PENTECOST, J

PENTECOST, J. DWIGHT. DESIGNED TO BE LIKE HIM. GRAND RAPIDS: DISCOVERY HOUSE, 1994.

Chapter 1: God’s Purpose for Each One of Us (ref 1 Cor 6.19-20)

1) The greatest theme that can occupy a Christian’s heart and mind is the glory of God. Pg 9

2) [reference Col 1.27] Please notice that it is not the individual who will manifest the glory of God; it is the transforming presence of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit who takes up residence within the child of God. Pg 16

Chapter 2: What is Fellowship? (ref 1 John 1.1-10)

1) It is important to remember that when Scripture teaches that man is made in the likeness of God, it is not teaching that man is a “little god.” Rather, the Bible teaches that by representation and manifestation, there is within man that which also exists within God; and that which exists within God was manifested both in Adam as he was created, and in Jesus Christ in His humanity. Pg 22

2) The Bible makes it clear that Adam was not created holy. Holiness is an unchangeable, inviolable, unalterable, incorruptible quality of God’s being. God, who is holy, cannot become unholy. If Adam had been created holy, it would have been impossible for him to sin. But that was not the case. Adam was created with an untried innocence. He was given the capacity of choice, and he could choose to sin or choose to obey God. Pg 23

3) To say that Adam’s likeness to God was a moral likeness is to say that God has been kept from sin only by choice, and that He could choose just as easily to sin. Because our God is a holy God, that is an impossible notion. Pg 23

4) When God made Adam in His likeness, He endowed Adam with the same essential components of personality that He himself possesses. When Adam was made in the likeness and image of God, he was given an intellect so that he might know; he was given emotion so that he might love; and he was given a will so he might choose to obey God. To be sure, Adam possessed these elements only to a finite degree, because Adam was not God. But Adam could exercise these capacities toward God in fellowship with Him; and in the garden provision was made for exercising these capacities. Pg 24

5) The essence of fellowship between God and Adam in the Garden of Eden consisted of the mind of Adam in harmony with the mind of God; the heart of Adam in harmony with the heart of God; and the will of Adam in harmony with the will of God. [reason for the 1^st commandment] Pg 25

6) Knowledge, obedience, and love are inseparable in relation to our walk with Christ. We cannot say we know Him if we do not obey Him; we cannot say we obey Him if we do not possess love; we cannot say we love Him if it is not consistent with knowledge and discernment. Pg 31

Chapter 3: The Old Mind (ref 1 Cor 1.18-31)

1) Characteristics of a natural mind:
     A) Their powers of perception are darkened/earthly mind (Romans 1.21-23; Eph 4.17-18, Phil 3.19)
     B) Marked by distorted worship (Romans 1.22-23)
     C) Is at war with God..it is rebellious (Romans 8.6-7, Col 2.18)
     D) Incapacity to receive God’s truth/corrupt (1 Cor 2.14, 1 Tim 6.5)
     E) It is debased. A debased mind is a mind that not only wanders into evil, it gravitates toward evil. Pg 36
     F) It is an empty mind; it is devoid of any content toward God, it does not retain God in its thoughts. And because the true God is left out of all that passes through that mind, it has no spiritual content. In that sense, then, it is empty and is characterized by futility (Eph 4.17) Pg 36
     H) It is a conceited mind (Col 2.8; Romans 12.3)
     I) It is a defiled mind (Titus 1.15) The defiled mind is so under the blight of sin that it can think nothing clean or pure, and is driven to think the worst in every situation. Pg 37
     J) It has been blinded. The natural man has not been blindfolded by sin; rather, he is marked by blindness, which is the utter inability to see. Pg 37
     K) is characterized by death (Romans 8.6) The mind is dead spiritually when it cannot perform the function for which it was given to humankind by its Creator—to receive truth from God, to assimilate that truth, to know God who has revealed Himself in truth, and then to glorify God based on that truth. Pg 38

Chapter 4: The New Mind [1 Cor 2:7-16]

1) A new capacity of mind has been given to the person who has experienced the new birth, the person who is a new creation in Christ Jesus. To the one who believes in Christ, God gives new life through that which is called the new birth (John 3) and the new creation (2 Cor 5.17). When He makes a person a new creation in Christ, God does not remake the capacities of the natural man, nor does He change the basic characteristics of his personality. Rather, God gives the person a new capacity of mind, heart, and will. With the new mind a person can know God, with the new heart a person can love God, and with a new will a person can obey God. Pg 41

2) God does not try to use the old mind. Through the new birth, God imparts a new mind to the believer—a mind with the capacity to receive divine truth, to exercise itself toward God, and to enjoy fellowship with Him in the realm of spiritual truth. Pg 41

3) God gives a new capacity to the person who has received Christ, so that as he exercises the new mind, he can grasp the truth of God and appropriate the revelation God has made for Himself. As a result, the believer enjoys fellowship with God—the mind of the believer in harmony with the mind of God. Pg 42

4) [talking about the word renewing as used in Romans 12.2 and Titus 3.5] The New Testament word translated from biblical Greek into English means “to make new from above.” Instead of remaking the old mind, God imparts an entirely new mind—a new capacity of mind.

5) Because of the new mind, with its capacity to receive divine truth and respond to it in fellowship with God, every believer is engaged in constant warfare. There is a perpetual warfare between the new mind in Christ and the mind of the natural man. We often refer to the two natures in the child of God; but when we do, we are not suggesting that the Christian has become two persons, or that he possesses two distinct personalities, because that is not a biblical concept. However it is biblical to understand that in the area of mind, the Christian has two capacities—the capacity for divine things through the new mind, and the capacity for carnal, fleshy, sinful, dead things through the old mind. And there is a constant, ceaseless, unrelenting opposition from the old mind to the new mind as it seeks to glorify God. Pg 43

6) [Romans 7.25] This is the principle that Paul is laying down for us: Every child of God would have to be classified as carnal in the area of the mind; that is, we have the old capacity which can manifest itself in sin, lawlessness, ignorance, corruption, defilement, and death. We experience a constant battle in the area of the mind—the new against the old, the old against the new. Never will the old mind and the new mind agree on anything in the believer’s life. There is never a time when these two capacities agree on any thought, any word, or any action in our lives. Pg 43-44

7) He gave us a new mind because of our one great mental deficiency, our inability to exercise our minds toward God. If we are not exercising our minds Godward, then we cannot know fellowship with God, and we cannot fulfill the purpose for which we were re-created in Jesus Christ. Pg 46

