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Romans 8:29-30 - Corps - October 16,1979

3rdburglar by Wordburglar
Topic: Rom 8:29-30,logospedia,lp
Format: mp3,
Publication Date: October 16, 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.

ROMANS 8:29, 30
October 16, 1979
We’re into the section in Romans that for many years, I too did not know the answers,
because whatever denomination you’re raised in, whatever theological school you go
through, that’s what you’re taught, that’s what you believe. And I had a battle in my mind
for many, many years, which goes back to the time I was in catechism, which is the first
time I can recall where I was knowledgeable of the teaching where it was possible for God
to pick one person and send him to heaven, and then pick another and send him to hell. I
had a little problem with that, but it was there. The scripture they used was that the potter
has the right to do whatever he wants to with the clay. So he can mold the pot to suit him,
or he can destroy the pot if he wants to.
Romans 9:21
Isaiah 29:16
Isaiah 45:9
Jeremiah 18:6
All of that stuff sounds real good, but it’s not the truth of God’s Word, because if it was
true that God could take anyone and send one to hell and the other to heaven, then you
would have no free will. Then you would become simply what I have set here in my
teaching for tonight, and that is simply that you have no choice. And if you have no choice,
then your destiny is predetermined before you were ever born, and that just wouldn’t be
right on.
Fatalism is the term used, which says that you have no choice. Things happen to you, so
why stew about it, it’s going to happen anyway. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to
happen anyway. You can’t do anything about it. That is fatalism, and fatalism, of course,
has grown out of the teaching of predestination, foreordination, and what I know is the
wrong teaching and the wrong dividing of God’s Word.
Romans 8:29, 30
These two verses comprise one whole segment of truth in the dividing of Chapter 8 of
Romans. So beginning in Verse 29, we get to the goal, the reason for it all. The reason that
all things work together for good to those who love God. The reason that all things work
together for good to those who love God is because they are the called according to God’s
purpose. If you love God, you will be obedient to God. And to be obedient to God, you
must be obedient to His revealed Word.
The first commandment in Matthew was to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and
strength. This is the first and great commandment. To those who love God. They are the
called according to God’s purpose, and they are to love God with all their heart, with all
their soul, with all their mind, and with all their strength. That’s the first commandment.
The deeper you love, the harder it is to ever walk away. So when people say they really
love God and they walk away, it cannot be true that they love Him very deeply. The same
principle applies to an individual. If you really love someone, the more you love that
person the harder it is to walk away or to cross them or do that which is the opposite.
Those who love God who are called according to God’s purpose. The second great truth is,
after you love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, you are called to a standard
of life and living. Number three, which is God’s purpose in calling you.
“purpose” – pro-thesis
We’re called according to God’s purpose. Prothesis means it is a thesis, which is a
standard of excellence. A thesis is written at the end of your academic pursuit. It’s a
standard of excellence, a purpose, you want to graduate, so you are supposed to be
knowledgeable in that field. So you write a thesis, a standard of excellence for your
graduation. That’s why this usage here is just fantastic.
Called according to God’s purpose, God’s standard of excellence, so that you have that
standard set. It’s like moving toward graduation. You’re called according to God’s
purpose. You know good and well that we’re not going to add anything to God. So the
addition, the standard of excellence has to be us. We do the paper. We do the thesis. Then
after that “called according to God’s purpose,” we get to Verse 29.
For whom. For whom who? The called according to God’s purpose. How? By the Word.
That’s how you get called.
Romans 10:17
That’s so important.
Romans 8:29
For whom? The called. How did He call you? By His Word. Not by what people say about
it. But what does the Word say about itself. Faith cometh by hearing, hearing to the end of
believing it. That’s the Word. But hearing one thing, the Word, the Word, the Word, and
nothing but the Word.
That brings you finally then to Romans 10:9.
Romans 10:9 and 10
When you confess with your mouth and get born again, then you’re entrusted with, He
comes in, it’s a gift.
Romans 8:29
To whom? The called with righteousness.
