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[8b] "The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); [9] because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. [11] The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." [12] For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. [13] For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
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This is the Epistle selection to be read aloud on the first Sunday in Lent, Year C, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. It will follow a reading from Deuteronomy, where Moses gave instructions to remember the gathering of the first fruits each year. There he wrote, “When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of Yahweh eloheka, you shall make this response before Yahweh eloheka:” … “Yahweh brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.” That will precede a singing of Psalm 91, where David wrote: “He shall say to Yahweh, “You are my refuge and my stronghold, eloheka in whom I put my trust.”’ All will accompany the Gospel reading from Luke, where Jesus was tested in the wilderness. There we read, “Jesus answered [the devil], "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.”
This short selection for Paul’s letter to the Roman makes many Christians think salvation comes with no sever testing. It makes it seem like pretending to give up one little sinful pleasure for forty days each year will grant one an eternity of bliss in heaven, with God and Jesus. All of this is a misconstrued concept, where these verses written by Paul are translated so preachers can teach that false expectation. The fact that these verses are to be read aloud on the first Sunday in Lent says Paul wrote about what one needs to know, in order to pass that test with flying colors.
Missing from this reading is choice little tidbits that lead up to this selection, such as Paul writing in verse two, “I can testify that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened.” [NRSV] That, certainly, referred to the Jews, especially those of the Temple in Jerusalem, to whom Paul (as Saul) had fallen into that “zeal for God,” which was a drive not inspired by divine wisdom [“epignōsin” means “knowledge, discernment”]. He then said that lack of true understanding what God had told them (through divine Scripture) was “being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they have not submitted to God’s righteousness.” [verse 3, NRSV] That says that Scripture is written for the purpose of making people become “righteous,” not zealots. When Paul wrote “of God righteousness,” that means “ignorance” is removed by being led to understanding by God; and, that means being divinely possessed by God: a Yahweh elohim, reborn as Jesus. The state of “righteousness” cannot be achieved without that presence of God within one’s tiny brain. When people have not married their souls to Yahweh, they often will bend over backwards trying to make up for their lack of knowledge through overzealous acts of stupidity … in the name of God.
That lead-in needs to be known, before anyone can stand in a pulpit and toss out “Get to Heaven Free” cards. Those ignorant masses then wander into the wilderness, expecting to be passed quickly – like put into some suspended animation capsule in some sic-fi movie, awakened when the devil has already come and gone. The sad reality is: Thinking one is saved by belief that Jesus died for my sins is some slick Willie bamboozlement that leads to broken hearts and souls afire in damnation.
In verse four is a most important statement by Paul. The NRSV translates this as saying, “For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes,” but that needs some adjustment in translation. The Greek text is as follows: “telos gar nomou Christos , eis dikaiosynēn panti tō pisteuonti .” That literally translates to state: “the principal purpose indeed of law Christ , into righteousness to all this having faith in .” That needs to be firmly understood.
The only capitalized word in that verse is “Christos,” which is a divinely elevated statement of “Anointment.” This means Yahweh is the one who “Anoints” a soul as His wife-servant [a Yahweh elohim]. The word “Christos” is not the last name of Jesus of Nazareth … although Jesus was certainly “the Christ,” “Anointed” by the Father. Thus, Paul said, “the principal purpose of law” is to be “Anointed” by Yahweh; and, that says the “principal purpose of law” cannot be accomplished, unless one has become a “Christ,” “Anointed” by the Father.
This then leads to the core word found in the six verses selected for reading on the first Sunday in Lent, which is “pisteōs,” which can be read as “faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness.” The primary meaning is as “faith,” which is an elevated form of “belief.” The two are not the same thing, as “faith” is from personal knowledge and “belief” is from no experience, other than being told what to believe. Thus, the “principal purpose of law” is to be “Anointed” by Yahweh, and then enter “into” a state of being where “righteousness” is a divinely led personal experience. Once there, “everything” one does is understood to be from “having faith” in the “law,” as guided within through personal “Anointment” by Yahweh.
Now, none of this is read today; but one should be expected to understand how Paul began this by stating, “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart.” That comes with an aside [within parentheses], saying, “that is, the word of faith that we proclaim.” This needs to be understood, as well.
