#19 Claiming the Hebrew Victory

by Dr. Stephen R. Phinney

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting” (Psalm 136:1).  

“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).  

“Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love, He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:4-6).  

God did not give us a spirit of fear; but one of power, love, and a sound and reasonable mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Fearfulness is not of God. The Holy Spirit is not one who makes us be afraid; rather, He gives us the supernatural spiritual power of Christ, fills us with His love, and then gives us the mind of Christ.  

Satan is the author of fear. He and his demons are masters of fear. Fear is the fuel he uses to pull us away from the power of God’s love. Satan walks around on this earth looking for opportunities to deceive and destroy. We are called to be sober and awake because our enemy is ready and willing to devour us at the first opportunity – when he sees a believer submitting to fear. An older lion will get on one side of the prey and roar vociferously, producing fear in the prey, and causing it to run toward the younger lions waiting in ambush to leap out and kill them. Satan uses the same technique! He roars to instill fear, and then attacks. Without the submission to fear, our faith stays steadfast and we are able to resist (1 Peter 5:8-9). 

VICTORY REQUIRES UNDERSTANDING 

Satan is an enemy to be understood regarding the limited power God gave him to rule over the earth; but we are not to fear him. The only appropriate fear in life is the fear of God. These are two very different types of fear; one type builds respect and unity and the other destroys it. Our victory over Satan is clearly laid out in the Scriptures. It is total and complete. When men apply by faith this victory, which is freely given to us by the Holy Spirit, we can overcome all temptations the enemy throws our way!  

What is the will of Satan anyway? The enemy seeks to use three primary tools; the world, the flesh, and his demonic forces. The flesh tempts, the world offers illustrative examples of sin, and the demonic forces pull it all together for the fall. He simply does not want you and I hearing the voice of the heavenly Father. For he knows when we do hear God’s voice, we are apt to submit to it. This is why he fills our heads with chaos and distractions. He doesn’t care what distracts us; he just wants us following his voice and will. That is the ugly part of submitting to the temptations offered to us by our flesh. We are literally carrying out the will and testament of Satan himself. (It is so ugly, I didn’t even what to write it.)   

In 2 Corinthians 2:11, the Lord tells us, “so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.” Ignorance is the key, here. God wants us to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves in our view and understanding of the schemes of the devil. So let us not be ignorant!  

The day you asked Jesus into your life, you became what the Bible describes as a “believer.” The moment this happened, God placed the Holy Spirit into your body. It is just like a mother giving birth to her child, flesh of flesh. This is the same way our spiritual rebirth takes place; Spirit gives birth to our newborn spirit. As Christians, we become reborn, regenerated, filled with the Holy Spirit, and sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13). Now the point: Neither Satan nor his evil forces can enter our lives -- not for a moment. We are sealed and sealed with a promise. And be reminded, God never breaks a promise.  

A believer’s soul (made up of his mind, will, and emotions) is in process of being transformed on a day-to-day basis. Satan knows this, so he takes advantage of deceiving the mind and emotions in order to have the will submit to temporary slavery. It is our responsibility to grow in Christ, in order for the activity of the enemy to be resisted. If you and I believe a lie and take action upon that lie, we give Satan a foothold in that particular area of our lives. Picture a tabletop. Each time we submit to one of Satan’s lies and take action on this lie, the enemy places one more object on the tabletop. After a while, the tabletop becomes full of Satan’s objects, if the believer continues a pattern of submission to the enemy. The process I have taken you, in this series, was removing these objects one at a time. Now that your tabletop is clear, you must keep it clear. Use the authority you have been given to keep the enemy away from your table. Believe me; he is coming back for another round!  

In order to stay unconditionally free, stay in the habit of dispatching the power of Jesus Christ in all of your prayers and verbiage. The thoughts that torment your mind will cease, the feelings that have overwhelmed you will be gone, and you will remain enslaved to Christ. 

There is constant victory available to us through our authority in Jesus Christ. Use it as often as needed. Stand in your new convictions and learn to lead others with this newfound freedom. You are a child of God who has been delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of Christ’s light. Walk in the light, my dear friend! 

