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In the New Testament there are two primary words used for Temple. Hieron (ἱερόν), which describes the temple as a whole and Naos (ναός), the Holy of Holies. This is the inner chamber where God dwells as described in the building of the Temple in Exodus 26:33 as holy of the holies (קֹ֥דֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִֽׁים), where the ark of the covenant resided and only the High Priest was permitted to enter in once a year to make a sacrifice for the whole nation (Hebrews 9:7).

In Matthew, Jesus calls out the foolishness of the religious leaders who had no issue with someone swearing by the Holy of Holies and breaking their promise, but if they swore by the gold of the Holy of Holies then they were obligated to keep their word (Matthew 23:16). They had the same twisted allegiance to the sacrifice rather than the altar. Yet, the one swearing by the altar also swears by all that is on it, and the one swearing by the Holy of Holies also swears by the One who dwells in it (Matthew 23:20).

In one of Satan’s attempts to lure Jesus into acting independently from God the Father, he takes Him up to the pinnacle of the Temple, Matthew 4:5. His intent was to get Jesus to tempt God by casting Himself off the Temple, for Scripture states that His angels will protect Him. The tempting of God is not appropriate, for God cannot be tempted and tempts no one (James 1:13); therefore, Jesus rebukes Satan for even suggesting it (Matthew 4:7). In seeking to accuse Jesus, the Pharisees seeing His disciples picking grain and eating it as they pass through a grainfield on the Sabbath, tried to call Him out for allowing them to break the Sabbath. Their efforts were thwarted when Jesus stated that if they had understood the saying, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice” they would have understood why David and his men were permitted to eat of the bread for the priests, and the priests are held blameless when they violate the sanctity of the sabbath (Matthew 12:3-8). It is within the Temple (ἱερόν) where Jesus found the money changers and those selling animals for sacrifice when He came to Jerusalem for the Passover. His response to such disrespect of the Temple grounds was to make a whip and drive them out, John 2:15. The Temple in Jerusalem was built based upon the Tabernacle (σκηνή), which served as a copy of the heavenly things, Hebrews 8:5. For Christ did not enter into the Tabernacle made with hands to offer His blood, but into the heaven itself, into the real Holy of Holies to obtain eternal redemption, Hebrews 9:11-12.

When the spiritual death of Christ was finished on the cross, after the three hours of darkness fell upon the earth and just before He physically died, the veil in the Temple separating the Holy of Holies tore from top to bottom, Luke 23:45. This showed that the way into the Holy of Holies was now open, for while the first Tabernacle stood the way was closed, Hebrews 9:6. In 70 A.D. the Temple in Jerusalem was torn down, just as God said it would be, not one stone left upon another. However, God is not left without a witness and a place here upon the earth, for now the Church is being built up into a Holy of Holies for Him to dwell, Ephesians 2:21.

One of the aspects of our Salvation is that all three members of the God head indwell us. The Holy Spirit is the One that this indwelling is primarily focused on, for while we are in a transitional state awaiting our full redemption, He is the guarantor, sealer, and helper Who fills us where we lack so that we can overcome the desires from our sin nature and have good desires that please God, transforming us to outwardly manifest Christ in us to the world. Therefore, the Church is now the Holy of Holies and our physical bodies are involved in this dwelling place for God, 1 Corinthians 6:19. The Holy Spirit dwells within our spirit, 1 Corinthians 3:16, and anyone defiling the body God will bring to ruin for it is now the Holy of Holies, 1 Corinthians 3:17. As ones who belong to God and are His dwelling place, we are to separate ourselves out to Him and to not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what agreement does God have with idols? Or Christ with Belial? We are the Holy of Holies, just as God said He would dwell in them and walk among them, 2 Corinthians 6:14-16.

Therefore let us not forget throughout our day that we are not our own, but were bought with a price and God dwells with us, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. When we do not sense that God is close, it is because we are walking in the darkness, that is, according to the desires of our flesh and in a state of mind that has no fellowship with God. For it is not God who has left us, but we who are ignoring Him. At these times let us cleanse our hands from sin and draw close to God, using the truth to overcome our sin nature and walk in the light so that we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Christ will keep on cleansing us from all sin, 1 John 1:9, so that we continually have fellowship with Him.

