extravagant love of God,) imagine how God is now able for timeless perpetuity to exhibit the trophy of the wealth of his grace demonstrated in his kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. Grace exhibits excessive evidence of the success of the cross.

Eph. 2:8 Your salvation is not a reward for good behavior! It was a grace thing from start to finish; you had no hand in it. Even the gift to believe simply reflects his faith! (Again, as in Eph 2:5 Paul says, χάριτί ἐστε σεσῳσμένοι chariti este sesoosmenoi, “By grace you are, having been saved from the “I am not-lie” by the gift of faith; grace reveals who we are and the faith of God persuades us of it. We did not invent faith; it was God’s faith to begin with! It is from faith to faith says Paul in Romans 1:17. Jesus is both the source and conclusion of faith. Heb 12:2.)

Eph. 2:9 If this could be accomplished through any action of yours then there would be ground for boasting.

Eph. 4:8 1Scripture confirms that he 3arrested every possible threat that held mankind hostage! [“he took captivity captive”] And in his resurrection, he led us as trophies in his triumphant procession on high. Consider the genius of God, in the incarnate Christ, he 2repossessed what belonged to us by design, 4in human form; this is his grace-gift to us! (In this verse Paul explains what he just declared in verse 7 – he wants us to know the extravagant extent and dimensions of the measure of the gift of Christ! Remember that he is writing from prison [Eph 4:1] He’s not asking for prayers to get him out of jail! He is imprisoned in Christ – [4:1] my complete existence is defined and confined in him! He was once a prisoner of the law of performance, held hostage in his own body, crying in desperation, “Is there anyone who can deliver them from this death trap?” [Rom 7] He now speaks as a prisoner of Christ! He is reminded of and obviously intrigued by the entire context of Psalm 67 which celebrates God rescuing the prisoners from their captivity and even the wayward and stubborn, who already died and are stuck in their graves! [mindsets] See Ps 67:6,7 He is the father of the orphans, and protector of the widows. God settles the lonely in a home; leading forth prisoners mightily, also the stubborn, even them that dwell in tombs! Paul sees by revelation the relevance of Jesus dying our death and entering into our darkness and hell on a rescue mission! Now he 1quotes Ps 67:19 [from the LXX Septuagint – the Greek OT which is Ps 68 in the Masoretic Hebrew text], and sees captive mankind arrested in the death, descent into hell and the triumphant resurrection of the incarnate Word, in the man Jesus Christ. Ps 67:19 ἀνέβης εἰς ὕψος, ᾐχμαλώτευσας αἰχμαλωσίαν, ἔλαβες δόματα ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ – anebes eis hupsos, 3echmaloteusas aichmaloosian, 2elabes domata en [in] 4anthropo “You ascended on high, having taken captivity captive [3arresting at spearpoint! See 2 Cor 10:5] and

2repossessed mankind’s gifts in human form. The word 2elabes from lambano means to take what is one’s own. The word for the 4human species, male or female is 4anthropos, from ana, upward, and tropos, manner of life; character; in like manner. [The Masoretic Hebrew text, Ps 68:18,19, לקחת מתנות באדם lakachat mattanoth ba adam – “You have taken gifts in Adam.” The gifts which Jesus Christ distributes to us he has received in us, in and by virtue of his incarnation! Adam Clarke.]

Ps 67:19 LXX continues: καὶ γὰρ ἀπειθοῦντες τοῦ κατασκηνῶσαι – kai gar apeithountes tou kataskenoosai, “in order that even the unbelievers, apeithountes – the ones resisting persuasion, the backsliding, the headstrong, the wayward, the rebellious may rest; or may now inhabit – kataskenosai – to encamp within – again this word emphasizes the significance of the incarnation – kata, down and skenosai, from skenos – skin! The eternal thoughts of God, the conversation that was before time was, is clothed in skin! John 1:1-3,14.

See Rev 13:10, Being taken captive by the spear and killed by the sword [John 18:3] made death a doorway into the very domain in which mankind was held prisoner, [to be led out triumphantly in the resurrection as the Lamb’s trophies!] After two days he will revive us! On the third day he will raise us up! Hosea 6:2 We were born anew in his resurrection. 1 Pet 1:3. Also Ephesians 2:5 This is how grace rescued us: while we were yet in that state of deadness and indifference in our deviations, we were co- quickened together with Christ!)

Eph. 4:9 The fact that he ascended confirms his victorious descent into the deepest pits of human despair. (See John 3:13, “No one has ascended into heaven but he who 1descended from heaven, even the son of man.” All mankind originate from above; we are 1anouthen, from above [see Jas 1:17, 18].)

Eph. 4:10 He now occupies the ultimate rank of authority, from the lowest regions of our darkness into which he reached in order to rescue us, to the highest authority in the heavens, having executed his mission to the full. (Fallen mankind is restored to the authority of the authentic life of their design. [Psa 139:7,8 Whither shall I go from your Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You! If I make my bed in Sheol, You!] Eph 1:20,21.)

Gal. 2:18 Only a con artist will try to be a law-man and a grace-man at the same time!

Gal. 2:19 The law 1demanded my death; grace reveals that in God’s mind Jesus died that death. So as far as the law is concerned, I’m a dead man but as far as God is concerned I’m alive! (The word 1dia means because of; suggesting here that the law was what demanded my death! But in the mystery of God’s genius, Jesus died mankind’s death; which means, in God’s belief, I died to the old system of trying to please him with my own good behavior! We might as well admit it! Our most sincere beliefs as well as our best attempts to attain to a righteousness based on us getting ten out of ten all the time, failed! There is no ways to get around this! See Romans chapter 7 in the Mirror Bible!)

Gal. 2:20 So here I am dead and alive at the same time! I’m dead to the old me I was trying to be and alive to the real me which is Christ in me! Co-crucified, now co-alive! What a glorious entanglement! I was in him in his death; now I discover that he is infused in me, in my life! For the first time, I’m free to be me in my skin, immersed in his faith in our joint-sonship! He loves me and believes in me! He is God’s gift to me! (The verb 1συνεσταυρωμαι from sustauroō, is in the Perfect Tense, indicating that not only was I crucified with Christ in the past, but I am existing now in that present condition. How can any human effort improve on this! See Hosea 6:2 and Eph 2:5 also Romans 7:6 But now we are fully released from any further association with a life directed by the rule of the law, we are dead to that which once held us captive, free to be slaves to the newness of spirit- spontaneity rather than age old religious rituals, imitating the mere face value of the written code. The moment one exchanges spontaneity with rules, the edge of romance is compromised!

See 1 Thess 5:10 The fact that he died our death is equally valid to those who are awake to its effect or still fast asleep in their indifference to it; we are together destined to live entwined in the 1closest possible association with him! [The word 1hama is a particle of union denoting close association.])

Gal. 2:21 It is an insult to the grace of God to prefer Moses to Jesus! If the law could justify you then Jesus wasted his time dying your death! (That would reduce salvation to a ludicrous contest between your obedience and the obedience of Christ! Rom 5:19.)

Rom. 6:5 If we were included in his death we are equally included in his resurrection.

Col. 2:10 We are complete in him! Jesus mirrors our wholeness and 1endorses our true identity. He is “I am” in us! (God packaged completeness in “I am,” mirrored in you! The word, 1exousia, is often translated authority; from, ek + eimi, originating out of “I am.” The days are over where our lives were dictated to under the rule of the law of performance and an inferior identity. It’s not about who I used to be or who I’m striving to become; we are celebrating I am! Any teaching that leaves one with a sense of lack and imperfection rather than completeness is a distraction from the truth. Jesus is the author and finisher of faith’s capacity within us to mirror and celebrate completeness!)

Col. 2:11 You were in Christ when he died; which means that his death is your true circumcision. This is 1not hypothetical; this is the real deal. Thus, sin’s authority in the human body was stripped of its control over you. (ἀχειροποίητος 1acheiropoiētos; not made with hands.)

Col. 2:12 In the same parallel [your co-circumcision in his death] your co-burial and joint-resurrection is now demonstrated in baptism; your co-inclusion in Christ is what God’s faith knew when he powerfully raised him from the dead. (Hosea 6:2.)

Col. 2:13 You were once spiritually dead, as confirmed in your constant failure, being bound to a lifestyle ruled by the 1distorted desires of the flesh; but now God made you alive together with him and thus 2graciously restored our innocence and dignity, having forgiven us all our 3short falling. (1The uncircumcision of the flesh, i.e., in the Greek, a life controlled by the sexual organs. God 2graced us in Christ. The word translated, forgiven, 2charisamenos from charizomai means he graciously restored our innocence and dignity! The word, 3paraptoma, comes from, para, close proximity, sphere of influence and pipto, to stop flying, from petomai, to fly; thus, to fall from flight or to lose altitude.)

