LWBC August 10, 2008

(1Ti 1:5-7)The aim of our instruction is love that issues from a pure heart and a good

conscience and a sincere faith.

Hypocrites and Backsliders Lesson 058

GAP in Action

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1 Cor 2:13-14

• We speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. = GAP Communication

• The soulish man does not accept the things from the Holy Spiritfor to him they are foolishness and he is not able to even acquire academic understanding because they are spiritually discerned. = Need for GAP

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Human Life and the Soul, and the Spirit

• Who is the Soul-only Man

• 1 Cor. 15:45—“The first man Adam became a living soul. The last man Adam became a life-giving spirit.”

• The Spirit Man

• “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts” (Gal. 4:6).

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MindMind

HEARTKardia

Heart

SOUL

The Soulical Man

BODY

Appraisal

Choice

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MindMind

HEARTKardia

Heart

SOUL

GAP for the New Creature Regenerated by the Holy Spirit

BODY

Human Spirit

Holy Spirit

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Spiritual Life - Regeneration• Ezek. 36:26-27: "I will give you a new heart and put a new

spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

• 2 Pet. 1:4—“that through these [promises] ye may become partakers of the divine nature”

• Eph 4:23, 24—“that ye be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness of truth”

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Paul’s Prayer• that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.

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GAP in Action

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GAP in Action

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Filled with the Knowledge of His Will

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GAP in Action

• "FILLED"

• Not just a small measure, but satiated, with a full measure

• It is not God's desire that we try to "just get by with as little as necessary"

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GAP in Action• "THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WILL

• This is what God desires us to be filled with

• The Greek word for "knowledge" in this passage is EPIGNOSIS

• 1) Knowledge which is the result of practical and personal experience

• 2) I.e., not just academic or intellectual knowledge

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GAP in Action• Epignosis knowledge is information that has

been believed and acted upon -

• Thus, our knowledge of God's will is to be something we have come by through practice and application in our lives.

• Rom 10:2 for I bear them testimony that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge,

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GAP in Action• WHY IS BEING FILLED WITH SUCH

KNOWLEDGE SO IMPORTANT? • 1. Because God's people have always been

destroyed by a lack of knowledge - cf. Hos 4:6• 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:

because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

• 2. It is essential to our renewal in becoming like Christ - Co 3:5-11:

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GAP in Action• “in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,”

• This thorough, perfect knowledge of God’s will should be in the sphere of “All wisdom and spiritual understanding.”

• Again, Paul uses two words, sophia (σοφια) (wisdom) and sunesis (συνεσις) (understanding).

• Expositors in defining these words, says: "sophia (σοφια) is general, sunesis (συνεσις), special [specific].

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GAP in Action• Sophia (Σοφια) embraces the whole range of mental faculties; sunesis (συνεσις) is the special faculty of intelligence or insight which discriminates between the false and the true, and grasps the relations in which things stand to each other.

• Συνεσις [Sunesis] is the faculty of deciding in particular cases while σοφια [sophia] gives the general principles (Abbott).

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GAP in Action• The word “all,”qualifying “knowledge”and

“understanding,” is better, “every kind of,” or “in every category.”

• The addition of pneumatikos (πνευματικος), (spiritual) shows that both are to proceed from the Ministry of the Holy Spirit.

• They thus stand in opposition to fleshly wisdom (II Cor. 1:12).

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GAP in Action• 5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

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GAP in Action• 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

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GAP in Action

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Knowledge of God’s Will

Specific Application

SpiritualWisdom

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Phil 1:9 and this I pray, that your love yet more and more

may abound in full knowledge, and all judgment,

Full Knowledge

All Judgment

Your Love

(1Ti 1:5-7)The aim of our instruction is love…

GAP in Action• “so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord”

• Paul prays that the Colossian saints might be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in the sphere of every kind of thorough wisdom and intelligence in order that they “might walk worthy of the Lord.”

• “walk”is peripateō (περιπατεω), “to order one’s behavior, to conduct one’s self.”

