Mat5:22 –

“But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”

Mat 5:22 is about issues of anger between brethren (believers by inference). It presents two anger scenarios, of Raca and Fool.  

What does raca and fool mean so we may understand this verse better?

1. Raca – is Hebraic to mean senseless, empty-headed man,

2. Fool – Moros in Greek (where the English gets the word moron), is expressive of condemnation according to BLB Greek Lexicon.

Contrary to the severe consequences of hellfire in Mat 5:22, our times have normalized calling someone a fool as casual.

Mat5-7 outlines the standard of discipleship. Instead of allowing that anger to persist, the Lord Jesus in Mat5:23-24 follows through by saying –

“Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first, be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”

Later on in Luke 17:3, the Lord Jesus gives more details that are necessary for reconciliation.

“Luke17:3 – 
“Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.”

There is rebuke, repentance, and forgiveness follow. This scenario presupposes, each party clearly knows who is right and unjustly offended.

However, reality paints a different picture as both parties are likely to be convicted they are right and the also the offense (using the term fool) is only appropriate.

The narrow way of discipleship is difficult to find and even more difficult to walk.

Mat7:13-14 –

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

The earnest believer who is committed to be the Lord Jesus’ disciple will by any means find it and run their race to win the prize of their high calling of Phil3.

2Cor4:7 –

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”Another way to appreciate this treasure in the believer other than the Holy Spirit in them, is the use of the term, Christ in us.

The term Christ in us is found in several places in the Bible.

Phil 2:13 says the Christ in us will do Yah’s will.

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

Phil2:2-5 reveals some of Phil2:13 Yah’s will.

“Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, …..

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind ……

¶

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”

The apostle Paul in 2Cor13:5 warned believers not to take for granted of this treasure of Christ in them –

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?“

The Greek word for reprobate is translated as being unfit or disqualified.

What can a born-again spirit based on a gift of Eph2:8-9 be disqualified from?

Heb 12:16 reveals a likely answer. It is the loss of the first-born inheritance reserved for mature sons found worthy. These sons pass their Father God, Yah’s test of chastisement and scourgings clarified in Heb12:6.

“Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. (Heb12:16)”

This birthright assumed the form of the promised land for the nation of Israel after their exodus from Egypt. One can lose their first-born inheritance not only through severe sins (1Cor6:9-10, Gal5:19-21, Rev22:15) but also due to unbelief as per Heb 4:6.

This unbelief is not believing there is a first-born inheritance as promised by Yah.

In 2Cor13:5, the believer is reminded to examine one’s behavior or conduct (according to BLB Greek Lexicon of the Greek Word for “examine”) whether they are bearing fruit that is evidence of them doing Yah’s will, that they have Christ in them.

To bear fruit requires one to exercise self-control over their carnal flesh.

For this reason, the apostle Paul also used the same Greek word for reprobate in 1 Cor9:27 which is translated as “castaway” in the KJV.

“But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

Paul is reminded that he is not immune to losing or disqualified from the first-born inheritance if he allows his flesh to do as it pleases in 1 Cor9:27.

Self-control alone does not secure one’s first-born inheritance. Self-control attends to the part of us dying to sin and not letting sin reign in our bodies mentioned in Rom6:21 by counting oneself dead to sin (Rom6:11). Practically one does this dying to sin by keeping the body under subjection – which means to beat the Old Man blue-black. The worthy son needs to viciously beat their Old Man who has carnal desires blue-black. The worthy son will take dying to sin seriously and always be vigilant.

However, to be a worthy son of Yah, dying to sin needs the follow-up of living unto righteousness as per Rom6:13 

To live unto righteousness, the believer needs to live by following after the Holy Spirit. Rom8:14 says this

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

2Pet1:5-7 gives a list one can examine their life against to verify that they are being fruitful in the knowledge of Christ to ensure (secures) their election or chosen status as sons of God that follows after the Holy Spirit to live unto righteousness. The Greek word for election is the same Greek word for chosen found in Mat20:16 and Mat24:14 which says – “For many are called, but few are chosen“

Not all born-again spirit believers will be found worthy of being chosen. Scripture clarifies that few will pass Yah’s test of faithfulness.

