Exploring the invitation to Follow Jesus - to ‘Receive kingdom benefits (forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, eternal life …)’
Introduction
In this series we are building what we will refer to as the ‘One Page New Testament’ - #onepagenewtestament. This will be a pictorial summary of the main messages for disciples of Jesus in a systematically derived, structured form. We aim to keep the descriptive text to a minimum and share with you the different Themes that are being created. We will consider the scriptures on their own merit, Theme by Theme, without introducing much in the way of theology. Within each Theme, we will let the scriptures speak for themselves - hopefully in a way that demonstrates the validity of the analysis.
This article is the seventh in a series that is unpacking some of the analysis work currently being undertaken to draw out the main teachings from the New Testament from a personal discipleship perspective. The previous articles can be found in the reference at Note [1] and focus upon the New Testament’s teaching that corresponds to the challenges of what we have called ‘Kingdom Fundamental 1 [KF1]’ - ‘Love God’, and ‘Kingdom Fundamental 2 [KF2]’ - ‘Follow Jesus’.
We have previously introduced that we consider that there are four Kingdom Practices under the invitation to Follow Jesus [KF2]:
Submit to Jesus’ Lordship - [KP3] (partly explored previously in Systematic Discipleship Parts 3 to 6 and considered further here)
Pursue Holiness - [KP4]
Live out kingdom values - [KP5]
Exercise discernment - [KP6].
In the previous article (Systematic Discipleship - Part 6) we explored New Testament teaching around what we have called Kingdom Action 8 (Be born again / made a new creation in Christ (repent and be baptised)) and the more detailed analysis that sits underneath it.
For completeness we remind regular readers that we have introduced eight Kingdom Actions under KP3 as follows:
Recognise that we all need a Saviour - Kingdom Action 5 [KA5]
Believe / have faith in Jesus / God - [KA6]
Count the cost of discipleship - [KA7]
Be born again / made a new creation in Christ (repent and be baptised) - [KA8]
Receive the benefits of the kingdom (forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, eternal life …) - [KA9]
Walk / live by the Spirit not the flesh - in accordance with scripture - [KA10]
Bear fruit for the kingdom - [KA11]
Persevere in personal discipleship - [KA12].
In this Faith Article we will explore Kingdom Action 9 [KA9] (Receive kingdom benefits (forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, eternal life)). We have derived six sub-Themes under this heading:
Receive salvation / forgiveness for our sins - [KP9.1]
Receive peace with God - [KP9.2]
Receive the Holy Spirit (by faith) - [KP9.3]
Receive the promise of eternal life - [KP9.4]
Recognise that believers are declared righteous / innocent through faith in Jesus - [KP9.5]
Know that we are now saints (holy ones) not sinners [KA9.6].
The elements we will cover in this article are shown in light blue in Figure 1.
If readers take away nothing else from these articles than the sense, logic, and directive actions in the Figures - for disciples to put into practice in the strength God gives - we will hopefully have achieved our initial objective.
Figure 1 - New Testament Theme about the need to ‘Receive kingdom benefits (forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, eternal life …) - [KA9]’
Kingdom Action 9 [KA9] - Receive kingdom benefits (forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, eternal life)
Most of us should understand that there are several consequences that follow on from, or are a direct result of, being born again. They are delivered instantly and - depending upon the theological Protestant understanding that people may align themselves with (i.e., Calvinism vs Lutheranism vs Arminianism vs Anglicanism [2]) - irrevocably. We will not enter into that debate here as it has raged for over 400 years, and we are unlikely to get to any satisfactory solution here.
As we have just introduced (highlighted in Figure 1), there are six sub-Themes that we need to explore to understand the outcome from coming to Christ in sincere repentance and being born again. We will look at each one in turn using our standard approach:
Considering the Greek words and idioms [3] & [4] that are semantically linked with the topic area (more have been looked at and rejected if not relevant) and presenting some or all of them under each Theme and sub-Theme.
Highlighting (some of) the verses that have relevance to discipleship in the context of each Theme and sub-Theme to illustrate the teaching from the New Testament on these subjects.
