GRACE BIBLE CHURCH
PASTOR ROBERT R. MCLAUGHLIN
WEDNESDAY 09-25-2022
GBIBLE.ORG
EPHESIANS - 0290-008
DIVINE DECREES, PART 6.
ZOEY LIFE
The Doctrine of Divine Decrees.
Point 1. Definition and Description.
Point 2. There are Five Characteristics of the Divine Decrees.
Point 3 is where we finished on Wednesday evening;
Point 3. The logical order of the divine decrees known as lapsarianism.
And, at the end of point 3, we introduced the Zoe life.
So, we will begin the passage again in 2PE 1:2, where the apostle Peter gives us some insight into this particular principle, when he writes;
2PE 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
When we studied this verse in detail, we came up with the corrected translation which looks like this.
2PE 1:2 Grace to you and prosperity be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
Next in 2PE 1:3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
First of all,
This is a recognition of the power God the Father has provided for the believer to become a winner.
Granted – per-mid-part of the verb doreomai which means to give, to bestow graciously.
The perfect tense recognizes the completion of the action of the verb which means he has already given us everything that we need from his divine power.
And when did He grant us all these things, everything pertaining to life and godliness?
He did it in eternity past in the divine decrees.
And that is why when we get to the final verses in this section, we will read concerning the divine decrees;
2PE 1:10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing or electing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;
2PE 1:11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
This is why when Peter finishes this section, he will talk about two major doctrines; (1) God’s calling and (2) His choosing or electing you.
The point is:
Every believer has been graciously given the power and the ability to receive fantastic things from God.
The middle voice emphasizes the subject of the sentence, which is the divine power of God, doing all the work, but we must give it our consent and allow the Lord to do it in our lives.
His divine power does all the work, while man receives all the benefits.
The participle of the verb denotes that there is a “purpose” for receiving divine power and that is to glorify God.
So, it says in verse 3, “seeing that His divine power has been graciously been given to us.”
Please notice what His divine power has given to us, everything pertaining to life and godliness.
And there it is
Point 4. The Divine Decrees and the Zoe life.
The word life in 2PE 1:3 is “zoe” and it refers to possessing the “zoe life,” which we are about to note in detail since it is a vital part of the Word of God used 135 times.
“Zoe” comes from zoology which means the function of life and here it refers to the supergrace life which is the objective of all doctrine.
Here’s where we go back to the principle of the exegesis or the original language.
There are three Greek words for life: bios, psuche, and zoe.
These three words have different meanings.
(1) Bios refers to the biology of life.
(2) Psuche refers to soul life.
(3) Zoe refers to the supergrace life.
“Psuche-life” is the essence of the soul as you live in the world in your normal state.
“Zoe Life” is what God gives as a part of His very own nature and essence.
You must KNOW what ZOE LIFE is all about.
The “zoe life” is the life our Lord Jesus fully restored you to righteousness and true holiness.”
Incorruptible Life is Zoe life.
“Zoe” is translated in the New Testament as “eternal Life.”
JOH 3:15 that whoever believes may in Him have (zoe) eternal life.
JOH 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have (“zoe”) or eternal life.
“The Zoe life” is the Divine Essence within you because of the “Finished Work of Christ; JOH 19:30.”
Look at JOH 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head, and gave up His spirit.
Eternity is not a long time!
Eternity is “where” God is, and your “zoe life” is hidden in God; COL 3:1-3.
COL 3:1 If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
COL 3:2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
COL 3:3 For you have died and your (zoe) life is hidden with Christ in God.
You are in eternity right now because time is a part of eternity.
There is no ‘power of death’ in the “zoe life.”
The word “zoe” is the type of “life” our Lord revealed to us when He handled the temptations that He faced.
The zoe life!
What is it?
“The Zoe life” has an objective of doctrine which is to take the believer to the supergrace life.
The “zoe life” is God's fantastic grace provision which is far beyond even your most fervent prayers.
You have never prayed for anything that even comes close to the "zoe life,” or the life that God has designed for you.
“The Zoe life” came from the doctrine of the Hypostatic union when our Lord as a man operated in the Doctrine of Kenosis which says that our Lord denied himself of the proper function of His deity.
Kenosis was when our Lord revealed the uniqueness of His Hypostatic Union by living in the “zoe life.”
“The Zoe life” is God's fantastic grace provision which is far beyond things for which you have asked from others.
You ask parents, people, friends, spouses, and children for things throughout your lifetime.
However;
“The Zoe life” or the "life that God has designed for you" is far beyond anything for which you have ever asked from anyone; EPH 3:20-21.
