In our study on Mark we have seen that Jesus was always focused on reality rather than the ritual. The Pharisees promoted ritual and legalism but Jesus promoted reality and grace.
As we observe the national holiday of Thanksgiving it is important for us to likewise be focused on the reality rather than ritual.
This is because when we have the who, the when, the where, the why and the how down, the correct what will automatically follow.
Thanksgiving is a grace response that results from grace orientation and genuine humility that is established from the tranquility of soul that Jesus Christ supplies to those who are in union with Him. John 14:27;
A passage that captures what it takes to have the capacity that is necessary for the reality of thanksgiving in our thinking is Col 3:12-17; This passage shows that grace capacity is required for thanksgiving to be real.
This passage is discussing the believer who has maximum Divine viewpoint from the PMA of God's word. Without the precursors that establish capacity for thanksgiving there is no reality of thanksgiving and thanksgiving is simply emotional or a ritual.
Col 3:12; "put on," the aorist middle imperative of the Greek word "enduo" that means to dress up; the middle voice says you participate with God the Holy Spirit in the process. The aorist tense is a constantive aorist that views all of the times that you take in the Word of God as an entirety. The imperative mood is a command to all believers.
This is the function of the Royal priesthood where God is free to pour out blessings upon you. It is the only place where God can share His perfect happiness with you.
Everyone has to do this for himself. If you take in Bible doctrine you have to choose to do so, no one else does it for you. People can hinder you but you must choose to overcome and persevere.
"then as those who have been chosen by God"… this is the basis of our grace orientation that provides us with capacity for life that ultimately results in our response of thanksgiving to God.
The nominative plural of the Greek word "elektos" translated "chosen" emphasizes the plan of God.
Every believer is in the plan of God and this mandate is for believers to "dress up" their souls through the daily function of learning God's word. This process is designed to make the believer's life in time an experience that is compatible with his position in union with Christ. It is designed to provide capacity for life.
"holy," nominative plural from the Greek word "hagios" that means saint or separated one emphasizes the grace security provided by God in His plan.
The word translated "beloved," perfect passive participle of the Greek word "agapo." It is the word for mental attitude love and it should be translated as, "having been loved."
The perfect tense means that God loved us in the past and will continue to love us forever. God is not compromised in any way by loving us. God is never compromised because of Jesus' work on the cross.
We see from this that God loves every believer with the same amount of love that He has for Jesus Christ regardless of their spiritual status because the perfect righteousness that positional truth irrevocably establishes in all believers becomes the object of the Father's perfect and unchangeable love.
However the believer's attitude toward God varies in accordance with his attitude toward God's word. The believer's capacity to love God is based on the amount of doctrine in his soul.
Bible Doctrine circulating in the believer's stream of consciousness that put on the virtues that motivate thanksgiving are described next.
The first "affections of grace compassion." This is a love that is normal to the grace-oriented believer. It is the ability to give love from your own soul because of grace capacity.
The second characteristic is called "kindness," the accusative singular from the Greek noun "chrestoes" and it means a "gracious disposition." It is God's perfect happiness in the soul of the believer that produces the gracious disposition.
The third one is "humility" referring to a mental attitude of grace. It does not refer to some system of self-effacement so it is not overt. The word has to do with the thinking.
It is an attitude or way that you think, not something you do so it means that no matter how talented you are, no matter how smart you are, you have no illusions about yourself. So it is a total understanding of the principle of grace on the basis of Bible doctrine.
Under grace orientation you have no illusions about yourself. "Gentleness," the accusative singular or the Greek word " praues". means courtesy, humility, considerateness. This is the mental attitude of the soul that doe not compete with others,
This is the thought pattern of the soul that is free from subjectivity and sensitivity. Sensitivity is subjectivity that relates everything to yourself in a negative way. So no subjectivity, no sensitivity, no insatiable lust pattern for approbation or power, no distorted scale of values, no putting of people or things before Bible doctrine.
Sensitivity with regard to others is legitimate; sensitivity with regard to yourself is not. Grace disposition takes care of sensitivity toward others. Under this concept you avoid the mental attitude sins of pride, jealousy, bitterness, vindictiveness, implacability, hatred, covetousness, etc.
Instead, there is gentleness, thoughtfulness of others, courtesy and good manners; gentleness is the relaxed mental attitude in action.
