The Head Of Christ Is God
The Function Of 'The Woman' In The Body Of Christ
A proper understanding of who is the Head of all things is so important to our Creator that He has made us all male and female for the purpose of telling us that there is an order both in the physical and in the spiritual realms:
1 Cor 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God."Invisible things... clearly seen" appears to be a contradiction, but it is not. God very much wants us to be aware of who is the head of whom in the invisible spiritual realm.
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Why "would he have us to know" this? Just how important is order to God the Father and to Christ? Here is just how important it is to our heavenly Father and to Christ that we know and understand God's order in His service:
1 Cor 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come."All these things happened... and are written?" What were "all these things?" They are a history of Israel's rebellions against God's order, His government, His hierarchy, in ancient Israel. Here is just a brief summary of what Paul is alluding to when he says "all these things:"
1 Cor 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
1 Cor 10:5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.Israel's entire history "happened to them and was written for our admonition. "What was Israel's history? It is a history of one act of insubordination after the other. It is a history of a blessed people, given a close relationship with God, and yet it is a history of being totally unsatisfied with all those blessings. It is a history which reveals Israel's rebellion against God's orders. It is a history which reflects the "pride of life" which was behind those acts of insubordination. Israel's history is nothing less than the fulfillment of the curse which God placed on 'the woman' when she neglected to let her 'head' take the lead and do the speaking as Christ lets His Father do all of His speaking:
1 Cor 10:6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
1 Cor 10:7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
1 Cor 10:8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
1 Cor 10:9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
1 Cor 10:10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
John 8:28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.Because Eve did not do "as she had been taught," she was given this curse:
Gen 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."Thy desire shall be to thy husband..." almost sounds like this verse is saying that Eve's desire will be to please her husband. That was what I thought that verse meant when I first read it many years ago. But is that what we are being told? Absolutely not! What we are really being told is the exact opposite. But God has seen fit to keep this hidden from this world.
This phrase "thy desire shall be to..." is repeated in the very next chapter under very similar circumstances. God is talking to Cain about why Cain's offering was not respected by God (Be sure to read Why Cain's Offering Was Not Accepted). Look at how similar are God's words to both Cain and Eve:
Gen 4:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.Isn't this exactly what God had told Eve? Here are both curses side by side:
Gen 4:6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
Gen 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his [sin's] desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
Genesis 3:16 Thy desire shall be to thy husband and he shall rule over thee"Both end with the positive conclusion of promising both Eve and Cain that they will overcome sin and rebellion. This is nothing short of revealing the promise of ultimate salvation for all, right here at the beginning of the book of Genesis. Eve, and all in her, will eventually be ruled by "her husband," who typifies Christ. For Eve the conclusion is, "He [Adam-the man-the Spirit] shall rule over you... [The woman, the flesh, the soul]." And for Cain the conclusion is, "You [Cain- "the man"- the spirit] shall rule over him [sin-the soul- "the woman"]."
Genesis 4:7 Unto you shall be his [sin's] desire and you shall rule over him [sin].
What is so very revealing about both of these verses is that the word 'to' in Genesis 3:16, where God is talking to Eve, and the word 'unto' in Genesis 4:7, where God is talking to Cain, are the exact same Hebrew word. That Hebrew word is 'el el' Strong's number 413. This same word is used in the very next verse in Genesis 4:8. But just look at how it is translated in this verse:
Gen 4:7 If thou [Cain] doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.In verse eight this Hebrew word 'el el' is translated 'against.' "Cain rose up against [el el] Abel." It is translated 'against' 151 times. Here is one more example:
Gen 4:8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
Ex 14:5 And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against [Hebrew-el el] the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?When we change 'to' in Genesis 3:16 to 'against' here is what Eve's curse becomes:
Gen 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be [against] thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.Eve, "the woman", is cursed with a natural desire to be 'against' her husband. She is naturally going to oppose him and must fight that natural tendency all of her life. Eve is just naturally opposed to her husband's headship just as Adam and Cain, 'the man', is naturally opposed to the headship of Christ in his life:
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is [naturally] enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.So then, is this curse peculiar just to women? Of course, it is not. It is the exact same curse which was placed upon Cain, the rejected firstborn. Cain's curse was just a rewording of what Adam was told when he received this curse for following His wife:
Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh [naturally] cannot please God.
Gen 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground [Your own dying, carnal body of dust] for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;The "altar" is where we "eat" with and commune with our God. Our 'food' we 'eat' on that table is our doctrines:
Gen 3:18 Thorns also and thistles [the scriptural types of spiritual lies and false doctrines-see below] shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
Gen 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
Heb 13:10 We have an altar, whereof they [who offer physical sacrifices] have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.Now look at what is on the "altars... of Israel:"
Hos 10:8 The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.'Thorns and thistles' are lies and false doctrines. Adam was never allowed to get past eating the "herbs" of God's word. But look now at how Genesis 4:7 reads when properly translated:
Gen 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto [against - el el] thee shall be his [sin's] desire, and thou shalt rule over him.The 'Cain' in us all just naturally sins against what we know to be the Truth of God's Word. That is what is naturally [first] in the heart of all who are "in Adam." Paul comes right out and tells us that this natural rebellion against God is in every one of us:
Rom 7:15 For that which I do [while walking after the flesh- verse 5] I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.Cain is not 'that man over there.' Cain is the man in the mirror in all of mankind.
Rom 7:16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
Rom 7:17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me ["lieth at the door"].
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not ["against you shall be sin's desire"].
Rom 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Jer 17:9 The heart [in every man who has ever lived] is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
It is only with "Christ in us" that we can overcome sin and stop "walking according to the flesh." Some few are actually "walking according to the Spirit" and those few are "subject to the law of God." Here is a small part of that law which even now is true for those who "walk according to the Spirit:"
Gen 2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.What are we to learn from the facts of the creation of woman? This is much more than a treatise only on married couples. This is a revelation of what is the very meaning of being made male and female:
Gen 2:20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
Gen 2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
Gen 2:22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
Gen 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.What we need to learn is that we come out from Christ just as Christ came "out from God." Being made male and female tells us that God made Christ submissive to His will.
