*Galatians 4:7 / *Gal. 4:7 -
(Re: *Servants)
Galatians 4:7 means that Christians are not only God's servants, but are His children. For Christians are God's servants (Romans 6:22, Philippians 1:1; 2 Timothy 2:24). People can be both someone's child and his servant at the same time (Malachi 3:17, Exodus 4:23). The book of Revelation is given to the Church (Revelation 22:16), God's servants (Revelation 22:6, Revelation 1:1), who will forever serve God (Revelation 22:3), with His name written on their foreheads (Revelation 22:4, Revelation 3:12-13).
(See also Galatians 4:6 and Romans 4:4 above)
--
*Galatians 4:17 / *Gal. 4:17 -
The original Greek word (zeloo: G2206) translated as they "zealously affect" you can mean they "earnestly desire" you (cf. James 4:2), that is, to be their followers.
--
*Galatians 4:20 / *Gal. 4:20 -
The original Greek word (phone: G5456) translated as change my "voice" can mean change my "tone", that is, from one of upbraiding to one of affirmation.
--
*Galatians 4:21 to 5:8 / *Gal. 4:21 -
This means that all Christians, whether Jews or Gentiles, should stop trying to keep the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law. For it shows that any Christians who do try to keep the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law place themselves into bondage (Galatians 4:21-25). They become entangled again with the yoke of bondage (Galatians 5:1). They set themselves up to be cast out (Galatians 4:30). Jesus Christ will profit them nothing (Galatians 5:2-4). Jesus is become of no effect to them (Galatians 5:4). They are fallen from grace (Galatians 5:4).
(See also paragraph 5 of the "Law" section of Ephesians 2:15 below)
~
(Re: Mosaic law = Old *Covenant) / (*OCML)
The words of the Mosaic commandments were the words of the Old Covenant (Exodus 34:28, Leviticus 26:15, Deuteronomy 4:13). So Christians placing themselves under the letter of the Mosaic law is placing themselves under the Old Covenant (Galatians 4:21 to 5:8). What was abolished in 2 Corinthians 3:6-18 was the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law, "written and engraven in stones" (2 Corinthians 3:7, Deuteronomy 4:13, Deuteronomy 27:8), which was the...
(See "ministration of death" under Ephesians 2:15 below. Also, see the "Mosaic law" section of Ephesians 2:15 below)
--
*Galatians 4:25 / *Gal. 4:25 -
This does not mean that the literal city of Jerusalem per se was in bondage, but only those of its inhabitants, just as only those of Galatia's inhabitants, for example, who were still mistakenly placing themselves under the bondage of trying to keep the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law (Galatians 5:1-4). For it had already been abolished for everyone, no matter in what city or region they were living, at the moment that Jesus Christ died on the Cross (Matthew 27:50-51a), and abolished the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law (Ephesians 2:15-16, Colossians 2:14-17, Romans 7:6; 2 Corinthians 3:6-18, Hebrews 7:18-19), which was the same moment that He brought the New Covenant into effect (Matthew 26:28, Hebrews 9:15-17, Hebrews 10:19-20, Matthew 27:51a).
(See also Matthew 23:38 above, and the "land" section of Acts 1:6 above)
--
*Galatians 4:26 / *Gal. 4:26 -
See Hebrews 11:16 below.
--
*Galatians 4:28 / *Gal. 4:28 -
(*Isaac)
Note that Isaac being the promised seed in Romans 9:7, Galatians 4:28, and Hebrews 11:18 does not contradict that...
(See the "Tribes" section of Romans 11:17 above)
--
*Galatians 5:1 / *Gal. 5:1 -
This refers to the yoke of slavery to physical circumcision, and to all of the other works of the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law (Galatians 5:2-4, Acts 15:1,5,10).
--
*Galatians 5:2-4 / *Gal. 5:2 / *Gal. 5:4 -
See paragraph 2 of the "Circumcision" section of Ephesians 2:15 below.
--
*Galatians 5:6b / *Gal. 5:6b -
See 1 Thessalonians 1:3 below.
--
*Galatians 5:13c / *Gal. 5:13c -
(Re: *Serving others)
Christian lives need to include serving others in love (Galatians 5:13c-14, Matthew 23:11, Matthew 24:45-46, Mark 9:35).
--
*Galatians 5:18 / *Gal. 5:18 -
This includes a condition, an "if", because God's Holy Spirit does not take away Christians' free will (1 Thessalonians 5:19). They can still wrongly employ their free will to commit sin without repentance, to the ultimate loss of their salvation (Hebrews 10:26-29; 1 Corinthians 9:27, Matthew 7:22-23).
--
*Galatians 5:19-21 / *Gal. 5:19 -
See 1 Corinthians 6:9 above.
--
*Galatians 5:20 / *Gal. 5:20 -
The original Greek word (eris: G2054) translated as "variance" can mean "strife" (Romans 13:13).
The Greek word (zelos: G2205) translated as "emulations" can mean "envyings" (2 Corinthians 12:20).
The Greek word (dichostasia: G1370) translated as "seditions" can mean "divisions" (1 Corinthians 3:3).
--
*Galatians 5:22-23 / *Gal. 5:22 -
This is not contradicting that Christians can wrongly employ their free will to quench God's Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19) within them, and indulge in fleshly pursuits (Galatians 5:17-21,26), without repentance, to the ultimate loss of their salvation (Galatians 5:19-21, Luke 12:45-46; 2 Peter 2:20-22, Romans 8:13; 1 John 5:16, James 5:19-20).