Conclusion

This treasure of Christ in the believer or the Holy Spirit in them is not ornamental to only increase the believer’s standing before God.

But it has a clear purpose to help the believer to be Christ-like, to emulate the Lord Jesus so they may do His Father’s will, even as He has done His Father’s will.

It has the purpose to bring many sons to glory so they may share the glory of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus.

Heb 2:10 says how this glory is attained – by suffering doing the will of Yah. Share the Lord Jesus’ glory is to share in His suffering (Phil3:9-11).

“For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” (Heb2:10).

I wrote 4 posts about forgiveness as follows

1. Forgiveness (Part 1/5 – General Framework & Forgiving Enemies)

Forgiveness (Part 1/5 – General Framework & Forgiving Enemies)

See more

2. Forgiveness (Part 2/5 – the Disciple of Christ)

Forgiveness (Part 2/5 – the Disciple of Christ

See more

3. Forgiveness (Part 3/5 – Spiritual Salvation, Being Equipped)

Forgiveness (Part 3/5 – Spiritual Salvation, Being Equipped)

See more

4. Forgiveness (Part 4/5 – Soul Salvation, Being Equipped)

Forgiveness (Part 4/5 – Soul Salvation, Being Equipped)

See more

Being offended is a common experience. The offended pride needs the antidote of forgiveness.

This 5th and last post concerns offense that cuts deep, offense from people we value as brethren.

The offended pride left to fester morphs into bitterness that grieves the Holy Spirit of Eph4:31. Bitterness accumulated becomes a root of bitterness that disqualifies the believer of their firstborn inheritance of Heb 12:15.

The Lord Jesus asserted that it is impossible to avoid being stumbled by offenses or scandalized (in the Greek, skandalon).

The Lord said in Luke17:1

“Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible, but that offenses (skandalon) will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!

These offenses occur through trespasses (BLB Greek Lexicon translates this word as sin) against the believer.

This post seeks to explore the wisdom of what it means to take heed that was mentioned in Luke 17:3 as a response to the sin of trespass.

Luke17:3 – 
“Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.”

To take heed, according to BLB, is to draw attention to oneself to do the following

1. Rebuke him.

2. Forgive him if he repents.

The condition of repentance for forgiveness contradicts the unqualified forgiveness that the previous posts have demonstrated.

This post will explore this appearance of contradiction.

Intuition cues that the conditional forgiveness predicated on repentance in Luke 17 is based on the soul salvation forgiveness baseline (the 4th post) that needs fruits worthy of repentance to restore the relationship.

The word “brother” in Luke 17:3 offers the clue to support this intuition.

The premise of Luke 17:3 is that the two parties involved remain in a brother relationship. This brotherhood should take the scope that the Lord gave to define in Luke 8:21 who is one’s brother.

“And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.”

The rebuke and conditional forgiveness apply so long as the two relationships are intact as brothers who hear the Holy Spirit/Word and do the will of Yah.

Therefore, Luke 17’s brethren forgiveness is conditional and may not readily apply to the categories of enemies such as vipers (Mat12:34), dogs/swine (Mat7:6), the children of darkness spoken of in 1The The5, and the children of the wicked one of Mat13.

The believer is to forgive these unconditionally, and there is no need to rebuke either. The judgment will come from Yah, He will rebuke.

Conclusion

A case in point that being Christian or Jew does not by default translate to a brother relationship is the example of Apostle Paul with Alexander, the coppersmith. 

1Tim1:20 and 2Tim4:14 records this for us to consider

1Tim1’20

“Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.”

2Tim4:14

“Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:,”

Like apostle Paul, for cases where Christians or family members have harmed, and that harm and mutual attitudes exceed the scope of reconciliation, the truths of Mat 5:23- 24 will give way to the adjudication at the Judgement Seat of Christ as it was between apostle Paul and Alexander.

Does it mean there is bitterness and unforgiveness? Was apostle Paul bitter? And did not forgive Alexander? The answer is NO.

No, the bitterness and forgiveness have been reconciled with Yah. It has been surrendered to Yah to judge righteously. 

Would I want to reconcile? Certainly, but there needs righteous grounds to support the brother relationship and reconciliation. Not all Christians will or can be brothers.

