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HAB-069 and 070

HAB-069 and 070. The Armor of God: The Boots and the Gospel. The Boots. “Also having put combat boots on your feet, with the equipment of the Gospel, specifically peace (reconciliation)” (expanded trans., Eph. 6:15).

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HAB-069 and 070

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  1. HAB-069 and 070 The Armor of God: The Boots and the Gospel

  2. The Boots • “Also having put combat boots on your feet, with the equipment of the Gospel, specifically peace (reconciliation)” (expanded trans., Eph. 6:15). • In Scripture, feet become synonymous with service; but there can be no effective service apart from constant training and preparation along the road to super-grace. • Just as it was the combat veteran of the Roman army who served his country best; it is the spiritually mature Christian who can serve the Lord to the maximum! H&B-069 070

  3. The Boots • Paul introduces the equipment for the feet with the phrase, "And your feet shod." • "And" is the adjunctive use of the conjunction KAI and literally means "also." • "Your feet" was correctly translated from the accusative plural direct object from POUS and from the definite article in the accusative plural, which has been used as a possessive pronoun. H&B-069 070

  4. The Boots • The aorist middle participle of the verb HUPODEO means "to tie," "to bind beneath," or "to put on footwear"; here, it refers to the putting on of shoes or CALIGAE: "also having put combat boots on your feet.” • The wearing of spiritual combat boots indicates readiness to serve our supreme Commander wherever and whenever He directs. H&B-069 070

  5. The Boots • The preposition EN (with) plus the instrumental singular from HETOIMASIA signify "readiness," "preparation" or, as documented from Arndt and Gingrich's Greek Lexicon, "equipment." • What type of equipment is essential to effective witnessing?! • It is the "equipment of the Gospel” (Good News) • A genitive of description from the noun EUAGGELLION, (compounded from EU-"good" and AGGELIA - "news”. H&B-069 070

  6. The Boots • The equipment for full preparedness in witnessing is the knowledge of Bible doctrine pertinent to salvation, described here as "the gospel (good news) of peace." • The phrase "of peace" (genitive singular of apposition from the noun EIRENE) must be corrected to read ”specifically peace" and refers to the doctrine of Reconciliation. H&B-069 070

  7. The Boots and the Gospel • But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost [Spirit] is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). • Who is responsible for the declaration of the Gospel - the good news of Salvation - to the unbelieving World? H&B-069 070

  8. The Boots and the Gospel • The duty and privilege of witnessing reserved solely for ministers, missionaries and evangelists? Far from it! Personal evangelism is the responsibility of EVERY believer in the Lord Jesus Christ! • Before He returned to heaven, the Lord Commissioned born-again believers to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth. H&B-069 070

  9. The Boots and the Gospel • His command is repeated in several of the epistles; thus the Apostle Paul reminded the Corinthians that they were to be ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20). • An ambassador is a high-ranking minister of state, often a member of royalty or nobility, sent to another state to represent his sovereign or official business. H&B-069 070

  10. The Boots and the Gospel • Ambassadorship exists in the spiritual as well as in the temporal realm. • Like earthly ambassadors, we did not appoint ourselves but were appointed by Our Savior to represent Him on earth as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords while He is at the right hand of the Father. H&B-069 070

  11. The Boots and the Gospel • As children of God by faith in Christ Jesus we were born again into a high and noble Position; we are not only citizens of this country, but also "fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God" (Eph. 2:19). • As the heavenly King's personal representatives on the earth, we are in full-time Christian service, regardless of our vocation or profession. H&B-069 070

  12. The Boots and the Gospel • We do not act in our own interest but in the interest of our Lord. Like earthly ambassadors, we receive our instructions in written form, and we must remain at our post of duty until the Lord recalls us. • Every perfect provision is made for us by our Sovereign; yet our effectiveness as ambassadors depends upon our understanding of our mission. H&B-069 070

