He that hath see Me hath seen the Father

Our Heavenly Father put on a human body and dwelt among His creation as a man. He came to bring salvation.

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." - Matthew 1:21 KJV

He was born without sin, because He bypassed man, the Holy Ghost causing conception in Mary. This is how God Himself could pay the price of man’s sin, shedding sinless blood on the cross.

"And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." - Luke 1:35 KJV

The Son of God is the human body of God.

"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself..." - 2 Corinthians 5:19 KJV

The Father is Spirit. The Son is flesh. The Father is in us when we are filled with His Spirit.

"For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you." - Matthew 10:20

"Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.

“Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

“Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." - John 14:8-10 KJV

It was the Father in Christ that did the miracles.

"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." - John 14:16-18 KJV

Jesus was speaking to His disciples. They knew Him. He dwelt with them. When He said He would be in them, Jesus was talking about His Spirit being in them.

The Holy Ghost that was poured out on the Day of Pentecost is the Spirit of Jesus.

"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." - Acts 2:4

 

Is the gospel important?

Jesus began preaching the gospel at the beginning of His ministry.

"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom..." - Matthew 4:23 KJV

Preaching the gospel was part of the scripture Jesus fulfilled from the prophet Isaiah.

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised," - Luke 4:18 KJV

"Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick....And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where." - Luke 9:1-2, 6 KJV

In the great commission, Jesus told His disciples to preach the gospel.

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." - Mark 16:15 KJV

Jesus told His disciples,

"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." - Matthew 24:14 KJV (Mark 13:10).

Apostle Paul preached the gospel.

"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain." - 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 KJV

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." - Romans 1:16 KJV

"For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance..." - 1 Thessalonians 1:5 KJV

On the Day of Pentecost Peter preached the gospel.

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." - Acts 2:38 KJV

…And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God

"…And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:" - Ephesians 6:17 KJV

In this verse, “word” is the Greek “rhema” - an utterance. (Strong’s #G4487).

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon has this to say about the meaning of “word” in Ephesians 6:17:

καθαρίσας... ἐν ῤήματι, according to promise (properly, on the ground of his word of promise, viz. the promise of the pardon of sins; cf.[compare to] Mark 16:16), Ephesians 5:26 (others take ῤήματι here as equivalent to 'the gospel,' cf.[compare to] Ephesians 6:17, Romans 10:8; (see Meyer at the passage));

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon is saying that, in the verses below, others take the Greek word here for “word” as equivalent to ‘the gospel.’

"That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, ^G4487" - Ephesians 5:26 KJV

"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word ^G4487 of God:" - Ephesians 6:17 KJV

"But what saith it? The word ^G4487 is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word ^G4487 of faith, which we preach;" - Romans 10:8 KJV

Thayer’s again mentions Ephesians 6:17:

 doctrine, instruction (cf. Winer's Grammar, 123 (117)): (τό) ῤῆμα (τοῦ) Θεοῦ, divine instruction by the preachers of the gospel, Romans 10:17 (R G; but L T Tr WH ῤήματος Χριστοῦ; others give ῤήματος here the sense of command, commission; (cf. Meyer)); saving truth which has God for its author, Ephesians 6:17; also τοῦ κυρίου, 1 Peter 1:25;

The verses mentioned above are:

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word G4487 of God." - Romans 10:17 KJV

"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word G4487 of God:" - Ephesians 6:17 KJV

"But the word G4487 of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word G4487 which by the gospel is preached unto you." - 1 Peter 1:25 KJV [And this word is the gospel that was proclaimed to you. (CSB)]

Thus, it appears that the sword of the Spirit, which is the “word” of God, is the gospel.

The gates of hell cannot prevail against it.

 

We need the helmet of salvation to stand against the wiles of the devil!

"And take the helmet of salvation…" - Ephesians 6:17 KJV

What is a helmet?

According to Strong’s, a helmet is an “encirclement of the head, i.e. a helmet: —helmet.”

What is our salvation?

The Bible says we are saved by the gospel, unless we have believed in vain – for we must also obey the gospel. (1Corinthians 15:1-2, 1Peter 4:17, Romans 10:16, 2Thessalonians 1:8).

