But Now

[George]

But Now

I would like to pose something to you all for your consideration, meditation and possibly (hopefully) study.

Did you know the apostle Paul used the simple little phrase “but now” 23 times in his writings in the New Testament? The way I figure it, if the Lord decides to put something into the Bible 23 times it is something to which I had better pay attention.

Now if you are of the folks who believe Paul also wrote the book of Hebrews then the count goes up. However the figure of 23 comes strictly from the books of which Paul has been proven to be the author. Let me give you a couple of examples to hopefully arouse your interest:

(Rom 6:20) For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. (Rom 6:21) What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. (Rom 6:22) But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

Here is a very important “but now.” We once were the servants of sin and had no righteousness of our own. These things lead to death, not only the possibility of our physical death as seen in verse 23 following, but also eternal death. Then Paul uses the “but now.” But now we are free from sin, no longer serve sin but have become servants of God. Incidentally, the word “servants” in these verses has the sense of meaning a slave. We are no longer the slaves of sin but of God. Please understand we are not in slavery by any type of force or coercion but are supposed to be willingly enslaved.

(1Co 15:16) For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: (1Co 15:17) And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. (1Co 15:18) Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. (1Co 15:19) If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. (1Co 15:20) But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

Here is another really important one. The writing here is posing the hypothetical state of man if Christ had not risen from the dead. If He had not then we are still in our sins, slaves to our sins and our faith is in vain. In other words if Christ had not risen from the dead we might as well sell our Bibles on eBay and go out and start partying. Then Paul puts in the reality of the situation. But now is Christ risen from the dead. I can almost hear the force in his writing as he entered this phrase. I believe he meant it most emphatically.

So you see, doing a little study on the times and reasons Paul uses this little phrase made up of two very common words is not only worth it but also to those who love their Bibles I believe it will also be fun. I enjoyed it very much.

In Christ,
George

[candlelight]

That is so interesting Bro. George. Two words..."but now" can be counted 23 times in the NT and be traced to the Apostle Paul? Yes...I do feel that God is trying to tell us something here, as well. We are such dumb sheep that we need to be told, over and over again, what to do from Our Heavenly Father... after all. He reminds us so many times b/c of the great love that He has for His children. Amen! I am one of those people that believes that Paul wrote the Book of Hebrews, btw. I also find joy in the little things in life. Thanks for bringing this to the attention of the board. God bless.

Hebrews 3:3...For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. "Jesus Christ is Superior to Moses"

[SummerHarvest]

interesting.............you have peeked by curiosity, I think I will check it out.

[George]

SummerHarvest Wrote:interesting.............you have peeked by curiosity, I think I will check it out.

There are some extremely fascinating things in the Bible if one takes the time to pay attention to every word in It. Let me give you another example. In the Book of Revelation, chapters 2 and 3, as concerns the seven letters to the seven Churches have you ever really taken a hard look at those things? If you will read every last word including the ones with only two letters you will see something very interesting.

The seven letters are address to, as example, the Church in Sardis, the Church in Philadelphia, etc. However the very last one is addressed to the Church OF the Laodiceans. Take a look at the simple little words in and of. There is a vast difference. If you read those chapters you will notice the
Church OF the Laodiceans has the worst problems of any of them. They are so abhorrent to God He says He will spew them out of His mouth. Why is that? Because it was the Church OF the Laodiceans and not a Church of God. It was their Church and from what we read in the part of Chapter three that speaks of this fact it is quite clear that there was very little God at all in that Church if any.

Two simple little words that make so much difference when you pay attention to all the words. I must also add that I capitalize the word "Church" out of respect for what it is and I also capitalize all words that refer to the Holy Trinity unless I am quoting Bible verses in which they are not capitalized.

In Christ,
George

[SummerHarvest]

okay..I am going to be busy....I have a question do you know the meaning of this verse:

John 20:7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

[George]

SummerHarvest Wrote:okay..I am going to be busy....I have a question do you know the meaning of this verse:

John 20:7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

What is meant by the "napkin" is similar to a handkerchief and was often used to wipe sweat one's brow. It was also used as a means of covering the head and face as part of the burial practices of the Jews at the time. What we are looking at here is evidence that contrary to what was originally thought in that the Lord had been spirited away (no pun intended) in a rapid fashion (John 20:2) things were very much orderly and thought had been put into placing them in a fashion that was neat and showed deliberate intent.

However Peter and the other disciple who was believed to be John, did not realize the importance of this and left the area. It was not until Mary Magdalene went back to the sepulcher and saw the two angels and had the encounter with the Risen Saviour that it became clear to anyone. Even then she did not realize whom it was she was speaking to until He called her by name.

These things make for quite interesting study and also for great cause to examine ourselves. So many times during the life of Christ here on the earth things were shown to the 12 as well as to many others, including Mary Magdalene, and they did not see them. Witness the following:

(Luk 8:10) And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

The "he" here is of course our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He was addressing the disciples. He told them at the time that they were given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God and yet they fell in with the others because of the fact that seeing they did not see and hearing they did not understand. Again, witness the following:

(Joh 12:37) But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: (Joh 12:38) That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? (Joh 12:39) Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,
(Joh 12:40) He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

You see that Christ had done many miracles before the disciples and yet they still did not believe. How could they possibly believe that he had risen from the dead at the incident of the sepulcher? The answer is for the simple fact that He told them. I am reminded of the 5 verses in the New Testament (I shall leave them for others to look up. It wouldn't be study if I gave all the answers.), where Jesus used the phrase, "O ye of little faith." Sometimes and many more times than I am comfortable with that is me. O ye of little faith pertains to me far too many times for my liking.

Have fun studying your Bibles.

In Christ,
George

[candlelight]

Great thread! " O ye of little faith" is pertaining to me these days, as well. It is crucial for me to remember that we "walk by faith, not by sight." I am trying to stay in God's Word and out of the nonsense of the world, as much as I can. Off Topic: I know we have to keep up on politics, and all of that...but, it gets too disturbing for me many times. The Devil seems to attack me when I get overly involved in political discussions. My husband has noticed this about me. So, I know that if he sees it, I have to exhibit stress in this area. I was raised in an extremely conservative RCC family (Republican) and have generally followed that path my entire life...aside from being Independent in a few elections when I was a public school teacher. I believe that being engrossed in the Word of God rather than the World of God is far more comforting to my soul.

My pastor is preaching about the letters written to the 7 churches, again. He did this about 3 years ago. I call the church of the Laodiceans the "Lazy Church." Because... as you said, Bro. George---it isn't a Church at all. Revelation is such a powerful book in the Bible. I love it! I have heard that when you read the Book of Revelation...you receive many blessings from it. It contains so much information, and when a Christian digs deeper into the passages...one can see so many truths that God has to tell us.

Also, interesting about the scripture meaning in John 20:7. God bless.