There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. GENESIS 28:16
The patriarch Jacob saw a vision of God and cried out in wonder, “Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.” Jacob had never been for one small division of a moment outside the circle of that all-pervading Presence. But he knew it not. That was his trouble, and it is ours. Men do not know that God is here. What a difference it would make if they knew! The Presence and the manifestation of the Presence are not the same. There can be the one without the other. God is here when we are wholly unaware of it. He is manifest only when and as we are aware of His Presence. On our part there must be surrender to the Spirit of God, for His work is to show us the Father and the Son. If we cooperate with Him in loving obedience God will manifest Himself to us, and that manifestation will be the difference between a nominal Christian life and a life radiant with the light of His face. It has been asked, “Why does God manifest His Presence to some and let multitudes of others struggle along in the half-light of imperfect Christian experience?” We can only reply that the will of God is the same for all—He has no favorites within His household. All he has ever done for any of His children He will do for all of His children. The difference lies not with God but with us!
Tozer, A. W., & Smith, G. B. (2015). Evenings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings (p. 49). Moody Publishers.
Lord! give me, as thou didst to thy servant John, a call to “come up hither,” and by faith behold the glories which shall be revealed; and immediately I shall be in the spirit as he was, and so substantiate and realize, in present enjoyments, those felicities in Jesus, that this evening my soul will be, by happy faith, in the very suburbs of that blessed city, which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God! Is it not true, Lord, that all my possessions are thine? And shall I not take the map of them from Scripture, and look over them with holy rapture and delight? Do men of the earth take pride in their lands and manors; the very holding of which is precarious, even in the moment of possession, and which slide from under their feet as soon as they enter upon them; and shall not an heir of God, a joint-heir with Christ, rejoice in having a kingdom which cannot be moved? Come, my soul, look within the veil, whither thy Forerunner is for thee entered; and now that God the Holy Ghost hath opened a door in heaven, behold what felicities are presenting themselves to thy view! Behold, amidst all the glories of the place, how eminently Jesus, even thy Jesus, appears as a Lamb in the midst of the throne: and still as a Lamb that hath been slain, as if to testify the eternal, unceasing efficacy of his blood and righteousness. But what an innumarable host are these, which stand around the throne, and encircle the Redeemer! “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb!” Mark that, my soul! They were once in the tribulated path that thou art now in; they were once sinners here below, as thou art now; and they owe all their advancement, not to their merit, but to divine bounty; not to works of righteousness which they have done, but to the same source as thou art now seeking acceptance from—the blood of the Lamb. Oh! precious, soul-satisfying testimony, on a point of such infinite importance! Blessed, for ever blessed, be God the Holy Ghost, for first opening to the beloved apostle this door in heaven, and for all the after-revelations of Jesus, made by this condescending discovery to the Church in all ages. Often, my soul, look up, and behold the door still open; and often by faith look in, and behold thy Redeemer, and his redeemed, in “the spirits of just men made perfect.” Realize these blessed things, and seek from thy Jesus a strength of faith (for such a faith hath been given to some, and why not to thee?) as shall absolutely bring down the present enjoyment of heaven into thy soul, before the Lord shall finally and fully call thee up to the everlasting enjoyment of him in glory. Blessed be God, (my soul, do thou cry out with the apostle,) who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together, in heavenly places, in Christ Jesus!
Hawker, R. (1845). The Poor Man’s Evening Portion (A New Edition, pp. 51–52). Thomas Wardle.
And who are thus privileged to make the Saviour glad? His church—his people. But is it possible? He makes us glad, but how can we make him glad? By our love. Ah! we think it so cold, so faint; and so, indeed, we must sorrowfully confess it to be, but it is very sweet to Christ. Hear his own eulogy of that love in the golden Canticle: “How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine!” See, loving heart, how he delights in you. When you lean your head on his bosom, you not only receive, but you give him joy; when you gaze with love upon his all-glorious face, you not only obtain comfort, but impart delight. Our praise, too, gives him joy—not the song of the lips alone, but the melody of the heart’s deep gratitude. Our gifts, too, are very pleasant to him; he loves to see us lay our time, our talents, our substance upon the altar, not for the value of what we give, but for the sake of the motive from which the gift springs. To him the lowly offerings of his saints are more acceptable than the thousands of gold and silver. Holiness is like frankincense and myrrh to him. Forgive your enemy, and you make Christ glad; distribute of your substance to the poor, and he rejoices; be the means of saving souls, and you give him to see of the travail of his soul; proclaim his gospel, and you are a sweet savour unto him; go among the ignorant and lift up the cross, and you have given him honour. It is in your power even now to break the alabaster box, and pour the precious oil of joy upon his head, as did the woman of old, whose memorial is to this day set forth wherever the gospel is preached. Will you be backward then? Will you not perfume your beloved Lord with the myrrh and aloes, and cassia, of your heart’s praise? Yes, ye ivory palaces, ye shall hear the songs of the saints!
Spurgeon, C. H. (1896). Morning and evening: Daily readings. Passmore & Alabaster.
IN the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. (What a loving preface to the law! If anything could have engaged rebellious man to obedience, this would have done it, but, alas, the Lord has nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against him.) 10 ¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to-day and to-morrow, and let them wash their clothes, 11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai. Their garments smell of Egypt, and must be washed, to show them that man is unholy and all about him, and even when God meets him in love he must be cleansed from impurity. 16 ¶ And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. (He who has ears to hear the law must tremble, for it condemns all who are under it.) 17, 18 And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. 20 And the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up. 21, 22, 23 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them. And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it. Such is the spirit of the law. It shows us our sinfulness, and so sets us at a distance from God, but the gospel removes our sin and brings us nigh. Hear how the Holy Ghost speaks concerning it, by his servant Paul, in
HEBREWS 12:18–26
FOR ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: 20, 21 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust through with a dart: And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) 22, 23, 24 But ye are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. 25, 26 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. (Dear members of this family, let these solemn words sink deep into your souls. Despise not the Lord Jesus, but believe in him now.)
Not to the terrors of the Lord,
The tempest, fire, and smoke;
Not to the thunder of that word
Which God on Sinai spoke:
But we are come to Sion’s hill,
The city of our God,
Where milder words declare his will,
And spread his love abroad.
Spurgeon, C. H. (1964). The Interpreter: Spurgeon’s Devotional Bible (p. 92). Baker Book House.
Paul has already reached two important goals in his appeal to the Galatians. He has defended his apostleship, including a defense of his right to preach the gospel with or without the support of other human authorities (1:11–2:21), and he has defended the gospel itself, showing that it is by grace alone entirely apart from human works that the Christian is freed from the curse of the law and brought into a right relationship with God (3:1–4:31). But there is one more point to be made before Paul concludes his letter: that the liberty into which believers are called is not a liberty that leads to license, as his opponents would charge, but rather a liberty that leads to mature responsibility and holiness before God through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. This theme dominates the last two chapters of the Epistle.
1 Before plunging into this third section of his letter, Paul interjects a verse that is at once a summary of all that has gone before and a transition to what follows. It is, in fact, the key verse of the entire Epistle. Because of the nature of the true gospel and of the work of Christ on his behalf, the believer is now to turn away from anything that smacks of legalism and instead rest in Christ’s triumphant work for him and live in the power of Christ’s Spirit. The best MS evidence divides the verse into two parts—a declaration of Christ’s purpose in saving us (“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free”) and an appeal based upon that purpose (“Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery”)—rather than leaving it as one sentence as does the KJV. Thus, though only loosely connected with the preceding, the first part aptly sums up the message of chapters 3 and 4, while the second part leads into the ethical section. The appeal is for an obstinate perseverance in freedom as the only proper response to an attempt to bring Christians once more under legalism. Since the Jews of Paul’s time spoke of “taking the yoke of the law upon oneself,” it is likely that Paul is referring to such an expression here. To the Jews the taking up of the law’s yoke was good; indeed, it was the essence of religion. To Paul it was assuming the yoke of slavery. Perhaps Paul was also remembering that Jesus had spoken of Christians taking his yoke upon them (Matt 11:29, 30), but this involves a different kind of service—one that is “easy” and “light”—as the readers of the letter are to see.
Boice, J. M. (1976). Galatians. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Romans through Galatians (Vol. 10, p. 486). Zondervan Publishing House.