"Steadfastness," the accusative singular of "makrothymia." The believer with this virtue understands that doctrine in the soul is the capital for our life in God's plan for our life . We are not empowered by some kind of human capital such as money.
Money is a detail in life but doctrine is the believer's life. Doctrine is capital and believers can only spend the doctrine that resides in their soul. Bible doctrine does not become spendable until it resides in the soul.
So just as the blood of Christ is the coin of the realm for eternal salvation so Bible doctrine is the coin of the realm for life in time. Therefore doctrine enables the mastery of the details of life. The believer is steadfast because they have stability from doctrine that provides them with stability from their mastery of the details of life.
Verse 12 expanded translation: "Dress yourselves therefore, as the elected ones of the God, separated ones (saints), having been loved with the result that you keep on being loved, I say, dress yourselves with affections of grace compassion that is capacity for love, a gracious disposition leading to generosity, a mental attitude of grace, humility and steadfastness."
Col 3:13; "forbearing" is the principle, the present middle participle of "anachomai". means to bear with, to endure, to put up with someone, "Putting up with one another of the same kind."
One another of the same kind always refers to believers. The present tense is an iterative present that describes events that reoccur at successive intervals. Under the grace concept of live and let live we have the opportunity to bear with some obnoxious fellow believer.
"forgiving," the present middle participle of charizomai. It means to give graciously without strings or to forgive it is an iterative present tense describing events that occur off and on.
Under grace the believer forgives on the basis of the fact that he is in a status where he is reaping what God sows. If you are reaping what God sows then God is blessing you so to forgive someone is easy, not hard.
The middle voice indicates that believers participate in the results of the action. That means you are reaping what God sows. The grace-oriented believer forgives on the basis of his status as the perpetual recipient of God's love and grace.
"one another" the Greek word "autou" does refers to any member of the human race.
"if" is the conjunction ean plus the subjunctive mood that introduces a third class condition so it means "if", maybe yes, maybe no.
"anyone." The indefinite pronoun keeps it impersonal so there is no subjectivity.
"has a complaint", present linear of the Greek word "momphe" that means quarrel with or complaint against anyone.
"just as, the Lord forgave," aorist active indicative of the Greek "charizoma" that means to graciously forgive unconditionally.
The aorist tense is a constantive aorist matching the iterative present so it means at any time this occurs. The active voice: you do the forgiving as a grace oriented believer. The indicative mood is the reality of forgiveness.
"you," is a pronoun that refers to all of us, and He forgives all of us at different times. "so also you" that is in many translations is incorrect; the Greek means "in the same way."
Verse 13 expanded translation: "Putting up with one another (believers), and graciously forgiving others (believers or unbelievers), if anyone has a complaint against anyone else: even as also the Lord has graciously forgiven you, in this same way also you (graciously forgive)."
Col 3:14; "And upon all these." The Greek word "epi" means something that is built upon or added on top of "All these" a reference to the doctrinal virtues that have already been built.
This verse is anticipating the addition of another virtue. "Upon all these" is where you are going to build it. It is built on the foundation of and enabled by the previous virtues.
"love" is the Greek word "agape" that is a mental attitude virtue love. It is complete freedom from mental attitude sins that enables toleration of others who would normally antagonize you.
God has designed a cement that holds all kinds of people together it is "agape" or a mental attitude virtue love. The filling of the Spirit also produces agape but it is not stabilized and perpetuated in the believer's soul until it becomes established in the believer's thinking.
"that or which " is the relative pronoun "hos" that has as its antecedent, love; "is," the present active indicative of "eimi" referring to" that which keeps on being a reality."
"the bond," the noun is sundesmos, it refers to something which cements or links everything together, something which binds together.
There is something that holds us all together. It is not that we are members of the human race, it is not the fact that we all have souls because in our souls are source of conflict because of the influence of the old sin nature.
So Just what is it that pulls us all together? It is the function of the soul when the believer has constructed agape that is an impersonal virtue love that establishes a relaxed mental attitude in their thinking.
The Bible does not advocate personality change but the Bible does change the thinking of every believer. The Bible changes the believer's viewpoint and therefore their mental attitude.
"of maturity," the Greek word "teleiotes" that means maturity or finished or complete.
