Homosexuality & Genderism

Is homosexuality acceptable to God?  And are there many genders, which a man or woman may choose based on how they feel? 

“God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them,” Genesis 1:27.  God created only two sexes, two genders, when He made man.  We are only male, or we are female.  The body we are born into is the sex that we are.  Our believing it to be different, or wanting it to be different, doesn’t change this.  What we are born as, that is what we are. 

There was never any real question about this (at least in our age), as far as I am aware, until recent years.  Why this has come about now, we’ll see shortly. 

God restricts the sexual relationship to the marriage relationship; outside of marriage, it is the sin of fornication.  When He instituted marriage (at the very creation of man), He said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh,” Genesis 2:24.  This is the only situation which the Lord authorizes, the joining of one man with one woman.  God has instituted it, meaning it isn’t a construct of man, which Jesus confirmed in Matthew chapter 19, “And He answered and said, "Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?  So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate,” Matthew 19:4-6.  Jesus was teaching on divorce in this passage, but His teaching is based on the facts of the creation, even clarifying one point, that it is God who does the joining.  God created us male and female, and God joins a man to his wife.  It is God does the joining; He will join no other situation; He will not join a man and a man, He will not join a woman and a woman, nor any other situation which man may desire.  He will only join one man to one woman, and the bond is until death (or adultery, if the innocent party desires to leave).

But why does His saying, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh,” disallow any other situation?  When God has specified the conditions of a thing, these are the only allowable conditions.  The following example will show the truth of this.  In speaking of the priesthood of Christ, the writer of Hebrews says the following, “Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron? For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests,” Hebrews 7:11-14.  The argument being made, is that Christ could not have been a priest according to the Levitical priesthood, because he is descended from Judah.  When God gave the priesthood to Aaron, He excluded every other line.  Now, God never expressly said that Judah couldn’t have priests taken from them under the Law of Moses, but what He did say was, “You shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and bind caps on them, and they shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute. So you shall ordain Aaron and his sons,” Exodus 29:9, and regarding the remainder of the tribe of Levi, He says, “Behold, I Myself have taken your fellow Levites from among the sons of Israel; they are a gift to you, dedicated to the LORD, to perform the service for the tent of meeting.  But you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and inside the veil, and you are to perform service.  I am giving you the priesthood as a bestowed service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death,” Numbers 18:6-7.  In saying that the priesthood was Aaron’s (and he was of Levi), and that the Levite’s were to be his helpers, all other tribes were excluded from serving in the temple; they were outsiders.  Therefore Christ, being from Judah, could not be priest unless there had been a change of law (and so therefore, seeing as Christ is now High Priest, the Law of Moses is no longer in effect, but now we have the Law of Christ).

Therefore, in saying, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh,” He disallows any other situation.  God created the male and female to be partners together in life. This is the reason He created woman, for after saying in Genesis 2:18, “It is not good for the man to be alone,” He says, “I will make a helper suitable for him.”  God created the woman, out of the body of the man, in order to keep him company and to help him.  God did not create another man to be with him, but created the woman for this purpose.

Now, the only natural way for man to reproduce, is for the man and the woman to come together.  This is also according to His purpose, for, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it…", Genesis 1:27-28.

So then the evidence of the Word and of nature speak in favor of the joining of man and woman, and no other situation.

But as to homosexuality, God has explicitly made known the outcome, “Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire,” Jude 7.  God has made known to man the outcome of this lifestyle, and that is eternal death.  It will cost a man (or woman) his soul.  There is no other judgment He gives, no other example to give one hope who would live their life this way.  For He says it plainly, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God,” 1Cor 6:9-10.  The destruction of Sodom is an eternal example He gives to us, to show the result of an immoral life, if one is unrepentant.  One can repent of this lifestyle, and be forgiven, as with any other sin, for the passage in Corinthians goes on to say, “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God,” 1Cor 6:11.

So how is it that homosexuality has come about, for “God made men upright,” Ecclesiates 7:29?  As he finishes the thought, “(B)ut they have sought out many devices.”  He explains this to us in Romans 1:21-27, “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.”  Because men would no longer acknowledge Him, but instead sought after false gods, He gave them over to their desires.

The perfect example of this is what He says through Ezekiel regarding how Sodom came to be in her wicked condition, “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy.  Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it,” Ezekiel 16:49-50.  God blessed Sodom and her neighbors with an abundance, and they in turn forgot Him, forsook godliness, became proud, and turned to evil.  This is the same that is happening to America today; we have been given abundant ease, and so have publicly forgotten Him, and have turned to evil.  It is not a new and enlightened way of life that we have discovered, it is just the same old tired sin that we have fallen into.

Marriage as a type
These following three verses make three very important points; namely, that the marriage relationship is a type of the relationship between Christ and the church, that God made the world according to wisdom, and that He may be clearly seen and understood by the creation that He has made,

“’For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’  This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church,” Eph 5:31-32.

“To Him who by wisdom made the heavens,” Psalm 136:5, cf. Proverbs 8:30.

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead,” Romans 1:20.

God has created the world in such a way as we may see him, and understand him.  We may see and understand his goodness by the world he has made.  He created us with the need to eat, and has supplied us with a wide variety of foods to meet this end, most of which are enjoyable to partake of.  He freely and abundantly supplies the air we must constantly breathe, and has left water in no short supply.

