Monthly Archive for September, 1999

2 Thessalonians 2:1

Published on September 30, 1999 in 2 Thessalonians. 0 Comments
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“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you…”
 
Chapter 2 transitions from more general subjects of prophecy to a specific subject–the Day of the Lord. The Thessalonians misunderstood some things about prophecy so Paul corrects these errors in the first 12 verses. Nowhere else in the Bible can we find a similar consideration of this subject of Scripture.
 
In 1 Thessalonians Paul taught the Thessalonians that the Day of the Lord would come as “a thief in the night” (5:2). They falsely drew an implication from the imminent coming of Christ that He was coming immediately. Because of their severe persecution, they thought that they were now in the Tribulation. Paul shows in the first five verses how the church will escape the wrath of God’s Tribulation on earth.
Now, brethren,
Paul softens his correction of the Thessalonians with the word “brethren.”
concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
Paul shows that the Lord will not come until there first come three events: 1) a falling away of the church in apostasy, 2) the removal of the restrainer of the man of sin, and 3) the manifestation of the man of sin.
Paul used the word “coming” for the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 2:9 and 4:15 before the coming Tribulation. The New Testament also uses the word “coming” for the Revelation [Second Coming] of Christ at the end of the Tribulation (Matthew 24:27, 37, 39). Our context indicates that the Rapture is referred to by the clause “our gathering together to Him.” Paul is speaking to the church at Thessalonica.
The chapter as a whole deals with the Day of the Lord, that is, the period beginning with the Rapture, including the Tribulation and the Second Coming. The next verse shows that the Thessalonians bought into erroneous doctrine about future events. They concluded that they would have to go through the Tribulation before Christ would come back. Since the Thessalonians were experiencing persecution, they thought that Jesus’ coming was near.
and our gathering together to Him,
The “coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” and “our gathering together to Him” are one and the same event because both phrases are governed by the definite article “the”.
One day all Christians will come together as a single group at the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:17). We will all be one then. There will be no doctrinal differences. Every nuance of truth will be perfectly clear at that time. Jesus is the grand meeting place around whom the church gathers. He is the focal point of our accord.
“Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:17-18 ).
The only other occurrence of “gathering together” in the New Testament is in Hebrews 10:25 referring to a church gathered together in assembly worship.
“…not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).
we ask you
Paul corrects the Thessalonians by appealing to their own logic–he “asks” them [entreat]. This is the idiom of grace. He does not use a condescending approach or a stern reprimand. This is the first approach to people who fall into error. If this does not work, you must use an approach like Paul used with the Galatians [castigation] because they entrenched themselves in error. When it comes to a subject like prophecy, there is room for a more moderate approach to truth.
Principle:
The best is yet ahead.
Application:
The Bible teaches that there will be an unprecedented period of tribulation on the earth of seven years. Jeremiah calls it “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7). This is a time of trouble for Israel and Gentiles, not the church. Confusing Israel with the church is a great error of interpretation. The Rapture has to do with the church but the Tribulation has to do with bringing Israel back to God (Daniel 12:1).
The best is yet ahead for the church. One day Jesus will come to snatch us into heaven. We call this the Rapture or the translation of the church. This is our “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13).
Note the distinctions between the Rapture and the Second Coming:
Rapture
·        The Rapture is for the church only
·        Jesus comes in the air
·        Jesus comes for the church
·        He rewards believers
·        Physical body becomes immortal
·        Christ as Bridegroom
·        Comfort
·        Translated to Heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)
·        Mystery (1 Corinthians 15:50f)
Second Coming
·        The Second Coming is a worldwide event
·        Jesus comes to the earth
·        Jesus comes with the church
·        He judges unbelievers
·        Environment changed
·        Christ as King and Judge
·        Terror
·        Taken away in judgment (Matthew 24:37f)
·        Known event (Zechariah 14:4)
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2 Thessalonians 1:12

Published on September 29, 1999 in 2 Thessalonians. 0 Comments
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“…that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ“
 
We come to the fourth and final petition that Paul prays for the Thessalonians.
 
