What does it mean?

[faithhopecharity]

What does it mean?

Luke 21:19
In your patience possess ye your souls.

what does "possess your souls" mean?

mt 5:8
the pure of heart shall see God.

what does "shall see God" mean?

mt 11:29
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

what does "rest unto your souls" mean?

thks

 

[faithhopecharity]

no answer?

 

[faithhopecharity]

what does this mean?

Matthew 11:12
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom ofheaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

thks

 

[faithhopecharity]

"works are forbidden"

verses

"works are required"


((works are forbidden))

eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast

((works are required))

eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.


how do you solve this glaring contradiction in scripture?

thks

 

[Matthias]

Scripture doesn’t contradict scripture.

 

[newnature]

What does it mean?

Luke 21:19
In your patience possess ye your souls.

what does "possess your souls" mean?

mt 5:8
the pure of heart shall see God.

what does "shall see God" mean?

mt 11:29
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

what does "rest unto your souls" mean?

thks

Matthew 11:2, John was a powerful bold man of God, he was the one who baptized Jesus in the river and when he baptized Jesus, John saw the heavens literally open up, he saw the Holy Spirit descend like a dove, he heard the actual voice of God the Father speak from heaven. John had the ultimate spiritual experience, he knew exactly who Jesus was with absolute certainty, but later on, John was arrested, he was thrown into a dark and lonely dungeon by an evil king. This story shows you something incredibly important about the battle of the mind, dark seasons will always attack your memory, when you are going through a difficult time.

The enemy will try to make you forget the goodness of God. The enemy will try to make you question the miracles you have already seen with your own eyes. The enemy will try to convince you that God has abandoned you. John did not lose his faith in a moment of comfort, his mind was attacked in a moment of intense isolation and physical pain, the prison cell was terrible, but the prison of his own mind was much worse. How did Jesus respond to this doubt? Matthew 11:3-5, Jesus did not get angry at John, he did not send a harsh message back, telling John to stop complaining and have more faith, Jesus understood the intense mental pressure John was facing.

Instead of condemning John, Jesus gently sent back the truth, he told the messengers to go back and report to John what they heard and saw and then, Jesus added a powerful key for your mind, Matthew 11:6, Jesus was telling John, not to let his mind become offended by the mysterious way God was working. When God does not answer your prayers the way you want him to or when he does not rescue you on your exact schedule, the enemy comes in and whispers that God does not care, if you listen to that whisper, you become deeply offended at God. That offense builds a thick wall in your mind, it stops you from experiencing peace, Jesus is gently reminding you, that your mind will only find true rest when you choose to trust his plan, even when his plan leaves you in a dark place for a season, you must refuse to let your mind become offended by the timing of God.

 

[newnature]

What does it mean?

Luke 21:19
In your patience possess ye your souls.

what does "possess your souls" mean?

mt 5:8
the pure of heart shall see God.

what does "shall see God" mean?

mt 11:29
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

what does "rest unto your souls" mean?

thks

Matthew 11:28, the modern world constantly tells you that the key to strength is absolute independence, you are taught from a young age to pull yourself up, to never ask for help and to carry your own weight, you believe that if you just push a little harder and work a little longer, you can conquer any problem. But eventually, everyone reaches a breaking point, there comes a moment when the heavy weight of life becomes completely crushing, you realize that your own human strength is limited and it is quickly running out. It is in these moments of total exhaustion that Jesus offers you a secret that sounds completely backwards to human logic, true strength and resilience are not found in fighting harder, they are actually found in surrender.

Jesus looked at the crowds of people following him and he saw how tired they were, they were weighed down by religious rules, physical sickness and daily survival, Jesus did not offer a new philosophy or a complicated set of instructions, he offered himself as the solution to their exhaustion, Matthew 11:29. Jesus invited them to take his yoke upon them, in the agricultural world of that time, a yoke was a heavy wooden beam that was placed across the shoulders of two animals, usually oxen, the wooden yoke connected the two animals together, so they could pull a plow through the hard dirt. Usually, a younger, weaker ox would be paired with an older, stronger ox, the stronger animal carried most of the heavy weight and guided the direction of the plow, the weaker animal simply walked alongside and learned the rhythm.

Matthew 11:30, when Jesus invites you to take his yoke, he is inviting you to step inside that wooden beam with him, he is the strong, experienced partner, he is offering to carry the crushing weight of your life. This is the profound secret of Christian resilience, you are strong, because you have surrendered your heavy burdens to the strongest person in the universe. You do not have to pull the plow all by yourself anymore, you simply need to walk closely beside Jesus and let him carry the load. To be resilient, you must learn how to let go, you must stop trying to fix everything in your own power, when a difficult health diagnosis comes or a child goes down the wrong path, your first reaction might be to panic and try to control the situation. Surrender means taking your hands off the steering wheel, it means going to God in prayer and saying that you cannot do this alone, you admit your weakness.

