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Get your tomatoes ready. Hopefully, the readers of this blog will still be interested in this site after reading.

Disclaimer: The following is solely reflective of my opinion I have based on scripture, experience, and conviction. I take full responsibility for writing the following.

Tithing is a controversial topic I come across from time to time. Here are some questions I ask myself concerning tithing that I biblically answer back to myself.

If I am judging someone for not tithing then would this be biblically considered “walking in the Spirit?” Can I walk in the Spirit and keep the law simultaneously? Gal. 2:16-21

If I judge a brother or sister for not tithing (could be something else besides tithing), then am I saying Christ’s death is insufficient? According to scripture, His death on the cross makes me righteous. Rom. 1:17, 3:21-22, 25-26, 4:3, 5-6, 11, 13, 22, 5:19, Gal. 3:11.

Am I saying His redemption is not enough or complete because I didn’t tithe or give 10% of my gross income of my paycheck? He redeems me from the curse of the law, Gal. 3:13. If His redemption hinges on anything I do (including tithing, fasting, bible college, speaking in tongues, healing, etc.), then His redemption is limited and finite. It is not redemption. It is not substantial if its worth, value or essence can be affected by what I do. His redemption is eternal. Something eternal is not just substantial, but more. The New Covenant is an everlasting, eternal covenant.

Is God waiting on His throne with a whip ready to judge me if I don’t tithe? Rom. 8:34. The only person who could judge or condemn me actually became the curse of the law for me and took the penalty of sin according to the law for me. I obtain mercy and grace from His throne, Heb. 4:16.

Has the Lord called Levites back into the into the New Covenant Church, Heb. 7:11? This was one of the primary reasons for tithing under the Old Covenant. Tithing was not a part of the Abrahamic covenant, but a part of the Aaronic priesthood. According to 2 Cor. 3:6 we are ministers of the New Covenant.

Hebrews 8:13 (NIV) says, “The first one (Old Covenant) is obsolete.” So, why do I have to keep any Jewish law or should be judged by the rules of Aaronic Priesthood according to the Mosaic law if I am under a New Covenant of grace? I don’t. Jesus was judged and condemned for me on the cross.

Why should I condemn myself for not tithing if there is no condemnation in Christ by His grace? Rom. 8:1. If I condemn myself for not obeying the Old Covenant is that God’s will?

Am I saying His grace that justifies me is dependent on my material giving?

When Abraham gave the “tithe” of the “spoils from war” (and not even his actual possessions) to Melchizedek before the Law did he do it grudgingly or willingly? Since he gave prior to the law and I am under grace then what judges me if I give any amount that is in my heart because I want to from my own possessions and not from a war?

Did Abraham give a tithe of his own possessions or spoils from war? Why does it matter? It matters to me because in the past I have been told to “tithe” from my possessions and that I am robbing God and am under a curse if I don’t. This is not good news. 2 Cor. 3:6 says, “The letter killeth.” The law judges me if I don’t.

In Christ, according to His faith in me, grace enables me to give whatever I desire to give as I have purposed in my heart, 2 Cor. 9:7. I believe this applies to any type of giving such as money, time, material possessions, etc.

This means I can give .0001%, 11.5%, 99.9%, or 100% of money, cows, goats, crops, time, or whatever else I can give. I am not judged for any of the aforementioned percentages if I am truly under grace.

According to Heb. 8:13, the Old Covenant is obsolete. If it is, and in spite that, I desire to keep any part of the law such as “tithing” then I must keep ALL THE LAW and not one law. Paul the apostle to the Gentiles, a former Pharisee and Hebrew of Hebrews, says in Galatians 3:10, “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” Paul was no longer a law keeper, but one who walked in the Spirit by the faith of Christ in him through grace.

If perfect love casts out fear, 1 John 4:8, and I am fearful because I do not tithe, am I fearful because of what the Old Covenant says or the New Covenant? Which one? Which Covenant is the current one? The current covenant is the one that was put into effect by a testator, Heb. 9:16-17.