Also, the fruits in Galatians 5:22-23 are the fruits of Christians themselves (Luke 6:44, Luke 8:15, John 15:8, Matthew 7:19, Philippians 4:17), but only so long as they choose to walk in God's Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:25-26), and abide in Jesus Christ (John 15:4-6), instead of wrongly employing their free will to quench God's Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19), and not abide in Jesus (John 15:6), and not bear good fruit (John 15:2a), such as by wrongly employing their free will to become utterly lazy without repentance, to the ultimate loss of their salvation (Matthew 25:26,30, John 15:2a,6).
~
(*Fruit of the Spirit)
(Re: Do non-Christians have a roughly equal amount of this fruit on display in their lives as Christians?)
No, for no non-Christian can display the fruit of the Spirit. For the Spirit in Galatians 5:22 and Ephesians 5:9 is the Holy Spirit of God (Galatians 4:6, Ephesians 1:13) as He is given only to Christians in some measure (John 7:38-39).
No non-Christian can display the love which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, for this love (Galatians 5:22) entails obedience to all of the commands of Jesus Christ (1 John 5:2-3, John 14:21-24), including the command to become a Christian (John 14:1).
And no non-Christian can display the joy and peace which are the fruit of the Holy Spirit, for this joy and peace (Galatians 5:22) comes only to Christians (Romans 15:13, Romans 14:17).
And no non-Christian can display the faith which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, for this faith (Galatians 5:22) is faith in Jesus Christ (Jude 1:20-21) and His Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
And no non-Christian can display the goodness and righteousness which are the fruit of the Holy Spirit, for this goodness and righteousness (Ephesians 5:9) come only through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22) and His suffering and dying on the Cross for our sins (Romans 3:25) and His rising physically from the dead on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:1-4,17).
And no non-Christian can display the truth which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, for this truth (Ephesians 5:9) is Jesus Christ Himself (John 14:6), and His Word the Holy Bible (2 Timothy 3:16 to 4:4; 2 Peter 1:21), which can only be comprehended by Christians, who have received the Holy Spirit in some measure (1 Corinthians 2:11-16).
~
(Re: What about the spirit of good humanity in general?) / (*Humanism)
There is no spirit of good humanity in general. For the only spirit of humanity in general is the Satanic spirit of disobedience to God (Ephesians 2:2). Only those humans who believe in Jesus Christ and His Gospel will be saved from God's wrath (John 3:16,36, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Those humans who never believe in Jesus and His Gospel are the human children of Satan (John 8:42-47, Matthew 13:38-42). They will suffer forever in the lake of fire and brimstone with Satan and his fallen angels (Matthew 25:41,46, Revelation 20:10,15, Revelation 14:10-11).
The key difference between humanism and God's Word the Bible is that humanism thinks that humans on their own can be good, while God's Word shows that all humans, except Jesus Christ, are horribly corrupt to their very core (Romans 3:9-12, Jeremiah 17:9, John 2:24-25). So there is no such thing as human goodness in general. God alone is good (Luke 18:19). So the only chance that humans have of becoming good is to partake of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), which is received through the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit as He is given only to Christians in some measure (John 7:38-39).
Humanism is a Satanic invention. For it is Satan who deceives humans into ignoring the things of God and thinking about everything only from a human perspective (cf. Mark 8:33). Humans, in their Satanic pride (cf. 1 Timothy 3:6), so easily forget how utterly infinitesimal they are, that even all humans together are worth "less than nothing" compared with God (Isaiah 40:17, Isaiah 2:22). (Even from a spaceship orbiting close to earth, humanity is so small that it cannot even be seen.) Also, humans easily forget how short their lives are (James 4:14, Psalms 39:5), and that they cannot keep alive their own souls (Psalms 22:29b). For they only continue to exist as God keeps them in existence (Acts 17:28, Colossians 1:17). They so easily forget that they did not create themselves, but were created by God (Psalms 100:3), so that God has every right to do with them whatever He wants (Romans 9:21-24). It is only by rejecting their Satanic pride, and humbling themselves before God, that humans can ever be saved from hell (James 4:7-10, Matthew 18:3-4).
(See 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 above)
--
*Galatians 6:15 / *Gal. 6:15 -
(Re: New creature = New Earth?)
No, see section 4 of 2 Corinthians 5:17 above.
--
*Galatians 6:16 / *Gal. 6:16 -
Here, "the Israel of God" refers to the Church.
(See the "Tribes" section of Romans 11:17 above. Also, see Romans 9:3-8 above)
~
(Re: Is the Church "as many as walk according to this rule", who are referred to separately from "the Israel of God"?)
No, for those phrases refer to the same people. For in Galatians 6:16 the original Greek word (kai: G2532) translated as "and" in the phrase: "and upon the Israel of God", can mean "even", like it is translated more than 100 times in the New Testament, such as in 2 Corinthians 1:3, in the phrase: "God, even [kai] the Father". So Galatians 6:16 means: "even upon the Israel of God". That is, "as many as walk according to this rule" are "the Israel of God".
