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Resurrection part 4: The significance of Messiah’s resurrection

The belief in Yeshua as Messiah necessitates a belief in his resurrection, otherwise the whole of the Bible narrative falls apart and is robbed of its true meaning.

Core of the Bible podcast #124: Resurrection part 4 – The significance of Messiah’s resurrection

Up to this point in our resurrection series, we have covered a lot of ground in relation to the topic of resurrection.

In the first essay, we looked at individual resurrections in the Bible, and the teaching of Yeshua on the idea that eternal life was capable of being bestowed within this lifetime and then also to be carried on in the next.
Next, we reviewed how judgment and resurrection were described in the prophecies of Isaiah and Ezekiel. Although they each prophesied of a collective physical resurrection of Israel from its captivity, it was an allegorical resurrection which pointed to their restoration in their land and their inheritance after their captivities of judgment were completed.
Last time, we reviewed the timing of Daniel’s prophecy of a final resurrection of judgment which also included not just a restoration to the inheritance, but a bestowal of eternal life. Due to the corruption of that first century generation, it appeared that judgment was carried out in the final days of national Israel in 68-70 AD, and spiritual life was granted in the establishment of prophetic Zion, the eternal city/Kingdom of God.

Now we come to the most famous of all resurrections, the resurrection of Yeshua Messiah, himself. As mentioned previously, the apostle Paul believed that Yeshua’s resurrection was absolutely a central doctrine of the nascent believing community:

1 Corinthians 15:13-14 – But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Messiah has been raised. And if Messiah has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.

While in previous essays we looked at how Yeshua himself taught about the resurrection of others, today I would like to focus on Messiah’s own resurrection, and the meaning with which it is infused from the rest of the biblical writings in the Tanakh. To be clear, I will not be dealing with evidences for the resurrection of Messiah, as I believe that is well attested in many other commentaries and studies which are readily available for anyone to research further. I am assuming that most of you reading or listening to this today believe the resurrection of Messiah is true, as I do. In these studies I am choosing to look at resurrection as a theme or motif throughout the Bible, and what the implications are for the believer today.

To best understand Messiah’s resurrection, I think we would do well to understand it from his perspective, as much as possible. To do so, we will be looking at the evening of the day of his resurrection, and how he explained to his disciples what had happened. In two conversations, Yeshua was able to recount for his disciples the meaning of his resurrection in the context of the entire Bible.

Firstly, Yeshua encountered two unnamed disciples of his as they traveled from Jerusalem to Emmaus, debating between themselves the meaning of what had occurred since the crucifixion and empty tomb had just been discovered that morning.

Luke 24:15-16 – And while they were discussing and arguing, Yeshua himself came near and began to walk along with them. But they were prevented from recognizing him.

As they discussed the confusion of the events of the day, Yeshua began to instruct them.

Luke 24:25-27 – He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! “Wasn’t it necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted for them the things concerning himself in all the Scriptures.

Later that same evening, Yeshua appeared to the eleven remaining disciples and repeated this same information.

Luke 24:44-47 – Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

While the details of these conversations that Yeshua had with these disciples and the explanation of how he fulfilled what was written in the Tanakh are not recorded for us, I believe we can still glean some of the passages that he may have represented to those disciples by reading how the early believing congregations interpreted key passages from Moses, the psalms, and the prophets. His followers would memorialize some of these passages within the New Testament writings which we can reflect on in the context of Yeshua’s fulfillment of these things.

WRITTEN IN THE LAW OF MOSES

Even during his ministry, Yeshua made it clear he was fulfilling the very scriptures in which the Jews continually searched for their Messiah.

John 5:45-47 – Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?“

In what ways did Moses write about Messiah over a thousand years before Yeshua even walked the earth? One of the most prominent statements from Moses was his prediction that God would raise up a prophet like himself from among their own people.

Deuteronomy 18:15 – “Yahweh your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear…”

Early in the gospel of John, we find Philip recognizing this very passage being fulfilled in the person of Yeshua as he excitedly tells Nathanael about him.

John 1:45 – Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Yeshua, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”

The apostle Peter even urgently preached this very passage to those Jews who witnessed the healing of the lame man in the temple courts:

Acts 3:22 – Moses said to the fathers, ‘Yahweh your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you.’

That Yeshua was to be a prophet like Moses can be illustrated by reviewing some parallels between the lives of Moses and Yeshua:

They both spoke the words of God to the people

Exodus 4:12 – Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”

John 12:44, 49 – And Yeshua cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. … For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment–what to say and what to speak.

They both provided the source of life

Numbers 21:8 – Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Make a snake image and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will recover.”

John 3:14-15 – “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

They both provided the bread of heaven

Exodus 16:14-15 – When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. “What is it?” they asked each other. They had no idea what it was. And Moses told them, “It is the food Yahweh has given you to eat.”

John 6:32, 35 – Yeshua said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. … Yeshua replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

They both proclaimed the commands of God from a mountain

Exodus 24:12 – Yahweh said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay there so that I may give you the stone tablets with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”

Matthew 5:1-2 – When he saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit…”

Yeshua’s resurrection proved that everything Moses was for the natural, fleshly nation of Israel, Yeshua was going to be for the spiritual, heavenly kingdom of God.

That Yeshua was not just like Moses, but was also a prophet is illustrated by these few examples.