Praise (αἴνεσις) is defined within Scripture as the fruit of our lips confessing the name of God.

Therefore, because of this let us offer up a sacrifice of praise through all to the God, that is, the fruit of our lips confessing His Name – Hebrews 13:15

Confession means, “to say the same thing”, and “name” refers to the character of a person. This means we praise God when we verbally agree with Him concerning the manner in which He expresses His character towards us. 

The angels are seen praising God when they speak of His good will towards men resulting in giving the world Christ, Luke 2:13. After heeding the voice of the angels, the shepherds found Christ and told all of what they saw and heard, praising God as they returned, Luke 2:20.

In the seventh Psalm, a Benjamite writes of praising God according to His righteousness. Righteousness is an aspect of God’s nature that is expressed through His character. David encourages the Gentiles to praise God for His mercy to His anointed, Psalm 18:48, and as his strength and shield he trusts in God singing praises to Him, Psalm 28:7.

Praise can be done with music and song (Psalm 33:2) or by word (Psalm 75:1), for in it we are speaking of God’s name and therefore confessing His character.

For a Christian, praise is a spiritual sacrifice. As priests, we have religious services that we perform before God. One of these sacrifices that is a part of our priestly service is praise. Through praise we express our admiration for God’s grace (Ephesians 1:6), which is based upon expressing a proper opinion of Him (Ephesians 1:12,14). This admiration also expresses itself in the way we live, not just by our words, (Philippians 1:10), so that our faith results in others appreciating God because of His character and giving Him praise (1 Peter 1:7).

What aspect of God’s character is impacting our lives today? Is it his goodness, kindness, love? Or perhaps it is more His longsuffering and faithfulness as we struggle with living a life that glorifies Him in contrast to fulfilling the desires of the flesh. God’s love seeks the best for us, His joy gives us contentment in any situation, His peace settles our minds, His longsuffering withholds His anger, His kindness makes us feel at ease, His goodness gives us that which is beneficial, and because of His objectivity of mind He continues to express these to us even when we refuse to follow His desires for our lives.

Therefore, let us praise God today for who He is, not just with words, but with how we live a life that shows are admiration for Him and expresses a proper opinion of who He is so that others will also praise Him.

Scripture defines faith (πίστις) as the substance of that which is hoped for, the conviction of accomplished deeds not seen in Hebrews 11:1. It is therefore not an attitude or belief that is dictated by probability, that is wishful thinking based upon a desire, want, or need; rather, it is a conviction based upon a promise.   

Substance is referring to the underlying essence by which something exists. Christ is the exact image of God in the flesh. Through His life the fundamental nature of God was made visible to humans, Hebrews 1:3.

Conviction is the act of presenting evidence to persuade a person’s mind to believe in the truth. This evidence is established upon accomplished deeds that are not seen. We see this demonstrated in the actions of God when He determined to show the heirs of promise the immutability of His determination by giving two immutable facts, it is impossible for God to lie and making an oath based upon His word, Hebrews 6:13-18. The conviction of faith is therefore based upon the facts related to accomplished deeds that God has done.

Therefore, faith is the essence of that which is hoped for, and by the conviction based upon the facts of the promise that hope is based upon, the individual expressing belief will act according to their confidence in the person making the promise.

Many times in Scripture Jesus called out the faith of those around Him, especially of those who would not normally have faith. When a Centurion, a Gentile, asked Jesus to heal his servant, he expressed faith in the fact that Christ is the Messiah promised to the Jews by only asking that Jesus speaks the words, for one who is of authority only needs to speak and it is done (Matthew 8:7-10). This Centurion knew the promises related to the Messiah and that He would heal the nations, for he had to have had a bases for his faith. It was not presumption or wishful thinking. When Jesus said He would come, the man expressed believe in Christ based upon the deeds He had already accomplished, knowing that if he only spoke it, his servant would be healed. A faith that should have been expressed by the Jews to whom Christ came to fulfill the promises of God to them.

