Relationship
The starting point with our Abba Father should be building our relationship with him and doing our job in the Family business. Chapter 7 covers that in detail. But what kind of relationship is it? The words used reveal their nature, and we need to be clear in our understanding of those words. ELB strives to keep us focused in the rearview mirror when our life should point to the future. There is no point in a relationship focused on the past.
Another essential feature is the covenant nature of our relationship. ELB conflates and confuses salvation and blessings; the two are separate covenants. We cannot earn redemption, but we step into a quid pro quo once redeemed. Deuteronomy 28:1-2, “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of Yahweh thy God, to observe to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that Yahweh thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth: and all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of Yahweh thy God.”
That covenant has not changed. We earn blessings by doing our job in the Family business. If you doubt, Revelation 22:12, “Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to render to each man according as his work is.”
Mathew 26:26-27, “And he took a cup, and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto remission of sins.” We call Holy Communion the only ceremony prescribed in the New Testament. Our Abba Father promised eternal life in paradise. What did we promise in return? Jesus took it for granted that his entire teaching to the disciples, the four Gospels, was included in his blood covenant. The fact is your relationship with our Abba Father is YOUR side of the covenant. Only you can decide what that is. All I can do is shine a light to help you see.
Our relationship is up close and personal. Psalm 139:13-14, “For thou didst form my inward parts: Thou didst cover me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks unto thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Wonderful are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well.” Psalm 139 is David pouring out his heart to our Abba Father; please read it. David is our model for our relationship with our Abba Father. I give David a lot of print because we want to copy his relationship, not be a spectator in ELB.
My incarcerated flock needs a lot of change, and their recidivism gives me a precise measure of their relationship. When I see the Holy Spirit working in a person, the relationship grows; when I don’t, it doesn’t. That is why trying to “do God” in our brains does not work. Our relationship is not an intellectual exercise, it is an experience, and all I can teach is what it looks like and how to raise our antennae to receive it better. After that, it is the Holy Spirit’s job.
John 17:24, “Father, I desire that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.”
Romans 8:16-17, “The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him (in relationship).”
Love
This message is a start because we did not want to leave love out of this chapter. S7M5 brings “love” home for us. S2M3 mentioned the difficulty of understanding “love” in English in the Scripture. I have wrestled with the subject of our Abba Father’s love for a long time because of the way teachers present it as the be-all and end-all of him. He loves us; end of the story as if ELB does not want us to know more. Finally, what I was looking for came to me. The human perspective in understanding love in ELB was too shallow. And how do we, as humans, love him back?
Chapter 7 presents how we relate to our Abba Father with thirteen subjects; it is that complex. The New Testament is quite clear in Greek, if not in English. The Old Testament Hebrew for love is unprecise in either language, but the New Testament makes up for it. S7M5 presents the primary message of “love” in the Scripture, but the love words need a review first.
Old Testament
The key Hebrew word is “hesed.” Psalm 23 is the most famous. It starts with, “Yahweh is my shepherd; I shall not want.” It ends with what I learned growing up, v23:6, “Surely goodness and loving kindness (hesed) shall follow me all the days of my life; And I shall dwell in the house of Yahweh for ever.” The NIV says, “Surely your goodness and love (hesed) will follow me all the days of my life.”
Nehemiah 9:17 NKJV, “But You are God, Ready to pardon, Gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, Abundant in kindness (hesed), And did not forsake them.” ESV, “But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (hesed), and did not forsake them.” NASB, “But You are a God of forgiveness, Gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger and abounding in mercy (hesed); And You did not abandon them.”
Hosea 6:6 NKJV, “For I desire mercy (hesed) and not sacrifice.” ESV, “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice.” NASB, “For I desire loyalty (hesed) rather than sacrifice.”
Isaiah 54:10 NKJV, “For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My kindness (hesed) shall not depart from you.” ESV, “For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you.” ESV, “The mountains may be taken away and the hills may shake, but My loving-kindness will not be taken from you.” NASB, “For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My favor will not be removed from you.”