In the kingdom of God, admitting your weakness is actually the very first step to gaining ultimate strength, when you stop fighting against God and start resting in his presence, you will experience a deep cooling peace. Your mind will stop racing, your heart will calm down, this deep rest of the soul gives you the ability to wake up the next morning and face a difficult world with fresh energy. True resilience is knowing that the battle belongs to God and your job is simply to trust and follow him, by giving up control, you actually gain the unshakeable power of heaven.

 

[ScottA]

What does it mean?

Luke 21:19
In your patience possess ye your souls.

what does "possess your souls" mean?

The reference to "patience" is that of waiting--perhaps for a lifetime--which is allotted to us all for our salvation. Because this life of suffering is unto our death, appointed to us for having been born of the lineage of sin since Adam. Which indeed takes patience to endure.

mt 5:8
the pure of heart shall see God.

what does "shall see God" mean?

The promise of salvation and eternal life comes to those who believe and consequently are born again of the spirit of God. Which may come at any time in this life where we see God in part. But when this is all over, then we shall see Him face to face, as a child truely seeing the face of their father for the first time.

mt 11:29
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

what does "rest unto your souls" mean?

It means Jesus has come to save us from the burdens we experience of sin and death. If we join with Him, believing that God our Father sent Him, He will walk with us through the rest of this life and escort us out from under the curse that came upon humanity because of the original sin from which we became children. The rest refers to the rest of God, which is life without any burden such as we now know and experience in this life.

what does this mean?

Matthew 11:12
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom ofheaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

Before John the Baptist God carried all people along in their approach of what He promised them along the way since Adam. When John came preaching the forgiveness of sins, it was he who noted the time of our deliverance by identifying Christ. Which was an act of war in the heavens, which Christ eventually won--which was by the "violence" He endured when He was "taken" and crucified.

 

[ScottA]

"works are forbidden"

verses

"works are required"


((works are forbidden))

eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast

((works are required))

eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.


how do you solve this glaring contradiction in scripture?

thks

The would-be contradiction exists because many believe that our works are required--which is not required. But what is required are Jesus'/God's works--not ours.

 

[newnature]

"works are forbidden"

verses

"works are required"


((works are forbidden))

eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast

((works are required))

eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.


how do you solve this glaring contradiction in scripture?

thks

Galatians 5:2, this is one of the most frightening statements in the New Testament, how could doing something religious make Jesus Christ have no value? The Galatians thought they were just adding a little extra obedience to their faith, they believed in Jesus, but they also wanted to be serious about their religion, they thought the equation for salvation was Jesus plus circumcision, but Paul stops them and says the math does not work that way, it is not Jesus plus something else, it is Jesus or nothing. The moment you decide that you need to do something to finish your salvation, you’re saying that the cross was not enough, you are insulting the sacrifice of Jesus. You are telling God, that the death of his son was only a partial payment and that your human effort will pay the rest of the bill.

 

[newnature]

"works are forbidden"

verses

"works are required"


((works are forbidden))

eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast

((works are required))

eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.


how do you solve this glaring contradiction in scripture?

thks

Galatians 5:2, you insist on giving God your pocket change to help pay for it, that might seem like a nice gesture, but it is actually a deep insult. By trying to pay, you are turning a loving gift into a business transaction, you are saying his gift was not sufficient, you are degrading his generosity, that is exactly what you do, when you try to add your own works to Jesus’ sacrifice, you are trying to pay for a house you could never afford with pocket change that is worthless. Hebrews 9:18-28, the blood the High Priest brought into the Holy of Holies was always the blood of an animal, never his own, every one of these limitations points to a system that was never designed to be the final answer.

 

[newnature]

"works are forbidden"

verses

"works are required"


((works are forbidden))

eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast

((works are required))

eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.


how do you solve this glaring contradiction in scripture?

thks

Galatians 5:2, today, most of us are not tempted by circumcision, we look at the Galatians and think their problem was silly, but we have our own modern versions of this trap. People fall for the Jesus plus lie all the time, they think it is Jesus plus their financial success, they think it is Jesus plus their perfect church attendance, they think it is Jesus plus their social justice work. People tell themselves, “I am a Christian, but I am a good Christian, because I volunteer, I tithe and I never miss a Sunday,” the moment you rely on those activities to make you feel righteous, you have stepped into the same trap as the Galatians, you have made Jesus Christ of no value to you, because you are looking at your own performance for value instead of him.

