Romans 8:22-28 - Corps - October 9,1979

12-22-2019 Romans 1978-1980 9

Topic: Rom 8:22-28,logospedia,lp
Format: mp3
Publication Date: October 9, 1979

On Ephesians 4:25 where I want to begin tonight, or where we will begin tonight , the first part of what the Research Team gave me is the work that Walter Cummins published in our wonderful Way Magazine on "The Spoken Word." Also, as we cover Ephesians 4:28 tonight, I had all the information in front of me from another article that Walter Cummins has in the... has had in the Magazine. The first article on Ephesians 4:25 is entitled "The Spoken Word." The one on Ephesians 4:28 is "Workers for God." Both of these pieces of work by Walter are absolutely superb. And I believe that they should appear and will appear in our research journal GMIR whenever we begin publishing that. {GMIR Aramaic word meaning ' to perfect, accomplish , mature, complete, arithmetically to be divisible without any remainder.}

And I noticed again that some of the things that were stated are just so beautifully and logically presented, I'm truly thankful for, not only Walter, but the whole Research Department. I think our Biblical Research Department is just second to none. And it' s even going to be better by God' s mercy and grace next year and in years to come than it is at this time. And right now I do not believe that our Biblical Research Department needs to take a back seat for any academic institution or work in the world.

And I thought today, I have never... I've never thought of Walter Cummins in any other capacity than to be my assistant. I know Vince Finnegan, you know, on the books is my assistant. And that' s great. But I've never thought of Walter Cummins in any other capacity for so many years as always being my assistant. And I think he' s just the most wonderful person that any president could have as his assistant. And also to be chairmen of the Department of Greek, and then the coordinator of the Biblical research of The Way International. For any one man to have that position and that responsibility is an awesome reality and I'm real proud of Walter and real thankful for him. But I am also thankful for the rest of our wonderful men and women in the Research Department.

I would like for the Corps all over the country to go to the Magazine and find "The Spoken_Word," that's the title of it, dealing with Ephesians 4:25 and other scriptures, and before the next Corps meeting next week, you endeavor to master that great piece of work by Walter Cummins. It's just, you know, the spoken Word. Over fifty Greek words are used in the New Testament in connection with the faculties of utterance. Over fifty. And then he takes the most important ones and he lists them and it' s just. .. it' s just a piece of research work that you should really as a Corps master in your heart and in your life.

Ephesians 4:25 in the King James reads, Wherefore put away lyin g, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.

The ' putting away' was interesting to me again because of the Greek word aniko, a-n-i-k-o.

And this word is ' the putting away,' this word ' put away,' aniko, is the same root word as in 4:22, where we use the word ' rest,' meaning ' to rest.' Is that right? Yep, that is right. I taught you that,

didn't I? Did I or didn't I? Doesn't look right to me. It is the same root. What chapter am I missing? Am I missing anything? I don't know. Right now I'm screwed up, ha ha. First time today. You check the word again and I'll do that, too and see what I'm missing here.

But a-n-i-k-o is the word for ' putting away from you. ' To put away. And it' s the same root as the word ' rest.' I don't know where the word appears, but it's got to be in there.

Now, that word ' speak,' every man speak. That word ' speak ' is from the Greek word

laleo, l-a-l-e-long-o. And that' s where Walter' s article on "The Spoken Word"_c omes in because that is.. .he uses that word laleo in here, which I teach in Corinthians when I teach the Foundational Class. And he says the word is employed 24 times in I Corinthians chapter 14. I had forgotten that.

This word is truly significant. I couldn' t quite understand it Research Department, what you said on page 26B 16, where you defined it ' to make vocal utterance,' ' to babble,' 'to talk,' 'to exercise the faculty of speech without reference to the words spoken.' I just wondered if there might not be another word that could be substituted or utilized at this point. I know that Zachariah 8:16 is the quotation that is used here, or spoken of. And that Zachariah 8:16 adds force to what is said by using a quote, a quotation. That' s why my question to the Research Department is, How can it be without reference to what is spoken if it is truth plus the quotation of the Word of God that's given. It doesn't quite fit for me.

'With his neighbor' has to be a believing neighbor. This 'speak truth with his neighbor' is a figure of speech gnome, g-n-o-m-e, which simply is a citation. And that' s a citation from Zachariah 8:16.

There are a series of figures of speech, Corps, in chapter four which just put the 00mph, the highlight, to the particular things that are set whereby you put off the old man. This phrase here 'speak every man truth with his neighbor' is one of them. The other one appears in verse 26, 'be angry and sin not.' ' Steal no more' is another one. 'Corrupt communication' is the fourth one. 'Grieve not the holy spirit' is the fifth one. ' All bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking' is the sixth. And then ' be kind' and so forth, is the seventh.

You see, the last phrase in that verse, in King James, For we' re members one of what? [Another] And it' s relative to the neighbor. Now you just look at that. Wherefore put away lying, speak every man truth with his what? [Neighbor] For we are members one of another. That doesn't mean just a neighbor who lives next door, but it has to be a believing neighbor because we are members one of what? [Another]. You could not be a member ' one of another' ifhe was an unbeliever. That's how I know this is going to work. This tells me that the neighbor is a believer. And this ' we' re members one of another' continues the imagery of the Body of Christ.

