Tuesday, September 6, 2011

2 Timothy 2:13


Copyright Ó 2011 J. Neely
2 Timothy 2:13

13 If [ei] we believe not, [apisteo] yet he [ekeinos] abideth [meno] faithful: [pistos] he cannot [ou] [dunamai] deny [arneomai] himself. [heautou] KJV-Interlinear

13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.  NASB

One additional note for the verse 12 study.  Remember that in eternity everyone has a resurrection body.  There is one nation, one family, one ruler (namely Christ).

Life in the eternal state will not be as it is in this current world.

We will share rulership in the Millennium, but the Millennium will be a continuation of this world even if for only 1000 years. And during the Millennium there will be people moving about around the world, there will be dissentions and disagreements, and problems that will require judges and rulers of sorts, to settle disputes.

But in the eternal state, well, we do not know exactly what kind of geography will exist on this earth, if indeed there are planets, or if the whole universe will be one huge continent or series of continents and oceans and whatever.

Remember that when the Millennium begins, all mountains and hills will crumble away, leaving the only high point for Jerusalem.  But when John was observing the new Jerusalem descending out of heaven in the new universe, he was observing it from a high mountain, and that city was or will be 1500 miles high.  A far greater height than even our current satellites orbit now (at about 200 miles altitude).

So, rulership in the new universe is not in view in the last verse (it may be applied for the Millennium), but what was in view from the last verse is the difference in the blessings that will be available to mature believers, versus negative believers.

Hope that clarifies some questions that were raised.

And now for the faithfulness of God vs. the faithlessness of man.

In chapter three, Paul will describe negative believers in these terms,
"lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power"

In Titus, he describes negative believers as those professing to know God but deny Him by their deeds.

Everyone can have a spiritual hiccup from time to time, but when the pattern of ones life continues and continues, day after day, year after year, then that pattern pretty much summarizes and identifies their life.   And then God deals with them accordingly.

Even though there are those who stumble from time to time, God remains faithful.

Even though there are those who stray permanently off the path of the spiritual life, God still remains faithful.

But God remains faithful to truth, not to your haphazard moods or compromises or convenient arguments that you use to convince yourself.

God does not make exceptions.  If you have never believed in Christ, then you will go to the Lake of Fire, even though your personality is a wonderful one.  The terms of salvation do not change, believe in Christ and then you will be saved.

Likewise, if you are a wonderful person but refuse to advance in the spiritual life as God defines advancement, then you will not grow, and you will not receive any reward.

Do not try to convince yourself that your ideas of being nice, are enough for God to make an exception for you.  He will not.  God is faithful to His policy, not your whims.

It is on the basis of Gods faithfulness that we have security in our salvation, that we have an opportunity to advance in our spiritual life, that we have the opportunity to achieve completeness of our life, that we will receive a phenomenal reward in eternity due to our obedience to His mandates.

Gods faithfulness means the certainty of failure and loss for those who do not comply with His rules.

Gods faithfulness means the certainty of Gods blessings for those who obey the mandates presented in the scriptures.

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