Continuing in our study of the characteristics of the believer as the Believer advances in the PPOG let's recall the purpose and priorities of the PPOG.
The PPOG has a system of authority which is God.
The PPOG has a spiritual life for each believer.
The PPOG recognizes the volition of each believer.
The PPOG has a system for advancement or spiritual growth.
The PPOG has a system of problem solving devices.
The PPOG has a portfolio of invisible assets for each believer.
The PPOG has a system of impact on history.
The PPOG has precisely correct procedure.
The PPOG has a system of eternal rewards and decorations for each believer.
The purpose of the PPOG is to Glorify God. and within the plan are the following 6 priorities:
In God's plan, the priority is Mandates are first.
The mandates are contained in the Mystery Doctrine for the Church Age from the Epistles of the New Testament.
In God's system, Virtue is first. Motivational Virtue ->> Functional Virtue
Virtue is superior to morality Morality is doing a right thing.
Virtue is a right thing done for a right reason in the right way at the right time.
Virtue comes before production. Production without virtue is dead works (Human good and evil)
In God's purpose, Christ is first (Vertical momentum) Orientation to God is first.
In God's policy, Grace is first. (Grace is antithetical to human thinking which is based on real or pseudo merit.
True happiness only comes from trusting in God's grace provision and not in any provision from any other source. "What/who is your vine?"
In God's objective, Momentum is first. Capacity comes before production.
Momentum comes from Application of Bible Doctrine through the Power of the Holy Spirit to experience in Adversity and Prosperity testing.
In God's authority, Doctrine is first. Bible Doctrine is the ultimate authority.
All authority comes from God. There is no authority apart from God
Bible Doctrine, the word of God, establishes and defines all legitimate authority.
The Believer's a adherence to these 6 priorities of the PPOG creates a superior way of life, a pattern of thinking in power and integrity love, a lifestyle of contentment, happiness, and freedom; no fear, no worry, no anxiety, no guilt, no regrets and maximum conveyance of the escrow for time and eternity which God put on deposit in eternity past with the escrow agent TLJC. Eph 1:3;
In God's plan, the priority is Mandates are first. The mandates are the Commands directed to the members of the Church, The Royal Family of God that are revealed in the mystery doctrine of the Church Age.
In some cases the mandates for the Church age are the same as those for other dispensations.
We obey the mandates because of our position as a member of the Royal Family, not to become part of, or to maintain our membership in the Royal Family. Rom 11:29;
As members of the Royal family believers are: Citizens of Heaven Phil 3:20; consequently, believers commanded to live in that citizenship, Phil 1:27;
The word translated "conduct yourselves is the Greek word " politeuomai" is in the second person plural present middle imperative so it is a command that as citizens of heaven, members of the Royal Family we are "to keep on conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good news of Christ"
The middle voice indicates that we participate in the action but we do not do it by ourselves. The believer provided the +V, the power to execute divine mandates comes from God Phil 2:13; not from ourselves.
Because of this the mandates are not a difficult. 1John 5:3; Matt 11:30;
The next mandate we will take up in our study is the one found in 2Tim 2:15;
In this verse, the word translated "diligent" is the aorist active imperative of the Greek word "spoudazo'
It is used in 2Tim 4:9; 2Tim 4:21; Titus 3:12; 2Pet 1:10; and 2Pet 3:14;where it is translated as "strive" or to "be eager” or to "endeavor", or to" do your best".
In order to comply with this mandate, there is a system that pastors are to use to teach in the local assembly in order to document what is communicated.
To demonstrate this, we will start with the biblical mandates on how to teach the Word and how the believer grows in grace by studying it.
Isa 33:6; - The stability provided by the Lord in your times is made possible by wisdom and knowledge; by these shall be the wealth of your deliverance.
In an earlier verse, Isaiah had already commented on the method the priest must follow to accurately and completely teach this wisdom and knowledge in:
Isa 28:10; -"For God says, 'Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line on line, line on line, a little here, a little there.'"