The NRSV places quotation marks around “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart.” This is because that is written in Deuteronomy 30, as “Now, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.” (Deuteronomy 30:14, NRSV) In that verse from Moses, twelve times prior to verse fourteen is stated “Yahweh eloheka,” which means “Yahweh your gods” – meaning the elohim possessed by Yahweh. In verse eight, Moses told the Israelites, “and you will come back , and obey the voice Yahweh , and do all this his commandments which I command you today .” This becomes relative to verse fourteen saying, “for near you the word muchness ; in your mouth and in your heart that you may do it .” That demands one realize exactly what Paul wrote in Greek.
Paul capitalized the first word of this quote, by writing “Engys,´which means “Near.” This becomes a divinely elevated word only by realizing this “Nearness” comes from Yahweh’s presence within. When Paul then combined the two words “rhema estin,” which says, “spoken word is,” the meaning of “estin” [“I am, exist”] becomes the “existence” of the “spoken word,” which comes from that Spirit that is “Near.” That then places the “spoken word in your mouth and in your heart.” There, the Greek word “kardia” is metaphor for the “soul,” as the word means “mind, character, inner self, will, intention, center.” Thus, Paul was clarifying what Moses said, as that state of divine possession is what becomes the “principal purpose of law.” It is that inner presence that brings about the “Christ,” so understanding makes a soul have the law written upon its “heart and mind.”
That quote from Moses is a “law,” which then was stated by Paul as being “the word of faith that we proclaim.” That takes the word “pisteōs” and directly connects it to this divine state of “Near,” where “faith” is knowing the presence of Yahweh within, not reading words of law from a scroll (or Christian Bible translated into English). When Paul said “we proclaim” [“kēryssomen”], that means the “preaching” of the meaning of the “spoken word” … as it is meant to be known … is the proof that says one has become “Anointed” by Yahweh (a "Christ," therefore one of many, who are likewise truly "Christians"). This means Paul identified true ministers and priests of Christianity as being those possessed by Yahweh; and, that was what separated them from the ignorant zealots who liked to wear fancy robes and high hats, while carrying ornate staffs in their hands … hoping no one would ever question their inability to understand Scripture as it was meant to be understood [proof one is not a Christ].
In verse nine, the mention of “Jesus” (a capitalized word), following the word “Christ” (a repeated capitalized word), the NRSV ignores the order of the words written and translates the verse as saying: “because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” This is totally misleading and needs close inspection of the Greek.
Paul wrote, “homologēsēs,” which has been translated as “you confess.” While that can be a valid translation, it makes it appear that one needs to come clean and admit something. The truth of the word’s meaning is this: “to speak the same, to agree.” According to WORDS Help-studies, “homologéō (from 3674 /homoú, "together" and 3004 /légō, "speak to a conclusion") – properly [means], to voice the same conclusion, i.e. agree ("confess"); to profess (confess) because in full agreement; to align with (endorse).” This says Paul was saying “if you speak the same” … which then says from your “mouth,” which has been “Anointed” by Yahweh … then “you speak the same as Jesus.” This is because the “Nearness” of Yahweh has brought forth within one’s soul the resurrection of His Son, who then takes the place of one’s soul (a lower-case “lord”), to become the divinely elevated “Lord” over one’s soul-body entity. Thus, a soul “Lorded” by “Jesus” will open its “mouth” and “speak the same” as would “Jesus.”
Now, I know there are so-called Christians who would shit themselves over the thought that anyone other than Jesus could ever be Jesus. However, Paul wrote that here in verse nine; and, he quoted Moses reminding the Israelites how they all “spoke the same” as Moses had taught them – to also be married in soul-Spirit to Yahweh, so He spoke through them. Paul was saying this is the way that proves being a Yahweh elohim AND it has always been this way. To be a “Christ” means to be reborn as “Jesus” and let his soul become one’s “Lord.” It is impossible to understand the law otherwise – always was, always is, and always will be.
In verse nine, Paul added that “faith” comes from Jesus being “in the heart of you,” which means one with one’s soul. He wrote, “Theos auton ēgeiren,” which says, “God the same raised,” where “the same” (which also can say “self,” with a “self” always being a “soul”) is the soul of Jesus being “raised.” Paul then added, “from out of dead,” but that needs to be understood as one of those double-edged swords that cuts two ways. It says Jesus’ “dead body” or “corpse” released his soul, so it could be “raised” in another soul-body of flesh. Still, one needs to grasp that being only a soul in a body of flesh means a soul is renting time in what will be a “corpse” one day; so, not being a soul married to Yahweh (giving rebirth to His Son) means one is a “dead” man walking (or woman). So, the resurrection of the soul of Jesus (“the same raised from out of dead”) means the gift of eternal life, given by that “Anointment” by the Father. That is how “one will be saved.” One is saved by Yahweh; and, the name "Jesus" means "Yah[weh] Will Save."
