Thursday, October 31, 2013

Galatians 4:15

Copyright Ó 2013 J. Neely
Galatians 4:15

15 Where [tis] is [en] then [oun] the blessedness [makarismos] ye [humon] spake of? for [gar] I bear [martureo] you [humin] record [martureo], that [hoti], if [ei] it had been possible [dunatos], ye would have plucked out [exorusso] your [humon] own eyes [ophthalmos], and have given them [an] [didomi] to me [moi]. KJV-Interlinear

15 Where then is that sense of blessing you had? For I bear you witness, that if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me.  NASB

When Paul first came to the Galatians to teach them the gospel and Bible doctrine in general, they were like dry sponges absorbing the water of the word of God with an unquenchable thirst.

And Paul continues reminding them of that previous visit went he was so ill that his very appearance was repulsive, such that anyone in their right mind wouldn’t have anything to do with him.

But they had heard the teaching of the word of God almost as though they had heard it for the first time in a clear and perspicuous manner, that it made a tremendous impression on them.

So much so that they looked past the repulsiveness of Paul’s illness, and concentrated on his message of the gospel.

And as Paul states here, he is bearing witness to what they themselves said at the time of his previous visit, that the impact of his message was so tremendous and had made such an impact and impression on their lives that they would have given anything, even their own eyes, to continue and possess the message and the blessings that they were deriving from it.

Each one of us is a living soul. The real person that we are is an immaterial entity. And the substance of what you are, is what you think.

The material aspect of you, your physical body, is just your souls link to this physical world. The soul runs through the conduit of your brain, which is the conduit to the rest of the functions of your body.

Some of us have good conduit connections between the soul and the brain and so phenomenal abilities and talents exist.  Most of us have so-so connections which gives us average talents and such, within our physical existence.

When God created you, you were an empty person, an empty sponge, ready to absorb and take in all of life. And from the moment of your birth, that is exactly what you do, that is exactly what we all do, we take in everything around us, we learn from everything around us, and our soul fills up with information and experience and knowledge and understanding.

But there are two kinds of information that are absorbed into the soul.

There is the real information that is absorbed into the soul by means of the spiritual mechanism for learning and growing, which puts everything in proper perspective so that you can discern and understand and orient to life in the proper way.

Then there is the information presented by this world, complete with all of its opinions and interpretations and directions that have a tendency to steer you in the wrong direction. And this sort of information, which is a false pattern of information, places an emptiness in the soul.

And so when the soul hears truth, then it typically takes it in as though it has been starving for truth. And this is where the Galatians were when Paul came to them in his prior visit.

They had a lot of false information, worldly information around them, but that was not enough, and then they heard the word of truth from Paul, and even though Paul’s physical condition was atrocious at the time, they looked past that because the power and impact of the message that he brought to them was so overwhelming and so desired that they just could not get enough of it.

When people are positive towards the word of God, and they really want to learn, then their hunger and thirst for what is contained in the scriptures, is almost insatiable. The positive person simply cannot get enough, and they cannot wait to get more.

But there are those who do not thirst for the truth, because the views of this world are convenient and compatible with the way they want to see life, and they are not willing to give up their worldly status even for the truth.


Daily Bible Study Links – Thurs. 10-31-2013

Daily Bible Study Links – Thurs. 10-31-2013
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Thursday – Daily Bible Study – Galatians 4:15  – What is the truth worth
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Study rotation of the last seven days:
Sunday – Daily Bible Study – Psalm 26:12  – What is level, what is not
Monday – Daily Bible Study – Isaiah 14:10  - What is the sarcasm; why natural threats, and full ot eject Christ despite His tremendously resourseful and successful reign
Tuesday – Daily Bible Study – Isaiah 14:11  – Which is better
Wednesday – Daily Bible Study – Isaiah 14:12  – Who is Lucifer
Thursday – Daily Bible Study – Galatians 4:13  – What is your best excuse
Friday – Daily Bible Study – Galatians 4:14 – What was the test
Saturday – Daily Bible Study – Psalm 26:11  – What are the two patterns of life



Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Isaiah 14:12

Copyright Ó 2013 J. Neely
Isaiah 14:12ues

12 How art thou fallen [naphal] from heaven [shamayim], O Lucifer [heylel], son [ben] of the morning [shachar] [yalal]! how art thou cut down [gada`] to the ground ['erets], which didst weaken [chalash] the nations [gowy]!KJV-Interlinear

12 "How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!  NASB

The context of this chapter is Babylon.