The literal according to usage of this verse is as follows: Wherefore put away the lie... and I believe in my heart, before I go on with the literal that until man is born again, it's all a lie anyways. And that' s why I believe that this translation will fit in the light of that knowledge. Because when a man is not born again, his whole life is just a lie. Now you're born again, and that ' s why I think the text states it ' wherefore put away the lie,' the life you' ve been living , the screwed up life you have lived outside of God. It' s been just a life of a lie. It' s not truth. It' s just the opposite of truth and that's my reason for translating it this way... Wherefore put away the lie.

You've got to go with that translation. You have no other text to go by both from Aramaic and Greek it's 'lie.' Not 'lying.' If the Research Department has anything to share in the light of that, I'd be blessed to hear, but you' ve heard my reasons for translating it, Research Department, this way.

Now since they're born again, their whole life is changed, so the life of lying, and living a lie, and being a lie, and being false, is to be put away.

And every man... this is the translation ... and everyone, everyone. The word ' man' you could use because it's an inclusive noun, but I prefer to use the word ' one.'

Wherefore put away the lie and everyone speak the truth with his neighbor for we are members one of another. That is literal according to usage.

Now for the expanded according to understanding. It's not bad. Because of this... What we coughing for? Everybody sick?...Because of this... and the reason I went in the expanded along this line is because verse 24 last week told us that we are created by God in righteousness and in true purity, through holiness. Twenty four.

That's why 25, Wherefore ... 'wherefore' can be translated 'because of this.' Because of this what? Being created in righteousness and truly pure. See it's an inside job.

Because of this being created in righteousness and truly pure by the grace and the love of

God.. .Because of this being created in righteousness and truly pure, you put away, completely lay to rest the lie that you have been and were living and each one of you speak the truth using a quotation from the Word with his believing neighbor for we are members one of another in the Body of the Church.

Robinson {Edward} said, he translated, 'speak every man truth with his neighbor' and he said it's from Zachariah 8:16 which adds force to what is said by using a quote. That's why I translated that. I think that' s great. It adds force to what is said. If you're speaking to someone, it adds force to what you say by using a quote, a quotation from God's Word. In other words, ' you share the Word with them.' That' s why I went with that translation. I want to give it to you again in this sense.

Speak the truth using a quotation from the Word, which means 'share the Word.' Quote the Word to them. Tell them what the Word says, with his believing neighbor. Why? For we are members one of another in the Body of the Church. This verse is just mind blowing.

Here, you have a born-again believer neighbor who needs to grow up a little more. So what do you do? Each one speak the truth to that neighbor, that believer, using the Word, quoting the Word because we' re members one of another in the Body of the Church. It's a real positive thing to do.

Verse 26 in King James reads, Be angry.. .ha ha... we like that one, don't we. Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.

Here is a verse of Scripture that' s very, very difficult for most people. And it' s not too easy for us either. But I think we are able to share the truth of the greatness of this and it's been burning in my heart for a long time to do this with our people.

Everybody has problems with ' how can you be angry and not sin?' You know, how can raise hell with something and not be sinful in doing it? Teed off and not be sinful. And how can you go... and what does it mean 'don't let the sun go down upon your wrath?' See.

In the context, here, verses 26 and 27 deal with your believing neighbor, specifically. Then the Greek word for ' anger' which is from the root orge, o-r-g-long-e means 'anger together with the desire of revenge .' That' s bad. That' s a heavy. The Hebrew word means ' to kill, and all the tumults of passion that terminate in killing.' So it's a real heavy word when it said ' be angry.'

And the way I believe it's used in God' s Word, ' be ye angry' means ' it's a long time anger with your believing neighbor until a change has ensued.' The desire to... of revenge is a change. And I, knowing the Word in the light of the new birth, it's where a change finally comes about. Until that time, you just, long-term, you just stay put witnessing the Word, sharing the Word. You do not dislike the believing neighbor; you simply dislike that he is not fully accepting the Word and walking on it. So it' s a long-term anger until a change has ensued. You just stay faithful.

I don't know what else to do with those words. It is a righteous anger. Yet it is a righteous anger without sin.

Among the scholars, there is a disagreement on these words. Well, I don't know about my being a scholar; that I don' t anything about being about. But it's simple to me because righteous anger is commanded by God's Word when it says ' be ye angry.' Well, the scholars can fight about it. I don' t care. It' s a command. Not just permitted to get teed once in a while when somebody' s off of God' s Word, a believer is off of God's Word. You' re always teed off righteously at any believer, born-again believer, who is off of God' s Word. And for those of us in the Way Ministry, it' s been a lifetime.

Get into it with them on... Oh what subject do you want to talk about? Baptism? Food? One God? See. All that stuff.

The Aramaic is accurate in the words ' and sin not.' It literally translates ' and you will not sin.' Again, this ' be angry and sin not' is that figure gnome. Quotation. A citation from the Old Testament. It' s from Psalm 4:4. But in King James, Psalm 4:4, it's translated 'stand in awe.' The real sense of the Hebrew is ' one of admonition;' sin not. Where we' re admonished to not sin. Sin not.

' Let not the sun go down on your wrath. ' Ha ha. That again is beautiful. People went to bed when the sun went down, when it got dark. That's when they went to bed. So what that simply is saying, ha ha, ' don't go to bed teed off.' Don' t let the sun go down on your wrath. In other words, go to bed; don' t go to bed mad. ' When you go to bed' is what it means. Let not the sun go down when you go to bed. And they went to bed when the sun went down. When it got dark, they went to bed, see.

' Upon your wrath.' And the word ' wrath' here is basically ' irritation.' Ha ha. Previously when I taught Ephesians, I made mention of this fact, ' don' t let righteous anger shake you, wondering if it was right on. When you go to bed, go to sleep.'

