December 2000

[Part 64]

“BELIEVING THE UNBELIEVABLE” [D]

“We do not speak devilish wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world which will come to nothing; rather we speak Godly Wisdom in a Mystery which can only bediscerned by perfect ones (spiritually mature)! The Wisdom we speak was hid by Godfrom human understanding, which He predestined before the foundation of the worldto be revealed later in and to us, so we should partake of His great Glory! None of theprinces of this world have ever known the Wisdom of God, for if they had discerned it,they would never have been able to crucify the Lord of Glory!” (1 Co 2:7)

Behold here a great Mystery is revealed! We just read that the princes (plural) of this world crucified the Lord of Glory! Religious traditions say Judas and Jewish Pharisees and Pontius Pilate crucified the Messiah! More enlightened understanding has said that the SINS OF THE WORLD crucified the Lamb of God! Here we see that all the above are true for the SINS OF THE WORLD “A R E”, in fact, the PRINCES OF THIS WORLD! What is sin? Godly Wisdom from Solomon says, “The thought of foolishness is SIN!” (Pr 24:9) And what is foolishness but the opposite of wisdom! Surely all believers know that this world of sin and death labors under sinful thoughts of carnal-minded men! If that were not so, there never would have been any war, destruction or hatred among earthy brethren! All men would have been “wise” enough to know that evil thoughts formed against other men of like flesh must backlash on oneself! The principle of gravity (“What goes up, must come down”) controls this world, as the law of “reaping and sowing” rules over men’s lives!
          Scripture is full of depictions and descriptions of the terrible outworkings and effects of sin; but our intent is not to glorify the evil deeds of the human condition. The Heb. def. (2403) for sin is full of references to “reaping and sowing” starting with “An offense and its penalty!” There is no separation between these two. When God allowed the Man of Sin to manifest in the earth He also prepared the consequences for all the havoc he would wreak! Scripture gives many types of this- such as wicked Haman who built a gallows on which he planned to hang righteous Mordecai but instead he was hung on his own gallows! (Esth 7:10) David says, “The wicked digs a pit then after hollowing it out, he has fallen into the hole he made”! (Ps 7:15) Jeremiah adds, “Thus says the Lord God of hosts, ‘Your own wickedness corrects you; your own backsliding reproves you! So know and understand it is an evil and bitter thing that you have forsaken the Lord your God; as well as the fact that My (holy and cleansing) Fear is not in you,!” (Jer 2:19)
           See these other Hebrew meanings of sin: “Sacrifice, expiation (atonement), an *offender, punishment (of sin), purification (for sin), sin, sinner, and then also sin offering!”

[*“If any man does not offend in WORD, he is a PERFECT MAN and is able to bridle the whole body!” (Jas 3:2) Jesus Christ is that Perfect Man Who neveroffends in Word and is able to bridle US who are His whole Body!]

This word for sin roots in Heb. 2398 whose primary meaning is: “TO MISS”!! It is used once in Jg 20:16, “700 lefthanded men were chosen who could each sling stones at a single hair and not miss!” So “sin” simply means to “Miss the mark”; and that “mark” is seen in Php 3:14 as Paul says, “I press toward the Mark for the Prize of the High Calling of God in Christ Jesus!”
          Re 9:14 calls this Mark, “The Seal of God in men’s foreheads”, referring to the Mind of Christ! What a “Mark” to have to “miss”! And what a bitter exchange, indeed, is the putrid carnal mind!

[TO BE CONTINUED]