Adam’s transgression no longer holds the human race hostage. Rom. 5:7, 8,12-21.

Col. 3:1 See yourselves co-raised with Christ! Now ponder with persuasion the consequence of your co-inclusion in him. Relocate yourselves mentally! Engage your thoughts with throne room realities where you are co-seated with Christ in the executive authority of God’s right hand.

Col. 3:2 Becoming affectionately acquainted with throne room thoughts will keep you from being distracted again by the earthly [soul-ruled] realm. (“Set your minds upon the things that are above and not upon the things below!” RSV. Whatever you face in your daily lives, acquaint yourselves with the greater reality! The things that are above! Do not engage the energy of the things that are below! Also note Romans 1:18, where the word katecho is used – to echo downwards is the opposite to anoche, to echo upward- Romans 2:4 and Romans 3:26. Also 2 Corinthians 4:18 “We are not keeping any score of what seems so obvious to the senses on the surface; it is fleeting and irrelevant; it is the unseen eternal realm within us which has our full attention and captivates our gaze!” A renewed mind conquers the space previously occupied by worthless pursuits and habits. See my notes on Earthbound vs. Heavenly Dimension Realities at the end of Revelation Chapter 16.)

Col. 3:3 Your union with his death broke the association with that world; see yourselves located in a fortress where your life is hidden with Christ in God! (“In that day you will know that I am in my father, and you in me and I in you.” [Jn 14:20] Occupy your mind with this new order of life; you died when Jesus died; whatever defined you before defines you no more. Christ, in whom the fullness of deity dwells, defines you now! The word, “hidden” can also be translated, secret; the secret of your life is your union with Christ in God!

“Risen, then, with Christ you must lift your thoughts above where Christ now sits at the right hand of God; be heavenly minded, not earthly minded; you have undergone death, and your life is hidden away now with Christ in God. Christ is your life, when he is made manifest you are made manifest in his glory.” — Knox Translation.)

Col. 3:4 The unveiling of Christ, as defining our lives, 1immediately implies that, what is evident in him, is equally mirrored in you! The exact life on exhibit in Christ is now repeated in us. We are included in the same bliss and joined-oneness with him; just as his life reveals you, your life reveals him. (This verse was often translated to again delay the revelation of Christ to a future event! The word, 1otan, often translated as “when” is better translated as “every time.” Thus, “Every time Christ is revealed we are being co-revealed in his glory.” According to Walter Bauer Lexicon, otan is often used of an action that is repeated. Paul declares our joint-glorification in Christ! We are co-revealed in the same bliss. [See 1 Cor 2:7-8, Rom 3:23-24, Rom 8:30, 2 Pet 1:3.] In him we live and move and have our being; in us he lives and moves and has his being! Acts 17:28.)

Phil. 2:8 And so we have the drama of the cross in context: the man Jesus Christ who is fully God, becomes fully man to the extent of willingly dying humanity’s death at the hands of his own creation. He embraced the curse and shame of the lowest kind in dying a criminal’s death. (Thus, through the doorway of death, he descended into our hellish darkness. Rev 9:1 When the fifth celestial messenger blew his trumpet, I saw a star that had fallen to earth from the sky. The star was given the key to the shaft into the fathomless depths of the Abyss. [In his death, Jesus conquered the underworld and he has the keys; no-one else does!] Rev 1:18 I am also the Living One; I became dead and now, see, here I am alive unto the ages of the ages and I have the keys wherewith I have disengaged the gates of Hades and death! Also, Eph 4:8-10.)

Phil. 2:9 From this place of utter humiliation, God exalted him to the highest rank. God graced Jesus with a Name that is far above every other name. (Eph 1:20 Do you want to measure the mind and muscle of God? Consider the force which he unleashed in Jesus Christ when he raised him from the dead and forever seated him enthroned as his executive authority in the realm of the heavens. Jesus is God’s right hand of power! He was raised up from the deepest dungeons of human despair to the highest region of heavenly bliss! [See Eph 2:5,6 & 4:8,9] Eph 1:21 Infinitely above all the combined forces of rule, authority, dominion or governments; he is ranked superior to any name that could ever be given to anyone of this age or any age still to come in the eternal future. The name of Jesus endorses his mission as fully accomplished! He is the Savior of the world! Titus 2:11 The grace of God shines as bright as day making the salvation of mankind undeniably visible. See also Eph 3:15, Every family in heaven and on earth originates in him; his is mankind’s family name and he remains the authentic identity of every nation.)

Phil. 2:10 What his name unveils will persuade every creature of their redemption! Every knee in heaven and upon the earth and under the earth shall bow in spontaneous worship! (See Isa 45:23 “My own life is the guarantee of my conviction, says the Lord, every knee shall freely bow to me in worship, and every tongue shall spontaneously speak from the same God-inspired source.”)

Phil. 2:11 Also every tongue will voice and resonate the same devotion to his unquestionable Lordship as the Redeemer of life! Jesus Christ has glorified God as the Father of creation! This is the ultimate conclusion of the Father’s 1intent! (The word 1doxa, intent, opinion, often translated, glory. Rev 5:13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all therein, saying, “To him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might for ever and ever!” Also my commentary note on Rom 14:11. Paul, here quotes Isaiah 45:23 See verse 22,& 23 “Face me and be saved all the ends of the earth! [Note, ‘Be saved!’ Not ‘become saved!’] I am God; your idols are figments of your invention and imagination!” Isa 45:23 “I have sworn by myself; the word of my mouth has begotten righteousness; this cannot be reversed!” The Hebrew word, יצא Yatsa can be translated, begotten like in Judges 8:30 “Every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall echo my oath!” [Thus, speak with the same certainty sourced in me!] The Hebrew word, ׁשב ׁע Shaba means to seven oneself, that is, swear – thus in the Hebrew mind, by repeating a declaration seven times one brings an end to all dispute! See Heb 6:13.16,17.)

Phil. 2:12 Considering this amazing outcome of what our faith sees and celebrates, I strongly urge you my darling friends to continue to have your 1ears tuned to that which inspires your conduct to give full expression to the detail of your own salvation in a most personal and practical way. See salvation in its earth-shattering awesome and ultimate conclusion. I know that my personal presence encourages you greatly but now I want you to realize an inspiration in my absence that supersedes anything you’ve known before. This would mean that even if you were never to see my face again or receive another Epistle from me, it will make no difference at all to your faith! (The success of Paul’s ministry was not to enslave people to him but to his gospel! He knew that he would be more present in his message than in his person! Ministry success is not measured by how many partners you can congregate, but by how absent you can preach yourself! The word often translated, obedience, is the word 1upoakoo, to be under the inspired influence of what you hear.)

Phil. 2:13 Discover God himself as your inexhaustible inner source; he ignites you with both the desire and energy that matches his own delight!

Phil. 2:14 Your entire life is a poem; any undercurrent murmuring or argumentative debating would be completely out of place! Do not let such issues disrupt the rhythm of your conversation.

Phil. 2:15 Your flawless innocence radiates attraction as beacons of light in the midst of a people who have forgotten their true sonship and whose lives have become distorted and perverse. (In this verse Paul quotes Deut 32:5 from the Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew text, with reference to Deut 32:4,5 &18. In context God’s perfect workmanship as Father of mankind is forgotten; people have become “crooked and perverse” twisted and distorted out of their true pattern of sonship. Deut 32:18 says, “you have forgotten the Rock that begot you and have gotten out of step with the God who 1danced with you!” Hebrew, 1khul חּולalso means to dance, as in Judges 21:21.)

2 Cor. 5:16 Therefore, from now on, I no longer know anyone according to the flesh! I no longer see people from a human point of view! This is a radical and most defining moment! No label that could possibly previously identify someone carries any further significance! Even our pet doctrines of Christ are redefined. Whatever we knew about him historically or sentimentally is challenged by this conclusion.

John saw it:

John 1:1 To go back to the very 1beginning, is to find the 2Word already 3present there; 4face to face with God. The Word is 3I am; God’s 2eloquence echoes and 4concludes in him. The Word equals God. (In the beginning, 1arche, to be first in order, time, place or rank. The Word, 2logos, was ”with” God; here and again in verse 2 John uses the Greek Preposition 4pros, towards; face-to-face.