The line "precept upon precept; precept upon precept" stresses the importance of gathering all the details revealed in the Bible on a given subject.
This refers to developing doctrinal categories.
The phrase "line upon line, line upon line" refers to the importance of examining each and every word of a passage through exegesis, the grammatical analysis of a word, in order to develop its exact meaning in the context.
The words "a little here, a little there" indicates that spiritual growth demands consistent research into the Scripture. By so doing one's knowledge is constantly expanded as he acquires a little information from each word, each sentence, each verse, each chapter, and each doctrine.
All thoughts, decisions, and actions are evaluated by TLJC according to the motivation of the individual who performs them to determine whether they are from the source of divine viewpoint or human viewpoint.
At the evaluation, after the resurrection, rewards are issued to those who function in divine viewpoint and they are withheld from those who function in human viewpoint.
This is documented in:
1Cor 3:10-15; According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it.
For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Christ Jesus.
Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones [divine good], wood hay, straw [human good], each man's work will become evident; for the evaluation tribunal of Christ will show it, because it [man’s work] is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work.
If any man's work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward.
If any man's work is burned up, he shall suffer loss [of reward]; but he himself shall be saved, yet as through fire.
This evaluation is described as being for the purpose of reward.
Loss of salvation is not found in this context.
Those who grow in grace will not only be qualified to produce divine good but will be motivated to do so. Those who do not grow in grace will not be qualified because they will not know about the plan of God and their production will come from false motivation and result in the production of human good resulting in loss of reward.
This passage provides a summary of how the pastor must observe context when examining a passage. He must evaluate every word to determine its meaning in the mind of the writer in the time it was written.
This means he must utilize isagogics to get the historical context, he must apply pertinent categories of doctrine so that the passage is not interpreted in isolation, and he must exegete each word to get the proper meaning.
When a pastor approaches the Bible utilizing this system he is able to develop a clear and precise interpretation of a given passage that harmonizes with the entire Scripture.
This information provides members of the local assembly with a source of motivation to produce works that are categorized as divine good.
The proper motivation is to serve God, to glorify Christ, and to magnify the power and majesty of the Word of God.
The Scripture is clear that to do this the believer must study the Bible seriously and under a pastor that is not afraid to utilize this system in the analysis of the Word.
There are many verses that emphasize this including our passage:
2Tim 2:15; - Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of God.
2Tim 3:16-17; All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be mature, equipped for every good work.
Col 1:3-12; We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying consistently for you, having heard the report of the faith of you all in Christ Jesus, and the love which you have toward all the saints; because of the confidence of what is preserved for you in heaven of which you heard before in the study of the Word of truth, the gospel (the biblical message)
the gospel of truth) being present in you even as in all the world is constantly bearing fruit (application of doctrine to life that results in divine good) and increasing (the dividends that accrue from divine good), even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and began to fully understand the grace of God in the sphere of biblical truth...even as you have been taught from the source of Epaphras (pastor-teacher of the Colossian church), our beloved fellow servant, a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, who also informed us of your love in the Holy Spirit.
Because of this, we also, from the day we heard (from Epaphras), do not cease to pray on your behalf, constantly asking that you might be filled with the knowledge of His sovereign purpose by means of wisdom and spiritual understanding (pneumatikos sunesis).
That you might walk worthy of the Lord, pleasing God in all things, constantly producing every divine work, constantly receiving spiritual growth by means of epignosis knowledge (doctrine taught by the Holy Spirit)] from the ultimate source of God;
being constantly strengthened by every enabling power, according to the standard of the power of His glory resulting in patience from spiritual stability and self-restraint under pressure from inner happiness.
Constantly being thankful to the Father, having qualified you all for a share of the assigned inheritance of the saints by means of the light (the truth).
These verses establish that the highest priority of the Christian way of life is Bible study and that the believer is unqualified and incapable of serving God without spiritual growth through Bible study.