Beginning with Babel, a high tower whose objective was to reach the heights and equality, bringing man to an equal level with God, proving man’s ability and ingenuity as equal to or better than that of God.

Then we had the city of Babylon. The city that withstood through the ages, accumulating wealth and beauty and design and saw itself as being self-directed and the best of the best in all that was in the world.

Then came the empire. Amassing vast chunks of real estate stretching from North Africa to India, and presuming that it occupied and was ruler of the entire world. Which of course we know is not true, as there is far greater territory that exists beyond its borders. But from Babylon’s point of view, it ruled everything.

Babylon today does not exist. It fell from the heights of its existence a long time ago.

And in our context, the occupants of Babylon, its rulers, it’s celebrities, it’s elite, who presumed greatness among and within themselves, are likewise gone, their destination being the land of the dead in the underworld called Hades.

Our context is also one which occurs in the last days of man’s rule of the world. The Old Testament refers on numerous occasions to the end times or the final days of history wherein the evil of the world destroys the world, and God rescues his people just in time, and begins his kingdom here on earth.

Now we have a little bit of background behind Babylon. Was it its own origin? Did it cause itself?

And the answer of course is no.

Something or someone fell from heaven, and it was not the tower nor the city nor the empire.

Babylon, represents an attitude and a system of belief that totally rejects God. And here is named the source of that attitude and belief system that originally rejected God, and eventually resulted in this symbolism that is called Babylon.

The word for Lucifer, ‘heylel,’ is a reference to a morning star, or a day star, in the sense of its brightness. It means to shine, to make a show, to boast, and therefore to be foolish, to celebrate by means of raving.

Back in ancient times, the Babylonian kings were often times compared to a morning star, which was Venus. But this reference to a morning star is singular, and though it refers to a king, it has nothing to do with any of the earthly Babylonian kings. None of them were ever in, nor originated from, heaven, subsequently none of them could have fallen from heaven.

Lucifer is called a day star, or morning star, who is the son of the morning. The word for morning here refers to dawn, early light, and is a reference to the beginning, or a beginning.

To be cut down, as in the chopping down a tree, and in this case a great tree, refers to the fall or the destruction of that tree. Babel fell, Babylon, both city and empire, fell, and likewise the one for whom all of this describes, himself fell. And when one falls from heaven, that falling is a reference to a disgrace, then that fall is from grace, namely from God’s grace.

The ground is in contrast to heaven, and therefore refers to planet earth, or to a lower position as far as status is concerned, and range of ability or activity.

To weaken means to prostrate, to overthrow, to decay, to waste away.

The nations, is a reference to a foreign nation, a heathen nation, a people. It also refers to a troop of animals or a flight of locusts. Nations, also refers to the back of people as in the burdens placed on them.  And all of these things refer to godlessness and the burdens that accompany that state.

In the next verse we will see that Lucifer is capable of thought and therefore is a person who was thoroughly familiar with God, such that he wanted to replace God.

Only one individual has existed continually throughout history with the objective of being equal to or better than God, who has deceived the nations of the world, beginning with Adam and Eve, and continuing through the various empire building attempts, and will continue to exist as an individual until the final times of human history. And that person of course is Satan or the devil himself.

In the book of Revelation, Jesus Christ is called the bright morning star within the context of promise and life and all that is good.

Here we have individual, since the early dawn of time, who did not create himself but was the son of, therefore, created by someone else. And of course we know Jesus Christ creates all life, therefore Jesus Christ created Lucifer, who at the time was a bright star in his early beginnings, but he fell from grace, which was of his own doing and arrogance.

All of the descriptive phrases relating to Babylon came from the origin of Satan who was caught up in his own pomp and beauty, and of course lost track and lost sight of the realities that were present around him.

At some point in eternity past, God created the angelic realm. The Bible tells us that they were a happy and contented lot. Then God had a second creation, which was the universe. And all of these angels including Lucifer, were witness to and saw that creation before their very eyes.