(See the "Tribes" section of Romans 11:17 above)
--
*Ephesians 1:4 / *Eph. 1:4 -
Elect individuals were elected (chosen) by God before they were born (Romans 9:11-13), and even before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:13). But their election assures only that they will be given initially-saving faith in Jesus Christ, and repentance from their sins, at some point during their lifetime (Acts 13:48b; 2 Timothy 2:25). Their election gives no assurance of their ultimate salvation, for their election, like their subsequent initial salvation, does not take away their free will. After the elect become Christians, they can still wrongly employ their free will, even to the point of ultimately losing their salvation (Hebrews 10:26-29, Hebrews 6:4-8, Matthew 25:26,30).
(See the "NOSAS" section of Hebrews 3:6 below)
~
(Re: Pre-existence?)
Ephesians 1:4-5 does not mean that elect individuals pre-existed, either in heaven, or on a prior earth, but means that God's election (choosing) of them occurred before they ever existed.
In Ephesians 1:4 the original Greek word (cosmos: G2889) translated as "world" does not mean, and is never translated in the KJV, as "age". For the principle of Ephesians 1:4 would apply to before God ever created anything, whether spiritual or physical.
(See also John 8:23 above)
--
*Ephesians 1:5 / *Eph. 1:5 -
(Re: Does *adoption mean once-saved-always-saved, so that Christians are not unadopted, and readopted, every time that they sin and repent?)
Elect people are initially adopted based not on how they behave, but on predestination (Ephesians 1:5). But elect people will be ultimately adopted (Romans 8:23-25), or ultimately disowned (Luke 12:45-46), based on how they behave subsequent to their initial salvation (Romans 2:6-8), their becoming Christians. Regarding unadoption and readoption every time that Christians sin and repent, no reference has been made to that. For it is only if Christians continue in a sin without repentance until death (1 John 5:16b), or until Jesus Christ's future, Second Coming (Luke 12:45-46), that they will ultimately lose their salvation due to unrepentant sin (Hebrews 10:26-29; 1 Corinthians 9:27, Galatians 5:19-21).
Also, even with human adoption, it does not require permanence. For example, not long ago, an American woman sent back to Russia a boy whom she had adopted. She sent him back because he was insane, and out of control, having been raised without sufficient human contact in a Russian orphanage. She pinned a note on his shirt and placed him on a plane which went back to Russia. (Putin was so enraged by this, because it was so embarrassing to Russia, that he cancelled all further U.S. adoptions from Russia.)
(Hopefully, since then, he has doubled or tripled the number of staff at every Russian orphanage, so that every precious Russian orphan might be assured of receiving sufficient human contact daily, and so might be assured of developing a normal mental health.)
--
*Ephesians 1:10 / *Eph. 1:10 -
(Re: An age of grace?)
See section 2 of Ephesians 1:21 below.
~
(Re: Universal salvation?)
Ephesians 1:10 refers only to the ultimate gathering together of all things which are "in Christ", not to things which are not in Christ (Matthew 25:41,46).
Ephesians 1:10 means that the Church consists of one body (Ephesians 4:4-6), which includes both those Christians who have died and are in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:8), and those Christians who are still alive on the earth.
And at Jesus Christ's future, Second Coming, He will physically gather together into one place all Christians (of all times) in heaven and on earth (Mark 13:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:1).
(See also 1 Thessalonians 3:13 below)
--
*Ephesians 1:13-14 / *Eph. 1:13 / *Eph. 1:14 -
Ephesians 1:13 can refer to Holy Spirit baptism (Acts 11:16), which usually occurs sometime after coming into faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 19:2a,6), whereas some lesser measure of the Spirit must be received by anyone before he can become a Christian (1 Corinthians 2:11-16).
(See paragraphs 2-3, and also section 2, of Mark 16:16 above)
~
(*Sealed / *Earnest)
Ephesians 1:13-14, like Ephesians 4:30, 2 Corinthians 1:22, and 2 Corinthians 5:5, means that the measure of God's Holy Spirit which Christians have received now is like a down payment until their future redemption into physical immortality at Jesus Christ's Second Coming (Romans 8:23-25, Philippians 3:20-21, Luke 24:39; 1 Corinthians 15:21-23,51-53). But this future redemption is not assured for every Christian, just as a down payment on a house does not always assure that the future purchase-in-full will take place, instead of it being cancelled for some reason, such as the sellers willfully ruining the house after receiving the down payment and before the purchase-in-full has taken place. For the Holy Spirit does not take away Christians' free will. So if they wrongly employ their free will to quench the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19), and to do something like committing apostasy, or engaging in some sin without repentance, or becoming utterly lazy without repentance, then they will ultimately lose their salvation (Hebrews 6:4-8, Hebrews 10:26-29, Matthew 25:26,30; 1 Corinthians 9:27).
(See also Ephesians 4:30 below, and Psalms 139:7 above)
~
(Inheritance)
See 1 Peter 1:4 below.
--
*Ephesians 1:18-22 / *Eph. 1:18 -
This does not mean that the Millennium is now.
(See the "Millennium" sections of Revelation 20:4 below)
--
*Ephesians 1:21 / *Eph. 1:21 -
(Re: Jesus already reigning)
See Colossians 1:16 below.
~
(Re: An *age of grace?)
Regarding the present age (world) ending, note that nothing in verses like Ephesians 1:21b, Ephesians 1:10, Ephesians 3:2, Colossians 1:25, Titus 2:12b, and Hebrews 6:5 says or requires that only the present age is an age of grace, or a Church age, or that the age to come will not also be an age of grace, or a Church age.