For us today, we are given promises and based upon our trust in these promises we have faith in God. The gospel of the Christ, which involves the gospel for salvation, has within it the inherent ability to save a person (Romans 1:16), and the righteousness of God is revealed through it out from faith, into faith (Romans 1:17). This salvation comes by faith, not works (Ephesians 2:8). The Jews had a promise from God and therefore a faith, so they were coming out from a faith, where the Gentiles were without a promise; therefore, they came into a faith. However, both of these faiths are based upon the facts of the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), for salvation is not offered by any other (Acts 4:12).

How we live expresses our faith. Faith without works is dead (James 2:17). It is just words coming out of a person’s mouth. One who takes God at His Word is going to act accordingly. This is not someone that lives by law, for that is not a life based upon the promises from God because He said we live out from faith. The law is not out from faith (Galatians 3:12). The one living out from faith is going to keep Christ’s commandments; Believe on Christ, 1 John 3:23, Love other Christians, John 13:14, abide in Christ, John 15:1-4. When we are abiding in the Son of God, we will love other saints and use the fruit of the Spirit, against which there is no law, Galatians 5:22-23  

Because faith is the substance by which the conviction of a promise is brought to reality in our lives, we are to put on that faith as a breastplate, along with love and the helmet of salvation, 1 Thessalonians 5:8. These are not fictitious things, but actually protecting our heart, mind, and actions based upon God’s instructions for our lives.

Faith can be used for a specific doctrine, such as how to have victory over Satan, or as a general description of one’s belief in the promises God has given to us. In 1 Peter 5:9, the Apostle Peter writes that we are to resist Satan by the faith. The faith is described in Ephesians 6:10-18, also known as the armor of God. This armor is based upon promises related to our salvation and will overcome the methodologies of Satan who is seeking to devour us by persuading our minds against the truth and getting us to do his will.

Faith has always been a part of our relationship with God. For it is impossible to please Him without faith, Hebrews 11:6. By faith we understand the ages were framed by Christ, Hebrews 11:3. By faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice to God than Cain, Hebrews 11:4. By faith Enoch walked with God, Hebrews 11:5. By faith Noah built an ark that saved his family, Hebrews 11:7. By faith Abraham left his home country and dwelt as a sojourner in the land of promise, Hebrews 11:8-10. By faith Sarah received strength to bear a child, Hebrews 11:11. These and so many other saints all died in faith, not having received the promise because they cannot be made complete before the Church is made perfect, for those of the Church are of the first fruits of the resurrection, Hebrews 11:39. Therefore, they will all be raised after the dispensation of grace is fulfilled and the Church is resurrected, to receive their promises from God.

Since faith is the substance of that which is hoped for, and hope is always based upon a promise, let us make sure that what we are claiming is based upon God’s Word to us. Not what He said to Israel, or to other saints of any other dispensation, for we are of the household of grace and our faith is based upon the promises given to the Church. We therefore have heavenly promises, not earthly ones.

By faith we have victory over sin in our lives by reckoning Christ’s death and resurrection to us and therefore walking in the newness of life we have in Christ. By faith we overcome Satan by putting on the armor of God when he attacks us, which protects our minds from his lies. By faith we live a life that is set apart from the world system for in Christ we have died to it; therefore, we use it, but do not abuse it. Therefore, we are not involved with being manipulated in our lives by the desires from the flesh and eyes and the pride of biological life. By faith, we love other saints, fellowship with one another as we walk by the truth, and partake of a quality of the divine nature as we add to our faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, patience, godliness, love, and fondness for other saints. For in doing these things we will never be unfruitful in the full experiential knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me, and the life that I live out from faith in the Son of God who gave Himself for me.

Worship is an aspect of communication with God that is defined by use in Scripture as giving God credit for Who He is and What He has done.