EPH 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,
EPH 3:21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
TLJC said;
JOH 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have [zoe] life, and might have {it} abundantly.
The "zoe life” is also God's fantastic grace provisions which are far beyond your fondest dreams.
No matter how wild and seemingly impossible your dreams may be;
God has provided something far greater than any thinking or imagination in any dream you have ever had.
What God has provided for the mature believer in the "zoe life” staggers the imagination.
The "zoe life” is the direct result of fulfilling the life beyond gnosis or knowledge into epignosis.
Prin: It's one thing to know something, it's another to experience it.
The life beyond gnosis of Eph 3:19 is the means of entering the “zoe life” of Eph 3:20.
This is why the apostle Paul prayed for them when he wrote EPH 3:14-21.
EPH 3:14 For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father,
EPH 3:15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,
EPH 3:16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man;
EPH 3:17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
EPH 3:18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
EPH 3:19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God.
EPH 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,
EPH 3:21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
Note that in EPH 3:18, Paul says that we may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
EPH 3:19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God.
The life beyond gnosis or knowledge is the means of executing the PPOG, and the "zoe life” is the result of executing the PPOG.
In the "zoe life,” God does infinitely more than two things stated in Eph 3:20.
- He does infinitely more than all we ask, whether the asking is toward God in prayer, or toward man by request.
- He does infinitely more than all we think or imagine, which is our personal desires, expectations, and our thoughts associated with happiness symbols.
Dreams can represent:
- What we want to be!
- What we want to have!
- With whom we desire to associate!
- To what we want to be promoted to.
- Where applicable, with whom we desire to marry.
Dreams carry us to the farthest extent of our imagination.
Therefore, For every member of the Royal Family of God, there is a "zoe life” which goes beyond anything for which we can ask of anyone, whether God or man.
For every Church-age believer, as a member of the body of Christ, there is a life beyond our dreams and our imaginations.
It is a fantastic life.
A life that is in view in;
COL 3:3 For you have died and your life [zoe-life] has been hidden together with Christ by means of God.
This is the ultimate life, and it is what God expects for every believer to have.
And for this life, God has made complete and total provision.
The provisions come in three spiritual mechanics and the four spiritual skills.
The three spiritual skills:
- The filling of the Holy Spirit,
- The ten problem-solving devices,
- The execution of the PPOG.
The four spiritual mechanics are:
- The utilization of divine power
- The use of the three spiritual skills
- The deployment of the 10 PSD.
- The execution of the three stages of spiritual adulthood; S.S.E.; S.A.; S.M.
Dreams are often an escape from reality, but there is nothing but reality and indescribable blessing in the "zoe life”.
In other words, The “zoe life” doesn't escape from reality, but it is fantastic, indescribable reality.
We do not even have the imagination to dream or the power to ask for the things which God has prepared for us in the “zoe life”.
1CO 2:9 "However, as it stands written, `no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.”
"Those who love Him" here refers to believers who live in the “zoe life.”
Go to the book of Isaiah chapter 55.
ISA 55:8 "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are My ways your ways,' says the Lord."
This means God has done some thinking way beyond our thinking.
And His thinking becomes a reality for us once we enter the “zoe life.”
And the ways of God are way beyond our understanding.
But;
Once we reach the “zoe-life”, we begin to comprehend God's ways in a way which gives worship and gratitude and appreciation for God an entirely new meaning.
ISA 55:9 "`For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.'"
But Those ways of God, though higher, are not beyond our grasp because in the “zoe-life”, we learn about those ways and experience some of those ways that are higher than our ways.
The point is that you cannot even begin to think, imagine, or dream of the fantastic things that God has provided for you in the “zoe life.”
This is all because our Lord chose to live in the Doctrine of Kenosis and gave us the power and the ability to do so.
In the life (zoe life) beyond gnosis which is epignosis or possessing the wisdom of God, the Church glorifies God through the attainment of spiritual maturity.
Think about it;
All of these fantastic principles of doctrine have been decreed by God in eternity past in the Divine Decrees.
In the “zoe life”, the church glorifies God through receiving their escrow blessings for time and in the eternal state.
EPH 3:21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
The poor attempt of the pastor to teach about your escrow blessings doesn't even begin to describe what God has for you personally in the “zoe life,” 1CO 2:9.
1CO 2:9 but just as it is written, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him."
Your blessings for time are infinitely more than all we can ask or imagine.
They are life beyond our dreams.
Now, if you are normal, you want things in life.
People dream about what they want or desire in life.