Likewise, we understand his love for us as a father because we are fathers.  By seeing the love we have for our children, and that even when they do wrong our heart yearns for them, and the love and protection we possess towards them, we can then understand how he looks at us, Jeremiah 31:20, Isaiah 49:13-16, Lam 3:33.  We can grow in confidence towards Him, in spite of our weaknesses, knowing His love for us.

But there is a yet closer relationship that He desires with us, an intimacy which He shows in the type of the marriage relationship.  For the relationship between a parent and child is not on equal footing, the child of necessity being the lesser, looking to the parent for their needs and comfort.  The relationship between man and wife, however, is more on level ground; they have by agreement entered into the relationship, and regard each other as one to give their heart to.

The intimacy between a man and wife is greater than that between two friends, no matter how close those friends may be; for “the two shall become one flesh.”  This brings about a closer intimacy of heart, and this is the intimacy the Lord desires with us; an intimacy of heart, for, “he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him,” 1Cor 6:17.

(What did Sarah gain by calling Abraham lord, 1Peter 3:6?  First, she gained the approval of God, for she is held up as an example to all Christian woman until the end of the age.  But second, she did her part in creating a living type of Christ and the church; for if the woman is submissive to her husband as she ought to be, and if he for his part loves and gives honor to her as he ought, Eph 5:25 and 1Pet 3:7, then they have a living example both before them and between them of Christ and the church.)

There is no other situation between man and God; only Christ and his bride, the church.  Likewise, there is no other authorized relationship among men, than a man and his wife.

References on Marriage and Homosexuality
Whenever marriage is spoken of in Scripture, it is always of male and female,

• 1 Peter 3:1-7 “In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. Your adornment must not be merely external--braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands; just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear. You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.”

• Colossians 3:18-19 “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.”

• Ecclesiastes 9:9 “Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.”

• Malachi 2:14 “Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.”

• Ephesians 5:22-33 “Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.”

• Genesis 2:23-24 “The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.’ For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”

But of homosexuality, it is always condemned,

• Jude 7 “(J)ust as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.”

• Genesis 19:5 “(A)nd they called to Lot and said to him, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.’”

• Genesis 18:20 “And the LORD said, ‘The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave.’”

• Genesis 19:24-25 “Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.”

• Deuteronomy 29:23 “All its land is brimstone and salt, a burning waste, unsown and unproductive, and no grass grows in it, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His anger and in His wrath.”

• Romans 1:26-27 “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.”

• 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.”

• Leviticus 18:22 “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.”

• Leviticus 20:13 “If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.”

The Unchangableness of God

“For I am the LORD, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

Malachi 3:6, James 1:17, Hebrews 13:8

From the passages quoted above, it is an inescapable conclusion that God does not change.  Yet, in studying the scriptures, we find that God does in fact change.  In the Old Testament we find the passage in Genesis 18:17ff., where the Lord changed his course of action based upon the pleadings of Abraham.  Likewise, in Deuteronomy 9:13ff., Moses recounts to the children of Israel how the Lord was set on more than one occasion to destroy them, yet he himself had pled for them, and the Lord changed his mind.  In the New Testament we also have examples of the Lord changing his actions, based on the appeal of man, for example in Matthew 15:22ff., with the Canaanite woman whose daughter was demon-possessed; his original course of action was to ignore her, yet because of her faith, he did as she desired.

It is also evident that during the course of the ages God has changed his covenant with man – from the patriarchal, to the Mosaical, to the Christian.

Therefore, as it is “impossible for God to lie”, there must be a sense in which God does change, and a sense in which he does not.  If God does change his covenants with man, and if he will change his proposed actions, then the sense in which he does not change must be in regard to his character.

We are under the New Testament, as far as the covenant which is in force at this time (and until the end of time; for this is the last covenant until He returns for the Judgment).  We may use the Old Testament for examples, for Paul wrote, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope,” Romans 15:4; God hasn’t changed in character, only in the covenant which is in force.  We may see an example of this in Zephaniah 3:5, “The Lord is righteous in her midst, He will do no unrighteousness.” We may go to the Old Testament for examples of how he will deal with us, by seeing how he dealt with the men of old.  We may not go there in order to bind things of the law of Moses upon man today – we are not under the law of Moses, but of Christ – but we may in fact learn how he dealt with transgression, how he upholds his part of things, etc., as these things deal with the character of God, in which he does not change.

As an example, Jesus has said that “true worshippers” will worship “in spirit and in truth,” John 4:23.  This is not new to the New Testament; God also desired the same in the Old Testament, cf. Joshua 24:14.  We must worship in spirit - in sincerity, and in truth - according to the covenant in effect at the present time.  So, then, when we see Nadab and Abihu, this is in fact also a warning to us – for though they may have been sincere in their worship (we don’t know), yet it was not in accordance with truth. And, as this was unacceptable to God, and caused their deaths, we may be assured that the same will happen to us if we transgress the truth regarding worship that is in effect today.  We may not be struck down on the spot, but will not death still await us?  For the warning of God still stands, “By those who come near me I must be regarded as holy, and before all the people I must be glorified,” Lev 10:3.  In disregarding the command of God, they neither regarded him as holy, nor glorified him before the people; so Moses explained to Aaron.  The method (law) of approach has changed, but God has not.

