Come to Understanding

Come to Understanding

They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding,

and they that murmured shall learn doctrine. — Isaiah 29:24

So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense,

and caused them to understand the reading. — Nehemiah 8:8

March 1, 2013
Volume 12 Number 5

Despise You Not The Chastening

The depth and magnitude of the love that God has for us is beyond our comprehension. It is because of His love that He gave the essence of Himself, His "only begotten Son," with the offer of everlasting life to all of those that believe in Him:

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. -John 3

God’s purpose in sending His "only begotten Son" was not to condemn the world, but to save it:

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. -John 3

He offers to save us from the condemnation that is already upon the world, if we will believe in the "name of the only begotten Son of God:"

18 He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. -John 3

The angel announced the name of the only begotten Son of God as Yahshua, which is also translated as Jesus. His name is the same as that of Joshua, which literally means Yahweh is salvation or Yahweh saves. His name declares that He is God, who came to save us from the condemnation of our sins. He is the promised "Immanuel," which means "God with us:"

21 And she shall bring forth a son, and you shall call his name YAHSHUA: for he shall save his people from their sins.

22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord Yahweh by the prophet, saying,

23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. -Matthew 1

Yahweh explains that there is no God, except Him:

5 I am Yahweh, and there is none else, there is no God besides me: I girded you, though you have not known me:

6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none besides me. I am Yahweh, and there is none else. -Isaiah 45

Yahweh is the God of Israel, the Savior:

15 Truly you are a God that hides yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior. -Isaiah 45

Furthermore, there is no other Savior except Yahweh:

11 I, even I, am Yahweh; and besides me there is no savior. -Isaiah 43

Therefore, Yahshua (Yahweh the Savior) is the only name that can save us from condemnation:

12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. -Acts 4

Yahweh the Savior was revealed to the world in the flesh of a man. Paul calls this the great "mystery of godliness:"

16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached to the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. -1 Timothy 3

Therefore, the Yahweh (the Father) revealed Himself as the Yahweh the Savior (the Son) through His name Yahshua. If we believe this in our hearts and confess it with our mouths, then God dwells in us and we also dwell in Him:

14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

15 Whoever shall confess that Yahshua is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God. -1 John 4

If we truly believe this, then we know and believe that God loves us and that He is love! If we dwell in love, then we dwell in God and He also dwells in us!

16 And we have known and believed the love that God has to us. God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him. -1 John 4

The condition for eternal life is that we must believe in His name and we must also have love in our hearts. It is not a suggestion, but a commandment!

23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Yahshua the Messiah, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

24 And he that keeps his commandments dwells in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he remains in us, by the Spirit which he has given us. -1 John 3

Yahweh already loves us. However, if we are to live in Him and Him in us, we must also love Him with everything that is within us, with all of our heart, soul, and mind:

37 Yahshua said to him, You shall love the Lord Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment. -Matthew 22

We must also demonstrate evidence that He dwells in us as love by loving others:

39 And the second is like unto it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. -Matthew 22

God loves us, no matter what happens. Nothing can separate us from His love (see Romans 8:38-39). However, even though Yahweh told Israel that He loved them (see Deuteronomy 7:7-8) and that they were the only people that He had ever known, He also said that He would punish them for all their iniquities (sins):

2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. -Amos 3

Why would He punish those whom He loves? Their sins had revealed that they were not walking together with Him. They no longer loved Him with all of their heart, soul, and mind. They had lost their way. Therefore, it was not possible for them to continue to walk with Him, unless they changed their course:

3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed? -Amos 3

They had ignored Yahweh’s warnings about allowing people to remain in the land that would bring them into the sinful "snare" of worshipping other "gods:"

33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me: for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you. -Exodus 23:

Likewise, the writer of Hebrews warns us about sinful snares. He says that we need to lay aside the weights and sins that "so easily beset" us. They will throw us off the course of the race that we are running together with God:

1 Therefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, -Hebrews 12

The burdens and sins that skillfully surround us, like a snare, are those that will eventually remove our hearts from Yahweh. When we allow them into our lives, we open the door for Yahweh’s loving chastening and scourging:

4 You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks unto you as to children, My son, despise not you the chastening of the Lord Yahweh, nor faint when you are rebuked of him:

6 For whom the Lord Yahweh loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives. -Hebrews 12

He loves us so much that He wants us to live in His love, as we love Him with all of our being. The "gods" of this world deceive us into thinking that we can love them and also still love Yahweh with all of our hearts. Consequently, many of us try to walk in the flesh and in the Spirit at the same time. Paul, however, writes:

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in the Messiah Yahshua, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. -Romans 8

The Greek word paideuw (paideuo), which is translated as "chasten," means to teach, instruct, or cause one to learn (see Strong’s Concordance). Therefore, chastening is a teaching tool that Yahweh uses. Even though we might not be able to see it at the time of our chastening, He uses it to help those whom He loves see our need to repent:

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. -Revelation 3

The object is to bring us closer to Yahweh, as He promised to do for Judah through the great affliction of seventy years of Babylonian captivity that they had to endure. He promised them an "expected end:"

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says Yahweh, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

12 Then shall you call upon me, and you shall go and pray unto me, and I will listen to you.

13 And you shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart. -Jeremiah 29

Chastening trials of our faith are brought upon us for a season. Their purpose is to persuade us to call upon Yahweh and to seek Him with all of our heart. It is through Yahweh’s love that He gives the "expected end" to those that love Him. It is the "end of your faith," which, as Peter explains, is "the salvation of your souls:

8 Whom having not seen, you love; in whom, though now you see him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. -1 Peter 1

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Scriptures are taken from the Proper Name Version of the King James Bible.