Mercy

Many confuse this term with leniency, when the latter word is used in a somewhat negative sense.  Yahweh is merciful in that He is longsuffering, and provides every opportunity for men to find salvation. (Psa 86:15)  He paid an infinite cost in the death of Yahshua to enable humanity to find repentance and acceptance. (2Cor 5:19, Rom 5:8)  Yet the Scripture declares Him to be “longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.” (Num 14:18)

The sins of men may be forgiven, but they are never overlooked.  It is true that Yahweh will sometimes punish men “less than our iniquities deserve,” (Ezra 9:13) because it is the  “goodness of God leadeth [that] thee to repentance.” (Rom 2:4)  Yet while Yah is patient, and will not chastise us more than we can bear, He does not remove the consequences of our actions in most cases, and allows us to reap what we sow. (Gal 6:7)  Does everyone understand the distinction between forgiveness and having wrongs overlooked?

Yahweh is interested in our characters.  If, when we discover we have done wrong, we confess and repent of that action, the character is cleansed, and grows.  But if our wrongs go unacknowledged, and there are no consequences, then exactly the opposite takes place: the soul is corrupted, and growth is stunted.  The character of Christ is not developed by those who do not understand their responsibility as a child of the Most High, and they will not be able to stand before the Throne. (Isa 33:14)

Just as “love” is often confused with “sentimentality,” which consists to a large extent of positive feelings, so mercy is often relegated to an emotion rather than a principle.  If we wish to be merciful as our Father in Heaven is merciful, it does not mean we must overlook the faults of others and let not only ourselves, but others, be abused in our presence.  We must not allow those we love to abuse themselves either, by continuing unwarned in a wrong course of action… this is not true mercy. (Ezek 3:18)  Yahshua loved the Pharisees whom He rebuked; Peter and Paul loved their former brethren whom they chastised for their rejection of the Messiah.   These things were necessary for them to understand, if they had any hope of inheriting life.  In the long run, the most merciful thing we can do for the world is to do just as we are called to do – to testify of Christ, and to hold up His character before the world, saying, “This is what the Almighty requires of His people, all who will be saved from the destruction to come.”

None/No one:

The Bible uses this and other collective terms in some unusual ways.  For example, collective terms are often used as a “representative set.”  Here is one example: “we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; as it is written, ‘There is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.’” (Rom 3:9-12)

Taken by itself, this passage and others like it is sometimes used to say that humans are not only depraved, but that this is the only possible situation for human beings, even after salvation.  Thus, they conclude, a concept of “victory over sin” is an ideal at best, and a delusion that steals hope, at worst.   But those who think this have simply never experienced true freedom before; and they compound their problem by using their past experience to judge not only the promises of Scripture, but also the experiences of others who have accepted those promises.

Although Paul says “no one” in the passage from Romans 3, he does not mean “no one under any circumstances,” for we need only keep reading to see his own qualifier: “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Yahshua the Messiah unto all and upon all them that believe; for there is no difference [between Jew and Gentile].  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Yahshua.” (verses 21-24)  Paul goes on to explain that by the law all are guilty, and none may be made right by a decision now to keep the Law (if such a thing were even possible).  It is only by faith that we may both be justified and obey.

Nevertheless, although none may be justified by the law, and none of themselves seek after Yah, the Scriptures do speak of those who seek the Almighty. “Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek Yahweh their Elohim, and David their king; and shall fear Yahweh and His goodness in the latter days.” (Hos 3:5)  Promises are offered to those who seek, “for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” (Heb 11:6)  Christ instructs us to “seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Mat 6:33)

This is not a contradiction, it merely incorporates the idea of Grace, which we studied last month, and makes note of the fact that because of this gift we have the opportunity to be drawn to Yah’s character and seek Him.

Perfect

This word is well known to Creation Seventh Day Adventists, and we have encountered it very often in our work of teaching Righteousness by Faith to a wicked and perverse generation.

As we have seen in previous New Moon studies (and a number of articles focusing on other subjects) the word “perfect” may carry with it two well-defined meanings.  In both the major languages of the Bible, Hebrew and Greek, these meanings come through.

The first meaning involves a standard that may vary according to an individual’s understanding and the light that he or she has received.  But, and this is very important, do not confuse variable with subjective.  An individual does not merely decide what he or she ought to do and then set out to attain a self-imposed goal.  It is Yahweh who guides His people, as it is written, “the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” (Jer 10:23b)  Based upon the leadings of Yah, each individual has a degree of righteousness that is expected.  They have been permitted to know things about the character of the Almighty, and themselves, and there are tendencies to subdue and promises to claim.

This kind of perfection, which we rarely label “perfection” at all due to the possibility of confusion, is represented by the Hebrew word tam.  We read that Job was “was perfect and upright,” (Job 1:1) because he was fulfilling all his known moral obligations, with nothing lacking and no defilement.  The corresponding word for the New Testament is the Greek teleios, which is used in such verses as, “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man; and able also to bridle the whole body.” (James 3:2b)  It does not say the man may not have more to learn. Job certainly did; but as Christ instructed, (Mat 5:48) we are to have no moral lack.