John 16:27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.Was 'the woman' taken from her 'husband' or was she taken from 'the man?' The answer is that since there was no woman to begin with, Adam could not be called a 'husband' until after 'the woman was created. Consequently the point being made in telling us the details of how Christ brought mankind into existence, is to reveal to us Christ's relationship to His Head. It reveals to us that Christ is "one" with His Father:
Matt 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,The story of the 'rib' teaches us union not dis-union.
Matt 19:5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Matt 19:6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
1 Cor 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man [married or single] is Christ; and the head of the woman [married or single] is the man [Christ]; and the head of Christ is God.The use of a 'rib' to create 'the woman' teaches us of unity and oneness, which is supposed to be the case with all who have "Christ in them." It is not a lesson of disunity and being separated. "Come out of Her my people" has nothing at all to do with the message of using a rib to make 'the woman.' God's Word teaches us that the relationship of a man to a woman in marriage is actually the revelation of the relationship of Christ both in His relationship to His Father and to the church. As Christ is submissive to His Father so should the church be to Christ.
Eph 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.There is an example and shadow of Babylon the Great in the creation story, but it is not the rib of Adam. Babylon the Great is figured by "the seed of the serpent" which is right there beside "the seed of the woman" within "the mother of all living." That "seed of the serpent" is shadowed by Cain who was cursed with "against thee shall his [sin's] desire be..." Cain was first born then Abel. Cain killed Abel, but Abel was replaced by Seth whose name means 'instead of.' All of these things witness to the spiritual principle that we all experience the natural rebellious nature first, and then the spiritual nature last.
Eph 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
Eph 5:24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Eph 5:32 This [a proper marriage relationship] is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
1 Cor 15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural [Cain]; and afterward that which is spiritual [Abel-crucified by Cain yet replaced by those in Christ who also have Christ in them].
1 Cor 15:47 The first man [Adam or Cain in us all] is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
1 John 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he [Christ] is, so are we in this world.So Babylon the Great comes first in us all. Then Abel comes to be crucified in us all.
Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.And what did Paul, under the inspiration of God's Holy Spirit, instruct the church at Ephesus? Let's go back to this 5th chapter of Ephesus and try to see what marriage is supposed to teach us about who and what is Christ. This chapter is known as 'the marriage chapter.' But it should be called 'the function of Christ' chapter. Look at how this chapter begins:
Eph 5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."Whoremonger... unclean person, and a covetous man who is an idolater" all have both inward and outward applications. So Paul is speaking to the entire church at this point. And speaking to the entire church, Paul continues:
Eph 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Eph 5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."Understand what the will of the Lord is...be filled with the spirit...Give thanks always for all things unto God in the name of Christ...Submitting yourselves [you Ephesians] one to another in the fear of God." The 'yourselves' in verse 21 is the same 'yourselves' mentioned in verse 19. 'Yourselves' is the entire church at Ephesus unless otherwise qualified, as in verse 22. It is not, as some affirm, Paul telling the Ephesian men to submit to their wives. If it were telling men to submit to their wives, then it would neuter and neutralize his admonition in the very next verse:
Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
Eph 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Eph 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Eph 5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Eph 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord...Which would inevitably lead to neutralizing our need to look to Christ and His Word as our head. God alone knows our hearts. But if we believe that 'submit yourselves one to another' means that husbands are to submit to their wives then it will be no time at all before Christ's Word becomes a limiting factor to our spiritual growth, and we will completely forget this spiritual Truth:
John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.Words we once considered to be words which will "never pass away" suddenly become words which are only for a certain time and under certain circumstances. We can fool others and even deceive ourselves, but God is not mocked or deceived. What we sow is what we will reap. The sad thing is that all who come to God's word with idols of the heart are "deceived by God:"
Eze 14:9 And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.We cannot undo deceptions in ourselves when God has done the deceiving. Let us all beg God that our hearts be open to His reproofs and be seeking only to know His mind in all things; but now especially in this matter of what is the function of "the woman" in "the body of Christ."
Eze 14:10 And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;
1 Cor 14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.God will not relinquish the "power of the throne." All who believe that "All in all" in any way takes away the Father's "power of the throne," will be sadly disillusioned:
John 14:28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.It has been suggested that just as the LORD God had taken from man a rib and made a woman, so today God is taking a very small part of Christ's body out of that body in order to make for Christ a bride to help Him with the work He has been given to do. The suggestion is that as long as you are part of 'the body' you are still carnal and unfit for the work which the bride of Christ is to perform. "Come out of her my people" is construed to mean 'come out of and do not be a part of the body of Christ.' What is wrong with this "fable" is that it completely removes from our minds what is the significance and purpose of God using a rib from Adam to create 'the woman' in the first place. What this "fable" accomplishes is to make of no significance whatever this verse of scripture:
1 Co r15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him [the consummation of the aions], then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
1 Cor 11:7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man."The body" of Adam, from which 'the rib' was taken, contained within Adam, within that rib, "the mother of all living." So where did "the mother of all living" originate? She had her origins "in Adam." And who are the "all living" who come from their mother Eve? Who comes from the bone and the flesh of Adam?
1 Cor 11:8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
1 Cor 11:9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
Gen 3:20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.So all theories to the contrary, the "mother of all living" is "in Adam" just as surely as "in Him [Christ] we live and move and have our being."
Gen 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Acts 17:28 For in him we [even Pagan Athenians] live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.So Christ is the "God [who] created man" and all who live and die in this flesh are "in Adam."
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
1 Cor 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.Who was the channel for this creation of Adam? The answer to this question is the purpose for "making them male and female."
1 Cor 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.Who is "the Word?" Who is "life?"
John 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:It is all Christ. Christ is the source and channel "by whom all things were created; that are in heaven and that are in earth visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him." We may try to separate the beginning, the first Adam, from Christ, but He does no such thing. He rather proclaims the first Adam as essential to His plan and purpose:
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.Before one can be "born again" he must first be born.
