Christian Study

Let’s look at the example of Moses and Israel before the mountain after leaving Egypt. God proposed marriage to the people. When the people returned the answer of

Exodus 19:8 “All that Yahweh has spoken we will do.”

Yahweh God told Moses to

Exodus 19:10″Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes.”

In like manner when one becomes a Christian they become a bride in waiting for the bridegroom, Christ. How does one consecrate themselves and wash away sin?

Acts 22:16 “And now what should you do? Arise to be immersed and wash away your sins, being called by His Name.”

Romans 6:3-4 “Or don’t you know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?We were buried therefore with him through baptism to death, that just like Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life”.

Some churches teach that the musical instrument was never used during the early years of the church. They use two scriptures that they believe promote this idea. The Greek text is very important in this matter. You can look up these verses in your Bible, but here are the two verses with every major word replaced with Strong’s Concordance definitions.

Ephesians 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in a set piece of music or sacred ode (accompanied with the voice, harp or other instrument; a “psalm”) and celebrate or sing non-carnal songs, singing and playing on a stringed instrument in your heart to the Lord;

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of the anointed inhabit in you copiously in all wisdom; teaching (learning) and putting in mind (caution or reprove gently) one another a set piece of music, that is, a sacred ode (accompanied with the voice, harp or other instrument; a “psalm”) and celebrate non-carnal songs, singing with graciousness in your hearts to the Lord.

A bit extreme perhaps, but as you can see the Greek does not support the concept that musical instruments are a sin to use. It is also never found in any list of sins.

James 5:13 Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing psalms (play on a stringed instrument).

The English word Adoption is found five times in the New Testament in Romans 8:15, 8:23, 9:4, Galatians 4:5 and Ephesians 1:5. However the Greek word for adoption is not in the New Testament.

What is found is a word that means “placement of sons”. That is placement of those who are already sons. The idea has to do with coming of age. The word was used to denote one who was ready to inherit what he was already due to receive. He was a natural born son.

The use of the English word adoption is misleading. It is not about other people who are not natural genetic sons becoming sons. Romans 9:4 can not be spiritualized.

Romans 9:4 “those who are Israelites, whose is the position of sons, and the honor, and the covenants, and the legislation, and the service, and the promises”.

The phrase “First Day of the Week” should not be found in new testament. It is not in the Greek. In the Greek text what is found is “mia ton Sabbaton”, “First of Sabbaths”. Here is Matthew 28:1 with Strong’s numbers.

“In the end(G1161 G3796) of the sabbath(G4521), as it began to dawn(G2020 G5723) toward(G1519) the first(G3391) day of the week(G4521)“

Notice the Strong’s number G4521 after the words Sabbath and week. G4521 is the Greek word Sabbaton. So the verse should read as follows:

“Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn on the first of Sabbaths, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.”

First of Sabbaths is a specific Sabbath in the Spring of the year. Note that every time you see the phrase “first day of the week” in your translation it was or was about to be Spring. Sabbath is also hidden behind the word rest in Hebrews 4:9.

Christianity is not dualistic.

It’s not faith vs works An active faith leads one to do good works.

It’s not Law vs grace, but law with grace as grace can not exist with out Law.

It’s not flesh vs spirit. The flesh is not evil, but can be used by the spirit to do good or evil.

It’s not the Father vs the Son. The Father and Son are one. If you don’t worship the Son you don’t have the Father or the Son.

Look to the Greek and Hebrew text for the exact meaning of scripture. Some interesting truth is found in the Greek root words. The English in some places does not represent a reliable translation. In a few places the English says the opposite of the Greek and Hebrew. In the Greek and Hebrew there is agreement between the old and new testaments in both doctrine and faith. God did not change His morals, His Law or His people.

Strong and Thayer did the best they could based on what they had available. Strong and Thayer did their work ten years before the Koine Greek was known. Here are a few examples of when Strong was guessing.

• Of uncertain derivation
• Probably akin to
• From a presumed compound of
• Of uncertain affinity
• Probably from

Watch for those and a few others. Read Strong’s instructions. Any word after :– is not a part of the definition. The first word is the most reliable with the last word the most “radical”.

The parables are not just nice stories to teach a moral lesson. The Prodigal Son represents the ten tribed house of Israel, the other son is the house of Judah. Obviously the Father is Yahweh God. They were brought back together under one head, Christ. Ephesians chapter 2 is the answer to this as prophesied in Hosea and elsewhere.

One can not be alienated from or reconciled to something they were never a part. Those far were the ten tribes in Greece and Europe. Those near the two tribes. The middle wall of partition was the animosity between the two houses after the national split.

Ephesians 2:12-16, that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition, having abolished in the flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace; and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility thereby.

and

Hosea 1:11 The children of Judah and the children of Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint themselves one head, and will go up from the land; for great will be the day of Jezreel.