Daniel 5:11-14 ESV
There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father— your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, [12] because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.”
[13] Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, “You are that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. [14] I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you.
2 Corinthians 13:5 ESV
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
Courage and Curiosity
The Lordly Qualities
Curiosity
"I have become owner and master of a new thing.
Let me look into this new thing,
to see its qualities, capacities, and condition."
The prerogative to look into a thing belongs most properly to the owner and master of that thing.
And, curiosity is the desire to look into things. Therefore,
Curiosity
is properly entailed by lordship.
The "new thing" is the Holy Spirit, having been poured out on all flesh!
Joel 2:28-29 ESV
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. [29] Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Isaiah 42:9 ESV
Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Look into the Spirit that is in you!
Behold what marvels He can do!
Isaiah 42:5-8 ESV
Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: [6] “I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, [7] to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. [8] I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.
Isaiah 42:10-13 ESV
Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it, the coastlands and their inhabitants. [11] Let the desert and its cities lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar inhabits; let the habitants of Sela sing for joy, let them shout from the top of the mountains. [12] Let them give glory to the LORD, and declare his praise in the coastlands. [13] The LORD goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his zeal; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes.
Psalm 34:8 ESV
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
1 Peter 2:2-3 ESV
Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— [3] if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
Courage
"I can, because (of) I Am."
A lord cannot be discouraged from doing as he will with that which is his own. Who is he that will bring an accusation against the Lord?
Matthew 20:15 ESV
Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’
Matthew 14:27 Literal Standard Version
and immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage! I AM; do not be afraid.”
"Hold on tightly to the Staff of the Father, and His Soterion Force will ever be with you to save you and to bring you through unto hyper-victory."
This teaching has the form of a method: Do this (hold tightly), and that will be the result (salvation and victory).
Methods require practice in order to develop skill. Practice entails acting with uncertainty concerning the outcome.
The enemy will use this as an opportunity to twist the words of Scripture, as he has ever done. He will say you are "testing the Lord," when you are acting by faith-vision, rather than by the enemy's vision (judging by appearances).
But we are commanded to examine ourselves, to see whether we be in the faith. The method, we trust, because God, we trust; and God declared this method.
To practice His method, you ask, "Am I properly understanding the method that God declared? Perhaps by practicing the method as I presently understand it, God will show me something that I do not see." And then you try the method (as far as you have grasped it); and having failed, you will try, try again, asking, seeking, knocking.
Because He told you to. He told you you would have trouble. He paid the price for your failures up front, so that you could learn to walk with Him in His Way. Step by step, with every stumble and every catch, He is building you up into conformity with Christ!
Do not let the enemy discourage you! Practice Truth! Practice Righteousness! Practice Miracles! Practice moving mountains! Practice! Examine yourself! Know by testing what the good will of the Lord is!
1 Peter 2:4-5 ESV
As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, [5] you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:9 ESV
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
To test God, is to ask, "Does God's declared method really work?" And then you try the method, and having failed (due to lack of developed skill with the method), you will say that God's declared method does not work. You will make God a liar.
Ephesians 5:6-10 Berean Study Bible
[6] Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience. [7] Therefore do not be partakers with them.
[8] For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, [9] for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. [10] Test and prove what pleases the Lord.
Romans 12:2 ESV
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
1 Peter 2:6-8 ESV
For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” [7] So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” [8] and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
The Steps of Empowerment
According to St. Peter
Trust in the one who promised...
...leads to receiving the Promise (of spiritual excellence), which...
...leads to knowledge, which...
...leads to the development of "inner-grip-force," which...
...leads to the development of endurance, which...
...leads to the development of Good-Reverence, which...
...leads to the development of brotherly love, which...
...leads to the development of charity, caring.
Romans 13:8-10 ESV
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. [9] For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” [10] Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
...leads to the acknowledgement of the promise, which...
...leads to expectation of the promise, which...
...leads to waiting for the promise, which...
...leads to seeking, asking, knocking on the promise, which...