The only way to break the cycle of lies the enemy placed within our souls is to claim the Truth: 

1. There is no marriage relationship with Christ the Father cannot heal.  
2. The primary purpose of our marriage to Christ is not to be happy, but to glorify the Father and reflect His redeeming love. 
3. God uses our weaknesses to conform us into the image of how He originally created us.
4. True love (God’s love) is perfect, unconditional, and never fails.
5. We cannot love Christ in our own strength – God must do the loving through us.
6. Our marriage with Christ is a covenant. God is a covenant keeping Father. He will never break His covenant based on our fear of intimacy. 
7. God will always forgive us without limits. Only humans put limitations on forgiveness. Humans base their level of forgiveness on their level of pain.
8. Your faithfulness to the Father is the means of your spiritual healing. Healing requires faith and faith demands action.
9. You cannot solve marital problems by “putting another pair of shoes under the bed.” Thus, you cannot solve your spiritual problems by looking to other gods. The parallel is the same!! 
10. God’s grace, through your Groom, is enough for you to complete the work He is doing in you.
11. God the Father will never forsake you - regardless of what you must endure here on earth.
12. The rewards for your faithfulness to Christ and God the Father are not given here on earth – they are eternal.

• God’s Grace Is Sufficient: 2 Corinthians 12:9

• The Blood Of Christ Is Sufficient: 1 John 1:7 

• Sin Shall Not Master You: Romans 6:14  

• Your Past Does Not Have To Haunt You: 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 

Our past (i.e. our childhood), the ways we have been wronged, and the ways we have hurt others – these things do not have to be stumbling blocks for our growth as Bridal members. In fact, by God’s perfect grace, all these things can actually become building blocks to a greater victory and freedom.

Our heavenly Father enables us to keep all things within the view and doctrines of His sovereign hand. He gives us the wisdom to know the battle we are in is not evidence of defeat, but one of victory. By accepting His battle plan, we embrace the purpose of His plan for our daily living. He is able to give us a thankful heart as we battle in a war that He won. He allows these attacks to refine, deepen, mature, humble, and build our faith in walking after the Spirit.

It is critical that we ask for insight and understanding to know our victory, even before we engage in frontline activity. Our mindset of battle determines the outcome of each battle. If we go onto the battlefield with an attitude of weakness, our strength will be immediately robbed. 

However, if we enter the battlefield with the reality that we are invincibly strong:  

• through our union and sanctification in Christ  
• through the person and work of the Holy Spirit  
• through the wholeness of the armor He provides  

then, we cannot be defeated!

Next: Four Keys to Unlocking Our Victory

Claiming the Hebrew Victory Copyright © 2013 IOM America. Permission to reproduce for educational purposes. Please keep author’s name intact.

Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

#18 Tough Times Will Come

By  Dr. Stephen Phinney

Editorial note: Words in italics are from Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete). 

“ ‘And Jesus answered and said to them (his disciples), “See to it that no one misleads you” ’ ” (Matt. 24:4, parentheses added). 

“ ‘For many will come in My name, saying, “I am the Christ,” and will mislead many’ ’’ (Matt. 24:5).  

“ ‘You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end’ ” (Matt. 24:6).  

In Matthew 24:4, Christ foretells the going forth of deceivers. He begins with a caution, “See to it that no one misleads you.” The disciples expected to be told when these things should be, to be let in on that secret. But this caution only peaked their curiosity. Christ wanted the disciples to mind their duty, follow Him, and not be seduced from following Him. The fact is that Christ conceals much of the prophetic knowledge because of evildoers, not Bridal members. If Christ had revealed what the Father has concealed, the lawless men would use it to mislead many. Most inquisitive types need to be kept away from the secret things of God; for otherwise, they will use them to seduce. 2 Thess. 2:3 tells us: “Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.”  

Christ reveals that seducers are more dangerous enemies to the Church than persecutors. In this discourse, He mentions the appearing of false prophets three times. The appearing of these seducers was the occasion of dividing the people into parties and factions, which made their ruin the more easy and speedy; and the sin of the many that were led aside by them, helped to fill the measure. Secondly, it was a trial to the disciples of Christ, and therefore agreeable to their state of probation (trial), that they which are perfect, may be made manifest. This is the message for the Bride - that we would be perfected by staying on our toes.   

APOSTASY MUST COME  

Most conservative Christians are annoyed by other “Christians” who are liberal in their thinking – not believing the Word to be literal. In the end-times, many Bridal members will view the Word of God to be primarily “cultural” - not literal and absolute. Christ warned us of these times. By the way, we are in those times right now. This period of Christianity is called the Apostasy – there will, first, come a falling away. We may not be in the middle of the Great Apostasy, but we certainly are entering the warm-up phase.  

The primary evidence we need to watch for is the Bridal members becoming more offended by what Christ says than non-Christians. This is why the divorce rate in America is higher within the Christian church than it is in the world. The Bridal members are abusing the Scriptures to prove their “rights” as humans. This has become my overall experience, as a counselor, as I have much better working relationships with non-believers than I do most Christians. These are the “birth pangs” of apostasy.  