8) The Christian who saturates his mind with the Word of God will be strengthened from within in such a way that the old mind will be kept from controlling his thoughts and actions. {ref 1 Peter 2:2; Ps 119.11) Pg 46

9) [2 Tim 1.7] Soundness means the new mind can function as God intended at creation, that is, knowing God and having fellowship with Him. Pg 47

10) It is extremely important to realize that it is not the heart that is the primary receptacle and repository of divine truth—it is the mind. If our mind cannot manifest itself, we will continue in carnality, we will be ignorant of divine truth, and even though we have been born into God’s family, we will continue to limp and struggle along in our walk with Christ. We will be babies until we allow the mind of Christ to control us. Pg 48

11) Someone has said, “Every Christian is only one thought away from sin.” In other words, we do not grow or mature beyond our ability to choose the old mind over the new, or to submit to the old capacity of our minds. Pg 48

12) The Bible tells us that our lives will be transformed only as our minds are renewed through our relationship with Christ, and as the Holy Spirit works in our lives through His Word. We need to remember that it is our submission to Christ, not our human effort, that will change us from the way we used to be into the image of Christ. Pg 48-49

Chapter 5: The Old Heart (Romans 1:18-32)

1) As used in the Word of God, the term heart is a very broad term that may describe any part of the total personality. Pg 51

2) Reception of knowledge is the function of the mind—yet this passage [2 Cor 4.6] tells us that our hearts have received the revelation of the knowledge of God. Pg 51

3) [Ref 1 Cor 2:9-12] We see that heart—in its broad sense—is used first of all to describe the mind of the personality. Pg 51

4) [Ref 2 Thess 3.5 and 1 Pet 1.22] Second, the term heart is used of the seat of the affections of one’s personality. In both of these passages, the heart is that part of the personality that feels emotion and love. Pg 51-52

5) Third, we find in 2 Cor 9.7 that heart is used of the seat of the will. Pg 52

6) We see, then, that the word heart can refer to the seat of the mind, the seat of the affections, or the seat of the will. Thus, when the Bible speaks of the heart, it speaks of the whole personality. The main thought seems to be this: the affections control the whole person’s actions. What a person knows, he loves or hates; and what he loves or hates results in an action of the will. Heart cannot be restricted to emotions alone. Rather it encompasses the whole being. Pg 52

7) [Ref Rom 1.21] In verse 21, heart may refer to the person’s capacity to respond to that truth, or it may refer to the person’s emotional capacity to respond to that truth. In either case, this verse’s first description of the natural heart is that it is foolish. In Scripture, a fool is not necessarily someone who is marked by a low IQ, but rather is someone who leaves God out of his thought processes (ref Psalm 14.1). The fool is the person who does not take God into consideration in every area of life. Therefore, when Paul speaks of “their foolish hearts,” he is referring to hearts that leave our God and are perfectly willing to continue without God’s presence, without feeling God’s love. Pg 52

8) [Ref Rom 1.22-23] Notice that the human race did not become demented because of the Fall. People were not deprived of their reasoning ability. However, they refused to worship and serve the God who had revealed Himself. Romans shows the emotional result of this corrupted thinking. [Ref Romans 1.24] The perpetual desires of this lustful heart do not include a desire for God, a desire for godliness. Rather, this degraded heart has insatiable immoral lusts. [Ref Romans 1.25-26] This clearly shows the old heart is the seat of vile passions. Pg 53-54

9) At the creation of the marriage relationship, God intended that a husband and wife should express their God-given capacity to love. But Romans 1.26-27 shows that as a result of the Fall and because of the degradation of the natural heart, men and women did not exercise this capacity of affection as God intended. Instead they invented perverted ways of manifesting the capacity of emotion in the most degraded forms and practices. And from what we read in this passage, it is very clear that the sodomy, homosexuality, and perversion so rampant today is a direct result of the degradation of the human emotional capacity. Pg 54

10) The human heart is hard and impenitent. The word translated as “hard,” when used in reference to the heart, literally means “calloused.” Perhaps you have seen someone with a calloused hand that seemed impervious to the sensation of pain. Why is this so? Because something that is calloused is not sensitive to external stimulation. The heart of the natural man has become hardened in that same way and is not subject to any stimulation concerning righteousness, nor conviction concerning sin. The result is that it has become impenitent. Pg 55

11) The Word of God may be declared, the righteousness of God may be revealed, the judgment of God poured out on sinners may be proclaimed, but sinners are not affected at all. They are not convicted of the enormity of their sin, and they complacently continue in their degradation, perversion, and immorality. Pg 55

12) [Ref James 1.26] A deceived heart sets a false standard, and then convinces itself that it measures up to the standard it has adopted. Pg 56

13) We cannot have victory over the old heart until we understand its capacities, and until we accept and appropriate God’s provision for victory. Pg 57

14) Understanding how strongly our affections control our actions is a genuine key to godly living. While an intellectual knowledge of Christ and His Word can definitely change the way we think, act, and live, it is not until He becomes the object of our affections that we begin to obey God from the heart and take genuine pleasure in doing His will. Pg 57

Chapter 6: The New Heart (ref 1 John 4.7-21)

1) When Christ used the word friend, He was emphasizing that He had established a new heart-to-heart relationship. Pg 61

2) This love described by God’s Word is not a purification of the old heart, it is not a remolding, the remaking, or the refurbishing of the old capacity. Rather God—through the new birth—has given us a new emotional capacity with which we may love God, receive God’s love, and love others. Pg 61

3) [Ref 1 John 2.9-11]The Bible says that he who hates his brother is in darkness, because that person is manifesting the fruit of the old nature, the old capacity. Pg 62

Chapter 7: The Old Will (ref John 6.35-40, 60-65)

1) Jealously is a sin against love. When we are jealous, we reserve for ourselves something which we claim exclusively. Pg 71

2) When we entertain a thought in the mind, and then let that thought penetrate to the heart so that we love that thought soon moves upon the will. Pg 71

3) In the scriptural sense of the word, a creature is free when it can move in its native element, fulfilling the function for which it was created. Pg 72

4) In today’s political climate, we could easily get the false impression that “freedom” is an absolute absence of restraint. Yet those who talk loudest about freedom of expression and unrestrained diversity are the first to put limits on others who disagree with them. Pg 76

Chapter 8: The New Will (ref Col 3:1-15)

1) "Having been made free from sin" means "You have been made free from the obligation to obey the sin nature and to obey the dictates of the old will. This does not propose that we have been removed from the possibility of sinning. Rather, the Bible says there is an emancipation from servitude to the old capacity, because a new capacity has been imparted through a new birth. Pg 79

