Scripture has the aqua background; commentary has the yellow background.
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Now, just what is Spiritual Light and how do we get it? Jesus told the woman at the well something very interesting about God the Father. It seems that to know Him, and to worship Him, we must understand His Nature and seek Him in the way that He wants. God, Jesus says, is a Spirit and those who would worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. |
| After He talked with the woman as related in
John 4, she went into the village and proclaimed that Jesus was the Christ to all that she met.
It is interesting that the Samaritans did not really believe the woman until they heard Jesus and the words He spoke for themselves. It is the same today. Everyone must hear the gospel for himself and the words must be quickened to each individual heart with revelation knowledge, bringing about the new birth. That is the way God has decreed it. |
And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world. - John 4:39-42 |
He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee That thou art Peter [interpreted: a small stone] and upon this rock [interpreted: a huge boulder] I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. - Matt.: 16:15-18 |
Here Jesus seemed "impressed" with Peter's
answer. He said that Peter did not get his knowledge from man, but from God. This comes
from Spiritual Light, or revelation knowledge. When we
receive Truth from God and it enters our mind and our heart -- not just our mind only -- we
have received Spiritual Light which makes God manifest to us through
revelation knowledge. Jesus is building His Church on revelation knowledge of Himself. Those who receive Him receive the Light of His Truth and know Him, not just know about Him. |
| Jesus said that He was going to build His Church on the same kind of knowledge that Peter received: the knowledge that He (Jesus) was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. That means that all in the Church will receive their knowledge by inner revelation. God would reveal Christ (the Living Word) and the Bible (the Written Word) by His Spirit to all who would come. He will continue progressively to reveal His Truth as the individual grows in grace and knowledge. This is Spiritual Light. | Howbeit when he, the Spirit
of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but
whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall
glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. - John 16:13, 14
(This is Jesus speaking to His disciples both then
and today.)
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| Let that therefore abide in
you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning
shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the
promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. These things have I written unto you
concerning them that seduce you. But the anonting which ye have received of him abideth in
you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teaching you of all things,
and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. - 1
John 2:24-27 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. - 2 Cor 3:18 |
Men and institutions may teach others an academic
subject and they thereby receive head knowledge. Revelation knowledge goes much, much further
and is spiritual in nature. In short, it comes as a result of Spiritual Light. We need teachers in the Church, but they are not just to teach about Jesus Christ, or teach principles -- academically -- and leave it at that. They are to seek to lead others to Christ so that Christ by His Spirit may teach from within. When the Word of God is taught to born again believers it does more than just instruct the mind. Accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit, it transforms the individual's inner spirit. Over time the individual will be transformed in the Image of Christ as he feeds on the Word and walks in the Light. |
| God has so arranged it that all who are in Christ have been placed into Christ because they have received Him unto themselves. To receive Him is not merely to passively accept Him, or join a local church, but is to have the very heart affected by being "born again." There will be spiritual conversion; and revelation knowledge will be received. The Spiritual Light given by God and received by man is thereby restored and the Good Shepherd Himself leads and "feeds" His Sheep. | Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth is own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. - John 10:1-5 |
| My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. - John 10:27-30 | In the Great Shepherd's hands we are secure. This is not speaking of membership in a local church. This is speaking of being In Christ and Christ in you! Christ as Shepherd does not drive His sheep; He leads them. We are not under laws and rules; we are under grace and truth; whereby Christ as our Good Shepherd keeps us in His care. |
| Jesus told Nicodemus, one of the religious rulers of the Jews, that no man could even see the Kingdom of God unless he was "born again." This is a spiritual rebirth. It means to be "born of the Spirit," or "born from above." When a person is born again, one of the things that happens is that he receives revelation knowledge of Jesus Christ. Another way of putting it is that Christ has been born in him. And Jesus becomes His Good Shepherd as explained in John 10. | There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. - John 3:1-3 |
| But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know he things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. - 1 Cor 2:10-16 | Paul says that unless one is spiritual, he cannot
understand spiritual things. No one can really understand the Bible unless he has spiritual
understanding. The Bible can be understand on a literal level by learned men; but even learned
men cannot understand it on a spiritual level unless they have been born again spiritually.
And sometimes the very ignorant who nevertheless understand the things of God through revelation,
put to shame learned men who are ignorant spiritually. It is an affront to God's way for God's children to allow worldly, unspiritual men to teach them when they should allow God's Holy Spirit through the Word to teach them, with the aid of Holy Spirit-led teachers. |
| Being born again and receiving teaching from God is what separates Christ's Church from the world, from unbelievers and from those who would "climb up some other way." It is what separates God's Truth from Religion. It is what separates True Christianity from False Christianity. | For ye are all the children
of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on
Christ. - Gal. 3:26, 27 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; Not of works lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. - Eph. 2:8-10 |
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