There is another word for perfection that men do not claim while they are yet undergoing the process of sanctification on earth.  It means “completeness,” “perfection” in the absolute sense.  Where this word appears in Hebrew, tamam, we find David praying, “Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me; then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.” (Psa 19:13)  This result of being kept from presumptuous sins results in a condition of perfection that the Psalmist describes as “upright.”  While already “upright” in the sense that he was “a man after [Yah’s] own heart,” (Acts 13:22) he had more to learn before being ready for Heaven.  The Greek word teleioo fills this role in such New Testament passages as, “And these [heroes of faith] all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise, God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” (Heb 11:39, 40)

Paul uses both these terms in one passage, as most of us have already seen, to illustrate the growth process of the Christian.  He writes, “Not [considering] as though I had already attained, either were already perfect [teleioo]; but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect [teleios], be thus minded; and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.” (Phil 3:12, 15, 16)  While heading toward the degree of absolute perfection, we may claim to be among those who “be perfect” by putting away the past and reaching forward, by allowing Yah to continually show us the path ahead, and by standing fast in what we have already attained.

Predestined

This word, and its older form “Predestinated,” is a source of much controversy in Christendom.  Are some individuals destined to be saved, and some destined to be lost?  The answer, interestingly enough, is “Yes,” but there is a very important qualification to attach to that answer.

What the question usually means, when it is asked, is, “Are some human beings arbitrarily chosen to be saved or lost?”  The answer to that new, more specific, question becomes a very clear, “No.”  The Bible absolutely refutes the idea that Yahweh chooses certain men for destruction even before their birth.  But now, we must look at the verses that some will use to teach exactly that concept.

Here is one: “As it is written, ‘Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.’” (Rom 9:13)  Some take this verse, and much of Romans 9, to mean that Yah has chosen some individuals before their birth to be saved or lost.  This is not the case at all.  Romans 9 is not speaking of individuals, but of nations.  The Almighty never said (so it is not “written”) about Jacob or Esau (the men) that he loved one or hated the other… Paul is not quoting from Genesis but from the prophet Malachi, who records a theoretical conversation between Yahweh and His people: “‘I have loved you,’ saith Yahweh. Yet ye say, ‘Wherein hast thou loved us?’  ‘Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?’ saith Yahweh, ‘yet I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.’” (Mal 1:2, 3)

Clearly, this is speaking about the nation of Israel (named for Jacob) and the nation of Edom (named for Esau).  The heads of the nations gave their character to the people of their land to a degree, and this is the reason why one was accepted and the other rejected.  The individuals themselves were chosen or rejected based upon how they responded to the grace offered them, and we read that Esau lost his earthly inheritance, a symbol of the Heavenly, because he was a “profane person,” caring more about the comforts of this life than the dignity of the priesthood as it pertained to the next. (Heb 12:16)

The word “predestinated” itself features heavily in an epistle of Paul.  This is a long passage, so I will post it all, and let me know when you are finished:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yahshua the Messiah, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Yahshua the Messiah to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved.

“In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace; wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself:

“That in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him; in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will, that we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ.

“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory.” (Eph 1:3-14)

 Clearly, Paul is focusing strongly on the idea that salvation is initiated by Yah, and not in the mind or heart of any human.  He makes it plain that men are saved by the will of the Creator, and not by the merits of any human being.  Men are “chosen” from the foundation of the world… but the question is, “Why are some men chosen and some men rejected?”  That is the big question, and one we have in common with those who believe in an arbitrary election of grace.

Those who believe in absolute predestination in a Calvinistic sense say that God chooses based on some criteria we do not know, or on no criteria at all; He simply points His finger and says, “That one.”  This is not what the Bible teaches.  While Paul’s words are certainly profound, they are not in conflict with other passages that tell us that we may choose (by the gift of grace) to serve the Almighty.  Mankind is “totally depraved,” as the phrase goes, which is why an additional factor – grace – must be provided that men should have a hope of Heaven.  As Joshua said to the Israelites, “choose you this day whom ye will serve.” (Josh 24:15)  Every book of the Bible provides men with a moral choice, either explicitly worded or implied by the content.  Every book of the Bible affirms that men are free to choose, and Christ taught us to, “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,” because “no man can serve two masters.” (Mat 6:20, 24)

Yahweh is shown to “predestinate” those whom He “foreknows.” (Rom 8:9)  The Almighty knows ahead of time who will be saved and who will be lost; it does not say that He predestinates those whom he “fore-saves,” or “fore-selects.”  The selection itself (also called being “ordained before” in 1Cor 2:7) is based upon His knowledge, not His activity.  Paul Himself tells us, in Ephesians 1, that those who are selected are those who hear the word and believe.  These are the ones Yah draws to Himself but, and this is very important, He is seeking to draw all.  He is “not willing that any should perish,” (2Pet 3:9) and this is spoken in the setting of not only the saints, but also the wicked. (verse 7)  Christ intended that His sacrifice should “draw all” unto Himself; (John 12:32) and again this was not spoken in terms of only the elect, but for all who were present, even those who did not understand His ministry or work. (verse 29)