Three times in this sentence John uses the Active Indicative Imperfect form of the verb 3eimi, namely aen [ἦν] to continue to be, [in the beginning ‘was’ the Word etc…] which conveys no idea of origin for God or for the Logos, but simply continuous existence, “I am.” Quite a different verb egeneto, “became,” appears in John 1:14 for the beginning of the Incarnation of the Logos. The Word ‘became’ flesh. The incarnation is not the origin of Jesus.

See the distinction sharply drawn in John 8:58, “before Abraham was [born, genesthai from ginomai] I am.” The word eimi, I am; the essence of being, suggesting timeless existence. See my commentary note on 1 Pet 1:16)

John 1:2 The beginning mirrors the Word face to face with God. (Nothing that is witnessed in the Word distracts from who God is. ”If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” [John 14:9] The Word that was from the beginning was not yet written nor spoken; it was simply face to face with God! The beginning declares the destiny of the Word, image and likeness would be mirrored and redeemed in incarnate human form!)

John 1:3 The Logos is the source; everything commences in him. He remains the exclusive Parent reference to their existence. There is nothing original, except the Word! The Logic of God defines the only possible place where mankind can trace their origin. (All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. KJV See Colossians 1:16.)

John 1:4 His life is the light that defines our lives. (In his life we discover the light of life.)

John 1:5 The darkness was pierced and could not comprehend or diminish this light. (Darkness represents mankind’s ignorance of their redeemed identity and innocence [Isa 9:2-4, Isa 60:1-3, Eph 4:18, Col 1:13-15].)

John 1:9 A new day for mankind has come. The authentic light of life that illuminates everyone was about to dawn in the world! (This day would begin our calendar and record the fact that human history would forever be divided into before and after Christ. The incarnation would make the image of God visible in human form. In him who is the blueprint of our lives there is more than enough light to displace the darkness in every human life. He is the true light that enlightens everyone! [Col 1:15; 2:9, 10; 2 Cor 4:6])1:11 It was not as though he arrived on a foreign planet; he came to his own, yet his own did not 1recognize him. (The Jews should have been the first to recognize him! Revelation 19:12. Also Ps 24:1, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell in it [RSV].” The word, 1paralambano, comes from para, a Preposition indicating close proximity, a thing proceeding from a sphere of influence, with a suggestion of union of place of residence, to have sprung from its author and giver, originating from, denoting the point from which an action originates, intimate connection; and lambano, to comprehend, grasp, to identify with.)

John 1:12 Everyone who 1realizes their association in him, 6convinced that he is their 2original life and that 7his name defines them, God 5gives the assurance that they are indeed his 4offspring, 2begotten of him; he 3sanctions the legitimacy of their sonship. (The word often translated, to receive, 1lambano, means to take in hand, to comprehend, to grasp, to identify with. This word suggests that even though he came to his own, there are those who do not 1identify with their true 2origin revealed in him, and like the many Pharisees they behave like children of a foreign father, the father of lies [John 8: 44]. Neither God’s legitimate fatherhood, nor his ownership is in question; mankind’s indifference to their true 2origin is the problem. This is what the Gospel addresses with utmost clarity in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus has come to introduce the individual to themselves again; mankind has forgotten what manner of person they are by design! [James 1:24, Deuteronomy 32:18, Psalm 22:27].

The word, 2genesthai, from ginomai, means to generate; to become; John employs this verb in the Aorist Infinitive tense, which indicates prior completion of an action in relationship to a point in time. Greek Infinitives could have either a present or Aorist form. The contrast between the two forms has more to do with aspect than with time. The Present Infinitive is used to express progressive or imperfective aspect. It pictures the action expressed by the verb as being in progress. The Aorist Infinitive however does not express progressive aspect. It presents the action expressed by the verb as a completed unit with a beginning and end. This is an important point since many translations of this verse suggests that God’s ability to make us his sons can only be in response to something we must first do in order to trigger God into action! Our grasping [lambano] is simply the awakening to the fact that our genesis is already completed in the Logos. [See John 1:3] The Logos is the source; everything commences in him. He remains the exclusive Parent reference to their genesis. There is nothing original, except the Word. We are his offspring. [see also Acts 17:28]. “He has come to give us understanding to know him who is true and to realize that we are in him who is true.” [1 John 5:20].)

The word, 3exousia, often translated “power;” as in, he gave “power” to 2become children of God, is a compound word; from ek, always denoting origin or source and eimi, I am; thus, out of I am! This gives 3legitimacy and authority to our sonship; 4teknon, translated as offspring, child.

 “He has given,” 5didomi, in this case to give something to someone that already belongs to them; thus, to return. The fact that they already are his own, born from above and that they have their 2beginning and their being in him is now confirmed in their realizing it! Convinced, 6pisteo; 7his name onoma, is mankind’s family name. [see Eph 3:15].

“He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves.” — The Message)

John 1:13 These are the ones who discover their genesis in God, beyond their natural conception! This is not about our blood lineage or whether we were a wanted- or unwanted-child; this is about our God-begotteness. We are his dream come true and not the invention of our parents. You are indeed the greatest idea that God has ever had! (See Jeremiah 1:5; 29:11 & John 3:2-7)

John 1:14 Suddenly the invisible, eternal Word takes on 1visible form – the Incarnation, on display in a flesh and blood Person, as in a mirror! In him, and now confirmed in us! The most accurate tangible exhibit of God’s eternal thought finds expression in human life! The Word became a human being; we are his address; he resides in us! He 2captivates our gaze! The glory we see there is not a religious replica; he is the 3authentic begotten Son. The 4glory (that we lost in Adam) returns in fullness! Only 5grace can communicate truth in such complete context! (In him we discover that we are not here by chance or accident or by the desire of an earthly parent, neither are we the product of a mere physical conception; we exist by the expression of God’s desire to reveal himself in the flesh. His eternal invisible Word, his Spirit-thought, 1became flesh, 1ginomai, as in be born and 2theaomai, meaning to gaze upon, to perceive. We saw his glory, 4doxa, the display of his opinion, the glory as of the original, authentic begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. He is the “only begotten,” 3monogenes; begotten only by the Father and not of the flesh; in him we recognize our true beginning, as in the authentic original mold. He is also the “first born from the dead”, declaring our new birth. [Colossians 1:18, 1 Peter 1:3]. He is the revelation of our completeness.

And out of [ek] his fullness have we all received! The Preposition, ek always points to source/origin. Grace mirrored in grace, 5garin anti garitos. For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. He who is in the bosom of the Father, the only original, authentic begotten of the Father; he is our guide who accurately declares and interprets the invisible God within us. Interesting that the revelation of the Incarnation in verse 14 doesn’t follow verse 2 or 3, but verse 12 and 13! Genesis 1:26 is redeemed! See 2 Corinthians 3:17,18.)

John 6:5 There was no getting away from the crowds though; when Jesus saw the multitude arrive he said to Phillip, “How do you think we are going to feed all these people?”

John 6:6 This wasn’t a trick question, but simply to engage their faith; he already knew exactly what he was going to do! (Jesus was not about to be distracted by the enormity of his mission where his body would be broken at the highest price in order to feed the multitudes of mankind with the true bread from heaven! Just like in Chapter 24 of Luke – the picture of a meal always translates into incarnation language – bread becomes flesh!)

John 6:7 Phillip immediately concluded that this was impossible to do and far beyond a budget of any reasonable calculation; two hundred days wages could never buy enough for each person in the crowd to even get a little morsel of bread! (Mankind cannot redeem themselves! Again, Jesus leads the conversation into a different dimension – like with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman – he points to a different source; not related to external reasoning or challenges to be met with personal contributions of our own toil or labor to define or defend ourselves but simply accessing the Father’s limitless resources within. He has come to free our minds from the restrictions of a dimension that could never truly define us! He dramatically and very intentionally disengages us with every effort of our own to save ourselves! Our salvation is beyond our budget! BUT WAIT!! What about the little lad!? For unto us a child is born, remember!)

1 John 1:1 The 1Logos is the source; everything commences in him. The initial reports concerning him that have reached our ears, and which we indeed bore witness to with our own eyes – to the point that we became irresistibly attracted – now captivates our gaze. In him we witnessed 2tangible life in its most articulate form. (The Logos – the 1Word. To touch, 2psallo, to touch the string of a musical instrument, thus resonance.)