This apostasy will not be within civil government, but in spiritual or religious (Christ) matters, from sound doctrine, instituted worship and church government, and a holy (live by His absolutes) life. The apostle (Paul) speaks of a very great apostasy, not only of some converted Jews or Gentiles, but such as will be with Christians in general, though gradual. The purpose of the apostasy is to reveal the rise of the Antichrist, Satan. Take note of this: no sooner was Christianity planted and rooted in the world than there began to be a defection in the Christian church. Whenever God lays absolutes down, Satan starts an apostasy. It was so in the Old Testament church; presently after any considerable advance made in religion (Christianity) there followed a defection: soon after the promise there was revolting. The warning for those of us that believe God in what He says must be prepared for Satan to create in us a “falling away” each time we decide to “put our foot down.” Apostasy always follows covenant, unless blocked by embracing absolutes.  

James 1:2-4 tells us: “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” The suffering state of the Bride of Christ in this world is represented in this passage. In a very instructive manner, if we attend to what is plainly and necessarily implied, together with what is fully expressed, we will experience joy.  

It is implied that troubles and afflictions may be the lot in life for most Christians, even those who have a “spoiled” or “overprotective” lifestyle. We can walk in a constant state of joy, yet endure very grievous afflictions. Joy does not mean living a pain-free life. The Bride of Christ must not think it strange if they encounter troubles. These outward afflictions and troubles can only provide a temptation to walk in despair; they cannot force us to give up our joy. Satan uses hardship and sufferings to draw men to sin and deter them from their duties as Bridal members.  

Our afflictions are in God's hands. They are intended for the trial and improvement of our walk in Christ. The only way to remove the impurities in raw gold is to purify it by fire. So it is with the Christians; we, too, must be baptized by fire. It is a part of our commitment to the Groom. Our trials may be of many and different kinds, and therefore we have need to put on the whole armor of God. We must be armed on every side, because temptations lie on all sides. The trials of a good man are such as he does not create to himself, nor sinfully pull upon himself. But they are oftentimes a result of a passionate love life with the Groom.  

Please take a few minutes to look up the stated verses.   

• Do Not Be Frightened About The End: Matt. 24:6
  
• Don’t Exchange Truth for Fear: Matt. 24:7
• These Things Are The Beginning of the End: Matt. 24:8  
• The Bride Delivered to Persecution: Matt. 24:9 
• Many Bridal Members Will Fall Away: Matt. 24:10
• Many Bridal Members Will Grow Cold: Matt. 24:11-12
• Members that Endure Shall Be Saved: Matt. 24:13
• After The Tribulation: Matt. 24:29
• Signs In The Sky: Matt. 24:30 
• Then He Will Gather His Bride: Matt. 24:31
• Learn From The Fig Tree: Matt. 24:32-36
• Be On Alert: Matt. 24:42-44

Next: Claiming the Hebrew Victory  

Tough Times Will Come Copyright © 2013 IOM America. Permission to reproduce for educational purposes. Please keep author’s name intact. 

James, chapter 1. Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete), originally written 1706, public domain. 

Matthew, chapter 24. Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete), originally written 1706, public domain. 

2 Thessalonians, chapter 2. Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete), originally written 1706, public domain. 

All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

#17 The Groom Unites With His Bride

by Dr. Stephen  Phinney 

Editorial note: Words in italics are from Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete). 

“While the king was at his table, My perfume gave forth its fragrance. My beloved is to me a pouch of myrrh which lies all night between my breasts. My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of Engedi. How beautiful you are, my darling, how beautiful you are! Your eyes are like doves. How handsome you are, my beloved, and so pleasant! Indeed, our couch is luxuriant! The beams of our houses are cedars, our rafters, cypresses” (Song 1:12-17).

In these verses, the conference is carried on between Christ and His spouse, and endearments are mutually exchanged. Believers take a great satisfaction in Christ and in communion with Him. “Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious” (1 Peter 2:7, NKJV). In other words, Christ is above anything else in this world. The Bride is clearly communicating that nothing nor anyone is more prized than his or her Groom. This is critical in the process of knowing the heart of the Groom. Total commitment is the key!