These dreams are associated with happiness symbols.
And there is nothing wrong with having dreams providing that:
These dreams do not inhibit your relationship with God or and come between Him and your assigned personal sense of destiny.
People dream about what they want or desire in life.
And these dreams are associated with happiness symbols.
For example, people dream of:
- Greatness or success.
- Commendation from people.
- Being respected and receiving approval.
- Money and security.
- Social life and romance.
- The possession of materialistic things which are coveted for pleasure or which are desired as a status symbol.
- Achievement in some field in which they are interested.
- Possessing beauty, strength, attractiveness, and-or health.
- And where applicable, being married to the ideal person.
These dreams express what we want, what we desire, what we think, and what we imagine.
But God has provided for the mature believer a zoe-life, beyond imagination, and beyond our greatest solicitation to self-interest.
For dreams, imaginations, prayers, and asking favors of others, all add up to living for yourself or self-interest.
Yet God provides for the mature believer the "zoe life" which is beyond all of that.
Now, We continue with some principles concerning the “zoe life” that God has for us which is hidden in Christ as found from the apostle John.
First of all,
- This life is only found in Christ and gives us guidance and direction; JOH 1:4.
Turn there.
JOH 1:4 In Him was life, and this zoe-life was the light of men.
Notice, light gives you guidance, direction and clarity.
There is no confusion or chaos or boredom with the zoe-life.
- This life is made available to anyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, JOH 3:15.
JOH 3:15 That whoever believes may in Him have eternal life [that is the “zoe life.”]
The “zoe life” is life more abundantly; JOH 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have “zoe life,” and might have {it} abundantly.
- This “zoe life” or the life which comes from God fulfills the desires which are found in every one of us, JOH 4:14.
JOH 4:14 But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to the zoe life or eternal life."
- This life is made available to us in time, not beginning with eternity, JOH 5:24.
JOH 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, "has" eternal or “zoe life” or the life which comes from God , and does not come into judgment, but "has passed" out of death into zoe life.
- This “zoe life” or the life which God gives to us is given to us through the intake of doctrine, JOH 6:27.
JOH 6:27 "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life [zoe-life], which the Son of man shall give to you, for on him the Father, even God, has set his seal."
In JOH 6:63 "It is the Spirit who gives zoe-life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
- This “zoe life” is given without measure depending upon the believer's desire for it; JOH 3:34.
JOH 3:34 "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit (which is from the zoe life) without measure.
- This life can never be taken away, Joh 10:28-30.
JOH 10:28 And I give “zoe life” to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.
JOH 10:29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
JOH 10:30 "I and the Father are one and the same
- This "zoe life” is described in Joh 17:3 as "knowing" God and TLJC.
JOH 17:3 "And this is zoe life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.
- It is through the written communication of Bible doctrine that this life is offered to every member of the human race, Joh 20:31.
JOH 20:31 But these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God; and that believing you may have zoe life in His name.
- In PHI 4:11-13, we have the interpretation of “zoe life”which is for the believer who sticks with doctrine and lives in the way and the truth.
PHI 4:11 Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
PHI 4:12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
PHI 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
This is what it means to be on the right side of history or to accept your calling and place in life.
This, of course, refers to the lifestyle and thinking of the mature believer.......contentment no matter what.
This is the result of perception, metabolization of and application of Bible doctrine.
This is living in "the zoe-life."
For the true purpose of receiving doctrine is to recognize what TLJC means when He said in JOH 14:6:
JOH 14:6 "I am the way [entrance], and the truth [doctrine], and the “Zoe life”; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.
The reason why truth is so important is because of what it produces as mentioned in our passage when the apostle Paul said:
PHI 4:11 Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
The Truth leads to the Christian life, or the zoe-life.
Zoe means the function of the spiritual life within.
In the spiritual life, zoe refers to the supergrace life which is the objective of Bible doctrine resident in the soul.
This “zoe-life” refers to an extraordinary peace that God desires for us to experience even in time.
The “zoe life.”
Even in time, you have the ability to begin to experience “zoe-life” within you.
This sense of inner peace and contentment may decrease or increase because this new life, the zoe life, a life of complete contentment, is given little by little.
However, in the eternal state, this zoe-life will fill you entirely.
The point is that:
As God has a plan for our lives which enables us to recognize death to old sin nature with its selfish desires, as a part of that plan, He also gives us the experience of “zoe-life” in time.
Joh 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, "has" eternal life or “zoe life,” the life which comes from God, and does not come into judgment, but "has already passed" out of death into “zoe life.”
