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Re: Scripture of the Day
COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] WHO IS A SAVIOR. With the Scripture of the Day first.
[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [Thursday]
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9 – 11 [authorized King James Bible; AV]
It is imperative if anyone is practicing these Almighty God (YHWH) disapproved things that they immediately start working to turn their life around. All need to put on a new personality and way of life per Colossians 3:10 – 11, [AV] “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.” We need to due according to Colossians 3:12 – 15, [AV] “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”
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[2] Who is A Savior
INTRODUCTION:
Let's face it, the word savior has several different meanings and/or aspects. One can be he who saves someone directly, and another can be one who orders another to save someone; and this can proceed through several layers. But let's first look at what the Bible says and then proceed to the dictionary definition and saving through several layers.
WHY NEED FOR A SAVIOR:
At John 1:12-14, " But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father." (Revised Standard Version; RSV). Here God (YHWH) demonstrated His love by sending His promised Son, Jesus (Yeshua), to be the Savior and Messiah, and then allowing Him to be crucified on a torture stake. God (YHWH) let his Son serve as a ransom for our sins, a perfect human life for the perfect human life lost by Adam. Let's consider this in detail.
In having Jesus give his life, God (YHWH) was dealing with a situation that arose when Adam sinned. What a tragedy that sin was! The very first man and his wife, Eve, were perfect. The beautiful garden of Eden was their home. God gave them the meaningful work of caring for their garden home. They were to have under their loving oversight the other living creatures on earth. And as humans multiplied and filled the earth with millions of their kind, they were to expand the paradise to earth's limits as recorded at Genesis 1:28, "And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." (RSV). Thus God (YHWH) set before them a delightful and exciting work, and they had the loving companionship of each other. They lacked nothing.
It is hard to imagine why Adam or Eve would want to disobey and thus sin. But the first human pair rebelled against the very one who created them-Almighty God (YHWH). Using a serpent, the spirit creature Satan the Devil deceived Eve into disobeying Almighty God (YHWH), and her perfect human husband Adam followed her per Genesis 3:1-6, "Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden'?" 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" 4 But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate." (RSV).
There was no question about what the Creator would do about Adam and Eve as he had already spelled out the consequence of disobedience, when he said at Genesis 2:16-17, "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die." (RSV).
ORIGINAL SIN CREATED NEED FOR GOD (YHWH) TO PROVIDE A SAVIOR:
The original sin created a problem of a critical nature for all of mankind. Adam began life as a perfect human. Therefore, his children could have enjoyed perfect everlasting life. However, Adam sinned before he fathered any children, and was put under sentence by God (YHWH) as affirmed at Genesis 3:17-19, "And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return." (RSV). Thus at this time when Adam sinned, he began to die as God (YHWH) had said, and all of mankind was thus under the sentence of death due to the sin inherited from Adam.
Thus, the Apostle Paul said at Romans 5:8-12, "But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation. 12 Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned-." (RSV). Therefore, because of the original sin, we are all dying today and thus need a savior
GOD (YHWH) NEEDED TO PROVIDE A SAVIOR:
Since God (YHWH) is love per 1 John 4:8, "He who does not love does not know God; for God is love" (RSV), he had to counter the evil worked by Satan the Devil by providing a savior for all of mankind. And the fact that he would provide one was foretold at Genesis 3:14-15, "The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all cattle, and above all wild animals; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." (RSV). Here God (YHWH) alluded to his plan or purpose to provide a savior for all of obedient mankind in the form of his beloved only begotten Son, Jesus (Yeshua), i.e., a perfect human life in place of the perfect human life lost by Adam.
This was required because of the law of like for like given at Romans 6:20-23, " When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But then what return did you get from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the return you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (RSV). To do this of course a perfect human life must be provided to be the equivalent of the one lost by Adam.
This was required by law as shown at Exodus 21:23, If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, " (RSV) which required like for like. According to this principle, only the death of another perfect man could provide the ransom for the wages of sin, and God (YHWH) transformed the life force of his only begotten Son into the womb of a virgin human girl to enable him to be born as a human so he could provide the necessary ransom required by the law. This was made clear at 1 Timothy 2:1-6, " First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. 3 This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony to which was borne at the proper time." (RSV).
Therefore, Jesus saves because he died for all obedient mankind. And what a valuable provision his death is! When we see it as a part of God's (YHWH's) solution to the complex problem of Adam's sin, our faith in Almighty God (YHWH) is strengthened greatly. This loving provision of God (YHWH) is made clear at John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (RSV).
NOW LET'S EXPLORE WHAT A SAVIOR IS:
The dictionary definition as provided by Word Web On Line is:
Noun: savior seyvyur
Usage: N. Amer (=saviour)
1. A person who rescues you from harm or danger
- saviour [Brit, Cdn], rescuer, deliverer
2. A teacher and prophet born in Bethlehem and active in Nazareth; his life and sermons form the basis for Christianity (circa 4 BC - AD 29)
- Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, the Nazarene, Jesus Christ, Christ, Saviour [Brit, Cdn], Good Shepherd, Redeemer, Deliverer
-
Type of: benefactor, Hebrew, helper, Israelite, Jew, Logos, prophet, Son, Word
ago. Seek His free gift of forgiveness and unending love.
(v.) One who saves, preserves, or delivers from destruction or danger.
Definition of Savior [source - Word Web On Line ]
CONCLUSION:
So as we can see, a Savior is someone who saves, preserves, and/or deliverers from destruction and/or danger.
Now both God (YHWH) and his Son, Jesus (Yeshua) Christ can both rightly be called Saviors, but in a different sense and/or aspect. How so? Well God (YHWH) could be called a savior in that he took steps to provide a perfect human life as a ransom for the original one lost by Adam by providing his beloved only begotten Son, Jesus (Yeshua) as a ransom. This compares to a ship captain ordering the crew to throw life preservers to individuals in the water, the captain, like God (YHWH) has provided the means of saving. So in this sense, just as in the case of God (YHWH) providing his only begotten Son as a saving sacrifice, could be called a savior.
However, in a different aspect, the Son, Jesus (Yeshua) Christ is called the Savior as he, in obedience to his Father (YHWH) gave up his human life as a ransom for all of mankind. So he was in the direct sense the Savior of all of mankind just as the sailor who through the life preserver was the direct savior of the receiver of the life preserver. However, in both cases, those giving the directions to subordinates could also be called saviors in a different sense in that without their directions no one would have been saved in either case.
