"Ergonomics" is a method. Scripture refers to methods as “the Way.” The Way to salvation is of course through Christ. That there is a certain Way means one of two things: (1) There is a road to travel, or (2) a manner of thinking, feeling, and deciding. (ibid).
Christians must travel the road that Jesus traveled. He went to Calvary and was crucified to diminish the flesh. Jesus told the disciples, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Mat 16:24). Just as Abraham was willing to sacrifice his flesh with Isaac, God was willing to sacrifice His Flesh with Jesus. Taking up the cross is the Way. God sacrificed His entire Flesh, but for weak men, only the hardened “flesh” of the heart requires crucifixion: “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked” (Deut 10:16). Paul pointed out that, that type of circumcision is “in the spirit” [i] The heart is circumcised when it is given to God for that bloody task. Stiffnecked is of the mind.
The Hebrew word for “heart” is “lebab” — the inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, and understanding. Those things are the “strength” that must be yielded to love God with all the heart, mind, soul, and strength. [ii] In other words, the human will must be circumcised and replaced with the Will of God.
God circumcised His Flesh once and for all. There was no getting it back or changing His Mind after the bloody deed was done. Likewise, the “will” must be cut off never to return: “If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame” (Heb 6:6).
“They” are those who have known the savor of the Word of God, [iii] or have partaken of the Blood and Body of Christ.
The “stiffnecked” are the headstrong, stubborn, and obstinate. Circumcising the foreskin of the heart is ceasing to be those things. It is trading your will for the Will of God… who is what? Almighty, gracious, and passionate. The nature of the fallen man must change.
Of course, God circumcised Himself. He took the lance and pierced His own Flesh. The centurion, Longinus, was merely his tool. Longinus and none of the others “circumcised” God! Jesus told Pilate, “Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above” (John 19:11). With that said, nobody physically killed Jesus; the Father alone allowed it. (Sinners caused his Ghost to leave Him because we are that terrible!) The others involved were fulfilling the Will of God, all the while thinking how grandiose they were for bringing justice!
Grace is just that. We had not a thing to do with the sacrifice of Jesus, but we have much ado with crucifying ourselves. We must walk the Via Dolorosa ourselves — the path that Jesus walked to the Cross. That, we all must do, but once there, God takes over. He is the “bloody husband” [iv] that circumcises the Church, His “Child-bride.” [v]
The Via Dolorosa was many yards for Jesus, but over much time. The Son of God started the walk to the Cross in the beginning. The Via Dolorosa started in the Garden while the Voice was walking in the cool of the day and saw what Adam had done! Adam had cut off the “flesh” that God had provided, and the Word soon covered the perishable flesh with coats of skin, undoubtedly from lambs. [vi]
Adam and Eve wanted coverage. They demonstrated remorse for God by doing what? They worked to make their own coverings of fig leaves, but fig leaves were neither efficient nor safe. They were not ergonomic in that economy.
Then God stepped in! Two people gave their will to God for Him to diminish the flesh in themselves. Like Abraham long after, they were willing to trust God with the Sword of the Word to change their flesh! The coats of skin made from flesh slain by the Word is the Holy Spirit of God and the Holy Ghost of Jesus. [vii]
Works are evidence of trust. The ultimate test of faith set up by God was the Hebrews walking through the den of vipers. Those who had their eyes on what Jesus could and would do (years alter) walked the walk toward Jesus and lived although they were bitten by deadly vipers. [viii]
They walked the walk until they were safe. They did not falter because Jesus was the one who would “overcome the world.” [ix] But what had the walkers done? With their eyes on the purpose of Jesus to diminish Judas, they walked in stedfast faith to the pole to see the Serpent in Judas as dead.
Can you not understand? Jesus killed the Serpent, but the righteous Hebrews walked the Way to the “Cross.” The den of vipers was their Via Dolorosa so to speak! They walked right through the world with their eyes on Jesus. All the Greeks needed for evidence was to see Jesus: To Philip they said, “Sir, we would see Jesus” (John 12:21).
Many saw Jesus and remained sinners. But the Greeks would walk the way toward Him because they saw God in Jesus. They saw the inner man. They saw the heart of Jesus. They saw the “bodily shape” of the Spirit of God in that Man! [x] Just by seeing Jesus, they understood that He IS God, He is Almighty, and that He has the Power, Authority, and Will to save them!
The Greeks did something! They sought Jesus to find grace, just as Noah found grace by his willingness to work for 120 years. God knew he would, so Noah just stood there, and grace was given to him! [xi] Did Noah obtain grace then stand still in the waters? No, he worked; perhaps alone… with the exception of God!