If you stay with the plan of God, you will have times when you will experience death to the OSN, and then the experience of the newness of life, the “zoe life,” a life of inner happiness and complete contentment.
That's why Paul said in;
ROM 6:4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death [identification with Christ in His death], in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of “zoe life.”
The dangerous trap is to get discouraged in life when things are not going right.
This is why are to have that peace and contentment that goes beyond understanding.
Remember JOH 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you.
This zoe-life is something different and puts you in a completely new state.
It is arriving at the corrected translation.
PHI 4:7 In fact, that spiritual peace and prosperity from the source of the God, which surpasses or rises above and beyond all comprehension, shall garrison your hearts [right lobes] also your minds in Christ Jesus.
We do not always understand the will of God, but to trust His sovereignty completely is another matter that leads us to the experience of this “zoe-life” within.
As we stay dedicated and devoted to the way, the truth and the “zoe life, outward problems caused by persecution, injustice, and even what is perceived to be the unfairness of God, are no longer perceived to be a negative and reacted to.
And that’s because the issue is "His zoe life or yours?"
You have psuche life or soul life which was given to you in the garden when God breathe into man’s nostrils the breath of life (s).
It’s also interesting that;
Man’s nostrils are divided into two parts and when God gave him the breath of life which we call that “neshamah” or soul life.
What is interesting is that;
The second type of life that God gives to all members of the human race is “zoe life,” though most people never respond to the Gospel when they hear it and remain unbelievers.
The word for “zoe ζωή” occurs 135 times in the Greek New Testament.
It is used in Joh 5:26; Act 8:33; Rom 8:38; Jam 4:14; 1Pe 3:10, as well as modifying another word such as eternal life (Mat 7:14; Mar 9:43; Joh 3:16), the bread of life (Joh 6:35, 48), and the crown of life (Rev 2:10).
JOH 5:26 "For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself;
And God wants is to have these desires.
The next reference is:
ACT 8:33 "In humiliation His judgment was taken away; Who shall relate His generation? For His personal “zoe life” is removed from the earth."
Look at ROM 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor “zoe life,” nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
ROM 8:39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Next, we I quoted:
1PE 3:10 For, "Let him who means to love “zoe life” and see good days refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile.
The next one;
MAT 7:14 "For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to “zoe life” and few are those who find it.
Also:
MAR 9:43 "And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter “zoe life” crippled, than having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire.
JOH 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have “zoe life.”
And so, the next reference is;
JOH 6:35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of “zoe life”; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
JOH 6:48 "I am the bread (food) of “zoe life.
The final reference I gave you is;
REV 2:10 'Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of “zoe life.”
Zoe life is a crown.
This “zoe life of contentment and inner peace that is mentioned in our passage is a life of fantastic inner happiness, in as mentioned in Phi 4:4 Keep on having perfect happiness by means of the Lord at all times;
“Zoe life will cause us not to be worried and give us fantastic inner peace, in PHI 4:6-7.
PHI 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
PHI 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
It will give us a fantastic positive attitude toward life, Phi 4:8.
The corrected translation says;
PHI 4:8 From now on, members of the Royal family of God, whatever is true [doctrinal], whatever is honorable [noble or worthy of respect], whatever is just [fair or right], whatever is pure [of proper motivation] whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever personal loves exist, whatever is commendable, if there is any virtue [and there is for the mature believer says the first class condition] and if anything worthy of praise [and there is for the mature believer says the first class condition], be concentrating on these things.
It will allow us to be totally content in any and every circumstances of life, Phi 4:11-13.
PHI 4:11 Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
PHI 4:12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to “zoe life” in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
PHI 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me or keeps on pouring His zoe life within me.
Zoe life will give us phenomenal confidence that no matter what the odds are against, God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus, Phi 4:19.
PHI 4:19 And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
This is truly escrow blessings in time, not wealth and overt prosperity, but an incredible superb inner peace with God.
“Zoe life” refers to an extraordinary peace that God desires for us to experience in this life.
“Zoe-life” means we will experience deliverance from the bondage of the world and the stronghold of the cosmic system.
There is a place that can be reached by the mentality of the soul that enjoys this fantastic “zoe life”.
To leave God after coming to this “zoe-life” a life filled with inner happiness and contentment, would be the most miserable thing in the universe.
Why?
Because the believer knows deep down inside that he will never derive any pleasure from exterior sources of the cosmic system.
Everything else appears to be vanity and meaningless and empty in comparison to a relationship with God and the experience of this zoe-life.
We will continue on Wednesday evening.