Scholars translate Hesed as love, steadfast love, kindness, mercy, loyalty, and favor. When we put it all together, we get a picture of an Abba Father that cares as we want our God to care. Not as an emotional connection as we see human relation love, but a love we can count on, a love that gives, and a love that has our best interest at heart. That is what we want in our heart, his words, not ELB reactions.
The Scripture uses the same word for our “love.” Deuteronomy 6:5 NKJV, “You shall love (hesed) the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Leviticus 19:18 NKJV, “you shall love (hesed) your neighbor as yourself.” What is interesting here is that all translations used ‘love” for our love. But again, it is not emotional love.
New Testament
Agape love is an eternal attribute of our Abba Father. John 17:24, “. . . for you (our Abba Father) loved (agape) me (Jesus) before the foundation of the world.” Many believers have heard of “agape” as the Greek for “godly love,” but the general understanding is that it must be a really amazing love. Look at two particular verses, John 3:16, “God so loved the world,” and John 15:12, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Love is the central theme of our relationship with our Abba Father and each other; all are “agape” love.
The Greek language uses seven words to present love’s whole dimension; it is that complex. The Scripture uses three Greek words, but we use a fourth not in the Scripture, which requires significant clarification for our understanding of love. “Agape” is more straightforward as love than the Hebrew word “hesed.” And “eros” is the Greek word believers know best – the feeling of love from sexual attraction or intimacy. Eros is never used in the Scripture but is usually our first thought for love. Hopefully, you can see the problem.
Eros is not our love of our Abba Father; it leads to great destruction in ELB. We are also confused about love by loving ice cream, so we must go to the Greek to truly know our Abba Father. What is essential about agape love is that, like the Hebrew hesed, it has no feelings associated with it. Agape is love because of what it does, not how it feels.
John 3:16, “God so “loved the world (agape) that He gave His only son.” It did not feel good for our Abba Father to do that, but it was the agape-loving thing to do. Christ was so agape loved that he gave his life. He did not want to die, but he agape loved, so he did what was required. A mother who loves a sick baby will stay up all night caring for it, which is not something she wants to do; it doesn’t feel good. But it is an act of agape or “doing” love.
The point is that agape love is not simply an impulse generated from feelings. Rather, agape love is an exercise of the will, a deliberate choice, and behavior. That is how our Abba Father can command us to “love” our enemies (Matt. 5:44). He is not commanding us to “have a good feeling” for our enemies but to be kind and helpful if needed.
Agape love is related to obedience and commitment, not feeling and emotion. “Loving” someone is to obey our Abba Father on that someone’s behalf, seeking their long-term blessing and profit. The way to know that we agape love our Abba Father is to obey him and “do love.” John 14:21, Jesus said, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself unto him.” That is not about earning love but about expressing our love with obedience. Please pray on that.
Many Christians say they love God, but their lifestyle is contrary to his will. Those people mistake their feeling of affection for agape love. John 14:24, Jesus clarified this, “He who does not agape me will not obey my teaching.” Agape, obedient love, should be the distinctive character of believers in relation to our Abba Father, other believers, and all humanity. John 13:35, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.“
Our Abba Father does not obey us; how does he agape us? By keeping his promises and making all things for the good. We can bask in the promises and know they are good. Where believers go so wrong with the promises in ELB is that they are part of a covenant, and we have our end of the agreement to uphold. Our Abba Father’s promises start with, IF you . . .” Trust me when I tell you, our relationship with our Abba Father is worth trying to do every “if you” he presents. It is better than any drug, stimulant, alcohol, or thrill that ELB can come up with. And in sanctified marriage, the intimacy our Abba Father has created for us will keep us excited and together to the end.
