Obedient Steps of Faith – BT19:  Faithful obedience & Good Works redefined for New Covenant

 

 

Please follow the BLOG Etiquette to stay on topic and pass the moderator’s check.  Bold, underlined text below = future links to the BLOG pages.

 

This has happened to so many words in the New Testament (NT) because of the more complete revelation of the NT writers in the redemptive plan of God – see Bible Info.  The NT writers purposely use terms Jews are familiar with, but they use them in a completely-different-in-kind way for the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant, and they justify this because many verses say that the OT is but “a copy and/coupled shadow of the heavenly things, of the things to come, but the reality belongs to Christ” (a).  <Notes> a) Colossians 2:17; Hebrews 8:5, 9:23, 10:1; 1 Peter 3:21.

 

Faithfulness is no longer OUR obedience to OT commandments!   The NT’s hupakoe obedience or “hupo beneath another person + akouo to hear/listen-to-understand/know, thus submission to what is akouo heard/listened to” is completely-different-in-kind than the OT obedience, just as the chadash/kainos NEW covenant is by definition “completely-different-in-kind, unprecedented, sharing nothing with its predecessors, unique, and superior.”

 

Faithfulness is NOW an “obedience to The Truth” (a) that we know is Jesus (b), thus “obedience to the Son” (c) or “obedience to Jesus Christ” (d), which is NOW our “obedience to God” (e).  By our “obedience to confessing ‘Jesus Christ is Lord/Master-Owner’ . . . for it is God routinely/habitually ergo ‘working/doing’ in you, both to desire/will and to work over-beyond-in-behalf-of His good pleasure” (f).  It is NOW “obedience to the logos message” (g) that is the same as “obedience to the gospel of Christ or God” (h) – see Logos Word/Message of God.

 

<Notes> a) Romans 2:8; Galatians 5:7; 1 Peter 1:22, b) The Truth:  a typical reference to Christ per John 1:14, 17, 14:6, 8:30-32; 1 John 2:27, 5:20; Ephesians 4:21 or His gospel logos message about Himself: Galatians 2:5, 14; Ephesians 1:13; Colossians 1:5 – see Truth page, c) John 3:36, d) 1 Peter 1:2, 14; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Hebrews 5:9, e) Acts 5:29, 32, f) Philippians 2:11-13, g) 1 Peter 3:1, h) 1 Peter 4:17; Romans 10:16, 15:18-19; 2 Thessalonians 1:8.

 

This is NOW how to “unconditionally-love God and/coupled obey His commandments” (a), which in context is combined into 1 compound commandment by God to “definitively/wholly have trusting-relying-faith in the Son and/coupled ongoingly unconditionally-loving others as Christ unconditionally-loved us” (b) – see Logos Word of God – BT14, even though Paul’s gospel thesis of Romans of “obedience of [singular] Trusting-Relying-Faith” (The Christian Faith) (c) is particularly focused on the unsaved.  It’s all about putting out trusting-relying-faith in “the One Man’s (Christ) obedience that the many will be justified/made-declared-righteous” (d), because “He learned obedience through what He suffered” (e).  <Notes> a) 1 John 5:2, b) 1 John 3:23, 4:21, c) Romans 1:5, 16:26, d) Romans 5:19, e) Hebrews 5:8.

 

But for our holiness/sanctification, it’s also about “presenting yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, thus being slaves of the one whom you obey, either of Sin (personified), which leads to death, or of Obedience (personified as Christ’s Spirit), which leads to righteousness” (f), “serving our Lord Christ, instead of your own appetites . . . for your obedience” (g), even “destroying strongholds, destroying arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the gnosis informational-knowledge of/belonging-to God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, until your obedience is complete” (h).  This is spiritual warfare, not bible-study! <Notes> f) Romans 6:16, g) Romans 16:18-19; cf. 2 Corinthians 7:15; Philemon 1:21, h) 2 Corinthians 10:4-6.