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Re: Scripture of the Day
COMBINATION OF THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND THE RARE FRUIT TREES AND VEGETABLES. With the Scripture of the Day first.
SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [Saturday]
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:1 – 2 [authorized King James Bible; AV]
We need to make our minds over and adjust our life to bring it in line with Almighty God (YHWH) intent for mankind. We are all imperfect, but we should strive toward perfection. As Luke 11:13 – 19 shows, [AV] “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? 14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. 15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. 16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. 18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. 19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.”
Yes, there is a great spiritual sickness in the land as shown by James 5:14 - 16, [AV] “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
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THE RARE FRUIT TREES AND VEGETABLES:
Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Althaea officinalis, Mallow - Marsh
Abundance: rare
What: roots, young leaves, flower buds,
How: Leaves, roots, stem, and flowers contain a mucilage-like material which can be used to thicken soups and stews. Flowers can be eaten raw. Young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked with other greens or boiled alone. Roots are peeled, sliced then fried. Flower buds can be raw or cooked. All parts of the plant can be made into tea, seeds are roast and ground for a coffee substitute.
Where: Moist areas
When: Young leaves in spring, summer; roots all year, flowers in summer.
Nutritional Value: Roots high in starch, rest of plant contains small amounts of vitamins and minerals
Marsh mallows are usually found in shady, moist areas but on occasion they can be found in sunny, moist areas, too.
To make original marshmallows, peel roots and slice them into thin wafers then boil 20 minutes in minimum amount of water. Remove the root slices, add sugar or other sweetener and boil down fluid until very thick. Whip this hot fluid like egg whites then drop globs onto wax paper, after they've cooled dust them with powdered sugar.
The seeds can be roasted then ground in a coffee grinder for use as a substitute for real coffee. It tastes pretty good, though does not have any caffeine.
Young leaves and tender flower buds can be used to thicken soups, stews, curries, and other sauces. The tender flower buds can also be pickled like okra. Opened flowers can be used in salads or made into tea though these are best the first day they've opened.
The dried root has been used in herbal "tobacco" substitutes. [sourc - retrieved from on 1/4/2016]
In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to www.jw.org].
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Re: Scripture of the Day
COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] Discourse on Perfect Love Requires Perfect Justice . With the Scripture of the Day first.
[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [Sunday]
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. John 15:9, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
Jesus (Yeshua) showed his love for others by regularly associating with his apostles and disciples as shown at Mark 6:31 – 32, [AV] “And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. 32 And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.” And John 2:1 - 2, [AV] “And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.” And, John 21:12 -13, [AV] “Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.[This was after his resurrection by his Father, Almighty God (YHWH)], and many other places in the Bible.
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Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth. "Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to WWW.JW.ORG!
[2] Discourse on Perfect Love Requires Perfect Justice:
Let's examine why perfect love would require perfect justice as clearly testified to in the Bible. Of course God (YHWH) hates wickedness because the wicked are NOT showing love to his/her neighbor and will bring judgment in his due time against them. God (YHWH) does NOT of course want to do this, but perfect love demands justice. This point is testified to at Ezekiel 18:20-23 , "The soul that sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. 21 "But if a wicked man turns away from all his sins which he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 22 None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness which he has done he shall live. 23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?" (Revised Standard Version; RSV). But God (YHWH) is long suffering and in love hopes that the wicked will turn back from their wicked ways as clearly shown at Romans 9:22-29, "What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the vessels of wrath made for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for the vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 As indeed he says in Hose'a, "Those who were not my people I will call 'my people,' and her who was not beloved I will call 'my beloved.'" 26 "And in the very place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' they will be called 'sons of the living God.'" 27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved; 28 for the Lord will execute his sentence upon the earth with rigor and dispatch." 29 And as Isaiah predicted, "If the Lord of hosts had not left us children, we would have fared like Sodom and been made like Gomor'rah." (RSV). Here we see that God's (YHWH's) love is long suffering; however, love also calls for justice.
This fact, that love calls for justice and that God (YHWH) is not slow with respect to creatating a just world is shown at 2 Peter 3:8-18, "But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up. 11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of persons ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be kindled and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire! 13 But according to his promise we wait for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, since you wait for these, be zealous to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the forbearance of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, beware lest you be carried away with the error of lawless men and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." (RSV)
God (YHWH) will keep his promise to bring a righteous world that his Son, Jesus (Yeshua) taught us to pray for at Matthew 6:9-15, "Pray then like this: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread; 12 And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors; 13 And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. 14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (RSV). This is clearly testified to at Psalms 27:27-36, " Depart from evil, and do good; so shall you abide for ever. 28 For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. The righteous shall be preserved for ever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. 29 The righteous shall possess the land, and dwell upon it for ever. 30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. 31 The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip. 32 The wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to slay him. 33 The LORD will not abandon him to his power, or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial. 34 Wait for the LORD, and keep to his way, and he will exalt you to possess the land; you will look on the destruction of the wicked. 35 I have seen a wicked man overbearing, and towering like a cedar of Lebanon. 36 Again I passed by, and, lo, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found. " (RSV).
True love by God (YHWH) shall be shown to the obediant ones showing love tfor God (YHWH) and his dearly loved only begotten Son, Jesus (Yeshua) Christ, as God (YHWH) is a loving God (YHWH). He wants all of creation living in peace and following what his Son, Jesus (Yeshua) Christ said at Matthew 22:37-40, "And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets." (RSV). Certainly since he is a loving God (YHWH) he will see that justice is done as testified to at Luke 18:1-8, "And he told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man; 3 and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Vindicate me against my adversary.' 4 For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.'" 6 And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (RSV). So as we can see, perfect love also requires perfect justice on God's (YHWH's) part.
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Re: Scripture of the Day
COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] SOME START OUT WITH A TRUE STATEMENT TO MISLEAD, BUT THEN TELL UNTRUTHS . With the Scripture of the Day first.
[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [Monday]
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Revelation 3:19
As Jesus (Yeshua) said, at times all of us need discipline and to repent for our wrong doings. In fact, the Bible shows that parents should discipline their children at Proverbs 23:13 – 15, [AV] “Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. 14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell. 15 My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.” Of course this does not include harsh punishment, but reasonable discipline to the one receiving it to change his ways. Jesus (Yeshua) did not give up on his disciples when they were in error as shown at Mark 9:34 – 37, [AV] “But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. 35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. 36 And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, 37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.” Notice, Jesus (Yeshua) disciplined them in a kind and gentle manner setting an example for all of us.