We may further confirm this, if we recall the following, “Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?     For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine; I will repay," says the Lord.  And again, "The Lord will judge His people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God,” Heb 10:28-31; cf. Luke 11:29-32, Matthew 11:20-24.

To Be Poor in Spirit

What is it to be poor in spirit?  The Lord has said to us, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” Matthew 5:3.  If this is true, then the opposite, the rich in spirit, the kingdom of heaven is not theirs.  But how can this be?  What is it about the rich in spirit that causes them to be lost?  And what then does this mean, to be poor in spirit? 

When we think of the rich in this world, we imagine those with great sums of wealth, who have all the heart could want, who have no need that goes unsatisfied.  On the other hand, when we think of the poor, we see those who are lacking in the needful things of life, who are unable, or barely able, to satisfy their needs. 

Those who are rich in spirit, then, are those who are proud, willful, self-righteous; full of themselves, not of God, fully satisfied with life in this world, with no need to look any further for satisfaction.  They follow their own dictates, and as they see it, their hand has gotten them all they need and want. What need then do they have of God?  As Asaph observed of them, 

“For I was envious of the arrogant
As I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
For there are no pains in their death,
And their body is fat.
They are not in trouble as other men,
Nor are they plagued like mankind.
Therefore pride is their necklace;
The garment of violence covers them.
Their eye bulges from fatness;
The imaginations of their heart run riot.
They mock and wickedly speak of oppression;
They speak from on high.
They have set their mouth against the heavens,
And their tongue parades through the earth.
Therefore his people return to this place,
And waters of abundance are drunk by them.
They say, "How does God know?
And is there knowledge with the Most High?"
Behold, these are the wicked;
And always at ease, they have increased in wealth,”
Psalm 73:3-12. 

The men who are rich in spirit have no fear of God, and are fully immersed in this life.  Their heart is set on the things that their hand has gotten for them, and they believe they dwell securely. 

Nebuchadnezzar was rich in spirit, as he spoke in his heart, “Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?” Daniel 4:30. But then God humbled him. 

The poor in spirit, they see that they are truly lacking before God, and that to pursue according to our own ways is a dead end.  They have a full sense of their sin before God.  They know that there is nothing here to satisfy the soul, and know that they need God.  Moses was a man of this kind, and the testimony of Scripture to him is this, “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth,” Numbers 12:3. 

If we are full of ourselves, there is no room for God; if a glass is full, how can anything be added to it?  But if we are empty and broken before him, and if we seek him according to his way, he will bind our wounds and heal us, and fill us with the true goodness of life, for, "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls, Matthew 11:29, and, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble," James 4:6b, and again, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied,” Matthew 5:6.

God desires for us to be humble, as He is.

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit
A broken and a contrite heart, O God,
You will not despise,”
Psalm 51:17.

The Reliability of the New Testament Documents

The original New Testament documents have passed away; God has chosen not to have them preserved.  What we have today are copies.  He has also not preserved the copies from errors, the normal errors which creep into any long document which has been copied by hand, and been copied so extensively over such a long period of time.  It is a natural question, then, as to whether we have an accurate version of what was originally written. 

Our Lord says in Luke 21:33, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”  This means, unquestionably, that the words which Jesus delivered to us from The Father (which includes all the books of the N.T., John 16:12-15) are in existence on the earth at this very moment.  Peter also testifies to this fact, “[H]aving been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because

‘All flesh is as grass,
And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers,
And its flower falls away,
But the word of the Lord endures forever.’ 

Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you,” 1 Peter 1:23-25.  Peter is quoting from Isaiah 40:6-8, which shows that it applies to the Old Testament as well.  God has preserved His word upon the earth. 

What we have are true and faithful copies of the originals.  The enemies of God have attacked what is within the Word, and have attacked the date and authorship of the books, but, as far as I’m aware, no credible assault has ever made upon the integrity of the text itself.  The particulars regarding the transmission of the text of the Bible are known to all, both friend and foe, and no one attacks the reliability of the Word. 

When movable type was invented in 1438, and printing became widespread, copying errors ceased to be an issue in the integrity of the text of our bibles.  It became possible to set the plates once, and print away until they wore out, with no additional errors produced.  The field of biblical textual criticism, which deals with the integrity of the text of the bible, is therefore limited to the handwritten copies made prior to the introduction of printing. 

Before printing was invented, if you wanted to have a copy of a document, you had to write it out yourself, or hire someone to do it.  If you were making a copy of a document written by God, would you not be exceedingly careful in your task, to ensure you had made a faithful copy? And if someone were hired to do it, would not their business depend upon their accuracy?  But everyone was aware of the danger of errors, and that it was nearly impossible to prevent them from occurring. 

When the Jews made a copy of the Old Testament, they had rules for it: “they numbered the verses, words and letters of the Scriptures, by books and by sections, marking the middle verse and letter of each, so that by counting these in any copy they could determine whether a word or a letter had been added or omitted.”[1]  In repect to the New Testament copies, Irenaeus, who died in 202, writing of the situation that some copies of the Word had 616 as the number of the beast in Revelation instead of 666, said, “I am inclined to think that this occurred through the fault of the copyists, as is wont to happen, since numbers also are expressed by letters; so that the Greek letter which expresses the number sixty was easily expanded into the letter Iota of the Greeks.”[2]  He then goes on to write of anyone who would purposely alter the Word, “then again, as there shall be no light punishment [inflicted] upon him who either adds or subtracts anything from the Scripture, under that such a person must necessarily fall.”[3]  By this, we know that those who produced copies of the New Testament early on took their job just as seriously. 