Let’s look at the first of these below.
Kingdom Action 9.1 [KA9.1] - Receive salvation / redemption / forgiveness for our sins
One of the great promises of accepting Jesus as our Saviour, and taking Him to be our Lord, is that all our sins are forgiven (past, present, and future) because of Jesus’ atonement for those sins on the cross.
This is why the Gospel is good news. In every other religion, men and women have to seek after their god, or gods, and appease them in some way. In terms of an afterlife, the nature of it (for those who believe in reincarnation) or the destination (paradise / heaven or a place without God (e.g., Hell) are dependent upon the actions people take in this life and whether the balance of these is in one direction or the other.
But in Christ we are given salvation as a free gift of Grace from God the Father through putting our trust in the finished work of His Son (Jesus).
We highlight six Greek words (of twelve) we have identified below that relate to this theme:
Sótéria (Strong’s 4991) defined as ‘deliverance, salvation’ and used to describe the following contexts ‘welfare, prosperity, deliverance, preservation, salvation, safety’ [5]. There are 46 instances [6] of this word in the New Testament
Sózó (4982) which means ‘to save’ and is used to describe ‘I save, heal, preserve, rescue’. This occurs 108 times.
Aphesis (859) which describes ‘dismissal, release, pardon’ and is translated in terms of ‘a sending away, a letting go, a release, pardon, complete forgiveness’. This is seen 17 times.
Aphiémi (863) meaning ‘to send away, leave alone, permit’ and used to translate in four contexts ‘(a) I send away, (b) I let go, release, permit to depart, (c) I remit, forgive, (d) I permit, suffer’. This appears on 147 occasions in the New Testament.
Apolutrósis (629) which means ‘a release effected by payment of ransom’ and is used in the New Testament translations to signify ‘release effected by payment of ransom; redemption, deliverance’. There are 10 instances of this word.
Rhuomai (4506) defined as ‘to draw to oneself, deliver’ and used to describe instances like ‘I rescue, deliver (from danger or destruction)’. It is found 18 times.
Example scriptures we can look at that support this Theme include the following:
Acts 10:43 - All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness (859) of sins through His name [7].
Acts 15:11 - No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved (4982), just as they are.
Acts 16:17 - She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved (4991).”
Acts 26:18 - to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness (859) of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.
Romans 10:9 - If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (4982).
Romans 10:10 - For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved (4991).
Ephesians 1:7 - In Him we have redemption (629) through His blood, the forgiveness (859) of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
Ephesians 1:13 - And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation (4991). When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
Ephesians 2:5 - made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved (4982).
Colossians 1:13 - For he has rescued (4506) us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
Hebrews 10:18 - And where these have been forgiven (859), sacrifice for sin is no longer needed.
1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive (863) us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
There are a total of 157 verse references for the words and idioms we have considered that we have grouped under this heading.
Kingdom Action 9.2 [KA9.2] - Receive peace with God
There are four Greek words that relate to the provision of peace with God:
Eiréné (1515) is defined as ‘one, peace, quietness, rest’ and used to describe ‘peace, peace of mind; invocation of peace a common Jewish farewell, in the Hebraistic sense of the health (welfare) of an individual’. It occurs 92 times
Eirénikos (1516) meaning ‘peaceful’ and is used to describe ‘peaceable, disposed to peace, profitable’. It is found twice.
Eirénopoieó (1517) which describes ‘to make peace’ and is translated as ‘I make peace, reconcile’. There is one instance.
Kardia (2588) is the Greek for ‘heart’. It is used to describe ‘literally: the heart; mind, character, inner self, will, intention, center’. It appears 158 times in New Testament Greek.
There are 46 verses that we can refer to where these words appear and share the sense of this Theme:
John 16:33 - “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace (1515). In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Romans 5:1 - Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace (1515) with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:6 - The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace (1515).
Philippians 4:7 - And the peace (1515) of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts (2588) and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 1:20 - and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace (1517) through his blood, shed on the cross.