2) Because God has imparted a new capacity of will to the child of God, the believer is in constant warfare. This warfare is vividly described in Gal 5:17. The word flesh in this verse refers to the sum total of the individual’s personality—mind, emotions, and will—all of which has been corrupted by the Fall. The word Spirit in Gal 5:17 refers to the Holy Spirit living in the child of God and expressing Himself in the new creation—the new capacity of mind, the new capacity of heart, and the new capacity of will. Pg 80

3) In Romans 7 we find Paul’s testimony concerning this warfare within himself. When he says, “I delight in the law of the Lord according to the inward man,” he is referring to the sum total of the capacities. Paul says that his new mind revels in the truth of God, his new heart loves the Person of God, and his new will delights to obey the will of God. But when with his new mind he knows, loves, and serves God, immediately war is declared by the old against the new. Thus the old mind fights against the truth of God, the old heart against the love of God, and the old will against obedience to God. Pg 81

4) In this life there is no such thing as instant spirituality, a cessation of sin’s hostilities against us, or a point of maturity beyond which the believer no longer struggles against sin. Pg 85

Chapter 9: What is Man? (ref Romans 8.1-8)

1) The New Testament uses three words or phrases to describe man. First, he is referred to as “the flesh.” Second, he is referred to as “the old man.” And third, he is referred to as “sin.” Pg 87

2) [Flesh as several theological and non-theological uses] When we examine the theological uses of the word flesh, we find that it is used to show us what we are in the sight of God as a result of Adam’s sin. Pg 88

3) First of all the word flesh, in its theological or ethical sense, refers to one’s own effort independent of God. [ref Phil 3.3] We have no confidence in the flesh. Why not? Because the flesh represents man’s efforts apart from divine help or assistance. [same idea found in Gal 3.3..”made perfect by the flesh?”] The flesh represents all that man does by himself, apart from divine aid. Pg 88-89

4) The flesh, then, is human nature, the sum total of all man’s personality that, as result of the Fall, is corrupt—a mind darkened, an emotional capacity degraded, and a will that is dead to God. The phrases according to the flesh and by the flesh describe work, merit, or righteousness produced by the natural man out of his own mind, emotion, or will, apart from God’s help. Pg 89

5) The second theological use of the word flesh emphasizes infirmity, weakness, and helplessness. {ref Romans 8.3 and 6.19). Pg 89

6) [Ref Romans 7.5 as third characterization of the word flesh] Rather, he is using the term flesh as a sphere of influence, a state in which we had our existence. To be in the flesh is to be in sin. To be in the flesh is to be in an unsaved or unregenerate state. To be flesh is to be controlled by sin that uses this mortal body as the vehicle through which it translates its desires into action, and its affections into deeds. Pg 89

7) What we need to understand is that our physical bodies of flesh are not sinful, but are the vehicles through which sin operates, translating its desires into deeds. Pg 90

8) [Ref when Paul said, “I am carnal” in Romans 7.14] By that Paul meant that he had experienced redemption from sin and is free from bondage to sin, but he still dwells in a body of flesh with all the weaknesses, impotence, and helplessness to which the flesh is prone—and as long as he lives on the earth, he will be a carnal being. Pg 91

9) [ref Romans 6.6; Eph 4.22; Col 3.9] The old man refers to the old sinful nature, the total personality, corrupted by the fall of Adam. It emphasizes the source of the corruption and takes us back to Adam, our first father, whose nature was corrupted by his disobedience and who passed on his nature to all his descendents. The old man refers to the total unregenerate person, and the nature he has received because of his connection with Adam, because he is Adam’s descendent. The old man relates us to Adam, just as the new man relates us to Jesus Christ. Pg 92

10) In Romans 6.7 we read, “He who has died has been freed from sin {that is, freed from necessary enslavement to the sin nature}. [note..same is true in 1 John 1.8 when John says, “If we say we have no sin –meaning sin nature—we deceive ourselves.” Pg 93

11) When we put together the concepts contained in these three expressions—flesh, the old man, and sin—we get a picture of the adversary against which we are called to war. We dwell in a corrupted body, a body characterized by weakness. We have flesh that is an instrument through which sin works. Pg 93

12) Evolution also tells us that we have within ourselves the capacity to improve ourselves, develop, and evolve into a higher state of being. Pg 94

Chapter 10: The Judgment at the Cross (ref Col 2.9-17)

1) There was a threefold judgment at the cross: a judgment on Satan, a judgment on sins, and a judgment on the sin nature. Pg 97

2) It is the cross of Christ that gives liberty—liberty from Satan’s dominion, liberty from the condemnation of sin, liberty from control by the sin nature. We can never appropriate the power of the Spirit of God to live a life of holiness until we have first appropriated the freedom that is ours through the judgment accomplished when God offered up Jesus Christ for our sin. [ref Gal 6.14] Pg 103

3) The reason many carnal Christians are afraid to yield their lives to Jesus Christ is because they think they will lose control that they now have over their goals, their direction, their happiness. The truth of the matter, however, is that they have no control over their lives as long as they continue to serve their old master, the sin nature. They are enslaved to its fickle wants and insatiable desires, and they are robbed of the blessing God wants them to have. Pg 105

4) The art of holy living—joyfully practicing personal righteousness—has been supplanted in our day by a longing to see how much we can do, how far we can go, and still be considered acceptable as Christians. Not only does this stunt our spiritual growth, it dilutes our joy and pollutes our witness. God’s desire for us is that we can completely turn our backs on sin’s enticements and aggressively pursue personal righteousness. Pg 105

Chapter 11: Crucified with Christ (ref Gal 2.15-21)

1) The Christian life is the life of Christ reproduced in the child of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Pg 107

2) There are those who teach self-crucifixion [to solve the sin nature problem]. They exhort Christians to crucify themselves as Christ crucified Himself, so that by putting themselves to death, they will end the problem of the sin nature. But self-crucifixion is a physical impossibility. Jesus Christ could not crucify Himself; it had to be done to Him. The Word of God never asks any believer to put himself to death. Pg 108

3) God’s solution to the problem of the sin nature in the believer’s life is found in Romans 6.11: “You also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God’s solution is not suppression, nor eradication, nor self-crucifixion, but rather a reckoning, a believing, an acceptance of an accomplished fact. Pg 108

4) God’s solution to the problem of sin in the believer’s life is based on one’s identification with Christ. Identification with Christ involves crucifixion with Christ [Gal 2.20], burial with Christ (Col 1:21-22), resurrection with Christ [Romans 6.4-5], ascension with Christ [Eph 2.6], and glorification with Christ. Pg 108-109