Romans 10:11
“For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be disappointed in his
expectation.” Shall not be ashamed. Whosoever indicates that there are others who will not
hear the call. People have the privilege of hearing the Word. They don’t hear it because
they don’t want to hear it.
The called are those who hear.
No place in the record can I find where God yells at people, where He hits them over the
head with a ball bat or something. It doesn’t happen. He was in that still small voice, Old
Testament, remember? And I wrote, “To hear that still small voice, shut up.” Man’s always
got his opinion of God and everything else, so he never shuts up. To hear God, be still.
You got to close your head off and your mouth and you’ve got to listen from God’s head to
your head, from God’s mouth to your mouth. And that comes by the Word and nothing but
the Word.
All conscious action involves choice. There is nothing so wonderful and yielding such fruit
Romans 8:29, 30 289
as Christianity when it’s believed and practiced according to God’s Word.
Romans 8:29
For whom, the called, He did foreknow, the called according to God’s purpose. He, God,
did foreknow. God also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His son that he
might be the firstborn among many brethren.
In that verse there are four words we’re going to study with a minute accuracy: foreknow,
predestinate, conformed, firstborn.
Now, you have the word for “purpose” written, prothesis.
Now, the word “foreknow” has the same prefix, pro-ginōskō.
“Predestinate” is the word pro-orizō.
“Conformed” is the word sun-morphos. In order to understand this, you need the word
meta-morphōsis. Then you need another word, meta-schēmatizō. And then you still have to
add another word, su-schēmatizō. This will all be dealing with the word “conformed.”
“Firstborn” is the word prō-totokos.
Predestination is not fatalism. If it was fatalism, you couldn’t do anything about it. And it’s
not superstition. It’s not fatalism because you can do something about it. How could you
be called if you had no privilege of doing something about it? Then He could not have ever
used the word “called.” Then it would have to be words like forced, controlled. To even
use the word “called” implies that the individual has the freedom of choice to hear.
(Dr. Wierwille gives example of calling someone in the Corps audience.)
Predestination is the word pro-orizō. The pro means before, in advance of, in preference
before you can see the rest – the highest. Boy, that’s really something. You know how I
got this and worked this? Because there’s another Greek word which is horos, right
associated with this word orizo. Horos is transliterated into our English word “horizon.”
That word horos means a limit, a boundary. You see the sun coming over the horizon. The
horizon has a limit, a marked out area or territory. And that same word is used in
relationship to pro as it refers to a mountain.
Once again, listen. In advance of, in preference before you can see the rest – the highest. ~
(Example of seeing the highest point, but not the bottom of the mountain.)
That’s the greatness of predestination. The pro, in advance of before you ever get there, in
advance of you can see the top of it. That’s pro. That’s the first part of destination. Pro, in
advance of. You can see the highest. He saw from before pro foundation of the world that
you would hear the Word, would believe it. He saw the highest for you before you were
ever conceived. God did. That’s why that word predestination is so fantastic.
Orizō – To set forth distinctively; Well, I think it’s quite distinct that we are His sons. That
is quite distinct. To be born of His spirit is certainly distinct. Also means to appoint
definitively. That means to not only set forth distinctly but to appoint definitively, we’re
being set forth distinctively, He has set forth in His Word both our standing and our state
in this word proorizō. That is why because of the distinctiveness of it and the
definitiveness of it, it is marked out territory, pro. That’s why the word horizon is marked
out territory. You can see it with the coming up of the sun, and specifically the mountains,
the peaks of it.
The word predestinate, pro-orizō is used four times in the New Testament: Romans 8:29;
Romans 8:30; Ephesians 1:5; Ephesians 1:11.
Ephesians 1:5
According to his good pleasure. In Romans according to his purpose. And His purpose is
God’s good pleasure.
Ephesians 1:11
That is the meaning, that is the usage, that is the Word of God on predestinate.