Then somewhere along the line, Lucifer lost track of everything, and decided that he was or could be, as good as or better than God.

Lucifer was created. He did not cause his own existence. Lucifer saw the universe come into being. He did not create the universe. And as far as we know, by then Lucifer hadn’t created or done anything himself, which makes him delusional with respect to his own ability.

And in other studies we already know that he was tried in a court of law, as it existed in heaven way back then, and was found guilty, and instead of repenting as did two thirds of all of the angels, he has held fast to his stubborn attitude throughout all of these ages.

One might think that he is a fool of fools for being so stubborn in the face of overwhelming proofs of God’s grace and superiority. But then, people have in front of their eyes throughout their lives, overwhelming proofs of God, and Christ, through doctrine, and yet people stubbornly reject the truth.


Daily Bible Study Links – Wed. 10-30-2013

Daily Bible Study Links – Wed. 10-30-2013
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Wednesday – Daily Bible Study – Isaiah 14:12  – Who is Lucifer
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Two Year Bible Reading Plan:  http://www.dailybiblestudy.org/biblestudy/two_year 
Blog and Feed Subscription Links:  http://www.neelyranch.com/contactus.html

Study rotation of the last seven days:
Sunday – Daily Bible Study – Psalm 26:12  – What is level, what is not
Monday – Daily Bible Study – Isaiah 14:10  - What is the sarcasm; why natural threats, and full ot eject Christ despite His tremendously resourseful and successful reign
Tuesday – Daily Bible Study – Isaiah 14:11  – Which is better
Wednesday – Daily Bible Study – Isaiah 14:9  – Describe the underworld
Thursday – Daily Bible Study – Galatians 4:13  – What is your best excuse
Friday – Daily Bible Study – Galatians 4:14 – What was the test
Saturday – Daily Bible Study – Psalm 26:11  – What are the two patterns of life



Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Isaiah 14:11

Copyright Ó 2013 J. Neely
Isaiah 14:11ues
11 Thy pomp [ga'own] is brought down [yarad] to the grave [sha'owl], and the noise [hemyah] of thy viols [nebel]: the worm [rimmah] is spread [yatsa`] under thee, and the worms [towla`] cover [makacceh] thee.  KJV-Interlinear

11 'Your pomp and the music of your harps Have been brought down to Sheol; Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you, And worms are your covering.'  NASB

Pomp, ‘gaown,’ means arrogance, majesty, pride, swelling, excellency, and all of this refers to the cavalier, carefree, ego driven attitude of those who exclude God from their life.

Noise of the viols, ‘nebel,’ is a general reference to a musical instrument, and refers to the life of plenty, of prosperity, of social activities, and it also refers to the carefree life which ignores responsibility to the truth of life, focusing one’s attention on self.

Sheol is a reference to the grave and death in the ground.

The reference to worms here, likewise refers to death and the deterioration and corruption of the body from the activity of innumerable numbers of maggots.

There is a correlation between death and the ground, and life without God. Both result in corruption and the decaying results of a maggot infested dead body.

Life without God is nothing more than the filler of the walking dead. Death without God carries a more vivid view of the realities of that corruption that is there in life but cannot be seen until death.

And of course this refers to the celebrated people in history who are unbelievers, as well as the celebrated people of history who are believers in Christ but have long sense forgotten their Christian obligations and responsibilities. And naturally this refers to everyone else that is not celebrated and exists in far more numbers in the masses of people than do the elite of the world.

Life without God, has only one result, which is an everlasting final party with maggots instead of the beautiful people of life.

Life with God has a far better result, which is an everlasting never-ending party in the midst of God’s glory and presence, and the eternity of heaven.

One wonders, which of these would be better?  Hummm!