 

[newnature]

no answer?

Grace, on the other hand, demands faith in the one who was perfect, Paul is forcing the Galatians to make a choice, do you want to be judged by a system where one mistake destroys you or do you want to be saved by a system where all your mistakes are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ, you cannot have both. Galatians 5:4, when most people hear fallen from grace, they think of a moral failure, a news story about a pastor who had an affair or a leader caught stealing money and people say, he fell from grace. But falling from grace has nothing to do with committing sins like adultery or theft, ironically, falling from grace happens when you try to be too good, it happens when you try to earn your standing with God through your own behavior.

 

[newnature]

"works are forbidden"

verses

"works are required"


((works are forbidden))

eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast

((works are required))

eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.


how do you solve this glaring contradiction in scripture?

thks

To be alienated from Jesus Christ means, you have cut off the flow of power, when you operate by rules, you are on your own, when you operate by faith, you are connected to the power source of Jesus. So, if you do not follow the law for salvation, does that mean you just do nothing? Does faith mean sitting on a couch and waiting for heaven? Absolutely not, Paul gives you the definition of real Christianity in a single sentence, the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love, Galatians 5:6. This is the key to the entire chapter, it is the middle ground between legalism and laziness. Legalism says, I work so I can be saved. Laziness says, I am saved, so I will not work. But the gospel says, I am saved by faith and that faith is so alive, that it naturally produces love.

 

[Lambano]

Luke 21:19
In your patience possess ye your souls.

what does "possess your souls" mean?

The context is enduring through the tribulation to come. I checked the Greek and Bible Hub. The CSB version probably best captures the literal sense of the Greek: By your endurance, gain your lives. (Psuche can mean "soul" or life.) Or "By faithfully enduring to the end, you will gain eternal life".

Contrast this with Matthew 10:39: Whoever would save their life will lose it, and those who lose their lives for My sake will find it.

 

[Lambano]

mt 5:8
the pure of heart shall see God.

what does "shall see God" mean?

A related question: What does it mean to "seek God's face?" (Psalm 27:8 and other OT references.)

With Exodus 33:20 lurking in the background: "No man can see my face and live". So why would we seek God's face?

 

[Lambano]

mt 11:29
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

what does "rest unto your souls" mean?

This is a rest for a weariness that penetrates to the very essence of a person.

 

[newnature]

"works are forbidden"

verses

"works are required"


((works are forbidden))

eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast

((works are required))

eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.


how do you solve this glaring contradiction in scripture?

thks

Galatians 5:6, real faith is not static, it moves, it acts, but the motivation is different. Under the law, you loved your neighbor, because you were afraid of being punished if you didn’t. Under grace, you love your neighbor, because you are so overwhelmed by God’s love for you, that it overflows. The action might look the same on the outside, but the heart condition is completely different, Paul is baffled by how quickly the Galatians turned away from this truth, Galatians 5:7. The Christian life is a marathon, the Galatians were running well, they were focused on Jesus, but legalism cut in on them.

Bad theology, it stops your spiritual progress, Paul warns the Galatians about how subtle this deception is, Galatians 5:8-9. If you have ever baked bread, you know you do not need much yeast, a tiny pinch will eventually cause the entire bowl of dough to rise. False teaching is the same, you do not need to reject Jesus completely to destroy a church, you just need to add a little bit of legalism, add a few man-made rules. Give lies enough time and they will infect everything, they will turn a joyful community of believers into a judgmental club of rule keepers. Galatians 5:12, Paul feels so strongly about this, that he uses graphic language, he basically says he wishes they would go even further and cut themselves off, that is how serious he is. Paul wants the source of this legalism cut off completely, because it is destroying the souls of his friends.

Sin costs life and the only blood valuable enough to pay for every human soul was Jesus Christ’s blood. Hebrews 9:22, almost, not all things, almost all things. there were exceptions in the law where purification could occur without blood, a person too poor to afford an animal, could offer flour instead. Certain purifications used water or fire, the author of Hebrews knows this and he says, almost on purpose, because God’s word does not exaggerate, it does not round up, it says exactly what it means. The Bible, it is careful with its claims and if scripture is that precise, you can trust it when it makes its larger claims about blood, forgiveness and the cross.

 

[faithhopecharity]

Scripture doesn’t contradict scripture.

then there must be an explination!

Go for it!

thks