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Wives, Submit to Your Husbands

  Wives, Submit to Your Husbands   Colossians 3:18 – 19: "Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them." The word *hypotassesthe* ( ὑ ποτ ά σσεσθε ) signifies the act of submitting. *Pikrainesthe* ( πικρα ί νεσθε ) means to treat someone harshly or bitterly. Spiritually, the wife represents one who has departed from God, while the husband symbolizes Christ, who comes to save them. Thus, the one who had left God becomes a saint who returns to God through Christ. Just as a saint submits to Christ, a wife and husband — existing within Christ — are called to relate to one another in this same manner. God molded the dust and breathed a spirit — one that had sinned — into it to create a human being (Adam). The first man, Adam, was a human being. From Adam, the woman was separated; thus, Adam — the original human — became the male, and the one separated from him became the female. Man and woman are distinc...
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Put to Death the Members That Are on the Earth

  Put to Death the Members That Are on the Earth   Colossians 3:5 – 6: "Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming." The reason a saint fails to shine forth the glory of Christ is that the members belonging to the earth remain alive and active. That is why we are commanded to put them to death. The root of these earthly members is covetousness. Covetousness is the desire to become like God — what can be described as one's own righteousness. God ’ s wrath arises because created beings harbor a desire to depart from God in their wish to become like Him. Everyone living in this world, often without realizing it, strives to fulfill the desire to become like God and to establish their own righteousness. Consequently, the evil *sarx* (flesh) known as covetousness takes root in the heart, leading one to commit the sins o...
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Your life is hidden with Christ in God.

  Your life is hidden with Christ in God.   Colossians 3:1 – 2: "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." The word *synegerth ē te* ( συνηγ έ ρθητε ) signifies having been raised together with Jesus Christ; it refers to a life lived constantly in union with Christ. "Things that are above" refers to the throne of the Kingdom of God and the arrival of that Kingdom within the believer's heart. Thus, the believer is enabled to approach God — who sits upon the throne — within their own heart. "Things that are above" signify the Kingdom of God (the Most Holy Place) originating from the Spirit, whereas "things on the earth" signify worldly matters originating from the flesh. For those who live by the Spirit, the Kingdom of God is established within their hearts; for those who live by th...
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(2) Salvation is becoming the sons of God.

  (2) Salvation is becoming the sons of God.   The phrase "sons of God" carries a spiritual meaning. If everyone in this world were to say they are the sons of God, they would likely laugh and reject it. The reason is that they do not want to be interfered with by God. They regard God merely as a deity of worldly religion or superstition. They might view becoming a son of God as being possessed by a spirit. In the past, there were many shamans in our country. They view shamans as possessed by spirits — people who act according to the instructions of a spirit, predict the future, and so on. Becoming a religious person often begins with a desire to rely on God when facing difficulties in life or when facing death. Choosing a religion for oneself — while unwilling to be subordinate to God like in Christianity, but wanting to possess one — is a religion for oneself. This is called idolatry, which is prevalent mainly in Southeast Asia; it involves creating human or animal fi...
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