John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born [first] of water [flesh-the first Adam] and [then] of the Spirit [the "last Adam"], he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.So Adam was taken out of Christ. What then does this teach us about Christ Himself? Was Christ created? Is Christ the supreme power in the universe? The answer is that Christ came "out from the Father" just as Adam came out of Christ. God created Christ. Christ is the very first thing created by God. Christ came out from God just as Adam came out from Christ and Eve came out from Adam. Here are the scriptures:
John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
1 Cor 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
Rev 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;Here is Christ Himself calling Himself - "the beginning of the creation of God." And just as Eve was created as the channel through which all further human life would come, so also we learn, was Christ the Father's channel through which all life would come"
Col 1:3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,If Christ is "coequal" with God, as all "historical orthodox Christianity" and the 'fulness now-no hierarchy in the spirit realm' doctrine wants us all to believe, why is God called Christ's 'Father' here in Colossians, many years after Christ's ascension?
Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:And what are we told about that 'beginning?'
Col 1:16 For by him [Christ] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Matt 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,The Words of Colossians 1:15-18 are some of the most powerful statements in all of God's Word. "Christ... the image of the invisible God... is the firstborn of every creature... All things were created by him, and for him... He is before all things... by Him all things consist... He is the head of the body... He is the beginning... He is the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence." God is very concerned that we know who is and who is not preeminent. It is for our good that He wants this.
But who is it who has so decreed all of this? Here now is the very purpose for "creating them male and female." It is the very reason God's word is a chronicle of man's rebellion. It is the reason why Israel's history is a chronicle of Israel's inability to accept this fact:
Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;Male and female are a witness to the order and hierarchy within the very godhead:
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:The story of Joseph being made the king of Egypt gives us this same male and female witness:
Gen 41:40 Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.
The 'Bride,' "The Church," Is Christ's Channel For The Salvation Of All
So when we read that "Eve... is the mother of "all living" we must realize that just as all things were created "by and for Christ," so too, are those who are in Christ to be the channel for bringing life to all of mankind:Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:And what is that "inheritance which we have obtained in Him?"
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Eph 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; [even] in him:
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:It is given to but very few to appreciate the magnitude of what is revealed in these three verses. "The eye of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power."
Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
"The riches of the glory of Christ's inheritance" is revealed to be "in the saints." This should bring another verse of God's Word to mind. But it will do so for very few because very few appreciate that verse:
1 Cor 11:7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man."But the woman is the glory of the man" is only true when she is of a meek and quiet spirit, "submitting to her husband in all things as unto Christ." How wonderful and peaceful and loving is such a relationship! "The woman is the glory of the man." And what then is Christ's glory? We are not left to guess what is Christ's Glory:
1 Cor 11:8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
1 Cor 11:9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,"The exceeding greatness of his power [is] to us-ward who believe!
But what is it that we are to believe? Are we to believe that we are now in a realm which puts us on a par with our head? Are we to believe that since there is neither male nor female, that we are at this very moment in a spiritual realm which needs no hierarchy? Are wives no longer in need of husbands who are to be their heads? Are women now permitted to teach and to preach and to be bishops and leaders even of men? Is that what we are to learn and believe? Or is the Truth of God's New Testament with mankind in direct opposition to those fables and suppositions of men?
Is it not the Truth that if we do not rigorously "acknowledge that the words that [Paul] writes are the commandments of the Lord," then we are not acknowledging that it is through Christ, God's glory is revealed? And if we cannot acknowledge these truths, then we will not be the channel through which Christ's glory will be revealed?
Eph 1:20 Which he [the Father] wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly [places],Christ, through His submission to His father, is His Father's fulness and glory and is "given to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body." And "the church which is His body [is] the fulness of Him that fills all in all." It is through the submission of Christ to His Father, through the submission of the church to Christ, through the submission of wives to their husbands as unto Christ, that the All in all is accomplished.
Eph 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
Eph 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Eph 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Col 2:9 For in him [Christ] dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
The 'Fulness Now' Heresy
In an effort to justify their rejection of Paul's declaration that the things he writes are the commandments of the Lord, some assert that 'since Christ is "the fulness of the Godhead bodily," and since we are "in Christ," that therefore we, too, are "the fulness of the Godhead bodily" and as such must now get beyond the written Words of God and into 'the deeper things of the spirit.' The 'deeper things of the spirit' of course means that Paul's Words about women are now nothing but dead letters which were applicable only at that particular time and under those particular circumstances. This is the very doctrine which leads to denying that Paul's word's are "the commandments of the Lord." It is the very spirit which denies that "The words that I speak unto you are spirit." This spirit denies that "my words will never pass away." This spirit denies that Christ is His Word and as such Is, Was, And Will Be True. This is the very spirit which leads to the ordination just recently of a woman to be the head of the Episcopal church at the National Cathedral. It is the very same spirit which leads this very woman and many other 'sons of the bondwoman' Christians, to approve same sex marriages. It is all the fruit of believing the words of Christ's apostles are not as good or as loving as were His Words. It is the same spirit and the exact same doctrine which teaches that we are now enjoying the fulness of the Spirit and consequently can now receive revelations through the Holy Spirit which are in direct opposition to the scriptures. Here is a verse used to buttress this false doctrine of 'the fulness now.'Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:It is as if God has simply blinded their eyes to the word "till" at the very beginning of this verse. It is as if God has blinded them to the verses before this which precipitated the use of this word 'till.' Here are the verses that precede the word 'till:'
Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)"For the perfecting of the saints... for the edifying of the body of Christ..." Is the body of Christ being edified by the offices and callings listed above? Of course it is. And it will continue to be so edified "till (until) we come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." That is, until we shed this vessel of clay and are resurrected in a spiritual body at the first resurrection or at the later resurrection. But "the resurrection is [not] past" and we are not yet "unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."
Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Here are a few verses Which demonstrate the fallacy of this 'fulness now' heresy:
Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,We are "sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest [down payment] of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession." When is our "redemption?" If we can determine when we receive our redemption then we will know whether we are capable of being redeemed beyond a 'down payment' form while yet in this corruptible flesh. So when is our redemption? Are we redeemed already or are we being redeemed? Are we saved already or are we being saved? What say the scriptures? What is "the sum of thy word?"
Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God."Shall be delivered... groans and travails... until now... ourselves also which have the firstfruits of the ["Holy"] Spirit ["of promise"]... groan within ourselves WAITING for the uihothesia... the redemption of our bodies?" Does this sound like Paul thought that he was even then enjoying the fulness of Christ? No, Paul knew better than to listen to the heresies of Hymenaeus and Philetus."
Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit ["sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise" (Eph. 1:14)], even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Rom 8:24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Rom 8:25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
2Ti 2:16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.False doctrines always "increase to more ungodliness," because no lie can stand on it's own. It must be buttressed by more and more lies.
