According As He Hath Chosen Us In Him Before the Foundation of the World, That We Should Be Holy And Without Blame Before Him In Love -- Part 1357

Getting to know your Bible is critical to understanding who Jesus is. Certainly, when Jesus said that the 66 books that make up the Bible point to Him, we should pay attention. I say this because in today's world, there is a move to offer a different understanding of the scriptures than the gospel preached by the Lord Jesus Christ and His disciples. This is being accomplished in several ways. One is to offer rewrites of the Bible under the guise that the English contained in the new version is easier to read. (Actually, it is to earn money from copyrights, etc., but the authors fail to tell us this). The second is to quote only parts of a scripture so that the truth is hidden and/or surrounded by fine sounding words of men. Today, I would like to focus on the latter.

We know the Lord Himself encourages us to study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth. (II Timothy 2:15)

And by increasing our knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, His divine power provides unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness, glory and virtue. For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of ourselves -- it is the gift of God. Not of works lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Further, "grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, according as His divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that be these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity; for if these things be in you, and abound, they make [you that ye shall] neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (II Peter 1:2-8)

But if we only get part of the scripture or context, how can we know the truth? It would be like baking a cake with only half the ingredients. Sure, we can possibly substitute some of the items but the final outcome would not be the same. This is what is happening in many of the churches today, and, sadly, as a consequence, we take the partial teaching that we hear and assume that it must be true.

Let's look at some examples from the scriptures, and see how the partial and revised versions have changed the meaning.

Matthew 7:7 -- Jesus said, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened."

But the rewritten version states -- "The famous teacher Jesus Christ said; "Keep on asking and it will be given to you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking and it will be opened to you."

First, Jesus is not just a famous teacher -- He is the Lord of glory, Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the ending, the King of kings and Lord of lords. "He was in the world and the world was made by Him and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own and His own received Him not." (John 1:10-11; Revelation 1:8, 11)

Second, Jesus told us to ask and it shall be given. He did not say to keep on asking, or to keep on seeking, or to keep on knocking as if we were little children without a purpose.

Does God have a name? Beyond the titles of God and Lord. Of course He does. Right from the beginning of this current dispensation of grace -- known in the scriptures as the New Testament, wherein God declares "peace and good will to all" the angel of the Lord declares, "And she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call His name JESUS; for He shall save His people from their sins." Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son and they shall call His name Emmanuel which being interpreted is -- God with us." (Matthew 1:21-23; Luke 1:35; Luke 2:21; John 1:29; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6)

But instead of recognizing and understanding the difference between the two covenants -- the old and the new -- these prefer to mix the old and new to justify bringing forward the name Jehovah from the old testament. As we see from the scripture above, God has given us a new name in this dispensation -- "Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none under name given among men whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

This is why Peter (standing with the eleven) on the day of Pentecost said, "Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made this same JESUS whom ye have crucified BOTH Lord and Christ." (Acts 2:36) The stone which was set at nought of you builders which is become the Head of the corner. (Acts 4:11; Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 28:16; I Peter 2:4-8)

God manifest in the flesh. (I Timothy 3:16)

But as part of the denial of who Jesus really is, we see cited scriptures falling short of the original text. For example, Isaiah 9:6 -- "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." This corresponds with Isaiah 7:14 -- "Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign -- Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call His name Immanuel." Or, Isaiah 42:13 whereby the Lord speaking through the prophet said, "The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man ..."

And missing in the explanation is Jesus telling those who sought to kill Him -- "I and My Father are One." (John 10:30) But instead, what we are given is half-truths. For example, one organization states Isaiah 9:6 as saying this -- "Unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called ... Prince of Peace."

What????? Just because these do not want to admit that Jesus is Almighty God in the flesh does not mean it isn't so. Indeed, the omissions here alone begs the question -- what other truths are being hidden?

This is why EVERY KNEE will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. (Romans 14:11) He is God manifest in the flesh. (I Timothy 3:16)

John 17:3 -- Jesus said, "And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent."

John 14:6 -- Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes unto the Father but by Me. If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also, and from henceforth ye know Him and have seen Him."

Colossians 1:12-20 -- "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated [us] into the kingdom of His dear Son; in whom we have redemption through His blood, [even] the forgiveness of sins, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. For by Him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by Him and for Him, and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is the Head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all [things] He might have the preeminence. For it pleased [the Father] that in Him should all fullness dwell; and, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him ..."

To believe otherwise would require believing that Jesus was a created being and as it currently stands, there is no scripture to validate this false teaching. In fact, John wrote: "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us ..." (John 1:14)

"And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called the Word of God." (Revelation 19:13)

"But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son MADE of a woman, MADE under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons .." (Galatians 4-5)

"But we see Jesus, who was MADE a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man -- for it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all of one; for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren ..." (Hebrews 2:9-11)

The Word that was with God and was God -- when the fullness of time was come, was MADE flesh. (John 1:1-18)

Jesus told Philip, "Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou [then]. Shew us the Father?" (John 14:8-31)

This is why Jesus said to those Jews which believed on Him -- "If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed. And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31-32)

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him." (Colossians 3:17)

Our salvation depends on what we do with Jesus, because it is in Jesus whereby God Himself offered the perfect sacrifice so that we might know Him in this current dispensation of grace.  "According as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself -- according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved -- in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace, wherein He has abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure -- which HE PURPOSED IN HIMSELF THAT IN THE DISPENSATION OF THE FULLNESS OF TIMES, HE MIGHT GATHER TOGETHER IN ONE ALL THINGS IN CHRIST -- IN WHOM ALSO WE HAVE OBTAINED AN INHERITANCE, BEING PREDESTINATED ACCORDING TO THE PURPOSE OF HIM WHO WORKS ALL THINGS AFTER THE COUNSEL OF HIS OWN WILL." (Ephesians 1:4-14)

This is the fullness of time. We no longer live under the old covenant. In this dispensation of grace, God has given us a new name -- the only name whereby we must be saved. His name is JESUS.

May the eyes of your understanding be enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of His calling and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ. (Ephesians 1:15-23)

Stand in the offering plate.

Note: In Hebrew, the name Jehovah was spelled YHWH without vowels. Man has added the vowels to make YHWH pronouncable.