Fulfillment As From The Beginning By Rabon Byrd
May 21, 2011! Do you remember that infamous date? It was plastered on billboards across America and I am sure in other parts of the world. I was an eyewitness to one of these billboards and along with the date there were the words The End of the World but it did not end there. It also stated The Bible Guarantees It. Now that date came and went, but the damaging affect that such a fallacy left upon the hearts of many people will remain for some time.
What is my point for bringing that up. Well, in my opinion, it speaks to something very wrong with the Christian religion's perspective. My heart breaks to see souls that are hungry and desirous of Christ being deviated from the present reality that Christ is in and is made unto the soul of every born again believer. Recently, my heart has been captivated with the thought of the faithfulness of our God. Our God is faithful. That is a statement with which any believer will agree. However, on what side of that statement do you fall. Is your concept of God's faithfulness summed up in the statement, "God will do and perform what He promised"? Or is your understanding and rejoicing in God's faithfulness found in this statement: "God hath fulfilled all of His promises, He has done all that He said He would do". Paul states it this way in Acts 13:32-34, 'And we to you do proclaim good news that the promise made unto the fathers, God hath in full completed this to us their children, having raised up Jesus, as also in the second Psalm it hath been written, My Son thou art I to-day have begotten thee. 'And that He did raise him up out of the dead, no more to return to corruption, he hath said thus I will give to you the
faithful kindnesses of David." (YLT) I wish when people make the statement that we need to get back to the book of Acts, they would realize that this is what is necessary. That is we need again to declare and hear the preaching of the Gospel which is the declaration of God's faithfulness in that He "HATH IN FULL COMPLETED" all that He had promised. What a Gospel!
The Gospel directs the soul properly and gives the soul the proper expectation, which is based upon fulfillment and not upon unfulfilled promises. No wonder Paul can say in Romans 16:25-27, "And to Him who is able to establish you, according to my good news, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the secret, in the times of the ages having been kept silent, and now having been made manifest, also, through prophetic writings, according to a command of the age-during God, having been made known to all the nations for obedience of faith to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to him [be] glory to the ages. Amen." (YLT) It is according to the Gospel that the Spirit of Truth can establish the soul within the confines of the eternal reality in which it presently resides. However, the Spirit of THE TRUTH will work upon no other ground than the TRUTH. It is the Gospel (Christ in you being the fulfillment of all things) that brings the soul upon the proper ground for seeking God and when that soul is on that ground and in that posture, the Spirit can then guide us and carry us on into the full measure of the Truth that Christ is in us.
Notice what Paul says in the latter part of these verses in Romans. The Good News (in the Greek it is worded) even the preaching of Jesus Christ. But that preaching is according to something. According to the revelation of the secret or mystery which was kept hidden in that age of shadows, but has now been made manifest. Now, this should cause your mind to immediately go to Colossians 1. Colossians 1:25-27, "Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." This is very important to what I want to say in this article. The fullness or fulfillment that is presented by the preaching of the Gospel is stated here. He says that the Gospel he preached was according to the revelation of the mystery that was once hidden. So, the Gospel upon which the Spirit is able to work in us is that what was at one time hidden is now made manifest and is Christ in you. The Gospel is Christ in you as the fulfillment of all the promises and prophecies of God; the substance unto which that age leaned forward in expectancy. The preaching of the Gospel is the resulting declaration that proceeds from a soul that is beholding that indwelling Christ as the fulfillment of all things.
Why is this important? Because as stated earlier, the world and the Church world seems to be looking for fulfillment and consummation. However, they are looking for it in a realm in which it is never found, for fulfillment is only defined as Christ in you. That is fulfillment. Now, the question is are we knowing fulfillment and living in the light of that fulfillment presently? That is the question that must be asked. It is not has God fulfilled, but have we turned our hearts to see the fulfillment that God has wrought in and as His indwelling Son.
I want us to consider fulfillment as I believe it to be for us in Christ. I call it fulfillment as from the beginning. That sounds weird perhaps, but hopefully it will become clearer. Let me preface the proceeding words by stating that spiritual reality and fulfillment is never seen in or made known by "seen, external, or observable" things. Nothing apparent to the natural faculties constitutes fulfillment, but sadly that is where most attempt to define it or expect to behold it.
In an article it is difficult to expand the thought to much but I would at least like to introduce this so that you can take it and search these things out yourself.