1 Paul calls on the Galatians to act on the freedom they have in Christ. He appeals to them not to allow themselves to be persuaded to take up “again” the yoke of slavery. Whereas in their recent past they had been enslaved to “those who by nature are not gods” (4:8–9), in this instance Paul has in mind slavery to the Judaizers’ interpretation of the law (cf. 3:23). The verse begins grammatically in a rather abrupt manner, with no transitional phrase or particle connecting it to what has preceded. But Paul’s statement about freedom here echoes the expression “of the free woman,” which occurs throughout the latter portion of chapter 4 (cf. 4:22, 23, 30, 31). And in fact, Paul has emphasized freedom throughout Galatians (1:4; 2:4, 5; 3:26–28), so much so that freedom has been called the “basic concept underlying Paul’s argument throughout the letter” (Betz, 255). In a bold declaration of the result of the gospel, then, Paul exhorts the Galatians fully to appropriate the new identity they have in Christ. Since it is true that they are free in Christ, the Galatians are now told to “stand firm” in that freedom. The means of achieving this “standing firm” is to resist being ensnared by the “yoke” of the law (cf. Ac 15:10–11), and thus having their freedom compromised by returning to slavery. The Galatians were in danger of doing just that if they continued to follow after the message of the Judaizers (cf. Martyn, 446–47).
Rapa, R. K. (2008). Galatians. In T. Longman III &. Garland, David E. (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Romans–Galatians (Revised Edition) (Vol. 11, pp. 620–621). Zondervan.
5:1 / The means by which the Gentile Galatians have become children of the free woman is through Christ. This is another way of saying what Paul said earlier—that “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law” (3:13). Paul declares that the purpose of Christ’s work was for freedom. The concept of freedom, which is a basic theme of Galatians, is connected throughout Paul’s letters primarily with freedom from: freedom from the law (Rom. 7:3–4), from sin (Rom. 6:18–22), or from death (Rom. 8:2). Freedom is also equated with the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17) and is used as a way to describe the Christian life (Gal. 2:4). In an expansive command, Paul directs his readers to stand firm against the influence of the rival evangelists. Underscoring the point he has made repeatedly, Paul charges his converts not to put themselves in a position of submitting to a yoke of slavery. To such a fate, Paul warns, his readers’ attraction to the alternative gospel leads. Throughout the letter Paul has described the adding of law to faith and the Galatians’ former life (4:8–9) as enslavement, which is why he can warn that the Galatians’ attraction to the rival evangelists’ message will mean that they are slaves once again.
Jervis, L. A. (2011). Galatians (pp. 126–127). Baker Book.
5:1. For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Paul continues to be emphatic and forceful here. Like a military commander, he commands the Galatians to be free! Walter Schmithals thinks it probable that Paul is citing a slogan of his Jewish-Christian Gnostic opponents, but that is highly unlikely on all counts.3 Paul is confronting Christian Judaizers, and the call for Christians to be free in the gospel makes perfectly good sense in that context. Dunn calls this ‘the leitmotiv of the letter’; Thomas expresses similar sentiments, and Burton calls it ‘an epitome of the contention of the whole letter’. Perkins too says that it is ‘a repetition of the principal Conclusion of the whole Epistle’. Freedom is a necessary component of the gospel message (cf. 2:4). In Galatians 5, Paul is obviously referring to matters of salvation, not law and order. You are not free to drive on the wrong side of the road! Boice sees this as ‘at once a summary of all that has gone before and a transition to what follows’. The indicative is followed by the imperative—because of what Christ has done, we are to respond appropriately. These formerly pagan Galatians were in danger of another yoke and another bondage. Paganism and Judaism are forms of bondage (4:9; Acts 15:10). Relying on works does not free us from sin and bring us forgiveness and new life. We still have the burden on our back until we look to Christ, and continue to look to Christ. Christ came to proclaim liberty (Isa. 61:1; John 8:36). To then entangle yourself with laws about circumcision, sacrifices, holy days, pilgrimages, prayers facing east or Jerusalem or Mecca, and the like, is to return to bondage. Remain free! Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Cor. 3:17). Perkins says that we are delivered from four things: the curse of the law, for breaching it (Rom. 8:1; Gal. 3:13); the obligation of the law, whereby it binds us to perfect righteousness in order to obtain everlasting life; the obligation to observe the ceremonial law (Col. 2:16, 20); and the tyranny and dominion of sin (Rom. 6:14). Do not let any religious person take that freedom from you by subjecting you to another form of bondage.
Barnes, P. (2006). A Study Commentary on Galatians (pp. 222–223). Evangelical Press.
Ver. 1. Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.—
The freedom of the Christian:—It is necessary that we first see generally what that “liberty” is, “wherewith Christ maketh His people free.” I cannot hold any one “free,” so long as his own conscience locks him up into the fear of death and punishment. The mind which has places which it is afraid to touch, can never expatiate everywhere; and the mind which cannot go anywhere, never is “free.” It is the sense of pardon which is that man’s emancipation. Have we not all felt the difference—to work that we may be loved, and to work because we are loved; to have a motive from without, or to have a motive from within; to be guided by a fear, or to be attracted by an affection? But, again, to obey any one isolated law, however good that law may be, and however we may admire and love the Lawgiver, may still carry with it a sense of confining and contraction. To do, not this or that command, but the whole will, because it is the will of one we love—to have caught His mind, to breathe His spirit, to be bound up with His glory—that has in it no littleness; there are no circumscribing confines there; and these are the goings out of the unshackled being in the ranges which match with his own infinity. And yet once more. Such is the soul of man, that all that in his horizon falls within the compass of time, however long—or of a present life however full—that man’s circle being small, compared to his own consciousness of his own capability, through that disproportion, he feels a limitation. But let a man once look, as he may, and as he must, on that great world which lies beyond him as his scope and his home, and all that is here as only the discipline and the school-work by which he is in training, and immediately everything contains in it eternity. And very “free” will that man be “among the dead,” because his faith is going out above the smallnesses which surround him, to the great, and to the absorbing, and to the satisfying things to come. It will not be difficult to carry out these principles, and apply them to the right performance of any of the obligations of life. It needs no words to show that whatever is done in this freedom will not only be itself better done, but it takes from that freedom a character which comports well with a member of the family of God; and which at once makes it edifying to Him, and acceptable and honouring to a heavenly Father. (J. Vaughan, M.A.) Spiritual freedom:—What is liberty? Obedience to one’s self; obedience to a law which is written in a man’s own heart. If I obey myself, and myself is not a right self, it is, indeed, “liberty,” but being a bad liberty, it becomes “licentiousness.” It is compulsion; it is bondage. Liberty is when the outer law and the inner law are the same; and both are good. 1. Every one has a past which fetters him. The moment a man really believes, and accepts his pardon, he is cut off from all his sinful past! He is at liberty—free from his own bitter history—free from himself! 2. Now look to the “liberty” from the present. If I have received Christ into my heart, I am a pardoned man, I am a happy man, and I know and feel that I owe all my happiness to Him—therefore I love Him; I cannot choose but love Him; and my first desire is to please Him; to follow Him; to be like Him; to be with Him. My life is to become a life of love. In obeying God, I obey myself. The new life and the new heart are in accord. 3. And what of the future? A vista running up to glory! But are there no dark places? Chiefly in the anticipation. When they come, they will bring their own escapes and their own balances. He has undertaken for me in everything. He will never leave me. So I am quite free from all my future. To die will be a very little thing. The grave cannot hold me. He has been through, and opened the door the other side. (Ibid.)
Christian liberty:— I. THE LIBERTY OF THE SUBJECTS THAT ARE FREED. Christian liberty stands—1. In immunity from evil. (1) From that which is evil in itself. Satan; sin (a) in the fault, (b) in the punishment: whether the inward slavery of an accusing conscience or outward wrath of God, death, and damnation. (2) From that which is evil to us, as (a) burdensome traditions, (b) the law, either ceremonial or moral, as regards either the obligation or the curse. 2. Less than this is bondage, more than this is looseness. II. THE PREROGATIVE OF THE KING OF GLORY THAT HATH FREED THEM. 1. They could not free themselves. 2. Angels could not free them. 3. Only Christ could, whose ransom was infinite. 4. Only Christ has, whose love is infinite. How? (1) By force; in that He hath conquered him whose captives we were. (2) By purchase; in that He hath paid the full price to him to whom we were forfeited. We could not be free by birth since we were sons of wrath; nor by service since we were vassals of Satan. 5. Christ has freed us from seven Egyptian masters. (1) The bondage of sin by the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 6:12; 7:14; 2 Peter 2:19; Rom. 7:24, 25; 2 Cor. 3:17). (2) An accusing conscience by the blood of Christ (Heb. 10:19, 22). (3) The wrath of God by faith in Christ (Heb. 10:27; Rom. 5:1). (4) The tyranny of Satan by the victory of Christ (2 Tim. 2:26; Heb. 2:14). (5) The curse of the law by the satisfaction of Christ (Gal. 3:10, 13). (6) The law of ceremonies by the consummation of Christ (Rom. 8:2; Eph. 2:14–16). (7) Human ordinances by the manumission and instruction of Christ (Gal. 4:10, 11; 1 Cor. 7:23). III. THE MAINTENANCE OF THE LIBERTY WHICH THE POWER OF THAT GREAT PREROGATIVE HATH ACHIEVED. 1. How strange that such an exhortation should be necessary. In the case of a liberated bird or an emancipated slave it would be superfluous. 2. Yet facts prove it necessary in the case of Christ’s freemen. (Bishop Hall.)
