Identifying the cosmic system, part 11 John 15:19; 1John 3:8-10.

Title: Identifying the cosmic system, part 11 John 15:19; 1John 3:8-10.

 

Lyndon B. Johnson made a commencement address at the University of Michigan on May 22, 1964 where he introduced his progressive idea of the “Great Society.” I want you to listen to a few sections of this speech and see if you see anything in common with our teaching on identifying the cosmic system.

 

“For a century we labored to settle and to subdue a continent. For half a century we called upon unbounded invention and untiring industry to create an order of plenty for all of our people.”

 

“The challenge of the next half century is whether we have the wisdom to use that wealth to enrich and elevate our national life, and to advance the quality of our American civilization.” [Notice: we have the wisdom to use that wealth, i.e. it belongs to the nation and therefore is should be under the control of the government.]

 

“The Great Society rests on abundance and liberty for all. It demands an end to poverty and racial injustice, to which we are totally committed in our time. But that is just the beginning.”

 

“The Great Society rests on abundance and liberty for all.”

 

Some truth with some evil added [abundance for all].

 

He goes on to state how our cities, our countryside, and our classrooms have to be done in a certain way and all of them lofty ideas that are, in his mind, purposed for the happiness of man, but also in his mind, are regulated by the government. As a result there are zoning laws in cities so that they “look nice” and also flowers along the highways [by law], that government buys up lands so that they are protected from the evil capitalist, and the burarcracy of schools for grades K-12 and now is bleeding into universities [Harvard example]. FDR started the idea and LBJ put it into practice.

 

The Great Society was a plan for the government to do what God was doing for anyone who had faith in Him. The City of God was to become the City of Man, constructed by him without God.

 

As was stated concerning Abraham, the father of our faith:

HEB 11:10

for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

 

1 John 3:8 the one who practices [does or commits] sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

 

1 John 3:9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

 

Justification means a new standing before God, sanctification means being set apart to God, and regeneration means a new divine nature from God's nature, 2 Peter 1:4.

 

2 Peter 1:3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

 

 “seeing that His divine power (doctrine + FHS) has graciously given to us a blank check for intimate communion with the abundant life and the spiritual life through the metabolized doctrine of Him who elected us to His own glory and virtue.” (corrected translation)

 

2 Peter 1:4 For by these He has granted [graciously given] to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

 

“These” are the divine power, doctrine, the filling of the HS, grace giving from the Father, abundant life and spiritual life, metabolized doctrine, and election to God’s glory and virtue.

 

Then come the promises of the value of all of this.

 

If you believe the precious and magnificent promises that pertain to the value of the things in verse 3 you will become a partner with your divine nature, and if not, then he will be a stranger to you.

 

 “partakers” - koinwno,j [koinonos] = companion, fellowship, partaker, or partner.

 

 “nature” - fu,sij [phusis] = the nature, quality, essence, or character of a being.

 

Each being has its nature whether plant, animal, microbial, man, unbeliever, believer, or God. This nature is described as divine.

 

 “divine” - qeioj [theios] = divine, or of the One True God.

 

The genitive adjective can only mean one thing. This nature is of the One True God and therefore it is perfect, holy, righteous, incorruptible, and it cannot sin.

 

And if you believe the promises of the value of these things then you will escape the corruption that is in the cosmos by lust.

 

“Escape” means just that, to flee away from, which assumes that at some time you were in bondage or slavery or prisoner to it; it meaning the cosmic system. The infant believer and the child believer are very much influenced by the cosmic system, but through doctrine and the FHS they will eventually gain fellowship with the word to the extent that they will become strong young men and escape the clutches of this evil system that is driven by lust.

 

 “lust” - evpiqumi,a [epithumia] = strong desire of any kind, and inordinate desire for a good or bad thing.

 

The automatic learned response to the word lust is sexual or chemical, but it can be for things that on the surface appear good, but in their core are evil. World peace, feeding the hungry, redistribution of wealth, universal health care, national education, legalism, communism, socialism, etc.

 

2 Peter 1:4 For by these He has granted [graciously given] to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

 

The new creature feeds on doctrine, breathes by the Holy Spirit, and thrives only in the environment of the PPOG.

 

Like any nature in God’s universe it can only live under certain conditions.

 

Hence, every believer has the divine nature of the new creature but that nature lays dormant and powerless because it is starving, can’t breathe, and is in a very unhealthy environment.

 

This nature is alive while the old nature, the sin nature is dead, being crucified with Christ. Yet death never means an end but only a change of state. The believer can feed with human viewpoint, provide the air of arrogance or emotionalism, and provide the environment of the cosmic system and the dead, old nature will have more power than the alive new nature. That is as ironic as it is tragic.

 

We build some basics as they are related in scripture:

 

The only way to enter God's family being born from God is by believing in Christ as your Savior, 1John 5:1.

 

1 John 5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God;

 

Physical life produces only physical life; God the HS at salvation produces spiritual life, John 3:6.

 

John 3:6

"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

 

Therefore all Christians are born-again. The physical seed of the first birth was corrupt by the fall but the spiritual seed is incorruptible, 1Pet 1:23.

 

1 Peter 1:23

for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable [corruptible, prone to decay, perishable] but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God.