Verse ten repeats that “having faith” is relative to the presence of “Jesus,” as one’s “Lord,” who must be in one’s “heart” – the “soul.” The name of “Jesus” means “Yah[weh] Will Save,” thus being reborn as “Jesus” in one’s soul means one’s soul “will be saved.” That presence leads a soul-body to live in “righteousness,” and the “spoken word” that comes from one’s “mouth” will be “spoken the same as” Jesus, which will be for the purpose of spreading the message of “salvation.” Thus, verse ten says being Jesus reborn is for the purpose of Yahweh Saving others, just as one has been saved.
Verse eleven then shows Paul quoting another verse of Scripture, as the NRSV states: “The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” That “scripture” is Isaiah 45:17, which the NRSV translates as this (with my corrections in bold type): “But Israel is saved by Yahweh with everlasting salvation; you shall not be put to shame or confounded to all eternity.” In that, the name “Israel” must be understood as having the divine meaning (as a capitalized word) that identifies one “Who Retains Yahweh as one of His elohim.” The name “Israel” is then stating the “Near” relationship posed by Moses (clarified by Paul with capitalization), which is then the relationship of a soul with Yahweh that “saves with everlasting salvation.” This means “salvation” is the avoidance of “shame,” making Paul’s use of “pisteuōn” say, “no one having faith in him will be put to shame.” The words “having faith in him” are (in Greek): “pisteuōn ep’ autō,” pronounce “in him” so it should be understood as equally implying “upon self.” That, seeing a “self” as a “soul,” says being “Israel” makes one’s soul be “saved by Yahweh,” so one’s “faith” comes from being one with him, “the same.”
Simply by seeing how divine text presents words with so much expanse of meaning (none of which can be shrugged off as unimportant, because the syntax of some human language cannot possibly address all meaning of all words) that one must be joined with the Godhead, just to understand that which is written. It is not a simple matter of translation, as the Jews of Herod's Temple (the scribes) were quite fluent in Hebrew, while not having one iota of divine insight that allowed their brains to see the truth. Compound that with some scholars (i.e.: scribes) that take Hebrew and Greek and paraphrase that into English; and, one can see how far away from the truth one is led, when walking as a soul alone in a body of flesh, unmarried Spiritually to Yahweh (the source of all the written Word).
In verse twelve, where Paul is shown to write, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him” [NRSV], that says all souls are the same, no matter what religious beliefs their fleshy brains have been taught to believe. Once a soul has been led to the truth of the word, “that spoken the same as Jesus,” then all souls will seek to marry Yahweh and become “Anointed” by His Spiritual presence (which comes with the rebirth of His Son Jesus within one’s soul). Whoever seeks this marriage and resurrection will then sacrifice one’s soul (as the lord over its body of flesh), so the soul of Jesus will become “the same Lord” that walked in the flesh, as Jesus of Nazareth, becoming “the Lord of all” souls who marry the Father, giving rebirth to the Son.
Verse thirteen then ends this selection as Paul saying, “For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” The general heading of a soul married to Yahweh’s Spirit is “Yahweh elohim.” The “name” given to all “Who Retain Yahweh as one of His elohim” is “Israel.” To be able to “call upon that name” means one’s soul has married Yahweh; but to “call upon the name” Jesus – which means “Yah[weh] Saves – those souls “shall be saved.” It requires having been made a “Christ” – “Anointed” by Yahweh’s Spirit and presence within – so one can then give birth to Jesus (his soul’s resurrection in one’s soul). When Jesus is reborn in one’s soul, the soul of Jesus becomes one’s “Lord.” That holy soul will lead one to live “righteously” – as a Saint – which means teaching the word spoken the same as Jesus, so others can be saved.
When this reading is fully understood, it must now be seen in the light of the first Sunday in Lent. The purpose of the law is to become Anointed, so one’s soul-flesh will continue the ministry of the Son, sent by the Father, so all can be saved. In order to begin that ministry, one must be tested in the wilderness. This test should be one looked forward to, not one feared or seen as too much self-sacrifice to make a soul happy. The test is to make sure one is qualified to preach the word as Jesus. Otherwise, one will stand before a bunch of people saying, “For a few bucks I will say whatever you want me to say,” because one has no true knowledge of Scripture.
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