SNT 0430 Standing and State
Standing and State
December 7, 1969
SNT 430
Format: audio
Publication Date: 12-07-1969
Victor Paul Wierwille was a Bible scholar and teacher for over four decades.
By means of Dr. Wierwille's dynamic teaching of the accuracy and integrity of God's Word, foundational class and advanced class graduates of Power for Abundant Living have learned that the one great requirement for every student of the Bible is to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Thus, his presentation of the Word of God was designed for students who desire the in-depth-accuracy of God’s Word.
In his many years of research, Dr. Wierwille studied with such men as Karl Barth, E. Stanley Jones, Glenn Clark, Bishop K.C. Pillai, and George M. Lamsa. His formal training included Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Theology degrees from Mission House (Lakeland) College and Seminary. He studied at the University of Chicago and at Princeton Theological Seminary from which he received a Master of Theology degree in Practical Theology. Later he completed his work for the Doctor of Theology degree.
Dr. Wierwille taught the first class on Power for Abundant Living in 1953.
Books by Dr. Wierwille include: Are the Dead Alive Now? published in 1971; Receiving the Holy Spirit Today published in 1972; five volumes of Studies in Abundant Living— The Bible Tells Me So (1971), The New, Dynamic Church (1971), The Word's Way (1971), God's Magnified Word (1977), Order My Steps in Thy Word (1985); Jesus Christ Is Not God (1975); Jesus Christ Our Passover (1980); and Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed (1982).
Dr. Wierwille researched God's Word, taught, wrote, and traveled worldwide, holding forth the accuracy of God's "wonderful, matchless" Word.
(2Ti 2:15); Act 2:22
Rom 6:1-23; 1Co 3:9
1Co 3:9-15; Eph 6:8; Col 3:23-25; 2Ti 2:11-13; 3:12
Rom 14:10; 2Co 5:10; (1Co 13); 2Ti 4:7, 8;
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DRAFT
snt-0430_standing-and-state(vpw) DRAFT
SUMMARY KEYWORDS: responsibility, God, sin, reward, people, standing, state, walk, life, eternal life, believer, servants, stand, Christ, death, judgment seat
But one of the things that has been on my heart and has been every time I teach applause, every time I see people take a clause is that so many times they miss in that class, the great discipline that's in it. And the topic of that was in my mind, and has been there for quite some time is the balanced truth of our sonship rites, or what in another phrase, you might call the disciplined believer. The reason this comes up is because in the classes, it behooves us to hit the people on the greatness of their standing in Christ. Because most Christian people are negative, they are full of fear, they're full of worry, they're full of anxiety, they're full of everything that they should not be filled with, they ought to get filled with the word and the positive greatness of it. And so in our foundational classes, we show people what they are in the word, what they have in Christ, and what Christ is in them. But on the other hand, in addition to this, standing, which they have in the family of God, in the foundation or class, we showed them, their responsibility. But as I look over the classes, and as I watch the people, I believe that we do, perhaps lack an emphasis on the state of the Christian, the discipline that ought to be in the Christians life as a believer to carry forth the Word of God. On the one hand, you have the standing as a son of God, when we're born again, of God's Spirit rate and God's family, we're going to stay in God's family because of birth because of the seed. But then, on the other hand, as we teach in the class is our state, our state is our walk. Our state is our fellowship. And to the end, that we walk in the light as He is the light, we have fellowship, one with another. He and I, I was listening very, especially to the messages tonight. From the point of view of these two sides are standing in our state. Every message tonight had something very dynamically regarding the standing and something dynamically regarding the state, perhaps on how to take your course in shorthand so I could get more stuff, but I wrote as rapidly as I could, what I was hearing, this is what I heard. One thing, you are what the Word says you are, carry at forth. The carrying it forth, is the discipline of the believer. You are what the Word says you are is your standing. The other is your state. I heard words like hold it for hold it fast and hold it fourth. That's the discipline believer. I love you, that's your standing. Teach others. That's your state. That's your walk. It's also heard where someone said we are called by his name, we were chosen to carry it forward, the chosen is your standing carry at fourth is your state is your responsibility. Also, that we are the light and we are to carry this light that they may know that they may know is the state there are dark days, but you are that light, walk and live in my words. The latter part of that is your state. The first part is your said. The standing is the privilege part of our Christian position. The state is our responsibility part. privilege, plus responsibility are always united in standing as well as responsibility. Plus, privilege understate. We do the work of the Lord. Not because we are to be saved, but because we are saved we want to do his work.