In Hebrews 10:1, we read that the Law was a shadow of the good things to come and NOT the very image. That is crucial. A shadow refers to a mere copy in contrast to the reality or true and essential being. It is a copy but it is not the Very Substance which it reflects. The term very image according to Adam Clarke is the model or object according to which anything is formed. Therefore, it is said that these things never pleased or satisfied God because they were not the very image of those things. It is this Very Image that God desires to reveal in our souls and it is only as a result of that work of the Spirit of God that our souls will know or experience fulfillment and spiritual reality.
Now, with this in mind we go to Hebrews 11:3. I believe Kenneth Wuest translates the verse exceptionally well. "By means of faith we perceive that the material universe and the God-appointed ages of time were equipped and fitted by God's word for the purpose for which they were intended, and it follows therefore that that which we see did not come into being out of that which is visible." The writer is saying that the visible, seen, observable elements neither of the natural creation, nor of the Old Covenant age had natural origin. Their origin and source was not another seen thing. Therefore, the fulfillment of those seen things can never be more "seen things". The fulfillment of those things must be the coming of the unseen source and origin of their visible testimony. When was the purpose of those seen things fulfilled? It was when the very image (the unseen substance in view of Whom they were all formed) appeared. When are the seen things realized to be of no significance to us today? It is when that very image and unseen substance is revealed in our souls. We come to know and live in the acknowledgement of fulfillment when God reveals in us the reality that eye cannot see and ear cannot hear; the Eternal Source and Intention that was God's exclusive perspective before anything that was made was made and in view of Whom all that was made was made. All of the seen things of that Old Covenant Age were in anticipation of their Author and Fountainhead. Every shadow had intrinsically designed into its makeup an expectation of the appearing of The Fulfillment. They were until the coming of their Spiritual Reality and Source. Unfortunately, most seem to think that fulfillment has to do with and is measured by more external things we can or will physically see.
Now, we go to John 1:1-3, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." This verse gives us the identity of the unseen source of the visible things spoken of in Hebrews 11:3. It is this One Who was in the beginning. The One Who stood (and stands) as the Eternal Perspective of the Father. It is in this One that God has always defined and measured fullness, fulfillment and reality. John 1:14-16, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me." Here we see John, as the final embodiment of the testimony of the Law and the Prophets (Matt. 11:13). He says this One Who comes "after" me is preferred "before" me for He was "before" me. This gives us the same picture as Hebrews 11:3. Now this is the thing that floored me and caused me to view fulfillment and fullness as I never have before. John 1:16, "And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace."
Think of this in relation to the Word Who was in the beginning. The Word in view of Whom and by Whom all things were made. Oh, the faithfulness of our God that has made it possible for these words to be penned with regard to that Eternal Source and Origin Of His Fullness Have All We Received. It is the One Who was in the Beginning being resident and being revealed in our souls. Fulfillment and Fullness is a reality from the moment of His coming to dwell within. However, we begin to comprehend Him as fulfillment when our souls are unveiled to His presence. That is knowing and experiencing fulfillment as from the beginning. That is our Salvation: of His fullness have all we received. Salvation is fulfillment. It is not waiting for it, but being indwelt by the Person of fulfillment Himself. That is why we must not look for fulfillment anywhere other than the Christ of God Who abides within.
That is why it is by faith that we comprehend that the seen things have unseen and eternal origin; because if faith is not the dominating vision and view of our hearts, we will look at tangible and outwardly observable things and call them real. God desires to unveil our souls to the only thing that is real.
We have come to the mountain that cannot be touched. This speaks to the fact that what we have come to in Christ is the unseen fullness that was always expected. However, it is not touchable or temporal, but eternal in the Person of the indwelling Son of God. It must be understood also that this matter of fulfillment does not only pertain to the Old Covenant elements, so let me ask this question in summation. Where do you look for the fulfillment and full measure of Righteousness, Love, or Holiness? Do you look at yourself or others to exhibit the reality of those things or is your soul beholding the One Who was the essential being of those things even before there was a man to attempt to be or demonstrate those things? At one time Peace for me was defined by the absence of contrary situations, but I have seen it as from the beginning. For now peace has been and is being defined in my heart as the One Who was peace even before there was an adverse situation in which to find myself.
May our souls begin and continue to know our Salvation in its eternal context and experience fulfillment as from the beginning in the revealed presence of the Son of God.