2Ti 2:17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2Ti 2:18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
Are we even now in possession of "the redemption of our body?" What say the scriptures?
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons [Greek- uihos- mature sons] of God.Are we 'uihos?' Are we now "sons of God?" In the sense that we "Have received the [seal of] the Holy Spirit of adoption [uihothesia], yes, we are even now "sons of God." But it is "in earnest" and not "the possession" of our inheritance:
Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption [uihothesia], whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children [teknon- children- off spring] of God:
Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.Verses 16 and 17 of Romans 8, are clarifying verses 22 and 23. They absolutely do not contradict verses 22 and 23. We have not yet received "the promised possession." That is why we yet "hope for it." That is why we yet "suffer with him." That is why we are yet "heirs and joint heirs with Christ." We are being saved. We are being redeemed.Here are those two verses side by side:
Rom 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."The holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest, [the down payment] of our inheritance UNTIL the redemption...?"
Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
"We ourselves groan within ourselves waiting for the uihothesia... the redemption of our body?" Are we redeemed? In the sense that we are the uihos of God, yes we are redeemed. Do we now possess the uihothesia? Absolutely not! We are both 'uihos' and 'redeemed' in "earnest" in 'down payment'
But wait a minute. What do we do with the scriptures in 1 John which say we do not sin if we are born of God? Do not these scriptures show that we can be in possession of the fulness of Christ even now while we are yet in this sinful flesh? Do these scriptures not prove that we do indeed enjoy the fulness of Christ even now? Here are those verses:
1Jo 3:6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.That sure sounds like John is saying "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin;" And then there is also this verse:
1Jo 3:7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
1Jo 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
1Jo 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
1Jo 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.A gain I ask, what is the sum of God's Word on this subject? What do the scriptures here mean when they say "doth not commit sin [and] sinneth not?" Here is what Peter tells us this phrase means:
1Pe 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;"He that hath suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he should no longer live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God." That is what Peter says "ceased from sin... doth not commit sin [and] sinneth not" means.
1Pe 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
What does Paul say these phrases "doth not commit sin [and] sinneth not [and] free from sin" mean?
Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Rom 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Rom 6:17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Rom 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Rom 6:21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things [is] death.Here is the apostle Paul saying essentially the exact same thing that the apostle John says. Four times in one chapter we are told that we are "dead to sin... freed from sin... free from sin... free from sin."
Rom 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
Peter explains that "ceased from sin" means: "that he should no longer live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God."
And Paul also explains what he means when he says "freed from sin." Here is what Paul tells us he means by that phrase:
Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.Paul is talking about "whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey." Paul, like Peter and John, is simply saying that now that Christ is living His life in our bodies of sinful flesh that "sin shall not have dominion over you." Not one of God's apostles ever once claimed to be perfected while in this sinful flesh. Here instead is what they all taught:
Rom 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
Rom 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.Here is what all of God's Word says about what should be our attitude toward sin in our lives while yet in these "marred... vessels of clay:"
1Co 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
Phi 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.That is my prayer for us all. "If in anything we be otherwise minded" and think that we can be perfected in the flesh and can go beyond "the commandments of the Lord," I pray that "God shall reveal even this unto you," and that you will be "thus minded and will realize that we are not "already perfect," but that we are all in a life long process of being saved, being perfected, and being completed.
Phi 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Phi 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Phi 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect [Greek, 'being perfected'- verse 12], be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
When we buy into that 'fulness now' heresy, we are turning "thy Word is Truth," into 'My word is truth.' We are adrift in a raging sea of false doctrines with no rudder to guide us and no written Word against which to "try the spirits to see whether they be of God." "The things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord."
Some man is telling us that God has called him to be our spiritual leader and that the written Words of the Bible are no longer sufficient to guide us. This is where the Adversary wants us all. We are then right where mother Eve was when she decided to go 'extra-scriptural' and believe that "Thou shalt surely die" was no longer true. What are our written instructions when we are faced with such men?:
Rom 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them."Their own belly" does not mean that these men are gluttonous. What it does mean is that they "will eat their own bread and wear their own clothes," and still call themselves 'Christians,' and claim to be sent of God.
Rom 16:18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
Isa 4:1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.I have actually witnessed, back in my youth, this false spirit parading as God's Holy Spirit. It had spoken through one minister telling him that another minister was to pastor a particular church. But somehow this same evil spirit had communicated to the other minister an entirely different message. Now who are we to believe? Both claim to be speaking under inspiration of God's Holy Spirit. How are we to "try the spirits" when both men believe that revelation now comes to us above and beyond the written word.
The Truth, of course, is that both men were "historical orthodox Christians" who knew nothing of the Truth of God's Word to begin with. Both had long ago been unable to "receive My Words." Neither had a clue of the spiritual connection between Christ and His written, spiritual words. And neither of these ministers or their followers knew of the preeminence of Christ and His Words in all things. Neither of these men, nor any of their followers were willing to "acknowledge that things that [are written] are the commandments of the Lord" (1 Cor. 14: 37).
John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.Christ and His recorded Word is preeminent over all of our experiences and over all of our revelations and over all of our idols of our hearts. If our experiences conflict with His recorded word, try that spirit, find it wanting and cast it out of your spiritual house. Do not find God's Word obsolete or "dead letters of ink on paper." Christ's Words "are spirit and life." They and He are preeminent:
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Col 1:16 For by him [Christ-the Word] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:How will God display His grace in the coming ages? "In His kindness toward us." And how will we display that grace? We will display that grace as God's channel to "shew the exceeding riches of his grace." As Christ's elect the "blessed and holy" participants in the first resurrection will minister mercy and grace to all those in Adam who have been resurrected from the dead at the great white throne judgment::
Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Rom 11:30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:And "mercy upon all" means both this world and the world of angels:
Rom 11:31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Rom 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
1 Cor 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1 Cor 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?It is those who "despise" authority, who cannot see a hierarchy in the spirit realm. The hierarchy in the spirit realm is the message of "He made them male and female" in the physical realm.
Christ commends those who are aware of the hierarchy in the spiritual realm:
Matt 8:5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
Matt 8:6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
Matt 8:7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
Matt 8:8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.