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Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth. "Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to WWW.JW.ORG!
[2] Some Start Out With A True Statement To Mislead, but then tell untruths.
INTRODUCTION;
Many individuals, false teachers, start out with a true statement to give the reader the false impression that all that follows will be equally true. This is a deceptive trick of the workers of iniquity. Let's look at an example statement, Having similar attributes is not the same as equality. "Equality means one is comprehensively and exhaustively equal in every aspect, bar none! It means one may not be superior in any form, manner, or fashion, whatsoever, or to any degree. "
This is of course basically correct. Then, however false teachers divert from fact and state, things such as, "Did Jesus say the Father was greater than the Son? Yes, he did. Why did he say this? The answer is there for us in Philippians 2. He took the FORM of a SERVANT. As a man, Jesus was limited to self-imposed physical and temporal constraints. As the Father, He was not limited by any constraints. Why do people find it so easy to believe God can be Omnipresent yet unwilling to accept that Omnipresence includes the ability to exist in more than one form? I will not attempt to put that label of limitation on God." Now this sounds reasonable on the surface, but is a gross misrepresentation of Philippians 2:5-7 which shows this to be false. Now, let's look at the scripture Philippians 2:5-7 in detail and gain an accurate understanding, " Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.' (Revised Standard Version; RSV). As can be seen, it is a rather short group of three scriptures. So let's view it in context:
Philippians 2:1-11, "So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (RSV).
VERSE 5 - an explanation::
Likewise some do not understand verse 5 "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus" . Yet the understanding of this verse really is quite simple as here the Apostle Paul points to Christ as the example of humility and consecration to the good of others. On this the great Bible scholar, John Gill, says, "Let this mind be in you...
The Arabic version renders it, "let that humility be perceived in you". The apostle proposes Christ as the great pattern and exemplar of humility; and instances in his assumption of human nature, and in his subjection to all that meanness, and death itself, even the death of the cross in it; and which he mentions with this view, to engage the saints to lowliness of mind, in imitation of him; to show forth the same temper and disposition of mind in their practice,
which also was in Christ Jesus; or as the Syriac version, "think ye the same thing as Jesus Christ"; let the same condescending spirit and humble deportment appear in you as in him. This mind, affection, and conduct of Christ, may refer both to his early affection to his people, the love he bore to them from everlasting, the resolution and determination of his mind in consequence of it; and his agreement with his Father to take upon him their nature in the fulness of time, and to do his will, by obeying, suffering, and dying in their room and stead; and also the open exhibition and execution of all this in time, when he appeared in human nature, poor, mean, and abject; condescending to the lowest offices, and behaving in the most meek and humble manner, throughout the whole of his life, to the moment of his death.[source - The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernised]
Another great Bible Scholar, Theodore.Beza, said, " He sets before them a most perfect example of all modesty and sweet conduct, Christ Jesus, whom we ought to follow with all our might: who abased himself so much for our sakes, although he is above all, that he took upon himself the form of a servant, that is, our flesh, willingly subject to all weaknesses, even to the death of the cross. [source - Beza, Theodore. "Commentary on Philippians 2". "The 1599 Geneva Study Bible". 1600-1645]
Yet another, A. R. Fausset, AM, Said, "The oldest manuscripts read, "Have this mind in you," &c. He does not put forward himself Philippians 1:24) as an example, but Christ, THE ONE pre-eminently who sought not His own, but "humbled Himself" (Philippians 2:8), first in taking on Him our nature, secondly, in humbling Himself further in that nature (Romans 15:3)." [source - Fausset, A. R., A.M. "Commentary on Philippians 2". "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible". 1871].
VERSE 6 - an exlpanation:
Likewise some do not understand verse 6 "who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped," but let's look at several different major translations rendering of this and then an explanation.
Philippians 2:6 who, although He existed in the from of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped. (New American Standard Bible [Reference Edition by Moody Press, Chicago; NASB-MP)
Philippians 2:6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, (New American Standard Bible [The Lockman Foundation, version]: NASB-TLF)
Philippians 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
(Authorized King James; AV)
Philippians 2:6 who, although he existed in God's form, gave no consideration to a seizure, namely, that he should be equal to God. (New World Translation; NWT)
Philippians 2:6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, (Revised Standard Version; RSV)
SEE PART 2
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Re: Scripture of the Day
PART 2
Philippians 2:6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. (The Holoman Christian Standard Bible)
Philippians 2:6 who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, (American Standard Bible; ASB)
Interesting scripture in that it is translated many ways, but to understand it, we need to look at it in context. Let's look at what follows in the Authorized King James Bible, (AV) Philippians 2:7-11, "But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (AV). Here we see that he was an obedient Son to his Father (YHWH). He also, "and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death," and for being obedient, His Father (YHWH) has, "highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name." But the real key is "and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Clearly Philippians 2:11 shows that God (YHWH) was very proud of his Son, Jesus (Yeshua), and counted praise given to his Son, Jesus (Yeshua), as glory being given to him. Rightly so, since he, Jesus (Yeshua) was his only begotten, as shown at Colossians 1:15, "For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;" He, God (YHWH) created him in his image in that he gave him some of his power and his attributes. This was also testified to at Revelations 3:14, "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;" which shows him as the first of God's (YHWH's) creation. In fact, when Jesus (Yeshua) was ascending to be with his Father in heaven, he prayed, as recorded in John 17:5, "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." (AV). Showing he was returning to where he had been before with his Father (YHWH), see John 6:62, "What then if you should behold the Son of Man ascending where He was before?" (NASB-MP). Once returned to heaven, God's (YHWH's) Son, Jesus (Yeshua) is, 1 Peter 3:22, "Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him" (AV)..
As we note in this scripture, his Father (YHWH) has given him authority and power over everything including the angels; but, Colossians 1:16-19, "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: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 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. 19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;" (AV), and the Bible reaffirms the Father (YHWH) was pleased to let "in him should all fullness dwell." In 1 Corinthians 15:22-28, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." (AV), testifies that God (YHWH) had given his Son, Jesus (Yeshua) over all except himself when the scripture says "it is manifest that he is excepted." Thus these scriptures clearly show that Jesus (Yeshua) and his Father (YHWH) are two separate beings; one having always existed and having created the other as his only begotten Son.