He foresaw his own death and resurrection. Mark 8:31: “He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.“
Yeshua also prophesied of the expansion of the worship of the one true God beyond the land and leadership of Israel. John 4:20-21 – [The woman at the well said] “Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.” Yeshua told her, “Believe me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
He foresaw the complete destruction of the temple within that generation. Matthew 24:1-2, 34 – As Yeshua left and was going out of the temple, his disciples came up and called his attention to its buildings. He replied to them, “Do you see all these things? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down.” … “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place.“

What other kinds of things can we find in the books of Moses that illustrate the work of Messiah?

In God’s condemnation of the serpent in the opening chapters of Genesis, we find a prophecy about the “seed of the woman” who would gain dominion over the power of the serpent:

Genesis 3:15 – I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.

After sparing Isaac on the altar, God related to Abraham how his offspring would bring blessing to the rest of then nations.

Genesis 22:18 – “And all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring because you have obeyed my command.”

This blessing to all nations was to come through the seed of Abraham. The apostle Paul writes about the nature and identity of this seed.

Galatians 3:16 – Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say “and to seeds,” as though referring to many, but referring to one, and to your seed, who is Messiah.

It was through this Messiah, the seed of Abraham, that these blessings would be poured out into the world.

Additionally, the entire narrative of the closing fourteen chapters of Genesis, 28% of the whole book, are consumed with telling the story of Joseph, one who was separated from among his brothers, was considered dead, and yet was discovered to be alive and ruling over the entire known world at the right hand of the supreme ruler of the world of that time, Pharaoh. The parallels in the story of Joseph to the life of Messiah have been enumerated over the centuries and illustrate in true allegory the role and character of Messiah.

Even the biblical calendar described in the law of Moses explains the work of Messiah. While all of the annual moedim or seasonal appointments illustrate Messiah, two in particular are stark indicators of his ultimate glory:

Day of Atonement: the sacrifice of Messiah for Israel’s sin illustrated by the double-goat ceremony, one who dies and one who yet lives.
Yom HaShemini/Eighth Day: the eternal Kingdom illustrated by the Eighth Day, the day beyond the seven days of this natural world cycle.

These examples only scratch the surface of the ways Messiah had been prefigured in the writings of Moses, and how his work was to move Israel from the natural (represented by following Moses and doing the letter of torah) into the spiritual (represented by following Messiah and doing the torah of God from the heart). Only a resurrected Messiah could accomplish what was to become eternal and spiritual.

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Yeshua not only represented to his disciples that Moses had written about him, but also the prophets. What are some examples of prophetic writings that he may have discussed with them on that road to Emmaus?

WRITTEN IN THE PROPHETS

From Peter’s speech in the temple:

Acts 3:24 – “In addition, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those after him, have also foretold these days.

What kinds of things were foretold within the writings of Israel’s prophets?

Israel was promised a King

Most believers are very familiar with a verse in Isaiah which usually becomes very prevalent around Christmastime:

Isaiah 9:6 – For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

But if we keep reading into the very next verse, we find that a very great promise is provided to Israel:

Isaiah 9:7 – The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of Yahweh of Armies will accomplish this.

This prophetic announcement of the permanent rule of Messiah over God’s Kingdom, a David-like figure, became the hope of Israel. Even to this day, Jews are expectantly awaiting their Messiah. Sadly, they do not recognize that he has come and he is already reigning in the eternal kingdom of God.

The angelic messenger Gabriel is also recorded as conveying this kingship of Yeshua to Mary, Yeshua’s mother, of the significance of her miraculous child:

Luke 1:31-33 – “Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Yeshua. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.“

Micah 5:2, 4 – Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times. … He will stand and shepherd them in the strength of Yahweh, in the majestic name of Yahweh his God. They will live securely, for then his greatness will extend to the ends of the earth.

Zechariah 9:9 – Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! Look, your King is coming to you; he is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

This prophecy is even declared by the writers of scripture to have been fulfilled by Messiah in the final week of his life.

John 12:12-16 – The next day, when the large crowd that had come to the festival heard that Yeshua was coming to Jerusalem, they took palm branches and went out to meet him. They kept shouting: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord – the King of Israel! ” Yeshua found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written: Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion. Look, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt. His disciples did not understand these things at first. However, when Yeshua was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

Most importantly, within the prophetic books Israel was promised an eternal inheritance:

Daniel 2:44 – “And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.

We see how this eternal kingdom would be set up “in the days of those kings”. The kings mentioned in the vision were the feet of iron mixed with clay, which most commentators equate with the Roman empire. This kingdom to be established by God was to be set up in those days, and it was to endure forever.

That this Messianic figure would be killed and rise from the dead is not only illustrated allegorically by the story of Joseph (said to have been killed by wild animals, but is then discovered alive), but the resurrection is conveyed by Yeshua’s own use of the story of Jonah from that prophetic book:

Matthew 12:40 – “For as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.

Luke 11:30 – “For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.

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WRITTEN IN THE PSALMS

Now that we have looked at some of the indications of Messiah in the writings of Moses and the Prophets, we turn to the Psalms. While there are many psalms which have Messianic overtones, Psalm 110 is one of the most quoted passages in the New Testament writings.

