The Spirit-and-Flesh.com Blog

A crucial post for believers following Jesus through His earthly prophetic Gospel of the Kingdom instructions. Jesus Christ saved our apostle Paul in Acts 9 on the road to Damascus for a reason. God’s plan including the mystery hidden from the beginning & given only to the apostle Paul for the church the Body of Christ Ephesians 3:9 KJB 😳

Are we supposed to be following Peter and the 12 apostles of the nation of Israel’s instructions today or should we learn from them by studying scripture first? Are our instructions in MMLJ or are we to simply learn from what Jesus Christ was teaching to the house of Israel under the law in the flesh?? 🤔

Understanding our salvation, position in Christ & God’s eternal plan for us should be important as believers & Ambassadors of Christ.

Reposted here from a FB post by Jon Tisch of October 30, 2023.

The way to learn the truths presented in the Holy Bible is simply to read it faithfully. Study and meditate on a passage every day! Start here: At https://jesussaves.website/ and click on the Monthly Menu under the Header Banner.

I. THE DEVOUT RECOGNITION OF GOD SHOULD PRECEDE ALL PHILOSOPHY. The God whom we worship is not a metaphysical idea; a form of thought; a philosophical abstraction; but a living, personal, eternal Being, apart from and prior to all human thought. He is not a creation of the intellect, but the intellect’s Creator. We must begin with Him. Is not this one of the child’s first thoughts, and one which life’s long experience but deepens and confirms — that it was God who created all things? Does not the bare statement carry with it its own conviction? What need is there of proof? Who argues that there is a solid earth on which he stands; a sun shining in midday sky? Who constructs arguments to prove his own existence? And does not God stand at the beginning of all thought and all argument? And is not the denial of Him a sheer and wilful absurdity which no attempt at proof can make even plausible?

II. THE DEVOUT RECOGNITION OF GOD SHOULD PRECEDE ALL SCIENCE. The fact of His existence lies at the foundation of all physical science, and must be admitted as its first and most essential fact. For what is science in general, or a science in particular, but the knowledge of facts — their qualities, relations, and causes — arranged and classified? But if science begins by refusing to admit, or by failing to perceive, the First Fact, and the Great Cause of all things? Does nothing exist but what the knife of the anatomist, or the tests of the chemist can detect? Matter and force do exist, or matter under some plastic power passing through innumerable changes. But what is it? And is this all? Are there no marks of intelligence? — purpose? — will? Is there no distinction of beauty? — of right and wrong? And what are these but marks of the ever-present God? Atheism explains nothing, and Pantheism nothing. No! Science cannot discover God. It is in the light of God’s presence that science is best revealed. Science and philosophy alike presuppose HIM.

III. THE DEVOUT RECOGNITION OF GOD PRECEDES ALL MORALITY AND RELIGION. It lies at the basis of any sound ethical theory, and any true religious system of doctrine and practice. Religion, whether natural or revealed, is based on this fact. It is no more the part of religion than it is of philosophy and science to discover or to demonstrate the existence of God, but to worship Him. (F. J. Falding, D. D.)

God’s Word cuts right through all profession of faith, stripping away that which is merely natural from that which is truly spiritual.

A person may weep at the Lord’s Table or shout his hallelujahs at the testimony meeting; however, his emotions may be carnal just as easily as spiritual. God’s Word divides between the soul and the spirit. A man may have a thorough grasp of Bible truth and be a walking encyclopedia of scriptural knowledge and yet not be spiritual. A person may have a strong will and determine that he is never going to indulge again in a questionable habit and carry out his resolve, but that does not prove him spiritual.

It is only the Word of God, brought to bear upon the issues of life, which can reveal what is carnal and what is spiritual. It is a “discerner” (4:12), a critic of the thoughts and intents of the heart. As we read the Word of God, it probes into the inner recesses of our beings and explores all our motives.

It also exposes all mankind. “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (4:13). The word opened literally means “to have the throat exposed” as when, for example, an athlete would seize his opponent and bend back his neck. It pictures a throat exposed to the slash of a sword. What an illustration of man’s total exposure and vulnerability to God and His Word!

So, then, the writer of Hebrews again confronts his readers with Christ. He is preeminent, able to do what neither Moses nor Joshua could do: bring His people into genuine rest because He is a superior Savior and because the provisions of salvation available through Calvary are superior to anything found in the Old Testament.

In view of this, it is imperative that we make sure of our salvation, lest we be found to be mere professors of Christianity. We must take to heart the example of the Israelites who, although saved and separated from Egypt and all that this meant typically, never entered into Canaan and thus missed God’s rest. God expects His people to avail themselves of all He has for them in Christ. And how can a person be sure of his salvation? By exposing his heart to the piercing sword of God’s Word, for sooner or later, that sword will find him out if he is a mere pretender.