In order to predestinate, God had to have a purpose in mind, and He could only have that
purpose in mind because He had foreknowledge. Predestination is contingent upon
foreknowledge. Foreknowledge has a purpose. Otherwise, predestination would be totally
irrelevant.
I would now like to give you my definition, from working the Word and the texts, of
predestinate and then we’re going to keep working every word that is closely associated
with this predestination, like foreknowledge.
Predestination – to be set forth in preference definitively and distinctively before the
foundation of the world with an absolute, marked out declaration because of God’s
foreknowledge.
Without foreknowledge there could be no predestination. Without foreknowledge, then
what they refer to as predestination would have to be fatalism. Foreknowledge of God
makes possible predestination so that you, the called, could be set forth in preference.
You’re certainly in preference beyond the unbeliever, aren’t you? Definitively, real
definitely and distinctively, real distinction, before the foundation of the world, or before
the overthrow, Genesis 1, with an absolute, marked out declaration. That’s eternal life;
sons of God; born again. Marked out declaration of the heights that He has called you to
because of His foreknowledge.
That word “foreknow” is the word pro-ginōskō. That word is translated “foreknow” here in
Romans 8:29. That’s the word foreknow.
Romans 11:2
“foreknew” – proginōskō
The word pro-ginōskō is also translated “foreordain.”
I Peter 1:19 and 20
“Who verily was foreordained” – proginōskō.
This word proginōskō is translated “know.”
Acts 26:5
“knew” – proginōskō
To know before is the fourth usage of proginōskō.
II Peter 3:17
“know before” – proginōskō
Those are the only usages of the word proginōskō in the New Testament.
Now the word “foreknowledge.” The word “foreknowledge” is the word pro-gnōsis. This
word prognōsis is used in I Peter 1:2.
Romans 8:29, 30 291
I Peter 1:2
“foreknowledge” – prognōsis
Acts 2:23
“foreknowledge” – prognōsis
I told you I was going to trace these words down in minute accuracy in every usage with
you, because I never again want to hear one word from anybody in the Corps that they
don’t understand predestination or foreknowledge or purpose.
There’s another related word. The English is “be past’. The Greek word is pro-ginomai.
Romans 3:25
“are past” – proginomai
There’s another word relating to foreknowledge, “forefathers.” “Forefather” and “parent.”
The Greek word is pro-gonos. Very unique, very dynamic. Gonos from which we get the
word genus. Also the word from which we get the word genes. It’s also the word from
which we get the word genetics. And it’s the word from which we get the word gonads.
It’s also the word from which we get the word progeny. Boy, you talk about
foreknowledge. Proginōskō. When you work it down into all these different layers, man, it
sits up there like a diamond just showing forth all it’s radiant beauty, because the greatness
of God is His foreknowledge, who knows mans end before his beginning.
II Timothy 1:3
“forefathers” – progonos
I Timothy 5:4
“parents” – progonos
Foreknowledge, to know. Look at that word progonos. Before the baby is born you know
it’s coming. Foreknowledge. Isn’t that wonderful? Forefathers. You’re a father before you
see the evidence, but you know it’s going to be your baby. God, from before the
foundation of the world knew you would be His baby. Boy, foreknowledge!
Now we have only one left, pro-graphō. You may wonder why I put this word here. You
won’t wonder when I get through with it. It’s the word that we get the word graphics from,
writing from. Graphō is to write.
I Corinthians 2:7
“ordained” – prographō
Pro = before
Graphō = in advance of, in preference before; you can see the rest, the highest, the pro.
I want to show you one more, and then I’ll explain the greatness of this thing to you.
I’m teaching you everything in the Word on this subject. There is no more to be known
from the Word than what that Word gives. You may be able to get more out of the Word,
but that’s all the Word there is on this foreknow business and the words that are
immediately associated with it.
Galatians 3:1
“evidently set forth” – prographō
Prographō – We get graphics from it, writing. Pro, before.
Before what? Before it’s seen by anyone else. (Dr. Wierwille gives several examples.)