Within Paul’s worship, he often writes of remembering the saints (Romans 1:9). And he encourages the saints to continue in worship (Romans 12:9). Worship is the predominate word for communication with God used in Scripture and is to be done in everything, while not being anxious, often after thanksgiving and before asking (Philippians 4:6). Worship is even to be given on behalf of all men, along with supplication and intercession (1 Timothy 2:1). Through the worship of the resurrected Church, we see that it involves acknowledging that Christ is the Creator of all things, and that He is alone worthy to take the scroll that no one else in heaven, on earth, or under the earth had been found that could much less even look at the scroll, for none were worthy to open it (Revelation 4:1-11).

Worshipping is not an emotional thing; rather, it is done in the spirit (John 4:24) and therefore is not restricted to singing. Even the angels worship the Son (Hebrews 1:6) and they cannot sing. Many modern “worship” songs today are nothing more than repetition of words that neither express who God is or what He has done but are designed for the purpose of making the worshipper feel good (Matthew 6:7) or build up their self-esteem. Of course, there is nothing wrong with singing to God, but in our worship let us not be like the hypocrites who through public worship, repetition, and the use of many words seek to make a show for men to see, stirring up the emotions rather than truly expressing who God is and what He has done (Matthew 6:5).

Within Scripture we also see worship being used of the Church, for God will make those of the synagogue of Satan, the ones claiming to take the place of the Jews, worship the saints of the Church (Revelation 3:9). For in doing so they will give proper credit to those who are truly of the Church. No, the Church does not receive the same worship as God, nor is reverence given to the Church as it is to God. However, in seeing that the false Christians among us will give proper credit to those who are true Christians we gain a better understanding of what worship is. A true Christian bases their salvation on the fact that Christ died concerning sin and was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). False Christians are those who claim salvation by works of any kind, or by another gospel, even those who say it is by faith alone, but that faith is turned into a work because you have to keep on believing in order to stay saved. Their salvation is not based upon the facts of Christ’s death for sin and resurrection, but on your continued belief in God. True repentance (changing of the mind) cannot be undone, even if a person walks away from God for a while. The reality is that person believed the Gospel for salvation, and they now belong to God (Hebrews 6:4-8).

Worshipping is a type of communication to God that is something that we should constantly be doing because it involves the use of our spirit, our rational part, and is giving God proper recognition (1 Thessalonians 5:17). This type of mental focus will impact everything we do throughout our day, for we are to worship while lifting pious hands, hands that are working out holiness (1 Timothy 2:8). In our worship we should remember other saints, express our appreciation for what God has given to us, supplicate and intercede on behalf of all, separating ourselves out to God through our actions, all while giving God credit for Who He is and what He has done. For this is true worship.

Godliness is a word derived from “revere (σέβω)”, that expresses good worship or reverence to God. Therefore, godliness is giving God credit for what He has done and Who He is while showing respect through our actions and lifestyle.

In Matthew 15:9 we find those who have a vain reverence for God because they teach the commandments of men. σέβω (I revere) is used for both Jew and Proselytes who are devout to God (Acts 13:43). When εὐ is placed before the word, it modifies the meaning to a “good reverence” and is used to describe the character of Christians who follow after Christ. This is because godliness in its full aspect was displayed to us by Christ when He revealed the mystery of godliness to us through His life (1 Timothy 3:16).

Godliness is seen in contrast to following after old wives’ tales (1 Timothy 4:7), bodily exercise for religious purposes (1 Timothy 4:8), and financial gain for the purpose of showing favor from God (1 Timothy 6:5). It involves healthy teaching, which is the proper use of Old Testament information, while not abusing the body to have the appearance of wisdom while neglecting it for religious observances made up by men (Colossians 2:23), such as Lent. Those who teach that godliness is a means of gain falsely teach contrary to healthy teaching, are proud, know nothing, and are obsessed with disputing and debating which brings envy, strife, blasphemy, and malignantly evil suspicions (1 Timothy 6:3-5). Rather, godliness is contentment, for the fondness of money is a root of all that is wrong and leads into a snare (1 Timothy 6:6-10). We are to turn away from such false teachers, who have an outward form of godliness, but deny its inherent ability (2 Timothy 3:5). They are the ones that creep into households and take captive women loaded with sin, leading them by various desires (2 Timothy 3:6).