 

In the NT there are only 2 ‘good works’ that we must OBEY and it’s NOT works of the OT Law – see Obedient Steps of Faith – BT1!  These are the very things the Father, the Son, and the indwelling Holy Spirit “causes” us by His own unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace within us to “walk/live in, by, or with” (a).  In Revelation 2:19, the Lord “eido mentally ‘sees’ to perceive/know your ergon ‘doings/works’:  your service/ministry [of] unconditional-love and/coupled hupomone ‘patient-endurance under trials/persecutions’ [of] The-Trusting-Relying-Faith” (The Christian Faith) – that is what the parallel phrases in the Greek translate to.  The prominent use of the definite article “The” is clearly associating trusting-relying-faith as something Christians should specifically and definitely know – The Christian Faith!  Let’s explore “good works” more below. <Notes> a) Ezekiel 36:27; Philippians 2:13; Hebrews 13:21; 1 Corinthians 12:6, 15:10.

 

Clearly “the kalos good works” (a) in mind we are called to do in the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant are simply trusting-relying-faith and/coupled unconditional-love.  That’s why 1 John 3:23 takes these 2 entole officially-decreed, universally-binding commandments and combined them into 1 that God has given us – just 1 – see Logos Word of God – BT14.   Kalos has a broad meaning:  “1) to make beautiful physically or morally, this is distinctly the ‘beauty‘ that comes from harmony or proportional symmetry and thus completeness, or 2) to make excellent in nature or character, thus well adapted for its use, and thus praiseworthy and noble.”  <Notes> a) Matthew 5:16; John 10:32; Acts 9:36; Ephesians 2:10; 1 Timothy 2:10, 5:10, 25, 6:18; Titus 2:7, 14, 3:8, 14; Hebrews 10:24.

 

Paul told his minister-in-training:  “Follow the pattern of the hugianio uncorrupted-healthy-functioning logos messages that you have heard from me – by-the-means-of [singular] trusting-relying-faith and/coupled [singular] unconditional-love that are IN Christ Jesus” (a). <Notes> a) 2 Timothy 1:13.

 

We must obey the preached gospel logos message of trusting-relying-faith in Christ in order to be saved, which is the only way to eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know God and/thus escape the flaming-fire vengeance of God (a) – see Salvation.  We’ve already spoken of the ergon ‘doings/works’ required for salvation – see Obedient Steps of Faith – BT15.  <Notes> a) Romans 1:5, 10:16, 15:18, 16:26; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 Peter 4:17.

 

The first thing that Jesus preaches in Mark 1:15 is that: “You all presently/ongoingly repent and/coupled have trusting-relying-faith in the euaggelion ‘Great News’ gospel.”  This is how we “obey Christ” (a) – by your “submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ” (b).  Regarding the Jews, Peter says:  “The one who is routinely/habitually having trusting-relying-faith shall absolutely-in-possibility-and-in-fact-NOT be put to shame.  Therefore, to you [is] the precious-honor: The Routinely/Habitually Trusting-Relying-Faith.  However, [to those] apisteuo routinely/habitually NOT-having-trusting-relying-faith:  ‘The Stone the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone’ and ‘A Stone of stumbling and a Petra Massive-Bedstone-Rock of offense.”  They stumble because they apeitheo disobey the logos message, as they were destined to do” (c).  <Notes> a) 2 Corinthians 10:5; 1 Peter 1:2, b) 2 Corinthians 9:13, c) 1 Peter 2:6-8 also cites Isaiah 8:14, 8:14, and Psalms 118:22.

 

Similarly Paul says:  “Israel pursued a Law belonging-to righteousness, but eis ‘toward and reaching the goal of’ [that] Law [to attain righteousness] did absolutely-in-fact-NOT attain [it].  Why?  Because [it was] absolutely-in-fact-NOT ek out-from trusting-relying-faith but instead ek out-from works.  They have stumbled over The proskomma lithos Stumbling-Stone” (a).  Concerning this “Stumbling-Stone” Paul says of Jesus:  “To the Jews indeed a skandalon ‘bait-trigger for a bird snare or animal trap, thus a Stumbling-Stone” (b). <Notes> a) Romans 9:31-33, citing the same OT passages as Peter did, b) 1 Corinthians 1:23.

 

Apeithes ‘disobedience to God’ or me aresko ‘displeasing God’ or skandalizo ‘setting off the trigger of a bird snare or animal trap’ resulting in sin or harmartia ‘missing the target’ resulting in sin, like so many other words used by the NT writers, have been redefined from the OT based on the fuller revelation of the gospel – see above on the new definition of “obedience” and also Bible Info.