1 John 1:2 The same life that 1was 2face to face with the Father from the beginning, has now dawned on us! The infinite life of the Father became visible before our eyes in a human person! (In the beginning “was” the Word; 1eimi, timeless existence, “I am”. The Preposition 2pros says so much more than ‘with,’ it suggests towards; face to face. See John 1:1&2. Also John 1:14 “Suddenly the invisible eternal Word takes on visible form! The Incarnation! In him, and now confirmed in us! The most accurate tangible display of God’s eternal thought finds expression in human life! The Word became a human being; we are his address; he resides in us! He captivates our gaze! The glory we see there is not a religious replica; he is the authentic begotten Son. The glory (that Adam lost) returns in fullness! Only grace can communicate truth in such complete context!” Also John 1:18 “Until this moment God remained invisible; now the authentic begotten Son, the blueprint of mankind’s design who represents the innermost being of God, the Son who is in the bosom of the Father, brings him into full view! He is the official authority qualified to announce God! He is our guide who accurately declares and interprets the invisible God within us.”)

1 John 1:3 We include you in this conversation; you are the immediate audience of the logic of God! This is the Word that always was; we saw him incarnate and witnessed his language as defining our lives. In the incarnation Jesus includes mankind in the eternal friendship of the Father and the Son! This life now finds expression in an unreserved union. (We do not invent fellowship; we are invited into the fellowship of the Father and the Son!)

1 John 1:4 What we enjoy equally belongs to you! I am writing this for your reference, so that joy may be yours in its most complete measure. (In all these years since the ascension of Jesus, John, now ninety years old, continues to enjoy unhindered friendship with God and desires to extend this same fellowship to everyone through this writing.)

1 John 1:5 My conversation with you flows from the same source which illuminates this fellowship of union with the Father and the Son. This, then, is the essence of the message: God is radiant light and in him there exists not even a trace of obscurity or darkness at all. (See James 1:17 Without exception God’s 1gifts are only good; it’s perfection cannot be flawed. They come from 2above (where we originate from); proceeding like light rays from its source, the Father of lights, with whom there is no distortion, or even a shadow of shifting to obstruct, or intercept the light; nor any hint of a hidden agenda. (The principle of a 1gift, puts “reward-language” out of business. The word, 1anouthen, means, from above. John 3:3, 13. The Father’s resolve stands in total contrast to the perverted passions of sin, claiming it’s illegitimate parenthood of mankind. Js 1:2; Js 1:12-16.)

1 John 1:6 This is the real deal! To live a life of pretense is a such a waste of time! The truth has no competition. Truth inspires the poetry of friendship in total contrast to a fake, performance-based fellowship! Light is not threatened by darkness! Why say something with darkness as your reference?

1 John 1:7 We are invited to explore the dimensions of the same light that engulfs God; when we see the light in his light, fellowship ignites! In his light we understand how the blood of Jesus Christ is the removal of every stain of sin! The success of the cross celebrates our redeemed innocence!

1 John 1:8 To claim innocence by our own efforts under the law of personal performance is to deceive ourselves and to deliberately ignore the truth. The truth about you does not mean that you now have to go into denial if you have done something wrong!

1 John 1:9 When we 1communicate what God says about our sins, we discover what he believes concerning our redeemed oneness and innocence! We are cleansed from every distortion we believed about ourselves! Likeness is redeemed! (The word traditionally translated “confession” is the word 1homologeo from homo, the same, and logeo to speak. In the context of verse 7, this suggests that we say what God says about us!)

1 John 2:1 My darling little children, the reason I write these things to you is so that you will not 1believe a lie about yourselves! If anyone does believe a 1distorted image to be their reality, we have Jesus Christ who 2defines our likeness 3face to face with the Father! He is our 4parakletos, the one who endorses our true identity, being both the source and the reflection of the Father’s image in us! (The root of sin is to believe a lie about yourself. The word sin, is the word 1hamartia, from ha, negative or without and meros, portion or form, thus to be without your allotted portion or without form, pointing to a disorientated, distorted, bankrupt identity; the word meros, is the stem of morphe, as in 2 Corinthians 3:18 the word metamorphe, with form, which is the opposite of hamartia – without form. Sin is to live out of context with the blueprint of one’s design; to behave out of tune with God’s original harmony. Jesus the righteous, iesoun xriston dikaion; the word 2dikaiosune, righteousness is from the stem dike, two parties finding likeness in each other. The Preposition 3pros suggests a face to face presentation. [See John 1:1] The word 4parakletos comes from para, a Preposition indicating close proximity, a thing proceeding from a sphere of influence, with a suggestion of union of place of residence, to have sprung from its author and giver, originating from, denoting the point from which an action originates, intimate connection; and kaleo, meaning to identify by name, to surname. Jesus introduces the Holy Spirit in the same capacity: parakletos, meaning close companion, kinsman [John 14:16]. Sadly this word has been translated as ‘advocate’ as if Jesus needs to persuade the Father to like us and possibly forgive us!)

1 John 2:2 Jesus is our 1at-one-ment, he has conciliated us to himself and has taken our sins and distortions out of the equation. What he has accomplished is not to be seen as something that belongs to us exclusively; the same at- one-ment includes the entire 2cosmos! (The word 1hilasmos, means to conciliate, to bring about atonement, from hileos, gracious, merciful. Also reminds of the word hilaros, cheerful, joyous, hilarious! The word, 2kosmos in the NT refers to the entire human family.)

1 John 2:7 My beloved family, I know that the words I write to you here may not immediately remind you of the 1precepts of Moses; this does not mean that it is a new 1doctrine, it is the ancient 1conversation that 2echoes God’s voice prophetically! It is indeed the very 1conclusion of the word, which you have heard from the beginning! (The word 1entole is often translated commandment or precept; this word has two components: en, in and telos, from tello, to set out for a definite point or goal; properly the point aimed at as a limit, that is, by implication, the conclusion of an act or state, the result; the ultimate or prophetic purpose. Strong’s 5056. The word, 2echo, to hold, like sound is held in an echo; to resonate.)

1 John 2:8 And yet it is a glorious 1new 2message that I am writing to you! You may ask, “How can that which is old, also be new?” Herein is the secret of its newness: whatever is true of Jesus is equally true of you! The days of the 3dominance of darkness as a reference to human life, are over! The true light surely shines with 4bold certainty and illuminates your life, as it is unveiled in Christ. (The word 1kainos means, fresh, recent, unused, unworn, of a new kind, unprecedented, novel, uncommon. The freshness of this encounter is celebrated in a fellowship of exactly the same oneness enjoyed between the Father and the Son! Again the word 2entole is used, precept or teaching. The word 3parago from para, close proximity and agoo, to lead; thus darkness will no longer lead you into its sway. The word 4ede, even now: – already, by this time; from ē [pronounced ay] an adverb of confirmation; assuredly: – surely; and dē [pronounced day] which is a particle of emphasis or explicitness; now, then, etc. – also, and, doubtless, now, therefore.)

1 John 3:1 Consider the amazing love the Father lavished upon us; this is our 1defining moment: we began in the agape of God – the engineer of the universe is our Father! So it’s no wonder that the performance-based systems of this world just cannot see this! Because they do not recognize their origin in God, they feel indifferent towards anyone who does! (The word, 1kaleo, to identify by name; to surname.)

1 John 3:2 Beloved, we know that we are children of God to begin with, which means that there can be no future surprises; his manifest likeness is already mirrored in us! Our sameness cannot be compromised or contradicted; our gaze will confirm exactly who he is – and who we are. (See Phil. 2:15 Your flawless innocence radiates life’s contrast as beacons of light in the midst of a people who have forgotten their true sonship and whose lives have become distorted and perverse. [In this verse Paul quotes Deut. 32:5 from the Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew text, with reference to Deut. 32:4,5 &18. In context, God’s perfect workmanship as Father of mankind is forgotten; people have become “crooked and perverse” twisted and distorted out of their true pattern of sonship. Deut.32:18 says, you have forgotten the Rock that begat you and have gotten out of step with the God who danced with you! Hebrew, חּול khul, also means to dance, as in Judges )].21:21

1 John 3:4 1Distorted behavior is the result of a warped self-image! A 2lost sense of identity is the basis of all sin! (The word sin, is the word 1hamartia, from ha, negative or without and meros, portion or form, thus to be without your allotted portion or without form, pointing to a disorientated, distorted, bankrupt identity; the word meros, derives from morphe, as in 2 Corinthians 3:18 the word metamorphe, with form, which is the opposite of hamartia – without form. Sin is to live out of context with the blueprint of one’s design; to behave out of tune with God’s original harmony. It is to be out of step with our true sonship! See Deuteronomy 32:18. Sin is not something we do or don’t do, it is missing out on sonship. Hear the father pleading with the other “lost” brother in Luke 15, “My son, you’ve always been with me and all that I have is yours!” See 1 John 3:9. The root of sin is to believe a lie about yourself, which is the fruit of the ‘I am-not Tree’. This was also the essence of Israel’s unbelief that kept them trapped in a grasshopper-mindset for 40 years. The word often translated, lawlessness, 2anomia, from a, without, and onoma, name – thus without a name, anonymous. In my opinion there exists an etymological link between the words onoma and anomos.)