Now, this is what we have done with it in the literal, ha ha, according to usage. I got more papers up here than Carter has liver pills, or something. Then, I can' t find my... whatever it is I take off of it.

Okay, verse 26. You be righteously angry.. .this is literal according to usage.. .and you will not be sinning. Don't go to bed even with a momentary irritation, ha ha.

I don't think you get nearly as much fun out of this as I do. It's neat. It's absolutely scrumptious, see. At the opening, is that heavy word, remember? Anger. So it's a real heavy time. So what he is saying, in the heavy time, when your standing on God' s Word and sharing that with the believing neighbor, you' re righteously angry... you're not sinning. And you don't even go to bed with a momentary irritation. In other Words, when you go to bed, thank God the day is over. Say your last prayer and start snoring.

Boy, that would save a lot of sleeping pills, wouldn' t it? Practicing that principle. Boy, oh boy, what a tremendous Word. And hardly anybody understands verse 26. They argue about it, but they don' t get the understanding.

Now this is the expanded one according to understanding, I hope. And again, I would like to just lay some things before the Corps, and especially before the Research Department. I translated the first part of verse 26, You always stay angry with an all-out desire to have them to change which anger will not be sin on your part.

Then I have another translation of that first part of it: You be righteously angry, 'teed off' with sin... 'Teed off' I put in quotes. But don't you sin by acting ' holier than thou' vaunting yourself by acting so righteously like you never sin.

I do not know which one of those two the Research Department feels would be the better. The last part of the phrase that I translated which would go with both of these that I have given you here on the expanded one for understanding. This, the last part, goes with that first one and with the second ... also.. .even if it is only a momentary irritation. When you go to bed, go to sleep. That's what I did with it.

Now, verse 27. King James says, Neither (or neither) give place to the Devil. The word 'place' is simply a portion, a part. No believer will give full place to the Devil, but he may be giving a part, a portion. He' ll mark off a spot, ' this is Devil' s permission over here, over here, no permission, you know. And you really give the Devil a portion or a spot if you stew about it after you go to bed and you toss and you tum and can' t sleep.

This word 'the Devil,' ' the Devil' in the Aramaic is a very interesting and exciting Word to me and it blesses my heart. It' s a compound word where the first part means ' to eat' or ' to devour.' The latter

' to slander' or ' to accuse. ' So when I got to translating this, literally according to usage, verse 27 reads: Do not give any portion or space or an opportunity to the Devil. So I used those three words synonymously: portion, space, opportunity. Do not give any portion or space or an opportunity to the Devil.

The expanded according to understanding: And you will not give a toehold, an opportunity or an occasion for the Devil to eat you. Ha ha. I get more fun than you ever will out of working this stuff, huh.

You see, and to me, that communicates to my understanding. John 10:10. The thief cometh not but for to what? [Steal, kill, and destroy] Right. To eat you out. To beat you. And that's why that Aramaic word, on the word ' Devil' really thrilled me.

And that ' s why I put it into the expanded translation: And you will not give a ' toehold.' Now, at L.E.A.D., you know how important it is to get a what? [Toehold] Ha ha. And when you' re really climbing in, you' re blessed for a toehold. How thankful you are when you get a foothold. Now the adversary can never get a foothold in a believer' s life until he first has a toehold. That's why I translated it that way.

Do not give... and you will not give a toehold ... shave all the rocks off... an opportunity or an occasion for the Devil to eat you. And that' s exactly what he likes to do to believers.

Now we go to verse 28. King James says, Let him that stole steal not more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. And here again, is another great work that I believe should be in our research journal GMIR, Walter' s work on " Workers for God."

It' s just tremendous where he... you know... he just goes into God' s men are called many things in the Word. They' re called: fellow workers, ministers, or servants, slaves, fellow slaves, partners, messengers, soldiers, fellow soldiers, athletes, fellow athletes, stewards, ambassadors, witnesses, all of those. And he covers them so beautifully. And I love very much how he covered the word ' slave,' because it' s a much stronger word than to be a minister, or to be a servant. It is to be one who is branded, marked out, sold out. And baby, from that day on, there are no ifs, and' s, or but' s. You never budge on it. You are branded. Most believers are never branded. They may be servants, they may be ministers, but they are not branded. When you' re branded, you stay faithful. You do not budge. You do not change. You stay put. If all hell breaks loose, you still live the believing Word.

I think the prophet once said, If I was in the midst of hell, God I know you' d be there. (Psalm 139:8) He' d be there. That' s the doulos. That, of course, is just a tremendous piece of work.

And the other great part that I think... and this is a second piece that I want the Corps to master before next Wednesday night, " Workers for God," the work on ' witness.' You see, it's the same word basically that's translated ' martyr,' see. And we got a lot of those canonized. That's not at all what a witness is. A witness is a living example, not a dead one. The word 'martyr' simply means that you lay down your life in witnessing. And boy, when you put the doulos together with ' witness,' then you' ve got power for abundant living. It's just a fantastic work by Walter and I' m real grateful that it was published. Because once it' s in print, people can take a look at it if they want to.

I'd like a cup of coffee, please.

Now, we are in verse 28. The Aramaic translation is ' and he who was stealing.' I understand it from the English, ' let him that stole,' past tense. The Aramaic is real simple, real strong. ' And he, the one who is born again, who was, past tense, stealing.'

Thank you.

His whole life was one of those before he was born again.