Verse 14 expanded translation: "And on these put on the mental attitude love that is the bond of maturity."
Col 3:15; "and the peace of Christ" The word "peace" is the Greek word "eirene" that refers to peace in the sense of blessing, harmony, welfare, security, prosperity and tranquility; this peace is "of the Christ." "tou Christou"
"let preside" the present active imperative of "brabeuo" is an athletic term that means to be an umpire, to be an official. So the word means to umpire, to preside, to control, or to govern.
"in your hearts"; "en o kardia"; In your thinking.
"into which" is a prepositional phrase "eis" plus the accusative of "ho" "also you are called," the aorist passive indicative of "kaleo", you are kept in this life so that you could mature.
God calls you into maturity. This is an ingressive aorist tense, so it means to begin to call. It is also a gnomic aorist, so it is a call for every member of the human race.
There is no such thing as a member of the human race for whom God did not call. The passive voice: the believer receives the action of the verb, he receives the call from God. The indicative mood is the reality of being called.
"into one body," "en" plus "soma" referring to the body of Christ, the Church. "and become " is the present active imperative of "ginomai" that means to become something you previously were not.
The present tense plus the imperative means "keep on becoming something you were not previously." The active voice: you as a believer produce the action of the verb.
The thing that you previously weren't is "thankful" the nominative masculine plural of "eucharistos". The word is in the plural so it means "keep on becoming thankful ones."
We see here that thanksgiving is related to capacity. Without capacity from grace orientation there is no ability to express thanksgiving. This passage is about being established in God's grace pipeline in order to establish prosperity of soul that becomes capacity for thanksgiving to God.
Verse 15 expanded translation: "And the tranquility (blessing, prosperity) from the Christ be of cause to umpire your hearts, into which also you have been called into one body; and keep on becoming thankful ones."
Col 3:16; the word of the Christ "ho logos tou Christos" the doctrine from Christ." Literally, "And the doctrine from the source of Christ keep on dwelling inside you (in your thinking)."
"Let dwell," the present active imperative of "enoikeo" that means to dwell inside, to inhabit, or to indwell.
"richly," the adverb" plousios" that means richly or abundantly to the point of wealth and prosperity. It means to be saturated with the word of Christ to the point of overflowing overcapacity.
"in all wisdom," sophia" that indicates doctrine that is available for application to circumstances..
"teaching," the present active participle of "didasko". Didasko is used to teach a group with authority. The present tense indicates continuous linear action.
"and admonishing," being personal in an impersonal way. The present active participle of a compound verb "noutheteo". That means to exhort or instruct with application because when believers start to learn they often have difficulty making application for themselves.
"one another" means "to self and others." This is the reflexive pronoun, "autou". The pastor has to learn it before he can communicate it, so this actually means teaching and applying to self and others.
"in psalms," a psalm involves musical accompaniment. The Psalms do not have to be sung, they are taught. Psalms refers to that part of scripture where
application is made from principles of doctrine.
The psalms applied to David's experiences the doctrines that he had learned. Psalms do not infer music but hymns do. Hymns," an instrumental plural of "hymnos" are love songs directed toward God.
"and spiritual songs," there is no "and" in the original. It is "by means of spiritual praise, by means of pneumatikos," and there is no music in pneumatikos it means "spiritual things." It is a reference to doctrine in the soul.
Singing is legitimate but singing must have something in the soul corresponding to what is being sung. Therefore to fulfill this principle there must be doctrine in the soul that corresponds to what is being sung.
Singing relates what you have in your soul to worship and it illustrates the principle of you must relate what you learn to your life. Singing, therefore, becomes the illustration of what you should do with doctrine. Apply it. Singing is relating principles of doctrine in your soul to God.
"with grace" is "by means of grace," the preposition "en" plus "charis" In other words, the singing in the local assembly is accomplished by means of grace.
When worship involves singing it becomes ritual. Anything that a person performs that constitutes worship is definitely ritual and the singing part of worship is meaningless unless there is reality in the soul. Singing is the result of the Word of Christ richly indwelling the thinking.
There is a great deal of emphasis placed on singing in churches today. In fact, the less people know of doctrine the more they want to sing. There is nothing wrong with singing and there is a true ritual in singing when it is a part of worship, but it must have corresponding bible doctrine in the soul.