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From the standing the privileged point of view, all privilege without responsibility is devastating and defeating to the Christian. I'm going to say it again because By, as you look around you and you see some of these people to whom you've taught the greatness of God's word. It's just unbelievable that they shouldn't accept the responsibility. It's all privilege. They think, all privilege without assuming the responsibility is devastating and defeating to the Christian they'll end up with their life, on the other hand, turn it around all responsibility. Without this particular privilege is so devastating and so defeating that it ends in fatalism for people. And some of those people you have met in your life to where always they were dogging themselves on their responsibility, their work. And they ended up saying, well, if it's God's will come to pass anyway. And they end up being in fatalism. Salvation is upgrade. The eternal life we have is not of works, lest any man should boast it is upgrade,
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that, uh, no, no, do you. But the reward is not of grace, it has a merit. And you and I to go through life, a lifetime.
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Having eternal life, yet, having no reward laid up for us? Because we have not re assumed the responsibility, which is ours, which should go along with the privilege. Though the reward is of merit, not upgrade. Many times I've heard people say in the past, well, if this word is what to say it is, then they are done. I don't have to do anything. The threat. They have said, then I can send all I want to I'm still going to go to heaven. That's right. They have said, Well, I'm not under the law, so that I don't have to tie it. I don't have to do any of that stuff. That's right. Whether you ties or whether you don't ties, has nothing to do with your standing worthy a sin or whether you don't see it has nothing to do with your standing. But it has everything to do with our state that fly. These people just take it out of context. And they're looking for loopholes how they can live less than they're already living. They're looking for an argument so they can keep on sinning where they've already been sending but their conscience not quite bothering him as much as it did before. Now that's a bunch of baloney. That's good. People say why I then I don't have to tie because I'm under grace. You know, who say that the people never did tide in the first place are the ones that are saying it. So it's right. If they were tising, then when they got under grace with Grace do less than the law. No, but you see, we're looking for an excuse. With that's not the discipline life. If we're going to be believers, we're going to have to be disciplined people. Now that is taught in the class, but perhaps not in the greatness that we teach our sonship right, where we get people to see what they are in Christ and what Christ is in them. But I know it's in the class, because I've taught it enough ought to know what's in the you know, that scripture in Second Timothy, it says, where to study to show ourselves what the proves on the home, that's worth that state. That takes discipline. That's the responsibility side of salvation. The privilege side is our standing. The responsibility side is our state. And we are the study to show ourselves approved under God and the undisciplined person does not study the Word. If he'd studied the word he'd have light on what his responsibilities are. I'd like for you again, just take the book of Romans, Corinthians and carry through the church epistles and read it from your responsibility point of view, not from your privileged point of view and look for everything that you as a son of God ought to be doing. To get the reward, which God has for those who faithfully carry out his word. Remember in to the 22nd verse in act two talks about Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved ABODE OF GOD. Jesus had to stand approved, how did he stand up a man have proved of God by the signs, the miracles and the wonders which were done, back to 22. You cannot divorce does standing and the state the privilege and the responsibility This is why when people say to you, well, then I can send all I want to I'm still going to go to heaven. That's right. But you're gonna have a have a real hectic time going. And there's no reward after you get there yet just get inside of the door. That's all in Romans chapter six.