Psalm 110:1-4 – A Psalm of David. Yahweh says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” Yahweh sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. Yahweh has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

This teaches us how Yeshua’s resurrection established him not only as the permanent ruler of God’s Kingdom, but also a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. The writer to the Hebrews explains how this oath of God ensured that Messiah had to rise from the dead in order to establish the eternal priesthood within his Kingdom.

Hebrews 7:20-25 – And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: “Yahweh has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever.'” This makes Yeshua the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently,because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

The Psalms also speak of his resurrection before his dead body would become decayed.

Psalm 16:10 – For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.

Yeshua’s resurrection demonstrated that he was truly the Son of God, his King, receiving the Kingdom assigned to David.

Psalm 2:6-8 – “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” I will tell of the decree: Yahweh said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

This psalm confirms that the King that Yahweh desired to place on the throne of his Kingdom, the prophetic New Jerusalem of Zion, was to be his own Son. He would inherit not just the land of Israel, but have the nations before him.

These qualities were also brought out in Paul’s sermon in the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch, as he quoted several of the psalms regarding the resurrection of God’s own son, reigning on the throne of David:

Acts 13:30-35 – But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Yeshua, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’ And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ Therefore he says also in another psalm, “‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’

We have already seen how strongly Paul felt that the resurrection of Messiah was central to the story of redemption, and here we see him piling on these several passages from the Prophets and Psalms that we have just reviewed to corroborate that Yeshua fulfilled what was written and promised to their fathers in generations past.

1 Peter 1:3-4 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua Messiah. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Yeshua Messiah from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

An inheritance that was to be imperishable, undefiled, and unfading would only be possible with an ever-living Prophet, King, and Priest. Israel’s eternal inheritance was bound up together with a living representative of an everlasting covenant so that the Kingdom of God would be firmly established and would never pass away. The resurrection of Yeshua accomplished all of these things.

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We saw in our last essay how the kingdom was always meant to be spiritual, because only spiritual things can last forever.

2 Corinthians 4:18 – So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

The resurrection of Yeshua enabled all of these qualities to become true, not just for a generation or even for a particular earthly reign, but forever.

Israel was promised a prophet like Moses, and Yeshua’s resurrection allows him to be that prophet forever.
Israel was promised a king like David, and Yeshua’s resurrection allows him to be that king forever.
Israel was promised a priest like Melchizedek, and Yeshua’s resurrection allows him to be that priest forever.

Therefore, the resurrection of Yeshua was an absolute necessity which is why Paul would write:

1 Corinthians 15:14 – and if Messiah has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith.

The belief in Yeshua as Messiah necessitates a belief in his resurrection, otherwise the whole of the Bible narrative falls apart and is robbed of its true meaning. One cannot be true without the other: a resurrected Messiah makes no sense without the full context of the rest of the biblical narrative and promises made to Israel, and the biblical narrative and promises require an eternal Prophet, King, and Priest.

Without an eternal Prophet, we cannot know the will of God. Without an eternal King, we have no righteous authority. Without an eternal Priest, we have no atonement for sin. However, the whole thing put together results in a beautiful harmony of God’s three-fold provision for his people, and for any who choose to align themselves with the God of Israel. He has established his eternal King upon his throne, an eternal Prophet who reveals the will (or Word) of God to his people forever, and an eternal Priest who always lives to intercede for those who come to him.

This is why Messiah has supremacy over Adam, because he has conquered not only sin but death.

Romans 5:17 – If by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man [Adam], how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Yeshua Messiah.

This is why Messiah has supremacy over Moses, since Moses faithfully created and cared for the Kingdom of God on the earth (the house of Israel) in his generation, but it is through Messiah that the new creation of the eternal Kingdom of God has been built.

Hebrews 3:2-3 – He [Yeshua] was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was in all God’s household. For Yeshua is considered worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder has more honor than the house.

If Yeshua truly is our Prophet, King, and Priest, then for believers there really is no need any longer for earthly prophets, kings, or priests. Our primary allegiance belongs to Yahweh through his provision of our ultimate Teacher, Authority, and Intercessor, Yeshua, not to some earthly counterfeit. While we still need to abide by the rulers of this earth, our ultimate allegiance belongs only to Yahweh through his Messiah, Yeshua. This is why no natural nation, entity or organization can claim supreme authority as the “true” people of God or belief system because only a spiritual entity, the Kingdom of God, is eternal; all else is subject to death and corruption. Only God’s Word and his Kingdom with his designated and chosen Prophet, King, and Priest is eternal.

Because of his resurrection, only Yeshua Messiah has the right to stand in authority over all other belief systems. By conquering death he has validated forever the truth that he taught, fulfilling all that was written about him in the writings of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms, just as he had explained to his disciples. By being raised from the dead, he became the genesis of a whole new creation, a new heavens and a new earth!

2 Corinthians 5:16-17 – So from now on we have known no one according to the flesh, and even if we have known Messiah according to the flesh, yet now we know him no more; so that if any one is in Messiah — he is a new creature! The old things did pass away; behold, all things have become new.

God has renewed, restored, and resurrected his people in Messiah Yeshua. The very real and tangible resurrection of Messiah after his crucifixion was the physical token revealing the genesis of this new creation; in Messiah, all things are already new! Because of Messiah’s resurrection, believers today can have not only hope through the struggles in this life, but the ultimate hope in an instantaneous and eternal existence in God’s presence once this life is through.

