Monday, February 17, 2014

The Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God

Within these two Psalms are revealed the keys of David which are acceptable in God's hearing and sight and which are our way into the promise made to woman and Adam, as the “all families of the earth” in Genesis 12:3. We become the living sacrifice of righteousness holy and acceptable to God as stated by Paul in Romans 12:1-3 and what is hidden in Deuteronomy 6:2-7.

Webster's 1828 Dictionary states this on the word faith:FAITH, n. [L. fides, fido, to trust; Greek to persuade, to draw towards any thing, to conciliate; to believe, to obey. In the Greek Lexicon of Hederic it is said, the primitive signification of the verb is to bind and draw or lead, as signifies a rope or cable. But this remark is a little incorrect. The sense of the verb, from which that of rope and binding is derived, is to strain, to draw, and thus to bind or make fast. A rope or cable is that which makes fast. Heb.]
1. Belief; the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting on his authority and veracity, without other evidence; the judgment that what another states or testifies is the truth. I have strong faith or no faith in the testimony of a witness, or in what a historian narrates.
2. The assent of the mind to the truth of a proposition advanced by another; belief, or probable evidence of any kind.
3. In theology, the assent of the mind or understanding to the truth of what God has revealed. Simple belief of the scriptures, of the being and perfections of God, and of the existence, character and doctrines of Christ, founded on the testimony of the sacred writers, is called historical or speculative faith; a faith little distinguished from the belief of the existence and achievements of Alexander or of Cesar.
4. Evangelical, justifying, or saving faith, is the assent of the mind to the truth of divine revelation, on the authority of God's testimony, accompanied with a cordial assent of the will or approbation of the heart; an entire confidence or trust in God's character and declarations, and in the character and doctrines of Christ, with an unreserved surrender of the will to His guidance, and dependence on His merits for salvation. In other words, that firm belief of God's testimony, and of the truth of the gospel, which influences the will, and leads to an entire reliance on Christ for salvation (a part from redemption wherein uprightness is received).
Being justified by faith. Rom 5.
Without faith it is impossible to please God. Heb 11.
For we walk by faith, and not by sight. 2 Cor 5.
With the heart man believes to righteousness. Rom 10.
The faith of the gospel is that emotion of the mind, which is called trust or confidence, exercised towards the moral character of God, and particularly of the Savior.
Faith is an affectionate practical confidence in the testimony of God.
Faith is a firm, cordial belief in the veracity of God, in all the declarations of His word; or a full and affectionate confidence in the certainty of those things which God has declared, and because He has declared them.
5. The object of belief; a doctrine or system of doctrines believed; a system of revealed truths received by christians.
They heard only, that he who persecuted us in times past, now preaches the faith which once he destroyed. Gal 1.
6. The promises of God, or His Truth and Faithfulness.
Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? Rom 3.
7. An open profession of gospel truth.
Your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. Rom 1.
8. A persuasion or belief of the lawfulness of things indifferent.
Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God. Rom 14.
9. Faithfulness; fidelity; a strict adherence to duty and fulfillment of promises.
Her failing, while her faith to me remains, I would conceal.
Children in whom is no faith. Deu 32.
10. Word or honor pledged; promise given; fidelity. He violated his plighted faith.
For you alone I broke my faith with injured Palamon.
11. Sincerity; honesty; veracity; faithfulness. We ought in good faith, to fulfill all our engagements.
12. Credibility or truth. Unusual.
The faith of the foregoing narrative.
 
Here is our differentiation of Faith and in Who and by Whom it exists. Moving on to John the Baptist who is the last true priest of Israel's dispensational period (the duration of operational methods used by God as His timetables in Psalm 2 clearly shows, these are known as dispensations of which there are 8) we have the following given to us. With the coming of the end of each Age, Stewardship, or Dispensational period there is a change in the way and of how God deals with mankind, or nation within the next period. Each period has a preplaned end or duration of time. I might say this, there is one and only one dispensation which is carried through all others and it is known as the dispensation of governments, it remains untouched. God leaves it up to us to seek, dig and learn of Him because when we know Him as we are known by Him, we grow in His Love and our simple trusting becomes Faith. For trust works through Love, the root based on His Love then becomes the uprightness of Faith.
 
I will again turn to Webster's 1828 Dictionary to look at the word dispensation: That which is dispensed or bestowed; a system of principles and rites enjoined; as the Mosaic dispensation; the gospel dispensation; an exemption or release from, the former the Levitical law and rites as a rule or obligation; then the latter the scheme of redemption by Christ in divine ordering of worldly affairs.

Words and their usage of placement in a sentence or paragraph mean allot when employed as God uses them. We need to seek God for the understanding otherwise we fail in our own efforts to acquire His wisdom and knowledge of the Lord, Christ Jesus, in Whom alone is all wisdom, Truth and Grace. (John 1:14,17)

The Apostle Paul in Romans 4 describes what God sees as trust which turns to God's kind of faith which is as follows taken from the ESV Bible with limited editing by me.   

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