personal

This blog page is very personal. If you read my commentary on Paul’s Letters on my Web Site, (http://darroll.tripod.com/), you will find no footnotes because It is very seldom that I quote other writers. The Late Dr. Manford George Gutzke and one instance of a quote from the Liberty Commentary are the exceptions. Dr Gutzke was an extraordinary writer and speaker, and I use his definition of “love.”

 I must sdmit that my commentaries are a result of inspiration and not perspiration.  At times you will find me at odds with the translators. On more than one occasion while I was actively writing the commentaries, I would be awakened in the middle of the night with the statement, “Go to your computer, and I will show you the proper translation.”

 When I began translating the Bible my knowledge of Greek would not fill a thimble. 

 I began in 1990 with Philippians, because it was only 4 chapters in Greek, so how difficult could that be?

 The translation was completed in 1999, just prior to the crash of my computer. And so, all that work was lost. But, the Internet had not become so powerful back in those days. In fact, my first three commentaries on Philippians, Colossians, and Galatians were so new that at the time they were the only commentaries on those letters at that time on the Internet, and if you wanted to read a commentary on any one of those three the only Internet source at that time was my writing. God has indeed blessed me!

I started blogging using the Ephesians text as the base, but I will be changing that to certain verses from both the Old and New Testaments.

 Thank you for reading this blog, and may God bless you.

 If you have any comments or questions please contact me at studycomments@yahoo.com and I will responds as quickly as possible.

Talking Points 19

Eph 2:1-3
¹ And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
² in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
³ among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. (NKJV)

Before the Holy Spirit opened our ears to hear Christ Jesus and our eyes to see the Truth we were spiritually dead in trespasses and sins. We walked, talked and acted as dead men do. Our goal was just to get through the day.

I am not condemning anyone in this. We were born with brown, or back, or blonde hair, and a certain color to our eyes. All of that is neither good nor bad. Instead it simply is!

However, we were also born with a penchant to sin! Until God the Father chooses us to come out of the sin that seems engulf our lives we will live according to the leading of Satan. We who have been called to follow Christ Jesus are the chosen of God. During this age, we are led by the Holy Spirit (Roman 8:14)! In Christ we have been changed from the sons of “disobedience” to the sons of the Father.

In the past we were dominated by Satan and led by our sin-nature. We had no choice as to the direction we walked. But, when we were called out, we learned to walk in the ways of righteousness, the ways of Christ Jesus.

Those who live in Satan’s unrighteousness also live in the sin-nature, with which they were physically born.

Even if you are forgiven, you must still contend with the sin-nature. You Spirit is saved, not your body. Barring the second coming during your lifetime, it shall return to the dust.

Talking points 18

Talking points 18 Eph 1:22-23
22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,
23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (NKJV)

The time when Christ puts all things under His feet may have already happened or may be a long way off (in human terms). That depends on what we mean by “all things under His feet.”

God being “all in all” is also a phrase that needs explaining!

According to the Old Testament the cattle on a thousand hills are already God’s (Psalm 50:10), which picturesque language for “He owns it all.” And, according to Ezekiel 18:4 all souls already belong to God.

Many people attempt to divide the Trinity in order to explain it. But we should always understand that the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) are echad (Heb. ‏אֶחָד‎) and as such are inseparable.

In accordance with the plan of God for the ages, each fulfills a designated task at various times within that plan, but all are in complete unity as to the plan, the moment of its fulfillment and the events within that plan. When I refer to “God’s plan for the ages,” God is God in totality and not God the Father as opposed to God the Son or God the Holy Spirit.

As to God being “all in all” that too may be translated with a slight difference. In fact, there may be no “becoming” to it. That section may also be translated, “all in all is being filled by Him.” All of creation is now following God’s program for their participation in His plan.

All plans are determined by the goal of the one doing the planning. And so, “filling all in all” is the goal of God’s plan for the ages.

We are now living out the greatest object lesson ever devised.