Matt 8:9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
Matt 8:10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
2 Pet 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
2 Pet 2:10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.
2 Pet 2:11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.
2 Pet 2:12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;
Jude 1:8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.The word 'government' in 2 Peter 2:10 is the same Greek word 'kuriotes' translated 'dominion' in Jude 1:8. The 'Eve' and the 'Cain' in us all "despises government... dominion" and authority.
And yet as Christ's submissive channel for life to all, His elect, those who "are counted worthy" to attain to that "blessed and holy first resurrection, because they have "humbled themselves under the mighty hand of God," will not only judge this world, but they are also the channel through which "in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace... by the church" to the spirit realm, the world of angels. Yes, of course, it is all "Christ in you, the hope of glory," doing and working it all.
Eph 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
1 Pet 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:As Christ is the submissive right arm of the Father, the same is true for those who are at Christ's right hand. And as God does all of His work through Christ, so too Christ accomplishes all of His work "by the church."
Consequently mother Eve, "the mother of all living," includes "the seed of the woman." But since she is "the mother of all living," she also includes "the seed of the serpent." Both are within "the woman... the Church which is His body." Just as God is doing all His work in and through Christ, so too, is Christ doing all of His work in and through the church which is "His body."
Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church.Talking to pagan Athenians, Paul make this amazing statement:
Act 17:28 For in him [God, through Christ] we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.And Christ Himself acknowledges that it is "in Him" that there are many unfruitful branches on the Vine.
John 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.It is the house of God being spoken of when Paul makes this observation:
2 Tim 2:20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.Anyone who suggests that the bride must "come out of His body" is woefully misinformed as to what is "the body of Christ."
It is Babylon The Great of which we are warned: "Come out of her my people." But is not Babylon the Great within the body of Christ? Are not Babylon the Great and "Jerusalem above" both 'in Christ?' Yes, they are indeed. "In Him we [all] live and move and have our being."
Gal 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.So, if Babylon the Great" is the woman who brings forth the manchild of Revelation 12, how can we possibly "come out of her my people" and still be part of "His body which is the church?"
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Both Christ and Paul make it abundantly clear how this is possible. It has nothing at all to do with the rib taken out of Adam, except that the rib shows the oneness of both Adam and 'the woman.' As always it involves 'rightly dividing the word. And as always 'the natural man cannot understand the things of the spirit,' because the things of the spirit seem to contradict the natural and are therefore "foolishness unto him. In reality they do not contradict. But Christ's parables and God's Word in general are written in such a way as to be easily misunderstood by those who seek to establish the idols of their hearts.
1 Cor 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.So the answer to our dilemma is that both the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent are within the church. We come out of the seed of the serpent in the church to become the seed of the woman in the church. Both the fruitful and the unfruitful branches are "in Me." We have our unfruitful branches taken away so that we can continue being purged so as to bring forth more fruit. Both are "in Me." We come out of Israel according to the flesh before we can become "as Isaac... the children of promise." We come out of the son of the bondwoman before we can become the son of the freewoman. And we must come out of Babylon the Great, before we can become "Jerusalem... above which is the mother of us all."
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.It really is all a matter of progression. But we never 'progress' beyond written revelation. We never progress to the point that there is no need for the foundation of the written word of God against which to "try the spirits to see whether they be of God."
1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit [doctrine], but try the spirits [doctrines-teachings] whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.And how are we to know "whether they are of God?" There is but one way:
Act 17:11 These [Bereans] were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.The Bereans "believed not every spirit, but tried the spirits to see whether they were of God." How did they do this? They "searched the scriptures daily." What they did not do was to say, 'You, Paul, are stuck in the letter and will never advance to the deeper things of the spirit.' These Bereans knew that the very definition of 'spirit' is "the words that I speak... are spirit...:"
John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.Anyone who has "progressed in the spirit" beyond the "words that I have spoken" has progressed right out of God's guiding light and into the darkness of heresy, just as we were warned would happen:
1 Tim 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;Teaching that Paul's words are not Christ's words, refusing to acknowledge that "the words that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord:"
1 Tim 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
1 Cor 14:34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but [they are commanded] to be under obedience, as also saith the law.Saying that you are so spiritual that God's written word is an obstacle to your spiritual growth is "giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;" All such people are unable to "try the spirits whether they be of God," because as the book of Acts shows us, they have dispensed with the only thing with which to "try the spirits to see whether they be of God:"
1 Cor 14:35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
1 Cor 14:36 What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
1 Cor 14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
Act s17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.Jeremiah prophesied of such heretics:
Jer 14:14 Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.In reality it is and always has been those who are called of God who withstand those who are chosen of God. For example: Cain vs. his own brother Abel; Ishmael vs. his own brother Isaac; Jacob vs. his own brother Esau; Leah vs. her own sister Rachel; Joseph vs. his own brothers; Moses vs. his own sister and brother, Miriam and Aaron; Moses and Aaron vs. their own fellow Levite, Korah; David vs. his own king, King Saul; David vs. his own son Absalom; David vs. his own trusted counsel Ahithophel, etc. till we come to Christ Himself vs. His own disciples who want to kill Him. This is the history of Babylon the Great against whom we are charged to "come out of her My people." This is the seed of the serpent of whom Christ said "Ye are of your Father the devil."
In the eighth chapter of John we find Christ telling "those Jews which believed on Him" that it is none other than they themselves, who comprise what is known as "the church in the wilderness," and "the son of the bondwoman," and who Christ identifies as the "seed of the serpent," or as He puts it "of your father the devil." This is the "Babylon the Great" of Revelation 17-18. It is and always has been the religious establishment of the day. It is and always has been those who believe on Christ but "cannot receive His words;" it's "historical orthodox Christianity" with its thousands of denominational daughters.
Here are the scriptures:
John 8:23 And he said unto them, Ye [All those who believe on Christ but "cannot receive my word"] are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
John 8:30 As he spake these words, many believed on him.Those who "continue in My Word" are "the seed of the woman... the four living creatures... the four wheels within a wheel... my disciples indeed... the son of the freewoman... the manchild who will rule the nations with a rod of iron... the very elect... the overcomers... the four beasts and the four and twenty elders... the New Jerusalem and the bride" of Christ.