Rabon Byrd is a Bible Teacher, writer, and editor at the C.M.I. Bible Research Center in Leslie, Arkansas. For more Christ-centered writings, audio and video teachings from Rabon and fellow laborers in Christ, visit cmintl.org or rabonbyrd.blogspot.com. Feel free to email him at rabonbyrd@ymail.com
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com
May 21, 2011! Do you remember that infamous date? It was plastered on billboards across America and I am sure in other parts of the world. I was an eyewitness to one of these billboards and along with the date there were the words The End of the World but it did not end there. It also stated The Bible Guarantees It. Now that date came and went, but the damaging affect that such a fallacy left upon the hearts of many people will remain for some time.
What is my point for bringing that up. Well, in my opinion, it speaks to something very wrong with the Christian religion's perspective. My heart breaks to see souls that are hungry and desirous of Christ being deviated from the present reality that Christ is in and is made unto the soul of every born again believer. Recently, my heart has been captivated with the thought of the faithfulness of our God. Our God is faithful. That is a statement with which any believer will agree. However, on what side of that statement do you fall. Is your concept of God's faithfulness summed up in the statement, "God will do and perform what He promised"? Or is your understanding and rejoicing in God's faithfulness found in this statement: "God hath fulfilled all of His promises, He has done all that He said He would do". Paul states it this way in Acts 13:32-34, 'And we to you do proclaim good news that the promise made unto the fathers, God hath in full completed this to us their children, having raised up Jesus, as also in the second Psalm it hath been written, My Son thou art I to-day have begotten thee. 'And that He did raise him up out of the dead, no more to return to corruption, he hath said thus I will give to you the
faithful kindnesses of David." (YLT) I wish when people make the statement that we need to get back to the book of Acts, they would realize that this is what is necessary. That is we need again to declare and hear the preaching of the Gospel which is the declaration of God's faithfulness in that He "HATH IN FULL COMPLETED" all that He had promised. What a Gospel!
The Gospel directs the soul properly and gives the soul the proper expectation, which is based upon fulfillment and not upon unfulfilled promises. No wonder Paul can say in Romans 16:25-27, "And to Him who is able to establish you, according to my good news, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the secret, in the times of the ages having been kept silent, and now having been made manifest, also, through prophetic writings, according to a command of the age-during God, having been made known to all the nations for obedience of faith to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to him [be] glory to the ages. Amen." (YLT) It is according to the Gospel that the Spirit of Truth can establish the soul within the confines of the eternal reality in which it presently resides. However, the Spirit of THE TRUTH will work upon no other ground than the TRUTH. It is the Gospel (Christ in you being the fulfillment of all things) that brings the soul upon the proper ground for seeking God and when that soul is on that ground and in that posture, the Spirit can then guide us and carry us on into the full measure of the Truth that Christ is in us.
Notice what Paul says in the latter part of these verses in Romans. The Good News (in the Greek it is worded) even the preaching of Jesus Christ. But that preaching is according to something. According to the revelation of the secret or mystery which was kept hidden in that age of shadows, but has now been made manifest. Now, this should cause your mind to immediately go to Colossians 1. Colossians 1:25-27, "Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." This is very important to what I want to say in this article. The fullness or fulfillment that is presented by the preaching of the Gospel is stated here. He says that the Gospel he preached was according to the revelation of the mystery that was once hidden. So, the Gospel upon which the Spirit is able to work in us is that what was at one time hidden is now made manifest and is Christ in you. The Gospel is Christ in you as the fulfillment of all the promises and prophecies of God; the substance unto which that age leaned forward in expectancy. The preaching of the Gospel is the resulting declaration that proceeds from a soul that is beholding that indwelling Christ as the fulfillment of all things.
Why is this important? Because as stated earlier, the world and the Church world seems to be looking for fulfillment and consummation. However, they are looking for it in a realm in which it is never found, for fulfillment is only defined as Christ in you. That is fulfillment. Now, the question is are we knowing fulfillment and living in the light of that fulfillment presently? That is the question that must be asked. It is not has God fulfilled, but have we turned our hearts to see the fulfillment that God has wrought in and as His indwelling Son.
I want us to consider fulfillment as I believe it to be for us in Christ. I call it fulfillment as from the beginning. That sounds weird perhaps, but hopefully it will become clearer. Let me preface the proceeding words by stating that spiritual reality and fulfillment is never seen in or made known by "seen, external, or observable" things. Nothing apparent to the natural faculties constitutes fulfillment, but sadly that is where most attempt to define it or expect to behold it.
In an article it is difficult to expand the thought to much but I would at least like to introduce this so that you can take it and search these things out yourself.