Believe
We start our life’s journey with our Abba Father by “believing.” Most believers know John 3:15-16, “. . . that whosoever believeth may in him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
But few believers notice John 3:14 that comes right before, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man (Jesus) be lifted up. . .” The serpent story referenced in John 3 is in Numbers 21; please stop and read it. The fiery serpents tormenting Israel in Numbers 21 are a metaphor for sin, and the bronze serpent held up by Moses was to be looked at, i.e., “to be seen,” and is a metaphor for Jesus. “Seeing Jesus to be saved from sin,” is not just believing in Jesus, but seeing him. We need to see the full glory of our Abba Father, whose Son is the radiance of his glory.
“Believe” appears in John 90 times and 40 times in Acts, so we must understand how it cements our relationship with our Abba Father. In English, “believe” generally means we think something is true. In other words, it is true that Jesus was here 2,000 years ago and did his work. That is a common understanding. But once again, English fails us.
The Greek word for believe is “pisteuo,” a very loaded word. It means to be convinced that something is real or true, not just think about it or hope for it. (Even “hope” does not mean what we think in the Scripture.) We must accept the truth, of course, but we must also trust the object of our belief, obey it, and surrender to it. That is the whole ancient word meaning, and it is much closer to a king and his subjects of the time except we see the King’s Family.
Mathew 3:1-2, “And in those days cometh John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, saying, Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” When we see the kingdom of our Abba Father referenced, we should see our relationship with him as his Family, not subjects or spectators of the Scripture. Non-believers are his subjects. Remember, the devil “believes” our Abba Father is real and is at war against him.
It is not enough to merely accept as true that Jesus died and arose; we must acknowledge that he did it for each of us to bring us into the Family as our Father. Jesus took the punishment we deserved; he suffered for us and redeemed us by dying for us. On the third day, he arose, proving that he conquered both sin and death for us.
The Old Testament verb for “believe” is “āman.” It means “to be certain, sure” or “to be assured.” We understand being sure of something. Look at Genesis 15:6, “And he (Abraham) believed in Yahweh; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness.“
Abraham picked up and left his homeland and started to sacrifice his son because he believed our Abba Father AND acted it out. Let’s look at Jonah 3:5, “And the people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. . . .” (they acted on their belief). Numbers 14:11, ” And Yahweh said unto Moses, How long will this people despise me? and how long will they not believe in me, for all the signs which I have wrought among them?” (It took a new generation to enter the promised land.)
“Āman” is also where we get “amen.” Amen is an affirmation of truth like ‘so be it,’ ‘it is so,’ or ‘it is true.’ Amen means we believe it is true that all those things we asked for in prayer, praised our Abba Father for, all the questions, all the pain, and the joy we express in prayer. Many Christians think “amen” means we can open our eyes now.
So when John 3:16 says that “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life,” John is saying that whoever believes in him, trusts in him, relies on him, and obeys him, will be redeemed; not whoever believes he was here 2,000 years ago and did his thing. Please pray hard on that.
We “believe,” and that is our redemption. I use the moniker “believer” and not “Christian” because “believer” is an action word. It is also ecumenical without denomination. As a believer, I affirm my relationship and covenant with our Abba Father every time I use it, purchased for me by believing in Jesus’ work on the cross.
Christian is a respected name, I intend no offense, but I am not sure what it means, especially in others. As a “Christian,” I feel like a person wearing a label in ELB, and I don’t feel the Family connection. I see that all the time in my flock, shaping my reaction. Sometimes a change of view works wonders.
Acts 11:26, “So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” The name “Christian” came from people, not our Abba father, and it does not say who called them Christians, themselves or non-believers. That may seem subtle, perhaps even silly, but I am here to share that what we call ourselves makes a huge difference.
Righteousness
The previous message referenced righteousness with Abraham in Genesis 15:6. All the “faith” words seem familiar, and we are comfortable with them. But we need to be more than comfortable; we need to be energized by them. That means we put off Noah Webster in ELB and put on our Abba Father. It is his meaning we want to live in.