Also, am I fearful because of what I think of myself? Would this be considered thinking highly of myself? Rom. 12:3, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think [of himself] more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Whose faith has God dealt to each man? Gal. 2:20, Phil. 3:9 (KJV). I also have the mind of Christ, 1 Cor. 2:16.

1 Cor. 16:2 (NIV), 1 Cor. 16:2 (NKJV), “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.”

Did Paul say lay a “tithe” aside? No, he said, “Storing up as he may prosper” or “each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income.”

How much did Paul ask them to give? 2 Cor. 9:7, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, [so let him give]; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

I did a little research on the internet and found many articles on those who agree with me and those who do not. Here is one that agrees. It was written by a man who is a Seventh-Day Adventist. I am not a Seventh-Day Adventist, but his usage of scripture in this context was very good. He even emailed a Rabbi in Jerusalem who said,

“There is no longer an obligation to support the Levites and Priests as they are no longer working in the Temple. Rabbis are normally supported by the contributions of their congregants through their Synagogue membership.” https://www.truthorfables.com/Tithing.htm

I am all for giving. Personally, I desire to give not a percentage of anything, but only what purely, sincerely, authentically comes from my heart without absolutely any inhibition. I believe this is why Abraham gave to the High Priest Melchizedek only because he wanted to from his heart because of the effect of the Lord revealing Himself to him. This also sounds similar to faith.

This is referring to Acts 5:15 (NIV), “As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.”

NKJV says, “that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.”

NLT says, “so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by.”

None of these or other translations say Peter’s shadow actually healed the people whom his shadow fell on. Is it possible? Mark 9:23.

Acts 5:11 says great great fear came on the church after Ananias and Sapphira dropped dead as a door nail after lying to the Holy Spirit. This too is still possible. God does not change nor does His power. In verse 12, it says signs and wonders occurred through the hands of the apostles. So, the Church was growing and moving in explosive, life changing power.

I believe the fear that came upon the church in verse 11 was not necessarily godly fear, but possibly a mix with the fear of man. This fear of man lead to idolatry or soulishness. Remember, the apostles were spiritually young Messianic Jews still growing in grace and knowledge of Christ. They had just recently received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Even Jesus grew, Luke 2:52 (NIV). So, the church under a new covenant was in it’s early developmental stages.

Back to Peter. Why did Paul have to publicly oppose Peter to his face? Gal. 2:11. Why did Peter not understand the vision of the of the vessel of different types of animals for food? Acts 10:17. Why did Jesus ask Peter three times if he loved Him? John 21:17. All of these situations reflected Peter’s spiritual growth at one point in his walk.

Paul addresses this carnal favoritism in 1 Cor. 1:12, 3:4. Partiality creates divisions and strife in churches. According to dictionary.com, partiality is also prejudice. I believe partiality or prejudice is carnal and could be a type of ‘law keeping’ to one’s self, or self-justification or self-righteousness. This ‘law keeping’ of partiality is based on insecurity, ignorance and fear. God’s truth and perfect love casts out fear. Truth gives liberty or sets free. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.

Another note, is that Peter was the apostle to the Jews not the Gentiles. This is significant. Jews grew up under the old covenant and Mosaic Law their whole life. Gentiles did not. Gentiles are the ‘wild olive shoot’, Rom. 11:17.

Now, in Christ, there is no longer Jew or Gentile, but a new creation. A New Man who was created from two. This New Man, baptized by the Spirit of the Living God, lives in the believer now by daily bread of revelation.

I’ve noticed something lately and over the years. And that is, sometimes when people look at me they assume I ‘keep the law”, or that I am ‘churchy’, religious, fundamental, or fire and brimstone. I make the conclusion from the feedback they give me concerning church doctrine. The assumption of thought is that my core motivation is according to the way I carry myself or lifestyle. In other words, I walk on a tightrope of religion, or am tip toeing spiritually when I walk to make sure every step is perfect. This totally contradicts Phil. 3. It says I am righteous through the faith of Christ not by my spiritual performance.