Christian believers exhorted to the maintenance of their spiritual liberty:— I. THIS EXHORTATION IMPLIES—1. That attempts will be made to deprive us of this liberty. This is discovered soon after its first enjoyment. (1) By Satan and sin. (2) By companions. (3) By pleasure. (4) By persecution. (5) By deceivers who attempt to undermine the doctrine on which salvation rests. 2. The awful possibility of losing this liberty, as testified (1) by Scripture; (2) by the history of the Church; (3) by observation; (4) by experience. 3. That there is no necessity to lose this liberty. When lost it is most frequently by (1) a culpable ignorance of spiritual duties and privileges; (2) a presumptuous self-confidence leading to unwatchfulness; (3) a weak and wicked self-indulgence. 4. Yet while there is no necessity to forfeit their liberty, Christians are exposed to great and peculiar dangers (1) from constitution and temperament; (2) circumstances; (3) difficulties and sorrows; (4) spiritual exercises. II. THE DUTIES IN THE OBSERVANCE OF WHICH SPIRITUAL FREEDOM MAY BE MAINTAINED. 1. The devotional reading of Scripture day by day in connection with religious biography and kindred works. 2. A regular and conscientious attention to private prayer. 3. A spirit of watchfulness. 4. Constant self-denial. 5. Unceasing cultivation of holiness. In conclusion: Remember—1. The price paid for your redemption. 2. The wretched state of the re-enslaved believer. (H. H. Chettle.)
Christian freedom:— I. IN THE VOLUNTARY SERVICE OF GOD (Luke 1:74; 1 Tim. 1:9). II. IN THE FREE USE OF THE CREATURES OF GOD (Titus 1:15; Rom. 14:14). III. TO COME UNTO GOD THROUGH CHRIST IN PRAYER (Rom. 5:2; Eph. 3:12). IV. To enter heaven (Heb. 10:19). (W. Perkins.)
Liberty not lawlessness:—Liberty is harmony between the law and the nature and inclinations of its subjects. Law is essential to freedom, but freedom requires that the law shall be such as comports with the best interests and highest reason of those who have to obey it; for then their best desires will concur with their obligations, and, wishing to do only what the law requires them to do, they will be conscious of no restraint. (Newman Hall.)
Spiritual and related freedoms:—Let me remind you of the arrangement of the ancient temple. In the centre was the sanctuary, with the altar of sacrifice before it, and the altar of incense within; and beyond the veil, the Holy of Holies and the mercy seat. Here worship was offered, atonement made, the presence of God manifested. Let this represent liberty spiritual—the union of the soul with its Maker. Beyond the sanctuary and enclosing it, was the Court of the Jews, through which access was obtained to the inner shrine. Let this represent liberty doctrinal—that revealed truth by which the soul obtains admission into the liberty of God’s children. Beyond was the Court of the Gentiles—further from the Holy of Holies—but connected with it, surrounding and defending it. Let this represent liberty ecclesiastical, by which doctrinal truth is best conserved and thus spiritual liberty best attained. Beyond all these were the outer walls and gates, and the lofty rock on which it was upreared. Let this represent liberty national, by which ecclesiastical freedom is guaranteed. (Ibid.)
Freedom and slavery:—Know that to be free is the same thing as to be pious, to be wise, to be temperate and fast, to be frugal and abstinent, and, lastly, to be magnanimous and brave; so to be the opposite of all these is the same as to be a slave; and it usually happens that that people who cannot govern themselves, are delivered up to the sway of those whom they abhor, and made to submit to an involuntary servitude. (Milton.)
The soul’s rebellion against its thraldom:—As the lark, imprisoned since it burst its shell, though it has never sprung upward to salute the rising sun, will often manifest how cruel is its captivity by instinctively spreading its wings and darting upward, as if to soar, but only beats its head against the wires and falls back on its narrow perch; so the soul of man, designed to soar and utter its raptures in the rays of the great central sun, will sometimes, even in its cage, attempt to rise and breathe a loftier atmosphere, but falls back vainly struggling against the bars which sin and death have framed around it. (Newman Hall.)
Standing fast in liberty:—The phrase alludes to the duties of soldiers on military service. When marshalled in the ranks they must stand firm, without yielding their ground, without bending their knees; when placed as sentinels they must stand upon their guard and permit no enemy to surprise them. You are soldiers of Christ, and must stand fast—be valiant for the truth—and look to yourselves. (H. H. Chettle.)
Liberty from law unconscious obedience:—No man has reached liberty until he has learned to obey with such facility and perfection that he does it without knowing it. If I step upon a little bit of plank in the street I walk along over it without thinking. Although it is only four inches wide I can walk on it as well as I can on the rest of the pavement. But put that plank between two towers one hundred feet high in the air and let me be called to walk over it. I begin to think, of course, of what I am called upon to do. And the moment I begin to think I cannot do it. When you try to do a thing you cannot do it as well as when you do it without trying. (H. W. Beecher.)
Christian liberty:—The apostle now enters upon the more practical part of the Epistle. Freedom is the link which connects the two parts together. I. CHRISTIAN LIBERTY IS THE LIBERTY OF FAITH. Faith receives the truth, the whole truth, concerning sin and redemption; and it is the truth, believed, that makes men free. II. CHRISTIAN LIBERTY IS THE LIBERTY OF HOPE. 1. A hope which maketh not ashamed, for it is based on Christ’s accomplished work. 2. A hope which patiently waits for that which it knows it will assuredly possess. III. CHRISTIAN LIBERTY IS THE LIBERTY OF LOVE. The Saviour’s love to the sinner draws the sinner’s love to Himself. IV. CHRISTIAN LIBERTY IS THE LIBERTY OF HOLINESS. The safeguards of political liberty lie not in the laws which regulate, or the armies which defend it, but in the spirit which animates a people, in their respect for law, in their mutual toleration, in their recognition of others’ rights, and, above all, in their hearty devotion to the government under which they live. Where these prevail, a nation is already free, and a liberty so founded will never degenerate into license. So also Christian liberty is best secured from abuse, not by the threat of penalties, or by an appeal to fear, but by the operation of those principles which lie at the foundation of Christian character. The gospel sets man free from a bondage beneath which a loving obedience is impossible, in order that, being free, he may serve God in the spirit of Christian liberty. (Emilius Bayley, B.D.)
Spiritual liberty:—Spiritual liberty consists in freedom from the curse of the moral law; from the servitude of the ritual; from the love, power, and guilt of sin; from the dominion of Satan; from the corruption of the world; from the fear of death and the wrath to come. (C. Buck.)