This post has the goal to frame knowledge as a means to equip the disciple’s journey as strangers on earth carrying their cross (Mat16:24, 1Pet2:11) from the perspective of milk truth and meat truth.

Heb5:14-Heb6:2 presents the two types of spiritual food Yah offers in His Word. Milk truths (Heb6:1-2) and meat truths (Heb5:14).

Milk Truth focuses on the gifts of Yah which man’s response is to receive by faith. The condition to benefit from milk truths is by believing and trusting Yah’s faithfulness. It is an internal experience.

Rom10:2-3 (essentially the chapter of Rom10) is an example of this milk truth.

“For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” (Rom10:2-3).

The Apostle Paul is presenting that his fellow zealous Jews, who are against the Gospel of the free gift of righteousness that comes by believing the resurrection of Christ (Rom4:22-Rom5:1 talks about the imputed righteousness that came by the Lord Jesus’ resurrection). This spiritual food of the free gift of imputed righteousness by believing is part of Yah’s milk truths.

Heb 6:1 describes it as the milk truth of repentance from dead works. Self (own) righteousness motivates the means of dead works which need repentance if one is to receive by faith Christ’s imputed righteousness as a gift. 

The knowledge of meat truths focuses on discerning between good and evil, to live righteously before Yah and man (Heb5:14). Meat truths operate by the means of faith works led by the Holy Spirit to save the soul. It is primarily an external experience.

1Pet1:9 talks about this soul-saving faith this way –

“Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”

Notice the present continuous tense of “receiving” to indicate it is not about the milk truth of the spiritual salvation gift received by the death and resurrection of Christ.

One example of meat truths is the effort (faith-works) to make one’s election sure by living out the truths revealed in 2Pet1:5-7. Blue Letter Bible Greek Lexicon clarifies the meaning of Greek words used in these verses, shown below.

“add to your faith (in Christ as savior, milk truth) virtue; and to virtue (moral excellence in thought, action, and speech, meat truth) knowledge;

And to knowledge (moral wisdom, such as is seen in right living, meat truth) temperance; and to temperance (the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, meat truth) patience; and 

to patience (characteristic of a man who is unswerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings) godliness; meat truth)

And to godliness (respect towards God_ meat truth) brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness (the love which Christians cherish for each other as ‘brethren'”, meat truth) charity.

Conclusion

It is puzzling and irrational that most believers fall into the following category as far as milk and meat truths are concerned.

1. They are ignorant or indifferent to appreciate or differentiate the kind of spiritual food they are consuming. By being so, believers are often confusing them, and usually deficient in on one and overconsuming the other.

2. They are proponents of one to the exclusion and adversarial to the other. An example would be the once saved always saved (Calvanist) vs. salvation by faith works (Armenian ).

To draw an analogy from physical food, one can make the following parallels.

1. Carbohydrate (glucose or fructose) – milk truths

2. Protein – meat truths

A wholesome diet would be appropriate amounts of regular intake of milk and meat truths.

It is wise to embrace both spiritual food. There is also wisdom in recognizing when to consume more milk or meat spiritual food.

Milk truths are needed when our identity of being loved, accepted, and forgiven is under attack. We need the free gift of Yah’s love, acceptance, and undeserving forgiveness.

Meat truths are needed when we need to persevere to die to sin, repent, and do good works. Meat truths are needed for the action of daily living as the salt of the earth and shining as the light of the world.

Milk truths is the basic foundation on which meat truths thrive on. They have their own purpose and benefits.

Soul salvation is not a gift. It is based on works (Heb10:38-39, Jam1:20-21, Jam5:20, 1Pet1:3-9, 2Co4:16-18, Mat16:25-26) that will be judged at the Judgement Seat of Christ.

Let us explore the essential differences between the sin debt from Yah’s perspective and man’s.

Yah sets the standard for sin. He is the Law Maker. From Yah’s perspective, all sinners owe Him an unpayable sin debt. He is the holy and righteous Judge-Creator that accords Him the right to judge, sentence, and punish.

What is this sin debt from the perspective of man? Whileman can be a victim of unrighteous treatment (tremendous understatement as some of these treatments lead to cruel and tragic outcomes), man does not have the same rights as Yah has.