Of this scripture, Philippians 2:6, "The Wycliffe Bible Commentary," says, 'Being in the form of God (AV). Better, through in his pre-incarnate state he possessed the essential qualities of God, he did not consider his status of divine equality a prize to be selfishly hoarded (taking harpagnos passively). 'Morphe', form, in verse 6 and 7 denotes a permanent expression of essential attributes; while 'schema', fashion, refers to outward appearance that is subject to change." ["The Wycliffe Bible Commentary," edited by Charles F. Pfeiffer (OT) and Everett F. Harrison (NT), published by Moody Press, a div. Of Moody Bible Institute of Chicago].
Thus we can see Jesus (Yeshua) was a separate individual from his Father (YHWH), but was completely loyal and obedient to him. He, Jesus (Yeshua) stated at John 14:28, "Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I." (AV); Clearly if Jesus (Yeshua) said " for my Father is greater than I" we should believe him. He further reaffirmed this at John 5:19, "Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." (AV). And the scripture continues on, John 5:20, "For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel." (AV), so much so as to show him, Jesus (Yeshua) greater works.
Also, another Bible scholar, Barton W. Johnson, said, "Who, being in the form of God. He refers to the state of our Savior before he took human form. His form was divine. "He had a glory with the father before the world was." See John 1:1; 2 Cor. 4:4; Heb. 1:3, etc. Thought it not robbery to be equal with God. The Revision says, "Counted it not a prize." The meaning is not entirely clear, but probably is that "Having a form of glory like God, he did not count it a prize which must be clung to tenaciously, especially when he appeared upon the earth, that he should be equal with God, that is, appear in a divine form, but was willing to lay aside his glory and make himself a servant." [source - Johnson, Barton W. "Commentary on Philippians 2". "People's New Testament". 1891].
VERSE 7 - AN EXPLANATION:
Seems clear enough, but look at verse 7 "7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" which many do NOT understand that all this verse refers to is that Jesus (Yeshua) Christ gave up his heavenly forum and permitted his Father, God (YHWH) to put his life force into a virgin women on earth as recorded at Matthew 1:18-25, "Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; 19 and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; 21 she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus." (RSV). Strangely this fact from the Bible was even copied by Muhammad into the Quran, Sura 3:47, "She said, "My Lord, how can I have a son, when no man has touched me?" He said, "GOD thus creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He simply says to it, `Be,' and it is." (the Quran).
Another Bible Scholar, Theodore Beza, said, "(g) He brought himself from all things, as it were to nothing.
(h) By taking our manhood upon him.' [source - Beza, Theodore. "Commentary on Philippians 2". "The 1599 Geneva Study Bible". 1600-1645]
Yet another, Barton W. Johnson, said, "Emptied himself. Of the divine form and glory, and took the form of a servant, of our own race, a race whose duty it is to serve God. The divine glory was exchanged for human lowliness." [source - Johnson, Barton W. "Commentary on Philippians 2". "People's New Testament". 1891].
TECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF PHILIPPIANS 2:5-7:
Here is a technical analysis of Philippians 2:5-7 from Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament.
Verse 5
Have this mind in you (touto proneite en umin). "Keep on thinking this in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (o kai en Cristwi Ihsou). What is that? Humility. Paul presents Jesus as the supreme example of humility. He urges humility on the Philippians as the only way to secure unity.
Verse 6
Being (uparcwn). Rather, "existing," present active participle of uparcw. In the form of God (en morph qeou). Morph means the essential attributes as shown in the form. In his preincarnate state Christ possessed the attributes of God and so appeared to those in heaven who saw him. Here is a clear statement by Paul of the deity of Christ. A prize (arpagmon). Predicate accusative with hghsato. Originally words in -moß signified the act, not the result (-ma). The few examples of arpagmoß (Plutarch, etc.) allow it to be understood as equivalent to arpagma, like baptismoß and baptisma. That is to say Paul means a prize to be held on to rather than something to be won ("robbery"). To be on an equality with God (to einai isa qeoi). Accusative articular infinitive object of hghsato, "the being equal with God" (associative instrumental case qewi after isa). Isa is adverbial use of neuter plural with einai as in Revelation 21:16. Emptied himself (eauton ekenwse). First aorist active indicative of kenow, old verb from kenoß, empty. Of what did Christ empty himself? Not of his divine nature. That was impossible. He continued to be the Son of God. There has arisen a great controversy on this word, a Kenosiß doctrine. Undoubtedly Christ gave up his environment of glory. He took upon himself limitations of place (space) and of knowledge and of power, though still on earth retaining more of these than any mere man. It is here that men should show restraint and modesty, though it is hard to believe that Jesus limited himself by error of knowledge and certainly not by error of conduct. He was without sin, though tempted as we are. "He stripped himself of the insignia of majesty" (Lightfoot).
Verse 7
The form of a servant (morphn doulou). He took the characteristic attributes (morphn as in verse Revelation 6) of a slave. His humanity was as real as his deity. In the likeness of men (en omoiwmati anqrwpwn). It was a likeness, but a real likeness (Kennedy), no mere phantom humanity as the Docetic Gnostics held. Note the difference in tense between uparcwn (eternal existence in the morph of God) and genomenoß (second aorist middle participle of ginomai, becoming, definite entrance in time upon his humanity).[source - Home > Commentaries > Robertson's Word Pictures > Philippians >
Chapter 2 > Verse 7 [source - Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament, Broadman Press 1932,33]
CONCLUSION:
In the above discourse we have dealt with the fact that the Son of God (YHWH), Jesus (Yeshua) Christ having shown his humility and obedience to his Father, Almighty God (YHWH) - Creator of all that exist. Thou Jesus (Yeshua) Christ existed in the form of God (YHWH) - was the first created spirit being by his Father (YHWH), i.e., the beloved only begotten Son , he willfully submitted to his Father's (YHWH's) will and did NOT try and usurp his Father's (YHWH's) position as did another spirit son of God (YHWH), namely the covering Cherub, Satan, who became the Devil. This obedient beloved only begotten Son of God - the first of creation per Colossians 1:15, "He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation;" (RSV), as pointed out previously, humbly permitted - or emptied - himself to his Father's (YHWH's) will and willfully let his Father (YHWH) put his life force into the womb of a virgin human woman, Mary to be born as a human being. A fact acknowledged in both the Bible and in the Quran. Yet some misguided ones seek to give all kinds of twist to Philippians 2:5-7 and turn it in to a mystery to support human myths, legends, and agendas in keeping with what the Bible denounces at 2 Corinthians 4:4, "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God." (RSV).