Daily Bible Study Links – Tues. 10-29-2013

Daily Bible Study Links – Tues. 10-29-2013
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Tuesday – Daily Bible Study – Isaiah 14:11  – Which is better
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Main Daily Bible Study web site:  http://www.DailyBibleStudy.Org  
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Daily Bible Study News on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jneelyranch 
How to prepare for your daily study:  http://www.dailybiblestudy.org/how-to-prepare.html

Two Year Bible Reading Plan:  http://www.dailybiblestudy.org/biblestudy/two_year 
Blog and Feed Subscription Links:  http://www.neelyranch.com/contactus.html

Study rotation of the last seven days:
Sunday – Daily Bible Study – Psalm 26:12  – What is level, what is not
Monday – Daily Bible Study – Isaiah 14:10  - What is the sarcasm; why natural threats, and full ot eject Christ despite His tremendously resourseful and successful reign
Tuesday – Daily Bible Study – Isaiah 14:8  – What is the significance of the cedars of Lebanon
Wednesday – Daily Bible Study – Isaiah 14:9  – Describe the underworld
Thursday – Daily Bible Study – Galatians 4:13  – What is your best excuse
Friday – Daily Bible Study – Galatians 4:14 – What was the test
Saturday – Daily Bible Study – Psalm 26:11  – What are the two patterns of life



Monday, October 28, 2013

Isaiah 14:10

Copyright Ó 2013 J. Neely
Isaiah 14:10ues
10 All they shall speak [`anah] and say ['amar] unto thee, Art thou also become weak [chalah] as we? art thou become like [mashal] unto us?  KJV-Interlinear

10 "They will all respond and say to you, 'Even you have been made weak as we, You have become like us.  NASB

The Bible portrays Babylon as the greatest of the great. King Nebuchadnezzar, when he had his dream that Daniel translated, in which there was a head of gold, portrayed the empire as the greatest of the empires, while the remaining empires portrayed in the dream were shown as empires of less greatness, deteriorating down through the ages until the last and final empire which will be the empire of the antichrist during the tribulation, which will be the worst and most corrupt of all of the empires throughout all of history.

Babylon, being the greatest of the great, fell from its greatness rather rapidly.

Kings and great warriors and celebrities of all sorts throughout history, likewise also fall from their greatness sooner or later, because time and death creeps up on them as it does everyone.

Those that have believed in the Savior, of course go to heaven. And back in Isaiah’s day their destination was Paradise, the compartment in the underworld reserved for believers during the time in history prior to the cross.

However, those that did not believe in the Savior but instead rejected him, were bound for Torments, which is the compartment in the underworld called Hades, that is reserved for human unbelievers.

Kings and leaders and celebrities and great people of all kinds throughout the ages, who rejected the Savior, who is Jesus Christ, every one of them have ended up in Torments.

And now at the end of history, which is the timeframe for our verse in this study, when all of the great ones from that last and final empire are destroyed, their destination will be Torments as well.

While alive in this world, the unbelievers who perceive themselves as great or elite or celebrated by the world, and they pursue the pomp and parties and luxuries of life. They never see the end of themselves or of their way of life, but pursue life with great arrogance and ego and a sense of superiority which they believe is at the hands of their own making.

But when life ends for them as it does everyone, and they are headed towards the land of the dead, then we have this phrase here written by Isaiah, that points out the great sarcasm and mocking from the source of their destination, which is Torments, which is a far cry from the elite life and luxury and heights which they enjoyed in life, and presume they would have forever.

And so the fall from greatness comes swiftly. When the heartbeat stops, when there is no more pulse, when the soul leaves the body, then there is a sudden shock in the realization that a person has absolutely no control over their life when it all comes to an end.

No one can prevent the end of their life, and certainly leaders and kings and celebrities do not possess that ability either.

In the comments, ‘have you become weak,’ ‘are you like us?’ Are a bit of sarcasm, not coming from the occupants in Hades, but from the source and nature of their destination, which is certainly not what they expected or presumed would be their destiny.

In a couple of more verses were going to see a correlation between the arrogance of Satan, whose former name was Lucifer, and the attitudes and the self-perception of the unbelieving elite of the world.

They both rejected God, and they both had unrealistic and false views and opinions of themselves.

While on this earth, all blessings come from God and from no other source. Some people recognize that principle and direct their lives and their gifts through their spiritual life.

Unfortunately there are many people who have phenomenal blessings and gifts, but they have the opinion that they are of their doing, and they focus all of their prosperity or wealth or good fortune or status with an elite attitude.