What rights does the man or the disciple have in the face of unrighteous treatment?

From the disciple’s perspective, there is no mandate to judge or demand justice as no man is sinless. But there are other rights that operate in the soul salvation journey of forgiveness.

These rights can be appreciated as follows

1. The unqualified release of the sin debt by the disciple to Yah(see the previous post) does not mean Yah will not address the injustices where it was sufferedrighteously.

Yah will address the unjust grievances with nowhere to appeal, there’s nowhere to cry out for such justice except through Him.

2The1:5 says that God, Yahuah, will trouble those who trouble His sons.

2The1:5 –

“Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;”

This trouble also applies to believers who perpetuate unrighteousness. 1The4:6 talks about Yah avenging those (carnal believers sealed in the Holy Spirit) that defraud their brethren.

1The4:6 –

“That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.”

What about 1 The 5:9, where God has not appointed the believer to wrath? 

See this link that explains how this verse talks about soul salvation, where the immunity to Yah’s wrath is NOT a gift, conditions apply, and is not about spiritual salvation, which is a gift with no conditions.https://sincerelawrence.com/2024/02/27/god-has-not-appointed-the-believer-to-wrath/

For the sake of their soul salvation, the disciple needs to let go of the sin debt and cry for justice by submitting them to Yah, who will process their case righteously.

This letting go requires the sincerity of not keeping a record of wrong by thinking about that injustice (1Cor13:5). By doing so, the disciple leaves room for Yah’s wrath to take place (Rom12:19).

2. Forgiveness does not mean restoration of the relationship. 

The goal of restoration or reconciliation, like soul salvation, requires genuine soul contriteness that repents and bears fruit worthy of repentance to gain approval from Yah.

Likewise, the aggrieved party has the right to satisfy themselves that the aggressor has sincerely repented before restoring their relationship.

Take relationship restoration as a gradual process that takes time to test the fruit. Regardless, It is prudent to place appropriate safeguards in the restored relationship.

Conclusion

Forgive and strive not to think about the transgression because Yah has recorded it. Yah will righteously recompense all the involved parties: reward the victim and punish the culprit as He wills.

Do not let the need to forgive place undue pressure to restore the relationship. The pressure to restore the relationship, if any, is more incumbent on the party at fault.

God Has Not Appointed the Believer to Wrath?

See more

In the above link, this post titled, God Has Not Appointed the Believer to Wrath?, three approaches were adopted to understand the wrath not appointed to believers in 1The5:9 is not about the gift of the salvation of the born again spirit (spiritual salvation) but is about obedience by repentance and good faith works that saves the soul (soul salvation).

The first approach was to show the language assigned to the salvation of 1The5 used a tentative term, “to obtain” that salvation, does not align with the free gift of spiritual salvation apart from works of Eph2:8-9.

The second approach drew attention to the soul salvation theme of 1The4 that follows through to 1The5.

The third approach drawn from Heb12 that explicitly describes that God who has given His Son, the Lord Jesus for forgiveness of sins is a consuming fire for believers who do not revere and fear Him.

Such carnal believers become reprobate, disqualified of their firstborn inheritance (Heb12:16). Three examples drawn from the Word, described how a believer can become a reprobate.

This post seeks to expand the second approach by examining the context before and after 1The5:9-11. This context will offer further evidence that the apostle Paul was speaking of the salvation of the soul by faith works in 1The5:9.

1The5:5-8 talks about the two types of believers, children of light and children of darkness.

“Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.“

The born-again believer can be either one of these children. 

1The5:5-9 written to believers who are children of light offers the sobering advice to watch. The decision to watch or to be asleep presents itself as a choice to the born-again believer.

When believers who are asleep as if living in darkness or drunk, they have chosen to be children of darkness.

1 The 5:8 ends on the note of the “hope of salvation“. Hope is something that has not happened yet. But the born-again spirit experience is a past event for believers in Christ. Therefore this hope of salvation is NOT the hope of spiritual salvation. This hope of salvation is the hope of one’s soul’s salvation decided by how the believer lives their life on earth.

This hope of soul salvation of 1The5:8 flows through to obtain the soul salvation of 1The5:9.