  13. The Boots and the Gospel • Like all functions in life, particularly spiritual functions, witnessing requires proper motivation, adequate preparation and knowledge of pertinent doctrines. • Apart from the divine appointment of each individual believer as an ambassador, there exists the spiritual gift of evangelism (Eph. 4:11). H&B-069 070

  14. The Boots and the Gospel • Both functions coexist in God's Plan, but because their simultaneous operation is not correctly taught, personal witnessing is frequently distorted into a merit system or is set aside entirely in favor of mass evangelism. • As a result, there prevails today a non-biblical pattern: an evangelist is invited to some church to conduct a "revival," and members of that church bring their friends to hear him. H&B-069 070

  15. The Boots and the Gospel • If a few people are saved in this "revival," believers often think that their personal obligation to witness has been fulfilled. • Consequently, the erroneous concept has developed that evangelism should be confined to a local church or public building. • The entire concept of biblical witnessing is that believers should go outside the local church in order to disseminate the Gospel. H&B-069 070

  16. The Boots and the Gospel • The cause of Christ would move forward rapidly if we but followed the principles of evangelism as they are set forth in Scripture. • The point is that although not every believer is an evangelist, every believer is responsible for witnessing! H&B-069 070

  17. The Boots and the Gospel • It is a well-known fact that you cannot communicate what you do not know! • If your knowledge of the good news of salvation is fuzzy, so will be your presentation. • As a result, the person to whom you witness will have no clear understanding of the Gospel or the issue in salvation. • Often, there is too much zeal in witnessing and too little knowledge. H&B-069 070

  18. The Boots and the Gospel • For example, zealous but ignorant Christians have a mistaken idea of what constitutes genuine conversion; usually, they want everyone to give up his sins and change his wicked ways. • Yet salvation is entirely the work of God! Therefore, if you want to be effective in witnessing, it is imperative that you understand your subject. • In order to tell others of God's Plan of salvation; you should at least know what that Plan is all about! H&B-069 070

  19. The Boots and the Gospel • Furthermore, you should be cognizant of where your part in witnessing ends and that of the Holy Spirit begins; you should master the prerequisites for successful personal evangelism. • What, then, is the minimal knowledge standard for effective witnessing? H&B-069 070

  20. The Boots and the Gospel • 1. Witnessing is the responsibility of every believer. • There are two areas in which you may witness - your life (2 Cor. 3:3; 6:3) and your lips (2 Cor. 5:14-21; 6:2). H&B-069 070

  21. The Boots and the Gospel • 2. Witnessing involves knowledge of Bible doctrines pertinent to salvation, including: • Christology, • Soteriology, • Reconciliation, • the Judgment of Human Good • and the Last Judgment. H&B-069 070

  22. The Boots and the Gospel • CHRISTOLOGY: That branch of theology which concerns the Person and work of Jesus Christ, particularly as they were revealed in the Old Testament. • SOTERIOLOGY: That branch of theology which concerns the Plan of God in salvation and the saving work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. H&B-069 070

  23. The Boots and the Gospel • HUMAN GOOD: Of the believer: the energy-of-the-flesh production while in the status of carnality; i.e., out of fellowship; of the unbeliever: a sincere but misguided attempt to do good or to right the wrongs and injustices of the world. • Both are unacceptable to God for salvation (Isa. 64:6). H&B-069 070

  24. The Boots and the Gospel • 3. Clarity of witnessing demands your accurate understanding of the two deaths - spiritual and physical of Jesus Christ on the Cross. • 4. The challenge of witnessing comes from the Doctrine of Unlimited Atonement (1 John 2:2). Christ died for all mankind! • 5. The dynamics of witnessing are determined by your mental attitude and are related to your spiritual growth or maturity. H&B-069 070

  25. The Boots and the Gospel • 6. The effectiveness of witnessing depends on the ministry of God the Holy Spirit. • 7. Confidence in witnessing comes from your own assurance of eternal security. • 8. The reward of witnessing is a part of your blessings in time and in eternity. H&B-069 070