1 John 3:5 We have witnessed with our own eyes how, in the unveiling of the prophetic word, when he was lifted up upon the cross as the Lamb of God, he 1lifted up our sins and disengaged its dominion and rule over us! (John 1:29 “Behold, the Lamb of God, who 1takes away [airo] the sin of the world! The word 1airo means to lift up.)

1 John 3:6 To 1abide in him in uniterrupted, seamless oneness, is to live free from sin. Whoever continues in sin has obviously not perceived how free they are in him; they clearly do not really know him. (The word, 1meno suggests an uninterrupted abiding; a seamless oneness!)

1 John 4:17 So now, with us awakening to 1our full inclusion in this love union, everything is perfect! Its completeness is not compromised in contradiction. Our 2confident conversation 3echoes this fellowship even in the face of 4crisis; because, as he is, so are we in this world – our lives are mirrored in him. We are as blameless in this life as Jesus is! This perfect love union is the source of our confidence whenever we 5face the scrutiny of contradiction. (This place of seamless union is the perfection of Agape – en toutoo teteleotai he agape meth’hemoon; notice, the word 1meth’hemoon, together with us; from meta, together with and hemoon, us; to be included in the same togetherness. The word 2parresia, from para, a Preposition indicating close proximity, and rheo, to pour forth; to flow freely, suggesting unreservedness in speech; bold utterance, confidence. The word, 3echo, to hold, like sound is held in an echo; to resonate. The word 4krisis is often translated, judgment. So, the 5day of judgment, “in the face of crisis”, can be translated, “facing the scrutiny of contradiction in our daily lives.”)

1 John 4:18 Fear cannot co-exist in this love realm. The perfect love union that we are talking about expels fear. Fear holds on to an expectation of crisis and judgment [which brings separation] and interprets it as due punishment [a form of karma!] It echoes torment and only registers in someone who does not yet realize the completeness of their love union. [With the Father, Son and Spirit and with one another.] (See Heb 2:15.)

1 John 4:19 We love because he loved us first! (We did not invent this fellowship; we are invited into the fellowship of the Father and the Son!)

1 John 4:20 If anyone claims to love God but he cannot stand a fellow human, his love for God is fake; how is it possible to not love someone you can see with your eyes yet claim to love an invisible God? (Love is not defined by our ability to like or dislike someone; love is a God-thing from start to finish. God cannot make his love for mankind more tangibly certain than what he did in his Son, Jesus Christ.)

1 John 4:21 God’s 1conclusion on this is clear, loving him includes loving your fellow human – there is no distinction. (Conclusion, entole.)

1 John 5:19 We know that we have our origin in God; yet the whole world 1lies trapped in the blindfold-mode of a lost identity; intoxicated by the poneros system of a futile mentality of hardships labors and annoyances! (The word keimai means to lie prostrate, outstretched; buried.)

1 John 5:20 This is what has become distinctly clear to us: the 1coming of the Son of God is God’s mission accomplished! He is the incarnate Christ. The moment all of Scripture pointed to has arrived! The Son is 1present! In him God has given us the greatest gift, 2a mind whereby we may know him who is true; and in the same knowing, to find ourselves there in him who is true! Mankind is fully included and located in him, in his Son Jesus Christ; this means that whatever Jesus is as Son, we are. This is the true God; this is the life of the ages! (The word 1heko means to have come, to have arrived, to be present. John uses the word 2dianoian; deep thought; with dia relating to the means by which we may know; a mind to know; compare metanoia, to know together with; an entwining of thought; the mind of Christ.

Jesus said, you will know the truth as it is unveiled in me, and that will set you free!

The culmination of the gospel according to John is summed up in these verses: John 14:20 “In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me and I am in you!” Also 1 John 2:7 & 8, “what is true of him, is equally true of us. 1 John 4:17 “As he is, so are we in this world! Our lives are mirrored in him” as well as here in 1 John 5:20.)

1 John 5:21 This defeats every image of our imagination that could possibly compete with the authentic likeness of our design! Darling children, distance yourselves from every substitute image, which is what idolatry is all about! (The word 1eidolon, often translated idol, refers to image or likeness.

Isa. 40:18-21 To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? The idol? A workman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold, and casts for it silver chains. He who is impoverished chooses for an offering wood that will not rot; he seeks out a skilful craftsman to set up an image that will not move. Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? Remember your beginning! You are God’s idea – the Engineer of the Universe imagined you! Gen 1:26; Col 1:15; Col 2:9,10.

Acts 17:28-31 For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your poets have said, ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the Deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, a representation by the art and imagination of human origin. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he compels all of mankind everywhere to awaken to their redeemed identity and innocence!

Idolatry is a projection of an image of one’s own making. Idolatry is the crux of religion – it is expensive business since your idol is like a slot machine at the casino! It remains hungry and it is wired to bite and bankrupt you!)

Rev. 5:13 At that point the entire universe burst out in praise! I heard every created being in the heavenly realm and upon the earth and under the earth and upon the ocean and everything within all these spheres, declaring to the One seated upon the throne and to the Lamb: “The most 1articulate language, the admiration, the supreme magnificence, the might until the ages of the ages!” (The word 1eulogia, from eu, good, well done, and logos; thus, polished language; such language which is artfully adapted to captivate the hearer: fair speaking, fine speeches.)

Rev. 7:9 At this moment I saw a massive throng of people, impossible to count, standing tall and innocent – every one of them 1dressed in white with palm branches in their hands; they have 1escaped everything that could possibly define them as a non-Jewish, Gentile world! In fact, every sphere of society was there – including the entire spectrum of people-groupings; all tribal identities with their unique language-specific dialect preferences, they were all present facing the throne and the Lamb as the people of the planet! (Amazing how, in the previous verses of this chapter, the tribes of Israel are associated with a very specific “number”, emphasizing the prophetic detail of the entire Jewish nation. But here, John sees a massive throng of people, impossible to count! In Israel there is a prophetic voice of God’s intention to release the blessing of the single SEED of God’s faith through Abraham and bless all the nations of the earth! “Count the stars, count the sand!”

The word 1stolay, is the white outer garment worn by kings, priests, and persons of rank. The palm branches and the white robes are signs of the celebration of victory and joy. The Preposition 1ek, points to source or origin; mankind was delivered out of their national, geographical and historical identities! Seven times in the book of Revelation human society is addressed in the most all-inclusive fashion, with a similar grouping of words. Rev 5:9, here in Rev 7:9, Rev 10:11, Rev 11:9, Rev 13:7, Rev 14:6 and Rev 17:15. Also note Rev 5:13 and Rev 11:15. See Extended Notes on Israel at the end of Rev 20.

I looked again and saw a huge crowd, too huge to count. Everyone was there—all nations and tribes, all races and languages. And they were standing, dressed in white robes and waving palm branches, standing before the throne and the Lamb. The Message)

Rev. 7:10 Then I heard the masses shouting as if with one thundering voice saying, “Our salvation is secure in our God who is seated upon the throne and endorsed in the Lamb’s doing!”

Rev. 19:9 And he instructed me to record this in writing: Oh the 1blessedness of this bliss which is the supreme celebration of the union of the ages! You have individually been 2identified by name and invited to the Lamb’s supper, concluding in the ultimate wedding feast! This is the Grand Finale in the 3unveiling of God’s word. (This is not a wedding where you are invited simply because you’re a friend of a friend of the Groom or the Bride – or a distant second cousin to a relative of a relative on someone’s mother’s side! No! You’re the Bride!

The word, 1makarios, usually translated, blessed, suggests a special intensity of delight. It is another beatitude [makarioi] like that in Rev 14:13 [fourth of the seven in the book]

John 14:20 In that day you will know that we are in seamless union with one another! I am in my Father, you are in me and I am in you! (The incarnation does not divide the Trinity; the incarnation celebrates the redeemed inclusion of humanity! Picture 4 circles with the one fitting into the other – The outer circle is the Father, then Jesus in the Father, then us in Jesus and the Holy Spirit in us! This spells inseparable, intimate oneness! Note that it is not our knowing that positions Jesus in the Father or us in them or the Spirit of Christ in us! Our knowing simply awakens us to the reality of our redeemed oneness! Gold does not become gold when it is discovered but it certainly becomes currency!)