Before it’s seen by anyone else; God saw that there would be a day you would be born,
you’d hear the Word, you’d be called. He saw that before you came into visibility. That’s
this prographō. He saw you from before the foundation of the world.
Romans 8:29
Those whom He foreknew, He could predestinate to be set forth in preference definitively
and distinctively before the foundations of the world with an absolute marked out
declaration because of God’s foreknowledge.
Predestinated, to be conformed to the image of His son.
“Conformed” is the word sunmorohos. Sun means with like manner, in company with,
companion with, be on the side of, colleagues, associates.
Boy, you talk about Romans 8. Isn’t that wonderful! To be in like manner as Jesus Christ,
to be in company with him, to be a companion with him, to be on the side of Christ, to be a
colleague of his, to be his associate.
Morphos is simply to be fashioned like.
Philippians 3:21
“fashioned like” – sunmorphos
With that, you could put I Corinthians 13 when we shall see him face to face.
Morphos. fashioned like, but it’s fashioned to the end that its got a new shape, a new form,
a new fashion. Called according to God’s purpose, that the called whom He foreknew, He
could predestinate to be conformed, get a new shape, a new form, a new fashion.
Spiritually He did it. In the senses realm you do it by the renewing of your mind. That’s
sunmorphos.
The next word is metamorphosis transliterated into the English word metamorphosis.
Some people use it regarding a butterfly. God uses it much bigger. This word
metamorphosis is used four times in the New Testament.
II Corinthians 3:18
“changed” – metamorphosis
Matthew 17:2
“transfigured” – metamorphosis
Mark 9:2
“transfigured” – metamorphosis
Romans 12:2
“transformed” – metamorphosis
The other two words that I gave you earlier must also be looked at in the light of what I’m
sharing with you.
Metaschēmatizō – Schēmatizō is the word from which we get the word scheme, plan. In
India they never say architectural plan, they say architectural scheme. I think Great Britain
uses the word scheme rather than plan. This metaschēmatizō is used in II Corinthians 11.
II Corinthians 11:13
“transforming” – metaschēmatizō
II Corinthians 11:14
“transformed” – metaschēmatizō
II Corinthians 11:15
“transformed” – metaschēmatizō
A little while ago in Philippians 3:21 we had the word sunmorphos. Now we have to look
at the word metaschēmatizō because it’s also used significantly in Philippians 3:21.
Philippians 3:21
“change” – metaschēmatizō
“fashioned” – sunmorphos
The scheme of changing it.
I Corinthians 4:6
“in a figure transferred” – transformed in a figure; “Transferred” is the word
metaschēmatizō.
Finally we have the word suschēmatizō.
I Peter 1:14
“fashioning yourself according to” – suschēmatizō; The prefix su means you or yours
Romans 12:2
“conformed” – suschēmatizō
Be not you, your own scheme which you’ve been in, in the world, but be ye
metamorphosis by the renewing of your mind. A tremendous verse on the renewing of the
mind.
Romans 8:29
With the information I’ve given you, which all there is in God’s Word, the greatness of
this “conformed to” ought to hit you like a ton of bricks.
What are you to be conformed to? The image of His son, Jesus Christ.
“image” – eikōn, meaning pattern, the original
Jesus Christ was God’s only begotten son. We axe to be conformed to the image, the
pattern, the original, the likeness found in Jesus Christ.
“Image” means likeness found in Jesus Christ. Conformed to the likeness. A wonderful,
wonderful truth.
“firstborn” – prō-totokos; Jesus Christ was God’s only begotten son, but he was Mary’s
firstborn. If you have a firstborn, you have to have a second born. Otherwise, it’s only
begotten. If a father has only one son, it’s his one and only son. But if he has two sons,
then the first has to be his firstborn. Conformed to the image of God’s son that he, the son,
might be the firstborn, which says there must be logically other born. Otherwise, he would
be the only begotten born. Then he could not have brothers. He’s the firstborn among
many brethren. All tied together with those who loved God are the called according to the
purpose. The called, He foreknew, predestinated, to be conformed to the likeness of Christ
that he, Jesus Christ, might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Colossians 1:15
He who hath seen me hath seen the Father. That’s how he was the likeness, the pattern or
the original, the firstborn, prōtotokos. The firstborn of all creation.