At the time (1886) that J. W. McGarvey wrote his “Evidences of Christianity,” there were just under 2100 Greek manuscripts known to exist, which contained all or part of the New Testament (few are complete, most are single books or groups of books).  At the time of Bruce Metzger’s “A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament,” written in 1975, that number had risen to around 5000. 

At the time when we only knew of around 2100 manuscripts, the number of variations among them was put at from 120,000 to 150,000.  These numbers seem alarming at first, but when we look at the character of the variations, we quickly see that they amount to practically nothing.  The plain facts regarding the integrity of the text of the New Testament are this (from McGarvey): 

“Dr. Hort, one of the most competent of the living authorities on the subject, declares, that in regard to the great bulk of the words of the New Testament, there is no variation, and no other ground of doubt.  He estimates the number of words admitted on all hands to be above doubt, at not less than seven-eighths of the whole.  When, of the remaining one-eighth, we leave out mere differences of spelling, the number still left in doubt is about one-sixtieth of the whole; and when we select from this one-sixtieth of those which in any sense can be called substantial variations, their number, he says, can hardly form more than a thousandth part of the entire text.  That is, only about one thousandth part of the New Testament is so variously expressed in the various copies, as to make any substantial difference of meaning.”[4] 

In other words, about 87.5% of the text is above doubt.  Of the remaining 12.5%, when we leave out differences in spelling, we are left with 1.7%.  Of this, only about .1% produces any substantial difference in meaning.  Put another way, 99.9% of the original New Testament is known to us. 

Examples of passages of which there is question: the last twelve verses of Mark, John 5:4, John 7:53 – 8:11, 1 John 5:7-8.

Examples of New Testament quotations from the early writers
Another good source for showing the reliability of the New Testament can be found in quotations from the early writers, which either match or are clear allusions to the New Testament.
From Clement:
Ready for every good work
- Col 1:10; 2Th 2:17; 1Ti 5:10; 2Ti 2:21; 2Ti 3:17

“Be ye merciful, that ye may obtain mercy; forgive, that it may be forgiven to
you; as ye do, so shall it be done unto you; as ye judge, so shall ye be
judged; as ye are kind, so shall kindness be shown to you; with what
measure ye mete, with the same it shall be measured to you.”
- Matthew 6:12-15, 7:2, Luke 6:36-38

From Polycarp (knew the apostle John):
“In whom, though now ye see Him not, ye believe, and believing, rejoice with
joy unspeakable and full of glory;”
- 1 Peter 1:8

“by grace ye are saved, not of works”
- Ephesians 2:8-9

“Blessed are the poor, and those that are persecuted
for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God.”
-  Matthew 5:10

“Judge not, that ye be not judged; forgive, and it shall be forgiven unto you; be merciful, that ye may obtain mercy; with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again;”
- Luke 6:37-38

“we shall also reign together with Him,”
- 2 Timothy 2:12

“neither fornicators, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, shall inherit the kingdom of God,”
- 1 Cor 6:9-10

“we must all appear at the judgment-seat of Christ, and must every one give an account of himself.”
- 2 Corinthians 5:10

“For whosoever does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, is antichrist;”
- 2 John 7

“The spirit truly is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
- Matthew 26:41, Mark 14:38

“who bore our sins in His own body on the tree,”
- 1 Peter 2:24

“who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth,”
- 1 Peter 2:22

“Abstain from every form of evil,”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:22

“Do we not know that the saints shall judge the world?”
- 1 Corinthians 6:2

“Be ye angry, and sin not,” and, “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.”
- Ephesians 4:26

From Ignatius (contemporary of Polycarp):
“who gave Himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God,”
- Ephesians 5:2 

From Irenaeus (died 202):
“For there is nothing hidden which shall not be revealed, nor secret that shall not be made known.”
- Matthew 10:26, Luke 12:2

“One Iota, or one tittle, shall by no means pass away until all be fulfilled.”
- Matthew 5:18

[1] J. W. McGarvey, Evidences of Christianity (Cincinnati: Guide Printing and Publishing Company, 1886), pg. 9
[2] Irenaeus, “Against Heresies,” book 5, ch. 30, sect. 1, Master Christian Library (Albany: AGES Software, 1996, 1997), p. 1120.
[3] Ibid.
[4] McGarvey, pg. 13.

The “Perfect” of 1Corinthians 13:10 (The End of the Miraculous in the Church)

“Love never fails.  But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part.  But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away," 1Corinthians 13:8-10.

The miraculous gifts which were a part of the early church had a time limit imposed on them; they would end when the “perfect” had come.  But what this “perfect” is, is not stated in the passage.  A study of the Greek word underlying “perfect”, and its usage in the New Testament, will show us what is meant.

The Greek word which underlies our word “perfect” in the above passage is the word “teleios."  Below is its definition from 3 separate lexicons:

Bullinger - “what has reached its end, term, or limit; hence, complete, perfect, full, wanting nothing, with special reference to the end for which it was intended.”  James 1:25, 1Cor 13:10
Thayer - “brought to its end, finished; wanting nothing necessary to completeness; perfect”
Arndt & Gingrich - “having attained the end or purpose, complete, perfect.”