One thing is certain, and that is personality is not spirituality. A pastor who has a great personality is not authentic spirituality. Paul says in 1 Cor. 9:20-21 (NIV),

“To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.”

He did this because he really wanted to. He almost couldn’t help himself because God’s grace compelled and passively overwhelmed him which in turn actively manifested in everything he did.

I am of the opinion and say this with conviction in my heart with God as my witness, that Jesus was not totally outwardly impressive according to the flesh. And He was so for a reason. God has always wanted His people to grow in faith. Through biblical history, Israel always wanted something they could see and touch. In Phil. 2:7 it says of Christ, “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:” He endured the cross for ‘the joy set before Him’, Heb. 12:2. What joy?

False brothers would even spy on Paul and the brethren. Gal. 2:4, “And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:” Why would someone spy on them? To steal their liberty in Christ. To put law on them. Why? I think because the old nature is hell-bent on fear (without God’s love, 1 John 4:18) because of the separation at the Fall. The old nature apart from Christ, is desperate, obsessive, compulsive and always in lack, need and want. Paul says, ” O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”, Rom. 7:24. The Separator is Christ. Ironically, He separated Paul by reconciliation, 2 Cor. 5:18-19.

In John 20:15, after the resurrection, Mary thought Jesus was the gardener.

So, external appearance may not be what it seems. 2 Cor. 10:10-12.

Why would Paul then want to become like a Jew, act like he was under the law, act like he was not under the law? What was it about Paul and the brethren that compelled false brethren to spy on them?

To me, this speaks of something intangible, but made tangible through our lives. Paul calls it a mystery, indescribable gift, the Lord’s power at work in Him, resurrection power and so many other things in his epistles. So what is it? Figuratively speaking, in a nutshell that can compact an eternal, infinite mass (Col. 2:9), it is the revelation of Christ.

Hebrews 11:1 says, “NOW, faith is…”

Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38 all reiterate,

“THE JUST (those who are and made righteous through Christ) SHALL LIVE BY FAITH (His faith).”

A good description of NOW can be seen in the Latin tense of verbs. In 382, St. Jerome, translated the Hebrew Tanakh into the Latin Vulgate bible. One particular verb tense is called PRESENT PERFECT TENSE. This refers to something that is fully completed in every way now. Perhaps spiritually you could say ETERNAL PRESENT PERFECT TENSE.

In Gal. 4:4-5, the Father sent His Son from eternity to this ‘creation under time’ to redeem those under the curse of the law. The revelation of His righteousness and Him redeems those under the law. It also redeems time. If we walk and live by faith in the Spirit by grace, then spiritually we walk under grace. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty, 2 Cor. 3:17. The law judges those who are lawbreakers according to flesh. It cannot judge those according to the Spirit, Rom. 8:1, 6:14. If I am the righteousness of God then this righteousness is immutable by grace because God’s nature and His righteousness are immutable as well, Rom. 3:22.

Adam created the fallen (eventually sinful) nature and time itself at the Fall in the garden of Eden.

If I am in Christ, then I live by His faith. If I live by His faith then I always live in present perfect tense all the time by faith through revelation. Romans 8:1 says, “[There is] therefore NOW no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” The law cannot judge someone who is in perfect present tense by design of the Creator. Christ is the perfect, unblemished lamb Who was slain before the foundations of the earth, 1 Peter 1:19-20. His work on the cross is a fully completed work in every thought possible.

1 Pet. 1:5, ” Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

“Keep” means to guard, protect by a military guard, either to prevent hostile invasion, or to keep the inhabitants of a besieged city from flight.

Phil. 4:7 says Christ’s peace keeps my heart and mind in Him.

* HE KEEPS ME. I don’t keep myself. I am kept by Him. Christ and His peace (He IS peace) keeps me!

What does this imply? Rest (Heb. 4:9) from me trying to keep myself anymore which is a dead (Heb. 6:1, 9:14), tiresome, self-maintaining work of the flesh and not the Spirit by grace and faith. This power of God passively KEEPS US. Christ and His beautiful finished work on His cross motivated by the love and will of the Father (John 3:16) is the power that keeps us. This same power will reconcile all things unto Himself in one as Ephesians and Hebrews declares.

