Jehoshua is on the throne of David in New Jerusalem and He is the King of a New Israel
Seventh Day Anabaptists in a Biblical Unitarian world, what's their place and how do they fit in?5/16/2018 Biblical Unitarianism is a growing faith within the world of Christianity and a few prominent groups have helped lead the way in this modern reformation. So where do Seventh Day Anabaptists fit in the scheme of this 21st century reformation? The prominent groups who are out in front of this revival have their share of capable scholars and theologians who are excellent at breaking down the finer points of the Greek and Hebrew languages. They are paving the way for the rest of us Biblical Unitarians to carry the message to professed traditional mainstream Christians and unbelievers alike. The work of these scholars must be applauded and honored.
One of the traditional accusations against Biblical Unitarians is an over reliance on the intellectual and not enough emphasis on the spiritual. The nature of the Trinitarian/Unitarian debate often lends itself to very deep theological discussions which can easily come across as mind numbing to those who don't have a big interest in the subject. Jesus said that true worshippers worship in spirit and in truth, this statement made by the Son of God shows us the importance of having a balance in terms of our Christian walk. God doesn't want us to check our brains at the door when we enter into study of His word, have fellowship with the saints or worship in song. He expects us to use our reason when we read, pray and walk out our Christian experience. On the flipside, God also wants us to have heartfelt communion with Him, His Son and the saints. Jehovah God wants us to experience the supernatural in our lives. The Church is warned in the book of Revelation to return to its first love as they have become dry lacking the abundance of Jehovah's Holy Spirit. Often times an over intellectualization of the faith leads to an emotionally dry Christian experience. Let's read what Paul says in regards to relying on excellency of speech and enticing words of man's wisdom: 1 Corinthians 2:1-6 (KJV) 1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Here 2nd Corinthians 2, Paul is declaring that the gospel is to be preached with Spirit and power and not with excellency of speech or enticing words of man's wisdom. This reference to excellency of speech and man's wisdom also applies to an over intellectualization of the faith. Paul is definitely emphasizing the spiritual aspect of the preaching of the faith that is demonstrated by the power of God and not reliant on our intellect. The context here in 2 Corinthians is showing us that head knowledge is not enough and in fact relying on it to preach the gospel is actually detrimental. Why is Paul emphasizing preaching by the power of the Holy Spirit over excellency of speech and man's wisdom? Let's go to 1 Corinthians for that answer: 1 Corinthians 8:1-3 (KJV) 1 Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. 2 And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. 3 But if any man love God, the same is known of him. Paul is not denigrating having knowledge or wisdom but rather is making the point that relying on these things in our walk with Christ and relationship with others leads to pride. He says that love edifies and it is only by relying on the Spirit of God that we can demonstrate this love. Paul says that even when we think we know things we only know them in part. By looking at the example of the apostles and how they preached the gospel, there was no formulaic recipe or obsessing over the finer points of the meaning of words in their original languages but rather a straight forward account of Jesus fulfilling the Messianic prophecies and His death, resurrection and exaltation to God's right hand and second advent to establish the Kingdom on earth. Their preaching was always accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we rely too heavily on our intellect we risk becoming dry wells and then the gospel becomes salvation by Theology. Let's go to the words of Paul once again: Romans 1 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Salvation only comes by the power of God which doesn't exclude our intellect, our mind and wisdom but those things have to submit to divine revelation and the Spirit of God. The flesh wants to prove to everyone how smart we are by preaching the gospel with excellency of words appealing to the wisdom of man but the Holy Spirit convicts believers and unbelievers alike by the plain straight forward testimony of scripture. The Son of God told His disciples not to rely on their intellect as well when witnessing before rulers: Luke 12:11 King James Version (KJV) 11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: 12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say. Again, we are not expected to check our brains at the door when we speak of the faith but everything in us including our head knowledge and intellect must submit to the active and living Spirit of the Father and it is the Spirit of God which is His mind that guides are preaching and teaching of the gospel. Notice how Jesus didn't want the apostles to plan out their discourse when brought before rulers and magistrates but wanted them to fully rely on the Holy Spirit. This should be the example that we follow and we see it lived out in the preaching of the apostles. This is why they were able to Gain thousands of converts in a day and turn the world upside down. This is precisely the method and modus operandi of the Seventh Day Anabaptists which is trust more in the Spirit than in our intellect and wisdom. Anabaptists have historically been a people that rely heavily on the leading of the Spirit even being accused by their enemies at times of being fanatics. As Unitarian Anabaptists we see no reason why this needs to change just because we hold to a Christology that is different than much of our ancestors of the faith. Indeed many Anabaptists in the radical reformation days became Unitarians and we want to carry that torch in the 21st century however we also want to preach the full counsel of God and be a Spirit led people not have just an sophisticated intellectual faith. As Seventh Day Anabaptists we want to be known not just for our Christology but also by our love and as well our ability emphasize other aspects of the faith. Unlike some of our Unitarian brethren, Seventh Day Anabaptists believe that the Kingdom of Jesus Christ began on the day of Pentecost and that now we are deemed kings and priests of Jehovah God and His Christ. Colossians 1:12_13 (KJV) 12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: Clearly the Kingdom of Jesus Christ has already begun. Revelation 1:5-6 (KJV) 5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Clearly we are already kings and priests unto God the Father. Revelation 1:9 9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. John certainly thought the Kingdom of Jesus Christ had already begun. Acts 2:29-36 (KJV) 29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. 34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool. 36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Peter connected the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus as being the fulfillment of the prophecy made to David by Jehovah God in 2 Samuel 7 that a man of David's seed would sit upon David's throne and establish it forever. Hebrews 1 verifiers that Jesus was enthroned as King of Israel upon His ascension. This in no way does away with the future consummation of the Kingdom after the second advent upon a renewed earth but it does clearly prove that we are in the spiritual phase of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ which is no less real that when it comes to its consummation at the second advent. With the realization that the Kingdom of Jesus Christ is a present tense reality then we can live out Isaiah 61 which is a summary of the glad tidings of the Kingdom in action: Isaiah 61:1-7 (ASV) 1 The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the [a]meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and [b]the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of Jehovah’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that he may be glorified. 4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. 5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and foreigners shall be your plowmen and your vine-dressers. 6 But ye shall be named the priests of Jehovah; men shall call you the ministers of our God: ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, and [c]in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. 7 Instead of your shame ye shall have double; and instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be unto them. The gospel of the Kingdom as quoted by Jesus in Luke 4 goes beyond head knowledge and requires that we have heart knowledge of our God and His Son so that we can minister to the hurting not with excellency of speech or the wisdom of man but in demonstration of the Spirit of the living God. Remember it's not how much you know but rather how much you intimately know the Father and His Son. People want to know that you care about them and until that is established how much you know is irrelevant to them. Realizing that the Kingdom is already here in its power compels us to advance it by living out the principles of the Kingdom which ae founded in God's love which surpasses knowledge. Ephesians 3:19 (KJV) And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Seventh Day Anabaptists may be absent from much of the theological debates and discussions regarding Christology, it's our safeguard to make sure we keep the Anabaptist spirit of evangelism and emphasis on daily Kingdom living which is rooted and grounded in love. Knowledge puffs up but love builds up and as Anabaptists we want fall on the ledger of charity. We seek to glorify the sovereign grace of God which is His divine free gift of love to us, the wisdom of man and his intellect can hardly grasp the depth of God's deep love for His children. 1 John 4:1-7 (KJV) 7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9 Herein was the love of God manifested [b]in us, that God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No man hath beheld God at any time: if we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us:
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