Getting An Understanding - As To Life In Adam
/By Joseph L. Watkins
In the book of the Proverbs, we see in the second verse:
"To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding." In 2:6 we read; "For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding."
So, we must always attend to know understanding for "...blessed is the man that finds wisdom and the man that getteth understanding" ().
So He has said in Prov. 4:5-7: "Get wisdom, get understanding;...forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: Love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principle thing; therefore get wisdom and with all thy getting get understanding."
Yes, getting and having wisdom, even that wisdom that is from above that God giveth is great, for with wisdom we can know just how we should make the best use of the knowledge and the instruction that we gotten, but getting and having a good working understanding of the truth of God's word will permit those truth's to have their way in our lives. So we should set our hearts on seeking and getting an understanding.
However, as we pursue true understanding that we need, many lessons may become necessary, so this is what we would like to do in the coming issues of truth for today. Please pray with and for us in this endeavor for the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, may we always seek after and have His truth even as He wills that we may have that truth. Here are just a few things that we feel we need to have a better understanding about:
Getting an understanding concerning:
(1) Life (2) Death (3) Resurrection (4) Salvation and (5) The Mystery.
Always keep in view that God's desire that we gain this better understanding is greater than our own: "...God (Christ Jesus) our Savior; Who will (or desires) have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (I Tim. 2:3,4). Yes, without any question, our Maker, God Almighty, Christ Jesus, loves us all, and He desires that each one and every one of us will be saved and have life in Christ Jesus, and He also desires that all saints in Christ Jesus come unto the knowledge and the understanding of the truth, even the truth as He gave it in His Word of Truth; even that we may all have and understand Truth for Today.
Yes, we all, as the saints of God in Christ Jesus, need to have a good working understanding both of the old creation that is our's in Father Adam, and that new life that is now being offered in the new creation in Christ Jesus. The life principle that we all have as the sons of Adam was and is a gift of God. Now, most men take it as being their own life; some even think that it is like having a storage battery that is full of life at birth and runs out at death. However, this is not a right understanding for our life is in the Life-giver Christ Jesus. By the Spirit we are enjoined to Him as He is an aionon??? God, an out-flowing or on-flowing God. He is always coming to us, and we are always, utterly and solely dependant on Him.
God (Christ Jesus) made the world for"...all things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made" (John 1:3); and in Acts ,25: "...seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth...He giveth to all life and breath and all things." Also, over in Job we read, "In Whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind."
So you see, we all need Him - the saved and the foolish ones that are seeking to deny Him, for in truth there is no such thing as an "atheist" in all the world - only fools that want and seek to deny Him. Each and every one of us have the light or revealing truth of Him within us. We all have an innate consciousness of His presence which comes unto all of us in the Spirit of Life that we were created with; the neshamah spirit that is Life. See appendix 16 of the Companion Bible. We hope to have a full paper on this word later, but for now we would go to Romans 1:18-32. Here we find the Lord's sure word on this. In verses 19 and 20 we are told that we all have been made to know of Him, both as He has shewed it, and in all of the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are both clearly seen, and even understood. No one has an excuse, for all, every man born of woman, just knows that God "is" there over us; we all know it, but many seek to deny that His is right there, and fewer still find it within themselves to ever give to Him the true thankfulness that we all should.
Now, let us look at John 1:1-5; this should put an end to any questions concerning this truth:
"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." The word "Word" here has the idea of that which expresses. Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ expresses, or shows forth, Almighty God to the rest of creation. If, perhaps, one day we were to be ushered into the presence of the Almighty, the one we would see would be Christ Jesus.
In John we are told that He came down to the earth in order that He might declare Him to us, and we learn form John 1:3 & 4 that all things were made by Him and without Him not anything was made that was made. In Him was life and the life was "and is" the light of men. All men have been told of Him, and that is "all" without any exceptions. We are told "that was the true light, which cometh into the world." See also Job 32:8.
There is a spirit in man and the inspiration (neshamah) of the Almighty giveth them understanding. Yes, all men born of woman just naturally know that God is there, and we also know that God must be answered to - "For the wrath of God, or His judgment is revealed from heaven." In this neshamah spirit we are to know it; that man knows the right from the wrong of the matter. This spirit which is in all of us makes it known to all men. This wrath is not made known that man might fear the Lord, but as it is said in Acts 17:27:
"That they should seek after the Lord if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us."
Yes, the light in men is to be seen and followed after, and as this is done, we will be found of Him.
jlw