This same power is in us and keeps us if we fall, stumble, miss it, don’t think we’re good enough, miss a tithe, miss a Sunday service, loose our temper, and the like. There is limitless grace unto righteousness by His faith in us unto holiness and godliness to grow in these areas as well. In spite of our shortcomings and failures, the point is He keeps us by His enabling power through His faith that comes by hearing and hearing His word.

If He keeps me then He is not leaving me either. I am eternally kept under a New everlasting, eternal Covenant with Christ the Testator (Heb. 9:16-17) and High Priest (Heb. 3:1).

If He keeps me then I am not fearful of abandonment, loneliness, or an overwhelming sense of self-keeping because He keeps me by His enabling power and ability not mine.

I am kept, guarded, and protected from my old nature because He nailed it to this cross. That nature is dead in Him and powerless, Rom. 6:6-7, 7:24-25, Gal. 2:20, Col. 1:20, 2:14.

He is peace, Eph. 2:14. This powerful peace keeps me from the ‘hostile invasion’ of the judgment or penalty of the law.

Phil. 2:1, “Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,”

In 1993 or 1994, I remember I became ill with a bad flu bug. I was living by myself and had just reconciled my walk with the Lord. I am the type of person that goes to work if I have one arm still. That is just the way I am. Probably get it from my parents. Anyways, I don’t think I had a bed and I was sicker than sick. I call into work for two days. Don’t recall going to the doctor. I think I ate soup and took NyQuil probably knowing me. Well, I remember laying on the floor and feeling so alone. I recall asking the Lord for fellowship and this is what I remember vividly in my mind. I was so ‘out of it’ laying on the floor, sweating, looking at the ceiling, feeling helpless. Then I perceive a male person standing above me at the end of my feet looking at me. In my mind, I perceive it was Him. With the awareness in mind of someone standing there, I did not feeling lonely. It meant so much to me. I told Him thank you for being here and expected this awareness to stop and go away, but it didn’t. It was still there the second day of me laying on the floor. This took me by surprise, but Jesus is like that. He goes the extra mile. He knew I needed it. I will never forget that time. It reminded me of when my mother would sit with me when I was sick. Since she died in the previous years, this comfort was unfamiliar territory. He is a good God. I owe Him so much, and He doesn’t need anything from me or expect it. He loves me unconditionally nonstop. This type of love compels me so much to want to serve Him more just because He is. I don’t care who thinks I’m crazy, or if this is a made up story, or whatever. I do care that someone will believe this and it bless them.

I am reminded of 2 Cor. 13:14 (NIV), “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

and John 14:16, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;”

In Rom. 1:16, our inspiring brother Paul says by the power of Christ in him,

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel (good news) of Christ: for it is the power (infinitely-powered dynamo of energy) of God unto salvation (complete wholeness, completion, fulfillment, nevering lacking) to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

* What I believe Paul is saying is IF THERE IS NO PERSONAL POWER THEN THERE IS NO WHOLENESS OR COMPLETENESS.

I wrote all-caps purposely to shout this as clearly as I can. Growth or maturity in Christ without power is impossible. Going to church, reading your bible, tithing, wearing a WWJD hat, bumper stickers, pot lucks are nice, but where is the power?

Perhaps power is raising the dead, miracles, healings, prophecies, revelation that is always new and fresh, bearing fruit, deliverance, being a Christian when no one is watching because you want to, boldness, never intimidated, taking the low road because you want to, and changing lives forever unto wholeness and fullness redeeming the earth. It is motive of the heart. Through the apprehension, absorption, and metabolizing revelation of Him, His motive becomes my motive. Then I do because He wants to in me. I do because His faith and grace in me wants to. Galatians 2:20, 1:16. At the same time, this knowledge becomes subjective, 1 Cor. 7:12 is one example. This subjectivity is not arbitrary or whimsical, but spontaneous, authentic, holy and real. This subjectivity is in absolute alignment with the truth of God’s Word. The knowledge of Him becomes you, Col. 3:3, “Our life is hid in Christ.” It becomes His energy working in you, Col. 1:29. Simultaneously, it is you in Him.