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GAP in Action• The practical purpose or contemplated result of this

clear knowledge which is the starting-point in Paul’s prayer for the Colossians is now stated: so as to live lives worthy of the Lord (cf. Eph. 4:1; Phil. 1:27; I Thess. 2:12; III John 6).

• This aorist active infinitive may express purpose or result.

• Certainly this result is the aim of the right knowledge of God. “the end of all knowledge is conduct” (Lightfoot).

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GAP in Action• “worthy” is axiōs (ἀξιως). When this word is used with the genitive case as it is here, it means, “having the weight of (weighing as much as) another thing.”

• It means, “of like value, worth as much.” • The saints are to see to it that their manner of life, their conduct, weighs as much as the character of their Lord.

• That is, He is to be their example in life, and the copy must be like the example.

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GAP in Action• Peter says: “Christ also suffered on your behalf, leaving behind for you a model to imitate, in order that by close application you might follow in His footprints” (I Pet. 2:21).

• Expositors says: “This lofty wisdom and insight is not an end in itself. It must issue in right practice. Doctrines and ethics are for Paul inseparable. Right conduct must be founded on right thinking, but right thinking must also lead to right conduct.”

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GAP in Action

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Walk Worthy

Knowledge of His Will

Specific Application

Spiritual Wisdom

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GAP in Action• “to please Him in all respects”• That this God-glorifying conduct will actually be the

result of being filled with clear knowledge of his will is easy to see, for the more God’s children know him, the more they will also love him; and the more they love him, the more they will also wish to obey him in thought, word, and deed.

• The words “unto all pleasing”are eis pasan areskian (εἰς πασαν ἀρεσκιαν), “with a view to every pleasing.”

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GAP in Action

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Please Him Completely

Walk Worth

y

Specific Application

Spiritual Wisdom

Knowledge of His Will

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GAP in Action• “bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in

the knowledge of God”• One of the activities of the saint in the sphere of a

behavior which is worthy of the Lord, is fruitbearing. • This fruitbearing and increasing is to be, not in the

knowledge of God, since the latter is the motivating energy which produces the former, but by means of the knowledge of God.

• In the knowledge of God (τῃ ἐπιγνωσει του θεου [tēi epignōsei tou theou]). Instrumental case, “by means of the full knowledge of God.”

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GAP in Action

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Walk Worth

y

Please Him Completely

Knowledge of His Will

Specific Application

Spiritual Wisdom

Bearing Fruit

Increasing in KOG

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Rom 15:14 And I am persuaded, my brethren -- I myself also -- concerning you, that ye yourselves also are full of goodness, having been filled with all knowledge, able also one another to admonish;

GAP in Action

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Walk Worth

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Please Him Completely

Knowledge of His Will

Specific Application

Spiritual Wisdom

Bearing Fruit

Increasing in KOG

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2 Pet 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

GAP in Action• Translation. Because of this, we also, from the day

we heard, do not cease on behalf of you to bring our petitions and present our definite requests, that you might be filled with the advanced and perfect knowledge of His will in the sphere of every kind of categorical doctrine and application which is spiritual, so that you may order your behavior worthily of the Lord with a view to pleasing Him in everything, in every work which is good, constantly bearing fruit and increasing by means of the thorough and perfect knowledge of God.

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GAP in Action• “strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might,”

• Strengthened (δυναμουμενοι [dunamoumenoi]). Present passive participle of late verb δυναμοω [dunamoō] (from δυναμις [dunamis]), to empower, “Empowered with all power.”

• In the expression “strengthened with all might,”the verb is dunamoō (δυναμοω), the noun, dunamis (δυναμις).

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GAP in Action• Dunamis (Δυναμις), the noun, has the following meanings, “strength, ability, power, inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, power which a person or thing exerts and puts forth.”

• The verb dunamai (δυναμαι) means “to be able, to have power.”

• Thus, it is easy to see that these words speak of inherent power which gives one the ability to do something.

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GAP in Action• Dunamoō (Δυναμοω), which is used here, means “to make strong, to strengthen.”

• One could translate, “by every enabling power being constantly strengthened.”

• The word “power” is kratos (κρατος), “relative and manifested power.”

