Part III – Important Principles

The Lord has indicated that some important principles are to be elaborated upon before I share some of my testimonies of miraculous healings spoken forth in my family members. May the following be a blessing to you, well-worth the investiture of time it takes to apprehend. (The testimonies will follow, starting with Parts IV and V to be posted today.)

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what is visible. – Hebrews 11:3

This Scripture contains a key principle of this series: the universe is the product of God speaking forth His will, that is, God commanded His will to be manifest physically. Now we, the born-again children of God, made in His image, are to speak forth His will just as He did, making that which already exists in the spiritual realm become manifest in the physical realm here on earth as it is in heaven. The fullness of Christ’s redemptive work is accomplished as those who have given their lives to Him speak forth and act out His will.

Why must we speak God’s will? Why doesn’t God continue doing so? This answer must be succinct, yet, by the grace of God, will suffice here since our focus lies beyond this. Although you may know most or even all of it, I suggest that you welcome the Lord to reveal yet more of the glorious gospel of grace to you herein – perhaps some truths will be connected in new patterns of enlightenment…

The Hebrew word for man is also the name Adam; God gave Adam/man dominion over His creation on the earth, and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name (Genesis 2:19b). Through Adam, we unintentionally relinquished earth to the devil, rendering him the prince of this world (John 16:11). Only a man, and only one anointed by God at that, could redeem the situation and speak forth God’s will again, since He had given dominion to man – thus our Savior. Jesus of Nazareth, conceived not of a man’s will but by God as He overshadowed the virgin Mary, was that man Moses and many other OT prophets were given to prophesy about: the Messiah (Hebrew), the Christ (Greek), meaning the Anointed One.

Once this Hebrew boy had grown in wisdom and grace to become a man 30 years of age (the age that most priests, prophets, and kings anointed by God before Him were so anointed), He took the hell-shattering stand of renouncing the fallen self, our old Adam, and He willfully submitted himself to God via baptism (“Here I am – it is written about me in the scroll- I have come to do your will, O God” – Hebrews 10:7, from Psalm 40:7-8). As He came up from the baptismal waters, signifying death of the first man/Adam and resurrection of the second, the Holy Spirit descended from heaven, rested upon Him, and anointed Him. In receiving the anointing,  Jesus, the Christ, thus became the man from heaven (1 Cor.15:47). [Please consider reviewing this powerful passage now.]

At that moment, God’s word became flesh: Jesus, the second man (also known as the last Adam – 1 Cor. 15:47,45), became the Word. Having demonstrated that He truly knew and believed our Father, His love for us, and His word, the Anointed One could thereon speak forth God’s will. And speak it forth He did, forgiving sins, casting out demons, and healing the sick with the love of the Father! Once crucified on our behalf, resurrected, and ascended to the right hand of God, He became a life-giving spirit (1 Cor. 15:45) for all who would receive the grace and believe on Him.

God has thus completed His part; the remainder of the work is accomplished by His beloved children who are joined together as Christ’s physical body now on earth, that is, the Church, through this joint enterprise of grace and faith. All three members of the God-head have given each of us spiritual gifts with which to edify and bless the other members of the Body, building us up and maturing us until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:12-13). (See recent post The Lesser-Known Gifts of the Son and the Father).

Those of us who have received this grace and believe God’s word that Christ is indeed our righteousness now stand victorious over the devil – in Christ we have dominion over the sin nature. Once we truly KNOW and apprehend God’s word in our heart and BELIEVE it, we can wield the sword of the Spirit and speak forth the word (which performs itself) as He gives it to us to speak. THIS is how God’s kingdom comes and His will IS done on earth as is in heaven. Hallelujah! Worship Him with me now…

Having addressed the main principle of the series and the main reason as to why we must speak God’s will forth for Him, let’s move on to another important principle which also is a reason why we must speak His word: God’s word spoken aloud saves and sanctifies us – it develops our faith. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved…. faith comes from hearing the message  (Romans 10:10,17a). The term “saved” includes our sanctification, as Peter meant when he wrote you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:9). Our souls are our minds, wills, and emotions – our thoughts, desires, and feelings.

To be perfect as God is perfect, Christ already in us must progressively increase (He certainly needs no improvement!), and our already-crucified sinful nature must progressively decrease (it certainly cannot be improved). God would not have crucified His Son and us all with Him if we descendants of Adam could have been improved!

Just as Jesus became perfect by repeatedly driving the devil out of his human soul by speaking forth the word and living it (see Hebrews 5:8-9; Luke 4:1-13, also Part II), our sanctification progresses as we repeatedly drive the devil out of our souls by confessing these truths aloud and living them. Although the devil puts evil thoughts into Adam’s descendants (evil desires and feelings as well), he must be driven out with the spoken word, for he is not omniscient; praise God, only He is omniscient (see 1 Chron. 21:1; John 13:2; Acts 5:3; 2 Cor. 10:5; 1 John 3:20).

With that same spirit of faith we believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus (2 Cor. 4:13, emphasis added – note the sequence). To combine the language of two Scriptures into one fact, the sword of the Spirit, the spoken word of God, thus separates our outer “soulish” self which is wasting away (incrementally decreasing) from our inner heavenly self which is being renewed (incrementally increasing) (see Hebrews 4:23; 2 Cor. 4:16).

Praise God for all this that He has accomplished for mankind and creation through Christ Jesus! The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. (Romans 8:19). So, dear brothers and sisters, let us apprehend what the Lord is revealing to us and go forth together and speak His will into being!

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. – Colossians 2:9-10

(Continued in Part IV with the first of my testimonies of how speaking forth God’s word brought miraculous healings of some family members…)