Colossians 3:15 - Let the peace (1515) of Christ rule in your hearts (2588), since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Hebrews 12:11 - No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace (1516) for those who have been trained by it.
Kingdom Action 9.3 [KA9.3] - Receive the Holy Spirit by faith
We are promised the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit when we come to Christ as true believers. There are a number of Greek words that refer to the coming of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus and then subsequently upon believers.
Hagios (40) is defined as ‘sacred, holy’ and used to refer to things ‘set apart by (or for) God, holy, sacred’. It is found 235 times in the New Testament.
Pneuma (4151) which is defined as ‘wind, spirit’ and appears in translations as ‘wind, breath, spirit’. In its broader use, it appears 383 times.
Paraklétos (3875) means ‘called to one's aid’ and used in three contexts ‘(a) an advocate, intercessor, (b) a consoler, comforter, helper, (c) Paraclete’. There are 5 instances of this word.
Erchomai (2064) describes ‘to come, go’ and rendered in texts as ‘I come, go’. There are 637 occurrences in the New Testament.
Lambanó (2983) is the Greek for ‘to take, receive’ and can be used in two contexts ‘(a) I receive, get, (b) I take, lay hold of’. It is seen 261 times in the New Testament.
Example verses that support this Theme include:
Matthew 3:11 - I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come One more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy (40) Spirit (4151) and with fire.
John 3:6 - Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit (4151) gives birth to spirit (4151).
John 7:39 - By this he meant the Spirit (4151), whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit (4151) had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
John 14:16 - And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate (3875) to help you and be with you forever.
John 14:17 - the Spirit (4151) of truth. The world cannot accept (2983) him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
John 15:26 - “When the Advocate (3875) comes (2064), whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit (4151) of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.
John 16:7 - But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate (3875) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
John 16:8 - When he comes (2064), he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment.
John 16:13 - But when he, the Spirit (4151) of truth, comes (2064), he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come (2064).
Acts 1:8 - But you will receive (2983) power when the Holy (40) Spirit (4151) comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Acts 2:38 - Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy (40) Spirit (4151).”
Acts 10:44 - While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy (40) Spirit (4151) came on all who heard the message.
Acts 10:45 - The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy (40) Spirit (4151) had been poured out even on Gentiles.
Acts 10:47 - “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy (40) Spirit (4151) just as we have.”
There are 76 verse references that we can group under this topic heading.
Kingdom Action 9.4 [KA9.4] - Receive the promise of eternal life
When we come to Jesus, following our repentance, the scriptures explain that we are given the promise of eternal life (as we shall see). This is in marked contrast to other religions where the outcome at the adherents’ / believers’ death is uncertain. As we saw above, this is another reason why the Gospel is good news.
There are some 16 Greek words and idioms that have a bearing on this Theme. We set out some of these below:
Aiónios (166) means ‘agelong, eternal’ and is used in translations to describe ‘age-long, and therefore: practically eternal, unending; partaking of the character of that which lasts for an age, as contrasted with that which is brief and fleeting’. It occurs 71 times in the New Testament.
Kléronomeó (2816) is defined as ‘to inherit’ and in bible texts conveys ‘I inherit, obtain (possess) by inheritance, acquire’. There are 18 instances.
Kléronomia (2817) is defined as ‘an inheritance’. When translated it is used to convey ‘an inheritance, an heritage, regularly the gift of God to His chosen people, in the Old Testament: the Promised Land, in NT a possession viewed in one sense as present, in another as future; a share, participation’. It is seen 14 times.
Zóé (2222) describes ‘life’ and translated as ‘life, both of physical (present) and of spiritual (particularly future) existence’. There are 135 occurrences.
Zaó (2198) means ‘to live’ and reflected in scripture as ‘I live, am alive’. It appears 141 times.
Sunegeiró (4891) is defined as’ to raise together’ and used in the context of ‘I raise along with’. It is only found 3 times.
Cheir (5495) describes ‘the hand’ and used to refer to ‘a hand’ There are 179 instances.