Also, the present age can include the future Tribulation (of Revelation chapters 6 to 18 and Matthew 24) and the subsequent Millennium (of Revelation 20), with the age to come being the subsequent time of the New Earth (Revelation 21), as in a new surface for the earth. For the end of the present age, when all non-Christians will be cast into the lake of fire (Matthew 13:40, Revelation 20:15), will not occur until sometime after the future Millennium (Revelation 20:7-15).
(See also Matthew 24:3(space) above, and the "Church age?" section of Ephesians 3:21 below)
--
*Ephesians 1:22 / *Eph. 1:22 -
Here the original Greek can be read as meaning that all things will have been figuratively put under Jesus' Christ's feet (that is, under His physical rule) by the time of the age to come in Ephesians 1:21c, which refers to the New Earth, as in a new surface for the earth. For Ephesians 1:22a, like 1 Corinthians 15:27a, is simply a quotation from Psalms 8:6b, which was written in the past tense some 1,000 years before Jesus' first coming. None of these verses means that God the Father has already put all things under Jesus' physical rule, as He will do over the future time from Revelation 19:11 to Revelation 20:15. For "now we see not yet all things put under him" (Hebrews 2:8c). And the apostle Paul elsewhere refers to the future time "when all things shall be subdued unto him" (1 Corinthians 15:28), in the sense of physically subdued.
(See also Matthew 28:18 above)
--
*Ephesians 2:1 / *Eph. 2:1 -
Being figuratively dead in sins (Ephesians 2:1) is the condition of people who are in a state of unrepentant, unforgiven sins, and so are under God's wrath (Ephesians 2:3), so that if they die while in that condition, their souls will go to hell (Luke 16:22b-23).
(See also the "Soul Sleep?" section of 1 Corinthians 15:51 above)
--
*Ephesians 2:2 / *Eph. 2:2 -
Here, "air" refers to the earth's atmosphere.
(See also the "High places" section of Ephesians 6:12 below)
~
(This world)
See Romans 12:2 above.
~
(Re: Is Satan in heaven?)
Satan is currently walking around on the earth seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8), although he still has access to heaven (Job 1:6-7, Job 2:1-2). And he will not lose that access until he and his fallen angels lose a future, mid-tribulation war in heaven (Revelation 12:7-17).
(See the "defeated force" paragraph of the "Details" section of Revelation chapters 6 to 22 (Overview) below)
--
*Ephesians 2:4-5 / *Eph. 2:4 -
God loving elect people enough to initially save them from hell even while they were figuratively dead in sins (Ephesians 2:4-5) does not require once-saved-always-saved.
(See Jude 1:21 below)
--
*Ephesians 2:6 / *Eph. 2:6 -
This and Hebrews 12:22 can refer figuratively to Christians' present salvation under the New Covenant (Galatians 4:24-26, Hebrews 12:22,24).
~
(Re: Means that the Millennium is a present reality?)
What is a present, figurative reality is the Church reigning spiritually with Jesus Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6, Revelation 1:6). What is not a present reality, but will be a future reality, is the Church being physically resurrected (2 Timothy 2:18, Romans 8:23-25, Philippians 3:21) at Jesus' Second Coming (1 Corinthians 15:21-23,51-54; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-16, Revelation 19:7 to 20:6), and then reigning physically with Jesus (Luke 22:30, Matthew 19:28; 2 Timothy 2:12) on the earth (Revelation 5:10, Revelation 2:26-29) for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4-6).
(See also the "Millennium" sections of Revelation 20:4 below)
--
*Ephesians 2:8-9 / *Eph. 2:8 -
(*Grace)
Initial salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ without any works at all on our part (Romans 4:1-5, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5; 2 Timothy 1:9). But other passages show that...
(See Romans 2:6 above)
~
(Re: A *contract analogy) / (Being *born again)
Initial salvation, being born again (John 3:3,7; 1 Peter 1:23-25; 1 Peter 2:2), is both present salvation and a contract for ultimate salvation, just as the birth of an infant is both present life and a contract for life as an adult. Just as children can know that they are actually alive, so initially saved people (that is, Christians) can know that they are actually saved (1 John 5:13; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). And just as an infant cannot "give back" his being born, or become unborn, so a born-again person cannot become un-born-again, or "give back" his being born again, his being initially saved. But just as there is no assurance that children will reach adulthood, so there is no assurance that initially saved people will obtain ultimate salvation. For just as there are conditions placed on children, like not running into traffic, and not drinking the Drano under the sink, if they are to reach adulthood, so there are conditions placed on the born-again, the initially saved, if they are to obtain ultimate salvation (Romans 2:6-8, Hebrews 3:6,14; 1 Corinthians 9:27).
(See the "NOSAS" section of Hebrews 3:6 below)
~
(Re: Is the New Covenant different from the Old in that it is not a contract, but a loving relationship?)
Note that these are not mutually exclusive, just as a marriage can be a contract in addition to a loving relationship.
With regard to the New Covenant, the original Greek word (diatheke: G1242) translated as New "Covenant" in Hebrews 8:8, for example, means "a contract" (Strong's Greek Dictionary).
~
(Re: Would losing one's salvation mean that one had not really been born again?)
No, the fact that a born-again person, a Christian, can subsequently lose his salvation (Hebrews 10:26-29, Hebrews 6:4-8, Matthew 25:26,30) does not mean that he had not really been born again/saved, just as the fact that a newborn infant can lose his life during his subsequent childhood does not mean that he had not really been born.