Whenever you bring a cup of coffee to a right-hand man, you put the handle to the right. When you serve a cup of coffee to a left-hand man, you put it on the left-hand side and put the handle to the left. Corps principle number seven or something, ha ha. Mrs. Wierwille would say, Well, be thankful you even get a cup of coffee. [Laughter] Ah, you're wonderful.

See, ' let him who stole, steal no more.' 'Stole and steal,' that' s a figure of speech and is polyptoton p-o-l-y-p-t-o-t-o-n. It' s a repetition of the same root word in different parts of speech or reflections. But, that's not earth shaking right now in my heart.

You see, in some Eastern culture, it was not considered a sin or a shame to steal because that's the way they lived, the only way they lived. Somebody told me... or not only told me, one of our people, but it was in a national magazine, that the basic culture of Russia today is to steal. And in some respects I can understand this. If you don't have anything and you're starving to death and there' s a loaf of bread you can get a hold of... steal the dam thing. I understand that.

So this verse is really sharp, really sharp. Let him who stole, even though that man previously considered it the way to live and there was no shame in it, no sin in it. He said, Well, let that fellow who stole, steal no more. Something has happened on the inside of that man. Something that happened, where He is able to meet all of our need according to His riches in glory. Christ in you, the hope of glory. More than conquerors.

A record in the Old Testament, I forget where it is, but it's in there, that it' s never, you never need to borrow or steal bread or... what is that in the Old Testament? Begging bread. One person stand and tell me. {Psalm 37:25, I have been young and now am old; yet have I seen the righteous forsaken, nor His seed begging bread.} Psalm 27:25 who? {Psalm 37:25} 37:25. All the years, he's never seen the righteous to have to do what? {Beg bread} Beg bread.

First of all, I wish the Christian world could hear this. Secondly, I wish our government in the United States could understand it. The Word says, If you don't work, you don' t eat. A lot of that stuff. Well, what we've been doing is stealing from the people who are willing to work to give to the people who don' t want to work. That's a bunch of crap. That's stealing. That's why this verse is so hot in my soul tonight. Let him who stole, quit stealing, dang it. See.

Many years ago I was really knocked for a loop along some of this line in India, from Dr. Williams. I think he loved India maybe like I love the United States, I don' t know. Because only a man knows how much he loves his own country, I guess.

But... as we were traveling together, he said to me, Dr. Wierwille, I hear you have whores in the United States.

You know, I never had given it a thought. I just took it for granted. [Laughter] And I said, yeah. He said, Why does a rich country like the United States have whores?

And I said, I don't know.

And he said, I can't understand it. Cannot your women make enough money to live? Yeah, but they figure that' s cheaper and more pleasurable or something, I don' t know. And he said, Well, I think it's sinful that the United States has whores.

And I said, What do you mean?

And he said to me, why, I can understand India. He said we don' t enough food, we don' t have enough of anything hardly for a lot of people. And we have whores because that' s the only way they can continue to live physically.

And I thought to myself, well boy, that' s slapping me in the face good. And I took it as a wonderful lesson. There is no excuse in the United States for any women being a whore because she doesn' t need to get screwed and paid for it in order to get money so she can live. There's plenty of work available and if there isn' t she ought to get born again, then there' s a guarantee of work. ..other work, available. I tell you, when you' re honest, some of these men in other countries have some real logic behind their thinking. How would you have liked to have handled that? I just simply admitted, Well, I think we' re wrong in the United States. But I said, I think you' re wrong in India, too, because no reason to have whores here if you get them born again.

So I don' t know. But this verse today as I worked the final working on this verse 28 is when my heart really went back and burned with that truth that Dr. Williams had stated. Because in many Eastern cultures, it was not considered as sin or as shame to steal, if it was a matter of livelihood. You sometimes wonder who will live in the greatest condemnation before God and justice and judgment when the time comes.

For in most of what are called poor countries even, there is sufficient money, food, and other things for the people to live if those in positions of authority were not so selfish and egotistical, and want it for themselves , and let the rest of the world die... or a country die.

The word ' labor' in verse 28 is the word which literally means ' hard work resulting in fatigue.' That's how I felt coming from the woods last night. And I didn' t do anything. It was just hard work being there with the rest of you. Today I got so tired of being with some, I came home. Ah, you' re wonderful.

' Working with his hands' is an Eastern cultural type of thing. Today in our culture, you could have it, you know, the truth is working with your mind or working with your hand, whatever you' re working at. But in Eastern culture, every son was to be trained to work with his hands, even if he was the son of a king. Had to learn a trade, a profession of business.

Jesus Christ was a saddle maker. He made them to ride, I guess, what do you want? Tennessee Walkers , or? See. I think not only did he do that, Paul did it, too, you know. Someday I'm going to find a...or Walter, or some of those, are going to find me a manuscript to prove it. .. and a wonderful carpenter by trade. Many times doing carpentry work and being a saddle maker were sort of in the same household, because building carpentry and having saddles to use for their business and carrying on, were very, very closely aligned. Well, I won' t argue the point, but I wish we' d keep looking.

II Thessalonians.. .Do your hands ever get so dry you can hardly hold anything? Golly, mine are so dry tonight, I wonder why? II Thessalonians, chapter 3:10... this we commanded you that if any would not work, neither should he what? [Eat] Right. Even unemployment is no excuse for stealing. He just doesn' t eat. Goes and gets work. Boy, when I first saw the greatness of these principles many years ago, and then of course, I uniquely by God' s grace, inculcated that into our W.O.W. program and very dynamically in the Corps leadership.