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE, ITS MESSAGE, AND RELIGION AT WWW.JW.ORG
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Re: Scripture of the Day
COMBINATION OF THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND THE RARE FRUIT TREES AND VEGETABLES. With the Scripture of the Day first.
SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [Tuesday]
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. Matthew 5:27 – 29, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
Here Jesus (Yeshua) was showing that we should NOT even take the first step towards sin; not that we should literally rip out the eye. He used this in an illustrative way to show we should stay clear of any path that could led to sin such as viewing phonographic, or violent pictures and video. To wit, we should avoid putting ourselves in positions leading to taking the first step toward sinning.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT RELIGION AND THE BIBLE, GO TO,
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2)
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4)
5)
6)
7)
To enjoy an online Bible study called “Follow the Christ” go to,
Your Friend in Christ Iris89
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth. "Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to WWW.JW.ORG!
THE RARE FRUIT TREES AND VEGETABLES:
Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Crataegus opaca, Mayhaw
Abundance: uncommon
What: ripe fruit
How: raw (tart), preserves, tea
Where: woods, swamps, landscaping, abandoned areas
When: spring
Nutritional Value: very high in vitamin C and minerals
Look for Mayhaw shrubs/small trees in the nastiest swamps you can find for those will have the best-tasting fruit. They like moist, somewhat acid soils. The Big Thicket area of Texas is their ideal habitat. Mayhaws lose their leaves in the fall and remain mostly leafless even when their flowers appear in mid-winter. Being one of the many Crataegus species, their blooms and fruit resemble apples, another family member. The fruit is bright red when ripe but the flesh is soft like a plum. The seeds are tiny.
Mayhaw fruit has a wonderful tart-sweet flavor and Mayhaw jelly is a very popular treat here in Texas. The fruit are high in pectin so the jelly usually doesn't need additional pectin but if possible try a small batch first to confirm this for your fruit. The darker the fruit the more tart it will taste, which most people prefer for making jelly.
The chopped, dried fruit can be used to make a tea in the same manner as rose hip tea. The Mayhaw fruit are high in vitamin C so this tea is very nutritious. [sourc - retrieved from on 1/4/2016]
In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to www.jw.org].
View the plant at
To know more about the Bible and religion, go to:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
To enjoy an online Bible study called “Follow the Christ” go to,
Your Friend in Christ Iris89
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth. "Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE, ITS MESSAGE FOR MANKIND AT WWW.JW.ORG
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Re: Scripture of the Day
COMBINATION OF THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND THE RARE FRUIT TREES AND VEGETABLES. With the Scripture of the Day first.
SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [Tuesday]
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. Matthew 5:27 – 29, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
Here Jesus (Yeshua) was showing that we should NOT even take the first step towards sin; not that we should literally rip out the eye. He used this in an illustrative way to show we should stay clear of any path that could led to sin such as viewing phonographic, or violent pictures and video. To wit, we should avoid putting ourselves in positions leading to taking the first step toward sinning.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT RELIGION AND THE BIBLE, GO TO,
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
To enjoy an online Bible study called “Follow the Christ” go to,
Your Friend in Christ Iris89
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth. "Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to WWW.JW.ORG!
THE RARE FRUIT TREES AND VEGETABLES:
Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Crataegus opaca, Mayhaw
Abundance: uncommon
What: ripe fruit
How: raw (tart), preserves, tea
Where: woods, swamps, landscaping, abandoned areas
When: spring
Nutritional Value: very high in vitamin C and minerals
Look for Mayhaw shrubs/small trees in the nastiest swamps you can find for those will have the best-tasting fruit. They like moist, somewhat acid soils. The Big Thicket area of Texas is their ideal habitat. Mayhaws lose their leaves in the fall and remain mostly leafless even when their flowers appear in mid-winter. Being one of the many Crataegus species, their blooms and fruit resemble apples, another family member. The fruit is bright red when ripe but the flesh is soft like a plum. The seeds are tiny.
Mayhaw fruit has a wonderful tart-sweet flavor and Mayhaw jelly is a very popular treat here in Texas. The fruit are high in pectin so the jelly usually doesn't need additional pectin but if possible try a small batch first to confirm this for your fruit. The darker the fruit the more tart it will taste, which most people prefer for making jelly.
The chopped, dried fruit can be used to make a tea in the same manner as rose hip tea. The Mayhaw fruit are high in vitamin C so this tea is very nutritious. [sourc - retrieved from on 1/4/2016]
In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to www.jw.org].
View the plant at
To know more about the Bible and religion, go to:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
To enjoy an online Bible study called “Follow the Christ” go to,
Your Friend in Christ Iris89
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth. "Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE, ITS MESSAGE FOR MANKIND AT WWW.JW.ORG
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Re: Scripture of the Day
COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] Discourse on False Teachers - in Brief . With the Scripture of the Day first.
[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [WEDNESDAY]
And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. Luke 10:27, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
Yes, we must obey Almighty God (YHWH) rules and regulations given in the Bible as a series of principles, and not detailed dos and don’t. For example nothing is mentioned in the Bible against the use of dangerous drugs, smoking, over drinking of alcoholic drinks, etc., but a general principle is stated at Romans 12:1 – 2, [AV] “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Clearly showing we should look after our bodies that He has given us, and not abuse them with dangerous substances or immoderation.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT RELIGION AND THE BIBLE, GO TO,
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
To enjoy an online Bible study called “Follow the Christ” go to,
Your Friend in Christ Iris89
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth. "Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to WWW.JW.ORG!
[2] Discourse on False Teachers - in Brief:
INTRODUCTION
In the last days, false teachers will abound per 2 Peter 2:1, "But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction." (American Standard Version; ASV).
As all with an open mind and reasonable reasoning ability can CLEARLY SEE that what false teachers are representing as fact is NOT FACT but deeply flawed reasoning. The modus operandi of the false teachers is as follows.