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See, the reason that this comes up so dynamically in our ministry so many times, is because this is the only ministry that I know of that reaches down to the depths of man's sin and iniquity and everything else, and does not criticize them, but shows them what they can be if they're born again what they are, and then starts them on the road up. But having been in that negative, deadly situation, many times they think, well, this just gives us a license to sin it does. This just gives us the right to continue on drugs or LSD and all the rest of the psychedelic stuff it does, or any of the other stuff that the straits goes through. Nope, does. In Romans chapter six, is the answer as far as I know. What shall we then say? What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? The apostle Paul had the same problem. God's always had the same problem with these children, by the words given to us. Shall we then continue in sin afterwards say that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer they're in? Why should we want to live in sin after God sent his only begotten son who died for sin and covered it for us? Then we walking in Him ought to walk with that responsibility of the newness of life. Manifesting the greatness of the power of God. No, you're not that so many of us were baptized into Jesus Christ. were baptized into his death. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism, under death into death. that like as Christ was raised up from, from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. The first part of our as far as our standing, the latter part of verse four is the responsibility our state, even so we should walk in newness of life. You see it, both in the same verse. For a very fine, if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, done away. That henceforth we should not serve, be in bondage to sin. Both again in verse six, you save, for he that is dead, is freed from sin. This is the standing part, the legal part of what God accomplished for us in Christ Jesus, now very safe. If we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him because of our standing. Verse nine, knowing that Christ being raised from the dead diet, no more death has no more dominion over him. For him that he died, he died under sin one worried that he lived, he lived under God. Likewise, likewise, reckon he also yourselves to be dead indeed. Understand that it's our responsibility, our walk our state, but our life under God through Jesus Christ is our sending. Birth Well, let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, body, that G should obey it in the lust there are by way of the five senses. Neither Yogi are members as instruments of unrighteousness under sin, but yield yourself under God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God, there is our responsibility. For sin shall not have dominion shall not Lord over you. For your not under law, but under what? Sure, because of what God accomplished in Christ. What then, shall we sin, because we're not under law, but under grace, God would forbid, same adverse to God forbid.
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Because you've got to get your state lined up with your standing, you're standing and your state have to go hand in hand. This is why, like, need and want must be parallel. Our standing is one of a sudden, our walk must be one of a sudden, we got to say what the Word says, We have to declare what it says. This is our responsibility. Verse was 1516 No, he not that to whom he yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants he are to whom you obey, whether I've seen under death, or obedience unto us. Righteousness, that's right, because the Christian actor is born again he is standing will always be one of the Christian Christ in us the whole story, but his state, his responsibility will depend upon his own walk, how has he walked before he, But God be thanked very 17 that he word the servants of sin. But you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine, which was delivered on to you so you got the stack where your responsibility along with your standing carried out. But before this, you were just servants of sin. But since you know the other side, the true teaching, you are made free from sin, you became the servants of lot. That's the walk the state I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your place. For Adji have yielded your members servants done plainness and to iniquity. And on to iniquity, even so now. God yourself, your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. That's the responsibility of our walk. Or when you were the servants of sin, then you were free from righteousness. This was before they were born again. They couldn't help but to do what they were doing. After they were born again. They were to renew their minds. No longer be servants of sin, but servants of righteousness. What fruit had Gee, then in those things were up, you're now ashamed. For the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, that's our standing and become servants to God. On a horizontal level. You have your fruit on to holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is what? death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. You see how all through the chapter they just lay sod beside, you're standing in your state, your privilege, your responsibility. If there's any one thing after we know what we are in Christ, that we must carry out that is the manifestation of that which we have received spiritually we have to carry it out. This is our responsibility. This is the one thing that lays up for us, the reward our walk before the Father, not only do we have to stand approved before God by rightly dividing the word we have to declare Well, that word says we have to hold it for it. We have to share it. We are the only people God has. The believers are the only people God has to carry the word. That's why this responsibility lays heavy upon all of our shoulders. This is why Dr. Wade again said tonight we bring our ties our special offerings that keep the ministry rolling, this is their responsibility. It's on our shoulders. God's given us the privilege. And the privilege of our standing and of our state is tremendous. Because it has involved in it responsibility. It's an easy thing to knuckle under something and to sell out. You know, the devil just loves them. He makes it easy to do.
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It takes a man or a woman with conviction to make up his or her mind and say, Well, Doug says the Lord that settles it come hell or high water. Just take a stand and say that's it. No matter what the neighbors may say or anybody else. It's God's word. That is my responsibility. It'll say in
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First Corinthians chapter three verse nine, for we're laborers to gather with home. Okay. In other words, we've got responsibility as a laborer, right?
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Well, it says we're ambassadors. We're workman. We're soldiers. Remember all those things? The foundation applies. Well, does an ambassador have a responsibility with it? It's a privilege, but it also has a lot. Okay, a soldier has the privilege but also a responsibility. All of those things that we take in the foundation of class and show what the Christian is, carries with it our responsibility. We're laborers together with God that has a responsibility as a laborer. You're God's husbandry, you're God's building. According to the grace of God, which has given me as a wise master builder, I've laid the foundation. There's a difference between the foundation and the building. Foundations one thing to building on top of it's something else.
