The best way to test premises is with what we call in computer parlance, live data. In this way we will see whose view is correct.
Let's take a Scripture passage :
Deuteronomy 5:21
21'You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field or his male servant or his female servant, his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.'
Let's assume Paul's thorn in the flesh was coveting his neighbor's donkey.
When he saw that burro, he immediately desired it. He imagined how it would be to have it in his stable, how proud he would be when he paraded his trophy donkey in front of the world, it was a very attractive donkey to be sure, and had won several what are donkey equivalents of beauty contests, donkey show prizes. It was hard to blame Paul for coveting this particular donkey. But deep in his heart Paul knew it was wrong to covet another person's donkey.
He prayed once to the Lord to remove this temptation from his mind and the Holy Spirit was given because Jesus said that when our earthly fathers never withheld good things from us, there was no way our Heavenly Father would deprive us of the Holy Spirit. Nowhere in Scripture does it say that when the Spirit is given we glow. What IS written is that the giving of the Holy Spirit results in leading into truth. . The Holy Spirit tells Paul that coveting is idolatry. Idolatry is orientating your life to serving self, even making images to worship , even though idols are nothing. You are so focused on getting what you desire you will even stoop to superstition. The Spirit reveals that desires are natural, it is what drives creatures to live and grow. These desires are nothing to be ashamed of. They are like horses which are powerful and fast. Desires are only sin when they are not under control. Just as the horse is useful only when it is under control. So Paul's desire is good if he can use it to a productive end. If he cannot acquire the donkey, if it cannot be bought, he must see what he can do with that desire. The Spirit also tells us that we have a body, we are not A BODY. When the body has desires even though we wish it does not have those desires, we can conclude it is not we who sin, it is the fleshly body that sins.
This informative function of the Holy Spirit helps Paul in dealing with undesirable impulses.
Paul again prays for help in getting rid of this impulse. THE Holy Spirit teaches Paul that God CAN take away the impulse, but has allowed it to remain to keep him from becoming proud. That's such an interesting thought. By becoming free from all impure thoughts (remember, Jesus said that even to think impure thoughts was sin) Paul would become proud. Of what? Of his performance! All his praying was so good, he had a perfect success rate! God didn't want that to happen, for Paul to be proud of his praying.
However there was another problem. Weren't believer supposed to put to death all the deeds of the body, live according to the spirit and not according to the flesh.? How could he continue to harbour impure thoughts and not pray for them to be taken away?
The solution to this is to know what Paul was writing about. If you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Here the Spirit has revealed to Paul that living is a not the after life. Eternal life is a TYPE of life.
When you put to death the deeds of the body you will be in union with God. Eternal life is to know God, the way Joseph knew Mary. That is why Jesus prayed that the disciple would have unity with the Father, the way He had unity with the Father. Why is it important to have unity with the Father. So that believers could be a blessing to the world, the promise given to Abraham, just as Adam could bless the world because he had been walking with God, before the Fall.
http://www.egrc.net/images/WFTR/Puzzling Passages/chayei_olam.gif
This is Eternal Life
by Lois Tverberg
"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." John 17:2
[The theme of this new Water from the Rock series is "Hebraic Insights on Puzzling Passages". We will look at some phrases and stories from the Bible that make us scratch our heads, and then shed new light on them using insights from culture and language.]
When we read the line above from Jesus, it makes us stop and pause. It seems odd that Jesus would define eternal life as knowing him and his Father. Isn't eternal life living forever after we die?
An interesting insight comes from how the term "eternal life", hayei olam (Hi-YAY Oh-LAHM) can be understood in a Jewish context.1 While it sometimes has our traditional understanding of life after death, hayei olam sometimes used in a different way, when it was contrasted with "hayei sha'a" (fleeting life). Hayei sha'a, fleeting life, is living a life that is only concerned about the short term needs of today - working, making money, eating, etc. Hayei olam, "lasting life" or "a life of eternity" refers to living a life focused on matters of eternal importance.
Traditionally, Jewish people have considered the study of the Bible truly living out one's "eternal life." A story is told about a rabbi who spent years in study of the Scriptures, and then walked past farmers tilling their land. He remarked, "they have abandoned lasting life and involve themselves instead with fleeting life."2
How can we be in unity with the Father if we have a thorn in the flesh, impurity in our life? Isn't it true that only the pure can see God? How can we be blessings to the world if we AREN'T in unity with God?
The Holy Spirit told Paul that God's grace was sufficient, being in God's favour, His good books, was sufficient. How can we be in God's good books? By believing in His Son, being loyal to Him. Drinking from the Rock. Agreeing it was living water. Unlike Israel, which rejected the teaching that man did not live on bread alone, but by every command that came forth from the mouth of the Lord. Unlike Abraham, unlike Joshua, unlike Christ.
Paul understood this as accepting all God's plans, instructions, commands. THIS WAS SUFFICIENT TO BE IN GOD'S GOOD BOOKS WHICH WAS SUFFICIENT TO BE A BLESSING TO THE WORLD.
When we are loyal to Christ, are one with Him, have His commands in us, His blood hides our sins from view. A good idea would be to learn what kaporeth and hilasterion mean. Covering not imputation.
The next post will deal with asking for terms of peace, which is also taught as sufficient.
Acts 5:4
4“While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”