Isaiah 33:20-22, “Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities (high level feasts): thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tent that shall not be removed, the stakes whereof shall never be plucked up, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken. But there Yahweh will be with us in majesty, a place of broad rivers and streams, wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. For Yahweh is our judge, Yahweh is our lawgiver, Yahweh is our king; he will save us.”
My main point is the last phrase, but it is prefaced with a beautiful vision of Mt. Zion and heavenly Jerusalem to complete the vision of our citizenship in Heaven. ELB likes to add only the last verse to this life when it is the entire package we need to see in our hearts. “Yahweh is our Judge, our Lawgiver, and our King.” And our Father.
Our understanding of righteousness in our Abba Father’s eyes is the laws given to us to live by. Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy are their presentations. Jesus transformed the law into godly love, which is often misunderstood but here is the point, we can never meet our Abba Father’s standards of perfection. We live with common phrases like “close, but no cigar,” or “close is only good in horse shoes or hand grenades” and accept that position.
I learned to play golf and tennis, ski, and eat sushi at different times. The more I took lessons and practiced, the more I enjoyed the experience. With our Abba Father, “getting closer” is his standard. Learning to be righteous in the eyes of our Abba Father is no different. We never gain perfection, but we keep trying to do better.
Righteousness applies to every aspect of our lives; who we are, how we behave, and how we relate to others, all controlled through our GCS connection. It is also how we glorify our Abba Father. And in that context, he partners with us. Jesus says his yoke is light, and an animal yoke is a partnership in which the leader side will never pull the load alone. The weaker side, us, must pull our share of the load. Please pray on that.
Abide
“Abide” is a crucial word in Scripture that is the handlebar we are looking for in our relationship with our Abba Father. John uses the word “abide” (“meno”) 53 times. The common meaning of “abide” is “to live in” or “to tolerate,” but in the Scripture, it has a deeper meaning.
1 John 2:24, “As for you, let that (Jesus) abide in you which ye heard from the beginning. If that which ye heard from the beginning abide in you, ye also shall abide in the Son, and in the Father.“
Let that verse define “abide” for you. Is Jesus only in us and us in him part-time? Does he ever leave us? The answer is no. Does Jesus or our Abba Father ever die? No. Are the Holy Three connected in spirit? Yes. Do they ever change? No. Is the relationship intimate? Yes. That is “abide.”
I live in California, but I may move to Florida and live there. We live with our spouses, but that may change for too many married people. The earthly word “to live in” isn’t deep enough because it has no attachment or commitment. The Scripture says first abide in Jesus and then walk the way he walked righteously. 1 John 2:6 “he that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked.” When we are redeemed, we are “in Christ,” which means we abide in him permanently. That is the closest possible relationship with him.
1 John 2:25:27, “And this is the promise which he promised us, even the life eternal. These things have I written unto you concerning them that would lead you astray. And as for you, the anointing which ye received of him abideth in you . . .”
The “anointing” mentioned is in 1 John 2:20, “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.” Now, we have a choice. We can walk around in ELB trying to “be more like Jesus” or permanently abide in a relationship with him, our Abba Father, his Word, and his promises, all anointed by the Holy Spirit, who will guide us in all things. Please pray on that.
Let’s keep going, v2:27-29,”. . . and ye need not that any one teach you; but as his anointing teacheth you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, ye abide in him. And now, my little children, abide in him; that, if he shall be manifested, we may have boldness, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If ye know that he is righteous, we know that every one also that doeth righteousness is begotten of him.”
When we abide in Christ, we have confidence in our faith because we connect to our Abba Father. And when does this all begin for us? 1 John 4:15, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” Let’s look at how much we are being held securely in our permanent relationship with our Abba Father, John 10:28–29,”and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who hath given them unto me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” That is where we want to live, in our Abba Father’s world, not in the ELB world.
In John 15:4–5, Jesus tells His disciples that drawing life from him is essential, using the image of branches on a vine, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.“
Also, If we do not abide in Christ, John 15:6, “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.” Yikes!