Christian liberty:—The liberty wherewith Christ has made men free is a deliverance from a system of rules, positive and prohibitory—a temporary and provisional system which had an educational value, training men to the full privileges of religious manhood. It is an abdication of privilege, when men fall back upon the old standpoint of Judaism, and fence themselves in by rigid rules as if of primary importance. There is a perpetual tendency to make men subject to ordinances, whose language is, “Touch not, taste not, handle not,” after the commandments and ordinances of men; and not only to adopt these precepts as useful helps for their own moral progress, but to impose them upon others, almost as if they were of Divine origin; and to make them the standard of their judgment upon the spiritual condition of their fellow men. Every school of religious thought exhibits proofs of this temptation to represent as commandments of God, precepts of man’s own devising. This Judaising temper displays itself whenever men try to narrow down eternal principles of conduct into minute rules, which can prefer no higher claim than to be deemed useful to some, whilst they may be positively injurious to others.… In vindicating the freedom brought to us by the gospel, we throw ourselves back on the primary truths of Christianity—the Fatherhood of God, and the reconciliation wrought out by the atoning work of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son of God. Fully believing that God is a righteous Judge, we shall yet not feel towards Him as if He were a hard taskmaster or rigid lawgiver, but as the Infinite Being whose love first created us, and subsequently devised our redemption; we shall exercise an unreserved faith in the completeness of the sacrifice for sin which has been made by our Saviour, and the present forgiveness which has been obtained for us; and we shall rejoice in the glorious liberty of the children of God. But this sense of liberty will not degenerate into licentiousness and unrestrained self-indulgence. Because we are not under the law, but under grace, we shall see ourselves called to a higher and nobler type of holiness. We shall certainly not be without law to God. Our religion will be displayed, not in a punctilious attention to external rules, but in a life-giving spirit, which will penetrate into every department of action in relation to others. In daily society it will impart a kindliness, a charity, a justice, in our estimate of the words and conduct of those around us; it will teach us a Divine tolerance and a modest humility. It will make the best of both worlds, not in the low commercial sense, which tries to strike a balance between the claims of secular expediency and devotion to the service of God, but in the spirit of the apostolic exhortation which bids men “use this world as not abusing it.” Spite of all the manifold temptations on the plea of piety, or on the plea of the necessary subordination of the individual to the society, it will firmly refuse to descend to a lower level of Christianity than that which Christ its Founder intended. It will uphold the banner of freedom by maintaining, alike in theory and in practice, that Christianity is not in its essence a system of doctrince or a code of precepts, but a life and a spirit, a communion with God in Christ, manifesting itself in the power of true godliness. (Canon Ince.)
Personal liberty of the Christian:—The doctrine of St. Paul is not that a Christian man has a right to liberty in conduct, thought, and speech in and of himself, without regard to external circumstances, interests, organizations, and without reference to his own condition. Paul’s conception of the rights and liberties of men stands on the philosophical ground underneath all those things. Rights and liberties belong to stages or states of condition. The inferior has not the right of the superior. A stupid man has not the right of an educated or intelligent man. He may have the legal rights; but the higher ones, that spring out of the condition of the soul, must stand on the conditions to which they belong. A refined man has rights and joys that an unrefined man has not and cannot have, because he cannot understand them, does not want them, could not use them. Rights increase as the man increases—increases, that is, not merely in physical stature, or in skill of manual employment or material strength, but in character. So, as men work up higher and higher towards the Divine standard of character, their rights and liberties increase. The direct influence of Christ is to bring the human mind into its highest elements. The power of the Divine nature upon the human soul is to lift it steadily away from animalism or from the flesh—the under-man—up through the realm of mere material wisdom and accomplishment, in the direction of soul-power, reason, rectitude—such reason and such rectitude as grow up under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. When love has permeated the whole man, he then has perfect liberty—liberty of thought, liberty of speech, liberty of conduct. A perfect Christian is the one and only creature that has absolute liberty unchecked by law, by institution, by foregoing thoughts of men, by public sentiment. Because a perfect man is in unison with the Divine soul, he has the whole liberty of God in himself, according to the measure of his manhood. But he has liberty to do only what he wants to do, and he wants to do nothing that is not within the bounds and benefit of a pure and true love. He becomes a law to himself; that is, he carries in himself that inspiration of love which is the mother of all good law. He is higher than any law. His will is with God’s will. He thinks what is true; he does what is benevolent. (H. W. Beecher.)
Christian liberty a trust:—When a man is in slavery he is not his own master; he acts and lives under the direction of others, and the responsibility of life is in a greater or less degree shifted from him on to some one else. When a man becomes free, he assumes the duties of life, and recognizes that it rests only with himself whether those duties are performed or not. And so man living under the Christian covenant stands in a direct personal relation to God, a relation of trust. Gifted with freewill, he is answerable for his conduct; subjected no longer to the ordinances of the Mosaic Law, he claims the liberty of the gospel; but he dares not forget that there still is a law limiting and controlling the freedom which he enjoys, and that every action of his carries responsibility with it. The soul of the old law is enshrined and quickened in the body of the new. The spirit, not the letter, of Sinai is met with again in the Sermon on the Mount. All Christian duties are summed up there and enforced with the authority of One who taught not as the scribes and Pharisees, and who spake as never man spake (Matt. 22:37–40). Our liberty is a limited one. No man can do as he likes. He has a Master in heaven whom he must serve. He is indeed set free by the death of Christ from the ordinances of the old covenant, and he is no longer a slave; but he has been placed in a society which is governed by laws eternal in their force, and the measure of the liberty he enjoys is the good of his own soul and the well-being of his brother’s, for none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.… As Christian members in the commonwealth of Christ we possess, indeed, in its highest and holiest sense, the triple right of liberty, fraternity, equality; but the religion to which we belong is neither reactionary nor revolutionary, and our liberty must be controlled, our equality sanctified, and our fraternity blessed, by the Holy Spirit of God. (C. W. H. Kenrick, M.A.)
Stand fast:—Brethren, I cannot be of any other faith than that which I preached nearly twenty-nine years ago on this platform. I am to-day what I was then. That which I preached here then I preach here now. You know the story of the boy who stood on the burning deck because his father said, “Stand there,” and he could not come away. Other boys, much wiser than he was, had gone and got out of the mischief. I am standing where I stood then; I cannot help it, so help me God. I know no more to-day than I knew when first I believed in Jesus as to this matter. I know by grace. Are ye saved through faith and that not of yourself—“it is the gift of God?” You shall leave this Rock if you like; you may be able to swim; I cannot, and so I stop here; and when the crack of doom shall come I shall be here, God helping me, believing this self-same doctrine. There is something in our very adhesiveness and pertinacity which represents the spirit of the gospel. I am sure that steadfastness in these particular times has its value, and I urge you to it that the gospel which you have received, “the gospel of the grace of God,” you stand fast to as long as you live. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The secret of steadfastness:—Standing on the shore of an estuary, one sees a boat riding in the tideway, when sea-weed and other things float by, over the self-same spot; and whether the tide ebbs or flows, whether it steals quietly in or comes on with the rush and roar of foaming billows, the boat always boldly shows its face to it; and turning its head to the current receives on its bows, to split them, the shock of waves. This, which to a child would seem strange, is due to the anchor that lies below the waters, and, grasping the solid ground with its iron arms, holds fast the boat. It seems no less wonderful to see a tree—no sturdy oak, but slender birch, or trembling aspen—standing erect away up on a mountain brow; where, exposed to the sweep of every storm, it has gallantly maintained its ground against the tempests that have laid in the dust the stateliest ornaments of the plain. But our wonder ceases so soon as we climb the height, and see wherein its great strength lies; how it has struck its roots down into the mountain, and wrapped them with many a strong twist and turn round and round the rock. (W. Arnot).
Stand fast:—1. In Christ to whom you have been brought. 2. In adherence to the doctrines which the gospel has set before you. 3. You will find your strength and dependence only in the grace of Christ. 4. In the service of your Master to the end. (J. Harding, M.A.)