The false teacher works to confuse others by throwing in a factually true statement and then a FALSE STATEMENT in an effort to deceive all first with the true statement,
"Here is a thought: No created being can ever be equal to God. No created being can ever be equal to God!" Which is a factually true statement, but look at the deceptive and FALSE STATEMENT of false teachers which follows in which they wrongly try to deceive. " It is the contention of some that Jesus is a created being. [[then they lead off with]]"They are mistaken."
Usually the false teacher then alleges that the person stating what the Bible says is wrong. However, Jesus (Yeshua) clearly said at John 17:1-26 , "1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. 6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. 11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. 12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. 20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them." (AV). Where Jesus (Yeshua) clearly identifies himself as a sent one, sent by his Father, Almighty God (YHWH), and prays to his Father (YHWH) to have his former position back, and for the followers his Father (YHWH) has given him. In fact here we have two possible analogies, one true and one false, let's investigate by use of analogies to assist the reasoning process,
Analogy #1: I have two (right & left) true hands. I make the statement concering my right hand, "you, the true hand."
The statement in this analogy is correct since it does not limit my other hand from being true also.
Analogy #2. I have two (right & left) true hands. I make the statement conerning my right hand, "you, the only true hand."
The statement in this analogy is incorrect since the other hand is also true.
Now, taking analogy #2 and applying it to John 17:3, we either have Jesus (Yeshua) being a liar or Jesus (Yeshua) not being the true God.
Hebrews 6:18, "That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:" (AV).
GOD (YHWH) CAN NOT LIE:
God cannot lie. So, if Jesus (Yeshua) lied he is not God.
Hebrews 4:14-15, " Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." (AV).
And at Colossians 1:12-16 it clearly says of Jesus (Yeshua), the Son of God (YHWH), " Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 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:" (AV) a scripture clearly showing him as "the firstborn of every creature:" [see last part of verse 15 above].
Also, at John 10:25-38, "Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. 26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and my Father are one. 31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? 33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. 34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? 35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; 36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? 37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. 38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him." (AV). Now here Jesus (Yeshua) clearly said in verse 36, "I am the Son of God" to the Jews false accusation at verse 33, "The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God." Now either Jesus (Yeshua) lied when he was the Son of God (YHWH) if he were really God (YHWH) or he told the truth that he was the Son of God (YHWH) and NOT God (YHWH). Remember Hebrews 6:18 that it is impossible for God (YHWH) to lie.
Last, many false teachers ask a question that shows, to the observant and open minded, that they have NOT been telling the true facts. Such as, "To whom was God speaking when He said, 'Let us create man in our image?'" By now it should be obvious, to all observant ones, that he was speaking to his Son, the first of creation per Colossians 1:15 previously quoted. This becomes very apparent when we read Colossians 1:16-19 which says, "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: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 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. 19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;" (AV); and especially so in light of what Colossians 1:15 says, previously quoted, but here presented so as to assist all, "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:" (AV).
Last, the false teachers will make a misleading false assurance, such as, "I assure you he was not speaking to any created being." However, by this time all can see just how FALSE AND MISLEADING this assurance is. Worth about as much as a used car's salesman assurance that only a little old lady drove the car and never went very far when the odometer says 250,000 miles.
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Re: Scripture of the Day
COMBINATION OF[1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] Here is a brief abstract on a number of popular English Bibles. With the Scripture of the Day first.
[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [Thursday]
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5 – 6, [authorized King James Bible; AV]
Trust is an important part of the fabric of life, unfortunately many individuals are NOT trustworthy. However, Almighty God (YHWH), the Creator of heaven and earth is by comparison completely trustworthy. We should throw our burdens on Him, and to Him alone should we direct our prayers as shown by His Son as xhown at Matthew 4:10, [AV] “Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”
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[2] Here is a brief abstract on a number of popular English Bibles:
NEW AMERICAN BIBLE (NAB)
Catholic. A translation from the original languages by a group of
Roman Catholic scholars done in the 1970s and revised in the 1980s.
Also includes helpful reading notes. A good study Bible.
NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE (NASB)
In 1901 the American Standard Version was produce by American
Protestants who reworked the Revised Version (not the RSV), which
was a revision of the KJV done by British Scholars on the basis of
available mss. It used readings preferred by the Americans and
with "American" English and weights and measures. In 1963/71 a
conservative revision of this became the NASB. They used the most up
to date critical editions of the biblical texts and attempted to be
as literal as possible in terms of translation and sentence
structure. A good Bible for close textual study.
CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH BIBLE (CEV)
A rendering of the intent of the Hebrew and Greek text published in
1995 by the American Bible Society. It uses inclusive gender
language and is sensitive to concerns over Jewish sensitivities.
There is some controversy over this version's claim to contain no
anti-Judaism since there are biblical texts which seem, in the
original, to express such sentiments. The interpretive translation
strategy eliminates these and sometimes masks the language of the
original writer. Although this is done to help modern readers avoid
drawing wrong inferences about Judaism, this version is sometimes
less of a translation and more of a commentary (see further Bible
Review 12/5 (Oct 1996) 42-43). A readable version but should be used
with caution and checked against other versions.
NEW ENGLISH BIBLE (NEB)
British Protestant churches set out to produce a completely new
translation of the Bible, based on the Greek text, under the general
directorship of C.H. Dodd (1961/70). It shows excellent scholarship
and vigorous modern British style. The translators had access to all
the important Greek mss, including the major codices. It has
recently undergone a thorough revision. It is good for general
reading but is not literal enough for detailed study. Now revised as
the REVISED ENGLISH BIBLE (REB).
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV)
Evangelical. A translation of recent critical editions of the
biblical texts by conservative, protestant biblical scholars done in
1973/78. It is based on a dynamic equivalence model and thus the
text is very readable. It is recommended for reading large blocks of
material. There is also a New International Readers Version (NIrV)
which is for readers of English as a second language. In England a
gender inclusive language edition was produced but has generally not
caught on as well as the original NIV. In North America attempts are
now being made to resurrect an earlier project that would produce a
gender inclusive language edition of the NIV, although it continues
to be controversial among the conservative evangelical community.
The New Testament has been completed and is published as "Todays New
International Version" (TNIV).
JERUSALEM BIBLE (JB)
Catholic. Originally a French translation of the original languages.
The English translation of the French was checked against the
original languages, but sometimes the French is followed more
closely than the original languages. It includes an abbreviated form
of the original French notes. Although the English is a translation
of a translation, it is still thought to have captured well the
sense of the original. It is good for study and reading purposes.