Anistémi (450) means ‘to raise up, to rise’ and used to describe ‘I raise up, set up; I rise from among (the) dead; I arise, appear’. There are 108 places where it is found in the New Testament.
Pneuma (4151) which is defined as ‘wind, spirit’ and appears in translations as ‘wind, breath, spirit’. In its broader use, it appears 383 times.
We set out some of the example verses that relate to the promise of eternal life below:
Matthew 25:34 - Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance (2816), the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.’
Matthew 25:46 - “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal (166) life (2222).”
John 3:15 - that everyone who believes may have eternal (166) life (2222) in him.
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal (166) life (2222).
John 5:24 - Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal (166) life (2222) and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life (2222).
John 6:51 - I am the living (2198) bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live (2198) forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
John 6:54 - Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal (166) life (2222), and I will raise them up (450) at the last day.
John 10:28 - I give them eternal (166) life (2222), and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand (5495).
Romans 6:22 - But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal (166) life (2222).
2 Corinthians 5:5 - Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit (4151) as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Galatians 5:21 - and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit (2816) the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 1:14 - who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance (2817) until the redemption (629) of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 2:6 - And God raised us up with (4891) Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
Ephesians 4:30 - And do not grieve the Holy (40) Spirit (4151) of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption (629).
Hebrews 5:9 - and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal (166) salvation (4991) for all who obey him
Hebrews 9:15 - For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal (166) inheritance (2817)—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
1 Peter 1:4 - and into an inheritance (2817) that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance (2817) is kept in heaven for you,
The analysis has identified 241 verse references that reflect the Greek words and idioms related to this Theme.
Kingdom Action 9.5 [KA9.5] - Recognise that believers are declared righteous / innocent through faith in Jesus
In exchange for transferring our sins onto Jesus, His righteousness is placed (the correct word is imputed [8]) upon us.
The relevant Greek word here is:
Dikaioó (1344) which is defined as ‘to show to be righteous, declare righteous’ and translated to describe ‘I make righteous, defend the cause of, plead for the righteousness (innocence) of, acquit, justify; hence: I regard as righteous’. There are 39 instances in the New Testament.
Example verses that support this include:
Romans 3:24 - and all are justified (1344) freely by his grace through the redemption (629) that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans 4:5 - However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies (1344) the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.
Romans 5:1 - Therefore, since we have been justified (1344) through faith, we have peace (1515) with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:30 - And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified (1344); those he justified (1344), he also glorified.
1 Corinthians 6:11 - And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified (1344) in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit (4151) of our God.
Galatians 3:8 - Scripture foresaw that God would justify (1344) the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you.”
Titus 3:7 - so that, having been justified (1344) by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal (166) life (2222).
There are in the order of 22 relevant verse references that relate to this topic.
Kingdom Action 9.6 [KA9.6] - Know that we are now saints (holy ones) not sinners
It is a common error that people, who have taken Jesus as Saviour and Lord, continue to see and refer to themselves as sinners. But this is not consistent with the perspectives of believers in the New Testament following Christ’s ascension. Yes, it is true that we continue to experience an ongoing battle between our spiritual new creation in Christ and our old, sinful self. Yes, we also need to come in prayer to God’s throne of grace to seek forgiveness for our wrongdoing and to have our confidence restored in our relationship with God the Father (1 John 3:21), but we need to appreciate that God’s view of His people in the kingdom does not change because our sins have been forgiven in Jesus. Let us look at two Greek words that help us understand this further:
Hagios (40). As we saw above this is defined as ‘sacred, holy’ and used to refer to things ‘set apart by (or for) God, holy, sacred’. It is found 235 times in the New Testament.
Doulos (1401) is the Greek word for ‘a slave’ and can be translated as ‘(a) (as adj.) enslaved, (b) (as noun) a (male) slave’. There are 126 instances.
