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H&B-049 and 050: The Grace Apparatus for Perception

H&B-049 and 050: The Grace Apparatus for Perception. God’s Provision for Putting on the Armor: Introduction (Colossians 1:4-12). Definition. GRACE APPARATUS PERCEPTION (GAP)

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H&B-049 and 050: The Grace Apparatus for Perception

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  1. H&B-049 and 050: The Grace Apparatus for Perception God’s Provision for Putting on the Armor: Introduction (Colossians 1:4-12)

  2. Definition • GRACE APPARATUS PERCEPTION • (GAP) • The divine provisions for spiritual growth whereby every believer can understand every doctrine, regardless of education or human IQ. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  3. The Belt (Baldric) • Just as the soldier had his loin belt to put on every day to keep his armor together, we must apply the Word of God to our lives on a daily basis or we will not be able to maintain our defenses. • The belt was the first thing that the soldier put on. • Just as this is the first thing a Christian must put on. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  4. The Belt (Baldric) • Once the Christian Warrior has buckled on his waist the baldric God intended for him to wear, he begins the process to prepare for the charge of the unseen foe. • And how does he get ready to stand? “By means of doctrine!” • The preposition EN plus the singular from ALETHEIA does not mean "with truth" but signifies the means by which we reach our spiritual objective in life - doctrine, or that which is believed = BY Truth. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  5. The Breastplate • Neither Rome nor its army was built in a day! • So it is with the Christian Warrior. • We do not become mature believers overnight! • It takes time and persistence to "GAP it" to Spiritual Maturity, to buckle on the belt of truth. Ephesians 6: 14 takes this into consideration and states that "after having buckled on ... the baldric by means of doctrine," we must put on the piece of equipment which is an integral part of the body armor - the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  6. The Boots • In Scripture, feet become synonymous with service; but there can be no effective service apart from constant training and preparation along the road to Spiritual Maturity. • It was the seasoned combat veteran of the Roman army who served his country best; and it is the spiritually mature Christian Warrior who can serve the Lord to the maximum of his capability and capacity! Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  7. The Boots • The aorist middle participle of the verb HUPODEO means "to tie," "to bind beneath," or "to put on footwear"; here, it refers to the putting on of shoes or CALIGAE: "also having put combat boots on your feet.” • The wearing of spiritual combat boots indicates readiness to serve our supreme Commander wherever and whenever He directs. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  8. The Boots • Likewise, the Christian soldier's effectiveness depends upon his mastery of certain doctrines and his flexibility in their use. • Not only does he need to have correct information about the Gospel, he also must KNOW his subject. • The objective in witnessing is the accurate and clear communication of salvation. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  9. Colossians 1:4-5a • “Having heard the report of the doctrine of you all in Christ Jesus [Doctrinal Orientation], and the love which you have toward all the saints [Spiritual Orientation]; because of the confidence of what is preserved for you in heaven,” • Knowledge of one’s secure place in heaven and the blessings that are in store for us there lays the groundwork for our unconditional love for one’s fellow believer: Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  10. Basis • 1. Understanding our provision from the Father for our future orients us to Grace, and from there paves the way for Agape. • 2. Understanding that future provision gives us confidence in our daily activities, freeing us from concentrating on self, allowing us to see the opportunities for Agape. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  11. Colossians 1:5b • “… which you heard before in the study of the Word of truth,”. • This knowledge is learned through the study of the Bible: • The words “heard before” are the aorist active indicative of the verb, proakouō. • The constantive aorist contemplates the action in its entirety and gathers it into a single whole. • What these believers heard before they retained and it became a motivation for action, specifically unconditional love for their fellow believers. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  12. Colossians 1:6 (JNT) • “[The Word of Truth] has made its presence felt within you, just as it is also being fruitful…” • In verse 6 we learn a number of things. First of all this confidence was “constantly bearing fruit” because they were producing divine good. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  13. Colossians 1:6 • “…and multiplying throughout the world in the same way as it has among you…” • In addition this divine good was having measurable impact by “increasing,” which refers to producing dividends: others benefited by being the recipients of divine good actions and the believer benefited by both spiritual growth and advancing his prospects for rewards in time and eternity. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  14. Colossians 1:6 • “…since the day you heard and understood the grace of God as it really is.” • These dividends accrued from the time they “heard of the gospel and began to fully understand the grace of God in the sphere of biblical truth.” • Grace is the policy of God toward the human race and grace can only be truly understood from the biblical perspective of the believer. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  15. Colossians 1:6 • Believers have to be taught in order to grow in grace. • Those at Colossae were taught “even as” were others throughout the world. • Those believers were “constantly bearing fruit and advancing” in the plan of God “even as” these in Colossae had been doing “since the day they heard of it and began to fully understand the grace of God in the sphere of biblical truth.” Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  16. Colossians 1:7 (JNT) • 7 “[even as] You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow-slave and a faithful worker for the Messiah on your behalf;” • Verse 7 emphasizes the one who taught them this doctrine, “even as you were taught from the source of Epaphras,” their pastor-teacher. • These “even as” clauses emphasize the fact that whoever makes an advance in the plan of God does so by means of Bible study. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  17. Colossians 1:8 (JNT) • “…and he has told us about the love which the Spirit has given you.” • Verse 8 tells us that Epaphras is the one who informed Paul and those with him about the reciprocal love possessed by the members of the Colossian church. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  18. Colossians 1:9-12 (JNT) • Therefore, from the day we heard of it, we have not stopped praying for you, asking God to: • [1.] fill you with the knowledge of his will • [a.] in all the wisdom and understanding which the Spirit gives; • [1]so that you may live lives worthy of the Lord and entirely pleasing to him, • [2]being fruitful in every good work and • [3]multiplying in the full knowledge of God. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  19. Colossians 1:9-12 (JNT) • We pray that you will be continually strengthened with all the power that comes from his glorious might; so that you will be able to persevere and be patient in any situation, joyfully giving thanks to the Father for having made you fit to share in the inheritance of his people in the light. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  20. Colossians 1:9-12 Intro • In verses 9-12 we learn it was because these believers possessed reciprocal love with God the Father, that Paul and his associates were motivated to pray for them. • This prayer gives us insight into what is God’s expectation of a congregation that is positive to the study of the Bible. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  21. Colossians 1:9-12 Intro • The underpinning of Paul’s Intercessory Prayer in Col 1:3-12 is that Spiritual Growth Is Made Possible by a Grace System of Perception: • GAP Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  22. Paul’s Intercessory Prayer • “… asking God to fill you with the knowledge… • 1. That the Colossians might be filled with epignōsis knowledge: cognizance of divine thought in their streams of consciousness. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  23. Paul’s Intercessory Prayer • “… of his will… • 2. That this knowledge would instruct them about God’s sovereign purpose: His directive will for each person’s life. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  24. Paul’s Intercessory Prayer • “…in all the wisdom and understanding (behavior producing) which the Spirit gives… • 3. That this knowledge would be the means for developing wisdom: the combination of epignōsis knowledge plus sunesis; insight for its application to life and circumstances. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  25. Paul’s Intercessory Prayer • “…so that you may live lives worthy of the Lord…” • 4. That this wisdom would reproduce the life of the Lord in us as we fill up the Reservoir of Righteousness, and let it flow from us (“Rivers of Living Water”). Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  26. Paul’s Intercessory Prayer • “…and entirely pleasing to him,…” • 6- That with this dual harmony the believer’s manner of life might reflect thought and behavior patterns pleasing to the Lord. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  27. Paul’s Intercessory Prayer • “…being fruitful in every divine work and growing spiritually by means of the full knowledge of God.” • 7. That this production and growth would be by means of epignōsis knowledge from the ultimate source of God which is biblical revelation. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  28. Paul’s Intercessory Prayer • “We pray that you will be continually strengthened with all the power that comes from his glorious might;…” • 8. That the Filling of the Spirit would habitually produce divine good and would habitually contribute to continued spiritual growth. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  29. Paul’s Intercessory Prayer • “so that you will be able to persevere and be patient in any situation,…” • 9. So that your life will be stabilized, a beacon to others who cannot handle the stress. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  30. Paul’s Intercessory Prayer • “…joyfully giving thanks to the Father for having made you fit to share in the inheritance of his people in the light.” • Now Paul is back to the basis, again – tying the prayer back to the reason for their commendation of verse 2, that God made them fit to share in the inheritance, BY Grace, of course. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  31. Conclusion • All of the concepts in Colossians 1:3-12 are made possible by a grace system of perception described in I Corinthians 2:4-14 Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  32. 1 Corinthians 2:4-6 (GNT) • 4 and my teaching and message were not delivered with skilful words of human wisdom, but with convincing proof of the power of God’s Spirit.5 Your faith, then, does not rest on human wisdom but on God’s power. 6 Yet I do proclaim a message of wisdom to those who are spiritually mature. But it is not the wisdom that belongs to this world or to the powers that rule this world—powers that are losing their power. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  33. Spiritual Growth Is Made Possible by a Grace System of Perception, 1 Cor 2:4-14 • Verse 4: My [ Paul’s ] message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words [ not taken from Gnosticism ], but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  34. 