that
The word “that” is a conjunction expressing purpose. The purpose of Paul’s prayer is that the Thessalonians will glorify the name of Jesus with a testimony for Him on earth.
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
The word “name” here stands for all that the name of Jesus implies: character, majesty, power, excellence. It is all that He is in His person and work, His renown.
“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2: 9-11).
“Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity’” (2 Timothy 2:19).
may be glorified
The ultimate purpose for each Christian is to glorify the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christians should yield everything in their life toward this end, even their own happiness.
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
in you,
We glorify the Lord Jesus in our person and work. If we build our spirits with the edification that comes from applying the principles of God’s Word to experience, there is a capacity in us that can glorify Christ.
and you in Him,
If we glorify Christ with our lives, the Lord Jesus Christ will give us glory. When the world recognizes the manifest glory of Christ as the God-man at the Second Coming, we will receive glory in association with Him. There is a glory in becoming a Christian and walking the Christian life.
according to
The words “according to” mean according to the norm and standard of. Grace is our standard for glorifying the Lord Jesus. We glorify Him by who He is and what He did. We do not glorify Him by who we are and what we do, by merit.
“…who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began…” (2 Timothy 1:9).
However, our works can glorify Him but even these works come from God’s grace. It is only because God accomplished something in us, do others glorify God in us.
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ
One definite article precedes both “God” and “Lord Jesus Christ” implying that grace comes from both in inseparable unity. No action of ourselves will bring glory to Christ. It is only by the grace of God that we can glorify God. We can trace answered prayer back to God’s grace.
Principle:
God’s ultimate purpose for every Christian is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.
Application:
The ultimate purpose for every Christian is to hold high the glory of Jesus Christ. If we tell the world about the person and work of the Lord Jesus, we hold Him in high honor.
Christians will be held in high honor as well because their holy life glorifies the Savior. The Christian holds Christ in high honor only by grace.
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2 Thessalonians 1:11d

Published on September 28, 1999 in 2 Thessalonians. 0 Comments
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“Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power…“
 
The third thing Paul prays is that the Thessalonians will work their faith with power.
 
and the work of faith with power
Faith carries power. Do we do the pleasure of God’s will by faith with power? We cannot live a life of faith without God’s power. We will never reach the potential of our faith without that power.
Principle:
Christians should walk worthy of their “work of faith with power.”
Application:
We engage God by faith. When we do that, we receive a power that is not our own. Sin tugs at our souls. We cannot live the Christian life by logic or reason. We must draw on the resources of God. That brings power.
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [those who lived by faith in chapter 11], let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 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” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
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2 Thessalonians 1:11c

Published on September 27, 1999 in 2 Thessalonians. 0 Comments
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“Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power…”
 
Paul’s second petition was that God would enable the Thessalonians to fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness.
 
and fulfill
God wants to “fulfill” something in us. He wants to do it to the full. He will complete the job. He will do the most for you, not the least. He wants the best for us, not the worse.
“…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ…” (Philippians 1:6).
all the good pleasure of His goodness
The Holy Spirit here declares that, through him, the Thessalonians would bring “the good pleasure of goodness” to fruition in their lives. “Goodness” is more than kindness for it can include stern qualities (Matthew 21:12,13; 23:13-29). In every case, it includes the idea of giving or generosity. This is a quality of a person filled with the Spirit.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).
All goodness in us comes from God’s grace, not from self.
“Good pleasure” means a good desire. Paul prays that their will would line up with their calling.
Principle:
The spirit of generosity comes from the filling of the Holy Spirit.
Application:
Do you want to fulfill the purpose God has for you? Do you want to be so given to God that you will do anything that He asks? God wants our best. Our best can only come from the filling of the Holy Spirit. God will work in your life if you act in His power, allowing His Spirit to work.
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2 Thessalonians 1:11b

Published on September 26, 1999 in 2 Thessalonians. 0 Comments
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“Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power…“
 
Paul prays for four things for the Thessalonians. First, he prays about their walk in relationship to their calling.
 