With great agreement is the mystery of godliness in the fact that God was manifested in the flesh, justified by the Spirit, discerned by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, and received up into glory (1 Timothy 3:16). Through His life, death for sin, and resurrection, we see the life of God in activity, true godliness. Now we show godliness because Christ lives in us, those who believe that He died for sins and was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. Therefore, we can live out the eternal life we have in Christ by showing a proper opinion of God through our lives, because the truth is according to godliness (Titus 1:1). 

Therefore, as we mature let us add godliness to our patience and self-control (2 Peter 1:6) having our conduct set apart to God (2 Peter 3:11), while seeking a quiet and peaceable life in dignity (1 Timothy 2:2), pursuing after righteousness, faith, love, patience, and having an objective frame of mind on the truth (1 Timothy 6:11), not having a form of godliness which denies its power, but being content, and living as those who revere God by the truth that is according to true godliness.  

Praus (πραΰς) means to have an objectivity of mind. It is not focused on the outward expression of feeling or appearance, but a tameness of spirit by which one accepts God’s dealings with the individual as good, thereby maintaining an objective frame of mind, not focusing on the circumstances.

Often in our English Bibles this word is translated as meek, gentle, or humble; however, within Scripture we run into an issue with these interpretations because there are other Greek words with these meanings that are used with praus (πραΰς), showing they are not synonymous. The English word meekness does not actually come from the Greek and its origin is a bit unknown past the Germanic meukaz, which means soft, that was picked up by the Latin. Therefore, to understand what the word means, we have to examine how it is used in the Koine Greek language in comparison to the words that it is mistranslated as.

We are first introduced to praus (πραΰς) in Matthew 5:5 during the sermon on the mount when Jesus states that those who are meek will be happy. This is a time in which Israel is in the wilderness due to the man of lawlessness setting himself up as God in the temple. This is not describing someone who is humble, gentle, or timid, but maintains a focus of the mind on the truth of the coming Messiah. Jesus later speaks of His yoke as meek and humble in the heart in Matthew 11:29, which means meekness cannot mean humble. In Matthew 21:5, meek is used for a quote from Zechariah 9:9 which is the Hebrew word a-ni (עָנָי) that means lowly or afflicted but does not mean humble (עָנָה – Genesis 16:9); rather, it is a tameness of spirit that controls the mind. In the case of Matthew 21:5, the Greek word praus (πραΰς) is used when quoting it, expressing an objectivity of mind in Christ as He entered Jerusalem, knowing what is going to happen to Him. A-naw (עָנָו) is also used to describe Moses in Numbers 12:3 and is based upon hope (Psalm 9:18), neither of which express humility, and is often confused with words used for afflicted (עָנִי), needy (אֶבְיוֹן), weak (דַּל), and humility (עָנָה). Lowliness or humility (ταπεινοφροσύνης) is expressed in Ephesians 4:2 along with meekness, eliminating this definition for praus (πραΰς). In 2 Corinthians 10:1, we have gentleness (ἐπιεικείας) used with meekness (πραΰτης) by someone who is humble (ταπεινός).  

In Galatians 6:1, we find the use of meekness in a way that gives us clarity on its actual meaning, for within the context you are to be scoping yourself out to ensure your attention to the solution is not lost and you become tempted, which requires an objectivity of mind. Brethren, if also a man is overcome in some trespass, you, the Spiritual ones, restore this one in a spirit of meekness (objectivity of mind), scoping out yourselves in order that you are not tempted. In 1 Corinthians 4:21, Paul is asking if he should be coming with a rod or in love and with a spirit of objectivity of mind, for he is not referring to a gentle spirit as he is dealing with those who are sinning within the assembly and the ones boasting about them. Objectivity of mind is to be used when correcting those who oppose themselves so that they are brought to a change of mind and escape the snare of the Devil (2 Timothy 2:24-26). This is done by one who is tender like a nursing mother cherishes her child (1 Thessalonians 2:7), as they express an objectivity of mind concerning the truth.