The humble reverence believers have for Christ as their Sovereign King (Song 1:12), is in respect to both dignity and dominion. He wears the crown of honor and bears the scepter of power. This King has His royal table spread in the Gospel – made for “all people a feast of fat things” (Isa. 25:6, KJV). The “fat things” have traditionally and biblically been the “cream of the crop” belonging to the Lord. In others words, the 10 percent that God has been taking from the labors of men throughout all the generations is what He will be serving His Bride. This even goes to show the selflessness of the Groom. When God requests the tithe of men, He intends to use this “fat” at the “table of the feast” for His Son’s Bride. This should give us a new and fresh perspective of the purpose of all mankind needing to give their 10 percent of profits. It is not that God the Father wants His portion back; it is for the divine purpose of blessing the Bride with “gifts” from the Father of the Groom. Therefore, the next time you decide to give your tithe, think on this: You are storing up “gifts” for the Bride of Christ on His wedding day.

Table Furnishings of the Feast

Christ sits at His table to welcome His guests and have fellowship with them, while making sure their needs are met. He carves for them, as He did for His disciples (by breaking the five loaves and giving them to His disciples, so they might distribute to the multitude). He dines with His guests and they with Him (Rev. 3:20). While assembled there, He also receives their petitions, as His Word promises He will always be present with His people (Heb. 13:5).

The Aroma at the Table of the Feast

Then believers do Him all the honor they can, and study how to express their esteem of Him and gratitude to Him, as Mary did when she anointed His head with the ointment of the spikenard plant that was very costly, one pound of it worth three hundred pence, and so fragrant that the house was filled with the pleasing odor of it (John 12:3), which story seems as if it were designed to refer to this passage, for Christ was then sitting at table. When good Christians, in any religious duty, especially in the ordinance of the Lord's supper, where the King is pleased, as it were, to sit with us at His own table, have their graces exercised, their hearts broken by repentance, healed by faith, and inflamed with holy love and desires toward Christ, with joyful expectations of the glory to be revealed, then the spikenard sends forth the smell thereof. Christ is pleased to reckon Himself honored by it, and to accept of it as an instance of respect to Him, as it was in the wise men of the east, who paid their homage to the new-born King of the Jews by presenting to Him frankincense and myrrh.

Affections for the Head of the Table

The Song of Solomon 1:13 shows us the strong affection the Bride has for Christ as their beloved, their well-beloved. Christ is not only beloved by all believing souls, but is their well-beloved, their best-beloved, their only beloved; He has that place in their hearts which no rival can be admitted to, the innermost and uppermost place. 

Jesus Christ has great satisfaction in every true believer in His Church. Each believer is friendly in His eyes (Song 1:15): "How beautiful you are, my darling, how beautiful you are! Your eyes are like doves.” He says this to show believers there is true beauty in holiness, but not in a prideful way, as humility is one main ingredient in spiritual beauty. Christ also takes great pleasure in the good work His grace has brought to the believer’s soul. We, as believers, still have our weaknesses, but He still thinks of us as fair and beautiful – no matter what we think of ourselves or the world thinks of us. He calls true believers – friends (John 15:14).

“How handsome you are, my beloved, and so pleasant! Indeed, our couch is luxuriant!” (Song 1:16). Having expressed her esteem of her Husband's Person, she next, like a loving spouse, is transported with joy for having disposed of herself so well, applauds the accommodations He had for her pleasure, His bed, His house, His rafters or galleries (Song 1:16-17).

IN SUMMARY:

The Bride and Groom’s marriage is the institution Christ lives and functions within. The Bride needs to take assurance in knowing all that is Christ’s is hers. “All that I have is yours” (Luke 15:31, NKJV). All the Father has is ours, because we are the Bride of the Groom. We cannot make claim to these benefits if we are not married to Him. Our marriage puts us in the position of being restored back to the Faithful Father. We were once lost and now, we are found. Because the Faithful Father has accepted us back into His family, we can enjoy the pleasures of the Father’s House through the marriage of His Son. Special Note: Those who demand their rights display disrespect, like a woman or child attempting to give orders to the head of a home.

Next: Tough Times Will Come

The Groom Unites with His Bride Copyright © 2013 IOM America. Permission to reproduce for educational purposes. Please keep author’s name intact.

Song of Solomon chapter 1, Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete), originally written 1706, public domain. 

All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. 

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scriptures marked KJV are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, public domain.

#16 The Song of the Father

by Dr. Stephen Phinney

One of my favorite books in the Old Testament is the Song of Solomon. Why? Well, for a romantic like me, it reveals the full-on intimacy Christ desires to have with His Bride. The lack of fear and blockage between the couple shows my lifelong desire, and goal, I have with Jesus – to know Him in the most intimate form possible - from the inside out. 

The full title in Hebrew is “The Song of Songs, which is in the book of Solomon.” The book is called by some, Solomon's Song. The Hebrew title implies that it is the choicest of all songs. 