Faith
The primary reason we don’t understand faith is that the Scripture cannot fully develop it until the completion of the promise of the Messiah. As a result, the Old Testament skips much of what becomes the glorious faith or translates it as “belief.” There actually is no Hebrew word for faith that compares to the New Testament Greek. ELB conflates faith and belief in usage to weaken our faith because faith is a connection to our Abba Father. To “believe” is an action made by us, and “faith” is about and from our Abba Father. Never conflate the two. Believe is something we do; faith is something our Abba Father does.
The New Testament Greek word “pistis” is faith and carries a deep meaning. In the secular world, “pistis” means a guarantee. The guarantee comes from the manufacturer, not the buyer. Faith is our guarantee from our Abba Father, our manufacturer, that he will fulfill all his promises. Galatians 3:24, “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.” We saw justification in S5M1. “Justified by faith” means it is by our Abba Father. Justification is the start of our faith, performed by our Abba Father. Christ coming is just a sample; wait until he comes back! His promise of the Messiah is so mind-blowing it is not possible to reveal it in the Old Testament without giving it away. Now that we know it, we must fully embrace its glory. Please pray on that.
Romans 10:17 tells us the Scripture reveals our guarantee. KJV, “So faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” NIV, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” ASV, “So belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” A few old translations use belief instead of faith, do not make that mistake.
The root of pistis is peithô which means persuasion or to be persuaded. That connotes there is a persuader. Our Abba Father persuades us to have faith, his guarantee. When our car needs gas, we pull into the gas station. The oil company delivers the gas. We do not make our gasoline, and we do not make our faith. We need it, and we go where it is to get it. In the Word, the Scripture.
Romans 12:2-3, “And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but so to think as to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to each man a measure of faith.” Notice “God hath dealt.”
Hebrews 10:36-38, “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. But my righteous one shall live by faith: And if he shrink back, my soul hath no pleasure in him.” Notice “live by faith.” Live in the confidence of the guarantee. Also notice, “if he shrink back.” Our Abba father is disappointed but still the prodigal Father.
John 16:13-14, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak: and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall take of mine, and shall declare it unto you.”
Faith is the building block in our relationship with our Abba Father. It is not a test of the sincerity of our redemption. When we receive Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are a child in our faith because we do not have much Scripture. Faith is always the gift and work of our Abba Father, which comes from our being in the Word and learning.
Where believers fall short is reading the Holy Bible with our minds, intaking the facts and history, and being smart. If we do not embrace the Holy Spirit and his role in our relationship connecting us in the Family, it just falls flat because the faith has no way in. Unless our Abba Father has his purpose and forces it in, that is how he and I reunited.
Think about the people of Israel and how they repeatedly disobeyed our Abba Father and rebelled against him. He needs to intercede to help us, or heaven would only have a few hundred people on judgment day. Also, think about the Spirit of Yahweh, the Holy Spirit. The people in the Old Testament did not connect through him, and we could not connect until after Jesus’ work on the cross. The concept of faith cannot mature until the New Testament.
Galatians 5:22, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness.” John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak: and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come.” That is how faith is delivered.
Let’s look at the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy 32:20, “And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: For they are a very perverse generation. Children in whom is no faithfulness.” That is from the Song of Moses, where he unloads on the people of Israel for rejecting our Abba Father, calling them unfaithful because they turned away from him. That passage means the people had no belief because it refers to Israel’s rejection. Belief comes before our Abba father can gift faith to us.
In Habakkuk 1:1-2 NKJV, the prophet whines to our Abba Father, “The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw, “How long, LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” But he recovers in v2:4, “See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness.” Again, this is a reference to the people’s beliefs. Paul converts Habakkuk to faith in Galatians 3:11, “Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for ‘The righteous shall live by faith.'” (In his promises.)