James, the brother of Jesus saw it

While none of Jesus’ brothers believed in him during the three years of his ministry, [John 7:5] his brother James discovers his own true identity when Jesus appears to him after the resurrection. [1 Corinthians 15:4-7]

James 1:17 Without exception God’s 1gifts are only good; it’s perfection cannot be flawed. They come from 2above (where we originate from); proceeding like light rays from its source, the Father of lights, with whom there is no distortion, or even a shadow of shifting to obstruct, or intercept the light; nor any hint of a hidden agenda. (The principle of a 1gift, puts “reward- language” out of business. The word, 1anouthen, means, from above. John 3:3, 13. The Father’s resolve stands in total contrast to the perverted passions of sin, claiming it’s illegitimate parenthood of mankind. Js 1:2; Js 1:12-16.)

James 1:18 It was according to the Father’s delightful 1resolve that he 2birthed us; giving 3authentic, incarnate expression to the Word. [The face to face-ness of the Logos that was before time was. Jn 1:1] Just like the first-fruits mirror the harvest, so we mirror the 4conclusion of his 4workmanship in the core of our 5being. (The word, 1boulomai, means the affectionate desire and deliberate resolve of God. Only James uses the word, 2apokueō from apo + kuma; from kuo, to swell with young; bend or curve. [same word in v 15, where sin’s passion parented death, vs God’s passion parented authentic life in us!] Truth, 3alethea, from a, negative + lanthano, meaning hidden; that which is unveiled; the Word [logos] of truth is the 3unveiled logic of God. The Preposition 4eis, points to conclusion. The word, κτίσμα 5ktisma meaning, creation with reference to the the proprietorship of the manufacturer – God owns the idea of our invention – he holds the copyright! The words, εἰς τὸ εἶναι ημας ἀπαρχήν – einai hemas – 5our beingness from eimi, I am. See Rom. 8:29, He pre-designed and engineered us from the start to be jointly fashioned in the same mold and image of his Son according to the exact blueprint of his thought. We see the original and intended pattern of our lives preserved in his Son. He is the firstborn from the same womb that reveals our genesis. He confirms that we are the invention of God. Also, John 1:1-18; 1 Pet. 2:9,10.)

James 1:19 Consequently my beloved friends, [when you are faced with temptation,] give your immediate attention to the Word that reveals your true origin; do not ponder the contradiction. Rather remain silent, than to quickly give your vote and voice to the 1emotions that arise in the heat of the moment! (Quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to 1anger. The word ὀργή 1orgay from oregomia, means the excitement of the mind; to stretch one’s self out in order to grasp something, to reach after or desire.)

James 1:20 These outbursts of emotion would typically distort the picture, and bring no credit to compliment God’s 1righteousness. (1What God achieved in redeeming our identity and innocence.)

James 1:21 Therefore, by embracing the 1infused word, you discover how thoroughly freed you already are from any kind of perverted passion that spirals out of control, polluting your lives like a filthy garment; your 1gentle abandonment to this logic, powerfully 2realizes the full extent of your salvation from the dictates of the soul ruled realm. (Again, a word only James uses, ἔμφυτος 1emphutos impregnated. The words, 1en prauteti – in gentleness are used in contrast to orgay. Rescuing you from negative thought patterns and depressing emotional traits!)

James 1:22 Give the mirror-word your 1undivided attention; do not underestimate yourself. 3Make the calculation. There can only be one logical conclusion: your authentic origin is mirrored in the word. You are God’s poem; 2let his voice make poetry of your life! (The word, 1akroate, means intent listening. James is not promoting the doing of the law of works; he is defining the law of perfect liberty. Doing the word begins with your undivided attention to the face of your birth. 2A doer of the Word, poetes, means poet. Make the calculation, 3paralogizomai, from para, a Preposition indicating close proximity, union, and logizomai, to reckon the logic in any calculation.)

James 1:23 Anyone who hears the word, sees the face of their birth, as in a mirror! The difference between a mere spectator and a participator is that both of them hear the same voice and perceive in its message the face of their own genesis reflected there;

James 1:24 they realize that they are looking at themselves, but for the one it seems just too good to be true; this person departs [back to the old way of seeing himself] and immediately forgets what manner of person they are; never giving another thought to the one they saw there in the mirror.

James 1:25 The other is 1mesmerized by what they see; 2captivated by the effect of a law that frees a person from the obligation to the old written code that restricted one to their own efforts and willpower. No distraction or contradiction can dim the impact of what is seen in the mirror concerning the law of perfect 3liberty [the law of faith] that now frees one to get on with the act of living the life [of their original design.] They find a new 3spontaneous lifestyle; the poetry of practical living. (The law of perfect liberty is the image and likeness of God revealed in Christ, now redeemed in human form, as in a mirror. Look deep enough into that law of faith that you may see there in its perfection a portrait that so resembles the original that he becomes distinctly visible in the spirit of your mind and in the face of every person you behold. I translated the word, 1parakupto, with mesmerized from para, a Preposition indicating close proximity, originating from, denoting the point from which an action originates, intimate connection, and kupto, to bend, stoop down to view at close scrutiny; 2parameno, to remain captivated under the influence of; meno, to continue to be present. The word often translated as freedom, 3eleutheria, means without obligation; spontaneous.)

James sees the mirror mystery of our birth from above. We existed in God before we were formed in our mother’s womb. He brought us forth by the word of truth! James 1:17, 18. If anyone hears this word, (of our joint resurrection in Christ) he sees the face of his birth as in a mirror. See 1 Pet. 1:3, Eph. 2:5.

James 3:9 We can say beautiful things about God the Father but with the same mouth curse a fellow human made in his mirror likeness. (The point is not what the person did to deserve the insult. The point is that people are image and likeness bearers of God by design! True worship is to touch someone’s life with the same devotion and care you would touch Jesus himself; even if the other person seems a most unlikely candidate.)

Now we see it

Paul spoke in such a manner that many believed.

Acts 14:1 And so spoke that a great company believed, both of Jews and of Greeks RSV

Eph. 3:9 The mandate of my message is to make all men see. The unveiling of this eternal secret is to bring into public view an association that has always been hidden in God; Jesus Christ is the blueprint of creation. (Eph 1:4.)

Eph. 3:4 In 1pondering these words you will perceive my 2insight into the mystery of Christ. (The word, 1anaginosko, suggests an upward knowledge; to know again, to recognize, to read with recognition. Insight, 2sunesis, from συνίημι suniēmi – sun + eimi, together with my “I am-ness”, to resonate; which means a flowing together as of two streams – a seamless merging, a fusion of thought. It suggests the grasp and comprehension that happens from comparing and combining things. A word only Paul uses; also his colleague Dr Luke , in Lk 2:47, as well as another disciple of Paul, Mark who uses it in Mark 12:33, “To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as you love yourself; this is more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”)

Eph. 1:9 The secret is out! His cherished love dream now unfolds in front of our very eyes.

Eph. 1:10 In the 1economy of the fullness of time, everything culminates in Christ. All that is in heaven and all that is on earth is reconciled in him. Jesus is the 2consummation of the ages! (The word,1oikonomia, translates as administration. The word, ανακεφαλαιωσασθαι is the Aorist Infinitive of anakephalaiomai, which has two components, ana, upward and kephale, head, pointing to a condition where no separation exists – the return to our Source. The Aorist Infinitive presents the action expressed by the verb as a completed unit with a beginning and end.)

“All human history shall be consummated in Christ, everything that exists in heaven or earth shall find its perfection and fulfillment in him.” (Phillips)

“All that is in heaven, all that is on earth, summed up in him!” (Knox)

Eph. 1:17 I desire that you will draw directly from the source; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory kindles within you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the unveiling of his 1Master Plan. I long for you to know by revelation what he has known about you all along! (1His intent, doxa, glory. In the words, en epignosei auto, Paul suggests that we might find our source in God’s knowledge – in what it is that he knows! See 1 Cor 13:12 – to know even as we have always been known.)

Eph. 1:18 I pray that your thoughts will be flooded with light and inspired insight; that you will clearly picture his intent in identifying you in him so that you may know how precious you are to him. What God possesses in your redeemed innocence is his treasure and the glorious trophy of his inheritance! You are God’s portion. You are the sum total of his assets and the measure of his wealth!

Eph. 1:19 I pray that you will be overwhelmed with an understanding of the magnitude of his power in the finished work of Christ. This is what 1results in the dynamic of 2your faith. (The Preposition 1eis, speaks of a point reached in conclusion. The word 2pisteuontas is the Present Participle in the Accusative case of pisteuo [to be certain; to be persuaded] which describes an action thought of as simultaneous with the action of the main verb, which, in this case is energeken, “which he has wrought”… [see v 20] which is the Perfect Tense of energeo, to energize; to work dynamically. The Perfect Tense denotes an action which is completed in the past, but the effects of which are regarded as continuing into the present. Paul is desiring to establish a basis for our faith that exceeds our attempts to believe!)