The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus did His part: He died for our sins, He was buried, and on the third day He raised up His body from the grave. This is the gospel.

He then was a witness of the gospel of the kingdom for 40 days before He ascended into heaven. (John 2:19-21, Acts 1:3, 9, Matthew 24:14).

We must do our part: To follow Jesus by repentance (death to sin), burial (burial of our old nature by being buried with Him by water baptism in the name of Jesus), and resurrection (resurrection to new life by the infilling of the Holy Ghost). Apostle Peter preached this on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:38. This is obeying the gospel.

We then live a new life of holiness, witnessing to others of the gospel of the kingdom, as Jesus did. (Acts 1:8).

(Acts 2:38, Acts 2:4, Romans 6:1-6, Romans 8:11, Romans 6:22, Ephesians 4:24, 2Corinthians 7:1, 2Corinthians 5:19-20, Matthew 24:14).

The Bible says that to put on the whole armor of God, we are to also put on the helmet of salvation.

We have turned our back on sin and in the name of Jesus, we are walking in His Spirit daily. This is our salvation. It is our helmet.

When we are walking in His Spirit, our eyes are protected, because we guard what we watch. Our ears are protected, because we guard what we listen to. Our mouth is protected, because we guard what we say. Our mind is protected, because we guard our thoughts.

We need the helmet of salvation to stand against the wiles of the devil!

The Shield of Faith Quenching the Fiery Darts of the Wicked

Along with having our loins girt about with truth, a breastplate of righteousness, and our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, we are to also take up the shield of faith as part of our armour of God.

"Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." - Ephesians 6:16 KJV

The following is said to be the meaning of faith: (Larry Pierce)

“The conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ”

“A strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God”

“The religious beliefs of Christians”

The Bible tells us,

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." - Hebrews 11:6 KJV

How do we acquire a “shield of faith”?

"But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost," - Jude 1:20 KJV

It has been said, we are edified (built up) in our faith when we pray in the Holy Ghost, speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives us the utterance. (Acts 2:4).

Two verses down from “taking the shield of faith” is another verse that speaks of praying in the Holy Ghost: “Praying…in the Spirit.” Because the Spirit is the Holy Ghost, this verse is speaking of the same thing as “praying in the Holy Ghost.”

"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…" - Ephesians 6:18 KJV

Thus, praying in the Holy Ghost builds up our faith, enabling us to quench all the fiery darts directed at us from the wicked. With our faith built up, instead of being beat down and discouraged, we have a positive, encouraged attitude of faith.

 

Thank you, Jesus!

"Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms." - Psalm 95:2 KJV

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name." - Psalm 100:4 KJV

"O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together." - Psalm 34:3 KJV

Thank you, Jesus!

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace

When we take on the whole armor of God, we are to have our “feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;” (Ephesians 6:15).

Paul declared the gospel:

"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:" - 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV

The gospel is called the “gospel of peace” because by Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection Jesus made peace between Himself and man. (Colossians 1:20).

"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them..." - 2 Corinthians 5:19 KJV

We are to have our feet shod with the PREPARATION of the gospel of peace.

Our preparation of the gospel of peace is by:

Repentance is death to sin. Water baptism in the name of Jesus is burial of old nature. Holy Ghost infilling is resurrection to new life. (Romans 6:1-11, Acts 2:38).

As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:1, we STAND in the gospel. Having the preparation of the gospel of peace on our feet is absolutely necessary for us to “STAND against the wiles of the devil,” and to “be able to WITHSTAND in the evil day, and having done all, to STAND.” (My caps).

The Bible speaks of the FEET of those that preach the GOSPEL OF PEACE.

As it is written,

"…How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" - Romans 10:15b KJV (See also: Isaiah 52:7).

Jesus reconciled the world unto Himself, and then gave us the message of the gospel of peace and reconciliation to share with others.

"…And hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." - 2 Corinthians 5:19b-20 KJV [“word” of reconciliation: preaching the salvation obtained through Christ – Thayer’s Greek Lexicon.]