If I am walking in the Spirit without revelation of Him then am I walking in the Spirit? What walk am I walking if faith only pleases the Father (Heb. 11:6) and the faith that I do have is the faith of Christ (Gal. 2:20)? From my personal experience, I was walking in my self and by my self unconscious of God’s approval because it was never enough.

Jesus said in John 19:30, “It is finished” or “Shelem/Shalom” in the Aramaic.

ALL OF IT IS COMPLETED!

Ephesians 1:10 and others give a glimpse of His completed work. This is one of many reasons the elders, angels and four creatures worship Him because of all He has done on the basis of Love alone. He is Love and He is. And because He is they worshiped Him. In Him being Who He is there is ALL FULLNESS. This fullness is the goal of our salvation unto the full stature of Him. He is worthy to be praised!

So, if there is no power then really there is no growth. In Him alone, we INFINITELY grow from faith to faith, glory to glory because from His fullness with have each received grace for grace exponentially, John 1:16.

How do we grow in Him? By daily passive revelation through His faith and grace. Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word. Paul told the Corinthians they had many instructors, but not many fathers. Spiritual fathers are needed in the church. Paul was a spiritual father. Paul was also an apostle.

I believe it was towards the end of the summer of 1993. I accepted the Lord in my heart in 1987, and was very close to permanently slipping away for good (at least in my little mind.) For the record, I believe in ‘once saved always saved.’ Hebrews 13:5 says “I (Christ) will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” In my mind at the time, slipping away meant loosing all hope, but truthfully this was not possible for me because I had tasted of the Lord’s goodness, 1 Peter 2:3. I could not get this out of mind. It was stuck there. In 1987, I had been touched by eternity and the Creator. Thank God!

Once again, it is towards the end of the summer of 1993. My temper was uncontrollable. I would cuss at anything and find a reason to be angry about anything. My anger vented out towards others, but mainly I would let it out on myself. Like I have mentioned in previous blogs, my foundation in Christ was not established. My spiritual house was built on sand, Matt. 7:26.

A person came into my life whose father was the devil himself. In ignorance, grief and numb pain, I allowed this person to severely corrupt me. He introduced me to an addictive white powder called cocaine. He used me and anyone else he could deceive.

I remember going to a pool hall and I went to the bathroom and did some lines and came back to drink underage and play pool. I drove home ‘geeking’ and ‘wigged out’ paranoid driving my car just hoping not to get pulled. Yes, I have been very stubborn and stupid. God made my head hard for a reason. For Him. He has been so merciful to me so many times. He knew my heart. Before my birth, He knew I wanted to serve Him.

Well, I am driving my car and I don’t know how else to describe it, but something bigger, dark, and evil glided into the backseat of my car. Every hair on my body stood. Something was different. This was an evil spirit worse than prior to my salvation. It was going to feed on my pain, resentment, anger, and bitterness that Christ already paid the price for. I remember going to work and other places and noticing people looking at me differently. This ‘thing’ was attempting to steal everything I had in me. Thoughts of murder began to cross my mind. I am not trying to frighten the reader. This is my testimony of God’s everlasting mercy and goodness. This is not in me anymore. I am a new creation in Christ. The old has gone, the new has come.

Well, I remember one day, I was thinking about how I used to go to church and I told the Lord for some reason, “I’ll give you 10 minutes.” I later forgot about it. I am the type of person whose word has great value to me and have every intention of backing it up. A week or two go by. Me and the devil’s son are getting out of work. Him and I are at a stop light in afternoon traffic. Cars are all around us. There is no tint on the windows. He chops about half a gram or so into an empty tape cassette. I am driving. We are at the light waiting for it to turn green. He turns to me and says, “Here you go.” I briefly hesitated, then inserted a straw in my nose and snorted all of it in front of all the people at the light. I did not care. And yes, I was still on probation. I was the driver of the vehicle as well.