1 Cor 2: 5-6 • Your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the sphere of the power of God. • However, when among mature believers, we keep on teaching wisdom but a wisdom that does not belong to this age nor to the leaders of this world who are becoming ineffective; Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  35. 1 Cor 2:6 • “We speak wisdom, however.” • In the Greek sentence, the first word is “wisdom,” which because of its position is emphatic. • A literal translation reads, “Wisdom we speak.” • He understandably continues to build on these earlier remarks on wisdom; in subsequent verses, he unites the concepts wisdom and Spirit. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  36. 1 Cor 2:6 • Paul contrasts divine wisdom with the wisdom of the world which has entranced some Corinthian Christians. • They think that Paul’s message of Christ’s cross is simplistic and fails to measure up to the standards of worldly wisdom. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  37. 1 Cor 2:6 • By sharply differentiating two concepts of wisdom, Paul emphatically and confidently states that he and his fellow ministers have God’s wisdom which, as he already has explained (1:18–30), is eminently superior to the wisdom of the world. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  38. 1 Cor 2:6 • With the aid of the adversative however, Paul switches from the singular to the plural. • In this epistle Paul frequently shifts from the singular to the plural and back again (e.g., 3:1, 2, 6, 9, 10). • Here he resumes the plural of 1:23, “We preach Christ crucified.” Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  39. 1 Cor 2:6 • Paul has in mind all those who belong to the apostolic circle, among whom are his fellow workers Timothy and Silas. • He wants to say that his preaching, and that of his associates, is certainly marked by wisdom. • With the Greek verb lalein (to speak) he denotes not the content of speech but the act of speaking. • But among whom do Paul and his fellow ministers speak wisdom? Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  40. 1 Cor 2:6 • Paul addresses the Corinthians as “babes in Christ” (3:1) and tells them that they think like children (14:20). • He regards all believers in whom the Holy Spirit effectively works as mature Christians. • In other words, with the word mature Paul includes all the Corinthians who responded to Christ’s gospel and walk by means of the Spirit. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  41. 1 Cor 2:6 • Next, in context Paul contrasts not the mature Christians and the immature Christians. • Rather, he distinguishes between mature Christians who accept the message of the cross and unbelievers, who consider God’s wisdom foolishness. • He delineates faith and unbelief, divine wisdom and worldly wisdom, the believer and the unbeliever. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  42. 1 Cor 2:6 • Last, the Greek word that is translated “mature” or “perfect” occurs elsewhere in Paul’s epistles and usually is equivalent to “adult.” • Adults are those people who accept the gospel of Christ’s cross, attend to the teaching of the WORD, and experience God’s power in their lives. • They are the recipients of divine wisdom and rejoice in it with fellow believers. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  43. 1 Cor 2:6 • “The wisdom not of this age or of the rulers of this age.” • Paul continues to describe the meaning of wisdom in negative terms. • The wisdom of this age is identical with worldly wisdom (1:20) that is characterized by a fleeting and changeable nature. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  44. 1 Cor 2:6 • “Who are doomed to perish.” • In the Greek, Paul uses the verb doomed to perish, which is the same as the translation nullified in 1:28 (see also 15:24, 26). • He shows that God, who controls world history, causes the sudden demise of leaders, officials, teachers and their philosophies. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  45. 1 Cor 2:6 • Paul uses the present tense of the verb doomed to perish to emphasize the continuous control that God exercises in this world. • Throughout the centuries, God causes his Word to triumph and worldly wisdom and its proponents to fail. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  46. 1 Cor 2: 7 • but we communicate wisdom from God in a mystery which mystery doctrine has been concealed and which God predesigned before the ages resulting in our glory. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  47. 1 Corinthians 2:4-6 (ISV) • My message and my preaching were not accompanied by clever words of wisdom, but by a display of the Spirit’s power,5 so that your faith would not be based on human wisdom but on God’s power. 6 However, when we are among mature people, we do speak a message of wisdom, but not the wisdom of this world or of the rulers of this world, who are passing off the scene. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  48. 1 Corinthians 2:7-11 (ISV) • 7 Instead, we speak about God’s secret wisdom that has been hidden, which God destined for our glory before the world began.8 None of the rulers of this world understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory.9 But as it is written, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him.” 10 But God has revealed those things to us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the deep things of God. Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  49. Key Points • 11 Is there anyone who can understand his own thoughts except by his own inner spirit? In the same way, no one can know the thoughts of God except God’s Spirit. • Wisdom • Mystery • Ignorance • Predestined Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

  50. Introduction to Verses 7-9 • Verses 6-9 introduce the mystery of the hidden sophia of God. • “Paul’s use of the expression “wisdom” shifts here from eloquence and the content of teaching to that of personified Sophia or Wisdom. • In Jewish-Hellenistic wisdom literature the wise and perfect, in contrast to the foolish and babes, enjoyed the intimate relationship with divine Sophia who was the agent of creation and salvation.” Living Word Bible Class 07-06-08

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