  26. The Boots • In metaphors of Scripture, the Roman soldier's Caligae become analogous to witnessing. • As these heavy hobnailed leather sandals carried the Roman legionaries to their posts of duty in the far-flung corners of the empire, so his witnessing takes the Christian Warrior to unsaved mankind throughout the world with the Gospel of salvation. • Personal evangelism is the responsibility of every member of the Royal Family of God and functions apart from mass or church evangelism. H&B-069 070

  27. The Boots • Note that the command to put on these combat boots is not restricted to the pastor behind the pulpit; it is given to all members of the Royal Legion! • EVERY BELIEVER is in full, time Christian service, of which witnessing is a part! • Therefore, it is imperative that all of us be shod and ready for action AT ALL TIMES (1 Pet. 3:15) • Inured to long and hard marches with full pack, the Roman soldier with the CALIGAE on his feet was flexible enough to meet any situation. H&B-069 070

  28. The Boots • Likewise, the Christian soldier's effectiveness depends upon his mastery of certain doctrines and his flexibility in their use. • Not only does he need to have correct information about the Gospel, he also must KNOW his subject. • The objective in witnessing is the accurate and clear communication of salvation. H&B-069 070

  29. The Boots • RECONCILIATION: The sum total of all that Christ did on the Cross in removing the Barrier between God and sinful man. • God is propitiated; man is reconciled. • Reconciliation is on the Manward side of the Cross. • SOTERIOLOGY: That branch of theology which concerns the Plan of God in salvation and the saving work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. H&B-069 070

  30. The Gospel (Good News) • "It is likewise asserted that salvation is through Christ alone, and that it is secured, on the human side, by faith alone uncomplicated by any works of merit." - L.S. Chafer H&B-069 070

  31. The Gospel (Good News) • L.S. Chafer: • "Outside The Doctrines related to the Person and work of Christ, there is no truth more far-reaching in its implications and no fact more to be defended than that salvation in all its limitless magnitude is secured, so far as human responsibility is concerned, by believing on Christ as Savior. • To this one requirement no other obligation may be added without violence to the Scriptures and total disruption of the essential doctrine of salvation by grace alone. H&B-069 070

  32. The Gospel (Good News) • “Only ignorance or reprehensible inattention to the structure of a right Soteriology will attempt to intrude some form of human works with its supposed merit into that which, if done at all, must, by the very nature of the case, be wrought by God alone and on the principle of sovereign grace. H&B-069 070

  33. The Gospel (Good News) • But few, indeed, seem ever to comprehend the doctrine of sovereign grace, and it is charitable, at least, to revert to this fact as the explanation of the all-but-universal disposition to confuse the vital issues involved. • It is the purpose of this section to demonstrate that the eternal glories which are wrought in sovereign grace are conditioned, on the human side, by faith alone." H&B-069 070

  34. The Gospel (Good News) • A moment’s attention to the transforming divine undertakings which enter into salvation of the lost will bring one to the realization of the truth that every feature involved presents a task which is superhuman, and, therefore, if to be accomplished at all, must be wrought by God alone. • Such a discovery will prepare the mind for the reception of the truth, that the only relation man can sustain to this great undertaking is to depend utterly upon God to do it. That is the simplicity of faith. - L.S. Chafer H&B-069 070

  35. The Gospel (Good News) • 5. Believe and be Baptized • Only 1 verse (Mark 16:16) joins these together. • This verse is not included in the oldest manuscripts. • It is evident from the final statement, "he that believes not shall be condemned", that baptism is not the essential element, anyway. H&B-069 070

  36. The Boots • Now THAT IS GOOD NEWS! Christ solved the sin problem on the Cross; and it is for you to deliver God's message of grace: • “Also having put combat boots on your feet, with the equipment of the Gospel, specifically -peace (reconciliation)” (expanded trans., Eph. 6:15). H&B-069 070

  37. The Gospel (Good News) • The Gospel (Good News) • John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him." H&B-069 070