(See also the "perseverance" section of Philippians 2:13 below)
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Dec 18, 2018
(Re: *Servants)
Galatians 4:7 means that Christians are not only God's servants, but are His children. For Christians are God's servants (Romans 6:22, Philippians 1:1; 2 Timothy 2:24). People can be both someone's child and his servant at the same time (Malachi 3:17, Exodus 4:23). The book of Revelation is given to the Church (Revelation 22:16), God's servants (Revelation 22:6, Revelation 1:1), who will forever serve God (Revelation 22:3), with His name written on their foreheads (Revelation 22:4, Revelation 3:12-13).
(See also Galatians 4:6 and Romans 4:4 above)
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*Galatians 4:17 / *Gal. 4:17 -
The original Greek word (zeloo: G2206) translated as they "zealously affect" you can mean they "earnestly desire" you (cf. James 4:2), that is, to be their followers.
--
*Galatians 4:20 / *Gal. 4:20 -
The original Greek word (phone: G5456) translated as change my "voice" can mean change my "tone", that is, from one of upbraiding to one of affirmation.
--
*Galatians 4:21 to 5:8 / *Gal. 4:21 -
This means that all Christians, whether Jews or Gentiles, should stop trying to keep the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law. For it shows that any Christians who do try to keep the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law place themselves into bondage (Galatians 4:21-25). They become entangled again with the yoke of bondage (Galatians 5:1). They set themselves up to be cast out (Galatians 4:30). Jesus Christ will profit them nothing (Galatians 5:2-4). Jesus is become of no effect to them (Galatians 5:4). They are fallen from grace (Galatians 5:4).
(See also paragraph 5 of the "Law" section of Ephesians 2:15 below)
~
(Re: Mosaic law = Old *Covenant) / (*OCML)
The words of the Mosaic commandments were the words of the Old Covenant (Exodus 34:28, Leviticus 26:15, Deuteronomy 4:13). So Christians placing themselves under the letter of the Mosaic law is placing themselves under the Old Covenant (Galatians 4:21 to 5:8). What was abolished in 2 Corinthians 3:6-18 was the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law, "written and engraven in stones" (2 Corinthians 3:7, Deuteronomy 4:13, Deuteronomy 27:8), which was the...
(See "ministration of death" under Ephesians 2:15 below. Also, see the "Mosaic law" section of Ephesians 2:15 below)
--
*Galatians 4:25 / *Gal. 4:25 -
This does not mean that the literal city of Jerusalem per se was in bondage, but only those of its inhabitants, just as only those of Galatia's inhabitants, for example, who were still mistakenly placing themselves under the bondage of trying to keep the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law (Galatians 5:1-4). For it had already been abolished for everyone, no matter in what city or region they were living, at the moment that Jesus Christ died on the Cross (Matthew 27:50-51a), and abolished the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law (Ephesians 2:15-16, Colossians 2:14-17, Romans 7:6; 2 Corinthians 3:6-18, Hebrews 7:18-19), which was the same moment that He brought the New Covenant into effect (Matthew 26:28, Hebrews 9:15-17, Hebrews 10:19-20, Matthew 27:51a).
(See also Matthew 23:38 above, and the "land" section of Acts 1:6 above)
--
*Galatians 4:26 / *Gal. 4:26 -
See Hebrews 11:16 below.
--
*Galatians 4:28 / *Gal. 4:28 -
(*Isaac)
Note that Isaac being the promised seed in Romans 9:7, Galatians 4:28, and Hebrews 11:18 does not contradict that...
(See the "Tribes" section of Romans 11:17 above)
--
*Galatians 5:1 / *Gal. 5:1 -
This refers to the yoke of slavery to physical circumcision, and to all of the other works of the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law (Galatians 5:2-4, Acts 15:1,5,10).
--
*Galatians 5:2-4 / *Gal. 5:2 / *Gal. 5:4 -
See paragraph 2 of the "Circumcision" section of Ephesians 2:15 below.
--
*Galatians 5:6b / *Gal. 5:6b -
See 1 Thessalonians 1:3 below.
--
*Galatians 5:13c / *Gal. 5:13c -
(Re: *Serving others)
Christian lives need to include serving others in love (Galatians 5:13c-14, Matthew 23:11, Matthew 24:45-46, Mark 9:35).
--
*Galatians 5:18 / *Gal. 5:18 -
This includes a condition, an "if", because God's Holy Spirit does not take away Christians' free will (1 Thessalonians 5:19). They can still wrongly employ their free will to commit sin without repentance, to the ultimate loss of their salvation (Hebrews 10:26-29; 1 Corinthians 9:27, Matthew 7:22-23).
--
*Galatians 5:19-21 / *Gal. 5:19 -
See 1 Corinthians 6:9 above.
--
*Galatians 5:20 / *Gal. 5:20 -
The original Greek word (eris: G2054) translated as "variance" can mean "strife" (Romans 13:13).
The Greek word (zelos: G2205) translated as "emulations" can mean "envyings" (2 Corinthians 12:20).
The Greek word (dichostasia: G1370) translated as "seditions" can mean "divisions" (1 Corinthians 3:3).
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*Galatians 5:22-23 / *Gal. 5:22 -
This is not contradicting that Christians can wrongly employ their free will to quench God's Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19) within them, and indulge in fleshly pursuits (Galatians 5:17-21,26), without repentance, to the ultimate loss of their salvation (Galatians 5:19-21, Luke 12:45-46; 2 Peter 2:20-22, Romans 8:13; 1 John 5:16, James 5:19-20).