As the elect of God, we are to put on humility (ταπεινοφροσύνην), kindness (χρηστότητα), longsuffering (μακροθυμίαν), and meekness (πραΰτητα), and be ready for every good work while being peaceable, gentle, and showing our objectivity of mind (πραΰτης) to all (Titus 3:2). Meekness is therefore an objectivity of mind that is a result of a tamed spirit because of the hope one has concerning the promises from God and is to be used with humility, gentleness, and kindness as we outwardly show the hope that we have within by living a life that is based upon the promises from God.

The gift [is] a favorable stone in [the] eyes of its owners, unto all which it turns it causes to be prudent. Proverbs 17:8

So-had (שֹׁחַד) is a gift that is given for the purpose of bringing favor. Although not specifically a bribe, it can be used to gain favor in an illicit way and is prohibited under the Mosaic law for being used in this manner (Deuteronomy 16:19); however, when used correctly the result will be a favorable attitude towards the one giving the gift. It is the one who walks righteously and speaks with equity while shutting up bribery that will see God (Isaiah 33:15), where a wicked man accepts a gift to pervert the way of justice (Proverbs 17:23).

We see this type of favorable gift being given in negotiations (1 Kings 15:19), which is not meant as a bribe, but to bring favor. When used this way, it will cause the one receiving it to be wise in handling practical matters while exercising good judgment related to the circumstances bringing about the gift.

The negative side of giving is seen with one who uses money to gain favor. Such as with Ananias and Saphira giving a gift to the Apostles (Acts 4:37), Simon trying to bribe the Apostles into giving him the ability to give the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands (Acts 8:18-20), and Felix seeking a bribe from Paul to release him (Acts 24:26). However, when used properly this type of gift will result in a favorable attitude from the one receiving it. In business, when a shop is willing to offer free service, such as fixing a flat tire, the one receiving this generosity is far more likely to come back and spend money because of the favorable attitude the gift produces. Those who are honest with this type of gift still offer the best price for their services, but the one seeking to use this to up sale a customer are really just giving it as a bribe, which always ends in a dissatisfied and often angry customer.

This world is a malignantly evil place, but that does not mean we cannot walk in wisdom through it, redeeming the time and knowing the desirous will of God (Ephesians 5:17). Gifts should never be used to pervert justice, or manipulate people, but are of value in setting a positive frame of mind towards us. This aspect of giving can also be seen in being kind. Kindness is not a trait that humans intuitively seek to express, (There are none that do kindness – Romans 3:12); however, when we as Christians are using the fruit of the Spirit, God’s quality of kindness can be expressed through us, which puts others at ease (Galatians 5:22). So a gift is not just a tangible item, but a friendly disposition, a helping hand, and even a manifestation of kindness. Remember, it is the kindness of God that brings a change of the mind, not wrath (Romans 2:4).

Therefore, as the elect of God, let us put on kindness (Colossians 3:12) and be wise in the way we walk in this malignantly evil world, for we are children of the light and walk in the day, not as unbelievers in revelry, drunkenness, and lewdness according to their own lusts (Romans 13:13; 2 Peter 3:3) who use bribes to dishonestly gain. Gifts can be offered in a wise way for the purpose of gaining favor without becoming a bribe. For a gift can truly go a long way in subduing anger and producing prudence in the one receiving it.

Good is a word that describes activity that is beneficial, wholesome, and sufficient to be acceptable for its purpose. It is used to describe humans, trees, treasures, speaking, and most of all God.  

Although humans can do good, only God is good (Luke 18:19), for goodness is an aspect of His nature. However, even though humans are not good by nature, we do know the difference between good and evil and can choose to produce good things in our lives rather than malignantly wicked things (Romans 2:15). The heart is the center of a human, where the person resides. It is within here that we will store up good treasures to use later, or malignantly evil ones to use against others (Matthew 12:35). What we allow to remain in our minds and within our hearts directly impacts our actions; therefore, our weapons are not fleshly, but are mighty in God for the pulling down of those strongholds within us that raise themselves up against the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:4-6), by which we destroy the evil treasures, so our storehouse is filled with good.