5) How can it be said that we—living nearly 2000 years after Christ—have been crucified with Him? How can it be said that we have been resurrected with Christ? How can it be said of us that we have ascended and have been glorified with Christ when we are still very much alive on this earth? The answer to these questions is found in the great truths involved in the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit. Pg 109

6) [ ref 1 Cor 12.13]What does it mean to have been baptized into His body? The Greek word bapto had both a literal and symbolic usage. In its symbolic usage, it meant “to change identity”; that is, to change the outward appearance. Pg 109

7) It is too bad that the word doctrine has become all but taboo in Christian circles today, conjuring up images of inscrutable precepts set forth in obscure language. The fact of the matter is that until we know something is true, we cannot put our faith or confidence in it. Doctrine is simply what we know about God and God’s truth. Ideally, doctrine presents plain facts, in plain language, for plain people. And by understanding an area of doctrine, or truth about God, we can grow in how we trust Him and how he works in our lives. Pg 115

8) The logic is this: our inward convictions will be revealed by our outward allegiances. If we identify ourselves with Jesus Christ, our close associations and loyalties will reflect, not contradict, Him and His Word. Pg 115

9) If we sense a lack of direction in our Christian lives, perhaps it’s because we consider ourselves separated from the world around us, but do not really lives our lives separated to the Lord Jesus Christ. Many Christians take seriously their salvation from sin’s consequences; but too few take seriously their salvation to holy living, careful study of God’s Word, diligent prayer, and aggressive witnessing. Pg 115-116

Chapter 12: Dead With Christ (ref Romans 7.1-14)

1) [ref Romans 6.6-7] These verse show that our death with Christ delivers us from compulsory obedience and submission to the sin nature that once dominated and controlled us. Pg 118

2) God says you are crucified, and in God’s sight you are a crucified person. God is not asking you to add to the value of Christ’s death by “crucifying yourself” again and again. God is asking you to accept His judgment on the sin nature and to reckon the fact to be true that you were joined to Christ in His death because God says it is true. He is also asking you to accept the truth that death with Christ has broken sin’s power over you so that you have been liberated to walk in the newness of life. Pg 121

3) As believers, if we sin, we do so not because we are obligated to sin, but because we choose to sin. Christ set us free—but it is still possible to become entangled again in bondage to sin. We may voluntarily submit to sin’s enticements and walk in sinful practices. If we do, it is certainly not because our liberation is incomplete; it is because we do not consider ourselves as those over whom sin no longer has a rightful authority. We choose to submit to a deposed commanding officer. And when we choose sin, we become the servants of sin. Pg 121

4) God is not asking us to break the power of sin. God is not asking us to abstain from sin by will power, by resolution, or by sheer determination. God is telling us what He has already accomplished. He is telling us that He has set us free, and that freedom is ours by faith. Pg 121

Chapter 13: Resurrected With Christ (ref Romans 6.11-13)

1) [Romans 6.11] The word translated “reckon” or “consider” in verse 11 literally means “to count a thing as true.” Pg 126

2) How can the Holy Spirit live His life through me? Again and again the Bible emphasizes the principle of yielding or presenting. By using this terminology the apostle shows how the Holy Spirit can live the life of Christ through the child of God. While walking by the Spirit has to do with divine enablement and supernatural empowerment, yielding to the Spirit has to do with the Spirit’s direction or control over us. Pg 127

3) First the word present is used in 2 Cor 11.2 of the presentation of a bride to the bridegroom at a marriage ceremony. In New Testament times, the father of a bride would take the hand of the bridegroom. By that act the bride was presented to the bridegroom, and she became his possession, fulfilling the marriage contract. Using the same word in Romans 6, Paul is emphasizing that just as there can be no lawful marriage apart from the consent of the wills of the two parties involved, so there will be no manifestation of the resurrection life of Christ apart from the Christian’s consent to present himself to the Spirit’s control. Pg 127

4) Second the word is used in Col 1.22. The Lord Jesus Christ will offer believers as a gift to the Father. We have become the Father’s possession. This passage uses the word present to show that we have been put at the Father’s disposal by this act of the Son. In like manner, we are to present ourselves to the Father, place ourselves at His disposal, so that the Spirit may manifest the life of Christ in and through us. Pg 128

5) In the Old Testament, every sacrifice was bound with a cord to the altar, as we read in Psalm 188:27. An animal offered as a sacrifice was not voluntary, or a willing, sacrifice. Any animal brought to that scene of death could smell death in the spilled blood, and out of fear would run away if it were not bound to the altar. It was not until the Lord Jesus Christ came as “the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” (John 1.29) that the world knew anything about a voluntary, or willing, sacrifice. His blood had value above all the blood on Jewish altars because His blood was a voluntary sacrifice. Pg 128

6) In Romans 12.1, then, God is asking His children for willing, or voluntary, sacrifices. God is not asking for a sacrifice of blood, for the blood of Christ was sufficient to cover every need. But God is asking for a willing sacrifice, the sacrifice of ourselves. Pg 128

7) God is asking His child to make himself a living sacrifice—one who is presented, one who is yielded to God. Apart from such a presentation, there will be no continuous manifestation of the resurrection life of Christ in the believer. Pg 129

8) Considering ourselves to be dead to sin but alive to God is not mere positive thinking or psychological trickery. It is a rational response to a fact that is based on an historical event, documented by eyewitnesses, and verified by the supernatural testimony of God Himself. It is not blind faith, but factual faith—personal trust in reliable information that will change our lives. Pg 130

9) The power of the Holy Spirit is quite different from the nebulous Force of new-age beliefs. The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal, ethereal energy that we somehow mystically pursue. Pg 130

10) The Bible, however, tells us that personal righteousness and the abundant life begin with complete, total dependence on Jesus Christ, recognizing that only He can do for us that which we cannot do for ourselves. Pg 130

Insert: [From the official beliefs of the Assemblies of God] :

Sanctification is realized in the believer by recognizing his identification with Christ in His death and resurrection, and by the faith reckoning daily upon the fact of that union, and by offering every faculty continually to the dominion of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 6:1-11
Romans 6:13
Romans 8:1,2
Romans 8:13
Galatians 2:20
Philippians 2:12,13
1 Peter 1:5

Chapter 14: Filled with the Spirit (ref Eph 5.18)

1) Thus when the Bible speaks of a person being filled with the Spirit, it is speaking of the Sprit supplanting that which was once within the person, and taking over the life that is filled with the Spirit of God. Pg 133