Words of Power
Words that are used
to refer to power,
according to different
aspects of power
κῦρος
This is also the root of the English words "courage" and "curiosity."
This is the root of the Greek word translated into English as "Lord."
Pronounced "koo-ross"
Power held over a subject; ownership, mastery
ἐξουσία
Pronounced "ex-soo-see-ah"
Authorization to act in certain ways or for particular ends.
δύναμις
Pronounced "doo-nah-meece"
Ability, Power to do anything
This is the most general sense of power.
ἰσχύς
Pronounced "ees-choos"
Strength, possession of force
κράτος
Pronounced "krah-toss"
Power to grip, hold, constrain
The Staff is a Vertical Yoke
A yoke is an object which combines the force of two agents into a single act. The image of a horizontal cattle yoke had always been in my mind, when I considered Christ's teachings about His yoke.
Matthew 11:29-30 ESV
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
I'm not sure where the "easy" translation comes from. Perhaps the form of teaching is taken to be a parallelism (a Hebraic form of teaching in which the same idea is given two expressions). When I study the word "χρηστὸς," though, I think it is not quite the same idea that is being expressed twice, but two aspects of our relationship with Christ.
Yes, His burden is light, and therefore to bear it is easy. But a yoke and a burden are not the same thing. The yoke is useful, serviceable, good for some purpose (His purpose, which is your sanctification).
1 Thessalonians 4:1-6 ESV
Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. [2] For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. [3] For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; [4] that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, [5] not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; [6] that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.
The Grip Force of the Son
The Greek "κράτος" is one of several words which refer to power or might. The verb form "κρατέω" is often translated as "to seize, take hold of." Three times in Revelation, this verb is used to describe the act of "holding to" a doctrine.
Accordingly, I have understood κράτος as "grip-force," or the ability to hold on to something.
St. Peter tells us (in 2 Peter 1) that our faith in the one promising will lead us to acknowledge and believe His promises, and thereby lay hold of promised spiritual excellencies; the excellency of Spirit leads to knowledge; and our knowledge leads to "ἐγκράτειαν," which literally means "inner grip-force."
Instead of "inner grip-force," the ESV translates "ἐγκράτειαν" as "self-control." This is not a bad translation, but it misses the more important, basic level of sensation; for, it is our ability to hold to the Word of Life in our thinking, which gives us self-control in our behavior.
https://www.drlwilson.com/ARTICLES/LOVE%20TETRA.htm
"God told the Hebrew people to just hold on tight to their principles. This is the same as learning to grow your will."
This author's thinking aligns with the idea that the Greek for "self-control" has the primary sense of inner-grip-force. By holding tight to principles, the "will" (as it is called by this author) is grown.
GRAB ON!
Gavin, age 11 months, loves to walk and run
while holding on to my staff!
He cannot walk on his own just yet, but I
have marveled at just how little help I
have to give him, to keep him from falling
down!
The more he practices with my help,
the less and less I need to help him.
By holding on tightly
to his Father's staff,
he can walk, and
even run!
DON'T LET GO!
HOLD ON TIGHT!
The Son cannot yet
walk on his own.
The Son is immature, but growing quickly!
Repeated failures can lead to discouragement, which may further stunt the development of the ability. In the worst case, the Son may simply abandon his desire to use his abilities.
Ezekiel 37:11-14 ESV
Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ [12] Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. [13] And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. [14] And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.”
Without the Father's Soterion Force or the developed ability to walk, the desire to walk leads to failed attempts to walk, which produce pain and frustration.
2 John 1:9 ESV
Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.
Although his powers are undeveloped, the Son's desire to use his powers is fully activated! He wants to walk, run, jump, and even fly!
Isaiah 40:31 ESV
but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
The Staff is understood as an image of the channel of spiritual force, with which the Heavenly Father provides help to the Son, above and beyond the grace of inherited, indwelling, conscious nature.