PDF AUDIO

ROMANS 8:22-28
October 9, 1979
Tonight we’re still in Romans 8.
Romans 8:22-28
These verses comprise another division of the greatness of the eighth chapter.
Romans 8:22
“For we know” – The word “know” is very important in these verses. We know something.
Then in Verse 26, “we know not.” In Verse 28, it again says “we know.”
In Verse 22, we know that we’re hurting. We know that we’re dead in trespasses and sins,
without God and without’ hope until we’re born again. And we know the flesh profits
nothing. And we know we can’t keep the Word, the law, the commandments. And because
of what happened, we know that the whole creation, and the whole creation again is that
Greek word I gave you previously, ktsis, meaning all mankind, the world, the elements, the
whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. In other words, right
now.
This “groaneth together” is the Greek word sunstenazō, from which we get our English
word stenography. The word “groaneth,” stenazō, means it’s compacted, like a stenographer
taking shorthand compacts the words. It’s compacted together. It’s compacted
together because of the great impact that the Adversary, in the negative side, has placed
upon people’s lives. The best I understand this word “groaneth together” is like people
who give a deep sigh and use words like “Oh, my.” And especially they say things like this
with some eminent calamity. That is this word “groaneth.”
These two phrases “groaneth together” and “travaileth together in pain” are closely
aligned. The “travaileth in pain” is indicative of heavy labor like in childbirth. It’s not the
pain itself that is the emphasis. It’s the heavy labor, the work to bring forth that child. It’s a
heavy labor.
The word “pain” is like labor. Travaileth in labor together. Just because there’s a great
laboring now, a great groaning now, it’s like when a child is born, the mother has put forth
a tremendous labor to deliver that child, but immediately after the child is born or
delivered, there is rejoicing because the child is born.
John 16:21
Romans 8:22
When that delivery is made, when, that child is born and all that labor has taken place, then
there is rejoicing. You see what he’s going to tie this to? The return of Christ. Isn’t that
beautiful? This labor business is like the word “suffer” that I’ve taught, where you just
stand, withstand and endure. The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in labor or heavy
pain or in pain with deep sighs, compacted together right now. But you know, there’s
going to be a delivery. And the moment that delivery arrives, there is rejoicing because the
child has been born, for instance; with the delivery of the return of Christ, all the labor, all
the pain, everything else that we’ve had to endure, will be forgotten for the joy.
It’s a groaning and travailing together. The reason you endure, the reason you stand, the
reason you withstand all of that labor is because you’re going to have a baby, and the baby
is the prize. The reason, even though the whole creation groaneth, the reason we stand and
withstand and endure is because there’s going to be a prize.
Romans 8:23
And not only they groan and travail in pain. That means the unbelievers. Everybody, the
whole world is screwed up and all the people in it. Not only the world and they, but
ourselves also. We who are born again and still living in the world, we still groan and
travail together until now. We which have the firstfruits, not only the world and all
mankind, but evil men, but we also, but ourselves also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit.
I Corinthians 15:23
Christ the firstfruits.
Romans 8:23
Christ is the firstfruit. We have the firstfruits of the spirit because when we’re born again,
it’s Christ in you. And the reason you know we have the firstfruit of the spirit is because
you speak in tongues. We have the firstfruit of the spirit. We still groan, still travail in this
present world. We which have the firstfruit of the spirit, Christ is the firstfruit. We have
him, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. And the evidence you have in the senses
world of that Christ in you, is that you speak in tongues. That’s the external manifestation
in the senses world of the internal reality and presence of Christ in you, the hope of glory.
I’ve taught you for many years that the basic foundational manifestation of all nine is
speaking in tongues. I’ve taught you that that is the foundation upon which everything else
is built, all the other manifestations. There is no verse of scripture that says what I’ve just
said. People will say to show them the verse where speaking in tongues is so important.
Well, you could show them one, “I wish ye all spake in tongues.” Tonight in these verses
sit some of the great truths regarding speaking in tongues that have just been hidden for
centuries and generations. It’s upon light like this that I’ve known for years and years the
importance of speaking in tongues and the great reality of the truth that underlies speaking
in tongues and the greatness of it to the believers.
II Corinthians 4:14-17
You are men and women of confidence. Why? Because you speak in tongues. You have
the earnest of the spirit. That’s why you’re confident. You’ve got the witness, you’ve got
the testimony.
Knowing that while we are at home in this body with the earnest of the spirit we’re still
absent from the Lord because we have the earnest of the spirit. When the Lord returns,
we’ll have the whole fullness, have a body fashioned like unto his body. Know as he also
knows. What a tremendous truth. And that agrees exactly with Romans 8. We have the
firstfruits of the spirit.
Romans 8:23
The firstfruit is Christ, but you have Christ in you, the hope of glory, which is the firstfruit,
which is the earnest of the spirit, which is speaking in tongues. Isn’t that a fantastic thing?
Even we who have this, ourselves still groan within ourselves. We still have to stand,
withstand, endure.
“waiting for” – It is the Greek word apokdechomai, made up of three words, apo, ek and
dechomai. It is that patient expectation to receive. It is what I described in the previous
session to you with your body and your head stretched forth with all your heart in it to
receive. We’re waiting to personally dechomai, personally receive the change. What
change? The adoption.
“adoption” – That’s the total, complete, full adoption of a new body, because the rest of the
