Meditations
for Pascha
(The Passover Season, 2016)
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Meditations for the Monastic-At-Heart
Now is My+ soul troubled;
and what shall I+ say ...
FATHER,
save ME+
from this hour ?
but for this cause
came I+ unto this hour.
FATHER,
Glorify Thy Name.
Then came there a Voice from Heaven, saying,
I have both glorified It,
and will glorify It again.
John12:27-28
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Meditation Verse
Ephesians 1: 5
Having predestinated us unto
the adoption of children by JESUS CHRIST to HIMSELF, according to the good
pleasure of HIS Will,
In the literal Greek:
Having pre-defined us
for placing as a son through JESUS CHRIST
unto Himself according to the good
pleasure of HIS will.
The literal Greek,
expanded in meaning*:
The FATHER , Having pre-defined
us for the purpose of placing us as a son through JESUS
CHRIST unto The
FATHER Himself , according
to the good pleasure of HIS
,The FATHER'S ,will.
{ *See the discussion of
the Greek grammar at the end of the post .}
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Our Great Heavenly FATHER made
a way ... ONE way ... for mankind to come unto HIMSELF. The LORD JESUS told us
what that one way is.
Our Heavenly FATHER has no
"favorites" among mankind. HIS
Great Heart is open to all. All are invited.
Because sin entered the Adamic
race, however, Our Heavenly FATHER re-defined or re-set the boundaries of who
will enter Heaven. After Adam's sin, not
ALL MEN will enter Heaven; it would be defiled if that were so.
HE put limitations on
the Adamic race in regards as to who would enter into the Heavenly realm.
These limits HE set in motion
in accord with HIS Only-begotten SON+ before the foundation of the kosmos, the
world.
What
were these limitations ?
These boundaries, which were
pre-set before the foundation of the kosmos, the world, were defined by
and through CHRIST JESUS.
All men are invited to come to
JESUS. HE+ is said to be "the friend of sinners." That is, HE+
receives every sinner no matter what the sin, for cleansing ... if the sinful
one repents and converts to following JESUS.
HE+ said, " I+, I+ AM the
Way, the Truth, and The Life; no man comes to The FATHER but by ME+.
" John 14:6
Thus, knowing ahead of time the
sins of mankind, our Heavenly FATHER re-defined who among men could come to
HIM... before the foundation of the world, before there were any
"Adams."
All who repent and are
converted from their Self-serving life to follow JESUS CHRIST as LORD and
master of their life are the ones who enter into Heaven.
They are the ones who gain that
placement there as sons. They are the ones who receive a NEW IDENTITY ... an
identity which was established before the foundation of the world.
They are the ones who choose JESUS.
The FATHER , having pre-defined
us for the purpose of placing us as a son through JESUS
CHRIST unto Himself
, according to the good pleasure of HIS
Will, chooses us WHEN WE CHOOSE TO FOLLOW JESUS.
We cannot come to The FATHER
any other way.
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Let us pray:
Dear Heavenly FATHER ...
We have sinned...
in thinking that we can live
any way we want to because we have been pre-selected to have a place in Heaven.
We have erred...
living as though we could
never lose that placement, even though we were serving Self by having that very
mind-set.
We have mis-judged...
Thy fatherly goodness
extended to all mankind and taken advantage of it. We even promoted
un-discipled living to others, thinking that we were pre-selected and others,
obviously, were not.
We repent...
of mis-representing Thy
Character, to others , to our own Self.
We accept...
the boundaries placed upon
mankind: that we must be born from above in order to enter Heaven.
Not one person comes to
THEE+, O FATHER, except through Thy Beloved SON+, the LAMB+ of GOD, slain from
the foundation of the kosmos, the world, for us.
We openly acknowledge...
the limitations THOU hast
established about who enters into Heaven.
Blessed be GOD: FATHER, SON+,
and HOLY SPIRIT.
In our heart-felt repentance and
amendment of life, we beseech THEE to make us acceptable to THEE through Thy
Beloved SON+, our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. Amen.
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Glory be to The FATHER,
and to His Beloved SON+
JESUS CHRIST,
and to the Blessed HOLY SPIRIT.
ONE GOD:
FATHER,
SON+,
and HOLY SPIRIT,
both now and forever,
world without end.
Amen.
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Worthy is the LAMB+.
Worthy is The LAMB+
that was slain.
Worthy is the LAMB+,
slain
from the foundation
of the earth.
Revelation 13:8
*Discussion of the Greek grammar
of Ephesians 1:5.
KJV: Having
predestinated us unto the adoption of
children by JESUS CHRIST to HIMSELF,
according to the good pleasure of HIS Will,
Expanded Greek:
The FATHER , Having pre-defined
us for the purpose of placing us as a son through JESUS
CHRIST unto The
FATHER Himself , according
to the good pleasure of HIS
,The FATHER'S ,will.
At the beginning of the verse,
the verb participle is aorist active and nominative. The subject is found in
the previous verses, hence "The FATHER" is the subject telling us who
did the action.
The two pronouns, Himself
and HIM refer back to The FATHER, by a logical and careful reading of
the verse. They do not refer unto JESUS.
The verb participle, pro-oriz0,
has been translated in the KJV as "pre-destination." The pre- means beforehand, obviously.
The second part of that verb, horiz0,
means to set as a boundary, a limit, to mark out definitively. We know it as the English word, "horizon."
Horiz0 has nothing to do with something one is
helpless to either avoid or to bring about... as the word "destiny"
means.
This word simply means pre-set
or pre-defined and it refers to the defining of those who qualify
to enter Heaven into the Presence of GOD. They are defined as persons who
follow JESUS, whose lives are centered "within" HIM+.
This limitation or definition was
set before the foundation of the world, before mankind was created.
Hence, pro-oriz0,
does NOT MEAN predestination.
It is unfortunate for Christendom
for that word and concept to be found in this verse in Holy Scriptures.
That erroneous translation
seemingly establishes the erroneous concept of persons being pre-selected for
an entrance into Heaven, regardless of how they live before The LORD.
The second issue with this verse is this:
The "adoption of children" phrase comes from huiothesia. That is, huio = son, plus thesis ( from tithemi = to place) . Hence, it means sonship or to be placed as a son.
The "adoption of children" phrase comes from huiothesia. That is, huio = son, plus thesis ( from tithemi = to place) . Hence, it means sonship or to be placed as a son.