In Hebrews 10:1, we read that the Law was a shadow of the good things to come and NOT the very image. That is crucial. A shadow refers to a mere copy in contrast to the reality or true and essential being. It is a copy but it is not the Very Substance which it reflects. The term very image according to Adam Clarke is the model or object according to which anything is formed. Therefore, it is said that these things never pleased or satisfied God because they were not the very image of those things. It is this Very Image that God desires to reveal in our souls and it is only as a result of that work of the Spirit of God that our souls will know or experience fulfillment and spiritual reality.
Now, with this in mind we go to Hebrews 11:3. I believe Kenneth Wuest translates the verse exceptionally well. "By means of faith we perceive that the material universe and the God-appointed ages of time were equipped and fitted by God's word for the purpose for which they were intended, and it follows therefore that that which we see did not come into being out of that which is visible." The writer is saying that the visible, seen, observable elements neither of the natural creation, nor of the Old Covenant age had natural origin. Their origin and source was not another seen thing. Therefore, the fulfillment of those seen things can never be more "seen things". The fulfillment of those things must be the coming of the unseen source and origin of their visible testimony. When was the purpose of those seen things fulfilled? It was when the very image (the unseen substance in view of Whom they were all formed) appeared. When are the seen things realized to be of no significance to us today? It is when that very image and unseen substance is revealed in our souls. We come to know and live in the acknowledgement of fulfillment when God reveals in us the reality that eye cannot see and ear cannot hear; the Eternal Source and Intention that was God's exclusive perspective before anything that was made was made and in view of Whom all that was made was made. All of the seen things of that Old Covenant Age were in anticipation of their Author and Fountainhead. Every shadow had intrinsically designed into its makeup an expectation of the appearing of The Fulfillment. They were until the coming of their Spiritual Reality and Source. Unfortunately, most seem to think that fulfillment has to do with and is measured by more external things we can or will physically see.
Now, we go to John 1:1-3, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." This verse gives us the identity of the unseen source of the visible things spoken of in Hebrews 11:3. It is this One Who was in the beginning. The One Who stood (and stands) as the Eternal Perspective of the Father. It is in this One that God has always defined and measured fullness, fulfillment and reality. John 1:14-16, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me." Here we see John, as the final embodiment of the testimony of the Law and the Prophets (Matt. 11:13). He says this One Who comes "after" me is preferred "before" me for He was "before" me. This gives us the same picture as Hebrews 11:3. Now this is the thing that floored me and caused me to view fulfillment and fullness as I never have before. John 1:16, "And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace."
Think of this in relation to the Word Who was in the beginning. The Word in view of Whom and by Whom all things were made. Oh, the faithfulness of our God that has made it possible for these words to be penned with regard to that Eternal Source and Origin Of His Fullness Have All We Received. It is the One Who was in the Beginning being resident and being revealed in our souls. Fulfillment and Fullness is a reality from the moment of His coming to dwell within. However, we begin to comprehend Him as fulfillment when our souls are unveiled to His presence. That is knowing and experiencing fulfillment as from the beginning. That is our Salvation: of His fullness have all we received. Salvation is fulfillment. It is not waiting for it, but being indwelt by the Person of fulfillment Himself. That is why we must not look for fulfillment anywhere other than the Christ of God Who abides within.
That is why it is by faith that we comprehend that the seen things have unseen and eternal origin; because if faith is not the dominating vision and view of our hearts, we will look at tangible and outwardly observable things and call them real. God desires to unveil our souls to the only thing that is real.
We have come to the mountain that cannot be touched. This speaks to the fact that what we have come to in Christ is the unseen fullness that was always expected. However, it is not touchable or temporal, but eternal in the Person of the indwelling Son of God. It must be understood also that this matter of fulfillment does not only pertain to the Old Covenant elements, so let me ask this question in summation. Where do you look for the fulfillment and full measure of Righteousness, Love, or Holiness? Do you look at yourself or others to exhibit the reality of those things or is your soul beholding the One Who was the essential being of those things even before there was a man to attempt to be or demonstrate those things? At one time Peace for me was defined by the absence of contrary situations, but I have seen it as from the beginning. For now peace has been and is being defined in my heart as the One Who was peace even before there was an adverse situation in which to find myself.
May our souls begin and continue to know our Salvation in its eternal context and experience fulfillment as from the beginning in the revealed presence of the Son of God.
Rabon Byrd is a Bible Teacher, writer, and editor at the C.M.I. Bible Research Center in Leslie, Arkansas. For more Christ-centered writings, audio and video teachings from Rabon and fellow laborers in Christ, visit cmintl.org or rabonbyrd.blogspot.com. Feel free to email him at rabonbyrd@ymail.com
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com
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