2) We understand that filling involves that which comes into our lives, expels that which was there, and so fills our lives that we are possessed and controlled by that which fills us. Pg 134

3) The person who is filled with the Holy Spirit is not the person who is simply indwelt by the Spirit; it is the individual who is controlled, or led, by the Spirit of God. Pg 135

4) In three separate passages God’s Word offers a contrast between drunkenness and the filling of the Holy Spirit [Eph 5.18, Luke 1.15, Acts 2.12-13]. Why should the disgusting spectacle of drunkenness be mentioned in the same breath with the glorious experience of being controlled and moved by the Holy Spirit? Because both completely transforms a person Pg 136

5) An alcoholic is not an alcoholic because of the amount of alcohol he consumes; he is an alcoholic because he depends on, trusts in, and relies on alcohol to see him through he experiences that are too much for him. Pg 138

6) It is a trick of our pride to believe we are sufficient in ourselves to live a victorious life. Like a lost motorist who refuses to stop and ask for directions, we may blunder around for years before we are willing to admit that we cannot do the impossible. Power in our Christian lives begins when we recognize our own weaknesses and our need for His power. Pg 139

7) Remember—the Holy Spirit is in our lives from the moment we trust Christ. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is a matter of our lives being controlled by Him who already indwells us. Pg 139

Insert:

Filling of the Spirit is not a goal but a gateway. It is a door to Spirit-filled living. It marks a beginning, not an end. The apostle Paul described this wonderful life in the Spirit in Galatians 5:22, 23. He wrote, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." It is a life to be lived, not just an experience to be remembered. Some have missed this essential distinction. They have been satisfied to recall that wonderful moment when the Holy Spirit came in His fullness. Failure to progress beyond that point is a tragedy. The question is not only, "Have you been filled?" but, "How have you lived since you were filled?" The apostle Paul wrote, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25). The filling of the Holy Spirit is the introduction to a victorious Christian life in the Spirit.

Chapter 15: Yielding to the Spirit (ref Rom 6.11-23)

1) There is a difference between being baptized by the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit. The baptizing work of the Spirit of God is the divine act by which a believer in Christ is joined as a living member to the body of which Jesus Christ is the head. This is entirely different from the command of Ephesians 5.18, “Be filled with the Spirit.” Pg 141

2) 1 Cor 12.13 shows us that the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit takes place once for all. In contrast to this, the filling of the Holy Spirit is continuous and can be an often repeated experience for the child of God. Pg 141-142

3) We see that the baptizing work of the Spirit concerns our initial union with Christ, while the filling of the Spirit concerns our daily practice and our experience of Christ living His life through us. Pg 142

4) The verb, be filled, is an imperative, a command—not a plea—issued to all Christians. We aren’t to debate whether we should be filled. It’s not something we can take or leave. God has given us a command because it is His purpose that every child of His should be controlled by the Holy Spirit. Pg 143

5) The verb is in the present tense, indicating that it expresses an action going on and on. [It is] a daily, hourly, moment-by-moment experience in which we are consciously under the control and authority of the Holy Spirit. Pg 143

6) The Greek verb be filled is in the passive voice, meaning that someone else is to do the filling to us. We aren’t told to fill ourselves; instead, we are to allow the Holy Spirit—who indwells in us—to possess and control us continuously. Notice that we do not need to get more of the Holy Spirit; rather we need to let the Holy Spirit have all of us. We are not commanded to seek more of the Holy Spirit than we received at the moment of spiritual birth. We are commanded to permit the Holy Spirit to preside over every aspect of our lives and personalities. Pg 143

7) In the language of the New Testament, the voice (active, middle, passive) of a verb was very significant. That is why it is so helpful to know that the command to “be filled’ with God’s Spirit is passive; that it is God’s responsibility, not ours. It is not our place to conjure up some kind of emotional experience or ecstatic display. God’s Word tells us that we simply yield ourselves to His control, and then manifests the life of Christ in us. It is His work; not ours. Pg 146

8) Anyone who has regularly attended a gym or fitness center knows there are always a few people who seem to believe they can become stronger through “osmosis.” They come to the gym, mill around the equipment, visit with the people who are working out, dress correctly, know the terminology, and even pay their dues to be there. But they don’t get any stronger, because they are not actually exercising. Likewise, no matter how much you participate in the Christian environment, you must exercise your will in submitting to the Spirit’s control over your life in order to experience a victorious, Spirit-filled life. Pg 147

Chapter 16: Liberty in the Christian Life (ref Romans 14.1-3)

1) When we mention doubtful things, we recognize immediately that we are not dealing with things that clearly are sinful in themselves, for anything that is intrinsically sinful is already forbidden to the child of God. However, doubtful things may be put to sinful purposes. Therefore Romans 14 does not deal with things inherently worldly, but with things that may be put to worldly ends. It does not deal with those things that are carnal (fleshly) in themselves, but with those things that can be corrupted to a carnal use. Pg149

2) In order that Israel should be a witness to the glory and holiness of God before all the other nations on earth, God gave laws that governed every aspect of life. In fact, the Mosaic law governed every area of Jewish life, from marriage to military service, from parenthood to priestly sacrifices. All these were designed to set apart Israel as a unique people and a holy nation. It is important to understand that these laws were not given to redeem a people; they were given to an already redeemed people. They were not an end in themselves; rather, God’s laws were His means to the end of providing the world with a witness to His grace, goodness, and holiness. Pg 150-151

3) The tearing of the veil in the temple at the time of Christ’s crucifixion (Matt 27.51) was God’s sign that the Mosaic law was being terminated as the code which should regulate the life of God’s people. Pg 151

4) Thus as we see that Israel, which for countless generations had been under a law that governed every aspect of its people’s lives, rejected [the] Messiah and lost its position as a separated, holy nation, set apart as God’s unique witness to the world. At that point, the Law which regulated them and set them apart was nullified. Pg 152

5) It is God’s intention that you and I should be part of a unique, holy, separate kingdom of priests. But His method of setting apart that holy nation is not to institute a new set of laws as a substitute for the Law of Moses. Rather, He conforms us to the image of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, that we should be His conspicuous and distinct people, to His glory. Pg 153

6) Paul recognized that there was a danger that some believers might set up a list of rules or requirements in the area of doubtful things, and then make those requirements a test of fellowship. Pg 154

7) The dangers that faced the church in Paul’s day also face the church today. The first danger is that any assembly of believers may become so divided over inconsequential questions that they produce disunity in the family of God. The second danger is that Jesus Christ will be set aside from His place as head and that others will begin to control the lives of members of His body. The third danger is that a person or a group will set up a list of do’s and don’ts that substitute for the Law of Moses as a law governing the Christian life. Pg 156