But the ultimate truth of life, comes at the moment of your death. It is far better to realize that truth while you are alive so you can get on track with the life that God has designed for you, rather than discovering it all too late, after you die.


Daily Bible Study Links – Mon. 10-28-2013

Daily Bible Study Links – Mon. 10-28-2013
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Monday – Daily Bible Study – Isaiah 14:10  - What is the sarcasm; why natural threats, and full ot eject Christ despite His tremendously resourseful and successful reign
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Daily Bible Study News on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jneelyranch 
How to prepare for your daily study:  http://www.dailybiblestudy.org/how-to-prepare.html

Two Year Bible Reading Plan:  http://www.dailybiblestudy.org/biblestudy/two_year 
Blog and Feed Subscription Links:  http://www.neelyranch.com/contactus.html

Study rotation of the last seven days:
Sunday – Daily Bible Study – Psalm 26:12  – What is level, what is not
Monday – Daily Bible Study – Isaiah 14:7  - How is rest attained natural threats, and full ot eject Christ despite His tremendously resourseful and successful reign
Tuesday – Daily Bible Study – Isaiah 14:8  – What is the significance of the cedars of Lebanon
Wednesday – Daily Bible Study – Isaiah 14:9  – Describe the underworld
Thursday – Daily Bible Study – Galatians 4:13  – What is your best excuse
Friday – Daily Bible Study – Galatians 4:14 – What was the test
Saturday – Daily Bible Study – Psalm 26:11  – What are the two patterns of life



Sunday, October 27, 2013

Psalm 26:12

Copyright Ó 2013 J. Neely
Psalm 26:12

12 My foot [regel] standeth [`amad] in an even place [miyshowr]: in the congregations [maqhel] will I bless [barak] the LORD [Yahovah]. KJV-Interlinear

12 My foot stands on a level place; In the congregations I shall bless the Lord.  NASB

The foot, ‘regel,’ refers to the foundation or stability of one’s life.

And in this psalm David is standing on an even place or on level ground.

The word for even place, ‘miyshower,’ refers to the straightness or evenness of a thing. And in this verse it refers to the righteousness and justice of God, and the overall content of the word of God in principle.

Congregations, refers to people in general.

In this psalm, David has indicated that he does not want to be included or associated with those people who reject God, or Christ, or Bible doctrine in general.

To associate with people who reject God and doctrine, and reject the various mandates and obligations and responsibilities of the Bible imposes on each of us, means that you subscribe to any or many of the views or opinions or philosophies or beliefs of this world.

Bible doctrine provides you with a solid level stable foundation on which to place your life, on which you can stand and walk and function in your life without being knocked over or without stumbling as you live from day-to-day.

The world will throw all kinds of curves at you, to cause you to stumble, but those are only environmental hazards of living in this world.

The real you is what you think, and what you think is in your soul, and the world cannot cause your soul to stumble so long as you have Bible doctrine functioning within your mind and thoughts.

The world provides uneven ground and many unseen landmines. And when those things exist in your soul then you are walking blind into the many traps that the world holds for you.

Bible doctrine provides you with the map of discernment that will protect your soul, which is, or should be the real focus and essence of your life.


Daily Bible Study Links – Sun. 10-27-2013

Daily Bible Study Links – Sun. 10-27-2013
Today’s Daily Bible Study:  


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Today’s Study

Standard Web Page
Sunday – Daily Bible Study – Psalm 26:12  – What is level, what is not
Mobile Web Pages

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(For your e-book reader or computer)

Important links:
Main Daily Bible Study web site:  http://www.DailyBibleStudy.Org  
Daily Bible Study Library:  http://www.dailybiblestudy.org/library.html

Daily Bible Study News on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jneelyranch 
How to prepare for your daily study:  http://www.dailybiblestudy.org/how-to-prepare.html

Two Year Bible Reading Plan:  http://www.dailybiblestudy.org/biblestudy/two_year 
Blog and Feed Subscription Links:  http://www.neelyranch.com/contactus.html