Speaking to Martha at the tomb of her brother Lazarus, Yeshua uttered what I believe were the most important words to give believers hope in this life:

John 11:25-26 – Yeshua said to her, “I am the resurrectionand the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Well, this series has been a long journey and has taken us into some areas that are not typically reviewed in the context of resurrection. However, I truly hope that through all of these scriptural detours and rabbit holes that there are at least a couple of concepts and ideas to encourage you to meditate on and to study out further on your own. But remember, if you have thoughts or comments that you would like to explore further with me, feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.

Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks

If forgiveness resides in our heart, we can then speak and act on that forgiveness.

Core of the Bible podcast #91 – Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks

Today we will be looking at the topic of forgiveness, and how it relates to the condition of our heart. If forgiveness resides in our heart, we can then speak and act on that forgiveness. However, if what we say is unforgiving, then the words we speak illustrate or reveal what is actually in our hearts.

Luke 6:45 – The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings out that which is evil, for out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.

I knew a man who was recently honored at his work for being an outstanding performer, always receiving gracious comments from customers with whom he interacted on a regular basis. He even received national recognition and many accolades from his company for his achievements. However, when a particular crisis arose and he was challenged by his boss with a sharp disagreement over his mishandling of a particular situation, what began as a discussion of strategy degraded into a string of profanity and lashing out. He ended up blaming a customer for what was in reality his own inability to bring a situation to its proper conclusion. This indignation, it would seem, was always simmering and bubbling under the surface of the polished outward appearance of his performance. When a situation challenged his work, what was truly in his heart boiled over and out of his mouth, revealing the true nature of his character.

Yeshua calls this the “fruit of the tree.” The wider context of our verse today demonstrates this idea.

Luke 6:43-45 – For there is no good tree that brings forth rotten fruit; nor again a rotten tree that brings forth good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people don’t gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings out that which is evil, for out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.

If, as Yeshua teaches, “each tree is known by its own fruit,” then we can ascertain very quickly what is in a person’s heart by what they say, how they say it, and what they do. What we say is important, because our speech is what makes the contents of our heart known to others; it is the authorized (by us) commentary on what is in our heart.

Proverbs 10:20 – The tongue of the righteous is pure silver; the heart of the wicked is of little value.

Notice how the tongue of the righteous is contrasted with the heart of the wicked. By locking these two themes together, Solomon is passing commentary on how the tongue (that is, what we say) and the heart are absolutely connected.

In a heated discussion with the Pharisees, Yeshua says the following:

Matthew 12:34-37 – “Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart. A good person produces good things from his storeroom of good, and an evil person produces evil things from his storeroom of evil. I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Yeshua teaches that the heart is like a storeroom where either good things exist, or where evil things exist. The underlying Greek term is where we get our word thesaurus from. Consider what a thesaurus is: a thesaurus is a storehouse of words that have similar meanings. Our heart is a storehouse where similar things are stored, either good or bad. It implies a wealth, abundance, or treasure; either a treasure of positive, helpful things or an abundance of unhelpful and wicked things. We make deposits in our hearts with every thought, every interaction, and every distraction. Based on what we allow ourselves to be engaged with every day, it is up to us if those things that we are storing up are good or evil. Either way, Yeshua teaches that the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart, so whatever we have stored up in our heart is what is going to come out at some point.

According to the logic Yeshua uses here, the words we say are evidence that can be used in our favor, or against us. This is the same principle today used in courtrooms to determine the guilt or innocence of individuals. How many times on a courtroom drama on TV or a courtroom scene in a movie have you seen the story lead up to a climax when an individual becomes trapped in the witness stand being confronted with information that varies from what they are testifying under oath?

This is the same type of process that goes on in people’s minds when we are interacting with each other. We all pass judgment on others, not necessarily to be overly critical, but to gauge the sincerity of an individual to see if their words line up with their actions. When they do, we consider that individual trustworthy; when they don’t, we de-value what that person says because they are inconsistent and therefore unreliable. In essence, we are conducting “fruit inspections” as part of our normal course of interacting in a society of individuals.

Looking at these passages, we can see how Yeshua is teaching that the heart is the driver of what we say and do. If our speech and actions are not where they need to be, we may be in need of some work on our hearts.

This is where things can get challenging.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 – The heart is more deceitful than anything else, frail and weak – who can understand it? I, Yahweh, examine the mind, I test the heart to give to each according to his way, according to what his actions deserve.

Notice how Yahweh lets us know that the difficulty we face when we explore our own hearts is that we can easily be deceived when doing so. It’s like being dropped into a dark cavern without a map and being expected to know where every winding passage leads. The light from our headlamp only shines for a limited way in front of us. From time to time, the cavern walls crumble with the threat of cave-in due to the frailty and weakness of the structure. We may travel for hundreds of yards down a passage only to reach a dead end.

Additionally, we have difficulty being objective when we explore our hearts because we are intimately and inextricably emotionally tied to outcomes that are based on our heart motives which can be weak and unsupported. When we discover long-standing perspectives that may be unfounded or not as we expected, we can become disoriented and lose our way within the emptiness of failed ambitions or missed opportunities.