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Four other birds foundation can no man lay, then that is laid, which is what Jesus Christ is the foundation that the standing your cat chains done. That's it. That's eternal life. That's the foundation that's the standing but the building that's built on it, at something else. Now, if any body any man, anybody, including Paul, build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones would pay stubble. Every man's work. This is this state now his responsibility his work shall be made manifest, declared Joan openly. For the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire. And the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. That's the second time man's work is used in verse 13. Verse 14, If any man's work, third time abide, which he has built there on, he shall absolutely receive a blood reward because of the work which abide. That's the reward of work, not a great verse 15. If any man's work for a time shall be burned, he shall suffer loss. But he himself shall be saved yet so as by fire. It doesn't say he shall be lost. Because he's not talking about the standings. Talking about the state the responsibility of the believer. The believer is not lost, but the work he has done and everything he thought was so good as last look at Ephesians chapter six verse eight knowing that whatsoever good thing any man does this any man, does it mean the unbeliever it means the believers are born again believers not talking about a philanthropist who's outside of Christ is talking about the Christian believer, the born again Son of God.
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Any good thing that any man do at the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond are free. That Colossians chapter three verse 23, and whatsoever Colossians 323. And whatsoever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord and not under old, knowing that of the Lord, he shall receive the reward of the inheritance. The reward of the inheritance is a merit and not embrace the reward. For ye served the Lord Christ. But verse 25, He that do it wrong jar received for the wrong which he has done, and there is no respecter of persons with God. In Second Timothy chapter two verse 11, it is the faithful saying, For if we be dead with him, we shall also lot this is the standing part.
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If we suffer we shall also reign with Him is the state. We are going to be with him. Whether we suffer whether we don't suffer, because of the eternal life, we have. But terrain with him is the reward deal. If we deny Him, He also will deny us not in standing. But in work. He said, how the two go hand in hand and how easily people got all confused over this thing because you said what if you deny the Lord the Lord deny you? So you're unsaved? Again? No, no, no, no. Has nothing to do with your salvation has everything to do with your state. Nothing to do with your standing has everything to do with your responsibility, your walk. If we deny the Lord in our walk after we're born again, we have no reward. He'll just have to deny us for because we denied it. If we believe not, if we believe not, even though we're saying he Gods still abide one, faithful, big because he cannot deny himself. If he has given us eternal life. He cannot deny himself but if I do not believe he's going to buy faithful in what he's promised. In the third chapter, here also in the 12th, verse, yay, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall not suffer persecution, but that's what the Lord says.
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Now can you be The bigger than the word. People have said to me, Well, if you believe big enough, you'll never be persecuted. Well, you just can't believe beyond the word. You understand what the Word says. That's what it means. That's what we have to believe. And everybody who says that, well, if you believe big enough, you wouldn't suffer persecution knows they're a liar. Because if they had done any believing that already suffered persecution Well, I tried. Have any of you ever declared God's word and really declared it when somebody didn't stick up his full old head? Any place why some of you people get it from left and right from all the good church people in the non church people? And they just Yak and Yak about you? Okay. You see, if you've ever walked on the word, you no longer have to pray about it. You know, you've got this person. And if you're not being persecuted for the greatness other word, you aren't walking, you know what you're doing. You're shutting your trap. You're not talking about God, you're talking about football games, the weather, the job politics, but not follow. Or when you talk about the Lord and you set the greatness of God's word before God's people, you've got some persecution coming. But the word says that in all that persecution, he has strengthened us that it never overcomes us.
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All without any exception. Who live godly Dilip godly has to live by His Word shall suffer persecution. All at it. Peter had it. Timothy had it. Abraham had it. I think Jesus had a little didn't. And if anybody anybody ever believed. Okay. I guess we just settled that one. See why I keep telling us, our people that you can't believe beyond what the Word says. Believing is conditioned by the word.
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We can believe less, but never more. God can do more than his word, but he cannot do less. But God can never do that more which would contradict his word, then God would break his own kingdom.
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This is why if in the realm of this life, in which you and I walk as sons of God.
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If we draw back from walking godly we cannot lose our eternal life. But we forfeit the reward. Roman keep your finger in Second Timothy I'm coming back. Roman. Chapter 14. latter part a very thin bar we shall all without any exception. born again believers stand before the judgment seat of God is the text.