  38. From our Statement of Faith • We believe that salvation comes to the sinner only by faith alone in Christ alone; that there is no other means of salvation afforded to the human race, including baptism, church membership, emotional guilt over personal sin, good deeds, philanthropic activity, so-called 'repentance', communion, or any other physical or emotional act or state. Salvation is based solely on the spiritual death of Christ on the Cross and can only be received through reliance on the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ (Isa. 64:6; Jn. 3:16, 18, 36; Acts 4:12; 16:31; Rom. 3:10-17; Eph. 2:8, 9). H&B-069 070

  39. The Gospel (Good News) • There are distinct steps in the process of Salvation: • Recognition • Repentance • Reliance • Regeneration H&B-069 070

  40. The Gospel (Good News) • Recognition noun • a learning process that relates a perception of something new to knowledge already possessed. • Theological definition: The point at which the unbeliever is "convinced" by the Holy Spirit that he is unable to meet God’s Standard, and requires Christ, who is able, as his Substitute. H&B-069 070

  41. The Gospel (Good News) • Recognition • And when He [the Comforter] is come, He will convince the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. (John 16:8) • No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him. John 6:44 • "He shall convince the world of sin. ” H&B-069 070

  42. The Gospel (Good News) • In Acts 2 we are told that when the Spirit came on the apostles the crowd mocked them saying: "These men are full of new wine;" and yet, when Peter preached, the Spirit "convinced", through his preaching, the hearts of these very mockers. • They were convinced in their hearts, and cried: "Men and brethren, what must we do?" H&B-069 070

  43. The Gospel (Good News) • "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). • The key to understanding this is what prompted their cry? • Acts 2:36 - "Therefore, let all the House of Israel know assuredly, that God has made this same Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ (Messiah)." • That is what they needed to repent. H&B-069 070

  44. The Gospel (Good News) • Recognition • I. The first work of the Spirit is to convince of sin. • 1. Who it is that convinces of sin: "He shall convince the world of sin, because they believe not in Me." H&B-069 070

  45. The Gospel (Good News) • Recognition • 1. An awareness of an absence of a relationship with God. • It’s not enough for one to have a sense of need, but of a particular need—the need for the establishment of fellowship with God; a need to know God. • It is an intolerable relationship to remain in, and so a recognition springs up that, whatever the cost and on whatever terms, it must be changed. H&B-069 070

  46. The Gospel (Good News) • Recognition • 2. Conviction of God’s Perfection: a sense of one’s complete inability to meet the standard of God’s Righteousness and one’s consequent need of the new birth (John 3:3). • True conviction evidences itself by the desire to end reliance on our own Human nature. H&B-069 070

  47. The Gospel (Good News) • Recognition • "Every man therefore that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me." John 6:44, 45. • The same truth is repeated in another form in vs. 65 of the same chapter of the gospel according to John: "And he said: Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto me of my Father." H&B-069 070

  48. The Gospel (Good News) • Recognition • The first step the unbeliever takes in coming to Jesus is the Recognition, whereby the unbeliever beholds Christ as the God of his salvation, as the fullness of his own emptiness, the righteousness that is able to blot out his own unrighteousness, the life that overcomes his death. • And corresponding to this act of spiritual Recognition on the sinner's part, is God's act of spiritual illumination, whereby He reveals His Son unto the unbeliever. H&B-069 070

  49. The Gospel (Good News) • Recognition • When He convicts a man of his need, He does not leave him in the despair of his condemnation: He shows him Jesus in all the fullness of His salvation. • This spiritual illumination is not the same as that natural enlightenment by which the unbeliever knows all about Christ, recognizes and acknowledges, to an extent, by his natural powers the beauty of Christ as the best of men, as one that was deeply God-conscious. H&B-069 070

  50. The Gospel (Good News) • Or, that Christ was a great teacher and wonderful example. • All, without grasping the concept that He is the righteousness of God, but the cross is still foolishness to him. • The natural man does not understand the things of the Spirit; "they are foolishness to him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." I Cor. 2:14. H&B-069 070

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