that our God would count you worthy of this calling,
The words “count worthy” mean deem it suitable. Paul prays that God would find of the Thessalonians worthy so that He would look on them favorably.
This word does not mean make you worthy. It is a causative word in the Greek. God is the cause of worthiness, not us.
The Christian’s walk should suit his salvation. The Christian is headed for heaven. The best is yet ahead but his present life should reflect his future life.
“…which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer…” (1 Thessalonians 1:5).
Principle:
We should live Christian lives in keeping with our eternal destiny.
Application:
No Christian is worthy of salvation but we can live lives consistent with our eternal future.
“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).
“Does your life reflect ‘the upward call of God in Christ Jesus’? When you arrive in heaven, will God be grieved by the way you lived, or will He say, ‘Well done. You have walked worthy of me’?”
“So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” (Acts 5:41-42).
“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God…” (Colossians 1:9-10).
“…that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory” (1 Thessalonians 2:12).
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2 Thessalonians 1:11

Published on September 25, 1999 in 2 Thessalonians. 0 Comments
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“Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power…”
 
Paul now begins a prayer that the Thessalonians would develop certain qualities consistent with their calling.
 
Therefore
The “therefore” reaches back to the previous verse. Since the Christian is to reflect Christ’s glory and admire his Savior, Paul prays that the Thessalonians would prepare themselves so that their lives would harmonize with the Lord’s character.
we also pray
The thought of the Second Coming of Christ spurs Paul to pray for the Thessalonians in their present spiritual condition so that they may have a testimony of life at the Second Coming.
always
The word “always” occurs in Paul’s prayer in 1:3. Paul put great and persistent effort into prayer.
“Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church” (Acts 12:5).
“…praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—…” (Ephesians 6:18).
for you
Praying for others is intercessory prayer. Many of us pray for me and mine. We spend little time in prayer for others. We are quick to pray for our immediate family but slow to pray for someone else’s family.
“Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way” (1 Samuel 12:23).
“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16).
Principle:
We cannot pretend in prayer because God’s presence exposes superficiality in our hearts.
Application:
Christians should be at their best when they are in prayer. When we enter prayer, we enter the presence of God. We cannot pretend in God’s presence for He sees our heart. He is the only being who fully knows our hearts. He exposes all the hypocrisy of our hearts.
It is wonderful to know that we can count on certain people to pray for us in times of trouble. United intercessory prayer is even more powerful. When people mix their prayers together, something more powerful comes of their prayers. Something more happens when people pray together.
“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).
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2 Thessalonians 1:10

Published on September 24, 1999 in 2 Thessalonians. 0 Comments
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“…when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed“
 
Verse 9 declared that Jesus’ power will be put on display by His presence.
 
when He comes,
The time when Jesus will recompense believers will be at His Second Coming. The word “when” is indefinite for we do not know the exact time of this coming.
in that Day,
This coming of the Lord Jesus is the Second Coming, not the Rapture. At this coming, He will fight the battle of Armageddon and then establish His Kingdom on earth for 1000 years (Revelation 19:11-20:4). He will establish justice for the saints then.
to be glorified in His saints
Jesus will be glorified in, not by, the saints. The saints will mirror Jesus in that day. When Jesus comes, He will be the object of great honor because He transformed the lives of His saints. Worldwide glory for Christ is the ultimate purpose of creation. He will rule for 1000 years then He will deliver up the Kingdom to the Father so that God may be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:24). He will establish permanent glory for the Father. God’s purpose for our lives is to glorify Christ.
“The glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
And all flesh shall see it together;
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken” (Isaiah 40:5)
and to be admired among all those who believe,
Jesus will be honored in the saints and “admired” by all those who believe. The word “admired” signifies to wonder at, marvel. They will be astonished at who He truly is and that He made good on all His promises. Believers will marvel at His Kingdom.
because our testimony among you was believed
The Thessalonians will participate in the glory of the Second Coming because they believed the gospel. We will not share in this because of our morality but because of the work of Christ on the cross. Christians have a marvelous future because we believed the gospel.
Principle:
Jesus is the celebrity for the Christian.
Application:
The white heat of God’s presence will blow away pretense. No superficiality will stand in God’s presence. When Jesus comes, we will see the wonder of what He did very clearly. He accrued all of the merit we need for eternity. We could do nothing to gain or earn salvation. He sustains us on earth so He will receive the glory for that as well. He will overcome the problems of the world by setting up His Kingdom. We will greatly admire His wonderful person and work!
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2 Thessalonians 1:9b