John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth [Christ and His Words], and the truth shall make you free.To what 'house' is Christ referring when He states "the servant abides not in the house forever? Consider both what is the 'house' and who is 'the servant?'
John 8:33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
John 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
John 8:35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Gal 4:1 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;There it is. There is the answer to this whole dilemma of how we can be in Babylon the Great, the church, come out of Babylon The Great and still be in "His body which is the church."
Gal 4:2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
Gal 4:3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Remember, Christ is addressing these Jews which believed on Him, and He is referring to the same "Great house" Paul speaks of is this verse:
2 Tim 2:20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.Paul is telling us the same thing Christ told "those Jews which believed on Him:" "I know you are Abraham's seed." But with the very same breath He also tells these very same "Jews which believed on Him ... IF you were Abraham's seed..." How can Christ say "I know you are Abraham's seed" and also say "if you were Abraham's seed?" Not understanding how this is possible is what so often leads to completely unfounded doctrines which say things like 'the rib demonstrates separation from the body, before we can become Christ's bride, we must separate ourselves from His body.' What a total contradiction of the very purpose for using a rib to make the woman. The very purpose for forming Adam's bride from a rib of Adam is to demonstrate that Adam's bride is "bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh... and they two shall be one flesh." If this were all done to show us that Adam was complete before the rib was removed, why then was the rib removed? But Adam's completeness is accomplished by the removing of the rib. Adam's condition before Eve's arrival on the scene is not the point being made in God forming the woman of Adam's rib. The point being made is that just as Eve completed Adam, so too is God completing His plan through Christ. And Christ is completing God's plan through his sons, "the church which is His body." That is the lesson in "making them male and female:
What Fills All In All? The Meaning And Purpose For Using A Rib From Adam
Eph 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,In Scriptural terms "His body" and His "Bride" are one and the same. And it is through the church, through this male, female relationship, that "the fulness of Him that filleth all in all" is accomplished. It is not accomplished through its abolition. The fact that "they neither marry nor are given in marriage" has nothing at all to do with whether there is yet a hierarchy in the spirit realm. As I have pointed out already, when the aions have served their purpose and God is all in all, Christ will at that point "be subject unto" the Father.
Eph 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
But isn't Babylon the Great the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the world" also the church? And when we are told "come out of her my people" are we not being told to come out of the church? And is not this also "His body?" And if Colossians 1:25, "the church which is His body" is true, then how can we come out of the church without coming out of His body? This dilemma has plagued many great theologians for many long years
The apostles themselves had been called out of this 'great house,' this 'Babylon the Great.' They were all, at the time when they were chosen by Christ to become His apostles, a part of what the scriptures refer to as "the church in the wilderness." So Christ, speaking to "the church in the wilderness," speaking to "those Jews which believed on Him", continues:
John 8:37 I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.Christ conceded that these Jews were indeed Abraham's seed. And yet he says "Ye do that which ye have seen with your father" and "your father" is not a reference to Abraham.
John 8:38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
One thing Christ had "seen with His Father" was that "his father was greater than He."
John 14:28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.But Christ continues to demonstrate that "the church in the wilderness" was not the church which He had come to establish. It was rather the church He had come to destroy:
John 8:39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.At this point Christ tells us why the "church in the wilderness" is not "the church which is His body." It is "because you cannot hear my word."
John 8:40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
John 8:41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
John 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
John 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.There are some who, completely devoid of one single spiritual thought, speculate that Eve had physical sex with Satan to bring forth "the seed of the serpent." But Christ tells us that the devil was the father of those "Jews which believed on Him," of which same Jews He says, "Ye seek to kill me... You do the deeds of your father... Ye are of your father the devil." So Eve did not have physical sex with Satan because Satan cannot have physical sex.
John 8:44 Ye ["Jews which believe on Me;" you physical decendants of Abraham; you Christians who "cannot receive my words"] are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Mat 22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.What Eve did was to commit spiritual fornication by eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and giving of that fruit to her husband who, with her, also committed spiritual fornication. How was Eve "of her father the Devil?" It was by "doing the deeds of her father." Eve saw no need to go to Adam before she ate of the tree. After all had not she, too, heard from God. And had not God spoken through her as she repeated God's words to the serpent? To Eve being a "help meet" did not necessitate having her husband actively involved in her decision making process. Why, how very humiliating, having to involve her husband!
And so it is today. To "acknowledge that [Paul's] writings are the commandments of the Lord" just doesn't seem necessary to many Christians, male and female.
Was Adam any different. No, not in the least. Adam, too, was more than willing to follow Eve's lead without actively involving his head, Christ and His words in his decision-making process. It was all a matter of the soul leading the spirit. It is never so to be. We are in all our ways to acknowledge the supremacy of the Words of God:
Pro 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.With what does He "direct our paths?"
Psa 119:104 Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.When our understanding comes from anything other than "Thy Word," It is really coming from nothing less that "the serpent" himself. It is the serpent who empowers the beast in us all. And that beast, with his ten horns, his own spiritual understanding and power, despises the dominion of God's Word over our lives. It can receive some parts the words of Christ. But there are some of "the commandments of the Lord" which the beast in us cannot receive.
Psa 119:105 ... Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Being the "seed of the serpent" is nothing more or less than following the pulls and passions of our flesh which gets "its seat and great authority from the great red dragon."
Rev 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.When our "power and seat and great authority " comes from the great red dragon, we are nothing more or less than "of our father the devil," and "doing the works of...our father the devil." This is not an experience reserved for the especially wicked of this earth. It is rather the experience which is common to all men.
That is why Eve was unwilling to talk to Adam before partaking of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It was because she was "taken from the man," and "the man" himself was "made of the dust of the ground... and they were both naked and were not ashamed." Adam was not deceived, but Adam was still "corruptible flesh." In other words, Adam, and all who come forth of him, are the corruptible and sinful "seed of the serpent...marred in the hand of the Potter":
Jer 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
Pro 16:4 The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.All of this is simply telling us that both Adam and Eve were created as sinful flesh, clay vessels which were "marred in the hand of the Potter." The "day of evil" did not begin when Adam and Eve were finally given "the knowledge of good and evil." The "day of evil was "in the beginning" while yet "in the Potter's hand." The "wicked man" was created in a "marred... corruptible... of the ground... naked..." and sinful form "in the Potter's hand."