Also, the fruits in Galatians 5:22-23 are the fruits of Christians themselves (Luke 6:44, Luke 8:15, John 15:8, Matthew 7:19, Philippians 4:17), but only so long as they choose to walk in God's Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:25-26), and abide in Jesus Christ (John 15:4-6), instead of wrongly employing their free will to quench God's Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19), and not abide in Jesus (John 15:6), and not bear good fruit (John 15:2a), such as by wrongly employing their free will to become utterly lazy without repentance, to the ultimate loss of their salvation (Matthew 25:26,30, John 15:2a,6).
~
(*Fruit of the Spirit)
(Re: Do non-Christians have a roughly equal amount of this fruit on display in their lives as Christians?)
No, for no non-Christian can display the fruit of the Spirit. For the Spirit in Galatians 5:22 and Ephesians 5:9 is the Holy Spirit of God (Galatians 4:6, Ephesians 1:13) as He is given only to Christians in some measure (John 7:38-39).
No non-Christian can display the love which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, for this love (Galatians 5:22) entails obedience to all of the commands of Jesus Christ (1 John 5:2-3, John 14:21-24), including the command to become a Christian (John 14:1).
And no non-Christian can display the joy and peace which are the fruit of the Holy Spirit, for this joy and peace (Galatians 5:22) comes only to Christians (Romans 15:13, Romans 14:17).
And no non-Christian can display the faith which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, for this faith (Galatians 5:22) is faith in Jesus Christ (Jude 1:20-21) and His Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
And no non-Christian can display the goodness and righteousness which are the fruit of the Holy Spirit, for this goodness and righteousness (Ephesians 5:9) come only through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22) and His suffering and dying on the Cross for our sins (Romans 3:25) and His rising physically from the dead on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:1-4,17).
And no non-Christian can display the truth which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, for this truth (Ephesians 5:9) is Jesus Christ Himself (John 14:6), and His Word the Holy Bible (2 Timothy 3:16 to 4:4; 2 Peter 1:21), which can only be comprehended by Christians, who have received the Holy Spirit in some measure (1 Corinthians 2:11-16).
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(Re: What about the spirit of good humanity in general?) / (*Humanism)
There is no spirit of good humanity in general. For the only spirit of humanity in general is the Satanic spirit of disobedience to God (Ephesians 2:2). Only those humans who believe in Jesus Christ and His Gospel will be saved from God's wrath (John 3:16,36, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Those humans who never believe in Jesus and His Gospel are the human children of Satan (John 8:42-47, Matthew 13:38-42). They will suffer forever in the lake of fire and brimstone with Satan and his fallen angels (Matthew 25:41,46, Revelation 20:10,15, Revelation 14:10-11).
The key difference between humanism and God's Word the Bible is that humanism thinks that humans on their own can be good, while God's Word shows that all humans, except Jesus Christ, are horribly corrupt to their very core (Romans 3:9-12, Jeremiah 17:9, John 2:24-25). So there is no such thing as human goodness in general. God alone is good (Luke 18:19). So the only chance that humans have of becoming good is to partake of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), which is received through the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit as He is given only to Christians in some measure (John 7:38-39).
Humanism is a Satanic invention. For it is Satan who deceives humans into ignoring the things of God and thinking about everything only from a human perspective (cf. Mark 8:33). Humans, in their Satanic pride (cf. 1 Timothy 3:6), so easily forget how utterly infinitesimal they are, that even all humans together are worth "less than nothing" compared with God (Isaiah 40:17, Isaiah 2:22). (Even from a spaceship orbiting close to earth, humanity is so small that it cannot even be seen.) Also, humans easily forget how short their lives are (James 4:14, Psalms 39:5), and that they cannot keep alive their own souls (Psalms 22:29b). For they only continue to exist as God keeps them in existence (Acts 17:28, Colossians 1:17). They so easily forget that they did not create themselves, but were created by God (Psalms 100:3), so that God has every right to do with them whatever He wants (Romans 9:21-24). It is only by rejecting their Satanic pride, and humbling themselves before God, that humans can ever be saved from hell (James 4:7-10, Matthew 18:3-4).
(See 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 above)
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*Galatians 6:15 / *Gal. 6:15 -
(Re: New creature = New Earth?)
No, see section 4 of 2 Corinthians 5:17 above.
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*Galatians 6:16 / *Gal. 6:16 -
Here, "the Israel of God" refers to the Church.
(See the "Tribes" section of Romans 11:17 above. Also, see Romans 9:3-8 above)
~
(Re: Is the Church "as many as walk according to this rule", who are referred to separately from "the Israel of God"?)
No, for those phrases refer to the same people. For in Galatians 6:16 the original Greek word (kai: G2532) translated as "and" in the phrase: "and upon the Israel of God", can mean "even", like it is translated more than 100 times in the New Testament, such as in 2 Corinthians 1:3, in the phrase: "God, even [kai] the Father". So Galatians 6:16 means: "even upon the Israel of God". That is, "as many as walk according to this rule" are "the Israel of God".
