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Ephesians 4:30: Difference between revisions
→What does the Bible teach?
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To answer the above question we must focus on what Paul actually taught. In fact, William Branham said many times that he taught exactly what Paul taught and that our own entrance to heaven banked on his identical teachings with Paul’s. So first let’s read Ephesians 4:17-32: | To answer the above question we must focus on what Paul actually taught. In fact, William Branham said many times that he taught exactly what Paul taught and that our own entrance to heaven banked on his identical teachings with Paul’s. So first let’s read Ephesians 4:17-32: | ||
:''Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ! — assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, | :''Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ! — assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.'' | ||
:''Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we re members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. | :''Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we re members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.<ref>Ephesians 4:17-32 (ESV)</ref>'' | ||
We also refer to 2 Timothy 2:14-26: | We also refer to 2 Timothy 2:14-26: | ||
:''Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. | :''Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”'' | ||
:''Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. | :''Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. | ||
We see in these similar portions of Paul’s writings above that he was encouraging new Christians to live a pleasing life for their king and Lord after they had accepted his grace and salvation into His kingdom. It shows the gentle mercy, that Paul knew only too well, of our precious Savior given to those with perfect hearts and minds toward Christ. If you heard it as rebuke and anger—read it again softly with tremendous love and it will sound closer to what Paul meant. Paul deserved terrible punishment but received grace and mercy and was put to work for the Lord. Does sin grieve our Savior? Yes, of course, it does, but he knows better than we do that Adam’s race will always sin and that was why he brought a New Covenant. | We see in these similar portions of Paul’s writings above that he was encouraging new Christians to live a pleasing life for their king and Lord after they had accepted his grace and salvation into His kingdom. It shows the gentle mercy, that Paul knew only too well, of our precious Savior given to those with perfect hearts and minds toward Christ. If you heard it as rebuke and anger—read it again softly with tremendous love and it will sound closer to what Paul meant. Paul deserved terrible punishment but received grace and mercy and was put to work for the Lord. Does sin grieve our Savior? Yes, of course, it does, but he knows better than we do that Adam’s race will always sin and that was why he brought a New Covenant. | ||
Now look again at verse 30—What? Paul said these sealed Christians did all those things mentioned above? He asked them to quit that behavior and stop grieving the Holy Spirit which had sealed them. | Now look again at verse 30—What? Paul said these sealed Christians did all those things mentioned above? He asked them to quit that behavior and stop grieving the Holy Spirit which had sealed them. In verse 32, Paul told them to be kind to others because God was kind to them even while they were still at it!!! Good advice. Every parent knows well the grief our children can cause us at times, but we still love them and they are still our children. Paul had no train cars to seal or reload and never thought of it as such. Paul did know about the seals used on scrolls which had a name and witness as part of the seal. The seal was often a sort of title and identification for rolled scrolls. | ||
Paul had no train cars to seal or reload and never thought of it as such. Paul did know about the seals used on scrolls which had a name and witness as part of the seal. The seal was often a sort of title and identification for rolled scrolls. | |||
William Branham used the term Seal of God 121 times and the term Mark of the Beast 213 times focusing so harshly on them that they took on a whole new aura and volume in our minds so that we often missed noticing more important words in the same chapters. The Mark of the beast is only mentioned 6 times in the Bible and all in Revelation - Revelation 7:7: | William Branham used the term Seal of God 121 times and the term Mark of the Beast 213 times focusing so harshly on them that they took on a whole new aura and volume in our minds so that we often missed noticing more important words in the same chapters. The Mark of the beast is only mentioned 6 times in the Bible and all in Revelation - Revelation 7:7: | ||
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It becomes difficult to compare Paul with Bill because Paul consistently preached the New Covenant as taught to him by Jesus and his apostles and he was already very familiar with the six Covenants that had pointed to Messiah. William had little knowledge or understanding of the Bible overall, and taught a myriad of doctrines some that contradicted themselves over time. Paul would not have recognized Bill’s teaching as Christian. | It becomes difficult to compare Paul with Bill because Paul consistently preached the New Covenant as taught to him by Jesus and his apostles and he was already very familiar with the six Covenants that had pointed to Messiah. William had little knowledge or understanding of the Bible overall, and taught a myriad of doctrines some that contradicted themselves over time. Paul would not have recognized Bill’s teaching as Christian. | ||
From Genesis and until today people were always saved by faith in God and a pure heart and mind toward Christ. | From Genesis and until today people were always saved by faith in God and a pure heart and mind toward Christ. Paul said, “The flesh profiteth nothing.” | ||
Paul said, “The flesh profiteth nothing.” | |||
God said to Abraham ,“Walk before me and be thou perfect. And I will make my Covenant between me and thee.” We understand “be thou perfect” as perfect, total, commitment of heart and mind to the Lord; not the perfection of unfailing sinlessness. | |||
:''So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. | :''So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.<ref> II Timothy 2:14-26 (ESV)</ref>'' | ||