phrase defines it. “The redemption of our body,” and that is the return. You can now align
this verse up with the previous teaching from Thessalonians and with the record in I
Corinthians 13, but very uniquely also with Ephesians.
Ephesians 1:13, 14
“which is the earnest” – A little while ago I showed you that the earnest made it possible
for you to speak in tongues. By speaking in tongues, it’s the earnest of our inheritance until
the redemption of the purchased possession. See how beautifully that all ties together?
Romans 8:23
The new body that Thessalonians, Corinthians, all of those talk about. We will not need
speaking in tongues when we are completely, completely changed, when we know also
even as he is known.
Romans 8:24
“saved” = sōzō; the root of it, meaning to be made whole, to be made completely,
completely, completely whole that there will be no groaning or travailing left, but constant
joy and rejoicing.
“by hope” – by the return
We know we’re saved in the new birth. It’s salvation because it’s available. Hope is
something you anticipate. It’s not immediately available, else it would not be hope. You
don’t get eternal life by hope. You get eternal life, saved, by confessing with your mouth
the Lord Jesus and believe God raised him from the dead. Thou shalt be, at that moment,
saved. And that word also is sōzō, made whole, with all the wholeness available at that
time. But that’s not the full wholeness because the fullness of the wholeness comes with
the return when we’re given a new body fashioned like unto his glorious body.
“But hope that is not seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?” If
he sees it, he doesn’t have to hope for it because he would have it.
“hope” = elpis; It’s used twice in 4:18; used once in 5:2,4,5. Then in Romans 8:24 it is
used three times, and in verse 25 it’s used once. Then it’s used in 12:12; 15:4; 15:13 it’s
used twice.
Here in Romans 8 that we’re setting, it is used five times. One of those five times it’s the
counterfeit hope, Verse 20, which I taught you previously. “Hath subjected the same in
hope,” that’s the counterfeit, and that in Romans 8 comes first. Like now the counterfeit
comes first before the redemption of the body. We groan and travail now. We suffer now.
But after that, we get the deliverance. That’s why the other four times in Romans 8, four is
the world number, which brings us from suffering to victory in hope. That’s why the word
“hope” is so beautiful in this verse.
Romans 8:25
“patience” – with body and head stretched forth with all your heart; patient expectation, the
eminency of his return, constantly before the eyes of the believer.
Now we come to some of the greatest revelation truth regarding the greatness of speaking
in tongues, and it isn’t just because we had a certain visitor in The United States this week
that brought this to my attention, for I’ve known it long before he arrived. And I would call
this section, beginning with Verse 26, our audience with God. The counterfeit is the Pope.
People have an audience with the Pope, the vicar of Christ, or whatever he’s supposed to
be, a counterfeit. This is the great revelation truth of a believer’s audience with God.
Romans 8:26
“Likewise” – meaning in the same manner; In the same manner that we hope and we with
patience, patient expectation, the eminency of the return, while we’re patiently hoping and
waiting, likewise during that period of time, in like manner the spirit also helpeth our
infirmity.
“spirit” there is holy spirit, Christ in you.
“helpeth” – means to assist. This again has two prefixes to the word lambanō. The first
prefix to it is sun, meaning with. Then anti. Anti, meaning opposite.
If he’s going to help us in the positive sense, then why the negative sense?
Sunantilambanomai. This spirit, Christ in us, helpeth our infirmity. It assists us with our
positive believing, as well as to take up our weak cause for us and help us. That’s why anti
precedes lambanō. In other words, He helps us in every part of our life. He is helping us in
the positive, and He also helps us where we are weak, the weak causes, the weaknesses in
our life. That’s why it is our infirmity. It’s in the singular, because one of the major
infirmities is the infirmity of not being able to pray as we ought. To pray with our
understanding is very limited, basically just & thanksgiving. For how, with my
understanding, would I really know what you need would be? I don’t even know my own
with my understanding.
We know not what we should pray for as we ought. But the Spirit helpeth out infirmity.
Well, what is our infirmity? We don’t know really how to pray. Our infirmity is we know
not what we should pray for as we ought. We just don’t know. That’s our infirmity. The
Spirit helpeth us in our infirmity. And it can only help us because we speak in tongues.
And speaking in tongues is either a message from God or for God, or it is to worship Him.
When we pray in the spirit without any interpretation, which must happen in the body of
believers, we are worshipping Him and it’s perfect prayer. But our infirmity, we do not
know how to pray, but the Spirit knows.
You see, we can’t keep the Word, because that’s an infirmity. Like prayer. We can’t even
follow orders on the Word. That’s an infirmity. It’s a weakness. None of us have every
kept the orders of the Word in every capacity. Man can’t even stay healthy. That’s a
weakness. The Spirit helpeth our infirmity. That’s why the word “helpeth” is
sunantilambanomai, helps us with both the place where we believe, and the opposite, the
weaknesses we have. Isn’t that wonderful?
Isaiah 6:5
I was thinking of this in the light of the Spirit helping our infirmity. Whenever you see
yourself in the light of the Lord Jesus Christ, you always end up with “Woe is me.”
Romans 8:26
Praying with the understanding and praying in the spirit are two different categories.
Praying in the understanding is basically thanksgiving. Praying in the spirit is where the
spirit itself maketh intercession.
“intercession” – on behalf of
It is Christ who died for us; second, it is Christ in us. And the Christ in us is His spirit.
That’s why in the third place, it is the spirit itself that maketh intercession on behalf of us.
Intercession on our behalf. That becomes sort of neat when you work this stuff in the light
of the total integrity of the Word. With groanings and travail that no man of himself could
utter on our behalf. But there’s another side to it. If he does this on our behalf, what do we