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For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God. The word judgment seat is the word beyma. Where the rewards are handed out. A judgment seat can be of two kinds. One where punishment is administered or where rewards are passed out. You take a judgment stand at a racetrack while the horses are running. The judges have to watch that. They don't pound each other or something. I don't know what they have to watch. But they can replicate Man them. On the other hand, they can give out the reward. Now the word of God says that we who are born again, of God's Spirit, we have passed from death under life, we shall never more come into the judgment. The word is condemnation, I think in the text. It would be much more accurate if it had read no judgment. I don't know this, I know it's spiritually much more accurate, you can check it out, see if the word would be judgment, I don't know. You see, we shall never come into condemnation never shall come into the judgment. Because our standing is one of the sun. And yet every man has to appear before the judgment bar to receive reward. You see, these two apparent contradictions they've never been able to handle, there is no contradiction. It's a matter of understanding that as a son of God, you passed from death under life and shall never come before him to receive condemnation for what you've done. But you stand before him here receive rewards for what you've done. And if you haven't done anything, and don't get a reward, food as simple as that. We just forfeit the reward not so. That's this great record here in Romans, in Second Corinthians, the same truth. Second Corinthians chapter five. By the way, all of these in the foundational class, if I remember correctly, I should,
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verse Tam, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of God that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he has done whether it's good or bad. The rewards again, the beyma were the rewards. This is why we appear before the judgment seat of God. This is our responsibility to walk in life to home for thord. Remember, First Corinthians 13, you could pretty well stick that in on the walk a lot of others, but that is flipped in my mind again. I think when it comes to the walk, many times, people outside of the in depth working of the word like we do here at the Lay headquarters, their walk would be entirely different in their thinking than ours would be because they're not accurate on the word. In Second Timothy chapter four just before I read these verses that I want to close with tonight let's remind ourselves once more than our standing is one of the sun and will always be one of a what? That's right. But our state depends upon our walk. And our state has responsibility. We as sons of God in a perpendicular relationship have responsibility on an horizontal level to our fellow men. This is why in first in Second Timothy four. Paul by divine revelation wrote to Timothy saying, verse seven, I have fought a good fight. Well, it must have been a fight because he said he fought a good one. It wasn't just a two rounder. It was a 15 round or something. fought a good fight. I've finished my course I have kept the faith. Now watch it verse eight, henceforth, because I kept the faith, Non non, because he already had eternal life. He's going to be heaven bound, right? Sure, not just 10 but when the Lord returned, but look what he said there is laid up for me a crown of what? Righteousness that's the the privilege walk, because he'll act appeared before the judgment seat of God before the beam of God. There is laid up a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day. Not now, but at that day, as a reward than not to me only, but unto all them also that love his blood, everybody. That's the reward. You see how in the Word of God, our standing and our state, goes side by side, how the standing carries with it a tremendous privilege. But on the other hand, the state carries with it our responsibility. Sure, we're sons of God. But the responsibility is that we so live in this life that we declared the greatness of that word of God and the responsibility to share it with others and hold it forth and live it. That's what it is. Now, do you have any questions about what I taught? You just take your church epistles and read them. See for yourself what the believers responsibility is. And there's certainly going to be times when you're going to wonder how we could have missed all this stuff. All right, Gail. Am I correct in my understanding that Jesus stood before the Bema pilot, and when he did this, he stood in judgment, so that this was a judgment for all of us so that we no longer stand in judgment.
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Yes, yes. And he not only stood before it, in the sense that he stood before the judgment seat of Pilate, to be judged for us. But he also stood before it to be rewarded for us because pilot could pilot couldn't touch him, you know, and God raised Him. And in the epistles, it says that he set him at his own right hand gave him a name, which is above every name, this is the reward. Christ already accomplished everything for us that our rewards can be as abundant as the word since the two fold. He was a complete savior. That's terrific. That's good. Wonderful. Anyone else? Well, that's another night. I think this kind of tape tonight this kind of teaching ought to go around the country. I think this tape needs to go into every area where there are group meetings, and I think the group thought to listen to me because they keep saying all the time that all we talk about eternal life. We talk about eternal life because a big thing talk about but we talk about the other side, they just miss it. Our standing on the word are walking on it. But I think this kind of kind of message from the word giving the balance truth of our sonship rights, both our standing and our state ought to just be understood not only by everyone here but by everybody that is trying to walk with us in our team in the way ministry.