8) A Christian does not become a legalist by conforming to the standards of Christ’s holiness; a Christian becomes a legalist by submitting to law as a means of producing righteousness in his life. Pg 156

9) The Christian life is not a lawless life; it is a disciplined life, controlled by the Spirit of God. It is not regimented by law—neither the Law of Moses nor self-imposed legalism. It is a life under the law of Christ as revealed in His Word. Pg 157

10) As we can see in Israel’s history, it is a short trip from principles given in God’s grace to laws enforced according to human self-righteousness. It is a quirk of the fallen human heart that we want to make God’s sound precepts just slightly more restrictive in order to make sure no one steps across the line, or to show ourselves to be extra holy. One author has described these one-step-removed laws as “fences.” Whereas God established certain restrictions, the Pharisees built fences around these with added restrictions. When Jesus offended the religious leaders during His earthly ministry, He did not violate God’s Law. But He trampled the Pharisees’ fences at nearly every turn. Pg 157

11) When we understand that the Law was annulled when the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom (Mark 15.38), we might logically ask, “Then of what value is the Old Testament Law?” Paul wrote in 1 Tim 1.8, “We know the law is good if one uses it lawfully.” God gave the Law to fulfill two functions: (1) a regulatory function, regulating life of God’s people, Israel, in their role as a unique and set-apart nation; and (2) a revelatory function, revealing a holy God to sinful mankind. While the regulatory aspect of the Law ceased with Christ’s death, the revelatory aspect of the Law continues today. We study Law and the rest of the Old Testament in order to discover what it reveals to us about God, and to live according to that knowledge. That is using the Law lawfully. Pg 157

12) Although we normally think of hypocrisy as talking righteously while acting unrighteously, notice that the Word of God also implies that term to adding our own standards of righteousness beyond that which God requires. It is hypocritical because with our mouths we are acknowledging God’s grace and the liberty of His Word, but with our actions we are denying both. Pg 158

Chapter 17: Giving No Offense (Ref Romans 14.13b-23)

1) Personal liberty is not the essence and end of salvation. The essence of salvation is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Pg 164

2) By faith we lay hold of our liberty in Christ, and we stand in that liberty and will not permit anyone to bring us into bondage to any law that forbids what God permits. But we do not have to practice that liberty in order to possess that liberty. Pg 165

3) A second higher principle supplants the practice of liberty. We consider our fellow believer’s good and so order our lives that we do not lead that person into sin or cause him to stumble as he patterns his life after ours. We make it our goal to refrain from jeopardizing our Christian testimony by doing anything that will prevent a weaker believer from going on to maturity. Why? Because surrendering our right to practice liberty does not put us under the law. Rather, it patterns our lives after the Lord Jesus Christ, who surrendered His rights that we might have salvation. Pg 165

4) The principle of giving no offense becomes especially difficult in our “culture of victimhood,” as some have called it. It seems that nearly everyone is looking for a point of offense in everything around them, then demanding that their “rights” be observed in one way or another. The big difference in Scripture, however, is that the basic principle is one giving up our own rights rather than demanding that others give up theirs. It is other-centered, rather than self-centered. We look for ways to voluntarily do what’s best for the weaker Christian rather than forcing someone else to what’s best for us. This in itself moves the issue from a point of law to a point of grace. It is God asking us to willfully do what’s best, not human law forcing us to do what is popular or politically correct. Pg 165-166

5) Throughout Scripture, wherever we find a privilege we will also find a corresponding responsibility. In this case, the privilege is our freedom in Christ; the corresponding responsibility is to consider the welfare of the weaker Christian. Pg 166

Chapter 18: A Good Conscience Before God (Ref Rom 14.22-15.3)

1) Romans 14.22 presents a question and then gives a mandate to the stronger believer: “Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. The faith referred to here is not saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, nor is it the faith to walk before men. The faith in Paul’s mind in this verse is that particular aspect of faith we have already discussed: the faith to accept God’s revelation that restrictions have been removed from the things previously forbidden by the Law, and that these things may now be used as unto the Lord. This verse is saying, “Do you have faith to accept the revelation God gave through Peter that He has cleansed all things and made them acceptable? If your answer is ‘yes,’ then have that faith to yourself before God.” Pg 169

2) Today, as in the first century, there is a popular misconception that says that any limitation placed upon one’s liberty—whether by another Christian or by the individual himself—puts one under the Law and imposes a legal system upon the believer. Pg 169

3) This passage was written to correct that misinterpretation and to affirm that a Christian’s liberty is primarily a matter of one’s attitude in private, not one’s conduct before an assembly of believers. The message is, “Have this faith to yourself before God and the things previously forbidden are now acceptable. You are free as soon as you recognize the liberty is yours. It is not necessary for you to flaunt your liberty before others in order to be delivered from legalism or bondage to the law.” Pg 169

4) Romans 14.23 explains why a weaker brother who patterns his liberty after a stronger brother, without the stronger brother’s faith, falls into sin. It says, “He who doubts is condemned to eternal punishment if he eats..” The word condemned here does not mean “condemned to eternal punishment.” This brother has not lost his salvation. Rather, that brother stands self-condemned, reprimanded by his own conscience, “because he does not eat from faith.” Pg 170

5) Then Paul adds the important words, “For whatever is not from faith is sin.” Notice that this statement is delivered to the weaker believers. They have been born into the family of God and enjoy fellowship with God. But Paul says to them, “If you pattern your conduct by the conduct of another believer, without that believer’s faith, you will fall into sin. That which is allowable for the strong Christian is not allowable for you as a weak Christian—not because it is wrong, but because you eat doubting God’s declaration that it is acceptable..” And anything a believer does, convinced beforehand that it is sin, is in fact sin, because “whatever is not of faith is sin.” Pg 170

6) This matter of conscience is more than the old motto to let your conscience be your guide. For the Christian, one’s conscience is to be governed at all times by the Word of God (2 Tim 3.16-17), conformity to Jesus Christ (Romans 8.29), and the control of the Holy Spirit (Eph 5.18). The more we walk in submission to Him, the more our consciences will reflect His character and concerns rather than ours, and will be reliable guides for us. Pg 172-173

7) One reason it is so difficult to surrender our rights for another’s good is that we fail to see our lives in terms of eternity. That is, we are thinking in terms of the here and now, of life on this earth as the ultimate experience. Anything we miss out on here is an irretrievable loss. But what of eternity? How can anything in this life compare with what lies ahead of us? And how can any brief enjoyment in this life be better than receiving Christ’s approval both now and in the future? Pg 173