(See the "Tribes" section of Romans 11:17 above)
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*Ephesians 1:4 / *Eph. 1:4 -
Elect individuals were elected (chosen) by God before they were born (Romans 9:11-13), and even before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:13). But their election assures only that they will be given initially-saving faith in Jesus Christ, and repentance from their sins, at some point during their lifetime (Acts 13:48b; 2 Timothy 2:25). Their election gives no assurance of their ultimate salvation, for their election, like their subsequent initial salvation, does not take away their free will. After the elect become Christians, they can still wrongly employ their free will, even to the point of ultimately losing their salvation (Hebrews 10:26-29, Hebrews 6:4-8, Matthew 25:26,30).
(See the "NOSAS" section of Hebrews 3:6 below)
~
(Re: Pre-existence?)
Ephesians 1:4-5 does not mean that elect individuals pre-existed, either in heaven, or on a prior earth, but means that God's election (choosing) of them occurred before they ever existed.
In Ephesians 1:4 the original Greek word (cosmos: G2889) translated as "world" does not mean, and is never translated in the KJV, as "age". For the principle of Ephesians 1:4 would apply to before God ever created anything, whether spiritual or physical.
(See also John 8:23 above)
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*Ephesians 1:5 / *Eph. 1:5 -
(Re: Does *adoption mean once-saved-always-saved, so that Christians are not unadopted, and readopted, every time that they sin and repent?)
Elect people are initially adopted based not on how they behave, but on predestination (Ephesians 1:5). But elect people will be ultimately adopted (Romans 8:23-25), or ultimately disowned (Luke 12:45-46), based on how they behave subsequent to their initial salvation (Romans 2:6-8), their becoming Christians. Regarding unadoption and readoption every time that Christians sin and repent, no reference has been made to that. For it is only if Christians continue in a sin without repentance until death (1 John 5:16b), or until Jesus Christ's future, Second Coming (Luke 12:45-46), that they will ultimately lose their salvation due to unrepentant sin (Hebrews 10:26-29; 1 Corinthians 9:27, Galatians 5:19-21).
Also, even with human adoption, it does not require permanence. For example, not long ago, an American woman sent back to Russia a boy whom she had adopted. She sent him back because he was insane, and out of control, having been raised without sufficient human contact in a Russian orphanage. She pinned a note on his shirt and placed him on a plane which went back to Russia. (Putin was so enraged by this, because it was so embarrassing to Russia, that he cancelled all further U.S. adoptions from Russia.)
(Hopefully, since then, he has doubled or tripled the number of staff at every Russian orphanage, so that every precious Russian orphan might be assured of receiving sufficient human contact daily, and so might be assured of developing a normal mental health.)
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*Ephesians 1:10 / *Eph. 1:10 -
(Re: An age of grace?)
See section 2 of Ephesians 1:21 below.
~
(Re: Universal salvation?)
Ephesians 1:10 refers only to the ultimate gathering together of all things which are "in Christ", not to things which are not in Christ (Matthew 25:41,46).
Ephesians 1:10 means that the Church consists of one body (Ephesians 4:4-6), which includes both those Christians who have died and are in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:8), and those Christians who are still alive on the earth.
And at Jesus Christ's future, Second Coming, He will physically gather together into one place all Christians (of all times) in heaven and on earth (Mark 13:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:1).
(See also 1 Thessalonians 3:13 below)
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*Ephesians 1:13-14 / *Eph. 1:13 / *Eph. 1:14 -
Ephesians 1:13 can refer to Holy Spirit baptism (Acts 11:16), which usually occurs sometime after coming into faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 19:2a,6), whereas some lesser measure of the Spirit must be received by anyone before he can become a Christian (1 Corinthians 2:11-16).
(See paragraphs 2-3, and also section 2, of Mark 16:16 above)
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(*Sealed / *Earnest)
Ephesians 1:13-14, like Ephesians 4:30, 2 Corinthians 1:22, and 2 Corinthians 5:5, means that the measure of God's Holy Spirit which Christians have received now is like a down payment until their future redemption into physical immortality at Jesus Christ's Second Coming (Romans 8:23-25, Philippians 3:20-21, Luke 24:39; 1 Corinthians 15:21-23,51-53). But this future redemption is not assured for every Christian, just as a down payment on a house does not always assure that the future purchase-in-full will take place, instead of it being cancelled for some reason, such as the sellers willfully ruining the house after receiving the down payment and before the purchase-in-full has taken place. For the Holy Spirit does not take away Christians' free will. So if they wrongly employ their free will to quench the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19), and to do something like committing apostasy, or engaging in some sin without repentance, or becoming utterly lazy without repentance, then they will ultimately lose their salvation (Hebrews 6:4-8, Hebrews 10:26-29, Matthew 25:26,30; 1 Corinthians 9:27).
(See also Ephesians 4:30 below, and Psalms 139:7 above)
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(Inheritance)
See 1 Peter 1:4 below.
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*Ephesians 1:18-22 / *Eph. 1:18 -
This does not mean that the Millennium is now.
(See the "Millennium" sections of Revelation 20:4 below)
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*Ephesians 1:21 / *Eph. 1:21 -
(Re: Jesus already reigning)
See Colossians 1:16 below.
~
(Re: An *age of grace?)
Regarding the present age (world) ending, note that nothing in verses like Ephesians 1:21b, Ephesians 1:10, Ephesians 3:2, Colossians 1:25, Titus 2:12b, and Hebrews 6:5 says or requires that only the present age is an age of grace, or a Church age, or that the age to come will not also be an age of grace, or a Church age.