It means something that is complete, and carries with it the idea that it has been brought to that completeness (like with our word “full”, which while meaning that nothing more could be added, also carries with it the idea that it was previously brought to that state).

This word is used 19 times in the New Testament, in 17 verses, where it is translated variously in the NKJV as “perfect,” “mature,” and “of full age.”  The majority of the time it is used of the perfection of the individual Christian; of the need to be perfect, and of those who already are.  The following ten verses contain this usage, with two of them containing a second occurrence of the word, with a different usage (pointed out under the verse).

Matthew 5:48 “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
This verse contains a second occurrence, describing the perfection of God, that we need to be perfect as He is.
Matthew 19:21 “Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’”
1 Corinthians 2:6 “However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.”
1 Corinthians 14:20 “Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.”
Philippians 3:15 “Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you”
Colossians 1:28 “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”
Colossians 4:12 “Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.”
Hebrews 5:14 “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
James 1:4 “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
This verse contains a second occurrence, in regard to the perfecting work that patience has on the life of the believer.
James 3:2 “For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.”

1Cor 13:10 cannot mean this usage of the word, as there were already Christians who were in this state of maturity (1Cor 2:6 & Phil 3:15), while the miraculous was still present.

Next, we have:

1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

In this verse, it shows that when a man is perfected in love, he will no longer fear God.  1Cor 13:10 cannot mean this usage, as each and every man that comes to Christ throughout the existence of the church will go through the process of perfecting love of God in himself, and therefore miracles would have to exist throughout the history of church.

Next is:

James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

This is a general usage of the word, describing “every” gift which is from the Father.  As it isn’t describing any specific gift, it cannot be this meaning, as we could never know which one is meant.

Next we have:

Hebrews 9:11-12 “But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.  Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”

The heavenly tabernacle is more suited to the redemption of man than the earthly tabernacle was under Moses; the earthly could save no one, while the heavenly is where God truly is, and where our High Priest ministers.  Yet it cannot be this “perfect,” as the verse also says, “He entered,” not “He will enter,”  showing it already was in existence while the miraculous was still in effect.  Therefore, it cannot be this that is referred to in 1Cor 13:10.

Next is our verse:

1 Corinthians 13:8-10 “Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part.  But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.”

Which leaves us with the following 3 verses, which gives us our answer:

James 1:25 “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”
The “perfect” is the law of Christ, which hadn’t yet been fully revealed when Paul was writing to Corinth.
Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
We couldn’t prove what the will of God is, unless He has revealed it to us.  This He has done in the New Testament, which we can now use to prove His will.
Ephesians 4:13 “till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”
We need the full context of this verse to effectively show what it is teaching; so verses 11-16:

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ - from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

This passage speaks of the purpose of the miraculous element in Christianity, and also of its end.  Verse 12 shows what the purpose of it was; for the equipping of the infant church for her work, and for the building up of the body of Christ.  This was to be “till we all come to the unity of the faith.”  Faith belongs to the current age, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen,” Hebrews 11:1.  Therefore, the “unity of the faith” will occur in this age; it is not speaking of eternity.  Once the unity of the faith comes, the miraculous will no longer be necessary; for then the body of Christ will have grown up into a perfect (or mature) man, into that which has been completed and is lacking nothing (the idea which “teleios” carries with it).

The New Testament was not given all at once, but over the course of 40-50 years or so (with the earliest date of Matthew being 42, and the latest date of Revelation around 96).  This means that during the first half-century of the church, we did not have the full revelation of Christ, therefore we could not have attained to the full unity of the faith.  Some congregations used additional letters later disregarded as Scripture, and likely not everyone had received a copy of every scriptural letter as soon as it was written.

Therefore, the church could not be fully united as to belief until the full revelation had occurred.

When did this occur?  Revelation, the last book written, was likely written between 91 - 96 AD, and so the canon was completed then.

This goes well with what we know about the bestowing of miraculous gifts.  There are 4 verses which bear on the subject, being 1 Cor 12:11, 2 Tim 1:6-7, 1 Tim 4:14, and Rom 1:11, along with the passage in Acts 8:12-17.  According to these verses, it appears that an apostle had to be present for the imparting of a gift, and that it was through the laying on of hands.  Paul was there when Timothy was given his gift, and it is said that it was through the laying on of his hands and the hands of the eldership; further, Paul says to the Romans “I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift,” showing that he needed to be present with them to impart the gift.  In the passage from Acts, Philip (the deacon, not the apostle) had been given the ability to work miracles, but couldn’t pass them on, otherwise it would not have been necessary to send for Peter and John to come and lay hands on them.

From 1Cor 12:11, “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills,” and 1Tim 4:14, “Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy,” it could be that the Spirit told them who was to have a gift given to them, and then they laid hands on that individual; or, if it was specific to Timothy alone that it was by prophecy, they laid hands on someone they thought worthy, and the Spirit gave what gift He chose for that individual.

There is no indication to us that anyone other than an apostle could impart a gift (for even though the eldership laid hands on Timothy when he received his gift, yet Paul was there, and specifically says that he also laid hands on him).  This being the case, the miracles would have ceased to be imparted when the last apostle died, and ceased altogether when the last individual who had a gift died (whether an apostle or otherwise).  If we had no other information on the subject, we could confidently say that this is when they ended.