We read about how wicked Cain killed righteous Abel and we think that this is a story about a wicked man versus a righteous man. Indeed it is. But our eyes are blinded to the fact that both of them are "in Adam" just as both are "In Him [Christ]. It is "all of God."
Rom 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.As blasphemous at it appears to some with the inability to receive "the things of the spirit," Adam prefigures Christ.
1 Cor 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.What we are being told here in Jeremiah and in every word of God's Word is that it first "pleased the Potter" to make a "marred vessel," the "seed of the serpent," out of which He would then bring forth "another vessel as seemed good to the Potter to make it." Here is this story in the spiritual words of the New Testament:
1 Cor 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1 Cor 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
2 Cor 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
1 Pet 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
Who, When, And What Is "The Beginning?"
John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.But this is true for us all? Were we all in darkness?
Eph 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:This is the revelation of Jesus Christ. The revelation of Jesus Christ includes "the beginning" where there was nothing but darkness:
Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.It is the "Spirit of God...moving upon...the darkness...upon the face of the deep," which brings "light out of darkness." This is the "beginning" to which Christ refers when He informs us that He is "the beginning and the end." Christ is the creator of both the light and the darkness:"
Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.But which came first? In what order were these things accomplished? Contrary to the false 'gap theory' doctrine, God started out with darkness, and out of that darkness he called the light:
Gen 1:1 In the beginning [Hebrew- reysheith- firstfruit- Christ] God created the heaven and the earth."The beginning" scripturally, was not some fabled 'age before Adam. "The beginning" was the week of creation:
Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Matt 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
2 Cor 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Is 'The Woman" Inferior To 'The Man?'
1 Cor 12:15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?Is the foot inferior to the hand? Is the ear inferior to the eye or the nose? Does the fact that the head directs the body somehow make the body inferior to the head? It would be a very diseased body indeed which was that dysfunctional.
1 Cor 12:16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1 Cor 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
And yet that is exactly what all who are too proud to accept their placement by God's Spirit in Christ's body are doing. All who argue against the scriptures are arguing against God's Spirit. They are not satisfied with where they have been placed in the body of Christ. This dissatisfaction is so deep with many that they have taken "come out of her my people" to be a call to come out of the church completely and have nothing to do with the rest of the "body of Christ." As we have shown above, come out of her my people" is instead a call to God's elect "children of light... seed of the woman... vessels of honor... son of the freewoman..." people, to progress into the next step toward their inevitable goal of being "made a new vessel." This is done by going on from being a servant to becoming a son. This is done by coming out of His " vessel of clay, marred in the Potters hand; children of darkness... seed of the serpent... vessels of dishonor... son of the bondwoman..." people and growing into His new vessel , His children of light, His seed of the woman, His vessel of honor, and His son of the free woman .
Both are God's people. It was God's own people who killed Christ. It was not strangers:
Act 3:13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye [God's own people then and today] delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he [Pilate] was determined to let him go.Let's go back back now to Ephesians 5. Let's notice what Paul means when he instructs the entire church "submit yourselves one to another in the fear of God." Paul goes on to elaborate on that statement:
Eph 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.Words of the Holy Spirit. Not my words. This is how Paul elaborates on what he meant by telling the whole Ephesian church to "submit to one another in the fear of God." Why would he do this? He did this because the church at Ephesus was not doing so, and so the admonition was given to the whole church. Paul did not first say 'Husbands and wives submit to each other,' and then turn around and contradict himself by telling the wives to submit to their husbands.
Eph 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
Eph 5:24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
But it will be but a few of the whole church which will receive this admonition. The rest will feel no need for a head in the outward. After all, has not Adam already shown Himself unworthy as a leader? The Truth of God's Word is that neither Adam nor Eve bothered to consult with Christ before making their decision to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God had indeed spoken by them. Were they not His anointed? Could they not therefore speak for him?
Gen 3:2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:How humiliating it would have been to Eve to have told the serpent that she preferred that her husband do the speaking. Eve was prophesying what she had been told. Eve was a good teacher. But Eve had no business teaching. Eve lusted after that beautiful tree and its fruit, even as she repeated God's words. Just like the prophet Balaam many years later, Eve thought she could ignore God's words, ignore her head, listen to the serpent, receive promotion from the serpent and still be God's prophet.:
Gen 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye [Adam and Eve] shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
1Jo 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.For all who come to God's Word with open minds, free from "idols of the heart" it is clear that Eve had "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life" before she ever touched, much less ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve was not satisfied with her station in life. This same spirit is found throughout the stories and history of God's people. Notice how true this was for the prophet Balaam:
Num 22:37 And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to promote thee to honour?Just like Eve with the serpent, Balaam was being offered a 'promotion.' But what does a man gain if he wins the world but loses his soul? Just like Eve, Balaam's lust of the eyes, lust of the heart and his pride of life, had him in a very unenviable spot. What would he now do?
Num 22:38 And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say anything? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.We all think we can associate with the enemy and yet not be taken in by the Adversary. This is what Eve thought. Like Eve, Balaam's heart was not in his words. And in the end Balaam's advice to Balak was to cause Israel to commit fornication with the daughters of Midian.
Num 31:8 And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; [namely], Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.
Num 31:16 Behold, these [the Midianite women] caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.How was this all done to Israel? It was accomplished through a prophet of God who, like Eve, was not satisfied with the station God had given him. He lusted after the promotion promised by King Balak. He was not content with where he had been placed in service to his God.
How Eve failed to defer to Adam reflected how she failed to defer to the word of God when the lie was offered to replace the Truth. How wives "submit to their husband in everything" is a direct reflection of how the church is "subject unto Christ." Does the church submit to Christ? Of course it does not. The church utterly despises Christ's headship and will have no part of it. All the church wants is His name so as to "take away their reproach." But the church wants to wear its own self-righteous clothing and furnish it's own false doctrine bread. They love to say 'Lord, Lord" but they will not do what He says:
Luke 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Isa 4:1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach."Seven women" is a prophecy of the completeness and thoroughness of the church's apostasy from the doctrines of and the righteousness of Christ. The "our own bread and our own apparel" are our own doctrines and our own righteousnesses:
John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.So, when we come to God's Word, we are never to lean to our own understanding ("eat our own bread") or rely on our own righteousnesses, ("wear our own apparel:")
Pro 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Whence Christ? His Preeminence
God's Word teaches us that the relationship between 'the man and the woman' and a man and a woman in a proper marriage relationship is a reflection of the relationship between Christ and His head:1 Cor 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.So a proper marriage relationship reveals Christ's relationship with His Head. It reveals how in all things, Christ is subject to Him [Christ's Father] that did put all things under Him [Christ]."