Deuteronomy 7:9, “Know therefore that Yahweh thy God, he is God, the faithful God, who keepeth covenant and lovingkindness with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.” That verse is our covenant with him. Believe it or not, that is about it for faith in the Old Testament. Without the work of Jesus on the cross and the Holy Spirit, our Abba Father has no way to deliver faith to his people.
Let’s explore Hebrews 11, called “the faith Hall of Fame.” It goes back and adds the faith omitted in the Old Testament. Once you realize how much the New Testament embellishes the Old, your relationship will grow even more.
V11:1, “Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen.” That sounds very circular; it is like saying faith is faith. And it never did much for me right up until it did. One day v11:3 lit me up, “By faith we understand that the worlds have been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen hath not been made out of things which appear.” God made the world with his power and majesty. Seeing the world is proof he made it. There is no other way to get from nothing to the world except the Holy Three.
Hebrews 11:4, “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had witness borne to him that he was righteous, God bearing witness in respect of his gifts: and through it he being dead yet speaketh.” That is subtle, but our Abba Father reinforced Abel’s belief, “God testifying of his gifts.” Our belief becomes faith when reinforced by our Abba Father.
V11:5-6, “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God translated him: for he hath had witness borne to him that before his translation he had been well-pleasing unto God: and without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him.“
We start with our belief and seeking our Abba Father, “and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Now read the entire Hebrews 11 and notice that our Abba Father contributes to the hero referenced in each entry.
I speak of “our faith” and “building faith” throughout this book as we learn and grow. It includes our Abba Father’s role in helping us learn, especially with the Holy Spirit. I never mean to grow our faith ourselves. Now let’s test ourselves, Daniel 3:9-10, “They answered and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king, O king, live for ever. Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image; . . .”
Most believers will recognize that story as a spectator and watch Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah enter the furnace and come out. Most of you know the three as Shadrach, Meshach; and, Abed-Nego but given their faith, they are worthy of their Jewish names. Thank you, Jesus. Isn’t he amazing?
My first question is, was their faith strengthened in the fire event? My second question is, have you ever thought about what you would do in a similar situation? Are you ready to do that? That story is there to get ready, not to tell you how great our Abba Father is. Please pray on that.
p.s. Is there a level of faith greater than being thrown into a furnace?
Hope
1 Peter 3:15, “but sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord: being ready always to give answer to every man that asketh you a reason concerning the hope that is in you . . .” Faith, hope, and love are the Big Three of godly words, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:13, “But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” Notice that faith and hope make the Big Three, which is why fully understanding our Abba Father’s design with these words is essential. Knowing what abide means helps understand that verse.
In common usage, we interchange faith and hope with each other and often even interchange hope with wish. But in our Abba Father’s eyes, faith and hope are different, not only from each other but mainly from our everyday usage. The difference between our Abba Father’s use and our everyday use for hope and faith is a certainty. Our everyday use of hope carries uncertainty, often stifling our relationship with our Abba Father. I hope I get X for my birthday. If I get X, it will make me happy, but I know I might not get X, as in, I wish I were taller.
But hope abideth in us, and abide means permanent residence or indwelling. And what are we hoping for, or in other words, what are we sure of? The answer is our redemption! And what is redemption? Redemption is living in a relationship with our Abba Father spiritually now and then for eternity.
Jesus tells us in Rev 21:3-5, “And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God: and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away. And he that sitteth on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.”
Our hope is the inheritance when we die in the flesh. 1 Peter 1:3-5, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who by the power of God are guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.“
Our hope is “a living hope;” Christ lives, and those “in Christ” are being called to live, beyond resurrection, in glory with Him. Redemption is not just avoiding hell; it is living with our Abba Father on earth and in heaven! Jesus tells us to live now beyond resurrection. In other words, with Christ in us and us in him, live now with his Family and see the future paradise coming. Raise our game, my friends, and whenever the word hope is heard or said, may our first thought be our life in heaven with all our Abba Father’s Family.