The bounds of Christian freedom:—When we speak of freedom, we are apt to think only of the removal of restraints. But though it is important to get rid of all needless restraints, it is much more important that we should possess and train the powers for which the absence of restraint is demanded. If there is no life, the removal of restraints will be of no use. If the life is feeble, and tied down by inward restraints like those of superstition or of fear, the removal of outward restraints will not set it free. But if there is vigorous life, it demands for its development a constantly expanding freedom: and this spiritual power has in itself both its proper energy and its proper bound. It is a tree which has an innate capacity of growth. Give it air and light; remove whatever confines and overshadows it. It may need pruning and guiding; but it can provide its own symmetry for itself. I do not propose to dwell verse by verse upon the passage (Gal. 4:1–16) which I have taken for a starting point, but to illustrate and enforce its central principle. Wherever there is a just demand for freedom, it is because there exists a living power to be liberated; and this living power, if it be kept pure, contains in itself the true limit of its exercise. First, take the revival of Christian liberty at the time of the Reformation. Luther’s first great treatise was Concerning Christian Liberty. The liberty he claims presupposes the establishment in the soul of the Divine life of faith. You do not work, he says again and again, so that you may live. Life comes first; works, afterwards. The fruit will never make the root or the sap, but the root and the sap ensure the fruit. But, since this Divine life of faith exists, he demands that it should be free from the fetters of the clerical system of the Middle Ages. But let us come to more commonplace examples of freedom; we shall still find that it is the growth of the inner life or capacity which determines and controls the external conditions. Take the familiar case of a boy who wants to leave school and go to sea. If his father is wise, he will watch carefully, and try to estimate the meaning of this wish. Is it mere unruliness or restlessness, or dislike of study? If so, he will give it no encouragement. But, if he finds the boy in his leisure moments reading about the sea, and haunting about the seashore, and studying intelligently the boats and sails and machinery, after a time he will begin to recognize in the boy such a bent as indicates a genuine call. And when this is so, he may assure himself that the freedom will not be abused. The boy will be free from the constraints of the shore life; but that very zest for seamanship which has won its freedom will be most likely to ensure the right use of that freedom. There is a fine expression in the speech in which Pericles contrasted the free system of Athenian life, “the trustful spirit of liberty,” with the narrower system of Sparta. It might be thought that, unless such constraints as those imposed at Sparta existed, each man would try to impose his own will or tastes upon others. But the contrary, Pericles declared, was the case at Athens; each man respected the feelings of his neighbour. The slavish system is that of mistrust. Mutual confidence is the offspring of freedom. We might illustrate this by the experience of two great English schools some sixty years ago. When Keate was head-master of Eton, his system of discipline was one of terrorism. He never took a boy’s word, and, on the suspicion of a fault, he flogged him. At the same period, Arnold was head-master at Rugby. He always believed a boy; and it was only on rare occasions, when the proof was indubitable, that he punished. It might have been supposed that, under the severer system, boys would be afraid to do wrong, and that they would take advantage of the more lenient system to deceive. The contrary was the case. At Eton, under Keate, it was thought quite fair to deceive a master. At Rugby, boys said, “It is a shame to tell Arnold a lie, he always believes you.” Thus freedom and trustfulness beget the sense of responsibility. To conclude: We have spoken of freedom first as an inward and spiritual state, secondly as the removal of outward restraints. The first of these is the most important. To the attainment of this we must constantly attend, both for ourselves and for those on whom we have any influence. There are tyrannies which have nothing to do with physical restraints, and against these we must war incessantly. There is the tyranny of evil habits. How can he be thought free who is the slave of customs which he knows to be wrong? There is the tyranny of fashion and opinion, and again of prejudice and party spirit. How can he be free who acts only as others choose? There is the tyranny of ignorance. How can he be called free whose life is bounded by a narrow circle of ideas? Let us strive for the sublime liberty which belongs to those who fear God and hate evil. (Canon Fremantle.)
Exell, J. S. (n.d.). The Biblical Illustrator: Galatians (pp. 311–317). Fleming H. Revell Company.
5 1 For freedom Christ has set us free; continue to stand firm, therefore, and do not be loaded down again with a yoke of slavery.
For freedom Christ has set us free. There is every reason to agree with modern versions when they print Gal. 5:1 as a little paragraph all by itself, the first paragraph of a new chapter. That something new begins here is clearly evident from the contrast between the argumentative style of the earlier chapters, including the immediately preceding context, and the hortatory language that begins here in 5:1. Having been taught that in Christ we are free, we (here specifically the Galatians) are now encouraged to maintain that freedom (verse 1) and to interpret and apply it properly (verse 13 ff.). But this very statement also indicates the close connection between chapters 4 and 5. The truth stated and vigorously defended in the preceding chapters is applied to life in chapters 5 and 6. That the idea of freedom is very much in the foreground is clear not only from verse 1 but also from verse 13 ff. The question arises: Just what does Paul mean when he speaks of freedom? It implies first of all deliverance. This deliverance is sometimes conceived of as rescue from the guilt and power of sin (Rom. 6:18); hence, from an accusing conscience (Heb. 10:22), from the wrath of God (Rom. 5:1; cf. Heb. 10:27), and the tyranny of Satan (2 Tim. 2:26; cf. Heb. 2:14). Nevertheless, although all of this is probably implied in Paul’s use of the term here in Gal. 5:1, 13, the context indicates that he is thinking particularly of freedom from “the law,” that is, deliverance from the curse which the law pronounces upon the sinner who had been striving—unsuccessfully, of course—to achieve his own righteousness (Gal. 3:13, 22–26; 4:1–7), but has now, by grace, turned to Christ and salvation in him. Cf. Phil. 3:4–9. For God’s chosen one this freedom includes rescue from the results of the law’s inability to make alive what is dead (Gal. 3:21). Implied is also freedom from fear, the fear that arises from a. the erroneous idea that both the moral and the ceremonial law must be strictly obeyed if one is to be saved, and b. the oppressing awareness of inability to meet this demand (Gal. 3:23; 4:21–31; Rom. 7:24–8:2). Deliverance is, however, a negative concept, though the positive is clearly implied. Freedom is more than deliverance. It is a positive endowment. What the law could not do God has accomplished through Christ and the Spirit (Rom. 8:3, 4). Positively, then, freedom, as Paul sees it, is the state in which a person is walking and living in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25), so that he produces the fruit of the Spirit (5:22, 23), and with joy and gratitude does the will of God (5:14; Rom. 8:4), in principle fulfilling the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2), even “the law of liberty” (James 1:25). This liberty amounts to delighting in the law of God in one’s inmost self (Rom. 7:22). The person who is truly free no longer acts from constraint but serves his God willingly, with cheerfulness of heart. Freedom of access to the Father is implied, of course, for the blessing of which Paul speaks is enjoyed by sons (Gal. 4:6; Rom. 8:15). Such true freedom is therefore always a freedom plus. It is with freedom as with justification. See p. 98. When an accused man is declared not guilty, he is free. Likewise when a slave has been emancipated, he is free. But the judge or the emancipator does not, as a rule, adopt the acquitted individual as his son. But when the Son makes one free, he is free indeed (John 8:36). He then rejoices in the glorious liberty of sonship, with all that this implies as to “access,” right to the inheritance, etc. Paul emphasizes that it was Christ himself—not our own merits or our own deeds—that set us free. He did it by becoming a curse for us (Gal. 3:13); hence, by his blood (Heb. 10:19, 22); and he did it and is constantly doing it through his Spirit (Gal. 3:2, 3, 14; 4:6, 29; cf. Rom. 8:4). Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (2 Cor. 3:17). The thoroughly human Paul expresses himself in a manner which could almost be described as containing a bit of humor when he says, “For freedom Christ has set us free,” as if to say, “Is it not ridiculous to imagine that Christ would have opened for us the gate of our prison—at such a cost!—merely to transfer us to another prison? Surely, he set us free in order that we might indeed be and remain free!” Continued: continue to stand firm, therefore (cf. 2 Thess. 2:15). Perseverance in the fight against re-enslavement is here prescribed. The Galatians had been running beautifully (5:7), but they had failed to carry on. They had, in fact, reversed their course. What Paul is saying, then, is that over against the opponents they should stand firm and should so continue. This standing firm is not that of a well-nigh unassailable fenced-in statue, but rather that of a tree firmly rooted in the midst of the raging storm. Even better, it is that of the soldier on the field of battle, not fleeing but offering stout resistance to the enemy and defeating him (Eph. 6:10–20). The very fact that it was no one less than Christ himself who had set the Galatians free, so that by standing firm, they are voluntarily continuing in the sphere of his activity, should encourage them; hence, “Continue to stand firm, therefore.” The crown of valor is victory (Matt. 10:22; Rev. 2:10). Paul adds: and do not be loaded down again with a yoke of slavery. Peter had spoken about an unbearable yoke (Acts 15:10). He was referring to the yoke of the law, including its many regulations, augmented subsequently by man-made “traditions.” Under that yoke Israel had groaned. The Galatians, mostly of pagan origin (4:8), had been similarly subjected to rules and regulations pertaining to their former pagan religion. Ramsay speaks of “a highly elaborate system” of such burdensome stipulations, prevalent in Galatia. Hence, what the apostle is saying is that those who were delivered from this unbearable yoke of paganism should certainly not try to shoulder another similar yoke, that of Judaism. See also on 4:9. Having escaped from one ritualism are they now going to bow before another? Rather, let them flee for refuge to him whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light (Matt. 11:29, 30).
Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of Galatians (Vol. 8, pp. 191–193). Baker Book House.
Congratulations! We’ve completed three whole books of the Bible! We’re 1/8 of the way through the year as well … don’t worry, other books in the Bible are shorter!
Leviticus 1 — What were the characteristics of burnt offerings? God had a detailed process.
Personal
Cattle
Male
Without Blemish
Voluntary
At the tabernacle
Physical touch
Atonement
Personally killed
Blood sprinkled
Cut in pieces
Burned
Washed for a sweet savor
Leviticus 3:17 — The Israelites were forbidden from eating blood, because the life was in the blood (Leviticus 17:11).