We make it home. We were roommates. He stole money from me a few times. Man, what an idiot I was. Serves me right. The gospels say, “Either you fall on the rock and be broken into pieces or the rock will fall on you and crush you to a fine powder.” The Rock was falling on me.

I am walking to my apartment and the thought pops in my brain, “Remember, you said 10 minutes.” I thought, “Oh my God, I did say that didn’t I?” Then I said to myself, “Yes, I did say 10 minutes Lord. I am going to at least do this.” So, I am paranoid, my heart pounding, sweating, and panting. I lay down on my bed and verbally say, “Lord, the clock says 6:21p. At 6:31p, I am done talking.” So, I start talking. The moment I started, I am immediately sober. No paranoia, rapid heart beat or panting. I think I talked about where I was in life and what was on my mind. I vaguely remember telling Him I wanted to stop my way of living, but didn’t know how. 6:32p comes around and paranoia, rapid heart beat and panting come right back.

I am reminded of Romans 9:18, “Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.”

In my confusion, I thought I was in control. Reminded of Ephesians 4:17-19, “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened (covered by a shadow) in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance (lack of knowledge) that is in them due to the hardening (like a callus) of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.” (NIV)

Last one, Romans 8:6, “For to be carnally minded [is] death; but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace.”

Now, I am growing in true spiritual mindedness by revelation of Him through grace. The desires to inflict self-pain or abuse (there are many other forms of self-abuse) is dissolved. The old has gone, the new has come. I have been “saved” for 20 years now. His purpose is growing in me. I am conscious of this. This purpose changes me more into His pattern.

I saw an article today about this new super collier, atom-smasher in Europe. Some experts are concerned subatomic black holes will be created, or particles called strangelets that can disassemble matter and change it into strange matter, or time travel for super villains. When I started to read about time travel I was reminded of the revelation of my purged conscience due to Christ’s sacrifice, Heb. 10:2. In turn, this reminded me of man prior to the Fall and his state of being.

Prior to eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil time did not exist.

Here is my blog speculation that I can back up with scripture. Please comment if you disagree or need to know what scriptures are referenced.

• I believe Adam and his wife were fleshly eternal beings unable to die.
• They did not possess the knowledge of good and evil. This is still important to know.
• They did not have knowledge of death or time. There was no concept whatsoever. The thought was alien to them.
• They must of had knowledge of life. He walked with God who is the Life and also was able to eat from the tree of life. He also couldn’t die.

Once they ate the fruit, they realized they were naked. The knowledge of good and evil was imparted. Ungodly fear motivated by this knowledge of good and evil manifested along with shame and what we call the sinful nature or old man was created. Man was unable to redeem himself. He spiritually died instantly and eventually physically died due to corruption. There was no sacrifice for the power of sin yet. Sin did not exist because the law was not yet given. Moses was not yet even born. Even without the law, death reigned from Adam to Moses (Rom. 5:14), after receiving this knowledge of good and evil. The sinful nature is who we were prior to knowing Christ as our Lord and Savior. In Him, the Last Adam, we are a new creation being renewed by revelation according to the original pattern and purpose before the foundations of the earth.

This fear that manifested as man went and hid in the bushes and sewed fig leaves to cover his shame also created time. One generic definition of time could be the measurement of death and corruption. Everything seems to die and or break down (or corrupt) within a certain span of time. Even stars die. Trees die. Interestingly, things also transform from one thing to another. Stars can change into black holes. Trees become a part of the ecosystem and cycle of life in nature. This goes in line with E=MC² and the law of conservation of mass. Matter cannot be created or destroyed. It can be rearranged. The equation also says matter is energy as well. Creation reflects this all the time. An apple is metabolic energy in my body. The energy in gas or wood can be extracted with increased temperatures. Nuclear fission in the sun and bombs are other examples of matter to energy.

So, essentially, time is limited and time is what it is due to the Fall of man.