Although the law is good, we do not live by it because through it is the full experiential knowledge of the sin nature (Romans 7:12-13) and rather than giving us victory over it, it becomes the sin natures strength against us (1 Corinthians 15:56). Trying to do good by law leads us into frustration and the realization that within our flesh no good dwells, for as soon as we desire to do good, we find that we lack the ability to do it through our flesh (Romans 7:18-19), and we end up doing things that lack in character, which we do not want to do. However, we are to do good in every aspect of our lives (1 Peter 2:15-16). This is done by getting our minds in the right place and seeking to fulfill the desires from the Spirit resulting in rejecting a worldly view and the desires from the flesh (Colossians 3:1-2) so our actions are beneficial, not by using law, but by living out from faith.

Because God is the only one that is good by nature, to manifest true goodness we need to mimic God (Ephesians 5:1; 3 John 11). To imitate God, we have to use the fruit of the Spirit, for we are not able to produce a character that has God’s quality of life apart from who we are in Christ through the filling of the Spirit which makes it possible for us to manifest the life of Christ in us (John 15:4; Colossians 1:27).

We are not to allow wrong (that which lacks in character) to overcome good by repaying wrong for wrong, but rather we are to give thought to what is proper and whenever possible live peaceably (Romans 12:17-18), while abhorring evil and clinging to what is good (Romans 12:9). We will be rewarded for what good or bad we do in this life (2 Corinthians 5:10); therefore, we should be careful what we allow within our lives to influence us. This includes what we speak, for nothing rotten should come out of our mouths, but only that which is beneficial and gives grace to the hearers (Ephesians 4:29).

When it comes to good works, God has not only prepared them beforehand for us to walk in (Ephesians 2:1), but also supplies what we need to perform them (2 Corinthians 9:8); therefore, let us take every opportunity to do good, especially to those of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10), for our commandment is to love other Christians as Christ loved us (John 13:34) and by this love for each other all will know that we are disciples of Christ (John 13:35). How we treat other saints is important,  especially those who are weak in the faith regarding food or drink. For we do not want our good to be blasphemed because of eating and drinking (Romans 14:16-17). Love is kind, seeks the best for the one loved, rejoices in truth, and never falls, therefore love will only produce that which is good.

Good is doing that which is beneficial. It is not actions that are focused on making a person feel good, but ones that are sufficient to be beneficial according to the situation. Therefore, let us be wise in how we do good so that we overcome that which is wrong, being fruitful in every good work while increasing in the full experiential knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10).

For this is the desirous will of the God, your sanctification, to abstain from the fornication, to intuitively know, each one of you, to possess your own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of desire, just as also the Gentiles, the ones not intuitively knowing God. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

We are to have an intuitive knowledge concerning how we are to possess our bodies. This knowledge comes from learning and understanding what God has done in salvation so that we have a proper reservoir of knowledge to pull from that we can determine what is proper for us in any situation. When we believe the Gospel for salvation (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), in saving us, God washes us from our sins (2 Peter 1:9), places His seed within us (1 John 3:9), and imputes Christ’s death and resurrection to us so that we can walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-5). Although we do not yet have a resurrected body, we possess all things pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Therefore, it is appropriate that we possess our bodies in an honorable way that shows a proper opinion of who God is.

One of these ways is to abstain from fornication. Fornication is sexual activity outside of marriage. It is a work of the flesh (Galatians 5:19) and is a sin against one’s own body (1 Corinthians 6:18). Fornication is not to be named among the saints (Ephesians 5:3) because we are not ones who walk by the desires of the flesh.

Young men, how you possess your bodies is important. The world wants you to be involved in sexual activity outside of marriage and teaches that it is a boastful thing. However, the reality is it is dishonoring the body. When you take a wife, how can you offer her an honorable head if you are disgracing yourself through fornication? And those who boast about their exploits only do it to calm their own conscience for they know that they tarnish themselves by not controlling their desires. It is an honorable thing for a man to know how to manage his cravings and not sin against his own body.