Clarity in the matter is found in the phrase in the Psalms, the instrumental of "psalmos", that is a transliteration of the Hebrew into the Greek. A psalm is doctrine that was originally sung.
The point is that if you have doctrine in your soul and you sing about it a frame of reference is sets up where it's content is worship. A "hymn" is a song of praise to God.
Hymns are meaningful when there is grace capacity in the soul to sing them. There must be spiritual concepts, and "spiritual things" before singing can ever be worship. By means of "spiritual things" means there is doctrine in the soul. We can sing to God with grace capacity and thanksgiving to God in our thinking because we have maximum doctrine resident and circulating in our soul.
Verse 16 expanded translation: "And the doctrine from the Christ let it keep on dwelling inside in you abundantly to the point of wealth in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing self and others by musical accompaniment, by songs of praise, by means of spiritual things, by grace in your hearts keep singing to the Lord."
Col 3:17; And" is a continuative use of the conjunction kai, so we are moving on from singing as a part of worship right into the next concept that functions as a part of glorifying God.
"And all whatever things you might do in word or deed." it does not say whatever things you do, it says "if" you do them. It is a third class condition which means maybe you will and maybe you will not. It all depends on whether you have grace capacity or not.
"you do" is the present active subjunctive of "poieo." The static present tense indicates that when you reach grace capacity the production of the spiritual life is automatic. It isn't something you think about, it isn't something you have to work yourself up to do or be goaded into.
"if you do," and you automatically will if you have grace capacity and the opportunity presents itself. The present tense means this is the state that should exist. The active voice means that you will automatically produce.
Grace capacity makes a producer out of you without thinking about it, without anything being manipulated or forced into it.
The phrase "in word" has to do with the fact that most of our production is inside, "in doctrine," "en logos"". It doesn't mean talking to someone, it means in the sphere of doctrine so it is the function of doctrine in the soul. It is what you think.
The first principle we learn, then: If we are not motivated by doctrine our overt production in the Christian life is worthless in the absence of doctrine in the soul. No doctrine means no legitimate production before God.
"or deed," this is the overt function of the believer with grace capacity.
"all" Again we have the word "pas" that means all or everything.
"in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ" references the basis of what we do.
"giving thanks" is a present active participle of "eucharisto", the strongest word for thanksgiving. It means thanksgiving that is based upon something rational. People are often thankful on an emotional basis.
There are two distinct types of thanksgiving that emanate from the soul of the individual. One is rational thanksgiving and the other is emotional thanksgiving.
Emotional thanksgiving is simply an expression of the stimulation of the emotion and is meaningless. Rational thanksgiving is based upon true orientation to life and is meaningful and is the type of thanksgiving involved in any part of worship or any part of your relationship to God.
Thanksgiving must be based on cognizance, not upon emotional stimulation. Therefore the giving thanks here is based a maximum amount of doctrine in the soul. The present tense indicates liner action. The active voice refers to believers producing the action of the verb with capacity from grace orientation.
The object of the thanksgiving is God. This is the dative of indirect object plus the definite article, so it is "the God," o Theos".
We give thanksgiving to God, but we are benefited by it because we have grace capacity, and the thanksgiving is rational, not emotional, and therefore it has meaning.
All true thanksgiving must be enshrouded in love, and if you don't love God obviously you can't be thankful to God.
"through him." Through Jesus Christ.
verse 17 expanded translation: "And all whatever things if you do in doctrine or in deed, all things by the name of the Lord Jesus, constantly giving thanks to the God the Father through him."
Grace capacity is expressed by means of thanksgiving. But the thanksgiving always emphasizes the person not the gift and has capacity to enjoy the gift.
True thanksgiving of the soul is grace capacity for freedom, for life, for love, for happiness, for grace, prosperity and adversity because these capacities are based upon doctrine and all thanksgiving, worship, must be related to doctrine.
True thanksgiving is the grace-oriented believer responding to God's outpouring of grace blessings
True thanksgiving is a response to God for Jesus Christ and the capacities and blessings that accrue as a result of being in union with Him
All thanksgiving in worship comes from the Word of Christ in the mentality of the soul, not from emotion.
This is what makes thanksgiving a reality rather than ritual.
Happy Thanksgiving