NEW JERUSALEM BIBLE (NJB)
Catholic. Published in 1985, it is a completely new translation into
English of the original Hebrew and Greek text of the Bible. It is a
more literal translation than the original JB. The introductions and
notes are revised and expanded to take account of recent advances in
scholarship. Where some aspect of an interpretation of a text is
involved in the translation, the interpretation chosen by the
editors of the JB has generally been followed by the NJB. It
reflects consistency in translation of similar synoptic passages and
in using the same English word for a particular Greek or Hebrew
word. Primarily a study Bible but it also reads well.
KING JAMES VERSION (KJV) or (AV)
Also called the Authorized version, this text dates from 1611. It is
a revision of the Bishop's Bible (which was somewhat based on the
original languages) by a commission appointed by King James I. It
was favourably received by the authorities and authorized to be read
in the churches. It has had an important influence on English
literature. However, it is based on III CE (or later) Byzantine
Greek texts, which have subsequently proven to be fairly unreliable
from a text critical perspective. The New King James Version (NKJV)
updates the language of the KJV while preserving its basic literary
structure. There is also The 21st Century King James Version (KJ21).
None of these versions are recommended for study purposes.
THE NEW WORLD TRANSLATION (NWT)
A modern literal translation wherein the translators have tried to be consistent regard to rendering ancient words the same for every instance of their occurrence. Few liberties were taken and the only deviance
was when the peculiar usage required a different rendering in
English to adequately capture what the original writer writing in his
own language was obviously trying to convey. It is recommended for
reading large blocks of material. The translators made use of a wide
variety of ancient manuscripts, codices, scrolls, and fragments of both to
ensure accuracy. The translators have been very diligent in trying
to not mask the language of the original writer. It shows excellent
scholarship and a complete lack of the normal translational biases
found in many Bibles.
THE LIVING BIBLE (TLB)
Fundamentalist. A paraphrase of the Bible done by one man, Kenneth
Taylor, between 1962 and 1970. His sources were the English versions
of the Bible available to him. He took many liberties in his
modernization of the English text which often alters and distorts
the biblical message. It has a fundamentalist theological bias and
betrays a certain anti-semitism in places. Although it is a very
popular version is not recommended at all for study or general
reading.
NEW LIVING TRANSLATION (NLT)
Conservative Evangelical. A new translation (1996) of the original
languages based on a dynamic equivalence model done by a large group
of American evangelical scholars. Although marketed as a revision of
the Living Bible (to capitalize on the earlier version's popularity)
it represents a fresh, easy to read translation. It is better used
for reading large amounts at a time than for detailed study of a
text.
THE MESSAGE
A paraphrase of the New Testament that seeks to capture the
expressiveness of the original languages.
REVISED STANDARD VERSION (RSV)
Commissioned in 1937 an authorized by the National Council of
Churches, this American work is the best of various attempts to
revise of the KJV (published 1946/52). It stays faithful to the KJV
where possible, but uses modern scholarship and a good sense of
English. Its two problems are that its loyalty to the KJV prevents
the full play of modern critical knowledge and it retains
much "Bible English." It was able to employ better Greek mss than
its predecessor, particularly some that are both early and
important. It is a fairly literal translation and thus good for
study purposes.
NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION (NRSV)
True to its name, this is a revision of the RSV, taking full account
of the most recent papyrological finds. The committee of scholars
was able to break free from adherence to the KJV. It attempts to use
inclusive gender language. It is somewhat quirky in its translation
in a few places but generally it is a good choice for reading and
study.
TODAY'S ENGLISH VERSION (TEV)
= GOOD NEWS BIBLE (GNB)
Published in the 1960-70s by the United Bible Societies. A
translation of the original texts which does not use the traditional
vocabulary and style found in English versions but "attempts in this
century to set forth the Biblical content and message in standard,
everyday form of English." A few "cultural" or "historical" notes
are supplied to explain aspects of the texts. Available with or
without the Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha. In some editions line
drawings attempt to illustrate various aspects of the text. In 1990
a revised edition was published which attempted to use inclusive
language and correct passages in which the translation was seen to
be problematic or insensitive from either a stylistic or an
exegetical point of view. Good for general reading and to supplement
more literal translations for Bible study.
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Re: Scripture of the Day
PART 2
Interesting scripture in that it is translated many ways, but to understand it, we need to look at it in context. Let's look at what follows in the Authorized King James Bible, Philippians 2:7-11, "But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion F7 as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (AV). Here we see that he was an obedient Son to his Father (YHWH). He also, "and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death," and for being obedient, His Father (YHWH) has, "highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name." But the real key is "and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Clearly Philippians 2:11 shows that God (YHWH) was very proud of his Son, Jesus (Yeshua), and counted praise given to his Son, Jesus (Yeshua), as glory being given to him. Rightly so, since he, Jesus (Yeshua) was his only begotten, as shown at Colossians 1:15, "For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;" He, God (YHWH) created him in his image in that he gave him some of his power and his attributes. This was also testified to at Revelations 3:14, "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;" which shows him as the first of God's (YHWH's) creation. In fact, when Jesus (Yeshua) was ascending to be with his Father in heaven, he prayed, as recorded in John 17:5, "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." (AV). Showing he was returning to where he had been before with his Father (YHWH), see John 6:62, "What then if you should behold the Son of Man ascending where He was before?" (NASB-MP). Once returned to heaven, God's (YHWH's) Son, Jesus (Yeshua) is, 1 Peter 3:22, "Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him" (AV)..
As we note in this scripture, his Father (YHWH) has given him authority and power over everything including the angels; but, Colossians 1:16-19, "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: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 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. 19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;" (AV), and the Bible reaffirms the Father (YHWH) was pleased to let "in him should all fullness dwell." In 1 Corinthians 15:22-28, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." (AV), testifies that God (YHWH) had given his Son, Jesus (Yeshua) over all except himself when the scripture says "it is manifest that he is excepted." Thus these scriptures clearly show that Jesus (Yeshua) and his Father (YHWH) are two separate beings; one having always existed and having created the other as his only begotten Son.
