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NASB | Hebrews 11:39 ¶ And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Hebrews 11:39 ¶ And all of these, though they gained [divine] approval through their faith, did not receive [the fulfillment of] what was promised, |
Subject: Promise? |
Bible Note: Dear Indy, Greetings from Yokohama in the name of Jesus! My friend, I agree that salvation is a part of the promise of God, but is it the whole promise? I think that we may have to more fully express what salvation is in order to be able to say we are recipients of the full promise of God. For instance, Jesus paid the full price for our sin-debt on the Cross, and this is ours by grace through faith. In this, I can accept Dr. Stanley's analogy as a portion of the promise to the saints of old, and to us as well. But wasn't there more to the promise to Israel than just 'getting out of Egypt?' Wasn't there a land, a dwelling place for them, that they were supposed to go to? In the Old Testament, this was the Promised Land, and only two arrived of the original recipients of this whole promise. (Even Moses did not rate!) However, even after crossing the Jordan, we find that just entering the physical Promised Land did not give them all the blessings. At the end of Joshua's days, there were still many uncircumcised enemies in their land. (sounds somthing like the church of today! :-)) I'm sorry if this is a bit disjointed (I am battling jet-lag), but my point is that it is not only the promise of salvation from deserved hell, but a promise of a dwelling place in our Savior. Perhaps this would be the church. Not the physical building or even the denomination or bent, but a household of God. "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit." Ephesians 2:19-22 NASB. IMHO, this real place of promise is the local church, the expression of Christ. Out of hell, and in His body. Thoughts? In Christ Jesus, charis |