Mark 1:30 — A major religion teaches that their clergy must be unmarried; however, we see that Simon (later Peter) had a mother-in-law. Most people with a mother-in-law also have a wife.
Mark 1:34 — Again, Jesus orders the devils to not speak (as we discussed yesterday).
Mark 2:4 — As Vic Eliason used to say, “The press caused problems even back then.”
I shall not die, I can, I do, believe in the Lord my God, and this faith will keep me alive. I would be numbered among those who in their lives are just; but even if I were perfect I would not try to live by my righteousness; I would cling to the work of the Lord Jesus and still live by faith in Him and by nothing else. If I were able to give my body to be burned for my Lord Jesus, yet I would not trust in my own courage and constancy, but still would live by faith.
Were I a martyr at the stake
I’d plead my Saviour’s name;
Intreat a pardon for His sake,
And urge no other claim.
To live by faith is a far surer and happier thing than to live by feelings or by works, The branch, by living in the vine, lives a better life than it would live by itself, even if it were possible for it to live at all apart from the stem. To live by clinging to Jesus, by deriving all from Him, is a sweet and sacred thing. If even the most just must live in this fashion, how much more must I who am a poor sinner! Lord, I believe. I must trust Thee wholly. What else can I do? Trusting Thee is my life….
“The LORD hath been mindful of us: He will bless us” – Psalm 115:12
I can set my seal to that first sentence. Cannot you? Yes, Jehovah has thought of us, provided for us, comforted us, delivered us, and guided us. In all the movements of His providence He has been mindful of us, never overlooking our mean affairs. His mind has been full of us — that is the other form of the word mindfull. This has been the case all along and without a single break. At special times, however, we have more distinctly seen this mindfulness, and we would recall them at this hour with overflowing gratitude. Yes, yes, “the LORD hath been mindful of us.” The next sentence is a logical inference from the former one. Since God is unchangeable, He will continue to be mindful of us in the future as He has been in the past; and His mindfulness is tantamount to blessing us. But we have here not only the conclusion of reason but the declaration of inspiration; we have it on the Holy Ghost’s authority — “He will bless us.” This means great things and unsearchable. The very indistinctness of the promise indicates its infinite reach. He will bless us after His own divine manner, and that forever and ever, Therefore, let us each say, “Bless the LORD, O my soul!”
As Christians, we are entrusted with the responsibility to uphold and defend God’s Word. When Scripture is misused, we must stand firm and warn others of the dangers. In this video, Mike clarifies that acknowledging the cessation of apostolic gifts does not mean denying the power of the Holy Spirit or God’s active presence in creation.
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Where is God when we suffer? This question was pondered by Israel during their exile in Babylon. While the exiles wondered if God had abandoned them, the prophet Ezekiel came with an announcement of restoration. In this message, R.C. Sproul studies Ezekiel’s prophecy to show how God appointed the exile of Judah to humble His people and renew their devotion to Him.
What does it mean to be baptized by the Holy Spirit? This phrase is often misunderstood by many Christians, and Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones brings clarity to this topic in this sermon on being filled with the Holy Spirit. Many people will say that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the same as salvation. Yet, this implies that the apostles were not saved until Pentecost since that is when the Spirit came on them. Dr. Lloyd-Jones defines the baptism of the Holy Spirit as the initial experience of the glory, reality, and love of the Father. Can one be filled with the Spirit repeatedly? Dr. Lloyd-Jones presents his argument for why he believes this to be the case and why it is the source of power and ability for the believer in Christian service and witnessing. This filling, he says, differentiates an advocate from a witness. Dr. Lloyd-Jones closes out by offering Scripture’s perspective on how to determine if someone is truly filled with the Spirit, and he establishes a foundational principle—revival is the pouring out of God’s spirit, and more than anything, that is needed in order to turn all countries back to Him. Christians have a biblical responsibility to pray for this.
New Top Meeting on Trump’s Gaza Plan Saudi Arabia will host an Arab summit on President Donald Trump’s plan for the US to take control of Gaza, according to a source close to the Saudi government. The leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates are expected to attend the summit on February 20, a week before a meeting in the Arab League in Cairo on February 27 on the same theme.
3 Israeli hostages – Alex Trupanov, Yair Horn and Sagui Dekel-Chen – set to be released from Gaza on Saturday After the hostage deal appeared to be on the brink of collapse, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad announced they would release three Israeli hostages on Saturday, adhering to the terms of the ceasefire deal while ignoring U.S. President Donald Trump’s ultimatum. “If all the Gaza hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 p.m., I would say cancel [the ceasefire], and all bets are off,” stated on Tuesday.
Germany: The Trump Administration Has No Respect for Rules The new American government has a different worldview than ours. A worldview that does not take into account established rules, nurtured partnerships and trust. Steinmeier also warned of the consequences of a world that is not governed by rules, and said that such an order cannot be accepted.
Pentagon threatens to cut aid if Egypt refuses to take in Gazans, as Arab states race to find alternative to Trump plan The Trump administration is upping the pressure on Cairo to accept the U.S. president’s plan to resettle large parts of the population of Gaza on Egyptian territory. On Thursday, the Qatari outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that the Pentagon had reached out to warn Egyptian officials that part of the over $1.4 billion in annual military aid might be cut if Cairo won’t accept President Donald Trump’s plan.
Pleading the Fifth? MN Dept. of Ed. refuses to answer questions at Feeding Our Future hearing It was a bizarre scene yesterday in the state House of Representatives’ Education Policy committee. The Commissioner of the state Dept. of Education (MDE), Willie Jett, time and again deferred questions to his Dept.’s attorney. Gov. Tim Walz appointed Jett as Education Commissioner in December 2022, some three months after the first indictments were handed down in the case. MDE hid behind the excuse of “human resources (HR)/personnel privacy” concerns (1:31:50 mark). $250 million of taxpayer money went missing, 40 individuals have been convicted of fraud, and the state agency responsible won’t answer a single question about what happened.
Hegseth: Don’t take US soldiers in Europe for granted The USA’s Defense Minister Pete Hegseth warns European NATO members not to take American military presence in Europe for granted. That’s why our message to our European allies is so sharp. Now it’s high time to invest, you can’t rely on the US presence being forever, he says at a press conference in Warsaw. Earlier on Friday, the conference chairman Christoph Heusgen told German radio that he suspects that US Vice President JD Vance, who is present in Munich, will announce that a large part of the American forces will be withdrawn from Europe.
Sanhedrin Letter to Trump: “You have been elected to fulfill a heavenly mission” The Nascent Sanhedrin published an open letter to President Donald Trump, blessing him for putting faith at the forefront by establishing a White House Faith Office. The Sanhedrin called on the President to establish an International Divine Court for all nations. “Your recognition of the importance of religion in public life is a step toward restoring moral values and spiritual leadership in the world.” The Sanhedrin then listed the Universal Moral Code:
‘Unacceptable’: Lebanon claims US will accept Israeli troops remaining in Lebanon after deadline The United States has approved an Israeli request for IDF troops to remain “indefinitely” in strategic points on Lebanese territory despite the withdrawal deadline expiring on Feb. 18, Lebanon’s parliament speaker Nabih Berri claimed on Thursday. Berri, who represented Hezbollah during the ceasefire negotiations, stated he was informed that “the Israeli occupier will withdraw on Feb. 18 from the villages it still occupies, but will remain in five strategic points.”
Religious Zionist Rabbis bless Trump as “God’s Messenger” A group of senior Religious Zionist rabbis affiliated with the Torat Ha’aretz HaTova [The Torah of the good land] organization sent a letter to President Donald Trump on Wednesday, emphasizing his central role as “God’s messenger in the global struggle for moral values and justice.” The rabbis wrote that Trump was chosen by God for his significant role and expressed appreciation for his work for the United States, Israel, and the entire world.
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan officially sanctioned by Trump admin, banned from entering US The United States has imposed sanctions on International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan in accordance with an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, the US Treasury Department confirmed on Thursday. Khan was sanctioned by the US after spearheading the ICC’s issuing arrest warrants for Israeli leaders over their role in the ongoing war against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza. … he has been added to the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.
Trump announces Israel-India trade route running through Israel During a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, U.S. President Donald Trump declared that a new trade route between the two countries—passing through Israel—will be “the greatest in history.”“It will run from India to Israel to Italy and onward to the U.S., connecting our partners, roads, railways, and undersea cables,”
Trump: I would take a hard stance on Gaza US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would take a hard stance on Gaza on Saturday, but added that he is not sure what Israel will do. “I don’t know what’s going to happen at 12 o’clock [on Saturday]. If it was up to me, I’d take a very hard stance. I can’t tell you what Israel is going to do,” Trump said in response to a question from reporter at the Oval Office.