This choice is about living a Spirit-led life as children of light or a carnal life after the flesh, as children of darkness

This theme is also found in Rom8.

When we lead a Spirit-led life, we are to obtain salvation of the soul (not spirit as this matter is done deal at the cross and resurrection) as part of the sanctification process of suffering emulating the Lord Jesus (1The4:3, Heb2:10-11 and 1Pet1:3-9 corroborate this view).

Therefore, comfort yourselves together with these truths of soul salvation that we should be edified by this privilege to live this suffering life with the Lord Jesus.

(Paraphrasing 1The5:11)

Conclusion

The theme of soul salvation truths to repent from sins and live righteously continues in 1The5:12-15 as instructions about believer’s conduct.

“And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;

And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

¶

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, and be patient toward all men.

See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.”

This post has the goal of encouraging the children of light to remain vigilant and zealous for soul salvation.

It also has the goal to support the awakening of the children of darkness so they may save their souls.

What is forgiveness? It seems odd to ask this simple question in the 3rd post. When one desires to know the deep things of Yah, we need fewer assumptions, ask sincere honest questions

To do this, we need to suspend our expectations, which leads to bias.

This link is a good starting point to explore the question, What is forgiveness?

https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-forgiveness.html

This article says that forgiveness in the Bible is a “release” or a “dismissal” of something.

This simple and profound statement has support from BLB’s Greek lexicon and the Word.

Forgiveness, according to BLB’s Greek Lexicon, G863 (verb) and G859 (noun), is about letting go or pardoning a debt and its penalty.

Heb9:22 and Mat26:28 reveal Yah’s forgiveness that underpins man’s salvation through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross; the Lord Jesus’ blood and suffering death is the basis that allows Yah to forgive man’s sins (Heb9:22, Mat26:28).

The scope and boundaries of forgiveness are found in how Yah/Christ has forgiven us (Col3:13, Eph4:32).

 Unpacking the above will reveal the disciple’s forgiveness scope and boundaries beyond the basic foundations of forgiveness shared in the 1st post.

Yah’s forgiveness operates on 2 levels corresponding to spiritual and soul salvation.

Spiritual salvation is a gift (Eph2:8-9). So, this forgiveness does not need to be earned as it is based on a decision to let go or pardon a debt and its penalty.

Therefore, the disciple needs to make an unqualified decision to forgive, to let go of the cry for justice by pardoning the sinful debt of the offender.

Would not such an unqualified forgiveness be unjust?

Conclusion

The forgiveness story does not end here. It would be unrighteous if it did. It needs the soul salvation journey of forgiveness to do justice to the unjustly treated disciple that honors Yah.

1The5:9-11 is the key pre-tribulation verse that gives immunity to believers who have accepted the Lord Jesus as savior. These believers can choose to be carnal (the theme of the carnal believer is presented in 1Cor3, the example of a carnal believer is offered in 1Cor5, and the doctrine that this carnality leads to soul death in Rom8) as their place to escape Yah’s righteous wrath is guaranteed, or is it?

 1The5:9-11 says it this way –

“For God hath not appointed 
us to wrath, but to obtain 
salvation by our Lord Jesus 
Christ,

Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

Wherefore comfort 
yourselves together, and edify one 
another, even as also ye do.”

The salvation mentioned and addressed to believers in verse 9 does not appear to refer to the free gift of spiritual salvation by the tentative use of the word” to obtain.” It should be instead, e.g., “have obtained” to reinforce the immutability and permanence of a born-again spirit to the consequences of sin.

Therefore, this salvation of 1The5 is more likely the saving of the soul by sanctification, the core theme of 1The4, the preceding chapter to 1The5:9-11.

1The4:3 says this –

“For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:”

Conclusion

Therefore, the wrath not appointed in verse  9, often quoted to explain as insurance from the lake of fire, may well have missed the mark totally.

It could well be Yah’s wrath on the reprobate soul of the carnal believer who is spiritually saved.

Yah’s wrath for the reprobate believer is described to be a consuming fire in Heb12:28-29 –

“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

For our God is a consuming fire.”