Then we have Peter who endeavored to walk on water when he saw Jesus doing the same. Peter was willing to place his life in the hands of Jesus.:
28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? (Mat 14:28-31)
Peter had a little faith. That small degree of faith was a gift from God and not from himself. [xii] Peter had the gift, used it for a short time, then lost enough faith that he sunk. “Faith” is a variable that must be worked over time. Faith is a “seed” planted by God that must be worked. With Adam it was called “dress and keep” the Garden. [xiii] With Noah it was the “dress and keep” the Ark. With Peter it was to “dress and keep” the faith [xiv] and to endure to the end. [xv]
Peter did not endure his own via dolorosa. He quickly sunk in the water. However, that was only a test of faith. How hard had Peter worked the gift that was given to him? Jesus used the “parable of the talents” to demonstrate that gifts must be worked. [xvi]
Commencing, Peter depended on Jesus, then he feared the world, and began to sink. Jesus kept Peter safe for his time was not finished. That would not come until he would be crucified by Nero; then, Jesus saved his soul.
Again, “ergonomics” is how to come up with a plan to work efficiently and safely. Both Peter eventually did those things. For Peter, he turned to Jesus for all the work and just threw up his hands and turned his life over to Jesus. But Jesus helped him because Peter had enough faith to keep him afloat.
The same goes for Noah, but his efficiency was less because he did not see Jesus in the Flesh but knew Him by the Word. Noah worked hard, but God supplied the materials, the faith, and the knowledge to do what had never been done before. The first ship ever was the largest and most irrational! It was to save righteous mankind from rain and tsunamis when it had never rained nor erupted water before. Faith has much to do with trusting God in things before unseen! [xvii]
For the Hebrews with Moses, they had seen neither the Serpent nor Judas, yet they understood that God’s Flesh would defeat the Serpent and Satan in Judas.
Unlike the Greeks who would see Jesus, so will Christians! They would walk to see him and so must Christians. Perhaps Noah found grace by looking. Maybe he did not just stand there. Perhaps he wondered about God’s Plan for him and his future. He found Jesus by reflecting on the words of “The Word.”
No Christian can take credit for being reborn. Jesus paid the wage of sin. It was Him who died on the Cross. Those who live today had nothing to do with the crucifixion except for one thing: We are sinners saved by grace, and because we sinned, some flesh must die. God wanted that his creatures not perish, so He sent His Son, His own Flesh, to die for all sinners.
Some will see Jesus; others will not. Sinners must find Jesus. Noah found Him in his mind, and that is where Jesus can be found to this day. It is the knowledge of good where Jesus can be found and that is in the Word. The eunuch had the Word, but to see Jesus, Philip helped him understand it. [xviii]
The eunuch rode his chariot to happen upon Philip. He did something else. He read the Word and had a desire to understand. He pondered the words of God. He used his mind, reason, and logic to see Jesus, then he drove his chariot there.
He did all those things because he would see Jesus, but in the end, that is how he found Jesus. Jesus was in the Word and the eunuch found him there, then believed.
The eunuch did not do good things or even get circumcision. His heart was cleansed, he became a new creature, and then he washed his flesh to cleanse it. He had already been cleansed inside by Living Waters from the belly of God received from scripture.
He found grace because he inquired. He did something but not the paramount thing for Jesus did the propitiation of his blood, and the eunuch merely “sopped” the blood of Jesus into himself, so to speak. Jesus did the hard work. It was hard for Him but ergonomic for sinners.
Was belief enough? The eunuch did not understand. He was like a child in his knowledge. If he had only believed, then that would have been short-lived… perhaps until he got out of the Word.
A child may believe in magic, but that belief does not make him a magician. It is seen from scripture that mere belief does not make a man a Christian. Some it may make a demon:
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? (Jas 2:19-20)
“Believest” therein means “think to be true” (ibid). The devils know it to be true! They tremble at the thought of perishing alongside Satan. Do they trust God? They most certainly do; they trust Jesus to judge and destroy them, but do not trust him enough to turn to him for life. Can demons be redeemed? They have rebelled too greatly it seems from scripture. Demons are reprobate.
Now consider the passage below that Calvinists rely on so much for their misunderstanding:
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36)
“Believeth” (pisteuo) is the same in this passage as the other. However, it is more than think to be true, but persuaded, to have confidence in, and to credit (ibid) the Son for what He can do. Yes, even the demons do that, but they have confidence that in the end they may perish and fight for dear life that they will not. However, they fight, not love and revere! Ironcially, devils will believe until their end.
Like the child, their belief does not make them Christians. It makes them devils.