Published on September 23, 1999 in 2 Thessalonians. 0 Comments
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“These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power…“
 
from the presence of the Lord
 
We can see the nature of “everlasting destruction” in two “from” clauses. First, everlasting destruction is “from the presence of the Lord.” The word “presence” means face. Those who reject Christ will have no fellowship with God for eternity. They will not meet Him in personal relationship. God will drive them far from His presence, the true life of His presence, life as it should be lived. Life wholly devoid of God Himself is life without significance.
 
and from the glory of His power
The second limitation in everlasting destruction is separation from the majesty of God’s visible splendor and power, His majesty.
“Power” here denotes ability, force, strength. This is a strength afforded by power. In this verse, “power” indicates strength afforded by power.
God’s power has a “glory.” The “glory” of His power signifies the visible expression of Jesus’ inherent personal power. Jesus has the exceptional ability to do what He has to do. He has the special personal ability to be the source for true, eternal, quality life. When we separate ourselves from Him, we cannot have the quality of life God wants us to have.
Jesus has not yet manifested His power on earth. He has yet to do that. His glorious power will set things right. He will set up a worldwide kingdom where He will put everything right. His new administration will execute justice as never before in history. He will judge sin instantly by His omniscience. He will not allow judges to miscarry justice. No Philadelphia lawyer will spin things into some convoluted meaning. He will turn no criminal loose to again perpetrate his crimes on others.
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory” (Matthew 25:31).
Principle:
God will separate non-Christians eternally from the essence of His presence, the quality of the life of God.
Application:
It is difficult for fallen man to see the significance of losing fellowship with God because He knows nothing of it. The fall of man alienated him from that understanding. His only hope is to trust Christ’s death for his sin and thus receive reconciliation to God’s assessment on life.
God will banish those who reject Christ from His presence and majesty. They will forever lose the opportunity to connect to what gives meaning to life. This is their eternal fate.
Non-Christians suffer here and hereafter. Christians suffer only here. Non-Christians miss fellowship with God now. They will miss it for eternity after death.
“…then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment…” (2 Peter 2:9).
There is a day of reckoning for those without Christ, a day of judgment. It is inexorable and irrevocable. It comes quickly. The only hope is to embrace the death of Christ to pay for our sins. Do not hesitate to embrace the Savior.
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2 Thessalonians 1:9

Published on September 22, 1999 in 2 Thessalonians. 7 Comments
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“These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power…”
 