 

Disobedience is no longer from breaking 1 of the 613 OT Laws, where “every transgression or parakoe ‘disobedience from not having close-beside listening, thus from disinterested, contrary people’ received a just retribution” (a)!  John the Baptist came to “turn . . . the apeithes disobedient . . . to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (b), “for as by the one man’s [Adam] parakoe ‘disobedience from not having close-beside listening’ (c) the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s (Christ) obedience the many will be justified/made-declared-righteous” (d) – this divine exchange on the cross for atonement is called hilasterion, hilasmos, or hilaskomai “propitiation” (e) – see Obedient Steps of Faith – BT14. The devil is “the prince of the exousia delegated-authority of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of apeithes disobedience” (f) that the “wrath of God comes upon” (g). <Notes> a) Hebrews 2:2, b) Luke 1:17, c) Romans 10:21, d) Romans 5:19, e) Respectively:  Romans 3:25; Hebrews 9:5. 1 John 2:2, 4:10. Luke 18:13; Hebrews 2:17, f) Ephesians 2:2, g) Ephesians 5:6.

 

But NOW that Christ has come, “God rested on the 7^th day from all His ergon ‘doings/works’ . . .  Since therefore it remains for some to enter the rest [of God], and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of apeithes disobedience . . . So then, there remains a Sabbath Rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his ergon ‘doings/works’ just as God did from His . . . Let us therefore strive to enter that Rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of apeithes disobedience” (a).  The Sabbath is no longer Saturday nor changed to Sunday as more erroneous “traditions of men” have falsely taught!  Peter explains that Christ was “the Stone rejected by the builders that has become The Cornerstone . . . a Stone of stumbling and a Petra BedRock of offense . . . they stumble at the logos message (preached NT gospel), routinely/habitually being apeithes disobedient, as they were destined to do” (b).  <Notes> a) Hebrews 4:5-6, 9, 10-11, b) 1 Peter 2:7-8.

 

Since NONE of the 613 OT commandments apply to Christians, not even “the sign of circumcision as the seal of the righteousness” from all those ergon ‘doings/works’ under the old covenant Law (a), Paul NOW indicates that only 2 commandments apply to us under the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant:  “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision actually, ongoingly has ischuo ‘inherent human strength/force/power to prevail (b) through trails/resistance’ but instead/only trusting-relying-faith dia thru-the-realizing-channel-of unconditional-love routinely/habitually working” (c).  Both combined together (d) are NOW the only valid [singular] ergon ‘doing/work’ that actually works for Christians!  These are the very things the Father, the Son, and the indwelling Holy Spirit “causes” us by His unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace within us to “walk/live in, by, or with!” (e).

 

<Notes> a) Romans 4:11 per Genesis 17:10-11, cf. Romans 4:6; Galatians 3:10; Titus 3:5, b) not “avail” as 13 bibles incorrectly translate, c) Galatians 5:6, cf. “Law of trusting-relying-faith” in Romans 3:27, cf. John 3:16-18, 36, 40, 6:29, 20:31; 1 John 3:23, 5:10, 13; Acts 18:8, d) 1 John 3:23, e) Ezekiel 36:27; Philippians 2:13; Hebrews 13:21; 1 Corinthians 12:6, 15:10.

 

Many churches teach saving ergon ‘doings/works’ other than trusting-relying-faith or it’s components, and Paul warned of this:  “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from The Trusting-Relying-Faith (The Christian Faith) by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teaching from demons through . . . liars . . . who forbid marriage (a) and require abstinence from foods (b) that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who have trusting-relying-faith and/coupled have already-had [with ongoing results] genuinely, fully, experientially, relationally epiginosko known The Truth” (c), which in the NT always refers to Jesus Christ or His gospel logos message (d).

 

<Notes> a) the Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, b) Trappist monks, Franciscans, Benedictines, Carthusians, Cistercians, Seventh-day Adventists, meat-free celebrations of Lent by Anglicans, Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, and Orthodox denominations, c) 1 Timothy 4:1-3, d) The Truth:  a typical reference to Christ per John 1:14, 17, 14:6, 8:30-32; 1 John 2:27, 5:20; Ephesians 4:21 or His gospel logos message about Himself: Galatians 2:5, 14; Ephesians 1:13; Colossians 1:5 – see Truth page.