Below there are some verses that support the understanding that God the Father considers that followers of Jesus are holy. Please note we have used the New American Standard Bible verses below (unless indicated otherwise) to confirm this understanding rather than the NIV which translates hagios as: ‘Lord’s people’, ‘holy people’, ‘God’s people’.
Acts 9:41 - And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling the saints (40) and widows, he presented her alive.
Acts 26:10 - And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints (40) in prisons, after receiving authority from the chief priests, but I also cast my vote against them when they were being put to death.
Galatians 4:7 - So you are no longer a slave (1401), but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir (NIV).
Colossians 1:2 - To the saints (40) and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
Philippians 1:1 - Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints (40) in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons.
Philemon 1:5 - because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints (40).
Jude 1:3 - Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all time handed down to the saints (40).
Our analysis has revealed that there are 66 verse references for these Greek words that support this Theme.
Summary
This is the seventh Systematic Discipleship Faith Article, where we have investigated what we have called Kingdom Action KA9 (to ‘Receive kingdom benefits (forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, eternal life)’) and the supporting sub-Themes derived from our analysis. We have tried to set out the rationale for this Theme and sub-Themes based upon a detailed consideration of the Greek words and idioms presented in Louw and Nida’s [2] and Mounce’s [3] materials. Just as with many English words, Greek words can have more than one meaning and consequently when translated into Biblical texts can be used to convey several different sentiments. Which is used is dependent upon the context.
Ultimately, this analysis and these groupings are subjective, as will be the inclusion (or exclusion) of many verses within each Theme and sub-Theme. We should note that some verses have a much stronger relevance to the derived Themes than others.
During this analysis, the aim has been to restrict the number of Themes that can be associated with any specific Greek word to eight or less - as any more implies poor analysis technique and the wrong heading choice / naming process.
In the next Faith Article, we shall consider some of the other Themes and scriptures that we can derive under Kingdom Action 10 [KA10] (See Figure 1). As ever, the aim will be to try and make it informative, but manageable in terms of the time and effort needed to look at and understand each area.
Any constructive thoughts on this Article, the process being undertaken, and related feedback are welcome.
Notes:
[1] - All previous Faith Articles focusing on the One Page New Testament can be found at this page: www.teachthemtoobey.co.uk/blog/
[2] - See a simple summary of this thorny theological debate here: https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/stewart_don/faq/bible-basics/question20-what-are-the-major-protestant-theological-systems.cfm
[3] - “Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, based upon Semantic Domains” Volumes 1 and 2 - Louw and Nida - Published by and © United Bible Societies - 1988
[4] - “Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words” - © William D Mounce, 2006 - Published by Zondervan
[5] - biblehub - https://biblehub.com/greek/
[6] - The number of instances of specific Greek words can vary considerably depending upon the Greek manuscript(s) that is / are referenced by the data underpinning a particular program or website. For example, there can be differences in the number of instances of a Greek word depending upon whether your information source is, say: biblehub.com, blueletterbible.org, or Accordance Bible software. For example: the word Kurios (Lord) appears:
722 times according to biblehub
748 times in the Textus Receptus (TR) Greek for the blueletterbible
717 in the Morphological Greek New Testament (MGNT) in the blueletterbible
717 times for the Legacy Standard Version in Accordance
711 times for the ESV in Accordance.
In general, we have used the biblehub.com counts for the number of instances of the Greek words we are presenting. If there are major discrepancies with the other resources we are using we will try to highlight these explicitly.
[7] - Unless otherwise stated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.TM.
The Bible references presented are illustrative rather than aiming to be ‘proof texts’. They are examples only as there are, generally, many more we could look at. Please note that when looking at any Bible verse references, you should ideally consider more than one translation / respected version to get a more rounded view, and look at the wider context for each verse too. When Greek words are translated, Bible scholars do not always use the same English word every time it appears in the Greek. This is why it is useful to look at more than one Bible version.
[8] - https://faculty.wts.edu/posts/what-is-imputation/
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Reading the articles will take only a little time to study - more if we look up the Bible references - and probably a lifetime to work out in practice. Hopefully they will help make each of us ‘Become more like Jesus’!
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