Dr. John Phillips

Norman Geisler points out that Jesus Christ is the main theme of every book of the Bible behind the struggle between the spirit and the flesh, a struggle that can lead to redemption and salvation for eternity, or an eternity suffering in hell. Here are Geisler’s descriptions of the Themes about Jesus in every Bible book:

• Genesis: “The seed of the woman” (Ge. 3:15)
• Exodus: “The Passover Lamb” (Ex. 12:3f)
• Leviticus: “The Atoning Sacrifice” (Le. 17:11)
• Numbers: “The Smitten Rock” (Nu. 20:8, 11)
• Deuteronomy: “The Faithful Prophet” (De. 18:18)
• Joshua: “The Captain of the Lord’s Host” (Jos. 5:15)
• Judges: “The Divine Deliverer” (Jud. 2:18)
• Ruth: “The Kinsman Redeemer” (Ru. 3:12)
• 1 Samuel: “The Anointed One” who is coming (1 S. 2:10)
• 2 Samuel: “The Son of David” who is to sit upon the throne (2 S. 7:13–14)
• 1 & 2 Kings: “The Coming King”
• 1 & 2 Chronicles: “The Builder of the Temple” (1 Chr. 28:20)
• Ezra: “The Restorer of the Temple” (Ezr. 6:14–15)
• Nehemiah: “The Restorer of the Nation” (Ne. 6:15)
• Esther: “The Preserver of the Nation” (Est. 4:14)
• Job: “The Living Redeemer” (Jb. 19:25)
• Psalms: “The Praise of Israel” (Ps. 150:6)
• Proverbs: “The Wisdom of God” (Pr. 8:22–23)
• Ecclesiastes: “The Great Teacher” (Ec. 12:11)
• Song of Solomon: “The Fairest of Ten Thousand” (Song 5:10)
• Isaiah: “The Suffering Servant” (Is. 53:11)
• Jeremiah: “The Maker of the New Covenant” (Je. 31:31)
• Lamentations: “The Man of Sorrows” (La. 3:28–30)
• Ezekiel: “The Glory of God” (Eze. 43:2)
• Daniel: “The Coming Messiah” (Da. 9:25)
• Hosea: “The Lover of the Unfaithful” (Hos. 3:1)
• Joel: “The Hope of Israel” (Joel 3:16)
• Amos: “The Husbandman” (Am. 9:13)
• Obadiah: “The Savior” (Ob. 21)
• Jonah: “The Resurrected One” (Jon. 2:10)
• Micah: “The Ruler in Israel” (Mic. 5:2)
• Nahum: “The Avenger” (Nah. 2:1)
• Habakkuk: “The Holy God” (Hab. 1:13)
• Zephaniah: “The King of Israel” (Zep. 3:15)
• Haggai: “The Desire of Nations” (Hag. 2:7)
• Zechariah: “The Righteous Branch” (Zec. 3:8)
• Malachi: “The Sun of Righteousness” (Mal. 4:2)
• Matthew: “The King of the Jews” (Mt. 2:2)
• Mark: “The Servant of the Lord” (Mk. 10:45)
• Luke: “The Son of Man” (Lu. 19:10)
• John: “The Son of God” (Jn. 1:1)
• Acts: “The Ascended Lord” (Ac. 1:10)
• Romans: “The Believer’s Righteousness” (Ro. 1:17)
• 1 Corinthians: “The Believer’s Sanctification” (1 Co. 1:30)
• 2 Corinthians: “The Believer’s Sufficiency” (2 Co. 12:9)
• Galatians: “The Believer’s Liberty” (Ga. 2:4)
• Ephesians: “The Exalted Head of the Church” (Ep. 1:22)
• Philippians: “The Christian’s Joy” (Ph. 1:26)
• Colossians: “The Fullness of Deity” (Col. 2:9)
• 1 Thessalonians: “The Believer’s Comfort” (1 Th. 4:16, 17)
• 2 Thessalonians: “The Believer’s Glory” (2 Th. 1:12)
• 1 Timothy: “The Christian’s Preserver” (1 Ti. 4:10)
• 2 Timothy: “The Christian’s Rewarder” (2 Ti. 4:8)
• Titus: “The Blessed Hope” (Tit. 2:13)
• Philemon: “The Substitute” (Phile. 17)
• Hebrews: “The High Priest” (He. 4:15)
• James: “The Giver of Wisdom” (Js. 1:5)
• 1 Peter: “The Rock” (1 Pe. 2:6)
• 2 Peter: “The Precious Promise” (2 Pe. 1:4)
• 1 John: “The Life” (1 Jn.)
• 2 John: “The Truth” (2 Jn.)
• 3 John: “The Way” (3 Jn.)
• Jude: “The Advocate” (Jude)
• Revelation: “The King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Re. 19:16)

Source: Norman Geisler. A Popular Survey of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1977.