"Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned ...
from which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.
But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for man slayers, for whore mongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen." (I Timothy 1:5-17)
When believers in the Lord Jesus by faith come to understand the two commandments affirmed by our Lord and Saviour Jesus the Christ in the New Testament-- that first, we love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and from His love, we love one another out of a pure heart and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned, we begin to step into His purpose as a world changer.
For we can now distinguish between the law intended as a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ (which are now written in our hearts) and the set of rules and regulations imposed by man that contributes to the implementation of more worldly constructs. You see, the first man was Adam, but the second was the Lord from heaven. It is the latter that convicts our hearts to do the right things -- including what is right and true and just.
As a consequence, we can know from whence comes our knowledge and wisdom. That from the heart of a good man comes good treasure bringing forth that which is good. That kind of charity (as a flow through, doing everything that we do in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ) cannot be dictated by the laws of men and/or worldly constructs intent of bringing us into bondage. Rather, it requires a heart change, wherein we understand that the Lord Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords, Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the ending. (Revelation 1:8)
This is not a new message but an underlying theme throughout the scriptures. For example, from the prophet Jeremiah:
Thus shall ye say unto them, "The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. He hath made the earth by His power, He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by His discretion. When He utters His voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causes the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightnings with rain, and brings forth the wind out of His treasures." (Jeremiah 10:11-13)
Therefore, for believers, our wisdom is not of this world. The knowledge which we seek does not come from the wisdom of men but from the Lord. And, as promised, when we fear the Lord, the promise to us is that the Lord lays up sound wisdom for the righteous, and He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keeps the paths of judgment, and preserves the way of His saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path, when the wisdom of the Lord enters into our heart, and His knowledge becomes pleasant unto our souls. (Proverbs 2:1-22)
Indeed, "the fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge." (Proverbs 1:7)
from which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.
But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for man slayers, for whore mongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen." (I Timothy 1:5-17)
When believers in the Lord Jesus by faith come to understand the two commandments affirmed by our Lord and Saviour Jesus the Christ in the New Testament-- that first, we love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and from His love, we love one another out of a pure heart and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned, we begin to step into His purpose as a world changer.
For we can now distinguish between the law intended as a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ (which are now written in our hearts) and the set of rules and regulations imposed by man that contributes to the implementation of more worldly constructs. You see, the first man was Adam, but the second was the Lord from heaven. It is the latter that convicts our hearts to do the right things -- including what is right and true and just.
As a consequence, we can know from whence comes our knowledge and wisdom. That from the heart of a good man comes good treasure bringing forth that which is good. That kind of charity (as a flow through, doing everything that we do in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ) cannot be dictated by the laws of men and/or worldly constructs intent of bringing us into bondage. Rather, it requires a heart change, wherein we understand that the Lord Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords, Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the ending. (Revelation 1:8)
This is not a new message but an underlying theme throughout the scriptures. For example, from the prophet Jeremiah:
Thus shall ye say unto them, "The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. He hath made the earth by His power, He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by His discretion. When He utters His voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causes the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightnings with rain, and brings forth the wind out of His treasures." (Jeremiah 10:11-13)
Therefore, for believers, our wisdom is not of this world. The knowledge which we seek does not come from the wisdom of men but from the Lord. And, as promised, when we fear the Lord, the promise to us is that the Lord lays up sound wisdom for the righteous, and He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keeps the paths of judgment, and preserves the way of His saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path, when the wisdom of the Lord enters into our heart, and His knowledge becomes pleasant unto our souls. (Proverbs 2:1-22)
Indeed, "the fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge." (Proverbs 1:7)
Seek His knowledge today through His Word, and apply thine heart to understanding because when our treasure is in seeking the knowledge of the Lord, we will find the answers to our questions.
Jesus (the Word made flesh) said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by Me." (John 14:6)
Jesus also said, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8)
Stand in the offering plate.
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