do in behalf of the others who are of the household? It is done by the Spirit for us, that we
who are strong nay bear the infirmity of the weak, that we may intercede for others.
It has both a positive intercession as well as a negative intercession in the Word.
Talking about men interceding, Abraham is a good example. Genesis 18:23-33
All who believe are of the seed of Abraham. All this goes through my mind. You are sons
of God with Christ in you, speaking in tongues. Abraham could not do that. But look how
he interceded. Man, oh man! Wait until you see the greatness of speaking in tongues as it
builds you up and then makes it possible for you to intercede for the household, for the
believers, for men and women who are not as strong as you are.
Someplace it says that we who are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak. Look
what Abraham did; worked God down from fifty to ten.
Genesis 19:21, 22
Abraham had interceded for Lot. And you know Lot was a renegade. Lot saw the richness
of the valley. He moved, as the Bible says, toward Sodom. Finally he moved into Sodom
and then Sodom moved into Lot. Then Abraham had to intercede and God got Lot out of
the soup, out of the fire, out of Sodom and Gomorrah. He wasn’t going to destroy the city
while Lot was in there, so He says get out of there. And He moved him out a little way
from the city, and then the city burned up. That’s why it’s called Zoar, meaning little.
Romans 11 is the other side of the picture of intercession.
Romans 11:2
It’s not only an intercession for, it’s an intercession against. And it’s against people who
commit evil.
Romans 11:3
This hurt him so much to have to do this that he was so “Woe is me,” that he said, “I am
left alone, and they seek my life.”
Romans 11:4
Now, that’s not very many men out of the millions that were Israel.
This negative intercession against Israel I don’t understand so well. Maybe it’s because I
don’t want to, or maybe it’s because I do not have the spiritual perception and awareness to
get deep enough. I don’t know. But I know that this intercession, like Abraham, Lot,
Moses... did I read you Numbers?
Numbers 11:1-3
When Moses interceded, then it stopped.
In the epistles at one place or so, it talks about where Paul turned someone over to the
Adversary for the destruction of his flesh but he still had his soul saved or something.
That’s what this intercession against deals with.
I’d sure like to turn a couple of people over, but my believing isn’t there, and I don’t know
how to do it. But Elijah did it, Paul did it. There’s a key here that I think maybe it’s
because we want to love everybody so much that our believing never gets to the place
where somebody sometime ought to have the fiery screws put to him or something. But
that is this intercession on our behalf with groaning so we may intercede for others either
positively or negatively. There it is.
See, with the spirit in us, which is Christ in us, His spirit, it is in 8:34 it says that this Christ
is risen. He is even at the right hand of God who also makes intercession for us. So you
have the spirit of Christ making intercession, with Christ himself making intercession.
Now if Jesus Christ is God, to whom is he making intercession? Figure that one out. He’s
making intercession to God for us. And when I come to this in 8:34, then I’ll expound on it
further.
Romans 8:26
It is like the spirit cries “Father, Daddy.” We knew not what we can pray for, but He does.
The better you get to know Jesus Christ the master, the more you know, the more you
believe, the more you follow him, the shorter your prayers. People pray long prayers
because they don’t know him.
Matthew 6:7-9
Not a very long prayer.
In the garden of Gethsemane, not a very long prayer.
Familiarity with the Father makes for short prayers. If I had time now, I’d take you to
Ephesians and show you a great, magnificent prayer and how short it really is.
Romans 8:26
Romans 8:27
“And” = but
God that searcheth the heart and the mind of the spirit – these two here are real closely
aligned. He searcheth the heart with a microscopic surveillance, with an intensity. He looks
at the motive.
Job 23:10
A man who suffered by standing, withstanding and enduring. When all his children were
killed, lost all his physical property, even his wife, and one man stood – Job. Could we, in
these times, be off worse? If we lost everything, all of our children would be lost, all of our
material properties would be lost in The Way Ministry, and if she would turn against me
and I withstand; Job did. Ladies and gentlemen, I doubt if any of us will ever be called
upon to stand, withstand and endure more than Job did. And he came out pure gold.
Romans 8:27
Searcheth the heart, looks on the motive, with a microscopic surveillance, with an
intensity. He knoweth what is the mind of the spirit. Literally, the heart of the spirit. Boy,
this is beautiful.
“mind” – phren; from which we get the scientific English word phrenology, meaning the
science of the cranial formation. The science of your head. The Greek word is phronēma.
He searcheth the heart. He knows what is the heart of the spirit. He knows how you think,
how you act, how you want to be.
Wasn’t it Romans 7 or 6 where he said I got one law fighting in me. I don’t want to go that
way, but I end up doing it at times. That which I would I do not.
That searcheth the heart. In the light of this searcheth the heart, mind of the spirit, someone
could do a fantastic piece of research if he had the Biblical knowledge and the brains to put
it together.
I’m going to give you seven different words that are translated “mind” in the Bible. I took
this from C.H. Welch. I don’t guarantee it being fully accurate. I don’t know. I just
haven’t taken the time to check Welch completely. But these are seven different words, all
translated “mind.”
1. nous – Romans 7:23; Paul is the only one in his epistles that uses this word. It means
reflective consciousness.
2. dianoia – a thinking through; Luke 10:27
3. ennoia – an idea; Hebrews 4:12
4. noēma – a thought out purpose; II Corinthians 4:4
5. psuche – the mind, as expressing soul life; Philippians 1:27
6. gnōmē – the mind knowing made up; Revelation 17:13
7. phronēma – the vent, the motive of the heart
The spirit does not take over. The spirit does not possess. The spirit does not control. The
spirit does not use you as a channel. The spirit helpeth our infirmity. It assists. It doesn’t