But the good news, according to Jeremiah, is that Yahweh also says that he understands our heart by searching out its depths, and testing and trying the mind. He provides everyone according to their way, “according to what their actions deserve.” In this type of biblical karma, God is providing an experience for each person based on what actions are being driven by the heart’s disposition.

If this is the case for all of humanity, then it is in our best interest to look to Yahweh as the Creator of all to understand the true condition of our heart. This is not something we should attempt on our own due to the potential dangers we just discussed. If the heart that we have is so frail and deceptive, how can we control what comes out of its overflow in our speech and actions? How can we fill our hearts with love and forgiveness that is necessary to engage with others in ways that our Creator desires?

In a moment, we will see how God has provided a solution to the challenges we face in the wayward directions of our hearts. He himself can provide the motivation and strength that is so critical to living a life that has real and demonstrable love for others.

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If we revisit what Yeshua taught in relation to our hearts, that we speak comes out of the overflow of whatever good or evil is stored up in the heart, then it is in our best interest to know how to ensure that we have only good in our hearts. However, from what we have learned so far, the heart is frail and can be deceptive even to our own reasonings.

There was a promise made to ancient Israel that we can look to to help us understand how God views the situation. Israel had become corrupt before God, and because they refused to listen to his instruction, they were removed from the land he had promised to them and they were spread among the nations as a punishment for their disobedience. Yet, God reveals this happened as a way of teaching them that they would need to rely on him, not their own strength and reasoning, to accomplish his Word.

Ezekiel 36:23-28 – “I will honor the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations – the name you have profaned among them. The nations will know that I am Yahweh – this is the declaration of Yahweh GOD – when I demonstrate my holiness through you in their sight. For I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries, and will bring you into your own land. I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place my Spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances. You will live in the land that I gave your fathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God.

This is an amazing passage that provides us some critical information in the discussion of the heart. Yahweh said in order for Israel to be the light to the nations that they were destined to be, he would need to not just renovate or repair but to replace their collective heart with a new one. This new heart would provide the motivation and strength, guided by his own Spirit, to actually follow his statutes and ordinances, as he had originally intended for them.

This same thing is also mentioned in the famous passage in Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 31:31-34 – “Look, the days are coming” – this is Yahweh’s declaration – ”when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. “This one will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt – my covenant that they broke even though I am their master” – Yahweh’s declaration. “Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days” – Yahweh’s declaration. “I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. “No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know Yahweh,’ for they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them” – this is Yahweh’s declaration. “For I will forgive their iniquity and never again remember their sin.

This teaching that would be in their hearts would be placed there by God himself. He would provide them the new hearts of obedience that would accomplish his purpose in the world. Ezekiel relates that the nations would come to know Yahweh when they saw him demonstrate his holiness through them by restoring them to himself, even though they had strayed so far from him.

When Yeshua arrived to instruct the nation one last time before they would disappear from the world stage, he pronounced the same message to Nicodemus, a leader in Israel, this message previously revealed by Jeremiah and Ezekiel.

John 3:3-8 – Yeshua replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” “How can anyone be born when he is old? ” Nicodemus asked him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born? ” Yeshua answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again. The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

To be born of the Spirit of God was another way of saying they needed to have a new heart. This was the only way for Israel to have the contents of their hearts switched from evil to good. God was doing a work with the remnant of his people who would hear this message of the kingdom to become the born-again people of the new covenant and the new Creation. In doing this work in their lives, God would be demonstrating his holiness among his own people, and through this faithfulness those from among the nations would be drawn to Yahweh, as well.

Romans 15:8-12 – For I say that Messiah became a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises to the fathers, and so that Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and I will sing praise to your name. Again it says, Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people! And again, Praise Yahweh, all you Gentiles; let all the peoples praise him! And again, Isaiah says, The root of Jesse will appear, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; the Gentiles will hope in him.

God knew all along that once he chose Israel, they would fall away and he would have to scatter them throughout the known world. But this was also with the understanding that in drawing them back to himself through Messiah, others from among the nations would also be drawn to him. This was and is the method that God has set in place to draw all people to himself through Messiah Yeshua. God has demonstrated himself faithful with Israel, thereby providing a firm foundation for those of other nations to come to him, as well.

If we are to be speaking and demonstrating forgiveness and reconciliation with others, then that forgiveness and reconciliation will truly need to be in our heart. This can only be accomplished when we step out of the way of our old natures and allow God to work through our renewed nature in those situations.

2 Corinthians 5:16-19 – Therefore we know no one after the flesh from now on. Even though we have known Messiah after the flesh, yet now we know him so no more. Therefore if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Yeshua Messiah, and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Messiah, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.

As this message of reconciliation spreads, more and more people have their hearts changed out to become hearts of obedience guided by the Spirit of God. That’s the good news of the kingdom. The even better news is that, knowing we still have the capability to slip and fall accidentally from time to time, we still retain the ability to ask for ongoing renewal when we mess up.

1 John 1:6, 9 – If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth. … If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If, as Paul writes, we are new creations, then we need to operate within the new Creation of God’s kingdom, and live and abide by its principles, not the principles of this old Creation. Both Yeshua and Paul convey that the principle of reconciliation and forgiveness is a core principle of God’s kingdom. If our hearts have been renewed, then that forgiveness and reconciliation can truly reside in our new hearts. What we place in our heart from that time on is up to us.