 

They are not much different than Jewish teachers of the Law that Paul combatted, so Paul would similarly be writing about them today:  “As I urged you [before] . . . charge certain persons in-possibility-NOT to teach any different doctrine (a), nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies (b), which promote speculations (c) rather than God’s oikonomia redemptive-plan (d) that is by-the-means-of trusting-relying-faith (e).  Certain persons, by swerving from this, have wandered away into vain discussion (f), desiring to be teachers of the Law” (g).  Paul goes on in 1 Timothy 1:8-11 to say they are misapplying the Law to Christians as if they were “ungodly sinners, unholy and profane,” as if Christian behavior would somehow be contrary to “the sound doctrine (h) that is kata down-from/according the gospel of the glory of the blessed God, which I have been entrusted.”

 

<Notes> a) Jesus is our hope 1 Timothy 1:1 by ‘The-trusting-relying-Faith‘ in v. 1:2, and unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace, mercy, and peace are from the Father and/coupled Jesus our Lord, b) all Jewish tendencies, c) the Jewish scribes and Pharisees prided themselves in controversy and debate – see note ‘f’ below, d) household stewardship, management, or administration, e) opposite of works of the Law, f) craving for controversy and quarrels about words – see 1 Timothy 6:4; debate of the scribes – see 1 Corinthians 1:20; plausible arguments – see Colossians 2:4; arguments and lofty opinions against obeying Christ – see 2 Corinthians 10:5, g) 1 Timothy 1:3-7, h) see also 1 Timothy 6:3; 2 Timothy 1:13, 3:10, 4:3, 6; Titus 1:9-10, 13, 2:1-2.

 

No more Old Testament ergon ‘doings/works’ to ergo ‘do/work’ to NOT sin!   NOW “we are God’s poiema workmanship created in Christ Jesus for agathos ‘God-like good’ (a) ergon ‘doings/works’ that God prepared beforehand” (b), for “it is God who ergo ‘does/works’ IN you, both to desire/will and to do/work for His good pleasure” (c).  It is God who empowers all the grace-gifts put IN us, ministry-services to others operating through us, and then energema effectual-workings into others, in order to complete the process to care for the entire Body-of-Christ (d).  God will “equip you with everything beneficial that you may do His will, ergo ‘doing/working’ IN us that which is pleasing in His sight” (e).  Even Paul understood:  “I worked harder than any of them [other apostles], though it was not I, but the unconditionally-loving-favor-of-grace that is with me” (f). “I planted . . . but God gave the growth” (g), “not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God” (h).

 

<Notes> a) ‘good-natured, pleasantly joyful, excellent or distinguished and thus useful, upright, or honorable’, b) Ephesians 2:10, c) Philippians 2:13, d) 1 Corinthians 12:4-25, e) Hebrews 13:21, f) 1 Corinthians 15:10, g) 1 Corinthians 3:6, h) 2 Corinthians 3:5.

 

And so what is sin as harmartia “missing the target” NOW?  Paul declares that NOW:  “Whatever does is absolutely-in-fact-NOT ek out-from [singular] trusting-relying-faith is harmartia sin” (a) for “without trusting-relying-faith it is impossible to euaresteo please God” (b).  And in context this isn’t believing God wants you to have a Mercedes Benz like false-teachers promise you, but the gospel of trusting-relying-faith in Christ as your Savior and Lord (c), the mission of Paul to the Gentiles and the Church in general to call them to “obedience to The-Trusting-Relying-Faith” (d). <Notes> a) Romans 14:23, b) Hebrews 11:6, c) Romans 10:16; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 Peter 4:17, d) Acts 6:7, Romans 1:5, 16:26.