A lot more may be said on this topic, but what it boils down to is this: there IS an election of grace according to Yahweh’s purpose and pleasure, but it is not random.  It is not based on some divine principle that is higher than the human mind can grasp, or else the vast number of moral lessons and instructions to reject evil and choose righteousness would be perfectly meaningless.  While there is indeed an election, the apostle Peter tells us in no uncertain terms that the election is not based on nothing, and not based on factors over which we have no control, for he gives us clear instructions, saying, “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure; for if ye do these things [described above], ye shall never fall.” (2Pet 1:10)  If this verse is seen in harmony with Paul’s statements, the matter becomes perfectly plain.

Remember

This word joined the list because someone asked me a question to the effect of, “If the Scriptures teach that our sins will not be remembered, how will we know who we are in Heaven, and does this mean that God forgets some things?”

The word “remembered” in Scripture may be very simply explained as this: “considered,” or “contemplated.”  After the Flood, Yah said, “The bow shall be seen in the cloud, and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.” (Gen 9:14, 15)  This does not mean that He would literally forget (as we use the term today) not to flood the world until He saw a rainbow; it means that this would be a visible sign of the promise, something that may be contemplated as a “token” of the covenant. (verse 13)

We read also, “Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O Yahweh.” (Psa 25:7)  “I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” (Isa 43:25)  “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” (Heb 8:12)

These verses do not mean that we will actually forget what happened on earth.  A number of passages tell us that our knowledge will be increased, not decreased, as here: “But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face; now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” (1Cor 13:10, 12)

The Book of Hebrews includes the passage, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” (Heb 12:1)  Looking back at the previous chapter to see what the “wherefore” is about, we realize that the author is including also the number of the saints that died before Christ came.  In the world to come, the followers of Christ and, in a special sense, the last generation of saints, will have much to teach those who have preceded us by way of the grave.  In the resurrection (this passage is not addressing life after death, as some would hold) the 144,000 will have a special place, having followed the Lamb “whithersoever He goeth,” (Rev 14:4) and reflecting the light of His character most clearly.

That these individuals who learn are called a “cloud of witnesses” is significant, for they will not know, by observation, things about us that we do not know about ourselves by experience.  Paul writes, “Know ye not that we shall judge angels?” (1Cor 6:3) Clearly, we will have access to the events of even the spiritual plain as it pertains to this age.

Replenish

This is a word that has some importance to the discussion of how literally the first chapters of Genesis are to be taken.  The verse at the center of the matter is found generally in the older translations to read, “And Elohim blessed them, and Elohim said unto them, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (Gen 1:28)

This is not an instruction to fill an earth that was once already full of life.  Individuals who hold the gap theory, or other alternate view of Creation than is plainly revealed in Genesis, believe that dinosaurs and so on are the creatures of a previous age that was destroyed before men.  We believe that “all things” pertaining to the physical universe were created in six days, as both Genesis and Exodus tell us.

The word for “replenish” in Hebrew comes from the word maleh, which means to simply “fill.”  We need not even go to the original language for this if we understand that replenish comes from an older term replene, not re-plenish, or to “plenish again.”  Replene comes from Latin to Old English by way of French… and in its earlier forms meant only “to fill,” even if it is the for the first time.  Even today, when we say something is “replete,” we mean it is full, such as “replete with wisdom;” and there is no connotation there of having once been full, then emptied, then filled again.

Salvation

While some people generally have a good grasp of what this word means, it is a good idea to clear up what this word ought not to mean to the Christian.  Salvation should never have, as its primary meaning, “Going to Heaven,” or even worse, “Avoiding Hell.”

It is true that there are some Christians, and I have met a few, who believe that the reason a Christian is “good” is because he is seeking to avoid punishment.  Such a person has never met Christ, because while the Bible says that fear of punishment may be necessary initially to wake an individual up from Babylonian stupor, (Jude 1:23) this is not enough to sustain an individual in justification.

If anyone wishes to understand the details of salvation, I would direct them the “Three Seals” series of New Moon studies, “The Bood Seal,” “The Spirit Seal,” and “The Water Seal.”  These explain that salvation, or the state of being sealed, may refer to a process rather than an event (this depends to some degree on the context in which the term is used).  Scripture uses salvation in three senses.  One “was saved” when Christ was accepted. (Titus 3:5)  Individuals “are saved,” by Christ as He keeps us in the walk of sanctification, (1Cor 15:2) and we “shall be saved” in a final, ultimate sense when the Messiah returns to glorify His people. (Mat 10:22)