Hostage’s father slams PM: ‘Implement Trump’s ultimatum, there won’t be another chance’ Yaron Or, the father of Avinatan Or, who is celebrating his 32nd birthday today in Hamas captivity, called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to demand the return of all the hostages tomorrow (Saturday) in accordance with the ultimatum of US President Donald Trump. Or accused the Prime Minister of engaging in a failed policy and claimed that Hamas will not release the remaining without a drastic step.
Saudi Arabia spearheads Arab scramble for alternative to Trump’s Gaza plan Saudi Arabia is spearheading urgent Arab efforts to develop a plan for Gaza’s future as a counter to US President Donald Trump’s ambition for a Middle East Riviera cleared of its Palestinian inhabitants, 10 sources said. Draft ideas will be discussed at a meeting in Riyadh this month of countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. Proposals may involve a Gulf-led reconstruction fund and a deal to sideline Hamas, five of the people said. an Egyptian proposal was now emerging as central to the Arab push for an alternative to Trump’s idea.
UN peacekeeping mission outgoing deputy force commander injured after convoy attacked in Beirut The outgoing deputy force commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was injured on Friday after a convoy taking peacekeepers to Beirut airport was “violently attacked,” UNIFIL said. The mission demanded a full and immediate investigation by Lebanese authorities and for all perpetrators to be brought to justice, it added in a statement. Hezbollah supporters attacked the convoy of Aroldo Lázaro …
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Turkish Foreign Minister US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday, the State Department announced. The two discussed ways to strengthen relations between the two countries, with the US official stressing that Syria, Turkey’s southern neighbor, must be “stable and unified” and doesn’t threaten the US or the region.
The Secret Of ‘Manifestation’ Is Occutlism And The Worship Of Self The practice of “manifesting” is not a new idea, but its popularity continues as its so-called practitioners continue to proclaim its efficacy in their lives. Celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Jim Carrey, Lady Gaga, Tom Holland, Drake and many others claim they have had success using the process of manifestation. So, what is it? … the practice of manifestation is unbiblical.
Augsburg University faces federal civil rights complaint over ‘no whites allowed’ faculty lunches Augsburg University is facing a federal civil rights complaint after allegedly hosting racially-segregated faculty and staff lunches that bar white employees from attending. The complaint, filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), alleges that the university’s “Faculty and Staff of Color BYO Lunch Gatherings” violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans racial discrimination by federally funded institutions. Professor Mark Perry warned that the events are “legally indefensible” and unlikely to withstand a civil rights investigation. …administrators act “as if they’re above the law” and assume they won’t face challenges.
Strong and shallow M6.0 earthquake hits near Fentale volcano, Ethiopia A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit near Fentale volcano, Ethiopia at 20:28 UTC (23:28 LT) on February 14, 2025. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
Tornado damages 20 homes in Columbia, Mississippi A damaging tornado swept through Columbia town in Marion County, Mississippi on Wednesday, February 12, 2o25, downing more than 70 power poles, and leaving around 100 customers without power.
Zelia makes landfall near De Grey River as a powerful Category 5 cyclone, Australia Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Zelia made landfall over Western Australia’s coast between Pardoo and Port Hedland at 12:30 local time (LT) on Friday, February 14, 2025, with winds up to 290 km/h (180 mph). The cyclone caused extensive damage and prompted emergency response efforts.
European Leaders ‘Horrified’ After JD Vance Slams Censorship Laws To Their Faces …As an example of Europe’s draconian attacks on free speech, the V.P. cited a recent egregious case in Great Britain: “A little over two years ago, the British government charged Adam Smith Conner, a 51-year-old physiotherapist and an Army veteran, with the heinous crime of standing 50 meters from an abortion clinic and silently praying for three minutes…In an even more extreme example of government overreach, Vance noted that Scottish officials recently distributed letters to citizens who reside within so-called safe access zones, “warning them that even private prayer within their own homes may amount to breaking the law.”
Investigation Underway After Australian Nurses Discuss Deliberately Harming Israeli Patients In a disturbing incident that has fueled concerns about rising antisemitism, two Australian nurses were suspended after a video went viral showing them making threats against Israeli patients. The nurses, employed at Bankstown Hospital in New South Wales, were captured in a video where they expressed intent to harm Israeli individuals, with one nurse claiming to have already sent Israeli patients “to hell.”
President Trump Signs New Executive Order Regarding COVID Mandates President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order preventing federal funding for schools implementing COVID-19 vaccine mandates…The executive order also will give the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary led by Robert F. Kennedy “a plan to end coercive COVID-19 vaccine mandates.”
High-Explosive Drone Pierces Shell Of Chernobyl Nuclear Plant At Very Moment Trump Pushes Ukraine Toward Peace On Friday just prior to high-level meetings among Western security officials and Ukrainian leadership commencing in Munich, including US Vice President J.D. Vance and Zelensky, there was a dangerous incident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine’s Kyiv oblast. Ukraine’s President Zelensky accused Russia of launching a drone equipped with a high-explosive warhead at the historic, defunct power plant, site of the April 1986 nuclear disaster and meltdown. The drone reportedly hit the protective containment shell of the Chernobyl plant.
Trump 2.0 — Attack of the Disruptors Mark Alexander Demos are, collectively, somewhere between acutely apoplectic and clinically depressed — It’s Trump Derangement Syndrome 2.0.
Next Up for DOGE: the CFPB Michael Swartz The utterly unaccountable Democrat bureaucracy is now in Team Trump’s crosshairs.
USAID Money Went to Leftmedia Emmy Griffin When we say that the legacy media is largely propaganda, it’s an accusation that is verifiable.
Yes, Let’s Keep Talking About USAID Douglas Andrews For some strange reason, the Democrats want to fight about the most infuriating uses of American taxpayer money.
What’s Not to Like? Jack DeVine Hey Democrats, if you want to win back disaffected voters, don’t keep blocking the changes they voted for.
Make the Academies Great Again Nate Jackson Military academy boards just got the Trump pink slip as he works to rid the Armed Forces of woke ideology.
DeVos Says to Kill the DOE Emmy Griffin The former education secretary eloquently explains why every single schooling decision should be left to the states.
NJ Offshore Wind Farm Dying Thomas Gallatin Governor Phil Murphy’s wind farm boondoggle may finally be done.
The BIG Lie “Americans woke up this morning to bad news for their bank accounts. They woke up to a grim reality that Donald Trump is not going to keep his promise to lower costs. Americans woke up to an era of Trumpflation.” —Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer Lack of Self-Awareness Award “House Democrats believe that urgent action is needed to drive down the high cost of living in the United States of America.” —House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries, whose party drove up the cost of living in America Keen Sense of the Obvious “Voters Were Right About the Economy. The Data Was Wrong.” —Politico Magazine headline Demagogues “Elon Musk is doing a power grab and an information heist — the biggest in American history and probably the most detrimentally financially to American taxpayers.” —Senator Richard Blumenthal “I think this is the most serious constitutional crisis the country has faced, certainly since Watergate. The president is attempting to seize control of power and for corrupt purposes.” —Senator Chris Murphy “This isn’t hyperbole to say we are staring the death of democracy in the eyes right now.” —Chris Murphy “This is a fight between the millions of hardworking people who don’t want to get cheated and a handful of billionaires like Elon Musk who want the chance to cheat them.” —Senator Elizabeth Warren “They are dismantling the federal government, which will deny the American people the services and the resources that allow them to raise their families, have a secure economy, and a secure future for themselves.” —Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro “You can’t spell felon without Elon.” —Congresswoman Delia Ramirez Stranger Than Fiction “What Trump Could Learn From Hitler on NIH Funding.” —headline in The American Prospect World’s Smallest Violin “Traumatized USAID worker who survived DOGE bloodbath describes horror of watching everyone get fired.” —Daily Mail headline Race Bait “Black excellence scares Donald Trump, it scares Stephen Miller, and it scares Elon Musk. Because you know what? Deep down they recognize their own mediocrity.” —Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman “White supremacy is rampant in this country. Just look at the current administration and our own legislative body.” —Congresswoman Summer Lee “You know I don’t do football, so I wasn’t watching the [Super Bowl]. But listen, I think today Donald Trump is gonna sign an executive order banning black people from halftime.” —”The View” co-host Ana Navarro Sexism Bait “You had mentioned trying to engage more women in manufacturing. I’m just wondering if just the name ‘manufacturing’ sounds like a guy.” —Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky Non Compos Mentis “Just under two weeks ago, I underwent surgery to ensure that I would never have to navigate a pregnancy in Donald Trump’s America. I refuse to let my body be treated as currency by an administration that only sees value in my ability to procreate.” —Michigan State Representative Laurie Pohutsky
As Democrats lob claims that President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are a potential national security threat, Republicans are calling them out for what they perceive as hypocrisy after years of weak immigration and foreign policies.
