April 2000

[4 of 4]

By Carole Forde

1 Cor 15:36-53 says, "The seed you plant does not come to life unless it dies first. It is not sown wearing the body in which it will be raised later; but rather as a NAKED SEED....this is the principle of Resurrection: (The Word-seed) is sown in corruption, raised in incorruption; sown in dishonor, raised in glory; sown in weakness, raised in power; sown a natural body (first Adam), raised a spiritual body (Last Adam). There is a natural body and a spiritual body and so it is written, the first man, Adam, was made a LIVING SOUL; and the last Adam was made a QUICKENING SPIRIT. But the spiritual does not come first. First comes the natural, then comes the spiritual. The first man is made of the earth, earthy; the Second (and last) Man is the Lord from heaven....and as we have borne the image of the earthy, so we shall also bear the Image of the heavenly....for this corruption M U S T put on Incorruption!"
                The key to perfect faith is what, and in Whom, you believe! Lk 1:37 Amplified Version says, "With God nothing is ever impossible; and NO WORD OF GOD shall be WITHOUT POWER or IMPOSSIBLE OF FULFILLMENT!" Do you believe this? If so, remember it was God’s Word in which all things were created! Jn 1:.3 says, "All things were made by Him; and not one thing was made without Him that has come into being." Everything in existence that can be named is a word. Whether invisible, in thought or speech; or visible, in writing or substance; everything in the universe is a word. Even "universe" is from: uni meaning "ONE", and versa meaning "WORD". So everything in creation is part of "One Word", and that Word is Jesus Christ! In the first Adam, that Word was "Cast into a deep sleep (like hibernation, or a hypnotic trance)" then "Subjected, not willingly, to vanity by reason of Him that subjected him in the hope that all creation shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of being the children of God.!" (Ro 8:20-21) That Hope is "Christ in you, the Hope of Glory"! (Col 1:27) The Word was also "Shut up in a prison of unbelief". (Ro 11:32) But don’t take lightly this imprisonment of unbelief! What we believe determines the condition of our heart; for "A man IS what he thinks in his heart!" (Pr 23:7) In fact, "WITH HIS HEART, MAN BELIEVES UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS; and WITH HIS MOUTH, CONFESSION IS MADE UNTO SALVATION!" (Ro 10:10)
                 If the belief of our heart is wrong, the confession of our mouth is also wrong! Likewise if the confession of our mouth is wrong, it reveals that the belief of our heart is wrong!! We had our ‘first beginning’ as a"Natural man who cannot receive Spiritual things"; thus we cannot believe or confess the Word of Faith! this estate must come to an end.. We must have a ‘New Beginning’ as a man of spirit in whom "The Word of Faith is near, even in your heart and mouth; so that if you confess the Lord Jesus with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved! (Ro 10:8-9) If our confession of the Word is wrong, it is worse than not confessing it at all! It does matter if we read that Jesus is the "Savior of the world", and refuse to believe it or confess it before our Father in heaven! Christ said "If you deny Me before men, then I will deny you before God!" (Mt 10:33)
                 Ps 11:10 says, "The fear of the Lord is The Beginning of Wisdom"; Pr 1:7 adds "The fear of the Lord is The Beginning of Knowledge!" The purpose of *Fear of the Lord is to help us confess our sins unto repentance. [*For more Light on Fear of the Lord, read upcoming article, "Who Do You Fear?"] But we are not to stay at "The Beginning"of our walk with God; for Christ also calls Himself "The Ending"! Therefore God tells us to "When you ought to be teachers, you still need to be taught again and again the first principles of the Oracles of God; and are become like perpetual babies who need the Milk of the Word and not of strong meat (like this sharing); for everyone who uses ‘milk’ is unskillful in the Word of Righteousness!! But ‘strong meat’ belongs to those of full age, who, through usage, have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil! So let us leave the first principles of the doctrine of Christ; and GO ON TO PERFECTION- not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works..." (Heb 5:1214; 6:1) In other words, let us graduate from elementary to high school! And going that far, let us press on to college! And then let us look ahead to putting our Knowledge to use in the real world of lost and dying people. It is time for men to confess "Righteousness" in the earth. Fear of the Lord is only The Beginning of the life of Christ, beloveds; but "PERFECT LOVE which CASTS OUT ALL FEAR" (1 Jn 4:8) is "The Ending"! Press on beloveds! Amen and Amen.