But given that we are told that they would cease when the canon was completed, it gives us another possible end date, that they ceased immediately after Revelation was written.  This would have had the added benefit of the church knowing exactly when the canon was completed (though with the death of the apostles, and the knowledge that the completion of the canon was necessary for miracles to cease, they would have been able to reason it out even if the miraculous lasted until the last individual with a gift died).  At which point they ended, we don’t know; but we do know that at one or the other they did end.

The purpose of the miraculous element in the infant church was to build her up and teach her until she became “a perfect man.”  As a child needs parents to care for him until he learns enough and is mature enough to survive on his own, so the church needed support until she became fully established in the world, 1Cor 13:11.  The miraculous gave proof to those outside, edification and knowledge to those inside, until she had the full teachings of Christ, which are now able to accomplish the same end, for, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work,” 2 Tim 3:16-17.

There is therefore no further need for the miraculous element.

The Song of Solomon - Lesson

Chapter 1
Vs. 1
Written by Solomon, the song of songs means that it is the pre-eminent among all songs ever written.  There are many men who write many songs about their loves, but there is only one written by God about His people.

Vs. 2
The bride, longing for the intimacy of her beloved.  Kisses signify intimacy, Psalm 85:10; friendship, 1Sam 20:41; alliance, 1Sam 10:1, 2Sam 15:5, 1Kings 19:18, Job 31:27.  But perhaps the true meaning is to be found in Proverbs 24:26, “He who gives a right answer kisses the lips.”  Do we not long for the truth from Him, and long for His intimacy?  Is this not better than all things on the earth?  For wine cheers the soul, but passes; his love gives peace and joy, and is eternal.

Vs. 3
Ointment - Proverbs 27:9, Ecc 7:1; Virgins - Psalm 45:14, Matt 25:1, 2Cor11:2

Vs. 4
“Draw me…” - John 12:32, 6:44
Now that he has drawn us, we follow him where he goes, Matthew 10:38, 16:24.
Chambers - Psalm 45:15, John 14:23, make our home with him.
Rejoice – 2Cor 13:11, Philippians 3:1, 4:4, Malachi 4:2
Wine – The joy one gets from wine is here for a moment, and then it passes away; the joy from the Lord is eternal, and our memory of its taste lasts with us.
Rightly – There are many things which man loves, which it is not good to love.  But love for the Lord is right; it’s only right to do.

Vs. 5
I think there’s a symbolic significance to her being dark, to show that she is foreign, and marked from her life in the world; to show that the church is not the same as Israel, that the bride is not the nation of Israel.  Where Israel had been elevated to royalty, Ezekiel 16:13, she is from the commoners of the field.  So the church is not comprised of many from the wise and the rich of this world, but of the common people, 1Cor 1:26-27.

Vs. 6
Don’t look at me with wonder, because of my condition; it was not her natural state, but was brought about by her having to keep the vineyards which were not hers.

She was not able to pursue her own interests, her own well-being, for she was forced into labor, that is, she grew up among the people she grew up among, picking up their ways and traits.  It is common that we take after the ways of those we grow up among.

Following after the ways of those she had grown up with, she had not looked to herself, had not looked to see what was the truth in life.  But now, desiring the Lord, she sees that she has been destitute in this regard, that is, she confesses that she is poor (poor in spirit), i.e., has not kept her own vineyard.

Vs. 7
Or, how do I draw near to you?  For why should I look elsewhere than to you?  John 6:67-68.

Vs. 8
The answer from the Lord: follow the church, the flock, and her example; draw near to the shepherds, (the elders and the teachers), and learn the truth.  Remember the Bereans, Acts 17:10-11.

Vs. 9-11
His love for the church.

(Cf. John 14:23 for the plural in regard to God).
Proverbs 1:9, where instruction and teaching are ornaments for the head & neck; Proverbs 25:11-12, where the ability to answer wisely and to wisely reprove are ornaments of gold in a silver setting, and gold ornaments.

Vs. 12
Philippians 4:18, our works are a fragrant aroma to the Lord, as we serve him at his table, Luke 17:5-10, 2Cor 2:14-17.

Vs. 13-14
The sweet fragrance of Christ, which the church holds close to her heart.

Vs. 15
The view of Christ towards the church, emphatically repeated, his love for her.

Vs. 16-17
The reply of the church, of how beautiful Christ is to her, and how the place of our interaction with him is a well-constructed, beautiful home, John 14:23, “Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.”  (As Armageddon is a spiritual battleground, so this house is a spiritual house.)

Chapter 2
Vs. 1
The Shulamite speaking.

Vs. 2
So much greater is the church to him than any other!  For the unbelieving and apostate world here is referred to as thorns, while the church is the lily.

Vs. 3
Generally speaking, you don’t randomly come upon fruit trees in the forest.  So here, among the trees which are barren for human food, Christ is referred to as a fruit-bearing tree, an apple tree, and so she took her rest, her relief, under his shade (for we are under his wings, Matt 23:37, Ps 17:8, under his protection, and he gives us rest, Matt 11:28), and comments on how sweet Christ is to those who taste of Him, Ps 34:8, 119:103.

Vs. 4
A joyful celebration, a celebration of His love for the church.  Luke 15:7, 10, joy over the repentant.

Vs. 5
Ps 6; 13; 63:6-8; 119:145-152

Vs. 6
Ps 63:6-8

Vs. 7
Proverbs 13:12 (“hope deferred makes the heart sick…”).  Since we are in a state of betrothal, we are in a state of anticipation, looking forward to and yearning for the day to come when we are with the Lord forever.  Until that time, the heart can only yearn, and how it longs to be satisfied!