Our ability to speak this forgiveness and reconciliation to those around us appears to be a choice that we have every day, but only when we recognize and remember who we really are. It is in this fashion that God is honored among the nations when his children are operating with the righteousness of his kingdom regardless of the outward situations and conditions they encounter. When the abundance of the heart is good treasure, then that good treasure can’t help but be shared with those who need it most.

If you enjoy these daily articles, be sure to visit the growing archive of the Core of the Bible podcast. Each week we take a more in-depth look at one of the various topics presented in the daily blog. You can view the podcast archive on our Podcast Page, at Core of the Bible on Simplecast, or your favorite podcast streaming service.

Now also on YouTube, find us at: Core of the Bible on YouTube.

Questions or comments? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.

The requirement of blessing the haters

According to Yeshua, the words we speak always come from the overflow of the heart.

Core of the Bible podcast #84 – The requirement of blessing the haters

Today we will be looking at the topic of forgiveness, especially in the context of speaking well of those who are haters because, according to Yeshua, the words we speak always come from the overflow of the heart. Understanding who we have become in Messiah allows us the privilege of blessing all others.

Luke 6:28 – “Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.”

Our words are important, and in this day of instant and voluminous communication, there are numberless words spent daily in the vast sea of our digital culture. Not all of that communication is helpful, and much of it is downright hurtful. However, as believers, all of our words should be a blessing to others.

The definition of the word that we translate as blessing means to “speak well of” to “praise” or to “wish for the prosperity of.” It is the same word that we get our English word eulogy: an example of speaking well of someone who has recently died or delivering a benediction of well-wishing upon a person or group of people. To bless others is to speak well of them and wish them prosperity and wholeness.

This seems simple and natural among friends and family, but we are commanded by Yeshua to have this same level of concern and care for those outside of our common circle, and in fact, with those who would seek to do us harm. In the verse above, he commands us to bless those who curse us, and to pray for those who would seek to hurt us. This is certainly not a natural response to aggressive behavior, as we will typically be far more likely to respond in like kind toward any aggression or hurt we receive. However, this messianic type of well-speaking is a root sentiment that the apostles taught among the early believers, as well:

Romans 12:14 – Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.

1 Peter 3:9 – Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.

I find it interesting that Peter attaches two distinct aspects to this practice: 1) This is what believers have been called to do, and 2) God provides blessings for those who do. So, to bless others is not only to fulfill our calling that we have received from God, but it is also to receive a blessing from God in return. If we feel that we are outside of God’s blessing at times, perhaps it is because this required practice is lacking in our lives.

In regard to our calling, when we peruse the writings to find out what our calling as believers is, we can see that we have been called to join together with Messiah in the highest standards of freedom, peaceful unity, serving one another in love, and in endurance through suffering.

1 Corinthians 1:9 – “God is faithful; you were called by him into fellowship with his Son, Yeshua Messiah our Lord.”

Galatians 5:13-14 – “For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Ephesians 4:1, 4 – “Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to live worthy of the calling you have received, … There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to one hope at your calling …”

Colossians 3:14-15 – “Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful.”

1 Peter 2:20-21 – “For what credit is there if when you do wrong and are beaten, you endure it? But when you do what is good and suffer, if you endure it, this brings favor with God. For you were called to this, because Messiah also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.”

These various aspects are the true calling of all believers, and yet it does not appear that we all have come to understand these things very well. With all of the denominational divisiveness and inflammatory rhetoric we express towards each other at times, it seems unlikely that we are living up to our true calling in the eyes of Messiah. If we can’t even speak well with each other among ourselves, how can we be expected to speak well of those who are truly antagonistic towards us or toward the cause of Messiah and the Kingdom of God?

If, as Peter instructs, we are called to “pay back with blessing,” then we should understand this is an obligation we have, not an optional action of some kind. Most people understand that disagreements can quickly escalate into heightened conflict, and this comes primarily at the urging of inflamed emotional responses. However, we have been tasked with preventing the escalation from happening in the first place by not elevating tension; we should be removing the escalation through blessing of others, instead. Because a conflict is typically initiated when one party feels they have been wronged in some way, if they are to truly speak blessing into conflict, they must have a reserve of forgiveness that cannot be exhausted. When we can really and honestly forgive offenses from the heart, we can much more easily speak blessing into those environments. And since this is our calling, it must become the primary way we respond and communicate with each other and with others who would seek to discredit or harm us.

In a moment we will consider how this can be expected to be the calling of believers, even if the natural inclination of our hearts is to respond with equal or greater aggression. The apostle Paul addresses this very idea with the Corinthian congregation which will hopefully allow us to better understand our true status as believers in this world.

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The real challenge we face in our calling is in not only speaking well of anyone who could be considered an adversary, but truly meaning it from the heart. This requires a type of ongoing forgiveness for the wrongs that any others may commit against us. And yet, for our blessing of others to be genuine it has to come from the heart.

Certainly, as we have seen, this is not a natural inclination. But as believers, we have to recognize that we are not just natural beings. The apostle Paul speaks of it this way:

2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Paul makes the point that as believers we no longer are to view our life in this world as we have in the past. If we are living the born-again life from above, we have become part of the new creation, and everything is now new. We have new thought process which should drive new actions and new ways of doing things. We have new convictions and new purpose. Everything we see and touch should be driven from this new identity we have in Messiah. This means that we now have new hearts with new qualities and capacities, as well.