Of this scripture, Philippians 2:6, "The Wycliffe Bible Commentary," says, 'Being in the form of God (AV). Better, through in his pre-incarnate state he possessed the essential qualities of God, he did not consider his status of divine equality a prize to be selfishly hoarded (taking harpagnos passively). 'Morphe', form, in verse 6 and 7 denotes a permanent expression of essential attributes; while 'schema', fashion, refers to outward appearance that is subject to change." ["The Wycliffe Bible Commentary," edited by Charles F. Pfeiffer (OT) and Everett F. Harrison (NT), published by Moody Press, a div. Of Moody Bible Institute of Chicago].
Thus we can see Jesus (Yeshua) was a separate individual from his Father (YHWH), but was completely loyal and obedient to him. He, Jesus (Yeshua) stated at John 14:28, "Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I." (AV); Clearly if Jesus (Yeshua) said " for my Father is greater than I" we should believe him. He further reaffirmed this at John 5:19, "Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." (AV). And the scripture continues on, John 5:20, "For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel." (AV), so much so as to show him, Jesus (Yeshua) greater works.
Also, another Bible scholar, Barton W. Johnson, said, "Who, being in the form of God. He refers to the state of our Savior before he took human form. His form was divine. "He had a glory with the father before the world was." See John 1:1; 2 Cor. 4:4; Heb. 1:3, etc. Thought it not robbery to be equal with God. The Revision says, "Counted it not a prize." The meaning is not entirely clear, but probably is that "Having a form of glory like God, he did not count it a prize which must be clung to tenaciously, especially when he appeared upon the earth, that he should be equal with God, that is, appear in a divine form, but was willing to lay aside his glory and make himself a servant." [source - Johnson, Barton W. "Commentary on Philippians 2". "People's New Testament". 1891].
VERSE 7 - AN EXPLANATION:
Seems clear enough, but look at verse 7 "7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" which many do NOT understand that all this verse refers to is that Jesus (Yeshua) Christ gave up his heavenly forum and permitted his Father, God (YHWH) to put his life force into a virgin women on earth as recorded at Matthew 1:18-25, "Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; 19 and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; 21 she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus." (RSV). Strangely this fact from the Bible was even copied by Muhammad into the Quran, Sura 3:47, "She said, "My Lord, how can I have a son, when no man has touched me?" He said, "GOD thus creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He simply says to it, `Be,' and it is." (the Quran).
Another Bible Scholar, Theodore Beza, said, "(g) He brought himself from all things, as it were to nothing.
(h) By taking our manhood upon him.' [source - Beza, Theodore. "Commentary on Philippians 2". "The 1599 Geneva Study Bible". 1600-1645]
Yet another, Barton W. Johnson, said, "Emptied himself. Of the divine form and glory, and took the form of a servant, of our own race, a race whose duty it is to serve God. The divine glory was exchanged for human lowliness." [source - Johnson, Barton W. "Commentary on Philippians 2". "People's New Testament". 1891].
TECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF PHILIPPIANS 2:5-7:
Here is a technical analysis of Philippians 2:5-7 from Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament.
Verse 5
Have this mind in you (touto proneite en umin). "Keep on thinking this in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (o kai en Cristwi Ihsou). What is that? Humility. Paul presents Jesus as the supreme example of humility. He urges humility on the Philippians as the only way to secure unity.
Verse 6
Being (uparcwn). Rather, "existing," present active participle of uparcw. In the form of God (en morph qeou). Morph means the essential attributes as shown in the form. In his preincarnate state Christ possessed the attributes of God and so appeared to those in heaven who saw him. Here is a clear statement by Paul of the deity of Christ. A prize (arpagmon). Predicate accusative with hghsato. Originally words in -moß signified the act, not the result (-ma). The few examples of arpagmoß (Plutarch, etc.) allow it to be understood as equivalent to arpagma, like baptismoß and baptisma. That is to say Paul means a prize to be held on to rather than something to be won ("robbery"). To be on an equality with God (to einai isa qeoi). Accusative articular infinitive object of hghsato, "the being equal with God" (associative instrumental case qewi after isa). Isa is adverbial use of neuter plural with einai as in Revelation 21:16. Emptied himself (eauton ekenwse). First aorist active indicative of kenow, old verb from kenoß, empty. Of what did Christ empty himself? Not of his divine nature. That was impossible. He continued to be the Son of God. There has arisen a great controversy on this word, a Kenosiß doctrine. Undoubtedly Christ gave up his environment of glory. He took upon himself limitations of place (space) and of knowledge and of power, though still on earth retaining more of these than any mere man. It is here that men should show restraint and modesty, though it is hard to believe that Jesus limited himself by error of knowledge and certainly not by error of conduct. He was without sin, though tempted as we are. "He stripped himself of the insignia of majesty" (Lightfoot).
Verse 7
The form of a servant (morphn doulou). He took the characteristic attributes (morphn as in verse Revelation 6) of a slave. His humanity was as real as his deity. In the likeness of men (en omoiwmati anqrwpwn). It was a likeness, but a real likeness (Kennedy), no mere phantom humanity as the Docetic Gnostics held. Note the difference in tense between uparcwn (eternal existence in the morph of God) and genomenoß (second aorist middle participle of ginomai, becoming, definite entrance in time upon his humanity).[source - Home > Commentaries > Robertson's Word Pictures > Philippians >
Chapter 2 > Verse 7 [source - Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament, Broadman Press 1932,33]
CONCLUSION:
In the above discourse we have dealt with the fact that the Son of God (YHWH), Jesus (Yeshua) Christ having shown his humility and obedience to his Father, Almighty God (YHWH) - Creator of all that exist. Thou Jesus (Yeshua) Christ existed in the form of God (YHWH) - was the first created spirit being by his Father (YHWH), i.e., the beloved only begotten Son , he willfully submitted to his Father's (YHWH's) will and did NOT try and usurp his Father's (YHWH's) position as did another spirit son of God (YHWH), namely the covering Cherub, Satan, who became the Devil. This obedient beloved only begotten Son of God - the first of creation per Colossians 1:15, "He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation;" (RSV), as pointed out previously, humbly permitted - or emptied - himself to his Father's (YHWH's) will and willfully let his Father (YHWH) put his life force into the womb of a virgin human woman, Mary to be born as a human being. A fact acknowledged in both the Bible and in the Quran. Yet some misguided ones seek to give all kinds of twist to Philippians 2:5-7 and turn it in to a mystery to support human myths, legends, and agendas in keeping with what the Bible denounces at 2 Corinthians 4:4, "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God." (RSV).
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