“Being lectured by the Democrats on national security is pretty rich after they spent the last four years sending billions of taxpayer dollars to terrorists, letting suspected terrorists walk through our wide-open southern border and disgracefully retreating from Afghanistan, empowering Iran and kicking off the most destabilizing foreign policy paradigm in a generation,” Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., told Fox News Digital.
Democrats, led by Mark Warner, D-Va., vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, recently pressed White House chief of staff Susie Wiles over their “grave concern” that Musk and DOGE were illegally risking “exposure of classified and other sensitive information that jeopardizes national security and violates Americans’ privacy.”
One GOP Senate leadership aide remarked to Fox News Digital that it was “absurd” to suggest cutting wasteful spending through DOGE amounts to a security threat.
“This is the Russia hoax all over again, with an attempt to scare Americans by making preposterous claims that Elon Musk is going to steal their identity,” the aide said.
Sheehy added in his response, “America is lucky to have President Trump, Elon and DOGE working to restore accountability and fix our government. Perhaps the Dems should just say ‘thank you’ for cleaning up their mess.”
Warner wrote to Wiles that “unauthorized access to classified information risks exposure of our operations and potentially compromises not only our own sources and methods, but also those of our allies and partners. If our sources, allies, and partners stop sharing intelligence because they cannot trust us to protect it, we will all be less safe.”
The Democratic letter was sent amid uproar over Musk and DOGE’s shake-up of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), followed by other agencies and departments in the executive branch.
As DOGE has pressed on with the effort, Musk has revealed expenditures considered wasteful and the amount of contracts he is instructing agencies to cancel.
Intel Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., pushed back on those claims by his Democratic counterparts, writing on X, “The reaction from the Dem and media to DOGE conducting audits and cutting waste has been downright hysterical. It’s reminiscent of the Russia collusion hoax — a sad and dishonest attempt to scare Americans.”
The Senate GOP leadership aide said, “Senate Republicans are going to keep supporting this crucial work” through DOGE.
While DOGE continues to scrutinize spending, courts across the country have begun to issue rulings and injunctions limiting the agency’s ability.
Trump and Musk have hit several judicial roadblocks, from a temporary halt to DOGE access to Treasury systems and a restraining order on attempts to shut down USAID.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democrats have demanded increased transparency from a man who painstakingly posts on the internet every single thing he does.
After viewing hundreds of Musk’s posts from the past day, replete with videos and images chronicling his every move, Democrats condemned Musk for shrouding his work in secrecy.
“We have no idea what Elon is really up to,” said Senator Chuck Schumer, while listeners scrolling their phones read up-to-the-second updates from Musk about each bite of his breakfast. “It’s just a total mystery.”
Republicans argued in vain that Musk has run the most transparent government agency in history, describing his work in minute detail and publicly posting dozens of images showing the exact contracts that DOGE is canceling. “But other than posting government documents with precise contract amounts, payment histories, and signatures, where is the evidence of government waste?” asked Senator Elizabeth Warren. “Musk simply cannot be allowed to operate in the shadows like this.”
At publishing time, Musk had posted 73 more updates in the past minute showing what contracts DOGE was canceling as well as describing in vivid detail each bite of his sandwich.
Meet Devyn. The 16-year-old Chick-fil-A worker who has replaced the entire government.
Hungary’s Victor Orban WATCH: Hungary’s Viktor Orban is by far the longest serving head of state in Europe, and by this point has been vindicated on pretty much everything. So when he says that going forward it’s Ukraine, not Russia, that may be the biggest threat to the west, it’s worth paying attention.… pic.twitter.com/QeZmaMFJhy — Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) February 14, 2025
On Feb. 12, President Donald Trump announced a list of individuals who will serve on his President’s Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB).
Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 28, 2019. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times
The members are “a distinguished and trusted group of Patriots” who will advise the president on governing national security and other Intelligence Community (IC) work, according to the announcement released by the White House.
Trump chose the appointees to the group because of their range of experience, according to the statement. The White House stated that it hopes that the board will “help restore integrity to our Intelligence Community.”
The committee members include former California congressman Devin Nunes, who will serve as the group’s chair. Other members include Scott Glabe, Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, Brad Robert Wenstrup, Wayne Berman, Reince Priebus, Robert O’Brien, Joshua Lobel, Sander R. Gerber, Katie Miller, Jeremy Katz, and Thomas Ollis Hicks Jr.
What the Board Does
The federal government’s intelligence services website outlines the broad purpose of the PIAB, saying that it exists “exclusively to provide the president with an independent source of advice on the effectiveness with which the IC is meeting the nation’s intelligence needs.”
While the PIAB is an element of the executive office, it is made up of citizens from outside the government and has access to all the information needed for advising the president on intelligence issues. The board can have up to 16 members. Trump’s board has 12 members.
Another component of the board is its Intelligence Oversight Board (IOB), which was created to make recommendations to the president for oversight of U.S. intelligence activities. This is specifically for the purpose of ensuring that agencies within the Intelligence Community adhere to constitutional guidelines, other applicable laws, and presidential directives.
The board reports to the president on an as-needed basis but not less than twice per year.
According to the White House website, the IOB “complements and supplements, rather than duplicates the oversight roles of the Director of National Intelligence, Department and Agency Inspectors General and General Counsels, and the Congressional Oversight Committees.”
Board Leadership
Nunes resigned from Congress in 2021 and became heavily involved in Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, where he currently serves as CEO.
The former lawmaker’s upcoming position was announced in December 2024, along with the news that he would maintain his position as CEO of Truth Social.
Before leaving the House, Nunes served as the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee from 2015 to 2018.
During his time in Congress, Nunes expressed concern that the FBI conspired against Trump while investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
“Devin will draw on his experience as former Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and his key role in exposing the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, to provide me with independent assessments of the effectiveness and propriety of the U.S. Intelligence Community’s activities,” Trump wrote at the time of his December 2024 announcement.
PIAB History
The PIAB has been around for more than 60 years. It was created by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1956 and was originally called The President’s Board of Consultants on Foreign Intelligence Activities.
Eisenhower created the group after discovering that he needed a group of respected colleagues to give him “unfettered and candid appraisals of U.S. intelligence activities.”
The group was renamed the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 and has been operational for every president since that time, except for the late President Jimmy Carter, who did away with the board in 1977.
The distinguished group was reinstituted in 1981 by President Ronald Reagan. It was renamed once again in 2008 by former President George W. Bush, who gave it the name it has today, the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board.
Bush chose the name in hopes of conveying that national intelligence is an international issue and one that the board is tasked with keeping a close eye on.
The PIAB’s history has enjoyed a special status that has been well guarded by the executive branch for the entirety of its history. This is achieved by the fierce efforts of those involved to adhere to strict confidentiality in both their meetings and in all communications and advice.
According to the White House website, the board “has had immense and long-lasting impacts on the structure, management, and operations of U.S. intelligence.”
“The PIAB exists exclusively to assist the President by providing him with an independent source of advice on the effectiveness with which the Intelligence Community is meeting the Nation’s intelligence needs, and the vigor and insight with which the community plans for the future,” it reads.
The IOB was added to the mix in 1976 under President Gerald Ford, upon the recommendation of the Rockefeller Commission. The group called for an executive body at the presidential level to conduct oversight into the “legality and propriety of U.S. intelligence activities.”
Since then, the IOB has worked to review the activities of groups and individuals within the Intelligence Community. It advises the president on what those activities are and whether they could violate a law or executive order.
According to the official background of the IOB, part of its function is to advise the president on whether issues are being addressed appropriately by the attorney general, the director of national intelligence, or the heads of any department or agency that could need presidential direction.
During his third full week in office, President Donald Trump and his administration took several actions that will have wide-ranging impacts on the size of the federal workforce as well as foreign policy. Here are six developments that unfolded over the past week.
In his statement, Trump appeared to tacitly urge Israel to keep the pressure on for the release of all hostages — and made clear that U.S. support would be rock solid for whatever they needed to do.
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