Vs. 8-9a
1Chr 12:8, the swiftness of a gazelle on the mountains, the swiftness of the Savior to save his people, Isaiah 46:13, Hebrews 10:37-38.

Vs. 9b-10
Rev. 3:20, “…I stand at the door and knock…”  He is looking for us, as in the parable of the lost sheep, Matthew 18:12ff.  The time has come for her to be saved, and so he has come to her.

Vs. 11-13
Springtime is the time of renewal, the time of love.  The call is out from the Lord, now is the time to be saved, to be renewed of heart.  Ezekiel 16:8; Eph. 4:22-23; Ps. 103:3-5; 2Cor 4:16; Col 3:9-10

Vs. 14
As Adam and Eve hid from him in the garden after sinning, Genesis 3:8.  She is hiding, but there’s no need, for he calls to her gently of his love for her; she hides from shame, but he entreats her with to come forth, and to taste of his love.  Though she is conscious of her sins, her infirmities, yet she is beautiful to him.  

Vs. 15
Depending on who this is attributed to, the meaning varies.  If to her brothers, which is likely, then they call to her to tend to the vineyard they had forced her to attend to, i.e., the constant call of the world for us to leave the Lord and return to them, and be like them; for there is always a reason to return, if we desire to.  To the world there are always pressing matters in their eyes that require us, metaphorically speaking, or evil ways they wish us to join in on; these things now matter little to us, and this they don’t understand.  

If her beloved, then it is the call for us to expose and rid the church of those who from within destroy her.  For false teachers prey upon those who as of yet have not grown to full strength, i.e., the tender grapes, and ruin them.

Vs. 16
If the above is to be understood of her brothers, then this is her answer, that she cannot return for she belongs to Christ, and him to her, and she must be where the flock is, among the lilies.  If it’s to be understood of her beloved, then this is her renewed closeness to him after having hid from him, her closeness regained after she received her charge from him to see to those destroyers amongst her.

Vs. 17
Her call, that until the times comes for us to be with him in eternity, to still come swiftly to her.  To swiftly return, and take her away forever.

Chapter 3
Vs. 1-3
A picture of the different ways men pusue religion, and where Christ is to be found.
-At first she sought him in her dreaming, but he was not found; Jeremiah 27:9, jude 8, Isaiah 56:10.
-Next she looked for him among the world, but didn’t find him.
-She went to the watchmen, the religious leaders, but they did not know where he was.  They went about the city, that is, they intermingled with the world.  There were false prophets among Israel, as there is the antichrist among us.  Jeremiah 6:16-17, Isaiah 56:10, Isaiah 62:6, Ezekiel 3:17

Vs. 4
When she saw they had no answer, she moved on, and immediately found him.

Jer 29:13-14, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”  When we seek for the truth, and do not content ourselves with what this man says, and what that man says, when in truth from the heart we earnestly seek for him according to his ways, through his word, we will find him.

Having now found the one she loves, she held on to him, and would not let him go.  Thus we are to cling to the Lord, and refuse to let go for anything.  Compare Elisha with Elijah, 2Kings 2.
She brought him into the innermost place she could bring him, as close as she could to herself.

Vs. 5
Hope deferred…

Vs. 6-11
The King, on the day of his wedding.  The splendor of his arrival, in likelihood this signifies his arrival for his earthly mission, as he has a guard “for fear in the night,” which there shall be no fear left at the wedding on the day of judgment, but there certainly was when he was here, for Satan and Israel sought to defeat him.  Possibly signifying the angels who guarded him, Psalm 91:11-12, quoted by Satan when he tempted him.

Hebrews 12:2, “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Also Ephesians 4:8.

Chapter 4
Vs. 1-5
The love of Christ for the church.

Vs. 6
2Peter 1:9, the day dawning is eternity, the shadow of death flees away.  Until then he has gone away, ever-present with us, but hidden from us, off preparing a home for us.

Vs. 7
- 2 Peter 3:14-15, “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;”
- 1 Tim 6:14-15, “that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing,”
- Heb 9:14-15, “how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

Vs. 8-15
The Lord’s love for us.

Vs. 16
What our response should be; that he should be able to enjoy the fruits of his love for us, that we should give ourselves wholly to him, and be obedient in all things.  In Rev. 5:8, the prayers of the saints are described as incense.

Chapter 5
Vs. 1
When he has been filled, then he gives to all the church of the bounty he enjoys, and gives of himself to her, that they may have sweet communion one with the other.

Vs. 2-6
In this vignette, when Christ comes to call, she is sleepy, and doesn’t wish to answer, for he came at an unseasonable time.  But we are to be ready, “instant in season and out of season,” 2Timothy 4:2.

How often when the call comes, we are not quite sleeping, but not quite awake! (For she slept but her heart was awake.)  But her heart yearned for him, so she arose, but she had delayed, and now the time had passed, and now he had left, and didn’t hear when she called.  He has withdrawn his favor as a just penalty for her neglect.  How often is this the case with us; he is ready to open to us, and calls out for us, but yet we give all manner of excuse (Matt 22:2ff).