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:"That which may be known of God is manifest to them... even his eternal [Greek-aidios-age abiding- see Jude 6- read letter entitled, "Who Are The Sinners And Hypocrites In Zion" http://iswasandwillbe.com/2006010802.php]" And what is it that has been made manifest to us about Christ's divinity? What is made manifest is that just as Eve came out of Adam, so too, did Christ proceed "out from" the Father:
John 16:27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.
John 17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.Christ even tells us that He is the beginning of God's creation:
Rev 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;"The beginning of the creation of God" not 'the beginner of the creation of God.' And why did God create Christ first?
John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.Everything God does is done "by and for Him [Christ]."
What Does "As Also Saith The Law" Mean?
Does God intend for us to maintain an outward display of this spiritual Truth concerning Christ's function in God's order? Indeed God does intend that his people maintain this truth both inwardly and outwardly:1 Cor 11:13 Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?It is not that uncommon to see long hair on men today even in the church. What are these men saying about their view of these verses of God's Word? No doubt they will say that these verses are mere letters. No doubt they reason in themselves that this
1 Cor 11:14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
1 Cor 11:15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
was relevant for Paul's day but is not relevant for today. But God's Word is Truth, and Truth is not something that is relevant to the times. Truth is always Truth because Christ never changes.
It might help to point out that physical murder, adultery, and stealing are all condemned in the Old Testament.
Exo 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.Are these mere outward signs which can now be abandoned because we are now under the spirit of God's Word? Of course they cannot be abandoned. When Paul uses the phrase "as also saith the law" he is referring to just such obvious Truths. Whenever there is a "change also of the law" which goes so far as to nullify earlier commandments of the law of Moses, there must be a witness to that. Here are a couple of examples:
Exo 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Exo 20:15 Thou shalt not steal.
God told Abraham that every male in his house must be circumcised on the eighth day as an everlasting (eonian) covenant.
Gen 17:10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.When did the aion of "my covenant... in your flesh" come to it's consummation? It ended with Christ. How do we know this is true? We know this is true because the scriptures tell us so:
Gen 17:11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
Gen 17:12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
Gen 17:13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting [olawm-eonian] covenant.
Rom 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:The law of Moses required that the whole congregation of Israel and all the implements of the temple be baptized so as to cleanse them before they could be used in the service of God. John the Baptist practiced this ritual and even baptized Christ in water:
Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Matt 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
Matt 3:13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.Why do we no longer participate in this ritual? Because the scriptures tell of it's inefficacy:
Matt 3:14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? Matt 3:15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
Matt 3:16 (a) And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water...
Matt 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
1 Cor 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,So we are told that we are now baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire. We are told that we are not sent to water baptize, but that the washing of water is now "by the word."
And so it is with all of the "changes also of the law" which Christ introduced in His New Covenant which He first taught in all of the gospels.
The law of Moses required Israel to swear in the name of God:
Deu 6:13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.Christ made a change here and so He told us so:
Deu 10:20 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.
Matt 5:33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
Matt 5:34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:The law of Moses taught an eye for an eye:
Matt 5:35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
Matt 5:36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
Matt 5:37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
Ex 21:24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,Again Christ changed this law, and again He tells us so:
Ex 21:25 Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
Matt 5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:The law of Moses taught that we were to hate our enemies and destroy anything that had breath of our enemies:
Matt 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Matt 5:40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
Matt 5:41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Matt 5:42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Deut 20:16 But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:Christ made a big change here again, and again He tells us so:
Matt 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy."Resist not evil... Love thine enemies?" Neither of those commandments makes any sense to the natural man. And Paul knew that the same would be true for women who knew more that their husbands and were indeed more capable than their husbands. Nevertheless there was no "change also of the law" given to that one institution which is to be an outward display of our acceptance of the spiritual order of the very throne of God.
Matt 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Men are not to dress in drag "as also saith the law;"
Deut 22:5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.
1 Cor 11:14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?Why is it an abomination for a man to wear a woman's garments? Is that not simply an outward matter which has nothing to do with what is inside of us? Absolutely not! What is inside of us should be reflected by how we comport ourselves outwardly.
1 Cor 11:15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
1 Cor 11:16 But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.
Gal 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the [outward] lust of the flesh.The word 'walk' in scripture, refers to how we live outwardly in this society. And how we live outwardly should reflect what is within us. So if a man dresses in drag, he is proclaiming to the world that he is not happy with his station in life. And as Paul points out in 1 Cor. 11, if a woman wears her hair short like a man, she too, is proclaiming to the world that she is simply not pleased with where Christ has placed her in His body. And Paul says she might as well have her head shaved as both are a shame to her.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also [outwardly] walk in the Spirit.
"The woman" was taken out of "the man" to be his helper. We come forth of Christ for that same purpose. "The head of the man is Christ. So for "a man [to] put on a woman's garment [is an] abomination unto the LORD thy God."
So what of those who simply refuse to see this God ordained difference in the functions of the parts of the body of Christ? Here are Paul's words for such people:
1 Cor 11:16 But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.Now, just how important is it that we keep this spiritual order in mind? Is it of any great significance that just as Christ came out from the Father, so also Eve came out from Adam? Is there any real need for wives to "submit to their husbands as unto Christ?" Just how important is this subject of spiritual order to God and to Christ? Why does 1 Corinthians make such a fuss over who is the head of whom?
The scriptures are full of stories about how furious God is over our lack of appreciation of His explicit instructions concerning the maintenance of His order in all things.Let's look at just a couple of examples of how God handles those who are not satisfied with their roles which He has given to them:
Num 12:1 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
Num 12:2 And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it.
Num 12:3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)
Num 12:4 And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.
Num 12:5 And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.
Num 12:6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
Num 12:7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
Num 12:8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
Num 12:9 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed.
Num 12:10&nb