Young women, your virginity is a thing of honor and not to be taken lightly so that it can be given to the man that you will spend the rest of your life with as a help meet. There is nothing more precious or beautiful than a woman who knows how to possess her body in dignity. The world does not want to give the woman the honor and respect she deserves; rather, it seeks to redefine who a woman is and denigrate her value to the whim of the desires of men, all for the purpose of getting her to dishonor her own body. However, God specifically built the woman and Adam recognized her value and honor, placing her in a position beside him that no other can hold, not below him.

For those who have been involved in dishonoring their bodies. Learn to control your desires and live a life that honors God by understanding how to properly possess your body. For fornication is a practice of the past and is to be put aside as an old filthy rag by putting on the new man, who we are in Christ, who is created according to God in righteousness.

We live in a malignantly evil world that seeks to corrupt us in every way through the desires from our flesh the desires of the eyes, and the pride of biological life, especially in sexual practices. Therefore, we are all to know how to properly possess our own bodies, separating them unto God, and controlling our desires by seeking to fulfill the desires of the Spirit while rejecting the lusts from the flesh. This week let us focus on setting our bodies apart to God in honor, knowing that He has washed us from our sin, and we are now to walk in newness of life through Christ Jesus, no longer living a life as the unsaved in the futility of their minds having their understanding darkened and being alienated from God by their ignorance through which they ruin their own bodies. 

Within our daily lives, the more we practice, the better we become at using the knowledge we possess. When it comes to the Christian life, knowledge works the same way. We learn through studying the Bible and listening to our Pastors and teachers, which becomes experiential knowledge when we start to use it in our lives. One of the aspects of salvation is that we can mature; however, the only way to progress in experiential knowledge is to put into practice the knowledge we learned.

We do not use law to gain experience in the Christian life, for by law no one is justified before God. Rather, through law comes the full experiential knowledge of the sin nature (Romans 3:20), because law gives the sin nature strength (1 Corinthians 15:56). It is because of this corrupt nature, while knowing the difference between good and evil, that the human race decided, even when having a full experiential knowledge of God, for He walked with any who would seek Him, that retaining a truthful knowledge of God was not of value and changed the image of the incorruptible God into that of corruptible humans, birds, animals, and creeping things so that we could follow our desire to do wrong while rejecting the truth (Romans 1:28). However, God still desires that all humans come to a full experiential knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4), through which we overcome the sin nature. Therefore, God gave the Church pastors even teachers for its edification to bring us into a oneness of the faith unto a full experiential knowledge of the Son of God (Ephesians 4:11), so that we are no longer inarticulate babblers tossed around by every wind of teaching by the trickery of men (Ephesians 4:14). God wants us to experience salvation, not just know about it; therefore, He has given to us all things pertaining to life and godliness in Christ so that by these promises we can escape the corruption that is in the world through lust (2 Peter 1:3). We gain experiential knowledge by being diligent to add to our faith virtue, and to our virtue knowledge, and to our knowledge self-control and to our self-control patience, and to our patience godliness, and to our godliness brotherly kindness, and to our brotherly kindness love, for in doing these things we will never be unfruitful in the full experiential knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5-8)

As we grow in full experiential knowledge while increasing in wisdom and spiritual understanding (Colossians 1:9), we gain the ability to perceive the truth and properly determine what actions in our lives are excellent so that we are filled with the fruits of righteousness through Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:9). The result is governing our lives in a worthy manner of our Lord and increasing in good works and experiential knowledge (Colossians 1:10).

Putting on the new man in Christ and rejecting the old man in Adam, who is corrupted by the deceitful desires from the flesh, results in a life that experiences salvation, not just knows about it (Colossians 3:10). We do this by starting within the mind and framing it according to what God has said about us, and then acting in harmony with who we are in Christ.

Let us not be those who are always learning but never coming to a full experiential knowledge (2 Timothy 3:7); rather, in our lives, let us work out the knowledge we have while bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, discerning bad and good through the exercising of our senses, so that our actions show a proper opinion of God by living out the salvation He has so graciously given to us as we come to a full experiential knowledge of the Son of God.