The apostle Paul has warned about this risk of being a reprobate (disqualified) in 

1. 1 Cor9:27, the lack of self-control over the body’s carnal desires can cause a believer to be a reprobate.

2. 2 Cor13:5, the lack of self-examination of one’s faith whether this faith has Christ in their soul, i.e. is the believer’s lifestyle and choices emulating Christ or not.

3. Heb10:39, this reprobate (perdition in Heb10:39) arises due to not living by the faith in the hope of a better country and resurrection, and by the absence of faith works that does not shirk from suffering and death (Heb11’s OT saints, especially Heb11:35-40).

There is wrath for the carnal believer. This wrath results in the death (of the soul) mentioned in Rom8.

This wrath reserved for the believer falls in the scope of the salvation of their soul.

Forgiveness (Part 2 – the Disciple of Christ

Conclusion

Therefore, forgiveness becomes an essential and intimate experience for the sincere disciple because of their generous amounts of unjust treatment. 

The disciple needs to know and experience forgiveness beyond the basic levels shared in the first post.

What is sincerity? For me, sincerity comes from the soul as a compelling desire to have a righteous and loving relationship arising from a clean heart and clear conscience before Yah and man.

Others may have their version of sincerity. My version has the goal to be held accountable before the Judgement Seat of Christ.

The following 3rd and 4th posts will dive into equipping the disciple’s forgiveness from the perspective of the spiritual and soul salvation journey.

Spiritual salvation is a free gift of Yah through His Son, the Lord Jesus. This truth is enshrined in Eph2:8-9 is made possible by the faith of confessing the Lordship of Jesus and believing in His resurrection in Rom10:9-10.

It appears incredulous that the Lord asks the believers of the Church of Laodicea to buy from Him divine gold purified in Rev 3:18.

Rev3:18 – “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness does not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”

Rev3:18 that imply works do NOT violate the incontrovertible spiritual salvation truths of Eph2:8-9 as it has the scope of soul salvation that is based on faith (good) works of Jam1-2 and Eph2:10.

Rev 3:18 clarifies the soul that is not saved is naked and blind. To save the soul, one needs currency to buy gold tried by fire (purified soul or sanctification) so the soul is clothed and may see.

Soul salvation has the outcome of rewards given based on the quantity (Luke 19:16-19), quality (1Cor3:12-13), and life conditions (Mat25:20-23) of their works. The best of these eternal rewards fall into the category of the firstborn inheritance of Heb 12.

For more about soul salvation see the following links

Do Unto the Lord

See more

The Race of 1Cor9

See more

This post explores the “currency” that believers use to purchase from Christ divine gold tried by fire.

There are two approaches adopted to determine this currency. The first approach is drawing from the contextual clues of Rev 3:19 – “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous, therefore, and repent.”

This currency involves being zealous and repentance which occurs in the context of the love of rebuke and chastisement. Noteworthy, Heb12:6 echoes similarly about Abba Yah’s love – “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.“

Both God the Father and God the Son love their own by rebuke, chastisement, and scourging.

The second approach draws from 1Pet1:7 – “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:”

1Pet 1:7 speaks of the testing of the disciple’s faithfulness by fire. This purified faith is described as more precious than earthy gold. Rev 3:18 describes this purified faith as divine gold.

Gleaning the truths of these two approaches, the currency the disciple needs to buy the divine gold is their faithfulness in enduring the fiery trials of rebuke, chastisement, and scourging by Yah and His Son.

Conclusion

The carnal or natural response when one experiences love that rebuke, chastisement, and scourging, is to resent the one offering such abusive love.

To overcome this resentment is absolutely necessary as unreconciled towards Yah and man breeds bitterness that will disqualify the disciple from their rewards of the firstborn inheritance (Heb12:16). 

The repentance spoken in Rev 3:19 will have the focus of repenting from these sins of resentment and bitterness. The soul needs to have the desire to be faithful to die to sin.

The soul also needs to have the desire to be faithful and to be zealous to do good works. The scope of good works has a public and private scope. 

See this link that explored public and private good works – https://sincerelawrence.com/2024/02/24/public-and-private/

The eternally rich disciple, a gloriously saved soul, has endured faithfully to repent much, to die to sin, and faithful to be zealous to do much good works.