With this new calling and purpose, we can now receive the new blessings that come from God based on the righteous words and actions that flow from a renewed heart. The fruit of our way can now be blessed because our way has been renewed to mimic his own ways. We can now operate as God’s image in this world, managing and interacting with his creation in ways he has originally designed for us to do from the foundation of the world.

Luke 6:45 – “A good person produces good out of the good stored up in his heart. An evil person produces evil out of the evil stored up in his heart, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.”

Yeshua instructs us that we are not to call someone a fool or an idiot or be unrighteously angry with anyone because the words we speak always come from the overflow of the heart. He teaches us that if what is in our heart is bitterness and unforgiveness, then that is what will come out of our mouth. However, if what is in our heart is real love and forgiveness as part of God’s new creation, then what comes out of our mouth will be genuine blessing for others.

This heart idea was not a new concept for those with a Hebraic understanding of the world. A millennium before Messiah, Solomon wrote of the importance of the heart condition in the well-being of the earnest believer in Yahweh.

Proverbs 4:23 – “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.”

Keeping of the heart involves a recognition of its content and capacity. If, as believers in the new creation we understand our heart has been renewed, that is, fundamentally changed, we can begin to see how a requirement of forgiveness and blessing toward others can be an expectation that God has for us. Suddenly this lofty ambition does not seem so unattainable because God has now given us the ability to function with this unlimited capacity for forgiveness towards others. The wellspring of life now becomes “rivers of living water” that Yeshua promised for those who would believe in him.

John 7:38-39 – “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom thosCSe believing in Him would receive…

If we are part of God’s new creation, then his Spirit has changed the very make up of our hearts into a conduit for his very own love and mercy to be extended toward others. A river is a powerful metaphor, because a river flows from somewhere (God) and flows to somewhere (others). We are merely a conduit of this river which we can then direct towards all those we meet and interact with.

Following in the footsteps of Solomon’s wisdom in Proverbs, the apostle James illustrates it in this fashion:

James 3:8-12 – “But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.”

When it is boiled down to essentials, the issue is really not our tongue, but the well-spring of our heart. If the spring is fresh water, then the tongue will yield fresh water for others. If, in obedience to Yeshua, we are to truly bless those who work against us at all times, then we need to ensure that our spring, our river of the heart, is flowing from the Spirit of God with unlimited measures of real forgiveness. Then no wrongs can be too harsh, no hurt can be too severe. Our obligation to bless the haters becomes as natural as the air that we breathe within the rarefied atmosphere of the new creation. In this way, blessing and prayer for all others will become the living water flowing from our hearts.

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The kingdom of the world becomes God’s kingdom

New life and reconciliation comes through Messiah.

Revelation 11:15 – The seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying, The kingdom of the world has become that of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever.

Many times I have misread this verse, thinking that it read instead as follows:
“The kingdoms of the world have become that of our Lord and of his Messiah.” I have always pictured this as being the culmination of all things, that all of the political nations of the world would submit themselves to the Messiah, and he would reign over them.

Yet the word kingdom is in the singular tense, as if there is already only one kingdom of the world that is become the kingdom of God.

To help us understand this kingdom, the apostle John defines what this kingdom of the world consists of:

1 John 2:16-17 – For everything in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions – is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.

The kingdom of this world, the kingdom where the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and pride in possessions (covetousness) are the most important things, passes away. According to Revelation 11:15, this kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of God and his Messiah.

For the believer, this takes place “in Messiah,” when one has laid down their old life at his feet and are born again or from above; then all things become new!

2 Corinthians 5:17-19 – Therefore, if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Messiah and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Messiah, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.

God’s reconciliation with the kingdom of the world comes only through new life in Messiah. This is how he carries it out. When all of the lusts and covetousness of this worldly kingdom are laid at the feet of Messiah, then new life comes forth, and the kingdom of this world becomes the kingdom of God.

1 John 5:4-5 – because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. Who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Yeshua is the Son of God?

If you enjoy these daily blog posts, be sure to visit the growing archive of the Core of the Bible podcast. Each week we take a more in-depth look at one of the various topics presented in the daily blog. You can view the podcast archive on our Podcast Page, at Core of the Bible on Simplecast, or your favorite podcast streaming service.

Now also on YouTube! Just getting started, but new videos will be added regularly on many different topics, find us at: Core of the Bible on YouTube.

Questions or comments? Feel free to email me directly at coreofthebible@gmail.com.

The reconciliation of the new creation

The new eyes of the new creation provide new opportunities for forgiveness.

2 Corinthians 5:18-19 – Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Messiah and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Messiah, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.

The very heart of the gospel message has always been about reconciliation and forgiveness. In reconciliation an exchange takes place; exchanging hostility for mercy, exchanging disdain for favor. There is a restorative function in reconciliation: where once there was distance and separation there is now closeness and connection.

Reconciliation takes place when two parties have been separated, and reconciliation then brings them back together. For this to happen there has to be a release, a letting go of injury or transgression; there has to be forgiveness.

In Messiah, reconciliation for Israel with God was accomplished. He became the suffering servant of Isaiah’s prophecy that would be the ultimate representative sacrifice for the nation.

