I Will Come, You Shall Have A Son

“For this is a word of promise: ‘At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.’ ” Romans 9:9 (NAS)

As the Holy Spirit moved Paul to manifest the superiority of faith versus law, another principle is revealed in our chosen text for the edification, encouragement and equipping of the saints-the promises of God.  We’ve considered other passages in previous installments regarding the promises of God and it seems good to be reminded of these things again in this new year, because, to borrow from a Biblical principle, it is no trouble to write of the same things again, and it’s a safeguard for you (Phil. 3:1). It also allows us to build upon last week’s article concerning one of the themes in the Bible, which is the promised progeny (the seed) to come, the Christ.

A Living Soul or a Life-Giving Spirit?

“So also it is written, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living soul.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” 1 Corinthians 15:45 (NAS)

The Scripture is arranged and written so as to communicate as much information as possible through analogy, metaphor, illustration, parables, comparisons and contrasts. The apostle Paul, as he was moved to pen the latter part of this first letter to the Corinthian church, uses contrast to convey effectively the superiority of what the believer has received in the spiritual realm through God’s perfected plan in the resurrection of Christ Jesus.

Jesus Christ, The Fulfillment of God With Us

“Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us.’ ” Matthew 1:22-23 (NAS)

Two weeks ago we delved into the Apostle Peter’s quote of Isaiah 8:12 and in that study of the context of Isaiah’s utterance and the associated historical background, we brushed briefly upon the prophecy of Immanuel, the promised son to be born. In light of the reason the season is now being celebrated by many in the world, the birth of the promised Child of a virgin, it seems logical to consider this Old Testament quote by the apostle Matthew as found in His gospel account and “flesh” this subject out more completely.

Every Fact Is To Be Confirmed

“But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.”  Matthew 18:16

The Lord Jesus Christ, in preparing the apostles (and eventually the brethren as a whole) on how to conduct discipline in the church which He was going to build (Matt. 16:18), emphasized a critical Old Testament principle that was to be present in the proceedings. The need for at least two to three witnesses and every fact was to be established. Jesus quoted from the book of Deuteronomy, chapter nineteen, verse fifteen which reads, “A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed.”

Do Not Fear, God Is With Us

“And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts” 1 Peter 3:13-15a (NAS)

We’ve been working of late on Old Testament passages cited by the apostle Peter in his first inspired epistle, so once again, we’ll continue down that track.

You Shall Be Holy (Part Three)

“but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;  because it is written, ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.’ ” 1 Peter 1:15-16 (NAS)

Although there are many and varied principles put forth throughout the New Testament that deal with practicing holiness, today we will wrap up our study into the apostle Peter’s quote from the book of Leviticus concerning the LORD’s command for us to “be holy, for I am holy.” (C. f. Lev. 11:44-45, 19:2, 20:26)Again, this divinely directed utterance makes clear the Lord’s predetermined plan for the church was not one of producing forgiven “black-hearted sinners” who would struggle against sin yet succumb again and again, but rather saints (lit. holy ones), those who have the proper faith picture to overcome.

You Shall Be Holy (Part Two)

“but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;  because it is written, ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.’ ” 1 Peter 1:15-16 (NAS)

Ok, we continue our study on the apostle Peter’s inspired use of an Old Testament quote found in the book of Leviticus. As we mentioned last week, there are about five different times in Leviticus that the LORD, through Moses, states that as He is holy, so are the people to be holy. We offered Leviticus 11:44-45 as an example of the passage that most closely reflects the word for word utterance from the mouth of Peter. Take a moment and reread that passage at your convenience and know with confidence that just as the Israelites were delivered from bondage and the dominion of the Egyptians, so God has delivered us from bondage to Satan and his dominion. We’ve been delivered into His protective, holy presence in heaven, acceptable to stand before Him, blameless and without reproach, part of the promised inheritance which will properly motivate us to employ practicing holiness.

You Shall Be Holy (Part One)

“But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.’ ” 1 Peter 1:15-16 (NAS)

We’re return to the apostle Peter’s first epistle to take a look at His initial inspired use of an Old Testament quote. It is one that reaffirms in the New Covenant the principle that as God’s people, we are to be holy as He is holy. Now, there are many in the religious marketplace who would say it is controversial to take this as a plain, straight forward statement given Peter from the throne in heaven, with that exact expectation from the Lord. We’ll discuss that further as we move through our study on this principle found in Peter’s quote. First some background.

Chosen To Excel In Proclaiming His Excellencies (Pt 4)

“But you are A CHOSEN RACE, a royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” 1 Peter 2:9 (NAS)

Today we will close out our series of studies on the Old Testament allusions and quotes cited by the apostle Peter related to our chosen text of 1 Peter 2:9.

Chosen To Excel In Proclaiming His Excellencies (Pt 3)

“But you are A CHOSEN RACE, a royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” 1 Peter 2:9 (NAS)

We continue the study of our text from the inspired pen of the apostle Peter, tilling the rich content of our chosen verse for the Old Testament quotes that are there for our benefit. We are in our third installment on this series dealing with the church being God’s “holy nation”.