Also, the present age can include the future Tribulation (of Revelation chapters 6 to 18 and Matthew 24) and the subsequent Millennium (of Revelation 20), with the age to come being the subsequent time of the New Earth (Revelation 21), as in a new surface for the earth. For the end of the present age, when all non-Christians will be cast into the lake of fire (Matthew 13:40, Revelation 20:15), will not occur until sometime after the future Millennium (Revelation 20:7-15).
(See also Matthew 24:3(space) above, and the "Church age?" section of Ephesians 3:21 below)
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*Ephesians 1:22 / *Eph. 1:22 -
Here the original Greek can be read as meaning that all things will have been figuratively put under Jesus' Christ's feet (that is, under His physical rule) by the time of the age to come in Ephesians 1:21c, which refers to the New Earth, as in a new surface for the earth. For Ephesians 1:22a, like 1 Corinthians 15:27a, is simply a quotation from Psalms 8:6b, which was written in the past tense some 1,000 years before Jesus' first coming. None of these verses means that God the Father has already put all things under Jesus' physical rule, as He will do over the future time from Revelation 19:11 to Revelation 20:15. For "now we see not yet all things put under him" (Hebrews 2:8c). And the apostle Paul elsewhere refers to the future time "when all things shall be subdued unto him" (1 Corinthians 15:28), in the sense of physically subdued.
(See also Matthew 28:18 above)
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*Ephesians 2:1 / *Eph. 2:1 -
Being figuratively dead in sins (Ephesians 2:1) is the condition of people who are in a state of unrepentant, unforgiven sins, and so are under God's wrath (Ephesians 2:3), so that if they die while in that condition, their souls will go to hell (Luke 16:22b-23).
(See also the "Soul Sleep?" section of 1 Corinthians 15:51 above)
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*Ephesians 2:2 / *Eph. 2:2 -
Here, "air" refers to the earth's atmosphere.
(See also the "High places" section of Ephesians 6:12 below)
~
(This world)
See Romans 12:2 above.
~
(Re: Is Satan in heaven?)
Satan is currently walking around on the earth seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8), although he still has access to heaven (Job 1:6-7, Job 2:1-2). And he will not lose that access until he and his fallen angels lose a future, mid-tribulation war in heaven (Revelation 12:7-17).
(See the "defeated force" paragraph of the "Details" section of Revelation chapters 6 to 22 (Overview) below)
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*Ephesians 2:4-5 / *Eph. 2:4 -
God loving elect people enough to initially save them from hell even while they were figuratively dead in sins (Ephesians 2:4-5) does not require once-saved-always-saved.
(See Jude 1:21 below)
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*Ephesians 2:6 / *Eph. 2:6 -
This and Hebrews 12:22 can refer figuratively to Christians' present salvation under the New Covenant (Galatians 4:24-26, Hebrews 12:22,24).
~
(Re: Means that the Millennium is a present reality?)
What is a present, figurative reality is the Church reigning spiritually with Jesus Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6, Revelation 1:6). What is not a present reality, but will be a future reality, is the Church being physically resurrected (2 Timothy 2:18, Romans 8:23-25, Philippians 3:21) at Jesus' Second Coming (1 Corinthians 15:21-23,51-54; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-16, Revelation 19:7 to 20:6), and then reigning physically with Jesus (Luke 22:30, Matthew 19:28; 2 Timothy 2:12) on the earth (Revelation 5:10, Revelation 2:26-29) for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4-6).
(See also the "Millennium" sections of Revelation 20:4 below)
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*Ephesians 2:8-9 / *Eph. 2:8 -
(*Grace)
Initial salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ without any works at all on our part (Romans 4:1-5, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5; 2 Timothy 1:9). But other passages show that...
(See Romans 2:6 above)
~
(Re: A *contract analogy) / (Being *born again)
Initial salvation, being born again (John 3:3,7; 1 Peter 1:23-25; 1 Peter 2:2), is both present salvation and a contract for ultimate salvation, just as the birth of an infant is both present life and a contract for life as an adult. Just as children can know that they are actually alive, so initially saved people (that is, Christians) can know that they are actually saved (1 John 5:13; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). And just as an infant cannot "give back" his being born, or become unborn, so a born-again person cannot become un-born-again, or "give back" his being born again, his being initially saved. But just as there is no assurance that children will reach adulthood, so there is no assurance that initially saved people will obtain ultimate salvation. For just as there are conditions placed on children, like not running into traffic, and not drinking the Drano under the sink, if they are to reach adulthood, so there are conditions placed on the born-again, the initially saved, if they are to obtain ultimate salvation (Romans 2:6-8, Hebrews 3:6,14; 1 Corinthians 9:27).
(See the "NOSAS" section of Hebrews 3:6 below)
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(Re: Is the New Covenant different from the Old in that it is not a contract, but a loving relationship?)
Note that these are not mutually exclusive, just as a marriage can be a contract in addition to a loving relationship.
With regard to the New Covenant, the original Greek word (diatheke: G1242) translated as New "Covenant" in Hebrews 8:8, for example, means "a contract" (Strong's Greek Dictionary).
~
(Re: Would losing one's salvation mean that one had not really been born again?)
No, the fact that a born-again person, a Christian, can subsequently lose his salvation (Hebrews 10:26-29, Hebrews 6:4-8, Matthew 25:26,30) does not mean that he had not really been born again/saved, just as the fact that a newborn infant can lose his life during his subsequent childhood does not mean that he had not really been born.
(See also the "perseverance" section of Philippians 2:13 below)
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