Eph. 1:20 Do you want to measure the mind and muscle of God? Consider the force which he unleashed in Jesus Christ when he raised him from the dead and forever seated him enthroned as his executive authority in the realm of the heavens. Jesus is God’s right hand of power! He was raised up from the deepest dungeons of human despair to the highest region of heavenly bliss! (See Eph 2:5,6 & 4:8,9.)

Eph. 1:21 Infinitely above all the combined forces of rule, authority, dominion or governments; he is ranked superior to any name that could ever be given to anyone of this age or any age still to come in the eternal future.

Eph. 1:22 I want you to see this: he subjected all these powers under his feet. He towers head and shoulders above everything. He is the head;

Eph. 1:23 the 1Ekklesia is his body. The completeness of his being that fills all in all resides in us! God cannot make himself more visible or exhibit himself more accurately. (The word, 1Ekklesia, comes from ek, a Preposition always denoting origin, and klesia from kaleo, to identify by name, to surname; thus the “church” is his redeemed image and likeness in human form.)

Rom. 6:11 Think of yourself as dead to sin. (Knox Translation)

Rom. 6:11 This reasoning is equally relevant to you. 1Calculate the cross; there can only be one logical conclusion: he died your death; that means you died to sin, and are now alive to God. Sin-consciousness can never again feature in your future! You are in Christ Jesus; his Lordship is the authority of this union. (We are not being presumptuous to reason that we are in Christ! “1Reckon yourselves therefore dead to sin” The word, 1logitsomai, means to make a calculation to which there can only be one logical conclusion. [See Eph 1:4 and 1 Cor 1:30].

“From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did.” (The Message)

The ends of the earth will see it!

In Psalm 22 David dramatically prophesies the detail of Jesus’ death on the cross, and concludes in verse 27, “The ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord”.

Isa. 52:10 The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Habakkuk, (whose name means to embrace) is the prophet who saw righteousness by faith, 2:4; in chapter 2:2 he says,

“Write the vision, and make it plain upon tablets that he may run who reads it.”

“I will give you my message in the form of a vision. Write it clearly enough to be read at a glance.” (The Contemporary English Version)

And, then in Habakkuk 2 :14 makes this remarkable statement,

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

Psalm 98:1-3 records the following song:

Sing unto the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him the victory. The Lord has made known his salvation, his righteousness has he openly shown in the sight of the nations. All the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.”

Isa 40:3-5 A voice cries: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the crooked places shall be made straight, even the rough places shall be made smooth. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

Luke 8:17 There is nothing hidden that will not become fully known; even things that have long been unnoticed will come to light! (The full counsel of God is destined to flood the earth with the knowledge of his glory unveiled in human life! And all flesh shall see it together! Isa 40:5)

Rom. 8:19 Our lives now represent the one event every creature anticipates with held breath, standing on tip-toe as it were to witness the unveiling of the sons of God. Can you hear the drum-roll?

Rom. 8:20 Every creature suffered abuse through Adam’s fall; they were discarded like a squeezed-out orange. Creation did not volunteer to fall prey to the effect of the fall. Yet within this stark setting, hope prevails.

Rom. 8:21 All creation knows that the glorious liberty of the sons of God sets the stage for their own release from 1decay. (2 Cor 11:3 I am concerned for you that you might 1pine away through the illusion of separation from Christ and that, just like Eve, you might become blurry-eyed and deceived into believing a lie about yourselves. The temptation was to exchange the truth about our completeness [I am] with the idea of incompleteness [I am not] and shame; thinking that perfection required your toil and all manner of wearisome labor! [The word, 1phteiro, means to pine or waste away, to whither. Any idea of separation causes one to whither away in loneliness!])

Principalities and powers saw it

Eph. 1:22 I want you to see this: he subjected all these powers under his feet. He towers head and shoulders above everything. He is the head;

Eph. 1:23 the 1Ekklesia is his body. The completeness of his being that fills all in all resides in us! God cannot make himself more visible or exhibit himself more accurately. (The word, 1Ekklesia, comes from ek, a Preposition always denoting origin, and klesia from kaleo, to identify by name, to surname; thus the “church” is his redeemed image and likeness in human form.)

Eph. 2:7 (In a single triumphant act of righteousness God saved us from the “guttermost” to the uttermost. Here we are now, revealed in Christ in the highest possible position of bliss! If mankind’s sad history could not distract from the extravagant love of God,) imagine how God is now able, for timeless perpetuity to exhibit the trophy of the wealth of his grace demonstrated in his kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. Grace exhibits excessive evidence of the success of the cross.

Eph. 3:10 Every invisible authority and government in the arena of the heavenlies were confronted with the display of God’s genius. The ekklesia disperses the varied magnitude of God like a prism, in human form. (See Math 16:18, “Upon this rock, I will build my ekklesia [authentic identity] and the gates of Hades [from ha, negative and eido, to see; the blindfold] will not prevail!” Also, Rev 12:8 The Dragon’s influence was totally demolished and rendered powerless – not a trace of its presence was found in the heavens! (Principalities and powers were completely disarmed on the cross! Col 2:14,15 “And their place was not found” see Dan 2:35 – the little stone against whom the Gates of Hades shall not prevail – the Chip of the old Block demolished the pseudo man-made identity. There are numeral references to the same “once and for all war” in the heavens! It is however the same hour; the same event! Rev 16:13,14; Rev 17:13,14; 19:19; Rev 20:8.)

And Rev 17:14, These join forces in that hour to wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb defeats them since he is the Lord of lords and the King of kings. And sharing with him in his victory are his kindred. They recognize their origin in this conversation and are now of the same persuasion. The Lamb led them into freedom from their lost identity, and their doubts.)

Col. 2:15 In him dying mankind’s death, he 1defused every possible claim of accusation against the human race and thus made a public 2spectacle of every 3rule and authority in God’s brilliant triumph, demonstrated in him. The 4voice of the cross will never be silenced! (The horror of the Cross is now the eternal trophy of God’s triumph over sin! The cross stripped religion of its authority to manipulate mankind with guilt. Every accusation lost its leverage to blackmail the human race with condemnation and shame! The word, 1apekduomai, is translated from apo, away from, and ekduo, to be stripped of clothing; to disarm; the religious facade that disguised the law of works as a means of defining a person’s life, was openly defeated. Same word used in Col 3:9. The dominance of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil [poneros, hard work and labor] was ended. The word, 2deikmatizo, means to exhibit in public. See 3commentary below of the words arche, rule and exousia, authority. The word, 4parresia, comes from pas, all and rheo, outspokenness, pouring forth speech. .

“He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.” — The Message

See commentary for 1 Corinthians 15:24, The complete conclusion in his work of redemption is celebrated in his yielding the full harvest of his reign to God the Father, having brought to nought the law of works which supported every definition of dominion under the fall, including all principalities, all authority and every dynamic influence in society. [He brought to nought the law of works, katargeo, from kata, meaning intensity, and argos, meaning labor; thus free from all self effort to attempt to improve what God has already perfected in Christ. All principalities, 3arche, or chief ranks, i.e., kings, governors; this includes any governing system whereby one is ranked above the other on the basis of their performance or preference. All authority, 3exousia,

comes from ek, denoting origin and eimi, I am; in this case, because of what I can do I am defined by what I can do better than you; therefore, I have authority over you. Every dynamic influence in society, dunamis, means power, in this case, willpower. Every government structure in society will be brought under the dominion of grace where the Christ-life rules.]

In 1 Corinthians 2:7-8, We voice words of wisdom that was hidden in silence for timeless ages; a mystery unfolding God’s Masterful plan whereby he would redeem his glory in mankind. Neither the politicians nor the theologians of the day had a clue about this mystery [of mankind’s association in Christ]; if they did, they would never have crucified the Lord whose death redeemed our glory!)

Jesus saw his own life mirrored in the Scriptures

Heb. 10:7 “Then I said, I read in your book what you wrote about me; so here I am, I have come to fulfill my destiny.” (Ps. 40:7, Luke. 4:17, Luke. 24:27, 44, John 5:39, 40, 7:39)

“You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me!” John 5:39. (The Message)

John 5:39 You scrutinize the Scriptures tirelessly, assuming that in them you 1embrace the life of the ages – yet I am what the Scriptures are all about! (1Echo, to hold, embrace, resonate)

John 5:40 Still you refuse to resort to me as the very source of the life you seek. (I echo the life of the ages within you!)