Due to the level of intimacy of this song, the early Jewish and Christian writers were silent as to the Song of Songs. There is no quotation from it in the New Testament, nor is there any clear allusion to it on the part of our Lord or the apostles. Since the first century AD, it has been used to describe the magnificent relationship between Christ (the Groom) and the Church (His Bride).  

Most scholars regard the text within the Song of Solomon as comparatively free from corruption. The title, in the Hebrew text, ascribes the poem as the dialogue between Solomon and his bride. The beauty and power of the book has seemed to assist students and editors to make the writing worthy of the gifted king (Solomon), whose fame as a composer of both Proverbs and Songs was handed on to later times. In fact, Solomon wrote one thousand and five (1,005) songs (1 Kings 4:32). Moreover, the name of Solomon is prominent in the Song of Songs itself (Song 1:5; 3:7, 9, 11; 8:11). If the traditional view that Solomon wooed and won the Shulammite (his bride) is true, then Solomon’s authorship is easily defended. 

Solomon is at home in Hebrew word pictures. He writes with words that clearly reveal the intimacy between a groom and his bride. His vocabulary is extensive and the movement of the poem is graceful. He uses words not only to express his intimate love for his bride, but “makes love” to her with words. This is the most intimate expression of marital intimacy. This poem clearly reveals that the act of making love is not an act at all; but rather, it is the journey to physical intimacy that love truly reveals itself. This is not only significant to us as Christ’s Bride, but critical for us to see how Christ “woos” us in order to express His undying love for us. 

JEWISH TRADITIONS 

To the Jews, the Song is a pure allegory of the love of Yahweh (God the Father) and His people (the Jews). From the latter part of the 1st century AD down to our own day, the Jewish rabbis have taught that the poem celebrates a spiritual love - Yahweh being the bridegroom and Israel the bride. Canticles (Song of Solomon) were supposed to be a vivid record of the loving “intercourse” between Israel and her Lord, from the exodus on to the glad Messianic time. The Song is read by the Jews at Passover, which celebrates Yahweh's choice of Israel to be His spouse. This allegory of the marital love of Yahweh and Israel became popular in the early church as Christ’s love letter to His Bride – both by Jews and Christians. The primary difference is the Jews are still awaiting their Messiah, while the Christians know and believe He has already come. 

The Literal Interpretation: 

Jewish interpreters and Christian scholars interpreted Canticles (Song of Solomon) as a song in celebration of the marriage of Christ and His Bride. This strictly literal interpretation of the Song was of a poor shepherd girl (unsaved condition of the Bride of Christ); the other was a wise and wealthy king (Son of the Father). In the Song, the Groom and His Bride interview each other (Song 1:9-11,15; 2:2; 4:1-7; 6:4-13). These interviews are a set up for the engagement that was soon to take place between the two of them. The poetic picture here is that of Christ drawing His Bride unto Himself. 

From the first chapter of this magnificent book, we have Christ and His Church (Christ and a believer) expressing their esteem for each other. Secondly, the Bride (the Church) speaks to the Bridegroom (Song 1:2-4), to the daughters of Jerusalem (Song 1:5-6), and then to the Bridegroom (Song 1:7). Thirdly, Christ (the Bridegroom) speaks an answer to the complaints and requests of His spouse (Song 1:8-11). The Church expresses the great value she has for Christ and the delights she takes in communion with Him (Song 12-14). Fourthly, Christ commends the Church's beauty (Song 1:15). And finally, the Church returns the commendation (1:16-17). Where there is a fire of true love to Christ in the heart, it will be of use to fan it into a flame. 

"May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine. Your oils have a pleasing fragrance, Your name is like purified oil; Therefore the maidens love you. Draw me after you and let us run together! The king has brought me into his chambers. We will rejoice in you and be glad; We will extol your love more than wine. Rightly do they love you. I am black but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, Like the tents of Kedar, Like the curtains of Solomon. Do not stare at me because I am swarthy, For the sun has burned me. My mother's sons were angry with me; They made me caretaker of the vineyards, But I have not taken care of my own vineyard” (Song 1:2-6). 

The spouse, in this dramatic poem, is first introduced addressing herself to the bridegroom and then, to the daughters of Jerusalem. This is just as in the case of an unsaved person coming to Christ for introduction, for engagement, and ultimately for holy matrimony to Christ. 

The woman’s (bride to be) heart has been taken up with the thoughts of Him. These relative thoughts were the precursor to the matter which her heart was writing about (Psalm 45:1). Scripture shows us she had two primary desires. 