These
 
The word “these” is qualitative, emphasizing the class of those described in verse 8.
shall be punished
The word punished means to pay a price [by way of return], to pay a penalty. God will repay the persecutors of the church at Thessalonica by giving them “eternal destruction” in return for rejecting the gospel and persecuting the messengers of the gospel. They will not escape God’s retribution.
with everlasting destruction
“Destruction” means ruin, death. Because a number of evangelicals today reject the idea of eternal punishment, we need to study this word more extensively. Some say that “destruction” means annihilation. This word does not imply annihilation or temporary retribution.
The New Testament uses this word of the physical death for a believer out of fellowship (1 Corinthians 5:5). Because this person did not repent of living in adultery with his stepmother, Paul gave him over to Satan “for the destruction of his flesh [his physical body] that his spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
In 1 Timothy 6:9, Paul shows the consequences of indulging the flesh. There will be irrevocable physical ruin. Indulging the flesh ruins people.
Paul uses “destruction” in our verse and 1 Thessalonians 5:3 to describe the effect of God’s judgments in the Day of the Lord [the Tribulation] and the Second Coming of Christ. The nature of “destruction” in this verse is that it is “everlasting.”
In a few passages (Romans 16:25; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 1:2) “everlasting” means duration undefined but not necessarily endless. However, we can see the dominant meaning of “everlasting” in 63 other passages, such as 2 Corinthians 4:18 where it is set in contrast to phrases such as “for a season.”
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
The New Testament uses “everlasting” for persons and things which are in themselves endless: of God (Romans 16:26), God’s power (1 Timothy 6:16), God’s glory (1 Peter 5:10), the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 9:14), the redemption effected by Christ (Hebrews 9:12), salvation (Hebrew 5:9), Christ’s future rule (2 Peter 1:9) which the Bible declares to be without end, the life received when we believe in Christ (John 3:16) ["they shall never perish"], and the resurrection body (2 Corinthians 5:1) [elsewhere said to be "immortal" in 1 Corinthians 15:53].
“Everlasting” is something without beginning (Romans 16:25; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 1:2), without beginning or end (Genesis 21:33; Isaiah 26:4; 40:28; Hebrews 9:14), and without end (2 Corinthians 5:1; 2 Thessalonians 2:16; 1 Timothy 6:16; Hebrews 9:12; 13:20; Revelations 14:6).
The use of “everlasting” here shows that God’s judgment is final with no appeal (Hebrews 6:2) and is “unquenchable” (Mark 9:43). This is not remedial but retributive justice. It is not temporary but final judgment. It is of unlimited duration of time–eternal, as God’s eternal power and divine nature are “everlasting” (Romans 1:20; 16:26).
Note the parallel between “everlasting punishment” and “eternal life.” If heaven is to possess eternal life, then hell is everlasting punishment. Everlasting punishment lasts as long as eternal life. If we shorten hell, we shorten heaven.
“And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:46).
“Everlasting destruction” ultimately means that those without Christ will lose everything that gives worth to our existence. We see that worth in the next two clauses.
Principle:
Non-Christians incur eternal destruction because of God’s justice.
Application:
God is always consistent with Himself. He always uses proper legal procedure in passing out judgment.
The idea that there is no everlasting hell attracts men. They love the idea that God annihilates those without Christ from conscious existence because then they would not have to face their liability before Him. Men are not like horses that black out when they die. People go on forever.
The essence behind the idea of hell in the Bible is justice. God is not capricious or cruel. He must be consistent with Himself. He must be true to Himself. If He bends the policy (steps outside His character), He would no longer be consistent with Himself. If He were no longer consistent with Himself, He would no longer be absolute. If He were no longer absolute, He could not be the supreme God of the universe. He would be a fractured being that we could not trust.
Hell is a place we choose. If we choose to reject God’s plan of salvation in Christ, then we make ourselves sovereign. We think we know what is the best way for the universe to operate. The outcome of this is eternal destruction.
Non-Christians love to say, “I want to go to hell because that is where all my friends are.” They miss the essence of hell in this. Hell is a place of deep alienation, alienation from God and from other people. It is a place of loneliness.
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2 Thessalonians 1:8

Published on September 21, 1999 in 2 Thessalonians. 4 Comments
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“…in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ“

 

in flaming fire

Paul describes the eternal judgment on those without Christ as a judgment of “in fire of flame.”

taking vengeance

Biblical vengeance punishes people based on what they rightly deserve. God gives justice to persecuted Christians by inflicting harm on their enemies. It is not a matter of emotional retaliation or revenge out of a sense of personal rejection, but a matter of justice.

on those who do not know God,

God will take vengeance on two groups of people: 1) those who do not know God, and 2) those who do not obey the gospel. There is no freedom from guilt by ignorance (Romans 1:18-21, 28-30). There is culpability because God revealed Himself to them in nature.

And on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ

There is a greater onus on this second group because they understood the implications of the gospel clearly. Clearly exposed to the light of revelation, they rebelled against it (John 3:19). They heard the gospel and rejected it.

There are many people even in evangelical churches who have heard the gospel but rejected it. This phrase refers to them as well as others who have had wide exposure to the gospel.

Principle:

God always executes punishment with justice.

Application:

None of us likes to think about eternal retribution. We are like children who do not want to face the cost of our choices. Those who reject Christ will not be able to use a rationalization about hell as an excuse for rejecting Him.

“For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17).

God’s great challenge to you who have heard the gospel but reject it, is,

“Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7).

“But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered” (Romans 6:17).

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