• Eph 3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

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GAP in Action• God’s revelation of Himself to us, however this revelation may be made, is the one source of all our highest strength.”

• Commenting on the words “according to”(kata (κατα)), Expositors says: “he equipment with power is proportioned not simply to the recipient’s need, but to the divine supply.”

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GAP in Action• “in accordance with”is stronger than “of”or “by.”

• When the multimillionaire gives “of” his wealth to some good cause he may be giving very little; but when he donates “in accordance with”his riches, the amount will be substantial.

• The Holy Spirit gives not only “of” but “in accordance with.” Eph. 1:19–23 shows why God’s might is indeed “glorious.”

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GAP in Action

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Walk Worth

y

Please Him Completely

Knowledge of His Will

Specific Application

Spiritual Wisdom

Bearing Fruit

Increasing in KOG

Being Strengthened

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“to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man” (Eph 3:16)

GAP in Action• This being strengthened by God results in “all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.”

• Patience”is hupomonē (ὑπομονη), “longsuffering,”makrothumia (μακροθυμια).

• Trench’s note on these words is valuable: “makrothumia (Μακροθυμια) will be found to express patience in respect of persons, hupomonē (ὑπομονη), in respect of things.

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GAP in Action• Commenting upon hupomonē (ὑπομονη), Trench says; “It does not mark merely endurance, or even patience, but the perseverance, the brave patience with which the Christian contends against the various hindrances, persecutions, and temptations that befall him in his conflict with the inward and outward world.”

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GAP in Action• In brief, makrothumia (μακροθυμια) is patience exhibited under ill-treatment by persons, hupomonē (ὑπομονη), patience shown under trials, difficulties, hardships.

• What this strength in action (κράτος) enables believers to do is stated in the words so as to exercise every kind of endurance and longsuffering.

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GAP in Action• Endurance is the grace to bear up under, the

bravery of perseverance in the performance of one’s God-given task in spite of every hardship and trial, the refusal to succumb to despair or cowardice. It is a human attribute and is shown in connection with things, that is, circumstances in which a person is involved: affliction, suffering, persecution, etc.

• Longsuffering characterizes the person who, in relation to those who oppose or molest him, exercises patience, refusing to yield to passion or to outbursts of anger.

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GAP in Action• “giving thanks to the Father.”• This patience and longsuffering is to be

accompanied with joyfulness. • Expositors says; “it (joyfulness) forms a very

necessary addition, for the peculiar danger of the exercise of those qualities is that it tends to produce a certain gloominess or sourness of disposition.

• The remedy is that the Christian should be so filled with joy that he is able to meet all his trials with a buoyant sense of mastery.”

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GAP in Action

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Walk Worthy

Bearing Fruit Increasing

in KOGPlease Him Completely

Stability Patience Joy

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GAP in Action• The Father to whom constant thanksgiving should be expressed is He who “hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.”

• “made meet” is hikanoō (ἱκανοω), “to make sufficient, render fit, qualify.”

• The standing of the believer in Christ is here in view, not his Christian character.

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GAP in Action

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Giving Thanks to God

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GAP in Action• Translation. By unlimited enabling power being constantly strengthened in proportion to the manifested power of His glory resulting in every patience in any situation and forbearance with any person and doing it with with joy, constantly giving thanks to the Father who qualified you for the portion of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

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GAP in Action• This GAP in Action is the example of “putting on the Baldric by means of truth, securing the Breastplate of Righteousness to it, and putting on the sandals of the Gospel of Reconciliation, in our study of the Armor of God so far.

• GAP is the means to equipping us for battle.• Next we will resume our study of the Armor.

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GAP in Action• Wuest, Kenneth S.: Wuest's Word Studies from the

Greek New Testament : For the English Reader. Grand Rapids : Eerdmans, 1997, c1984, S. Col 1:3

• Robertson, A.T.: Word Pictures in the New Testament. Oak Harbor : Logos Research Systems, 1997, S. Col 1:9

• Hendriksen, William ; Kistemaker, Simon J.: New Testament Commentary : Exposition of Colossians and Philemon. Grand Rapids : Baker Book House, 1953-2001 (New Testament Commentary 6), S. 54

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