 

So what are the “good works” for Christians (a).  The context has nothing to do with any of the 613 OT commandments!  Christ says of the churches:  “I eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know the ergon works of you:  The unconditional-love [of you] and/coupled the trusting-relying-faith [of you] and [respectively] the service [from the unconditional-love] of you and/coupled the patient-endurance [from the trusting-relying-faith] of you . . . The one who routinely/habitually nike conquers-victoriously (b) and/coupled routinely/habitually carefully tereo ‘watches, guards, attends-to-maintain like a soldier at a his post’ My ergon works to the end, to him I will give authority over the nations . . . even as I myself have received authority from My Father” (c).  <Notes> a) 2 Corinthians 9:8; Philippians 1:6; Colossians 1:10; 2 Thessalonians 2:17; 1 Timothy 5:10; 2 Timothy 2:1, 3:17; Titus 1:16, 3:1, b) officially, authoritatively, set apart on a mission as an apostle, b) nike: “hold fast trusting-relying-faith unto death”, c) Revelation 2:19, 26-27.

 

This must also be consistent with Paul’s “the ergon work of/belonging-to the Lord [Jesus], knowing that in the Lord [Jesus] your extreme weariness/fatigue from labor (a) is not in vain” (b), just as with Paul’s “ergon work of trusting-relying-faith” and “extreme weariness/fatigue from labor (a) of unconditional-love” – these are the distinguishing marks of the Christian (c). <Notes> a) kopos:  deep fatigue or extreme weariness from toiling labor, even as if struck by blows, b) 1 Corinthians 15:58, c) 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 2 Thessalonians 1:3, 11; Colossians 1:4; 1 Timothy 1:14, 4:12.

 

It’s no wonder that 1 John 3:23 integrates “definitively/wholly have trusting-relying-faith in the name/authority of God’s Son Jesus Christ and/coupled ongoingly unconditionally-love one another” as the only 2 NT commandments, the “Law of trusting-relying-faith” (a) and “Law of Christ to carry one another’s burdens” (b) that is Christ’s commandment to “unconditionally-love one another just-as I have unconditionally-loved you” (c), which is “the perfect Law of Freedom/Liberty” [from the slavery of the OT Law] where “mercy triumphs over judgment” (d) – see Logos Word of God – BT14.

 

<Notes> a) Romans 3:27, cf. John 3:16-18, 36, 40, 6:29, 20:31; 1 John 3:23, 5:10, 13; Acts 18:8, b) 1 Corinthians 9:21; Galatians 6:2, c) John 13:34-35, 15:12, 17; 1 John 3:23; Romans 12:10, 13:8; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 3:12, 4:9; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; Hebrews 10:24; 1 Peter 1:22, 4:8, 5:14; 1 John 3:11, 4:7, 11-12; 2 John 1:5-6, d) James 1:25, 2:13.

 

These are certainly the ONLY 2 “good works” of a true Christian!  After all, “Faith and Love” are a coupled 6 times in that order (a) and in reverse in 5 places (b) and otherwise associated in 19 other places (c).  These are the very things the Father, the Son, and the indwelling Holy Spirit “causes” us by His unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace to be within us to “walk/live in, by, or with!” (d).  See Only 2 Commandments page.  <Notes> a) 1 Thessalonians 3:6, 5:8; 1 Timothy 1:14, 2:15; 2 Timothy 1:13, b) Ephesians 6:23; 1 Timothy 4:12; Titus 3:15; Philemon 1:5; Revelations 2:19, c) 1 Corinthians 13:2, 13; 2 Corinthians 8:7; Galatians 2:20, 5:6, 22; Ephesians 1:15, 3:17; Colossians 1:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; 1 Timothy 1:5, 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:22, 3:10; Titus 2:2; James 2:5; 1 John 3:23; Revelation 1:5, d) Ezekiel 36:27; Philippians 2:13; Hebrews 13:21; 1 Corinthians 12:6, 15:10.

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, faithfulness by obedience redefined in New Covenant to faith in Christ’s gospel, Obedience to Jesus is obedience to God, obedience by faith repentance confession water-baptism, Obedience to only 2 commandments or ‘good works’ of faith in Christ and loving one another, Only faith working thru love counts, Obedience to Law of faith and Christ’s Law of love, Faith & Love integrated 30 times, Last days deception adds Laws other than faith and love, Obedience is faith in Christ’s perfect obedience, Obedience to complete our holiness is daily carrying our cross to surrender to Christ’s Spirit for His power, Disobeying God is NOW rejecting Jesus as the Messiah resulting in a curse and death-trap, The Sabbath Rest is NOT a day but faith in Christ’s righteous work to rest from your own, Sin redefined as anything outside of faith