FIRST DESIRE - She desired the bridegroom's friendship 

“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth” (Song 1:2). That is: “Be reconciled to me, and let me know that He is so; let me have the token of His favor.”(1) Kisses are historical of the symbol of friendship. Most of Western civilization considers a kiss sensual; this is neither biblical, nor correct.  

The Old Testament church desired for Christ to manifest Himself in the flesh. To receive the communications of divine grace in the Gospel was to be no longer under the law as a schoolmaster, or under a dispensation of bondage and terror. God was to reconcile the world unto Himself, binding up and healing (which the Law was unable to do), like a father who kisses his child after she has been disciplined. The kiss shows the greatest act of reconciliation. The Gospel is summed up in our kissing the Son (Psalm 2:12); so is the Gospel of grace summed up in His kissing us, as the father of the prodigal kissed his son when he returned penitent. It was a kiss of peace.  

True believers earnestly desire the manifestations of Christ's love in their souls, as well as the knowledge of His love which surpasses knowledge (Ps. 27:4). “Many are saying, ‘Who will show us any good?’ Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O LORD! You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound” (Ps. 4:6-7). They are ready to welcome the manifestation of Christ's love and friendship to their souls by His Spirit, and to return them in the humble professions of love to Him and satisfaction in Him. This is the fruit of his lips in peace, according to Isaiah 57:19. Bishop Reynolds said it so precisely years ago, “Let him give me ten thousand kisses whose very fruition makes me desire him more, and, whereas all other pleasures sour and wither by using, those of the Spirit become more delightful.” (2) 

The bride of Solomon (Bride of Christ) gives several reasons for her desire:  

• Because of the great esteem she has for His love, His love is better than wine. Wine makes the heart glad, refreshes sinking spirits, and exhilarates those who drink it. However, the Bride of Christ is stating here that she finds more pleasure in loving Christ and being beloved of Him. She believes that the fruits and gifts of His love, and the pledges and assurances of it, are better than any exquisite delights of earthly senses. And it is more reviving to her than the world’s most powerful stimulants. Christ's love is in itself, and in the account of all the saints, more valuable and desirable than the best entertainment this world can give. 

• There is a condition regarding the desire the Bride of Christ has upon her. The Bride can expect the kisses of Christ's mouth and the comfortable tokens of His favor, only if she prefers His love before all delights of the kisses of humanism, and would rather pass by those delights. Rather than forfeit His favor, she takes more pleasure in spiritual joys than in any bodily refreshments that belong to this world. (Song 1:3): “Because of the savor of thy good ointment (the friendliness and acceptableness of Your graces and comforts), thy name is as ointment poured forth” (KJV, parentheses mine). The unfolding of Christ's name is as the opening of a box of precious ointment, which fills the room with fragrance once the package has been opened. This fragranced ointment was used for two reasons in biblical history; first, in covering the body of a dead person and secondly, in the act of lovemaking. The Spirit is the oil of gladness with which Christ was anointed (Heb. 1:9). All true believers also have that unction, or anointing (1 John 2:27). Thus, He is precious to all believers, they to Him, and believers to one another. A good name is as precious ointment, but the Groom’s name is more fragrant than any other. Wisdom, like oil, makes the face to shine; but the Redeemer outshines all others in beauty. This truth should bring a deep and rich meaning to all written passages of fragrance, oil, and fruit of His lips.  

• The Bride’s third and most important desire is in the general affection that others would have for the Groom: “Therefore do the virgins love thee” (Song 1:3, KJV). It is Christ's love shed abroad in our hearts that draws other Bridal members who struggle with the world’s desires to love Him. Who are these virgins? They are those who preserve the purity of their own lives and are true to the vows by which they have devoted themselves to the Groom. Members who desire not to suffer their affections, to be violated by solicitations of the world and the flesh, are those who love Jesus Christ and follow Him wherever He goes (Rev. 14:4).

SECOND DESIRE - The Bride wants sweet fellowship from the Groom (Song 1:4). 

• Her petition for Divine grace: “Draw me” (1:4, KJV). This implies a sense of distance from Him, a desire of union with Him. She had prayed that He would draw closer to her, and that He would draw her closer to Him. Our Groom, Christ, has told us that none come to Him unless the Father draws him (John 6:44). We are not only weak, but reluctant to come to Him. We must ask the Holy Spirit to encourage us to follow His invitation to come to Him. Critical note: We are not driven to Christ, but are drawn by the power of His love. 