To create is to bring into existence that which has never been before. In the gathering
together, it’s got to be a creation. The first birth is not a creation. Daddy and Mommy did
it. Formed and made. But in the gathering together, where we get a new body fashioned
like unto his glorious body, it has to be a creation, because when the physical body dies, it
returns to dust. Nothing left. The last breath is soul life. It’s gone. No more breath, no more
soul. So in order to have a new body conformed, fashioned like, God has to create.
The image, the firstborn, of every creation of all creation.
Colossians 1:18
Hebrews 1:5 and 6
“firstbegotten” = firstborn
When he brought him in by the resurrection.
Hebrews 12:23
“firstborn” – prōtotokos
That’s the usage of the word prōtotokos.
Romans 8:29
God knew all of this. You heard the call and you were born again. You became God’s son
and a brother of the Lord Jesus Christ. But that’s not all there is to it. There’s a gathering
together with the return of Christ when the dead in Christ shall rise, we which are alive
shall be changed, death puts on immortality, mortals put on immortality, corruption puts on
incorruption. And that brings us to the totality of the greatness of this truth that Jesus
Christ is the firstborn, because in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, who’s the only
one so far who has ever gotten up. He ascended into heaven, sat down and sent forth this
which you now see and hear, which is the new birth, which is God in Christ in you, which
is the guarantee of the completeness of the perfect man with the return of Christ.
That’s Romans 8:29.
Romans 8:30
“Moreover” – The RV has “and” and that’s what I think it ought to be. It’s in conjunction
with Jesus Christ the son of God being the firstborn among many brethren and whom he
did predestinate. That’s the called. To predestinate because of His foreknowledge. That’s
why He called. He knew that when you would hear the Word you would believe it. So
those two words we’ve covered in detail, predestinate, called.
It is interesting that the words predestinate, called, justified and glorified, all are in the
aorist tense, meaning once and for all, it’s finished. It’s the word “done.” In the Old
Testament the word was “do.” To the body of the Church, the called, the born again, it is
the word “done.” There is nothing that you can do. It is all done for you. By grace are ye
saved, not of works. It’s all done. All you have to do as a man of body and soul is hear the
call, hear the Word, you respond to the call by the freedom of your will, confess with your
mouth and the miracle of all miracles is born within, Christ in you, the hope of glory.
That’s why the word “justified” is the word dikaioō. It means legally and judicially
established guiltless and thus it is set forth as righteousness. The great truth of that you find
in II Corinthians 5.
II Corinthians 5:20 and 21
Legally and judicially established guiltless, thus set forth as righteous.
Romans 8:30
Those who He legally and judicially established as guiltless having the righteousness of
God, He glorified.
“glorified” – doxazō, transliterated into our word doxology. It means to invest with dignity.
He glorified, to invest with dignity, make one important. Boy, look at that. The called,
those who love God according to God’s purpose, for whom, the called, He did foreknow,
He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His son that he might be the
firstborn among many brethren, and whom He did predestinate, them He also called,
whom He called them He also legally and judicially established guiltless and having the
righteousness of God. And whom He justified, them He also invested with dignity, making
that one important, placing that one in a position of honor, glorified.
That takes me to the greatness of Ephesians 1.
Ephesians 1:20 and 21
“Far above” – This is the exceeding greatness in Verse 19. That the eyes of your
understanding may be enlightened in Verse 18. Raised Jesus Christ up there, and we’re
seated in the heavenlies with him, far above all principalities.” That certainly is to invest us
with dignity, making one important, placing that one in a position of honor. Seated with
him who is seated at the right hand of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is
named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. ladies and gentlemen,
don’t you see why the Church of the Body is to be superconquerors, why we are to have
more abundant life because of what God wrought in Christ Jesus.
That is Verse 29 and 30 of Romans 8.