Study rotation of the last seven days:
Sunday – Daily Bible Study – Psalm 26:10  – Mischief and bribes describe what
Monday – Daily Bible Study – Isaiah 14:7  - How is rest attained natural threats, and full ot eject Christ despite His tremendously resourseful and successful reign
Tuesday – Daily Bible Study – Isaiah 14:8  – What is the significance of the cedars of Lebanon
Wednesday – Daily Bible Study – Isaiah 14:9  – Describe the underworld
Thursday – Daily Bible Study – Galatians 4:13  – What is your best excuse
Friday – Daily Bible Study – Galatians 4:14 – What was the test
Saturday – Daily Bible Study – Psalm 26:11  – What are the two patterns of life



Saturday, October 26, 2013

Psalm 26:11

Copyright Ó 2013 J. Neely
Psalm 26:11

11 But as for me, I will walk [yalak] in mine integrity [tom]: redeem [padah] me, and be merciful [chanan] unto me. KJV-Interlinear

11 But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; Redeem me, and be gracious to me.  NASB

There are two patterns of life that you can live by in this world. The first pattern of course is living by the word of God. That doesn’t mean a self-righteous snippy snooty type of attitude towards anyone else, or a holier than thou type of attitude. What it does mean, is that you are obedient to the mandates that are stated in the Bible, and you live a normal decent responsible life, with the standards from the Bible serving as your foundation for how you live in life.

And those standards apply only to believers in Christ, who are to follow the mandates of God, which begin with confession, repeated as often as is necessary in one’s daily life in order to live in the spiritual sphere, which is where your spiritual life functions. Next is to pursue a daily study of Bible doctrine, which helps you stay focused on the God side of life and not on the worldly side of life. And the daily study while in fellowship, serves as the academic environment in which you learn and understand and grow up in your spiritual life and spiritual preparation for both now and all of eternity.

The spiritual life is faith based on confidence established through wisdom which is developed from understanding that is constructed from knowledge which is learned from a daily study of the word of God.

The spiritual life is not pretense, not phony, not a self-righteous air about oneself, not looking down at the floor in superficial humility or shuffling of one’s feet, and certainly not the use of pious rhetoric so as to impress or prove to others, one spiritual status.

Impressing people or proving to people that you have some form of spiritual legitimacy, is not a part of the biblical mandates. The only person that will evaluate your spiritual life is God, and he evaluates you based on the content of your soul, not the outward display of your looks or actions.

The second pattern of life, which most people in this world follow, is simply anything and everything that excludes the spiritual life.

The second pattern of life is the worldly pattern. All unbelievers live by this pattern of life. All believers who are not obedient to the mandates described in the Bible, live this worldly pattern. And any pattern of life that excludes biblical discernment and understanding, is a pattern based on arbitrary standards, compromised standards, politically correct or a socially acceptable standards, all of which can change in a heartbeat as their popularity and acceptance in society dictates.

The worldly pattern of life is a filler pattern. It provides volume in history, but is temporary, and ends when life ends.

The result of following a worldly pattern means no blessing or reward from God.

And when David stated that he did not want to be numbered or associated with people who follow and live by the worldly pattern of life, he is meaning that he does not want to be included in the type of evaluation that those people are going to receive in life.

Worldly people are losers. And David does not want to be associated with losers.

Those who follow the spiritual pattern are winners. And that is where David wants to be, and that is where we all should be.

To walk in my integrity, as David states here in this verse, is not a reference to human integrity or human righteousness, for those terms are really worldly terms that attempt to place justification on human effort.

Integrity which is legitimate, comes only from God. And the only way a person can acquire that legitimate integrity is to learn it, and come into possession of it, when it is installed into ones soul by means of a daily study of Bible doctrine.

Redeem me, when one is already a believer in Christ, does not refer to the original redemption of salvation, but is a reference to a purchasing out of, or a separation from, the worldly views of life. And God does this when you learn doctrine. The transformation of your soul through the learning of truth and subsequent spiritual growth serve as the redemption process out of, and away from, worldly views and attitudes and opinions and beliefs.

Mercy is grace in action. Gods policy is grace, which is God’s favor bestowed on the individual. God’s favor is God’s promise, and mercy is Gods action on that promise.

If you follow the spiritual pattern of life in the correct manner, then the actions of the world are impotent, and the actions of God are permanent.