• Her pledge to His response is: “Draw me away! We will run after you” (Song 1:4, NKJV). Because of the influences of His grace, we cannot run after Him if He did not draw us (2 Cor. 3:5; Phil. 4:13). When Christ, by His Spirit, draws us - we must, with our bodies, souls, and spirits run after Him. Not only should we walk, we should run after Him. This should convey our eager desire, readiness of affection, and vigorous pursuit of His perfect love and affections. When Christ pours out his Spirit upon His Bride, all members receive the refreshing influences of the Spirit, and are made to run to Him with all the more joyfulness (Isa. 55:5).  

What a wonder and joy to be given some of the basic details of intimacy that Christ will enjoy with His Bride (us) in the days of eternity. I eagerly look forward to the endless process of getting to know Him from the inside out.  


Next: The Groom Unites with His Bride 

The Song of the Father Copyright © 2013 IOM America. Permission to reproduce for educational purposes. Please keep author’s name intact. 

1 Matthew Henry. Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706). Internet Sacred Text Archive. http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/cmt/henry/sol001.htm (accessed Jan. 24, 2013). Public domain in the US due to publication prior to 1923. 

2 Ibid.

All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.  

Scriptures marked KJV are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, public domain.   

All Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

#15 Christ's Bride No Longer Corrupt

By Dr. Stephen Phinney

I have often wondered what it would have been like to have married my bride in a perfect state of being. Since my thoughts are constantly filtering the influx of sin by the enemy, I have never been able to even image the glory of such an idea. I am sure she could say the same about me. This is why it is an almost impossible task for us to comprehend that Christ Jesus actually married a Bride who was and is no long corrupt, particularly when I see Bridal members wounding each other more than the enemy. 

“So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But, you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Eph. 4:17-24).  

“So this I say and affirm together with the Lord”  
I either bear witness, in the name of the Lord Jesus, or I am ministering by His authority. The object of this is to exhort each Bridal member to walk worthy of his or her high calling, and to adorn themselves with the doctrines of the Groom. With this view, the Groom reminds the Bride of what they were before their conversion, and of the manner in which the harlots (impure women) lived out around them.   

“That you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk”  
Most likely, this shows that the mass of converts in the Ephesian church were from among the pagans (those who have no belief in Christ). Paul regarded them as Gentile converts. He challenges us not to function in the futility of our minds - in the way of recklessness or in thoughtfulness. The word vanity or futility, in the Scriptures, means more than mere emptiness. It denotes moral wrong, usually being applied to those who worshipped vain idols, and then, those who were alienated from the true God.  

“Being darkened in their understanding”  
These converts had darkened understanding because they were alienated from the true God and particularly, because of the blindness of their hearts. The problem at hand here was, and is, the Bride continuing to think and function like her unsaved friends, i.e. not living as Bridal members of the great Groom, but still acting like harlots of the age. In general, Gentiles functioned in darkness. Paul speaks of a simple and well-known fact; a fact seen today, as well - understanding becomes darkened by indulgence in sin. A person, with a darkened mind, has no just views of the regulations of his appetites. One, who freely indulges in sexual activity, has no perception of the loveliness of purity. A person, who is materialistic or covetous, has no just views of the beauty of compassion. One, who indulges in vices, will weaken his mental powers or abilities, and render himself incapable of true spiritual effort. Indulgence in vices destroys spiritual insight, as well as the body, and makes one unfit to apprehend the Truth. 

Nothing is more obvious than the fact that indulgence in sin weakens the mental capabilities and renders us unfit for the higher calling. The pagan world (in the unresponsive, stupid mind; the perverted moral sense) reveals the incapacity for profound or extended spiritual effort. The Bridal member, who carries out pagan ways, leaves an impression that the gospel of the Groom is lukewarm and inviting of indulgent vices – wasted by recklessness and drunkenness. This is not the message our Groom desires to portray. What the Bride should desire is this: If a person wishes to be blessed with a clear understanding, he should be a “pure Bride.” The Bride with a balanced and clear mind should fear and love God. It should also be understood that as Bridal members debase their understanding with sin, it is needful to make an effort to redeem their minds once again. This can only be done through the renewal of the mind in Christ Jesus.  

“Excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them”  
This means they lived a life unlike that of the Father, or lived a life He could not approve (as Source and Author). The ignorance, of the true God and of what constituted virtue, was a lack of the quality of being morally good and righteous. This is what’s in the minds of unsaved or Gentile thinkers. 

“Because of the hardness of their heart”  
Because of their hardened hearts, they have become callous and given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. Here, the reason is stated why the Bride lived and acted as we did before being saved and why our understanding was blinded. It is not that God enfeebled our human mind by an act of revenge, due to the sin of Adam; but that man made his own mind this way because of the sin of Adam. Due to Adam’s sin, mankind has a deficiency and incapacity of supernatural understanding. Before becoming Bridal members, we only had one kind of understanding, that of the natural (earthy) type. Man cannot understand the things of God unless he is redeemed by the Groom. The simple reason is because of the hardness or the heart. Sin hardened the hearts of man. A man or woman who has a blind and hardened heart sees no Truth, nor the beauty in Truth.  