Chapter 19: Do All Things to the Glory of God (Ref Rom 15.1-7)

1) What does Paul mean when he prays that God grant believers to be like-minded toward one another? He is not inferring that after a period of time all believers will come to the same settled convictions concerning doubtful things so that there is no division. Pg 176

2) With a view to the glory of God, there should be unity of minds but not necessarily conformity of decision about these doubtful things. Pg 177

3) Romans 14-15 deals with the problems of integration—an integration far more difficult and volatile than anything we have faced in our culture. It was the integration of Jew and Gentile, who had been separate and often at enmity with one another for many hundreds of years. But in presenting certain principles to guide them in their new oneness, the apostle Paul was concerned not just with the oneness of two groups that had previously been separate. His highest goal was that all things should be done to bring praise, honor, and glory to the name of Jesus Christ. Pg 177

4) In some situations unity is achieved at the expense of sound doctrine; in others unity is achieved at the expense of sound practice. But the New Testament concept of unity is never achieved by denying the faith. It is never a unity at the expense of condoning sin in the life of the assembly. It is always a unity based on the Word of God and the person of Jesus Christ, a unity that arises out of a meeting of the minds because believers in the assembly have the mind of Christ. Pg 177

Chapter 20: How Far Can a Christian go? (Ref 1 Cor 8.1-13)

1) Knowing we can do something does not mean we should do it, Because God has declared all things clean, we will not permit anyone to take away our freedom, to impose law on us, or to put us under a legal system. But we are not under obligation to exercise our freedom. Pg 181

2) A believer who patterns his life after the stronger Christian but without the stronger Christian’s faith, so defiles his conscience that there can be no development, no progress, no growth, no edification in the doctrine of grace. Pg 182

3) Refraining from certain things is not synonymous with spirituality. To be spiritual is to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. Pg 185

4) A believer should exercise liberty to the extent that his testimony is not jeopardized and fellow believers are not led into sin. One of the greatest dangers believers face today is the danger of losing their testimony before the world by being so much like the world that they have nothing to offer it. Pg 185

5) Some Christians mistake the statement “knowledge puffs up” as a divine escape clause from serious Bible study. However, the indictment here is not against knowledge, but against knowledge applied without love. Pg 187

Chapter 21 The Goal of the Christian (ref John 17.1-10)

1) What is the goal in the Christian life? That we should do all things to the honor and glory of God. Pg 189

2) In what sense can we glorify God? When people received the revelation Christ gave, and responded to that revelation by honoring, worshiping, obeying, and adoring the One who was revealed, they glorified the Father. Pg 190

3) In Col 1.11 Paul prayed that believers might be “strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.” What this stresses is that when God’s power through the Holy Spirit operates in us, God will be glorified because the Spirit will produce the patience, longsuffering, and joy of Christ in us. Pg 194

4) God’s purpose for each person is that His life might be reproduced in us, bringing glory to God. Pg 194

5) The greatest goal for the Christian is to live out Jesus Christ before the world so that people may know the Father. God is glorified through a transformation of our lives that enable Him to use us to reveal Himself to the world around us. And as People respond to what they see of Christ in us, God will be glorified and people will come to know Him. Pg 194

Chapter 22: The Christian and the World (ref Romans 12.1-2)

1) [ref 1 John 2.15] This verse deals with allegiances of the heart and mind. Pg 201

2) For worldliness is not concerned principally with our acts, but with our attitudes that control our acts. It is entirely possible that you refrain from doing something in order to be acceptable to the Christians around you, and yet wish with all your heart that you were doing that very thing. That desire is what constitutes worldliness in your life. You are conforming to the world in your thoughts. Therefore, in considering any matter of personal conduct, or in questioning what is right for you as a child of God, you must go beyond the thing itself and determine your attitude toward it. Each of us must examine our thoughts, our goals, our aims, and our ambitions in light of the Word of God. Pg 202

3) We don’t have to look far to see the undeclared spiritual system that permeates the various philosophies and religions of the world. As cults, sects, and “isms” spring up, nearly all allow tolerance of anything and everything—except biblical beliefs. Likewise, secular philosophies loudly advocate open-mindedness and freedom—except when it comes to voicing and living out a biblical lifestyle. For all the diversity in the world’s views on life, death, morality, and worship, they are universally blanketed with an anti-God, anti-Bible, anti-Christ sameness. Pg 203

Chapter 23: The Christian and the Flesh (ref Romans 8.1-13)

1) God’s purpose to reproduce Christ in the Christian is achieved as the believer allows himself to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. But the child of God also has the option of being controlled by the flesh. When he is controlled by the flesh, he is what the Bible call “carnal.” In contrast, when he is controlled by the Holy Spirit, he is “spiritual.” Pg 206

2) To be spiritually minded is to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. To be carnally minded means to be controlled by the flesh. So this passage [ref Rom 8.6] affirms that the flesh can never reproduce the righteousness of Christ in u, because to be carnally minded—controlled by the flesh—means a person is dead with regard to his or her ability to produce fruit that is pleasing to God. Pg 206-207

3) The term flesh is also used to describe a person’s natural effort, independent of God [ref Gal 3.3; Phil 3.3]. Pg 207

4) The terms flesh and the carnal mind are used in the New Testament to refer to the vehicle through which sin operates. Pg 208

5) What is carnality? According to the Bible, any thought, word, or action that is generated by the flesh, motivated by the flesh, and indulges the flesh is carnality. It is not always what we do that marks the difference between being carnal and being spiritual; rather, it is what or who controls us in that action. Pg 211

6) Trying to reconcile the flesh with God in our thoughts, we will make adjustments to God’s truth in order to accommodate the flesh. Pg 211

Chapter 24: The Whole Armor of God (ref Eph 6.10-24)

No notes

Chapter 25: The Girdle of Truth (ref John 17.13-17; Eph 6.14)

1) In beginning his description of the armor of God, Paul refers to truth in a subjective sense. The child of God who is about to go into battle must be clothed, first and foremost, with truthfulness, integrity of character, and sincerity. This will give him courage and confidence as he goes into battle. Pg 224-225

2) Is there a burden of guilt on your conscience? If so, the only remedy is to go to God with a willingness to turn away from this wrong and make right any harm it has done. As you do, a good rule of thumb is to make your confession and apologies only as public as the offense. Pg 228

Chapter 26: The Breastplate of Righteousness (ref 2 Cor 2.9-11; Eph 6.14)