Vs. 7
The watchmen are the religious leaders, who should have been looking after the people, but instead fed on and devoured them.  In Israel, it was the watchmen who killed Jesus, and in NT times, a correlation can be made to the Catholic Church.  They are the ones who say they are the true church, and when men began to break away from them, they committed all manner of heinous acts against them.

Vs. 8
Having passed on from those who abuse her for her search, she heartbreakingly says to any who “profess” of the truth that she is seeking after him, and tell her if they find him!

Vs. 9
Does not the world call to uas, saying that our God is no different than their gods, that one is as good as the other, and all lead to truth?  That ours is a myth as theirs, and as of the same value?

Vs. 10-16
When we are thus told, that our God is no different, we tell of his beauty, of why he is different, Ps 96:4-6, Ps 27:4.

Or, as we are his body, so all who are a part of it are made into wonderful beauty.  However, I do think this is a description of Him, and not us.  However, we are the body of Christ.

Another thought - we are the body of Christ.  When the Shulamite is described by Him, we are told of the beauty of the individual members.  When Christ looks at us, he sees beauty.  When we look at His body, which is also us, the church, we see strength, as His body is here described by strong objects.  The male is strength, the female is beauty.  We look to the church for strength, for we strengthen and exhort one another, Ecc. 4:12, Hebrews 10:24-25.

Chapter 6
Having heard of the Christ, they earnestly seek to know where they might find him.

Vs. 2-3
He feeds us in the good places; where he takes his return, there he feeds us.

Vs. 4-7
Again overcome by his love for her, he again makes comparisons for her.
 
Vs. 8-10
There are many, but there is only one church, the offspring of the heavenly Jerusalem, Galatians 4:26.  There is nothing here which compares with her in the sight of God.

Vs. 11-12
She went down to see, that is, she set her heart after him, and before she even knew, she had been transformed.  This is the lot of the Christian: we have become different before we even realize it; it is only later that we see what we have become, Ephesians 4:24, Colossians 3:10.

Vs. 13
The wandering of man, and the earnest desire of God to redeem him.  The fourfold call to return, and the nature of man; the dance of the two camps, that is, the struggle of the two natures within us, “For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please,” Galatians 5:17.

Chapter 7
We are the body of Christ, and members thereof, Romans 12:4-8 & 1Corinthians 12:14-27.  As we are one a hand, and one a foot, one this, and one that, so we are all beautiful to Him.
Vs. 1-6
His love for her, how often he has repeated it; how great then is his love!

Vs. 7-8
See Ezekiel 23.

Vs. 9
Her speech is like the best wine for him.

Vs. 10 - 8:3
His desire is towards her, and so he follows where he leads her, off to a good place.
As it isn’t proper for lovers to kiss in the open, so openly showing the overflowing love in our heart towards him isn’t proper; but that she could!  But as the world despises those who make a show of their love in public, so the world despises us in our love for Christ, if poured out openly.

Vs. 4
Hope deferred…

Vs. 5-7
Where she had sought shade and refreshment under the apple tree, now he declares that it was then that she was brought forth.

Either the bringing forth of the church from it’s mother, Israel, or the bringing forth of the individual Christian (or, of Israel being brought out of the wilderness into the ladn of Canaan, which is a type of the church in the world (the wilderness), awaiting her final redemption out of the temporal into eternity.

The seal, Rev 9:4, Eze 9:4; we are to settle and acknowledge in our hearts that we are his, to set our hearts to follow him.  For as death lays hold of us and doesn’t release us back to the land of the living, so is his love for us, of this strength.  If we stray from him, if we turn back and commit adultery with the world, we will arouse in him a jealousy, a fiercer anger than if we had never known him, 2Peter 2:20-22, Heb 10:38

Vs. 8-9
One who is not ready yet for the Lord.  In the day that they turn to him, they are one of two kinds; either a wall, strong and impenetrable, or a door, weak, and the way through the wall.  If they be a wall, they may be a source of strength to be built upon, but if a door, we must enclose them, that is, guard and protect them, until they do become a wall.

Vs. 10
The Shulamite is a wall, strong and at peace, with the peace given her by Christ, John 14:27, Philippians 4:6-7 (cf. Jeremiah 1:18).

Vs. 11
Luke 20:9-19, 13:6-9.  He has leased the vineyard to us, to the church, and he expects a return from us.  Luke 17:7-10.

Vs. 12
Before, in verse 6, she had not tended to her vineyard, but now she sees it before her.

Our own field of work is before us; and in our labor, we also eat of the fruit of our work, for, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out grain,” Deut 25:4, and again, “The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops,” 2Tim 2:6, meaning, it is only right that we receive a share in our work for him, but only if we work.  “The laborer is worthy of his wages,” Luke 10:7, 1Tim 5:17.

Joy as a wage
3 John 4,  I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.
Hebrews 12:2, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Luke 15:7, "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Proverbs 12:20, Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, But counselors of peace have joy.
Psalm 51:8, Make me to hear joy and gladness, Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.
Eccl 5:20, For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart. RSV

Vs. 13
It is we who dwell in the gardens, and He longs to hear from us; Ps 55:22, 1Peter 5:7.  The companions, our fellow christians, we have our fellowship with each other, our friendships, and He desires the same with us, our friendship and fellowship; remember Enoch, “Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him,” Genesis 5:22-24.  Of none of the others does it say that they walked with God; Enoch alone.

Vs. 14
We long for his return, “He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus,” Revelation 22:20.