I wonder from time to time, what was it like prior to the Fall? “No Amdro needed“, my first blog, touched on this slightly. I thought some more about it. Here are some other things that I think were different prior to the Fall,

• Nothing in nature would spoil, die, or corrupt. If I had an apple tree, the apples would never spoil. I could eat them fresh anytime I desired to.
• It could have rained softly perhaps like the amazon jungle. If it didn’t rain nothing would die anyways because all earthly vegetation would not dehydrate. It was not possible.
• Rust did not exist. Metals would not corrode.
• No hurricanes, tornadoes or hail storms.
• Stars would not explode and become black holes (remember, just blog speculation.)

So, if Colossians 3:10 is true, and I am renewed according to the original pattern under a New and Everlasting Covenant, then how am I like man prior to the Fall?

• In Christ, because of my purged conscience, quickened spirit and revelation of Him, death has no power over me. Christ, Enoch, Elijah, and Paul are examples of this. Three never died. Paul came back. Why? Death did not reign over him or us in Christ. For now, in Him, we age slower in Christ because He is our life. We walk in Life and the Spirit growing daily in the knowledge of Him. Adam did die, but was 930 years old, Gen. 5:5. He definitely aged slowly. Compared to eternity, this is a vapor.
• In the Spirit, time is irrelevant. Time is redeemed, Col. 4:5. In eternity, time has no power. We are citizens of eternity if heaven is in heaven. The fruit of the Spirit bears itself by grace and not fear. God is not in a hurry to do anything. He has plenty of patience. He has all patience, endurance, and longsuffering. He is omnipotent and in His presence there is fullness. So, in the Spirit, I am unaware of the power or fear of time which means I am unconscious towards time. My old nature was absolutely conscious of time. It was under its power. Time is not on my side. In the Spirit, it does not exist. In the natural, it does, but is loosing its power as the Church grows more unto the full stature of Christ.

Col. 3:15, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,”

One of the vocations of peace in us is to be an ‘umpire’. It will always make the first and last call in our hearts and minds. In the Greek, the word rule is present tense. To me, this can mean several things. One is, it is always there. Eph. 2:14 states Christ is our peace. He does not only give peace, but He IS peace. In Him, there is an ever-present peace from the guilt and punishment of the law so that we serve in a new way of the spirit, Rom. 7:6 (NIV).

The word rule is also in active voice. So, this peace is habitually working in the believer non-stop. By grace, peace is naturally bearing itself through His faith in us. This suggests we don’t make ourself peaceful by balancing on one leg, but peace itself or rather Himself enables us to bear peace.

Rule is also in imperative mood. I believe Paul is saying this is the only way to have true, sincere peace. Imperative mood also means a command that is given. If this is taken legally and not under grace, then the motive is put on the ‘recipient of peace’ and they could feel compelled to act out or conjure up peace which is a dead work. In actuality, if I try to conjure something, I am trying to affect or influence something by invocation or spell. 1 Sam. 15:23 says, “Rebellion is as witchcraft and stubbornness as the iniquity of idolatry.” In my ignorance or bad doctrine, if I am rebelling against grace because a doctrine or teaching says I need to create peace on my own aside from Christ’s enabling power and ability then this could lead into either idolatry or witchcraft. I know I’m a heretic now. What else is new? The motive should be by grace not works. We are imperatively under grace and not law.

Lastly, peace is always in present tense as well because it is a fruit of the Spirit. It is a fruit of God. God resides in eternity which is always present tense or Now! So, peace is also Now. If we are truly citizens from heaven, Eph. 2:12, Phil. 3:20, then the fruit we bear in Him by nature is heavenly. Our nature in Him, is Now. He is Now. He is Now in me and you if He is in your heart. In Christ, there is no fear in Now. Christ exists Now. One billion years ago He is Now. Don’t know how else to say it? Galatians 5:23 says there is no law against the fruit of the Spirit. Peace is a fruit of the Spirit. So, if I am ever-bearing fruit Now then there is no law against such things. Perfect love casteth our fear and torment, 1 John 4:18. Fear cannot co-exist with peace.