In Messiah, the scattered Israelites who had been absorbed among the nations due to God divorcing them for their rebellious idolatry (like those in Corinth) were reconciled back to him through faith.

In Messiah, any of us who have been separate and distinct from the God of Israel and his people are brought near through faith in him.

Galatians 3:26 – for through faith you are all sons of God in Messiah Yeshua.

All of this can only be accomplished when something unique takes place. Paul tells us what this is in this passage:

2 Corinthians 5:16-17 – From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective. Even if we have known Messiah from a worldly perspective, yet now we no longer know him in this way. Therefore, if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!

Paul says that believers in Messiah can no longer view anyone from a worldly perspective, literally “according to the flesh.” What they are in the flesh is of no consequence when we are living according to the new creation.

Romans 10:11-12 – For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame, since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him.
Galatians 3:27-28 – For those of you who were baptized into Messiah have been clothed with Messiah. There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Messiah Yeshua.
Colossians 3:10-11 – You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator. In Messiah there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Messiah is all and in all.

This lack of distinction should be evident in the new creation of God’s kingdom people. In Messiah, all is reconciliation and unity. Just as God does with us, we can no longer look at the fleshly distinctions that separate us from each other. If we retain unforgiveness in our heart, it is due to the fact that we are continuing to look at those who have offended us through fleshly eyes, not the eyes of the new creation.

Because we ourselves are a new creation, we should no longer have a need to retain unforgiveness and separation in our hearts toward those from whom we have separated over some infraction or hurt. We can release it and let it go because we are no longer the same individuals we were before, and because we are no longer viewing them through fleshly eyes.

2 Corinthians 5:16 – From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective.

Even though we were sinful and rebellious toward God, he forgave us and reconciled us to himself. He did not look at us from a worldly perspective but from the perspective of the new creation, the kingdom perspective. As his children, we should do likewise with others.

If you enjoy these daily blog posts, be sure to visit the growing archive of the Core of the Bible podcast. Each week we take a more in-depth look at one of the various topics presented in the daily blog. You can view the podcast archive at https://core-of-the-bible.simplecast.com/ or your favorite podcast streaming service.

Now also on YouTube! Just getting started, but new videos will be added regularly on many different topics, find us at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvR_aNEyA7WEZJtF4B8fZ6g

Questions or comments? Feel free to email me directly at coreofthebible@gmail.com.

Good grief

As believers in Messiah, w are being molded and and shaped by Spirit of God and by his word to have an increased sympathy for the unrighteousness we see around us.

I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned before and have not repented of the impurity, immorality, and licentiousness which they have practiced.
2 Corinthians 12:21

As believers grow in the understanding of their faith, they typically become more aware of the world around them from God’s perspective. His Spirit awakens a sensitivity to unrighteousness that may not have present earlier. As the Potter begins to re-shape the clay of the heart, a recognition of the irregular pottery in the rest of the Artist’s studio comes into clearer focus.

This is a healthy aspect of the setting-apart, which is what holiness is, that takes place in the life of a growing believer. As a new creation in the hands of God, the new eyes see new things and the new heart feels new things.

This was the longing of believers in the age before Messiah:

Psalm 119:18 – Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your torah.
Psalm 51:10 – Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.

The New Jerusalem of this Messianic kingdom is the realization and fulfillment of these longings for renewal.

…and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; … And he who sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Revelation 21:3, 5

Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17

As believers in Messiah, we are being molded and shaped by Spirit of God and by his word to have an increased sympathy for the unrighteousness we see around us, but this is so that we may bring his light and truth to a darkened world. We are being set apart, not to remain apart, but to work from this place of renewal for the good of others.

If you enjoy these daily blog posts, be sure to visit the growing archive of the Core of the Bible podcast. Each week we take a more in-depth look at one of the various topics presented in the daily blog. You can view the podcast archive here. Questions or comments? Feel free to email me directly at coreofthebible@gmail.

Forgiveness and reconciliation can only stem from a renewed heart

The words we speak illustrate or reveal what is actually in our hearts.

The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings out that which is evil, for out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.
Luke 6:45

I knew a man who was recently honored at his work for being an outstanding performer, always receiving gracious comments from customers with whom he interacted on a regular basis. He even received national recognition and many accolades for his achievements. However, when a particular crisis arose and he was challenged by his boss with a sharp disagreement over his mishandling of a particular situation, what began as a discussion of strategy degraded into a string of profanity and lashing out, blaming a customer for his own inability to bring a situation to its proper conclusion. This indignation, it would seem, was always simmering and bubbling under the surface of the polished outward appearance of his performance. When a situation challenged his work, what was truly in his heart boiled over and out of his mouth, revealing the true nature of his character.

Yeshua calls this the “fruit of the tree.” The wider context of our verse today demonstrates this idea.

For there is no good tree that brings forth rotten fruit; nor again a rotten tree that brings forth good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people don’t gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings out that which is evil, for out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.
Luke 6:43-45

If, as Yeshua teaches, “each tree is known by its own fruit,” then we can ascertain very quickly what is in a person’s heart by what they say and how they say it.

The same can be said of us. The words we speak illustrate or reveal what is actually in our hearts.

Therefore we know no one after the flesh from now on. Even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know him so no more. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation; namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and having committed to us the word of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:16-19