Now let us make sure we separate hope and faith. In its simplest form, faith is similar in many ways to hope in its certainty, but faith is the past and present plus our earthly future, while hope is a synonym for our future with our Abba Father in paradise. Romans 15:4-5, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that through patience and through comfort of the scriptures we might have hope. Now the God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of the same mind one with another according to Christ Jesus:“
Romans 15:4-5 talks about prophecy. ELB favors our Abba Father’s promises and minimizes his assurances in prophecy and our part in the covenant his promises include. Faith is necessary to have hope, just as oxygen is necessary for fire. If there is fire, we know there is oxygen. But there can be oxygen without fire, and it is possible to have faith without hope. That happens all the time in our earthly life when we believe in our Abba Father but close our eyes to the afterlife because it is too surreal. It is easier to close our eyes and wish for it.
Why do we opt so quickly for earthly pleasure and are so slow to opt for the hope, the heaven which is our inheritance? It is because we do not believe in the heavenly realities. The people who believe in the heavenly hope and are fixed on it that can have a loose grip on earthly pleasure and are energized for heaven.
Hope is never just an escape from reality or earth’s problems and does not leave us idle or drifting. Our hope is powerful and dynamic, brings us joy and peace, and has rewards and blessings. Romans 15:13, “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.“
Our Abba Father has planted hope in the heart of every believer so that we can build a strong relationship of love and trust with Him. Our hope in him reveals to us that he is in control and uses everything for our good. The hope is our call to action and our unbounded energy to answer that call until we inherit the Kingdom.
To summarize, our Abba Father starts with entering into a relationship with him. We then express our love for him by obeying him as he keeps his promises. He then helps us build our faith with the Word, which reveals our inheritance of life with him in heaven, also known as our hope and certainty from our Abba Father.
Grace
Grace fills in all the blanks in our relationship. It is a great word and another “from Abba Father to us” word. In that respect, grace is closer to filling our desire for love than the word love itself carries. We cannot “grace” our Abba Father back, only bathe in it. I get my joy and comfort from his grace more than his love because of the obedient nature of the Greek word for love.
ELB likes to tell us the key element of his grace is that we do not deserve it. I strongly reject that position. I am not saying we deserve it; I am saying his grace is his true goodness, the one who tells us we are holy, and to add by man the “we don’t deserve it,” pollutes it. The sin lessons and verses more than deliver that message. The whole point of his grace is to lift us.
1 Corinthians 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not found vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” Titus 2:11-14, “For the grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us, to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world; looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a people for his own possession, zealous of good works.”
Grace will deliver the feeling we are looking for in our relationship with our Abba Father, do not let ELB pollute it. 1 Peter 5:10, “And the God of all grace, who called you unto his eternal glory in Christ, after that ye have suffered a little while, shall himself (a)perfect, establish, strengthen you.“
Ephesians 2:4-10, “but God, being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus: for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, that no man should glory. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them.“
Apostle Paul pleaded to our Abba Father three times to remove a thorn he was experiencing. 2 Corinthians 12:8, “Concerning this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.” Many interpret our Abba Father’s answer as “suck it up, Paul.” 2 Corinthians 12:9, “But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” His power and our weakness, the perfect team!
Our Abba Father refuses to remove the thorn that the devil causes and ordained by our Abba Father (like Job?), in this case, to keep Paul humble. But what is our Abba Father’s grace that is enough? It is all the abilities, help, provision, and strength given to us by him. Too many people see grace as love and move on in ELB. That is weak faith. Our relationship radar tells us that prayer should start with asking for revelation, wisdom, and strength in our relationship with him to get through a situation together. One might infer from 2 Corinthians 12:9 that Paul still has delusions of grandeur in ELB that need work, giving a reason to keep reminding Paul of the thorn. I see ELB as parallel to conceit in the eyes of our Abba Father, i.e., this world is more important than his. Please pray on that. The grace of an infinite God is not defined by any words that would only serve to limit him in our hearts.
