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Online links to scriptures (New International Version [NIV] unless otherwise stated) are shown in blue
| Greek (Western)
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 Greek thought primarily views sin as a wrong belief or incorrect thinking. The
mind is blamed for the actions of the will. Excuses abound for sin. Spiritually we
emphasize what a person knows about faith. Hence we lift up knowledge about Jesus, such as is gained from theological learning institutions. Degrees, diplomas or other qualifications have become a prerequisite for spiritual appointments.
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| Eastern (Hebrew) |
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 Hebrews view sin as wrong behaviour. They emphasize what a person does in response to faith.
The parable of the Good Samaritan is the most famous example.....
Luke 10:30-37
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 The reason that Jesus hated the Pharisees so much was their spiritual hypocrisy - which would be pretty acceptable in our day too!
Matthew 23:25-8
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 And, of course, thoughts, words and actions not agreeing, cost Ananias and Sapphira their lives! The church was afraid then and should be so now!
Acts 5:1-11
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| SOME SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY
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 1. Actions speak louder than words. Words and actions must agree.
2. The proof of salvation isn't a verbal statement, prayer or even a written pledge, but a life lived under the control, and in the image, of Jesus.
3. Ministry is a calling, not a profession.
4. Knowledge about Jesus is good, but a life changed by Jesus brings salvation and eternal life.
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| Greek (Western) |
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 We try to prove the existence of God. How does one prove that God exists?
Theologians put forward the following arguments.....
The arguments generally adduced by theologians in proof of the being of God are:
(1.) The a priori argument, which is the testimony afforded by reason.
(2.) The a posteriori argument, by which we proceed logically from the facts of
experience to causes. These arguments are,
(a) The cosmological, by which it is proved that there must be a First Cause of all
things, for every effect must have a cause.
(b) The teleological, or the argument from design. We see everywhere the operations
of an intelligent Cause in nature.
(c) The moral argument, called also the anthropological argument, based on the moral
consciousness and the history of mankind, which exhibits a moral order and purpose
which can only be explained on the supposition of the existence of God. Conscience
and human history testify that “verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth.”
Easton, M. G., M. A. D. D., Easton’s Bible Dictionary, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research
Systems, Inc.) 1996.
Western thought makes us very sceptical of anything but the physical world.
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| Eastern (Hebrew) |
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 The Hebrew assumes the existence of God.
From Eaton again.....
The existence of God is taken for granted in the Bible. There is nowhere any argument
to prove it. He who disbelieves this truth is spoken of as one devoid of understanding
(Ps. 14:1).
Easton, M. G., M. A. D. D., Easton’s Bible Dictionary, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research
Systems, Inc.) 1996.
In Psalm 14:1 it says.....
Psalm 14:1
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 The attributes of God are summarised in the Old Testament by Moses.....
Exodus 34:5-8
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 …which confirms that Jesus too is God bestowing on Him similar attributes.....
Revelation 5:11-12
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What a place of privilege the Jews come from! For God has been God for them from time immemorial!
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| SOME SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY |
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1. We need to understand and take confidence from the fact that we are grafted in to the spiritual root of the Jewish experience of 1000's of years of knowing God.
17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot,
have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, (Romans 11:17)
2. We can enjoy the benefits of our 'new ancestry'!
16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches. (Romans 11:16)
3. We must witness to the Jews and encourage them to be re-grafted into the roots they have been removed from, heeding the warning that we can be removed from the holy root again also.
22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell,
but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also
will be cut off. 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God
is able to graft them in again. 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is
wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how
much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive
tree! (Romans 11:22-4)
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| <i>NEXT WEEK:</i> THINKING GREEK OR HEBREW continues..... |
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 ..... as we look at DESCRIBING GOD and FAITH
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| A NOTE FROM DAVID |
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 I hope these Hebrew concepts are helping you enhance your walk with Jesus, as they have me in mine.
RIVER JORDAN
- The Jordan River starts in northern Israel at the foot of Mount Hermon, more than 1,500 feet above sea level, and ends almost 1,400 feet below sea level at the Dead Sea.
- The Jordan River meanders 200 miles from Mount Hermon to the Dead Sea (a straight distance of 90 miles).
- The Jordan flows through the Great Rift Valley, the largest cut in the earth’s crust. The Rift Valley extends all the way to Lake Victoria in southern Africa.
- The Jordan River received its name from a Hebrew word meaning “to descend, to go down.” The river descends from the slopes of Mount Hermon to the Dead Sea.
- The Jordan is one of the fastest-flowing rivers for its size in the world.
- The Jordan is only fifty to seventy-five feet across in most places.
- Today, the Jordan has been dammed up where it runs out of the Sea of Galilee in order to meet the state of Israel’s water needs.
Source: http://www.followtherabbi.com
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So until next week.......
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD!
His servant and yours
Learn more about us at...
www.wwj.org.nz/about.php
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A DAVID'S DOODLING
1159. The deep darkness of sin cannot co-exist with the bright light of holiness, in the natural or spiritual.
David Tait
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Check
out the WWJ website for….
More David's Doodlings: www.wwj.org.nz/dd.php
Marriage and Family Facts: http://www.wwj.org.nz/maffacts.php
Just jokes: http://www.wwj.org.nz/jokes.php
Waxing Lyrical: http://www.wwj.org.nz/waxing.php
If Only I'd Thought of it: http://www.wwj.org.nz/thought.php
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….. and in the New.....