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Chapter 27: Shoes for our Feet (ref Eph 6.15)

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Chapter 28: The Shield of Faith (ref 1 John 5.1-5)

1) Faith is an attitude toward God in which we consider Him to be a faithful God who will perform what He has promised. Pg 244

2) The shield of faith is not referring to the objective body of God’s truth, but to the Christian’s trust in God’s faithfulness to His promises. Pg 244

3) Sometimes we mistakenly think that our spiritual well-being depends on how great our faith is. We need to remember, however, that faith is simply trust in something we know to be true; and that our faith is only as great as the object of that trust. Those who believe God for great things are not leaning on the greatness of their faith, but on the greatness of the God in whom they have placed their faith. They put their trust in something they know to be true about God. If we want our faith to result in great things, we need to learn more about Him from His Word, that we might know for certain what He can do, and then put our trust in that. Pg 247

4) Ever notice how compromise in the Christian life often begins with a small doubt or disagreement about something God has revealed? We might choose to reject a prohibition He has given; we might disagree with His assessment of certain sins; we might doubt that He really has our best in mind; we might choose the world’s enticements over the warnings He has given. But whatever the circumstance, when we doubt what He has told us in His Word, we are in essence laying aside the shield of faith. We have ceased to trust what He has told us, and we are unprotected from the fiery darts of the Evil One. Pg 247

Chapter 29: The Helmet of Salvation (ref 2 Cor 10.1-7)

1) Since a helmet is a head covering, we might think of the helmet of salvation as protection for the Christian’s thought life. Our thought life determines whether we experience victory or defeat. Solomon, writing in Proverbs 23.7, said that as a man “thinks in his heart, so is he.” Before any commander can lead his troops into battle with any expectation of victory, he must build morale. So when the Bible commands us to take the helmet of salvation, it is commanding us to receive God’s promises concerning our position in Christ and victory in Christ. Only as we lay hold of these promises of victory can we expect to stand in this evil day. Pg 250

2) The child of God is expected to believe what God has promised. If God has promised certain victory, then it is unbelief to say that God did not mean what He said. Pg 250

3) [referring to Paul] He knew nothing of a gospel which could save for eternity but was inadequate for daily life. Pg 251

4) If you really believe that you can do all things through Christ, then the very assent of your mind to that fact means that you are putting on the helmet of salvation. When you read that promise in the Word of God and your heart responds with an “amen,” your assent to that fact strengthens you for battle. Pg 251

5) We have been led to believe that Satan is anything but a coward. We have been deceived to think that he is absolutely fearless. But Satan is, in fact, a coward. He must come against us with deception, hiding behind a cloak of secrecy. Because of his cowardice, he tries to overwhelm us with fear just like a lion uses his roar to strike terror into his prey. Pg 251

6) The mind is the seat of the thought process and plays an active role in exercising faith. Any expectation of defeat is not from God. That is what Paul meant when he said God has not given us a spirit of fear [ref 2 Tim 1.7].

7) A sound mind means we have the ability to apply the Bible’s promises to the daily battle we face. Paul was saying to Timothy [ref 2 Timothy 1.7], “You are going as my representative. You are to teach the Word and ground the saints in the Word of God. In a very real sense, you are going into battle against the Evil One. As you proclaim the Word of God you are dispelling the darkness and bringing people to knowledge which will enable them to defeat and overthrow the Enemy. As you go into this battle, you do not have to fear, because God has given you a sound mind that can appropriate God’s promises and respond in faith to that which you know.” Pg 252

8) There is a great contrast between God’s brand of positive thinking and that pandered by today’s positive-thinking gurus. In the secular world, positive thinking is the process of trying to make something true by believing it beforehand. In God’s economy, thinking positively is affirming in our minds something that is already true. Pg 254

9) J. Francis Peak once said, “The major cause of discouragement is a temporary loss of perspective.” Pg 254

Chapter 30: The Sword of the Spirit (ref 2 Peter 1.15-21)

1) Interestingly, in each of His three temptations, Christ quoted Deuteronomy. While the book of Leviticus governed Israel’s worship, the book of Deut. Controlled the people’s daily walk. Pg 260

2) Among several New Testament terms translated “word” is one which refers to the Word of God in its entirety. We do not hesitate to say that our Bible, in its entirety, is the Word of God. But when Paul referred to the sword of the Spirit, he did not use the term which refers to the Word in its totality; instead he used a significant word which refers to the Scriptures as composed of individual sayings. In other words, he referred to the Word of God as it applied in specific instances. It is the Scriptures we have personally appropriated and experienced. By using this particular term, Paul is teaching us a very important concept. Only that portion of the Word of God which we know and which has particular relevance to the temptation at hand may be considered the sword that will defeat the enemy. When Satan tempted Christ, Jesus used a specific verse that dealt with a specific problem, and He quoted that verse as the answer to the temptation. Pg 261

3) This means that we do not possess the sword of the Spirit simply because we own a leather-bound, gilt-edged copy of the Holy Bible. We possess the sword of the Spirit only when that which is in the Bible has been transferred to the mind and heart, so that when Satan comes we can apply what we have learned and defeat him in that particular battle. The pastor’s sermons aren’t swords for us. Our sword is not what we can find in a concordance or what is written in the margins of our Bibles. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God which we know and can use against Satan. Pg 261

Chapter 31: Coming to Maturity (ref Heb 5.1-14)

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Chapter 32: Steps to Maturity (ref Heb 6-1-2)

1) As we have discovered in previous chapters, unless we present ourselves to God as a living sacrifice, unless we present our members as instruments of His righteousness and holiness, we will not progress toward maturity. Pg 272

2) In Romans 10.17 Paul emphasized the importance of knowledge of God’s Word when he wrote, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” We cannot believe something of which we are ignorant. We have to have some objective facts to believe. The Bible has given us facts to accept, and when we believe we accept the facts of the Word of God, because God has revealed them as divine (not human) truth. Thus faith is inseparably united to knowledge. Pg 274

3) If we would go on to spiritual adulthood, the Word we have taken in must be worked out in practical living. Pg 275

4) [ref Hebrews 6:4-6] To summarize his argument, he says that it is impossible to erase the record of failure and immaturity by losing our salvation and being saved all over again. If we could lose our salvation, being saved a second time would erase all previous failure. But you can’t do that. A person, by falling away, cannot erase his record of failure. His record must stand, and he must face it at the judgment seat of Christ. God has made us responsible for growth, and at the judgment seat of Christ we will be examined as believers in regard to our growth. Pg 276-277