First off, believing is mental work that is called “cognition.” Sometimes mental work is harder than the physical.
As an engineer, I understand how tired thinking can make anyone. It is one of the hardest types of work out there, because obstinate sinners must be persuaded. The Word changes minds, but minds must go to the Word.
Still, redemption remains sola gratia (by grace alone), but faith must be worked. God puts the thought in the mind, then the mind works it to one of two conclusions: belief or non-belief. If the latter is concluded, the work is in vain. That is taking the Name of God in vain! [xix]
Now back to the child: believing in magic does not make the child a magician. Too much study can make the child a sorcerer. Simon the Sorcerer believed in Jesus: “Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done” (Acts 8:13).
That did not make him a Christian. Simon believed but apostasized. He used his newfound belief to improve his sorcery. Writings indicate that Simon levitated, claimed that he was the Christ, and he started the new religion of Gnosticism from his new “secret knowledge.”
Simon believed just as those who would have eternal life, but what is the difference? Simon believed for a short while. He even “saw” Jesus working with Christians receiving the Holy Ghost, but his belief did not make him a Christian, and certainly he is in Hell, dying forever.
What is the key word(s) in John 3:36. Not “everlasting life” but “believe.” How long does belief take? For Simon, it was for one occasion of short duration. Trusting belief must continue throughout the walk. Peter about drowned because his belief was short lived in his walk on water as he mimicked Jesus.
On the other hand, the belief of Noah “floating” on water was long-lasting. He endured in his belief until the end when he obtained everlasting life, and he himself became a new person in a new world.
Once the work was done, Jesus did it all. Noah floated, but Peter sunk. Noah had greater faith than Peter.
Then Peter saw Jesus as God and Jesus lifted him from the water. Jesus was Peter’s rainbow that Noah saw. Peter saw God in the Flesh and Noah saw the Light of God reflected off particles in the air that God had made!
Belief must be steadfast and as such is faith. Faith is trusting God for the duration. Stedfast faith [xx] is keeping the faith [xxi]and enduring to the end: “He that endureth to the end shall be saved.” (Mat 10:22). It is not the moment that counts but where the mind lies at the end. It is enduring faith and never-ending belief. To have everlasting life requires belief until death. It is not the moment of first belief!
The thief beside Jesus on a cross shows that: “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, ‘Today shalt thou be with me in paradise’” (Luke 23:42-43).
Jesus died quickly; the thief lingered. Ultimately to be in Paradise and have everlasting life, Demus (the thief) had to maintain that belief. He saw Jesus die. Did he lose faith when he saw that? No. He would be with Jesus that day in Paradise. He still has everlasting life.
The point is that it is not what you believe this instant, but over time and at the end. If the former had been true, I would be a Gnostic like the false “Jesus” Simon Magus. To remain a Christian means looking to Jesus for salvation until you die, and it is trusting the blood and spilt water of Jesus for doing what you cannot do.
Judas tried suicide to save himself from shame and missed the purpose of Jesus. The “prize” is eternal life with Jesus and all through life, Christians must keep their eyes on the prize; to wit: “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain” (1 Cor 9:24).
The moment one first believes is entering the race, but all through life, the “race” must be run. Why a “race?” Because Satan endeavors to trip up all those who run; to diminish the faith of those who once believed.
Just when is “salvation?” Look at scripture: “Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (1 Cor 9:29).
Salvation is not at the time of first belief, but sometime in the future. That is why the phrase shall be saved. Until that time, sobriety and vigilance are required… to be awakened from sleep.
Thinking that one is “saved” when the Wicked One is in
pursuit is just what Satan wants. Wake up! He is on hot pursuit to devour you,
and all the while you are okay, I am okay, and they are okay. No one is okay until
death saves them from the Evil One.
I will continue tomorrow for there are other doctrines of importance.
(picture credit: Bible Study Tools; "Jesus walks on water")
Persuasion
Ergonomic work
Sosos and soteria
Everlasting life
Work out salvation[i] Rom 2:29
[ii] Mark 12:30
[iii] Heb 6:5
[iv] Exod 4:25
[v] Rev 21:2
[vi] Gen 3:21
[vii] Ephes 6:7
[viii] John 3:14
[ix] John 16:33
[x] Luke 3:22
[xi] Gen 6:8
[xii] Ephes 2:8
[xiii] Gen 2:15
[xiv] Rev 14:12
[xv] Mat 10:22
[xvi] Mat 25:14-30
[xvii] Heb 11:1
[xviii] Acts 8:37
[xix] Exod 20:7
[xx] Col 2:5
[xxi] Rev 4:12
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