Heb. 5:7 When he faced the horror of his imminent death, he presented his plea to God in an outburst of agonizing emotion and with tears. He prayed with urgent intent to be delivered from death, knowing God’s power was saving him and that he enjoyed God’s full attention – he had a 1firm grip on the prophetic word. (Not because he feared, as some translations have put it, but because he fully grasped that he was the fulfillment of Scripture; he knew that he would be raised on the third day; [Hosea 6:2] eu + lambano – he had a firm grip; he grasped/embraced the goodness of God.)

Heb. 5:8 Acquainted with sonship he was in the habit of 1hearing from above; what he heard 2distanced him from the effect of what he had suffered. (The word often translated as obedience is the word, 1upoakuo, under the influence of hearing, or hearing from above. “By” the things he suffered, 2apo, away from, distanced. “Then I said, I read in your book what you wrote about me; so here I am, I have come to fulfill your will.” [Heb 10:7])

Heb. 5:9 By his perfect hearing he forever freed mankind to hear what he had heard. (He now makes it possible for us to hear in such a way that we may participate again in the full release of our original identity; the logos finding voice in the incarnation in us.

Luke 4:17 The scroll of Isaiah the prophet, was handed to him and he stood up to read. (The Syriac Sinaitic manuscript has it that Jesus stood up after the attendant handed him the scroll.)

Luke 4:18 He opened the scroll and rolled it out in order to find the specific place where the following was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has 1anointed me to announce 2glad tidings to a 3starving people; he has 4commissioned me to announce the freedom of 5forgiveness [their true I-am-ness] to those 6held captive at spear-point by their guilt and shame; also, the blind may now look up and be restored in their sight! I am anointed 7to send out those who are bruised and traumatized, into the freedom of their redeemed 8innocence. (The verb, εχρισεν 1echrisen from χρίω chrio, to smear with the hand; from xeir, hand; to anoint; see the Hebrew for Messiah, משיח to anoint; from mashach, משח to draw the hand over, to measure. [Analytical Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon, B Davidson.] The anointing is the true measure of our lives, not our mental- or muscle-effort to produce results.

Our use of the word, “christening” is really a word that means the endorsing of our in-Christness.

To announce good tidings, ευαγγελισασθαι 2euangelisasthai, in the Aorist Infinitive tense, which presents the action expressed by the verb as a completed unit with a beginning and end. The Anointed Christ is the Good News in its most complete context.

The word, πτωχός 3ptōchos; to be in a starving and beggarly state.

The Perfect Active Indicative απεσταλκεν 4apestalken denotes an action that has been completed in the past and the results of the action are continuing on in this moment, in full effect; of the word, apostellō, to commission. Then, the same word, apostello, but this time in the Aorist Infinitive, αποστειλαι 8apostelai, which presents the action expressed by the verb as a completed unit with a beginning and end; thus, a sending out of the enclosure of their trauma and hurts, since the door that shut them in, no longer exists.

The word, αἰχμαλωτός, 6aichmalotos, from aichme, spear and halosis, to capture, thus, to arrest at spear point.

Then the opening of the blind eyes suggests, a complete change of perspective – a looking upward! The word, ἀναβλέπω anablepō, from ana, upward and blepo, to see.

The word translated forgiveness, or remission is the word ἄφεσις aphesis from 8aphieimi; from apo, away from, and hieimi an intensive form of eimi, I am; thus, forgiveness is in essence a restoring to your true ‘I-am-ness.’ The injury, insult, shame, hostility or guilt would no longer define the individual.)

Luke 4:19 I announce that the Jubilee year of the Lord has come! This is the liberation celebration of the Lord, embracing humanity home! (Lev. 25,10

 “You will declare this fiftieth year sacred and proclaim the liberation [Greek aphesis] of all the inhabitants of the land. This is to be a jubilee for you”. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament the relation between jubilee and liberation is even closer because the Hebrew term יובל jubel is not translated into Greek as it was in the Latin of the Vulgate (jubilaeus) and in other languages, it has been translated as “liberation [aphesis; see my commentary of this word in the previous verse]” (Lev 25,13), or “year יובל ,of liberation” (Lev 25,10) or again “sign of liberation” (Lev 25,11-12) In Hebrew or in Ancient Hebrew lbfi to shepherd someone safely and securely home. See Lev 25:10 in the LXX “…and each of you shall return to his home!” Luke 15! The prodigal son came to himself when he returned home! Back to his true I-am-ness!)

Luke 4:20 Jesus then rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down, while everyone’s eyes were fixed on him. (They knew that the entire Messianic expectation hinges on this Scripture; the big question is, when?!)

Luke 4:21 He then proceeded to say to them, “Everything contained in this scripture, its complete prophetic, Messianic and Jubilee significance is now fulfilled – in your ears! You don’t have to wait for another day or another time! Within your grasping and accurate hearing, today becomes your day! This is the fulness of time!”

John 12:23 Jesus, immediately understanding the prophetic significance of the moment, knew that he, the Messiah, was who all the nations were longing for and answered, “The hour is here for the Son of man to be glorified! (Jesus studied Scripture as in a mirror – he knew that “in the book, it is written about me!” Haggai 2:7 and the desire of the nations shall come…See Col ).1:27

John 12:24 Most certainly shall the single grain of wheat fall into the earth and die – if it doesn’t die it remains alone – but in its death it produces much fruit.

John 7:37 On the final day, the crescendo of the eight-day Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus, knowing that he is the completeness of every prophetic picture and promise, cried out with a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come and stand 1face-to-face with me and drink! (John again employs the word 1pros in order to emphasize the face-to-face fellowship we are invited into. )

John 7:38 In your realizing that I am what the Scriptures are all about, 1you will discover uniquely for yourself, face to face with me, that I am what you are all about and rivers of living waters will gush out of your innermost being!” (Jesus addresses the individual; 1you singular. Here John records how Jesus witnessed the eighth day, the great and final day of the Feast of Tabernacles, when, according to custom, the High Priest would draw water from the Pool of Siloam with a golden jar, mix the water with wine, and then pour it over the altar while the people would sing with great joy from Psalm 118:25-26, See also the entire Psalm 118 which was obviously what Jesus reminded himself of and also Isaiah 12:3; “Therefore with joy shall we draw water from the wells of salvation!” Then, Jesus, knowing that he is the completeness of every prophetic picture and promise, cried out with a loud voice: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! If you believe that I am what the Scriptures are all about, you will discover that you are what I am all about, and rivers of living waters will gush from your innermost being!” The Siloam tunnel is a winding tunnel carved into the rock, leading from the spring of Gihon to the Pool of Siloam. The pool of Siloam also suggests an outflow of waters שילוח Shiloach. Dating from the time of Hezekiah [800 BC] or earlier, it was an aqueduct that effectively replaced the Middle Bronze Age channel. Gihon גחון derives from, Giha גיח which means gushing forth; like in an eruption! Also of a child coming forth from the womb. Job 38:8, Psalm 22:9.

The pool of Siloam as the source in the city of Jerusalem, mirrors your innermost being. When Jesus speaks of waters gushing forth out of your innermost being, he says that you are the city! You are the bride! God’s redeemed society! Rev 21:2 And I saw her, in spotless magnificence, the holy city, the new Jerusalem, descending out of the heavens; having been fully prepared as a bride and beautifully adorned for her husband. [In total contrast to the symbolic religious Prostitute city of Babylon.])

John 7:39 Jesus spoke about the Spirit whom those who would believe that he is the conclusion of Scripture were about to 1grasp since who Jesus was in all of his majestic splendor was not yet fully acknowledged and thus the Spirit was not yet evident. (The word often translated, to receive, 1lambano, means to comprehend, grasp, to identify with. Note, Holy Spirit is an outpouring not an in- pouring!)

John 8:14 Jesus answered, “Whatever I declare concerning myself is absolutely true because I know where I am from and where I am going.

It is amazing how we seem to struggle to receive something we did not work for, or maybe argue that we do not deserve, yet we would have no problem claiming the money should we win the LOTTO.

We also do not hesitate to celebrate the victory of our team or sport hero as our own!

‘We won!′ We would proudly announce; even though we only watched the game as a spectator.

Jesus is so much more than a lucky draw for a better life, or a Christian club we support on a Sunday.

Or a promise of a possible future reward for good behavior, or the judge of the bad guys!

He is God’s priceless gift to you-manity!
Nothing you could ever dream to have or wish to enjoy can enrich you more!