control. It doesn’t take over. You do not become a puppet in the hands of God. The only
puppets that are ever in the hands of “God” are in the hands of the wrong god, which is the
Adversary. He possesses people. He makes them channels. He takes over their freedom of
will and uses them.
See, the spirit meets our utter extremity by its graces, bearing us up and lifting” us to the
Father. Maketh intercession for the saints. The spirit makes intercession for the saints
according to the will of God, according to God, in harmony with God. The Greek word is
katatheou.
The spirit makes intercession in harmony with God, according to God. Now how can I, if
that spirit does not possess me, how can that spirit make intercession with God if it doesn’t
possess me? Very simple, I believe. And I operate by my believing speaking in tongues,
and that is how it makes intercession for the saints in harmony with God.
Talking about the holy spirit becoming available in the future, before it was available. The
Gospels refer to it as the Comforter, the Helper. And he is our intercessor. I do not know
what to pray for as I ought. But the spirit in me does, for it knows my motive and it knows
my heart. So the spirit, when I speak in tongues, makes intercession through Christ Jesus
who is the mediator between God and man, in harmony with God.
Ladies and gentlemen, I can’t teach it any better. I don’t know it any better. That speaking
in tongues is so fantastic.
Romans 8:28
And we know what? We know that by our speaking in tongues, all things work together for
good. The suffering; we simply stand, withstand and endure. The persecution we simply
endure. The scripture says even in this world, with Christ in us, we’re never tempted
beyond what we are able to be the victors over. When you’re born again of God’s spirit
and you speak in tongues, all things work together for good. Why? Because He is the God
of history. He is the God that overrules situations because you are His son, His daughter,
His beloved one.
Genesis 50:19, 20
Joseph was sold by his brothers. Everybody thought that was a bad deal. It was a bad deal.
But Joseph believed, and because of that believing a whole nation was saved. God
overruled.
Romans 8:28
All things work together for good by our speaking in tongues, because He is the God of
history. He is the God that created the heavens and the heart. Not the Pope! Not anybody
but God. He’s the God who overrules time and time again because of men who dare to
believe, who stood. In spite of their weaknesses, He looked at the motive of their hearts.
Not on the outward man, but on the inside.
“to them that love God” – To love God is to believe and to act accordingly. If you say to
me, “I love you Dr. Wierwille,” and then hit me over the head with a ball bat, that wouldn’t
make sense. If we say we love God and we don’t carry out His Word, we don’t believe His
Word, we don’t act accordingly, it doesn’t quite make sense.
We know that all things work together for good because we are speaking in tongues and
speaking in tongues requires believing and we act accordingly; maketh intercession for the
saints. I teach you to stay your mind on an individual, etc. and speak in tongues for him.
That’s exactly what it’s saying in Romans if you’ve got eyes to see.
All things work together for good to them who love God. And this is the first place in the
book of Romans where agapaō is used. And it’s used regarding speaking in tongues. All
things work together for good, those speaking in tongues with agapaō love. That’s the love
of God in the renewed mind in manifestation. And it works together for good to those that
agapaō God, who love God in the renewed mind in manifestation, who are the called. It
works together for good to the called. Are you called? Then speak in tongues. As you
speak in tongues, all things, your sufferings, your stand, your withstanding, your enduring,
your persecution, out of all that, all things will work together for good to those who
agapaō, love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation.
Now go scriptures through my mind like rabbit tracks in snow in the winter. Can’t carry
any animosity. Got to shake the dust off your feet. These scriptures go through my mind.
If I have the love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation, I can’t afford to worry
about tomorrow today. I can’t even afford to worry today. So worry is a beautiful sin. We
think getting drunk is a sin. It is, but no one ever thinks about worrying as a sin. There’s
lots of times when you’ve been more worried than you’ve ever been drunk. Worry is sin.
This agapaō love, no worry, no complaining, no fear. Do you speak in tongues? He makes
intercession, covers for you, love of God in the renewed mind, all things work together for
good to the called. He doesn’t force you. He doesn’t possess you. He simply tells you the
truth, and now it is up to you to believe it.
Then comes this beautiful closing phrase, “according to His purpose.” According to God’s
purpose. There’s a reason for your being here. There’s a reason for your life. There’s a
purpose for you being born again. You were brought to this moment in time and history
because God has a purpose. He knew you before the foundation of the world. Did He force
you? No, foreknowledge. This is all coming up in Romans, and when Romans 8 finally
finishes, we’ll be ready for Ephesians.
He knew by His foreknowledge that there would come a day when you would hear the
Word and believe. How far will you go with God? He knows that too. That depends upon
you. You’re called. He doesn’t compel, He doesn’t force, He doesn’t possess. You are not
a channel. You must believe. And you must believe to speak in tongues, and as you speak
in tongues, all things work together for good to them that love God. All these things.
You’re called.
According, or unto, His purpose. See, God knew us before the foundation of the world.
Did He know Abraham, Moses, Mary, Jesus Christ?
Deuteronomy 8:7-9
Called according to His purpose. Romans. What kind of land to you think that He’ll bring
you into?
Ephesians 1:3, 4, 9, 11
He is our haven of rest. He is our rock, our stronghold. He is our fortress. He is our high
tower. For all that God in Christ did, and He does for us today.
That brings us now in our next session to the goal, the reason for it all. That begins in
Verse 29, and culminates in Verse 39, the goal.

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Romans 8:22-28 - Corps - October 9,1979