THE THREE POINTS OF THE MIND  

People are to blame for the blindness of their darkened minds and misunderstandings. A person becomes responsible for whatever proceeds from his wicked heart. Adam provided the basis of a darkened mind; from that day forward, every human being born has been born with a darkened heart. 

Undoubtedly, there is a shared influence between the dark mind and a degenerate heart. One acts on the other. Understanding is affected, first, through the will or heart. If it is a bad heart (unsaved), it will promote a dark mind. This is a direct result of the consequences of our union with Adam and the fall. Due to this certainty, our emotional instability, understanding, will, and affections have all been corrupted. The need for the Groom has now been made clear.  

The unsaved (non-Bridal members) are under obligation to repent, in order to love God. Man could not be trusted, by God, if they enlarged their intellects or created additional emotional stability of their own mind. The only way God, the Father, could trust mankind was to make him a new creature. He had to give him a new heart. 

The way to enlighten the understanding of the mind of man is to purify his heart. The approach must be made through the affections and choices of the Groom. For the Father knew that if the people “felt” right toward Him, they would soon “think” right, and allow the heart to be pure. Therefore, their minds would no longer be darkened. 

“Lay Aside the Old Self” 
“But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Eph. 4:20-24). 

“But you (the Bride) did not learn Christ in this way” 
You have been taught a different thing by the Groom; you have been taught that His Life requires you to abandon such a course of life. Christ is making a clear distinction between the “old teacher” and the new. 

“If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him” 
If you have listened attentively to His instructions and learned the true nature of His Life, you would not practice the things of the old teacher. You would practice only those taught by the Spirit, or by the ministers whom He had appointed. 

“Just as (the) truth is in Jesus” 
We have learned the true nature of His Life, as He Himself taught it. The Truth He gave to us was simple and life changing. We are instructed to lay aside the old self from the former manner of life and renounce it. The meaning here is “with respect to your former conduct or habits of life, lay aside all that pertained to a corrupt and fallen nature.” You are not to lay everything aside that formerly pertained to you; your dress, manners, modes of speech, and conversation might have been correct, in many respects. However, everything that proceeded from sin - every habit, custom, mode of speech, and conduct that was the result of depravity is to be laid aside. The special characteristics of an unconverted or unsaved man are what you are to put off; you are to assume those which are the proper fruits of a renewed heart.

“Which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit (the heart)” 
Each day, the flesh is consistently being corrupted by the lust of the heart. The more we operate in the former things, the more we give lust an opportunity to deceive us into thinking we are still slaves to the old teacher. The un-renewed man is not under the direction of reason and sound sense, but is controlled by his passions and desires. The word, lust, has a more limited significance today than the original word and meaning. Today, the word “lust” is confined to one class - sensual appetites; but the original word denotes any passion or tendency of the heart. It may include greed, ambition, the love of pleasure, or gratification in any way. The fuller meaning is that the heart is, by nature, under the control of such desires. 

Those types of passions are deceitful. They lead us astray. If fact, they plunge us back into the ruins of Satan all over again. All the passions and pleasures of the world are illusive. They promise more than they perform. They leave their deluded vows to disappointment and endless tears, or to repentance without change. Nothing is more deceitful than the promised pleasures of this world. All who yield to them find that at last they flatter, but betray - and in the end, kill us. 

IN SUMMARY   

As the Bride of Christ, we are members one of another. We belong to one body - the Church - which is the body of the Groom. The idea is that falsehood tends to loosen the bonds of brotherhood. In the human body, as discussed earlier, harmony is typically perfect. The eyes never deceive the hand, nor the hand, the foot, nor the heart, nor the lungs. The whole moves harmoniously, as if the one could put the utmost confidence in the other. Falsehood in the Church is as disastrous to its interests as it would be to the body, if one member was perpetually practicing a deception on another. As Bridal members, we need each other to be freed from the lusts of the heart and the darkened minds of the former ways of living. When each Bridal member is living and functioning in the Truth of the Groom, we can be the Bride the Groom needs for His work of service – helping other fallen Bridal members. The bottom line is we need to prepare as Brides, for the Groom. 

Christ’s Bride No Longer Corrupt Copyright © 2013 IOM America. Permission to reproduce for educational purposes. Please keep author’s name intact.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. 

Next: The Song of the Father