Spirit – Promise – BT2
“The Promise” sure isn’t for more or better “might and power” religion or scripture!
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The Greek word for “promises” is epaggelma in 2 Peter 1:4 regarding the “promises that will enable us to be koinonia partakers in the divine nature.” It is only used here and 2 Peter 3:13 about the “completely different-in-kind New heavens and New earth in which righteousness truly resides that we are waiting for.” However, a similar word epaggelia means “the announcement of what is apt or appropriate, or officially sanctioned promise.” Walter Kaiser notes that “almost every NT use of this word points back to the OT.” Remember that “all the promises of God find their ‘Yes’ in Him” per 2 Corinthians 1:20!
God ‘promised’ Abraham an inheritance of descendants through Isaac to inherit the world (a), but ultimately fulfilled through one descendant Christ (b) because of Abraham’s trusting-relying-faith before the Mosaic Law (c), and the other descendants are Christians who also live and endure by trusting-relying-faith alone (d), giving them alone a Sabbath Rest from their works (e). <Notes> a) Romans 4:13, 20, 9:4, 9; Genesis 21:1; 1 Chronicles 16:16; Psalms 105:9; Galatians 4:23, 28; Hebrews 7:6, 11:17; Acts 7:17, b) Galatians 3:16, c) Galatians 3:17, 21, d) Hebrews 6:12, 15, 17, 10:36, 11:39; Galatians 3:7, 18, 29; 4:28; Ephesians 3:6; Romans 4:14, 16, 9:8; Acts 26:6, e) Hebrews 4:1.
God ‘promised’ a Savior through the descendent of David (a), a New covenant by His blood that makes us the temple of the living God, dwelling among then, becoming His people (b). God promised zoe genuine-life everlasting through the Messiah Jesus (c) who “mediates a New Covenant that is kreitton more useful, serviceable, helpful, better because it is enacted on kreitton more useful, serviceable, helpful, better promises” (d). Jesus promised He would return for His church (e). <Notes> a) Acts 13:23; Romans 15:8; Romans 9:4, b) 2 Corinthians 6:16-9:1, cf. Jeremiah 31:31-33, c) 2 Timothy 1:1; 1 John 2:25; Acts 13:32; Ephesians 2:12, d) Hebrews 8:6, 9:15, e) 2 Peter 3:4, 9.
After Jesus ascended the grace-gift of the Holy Spirit was given as the Father promised, given by trusting-relying-faith and not works (a). There is absolutely no ‘promise’ for continued use of scripture or that more would be given – only the ‘promised’ grace-gift of the Holy Spirit that enables every male and female servant of God the ability to prophesy, even via dreams and visions (b). Christian musicians need to claim the actual ‘promises’ of God and not be misled by “traditions of men.” That is if they want to play God’s music! <Notes> a) Luke 24:49; Galatians 3:2, 5, 14, 22; Ephesians 1:13, b) Acts 2:17-19, 38-39.
So you can see that many Jews died without seeing the ‘promises’ to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Christ with His New Covenant in His blood to result in vast multitude of faith-made descendants, resting from their religious work, becoming God’s children and thus inheritors of eternal life, given the Holy Spirit to dwell within them to share His divine nature and empower them for zoe genuine-life and godliness (a). Now that it has come, many more Jews and Gentiles have died without it. This is horrible! <Notes> a) Hebrews 11:13, 39.
“The Promise” is not for more impersonal bible study to learn indirectly through second-hand knowledge about God, but for the Holy Spirit’s direct, one-on-one, revelation through prophecy, dreams, and visions. Now that requires fellowship with the Lord via the Holy Spirit! It will never be accomplished through religious works or study for gnosis info-knowledge or “searching the scriptures” of the bible! All that gives you is a “bent backs forever” (a) and a “puffed up head” (b). Being a fanatical fan that can recite all the “stats” doesn’t mean you actually know the players! <Notes> a) Romans 11:9-10 citing Psalms 69:22-23, b) 1 Corinthians 8:1.
As Christian musicians we have to intimately know the Maker of music if we want His music to play through us! Let us stop holding on to OT promises already fulfilled by Christ and start holding onto the NT promise of the indwelling Holy Spirit, find that Sabbath Rest through trusting-relying-faith, and His grace-gifts to communicate with us directly on the “tablets of our hearts,” no longer indirectly through scripture gramma writings, in order that we can partake of a godly nature and zoe genuine-life.
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