Consider this also:
The Staff, in this image, is an object that combines the force of two agents in a single act. The Son exerts his "walkative force," which is very clumsy and results in falling and pain when he exerts by himself. The Father also exerts his "Soterion Force." The purpose of the staff is to bring the Father's Soterion Force into conjunction with the son's "walkative force," in order to bring about the end result, a successful act of walking.
Now, an object that combines the force of two agents in a single act is also called a "yoke." The image that my mind goes to, when I hear the word "yoke," is that instrument which combines the force of multiple cattle. The yoke allows the two cattle to accomplish more than they could separately.
That yoke is horizontal. The Father's Staff in this in this image is a vertical yoke, but still a yoke according to its purpose. This brings in Christ's teaching about His yoke:
Matthew 11:29-30 ESV
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
ἄρατε τὸν ζυγόν μου ἐφ' ὑμᾶς καὶ μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ὅτι πρᾷός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ καὶ εὑρήσετε ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν· ὁ γὰρ ζυγός μου χρηστὸς καὶ τὸ φορτίον μου ἐλαφρόν ἐστιν
I'm not sure where the "easy" translation comes from. Perhaps the form of teaching is taken to be a parallelism (a Hebraic form of teaching in which the same idea is given two expressions). When I study the word "χρηστὸς," though, I think it is not quite the same idea that is being expressed twice, but two aspects of Christian relation.
Yes, His burden is light, and therefore to bear it is easy. But a yoke and a burden are not the same thing. The yoke is useful, serviceable, good for some purpose (His purpose, which is your sanctification).
Assurance of Forgiveness of Sins
Galatians 6:14-16 ESV
But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. [15] For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. [16] And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
In this context, Paul is using the word κανών in its basic sense of "an instrument of straightening." The word κανών was used as the name of a kind of reed, which was seen as useful in binding up a broken limb, in order to keep the limb straight while it heals.
"Rule" in verse 16 is the Greek κανών, which is the root of our word, "canon," which we use to describe our Scripture.
The Name (Character) of Christ
Romans 13:13-14 ESV
Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. [14] But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Scripture, the Spirit of God
John 14:15-17 ESV
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. [16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, [17] even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
John 6:63 ESV
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
Philippians 2:16 ESV
holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
Romans 8:6 ESV
For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
Galatians 5:25 ESV
If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
"Keep in step" = στοιχῶμεν
Better translation, "If we live by spirit, by spirit also should we *align*".
στοιχῶμεν is rooted in "rows, lines". Anything which gets arranged into lines, as military forces, can be called στοιχειον.
Ephesians 6:17 ESV
and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
Walking is understood as an image of Spiritual Activity.
Ministry and Discipleship
1 Corinthians 14:12 ESV
So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.
Matthew 28:18-20 ESV
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Pursuit of Greater Gifts
1 Corinthians 12:31 ESV
But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.
1 Corinthians 14:1 ESV
Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.
John 5:19-20 ESV
So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. [20] For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.
John 14:12 ESV
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
Good Works
Philippians 2:13 ESV
for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, [17] that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Prayer
Romans 8:26-27 ESV
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. [27] And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Job 37:19-20 ESV
Teach us what we shall say to him; we cannot draw up our case because of darkness. [20] Shall it be told him that I would speak? Did a man ever wish that he would be swallowed up?
Spiritual Growth
2 Peter 1:3-8 ESV
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, [4] by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. [5] For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, [6] and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, [7] and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. [8] For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Father applies
the Soterion Force
The Father constrains the Soterion Force because the Father loves the Son, and desires to lead the Son into the full realization of the nature inherited by the Son, from the Father.
If the Soterion Force is too great, then the Son will not learn to rely on God as an indwelling principle. The Holy Spirit is given, as promised, in order to supply us with godliness from within.
If the Father gives too much external help, the Son will not discover the internal help already supplied to him.
John 16:7 ESV
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
The Father applies the Soterion Force because the Father loves the Son, and desires to save the Son from pain.
The Soterion Force, or the "Salvation" Force
is the smallest possible force by which the Father might save the Son from falling.
The Soterion Force
