CONSTRAINING NOTES

CONSTRAINING NOTES — from the morning “ace theo” youtube channel.

HANG ON…. I’M GOING TO REFIL MY COFFEE…
AND IN A MOMENT WE’LL TRY TO MAKE SENSE OF SOMETHING WEIRD IN 2 CORINTHAINS 5…

Good morning…
Thursday Dec 2, 2021
7:44 a.m. Skys clear… frost on the windshield.

Now, over in verse 14… Paul goes on about Christ constraining us… How odd. So can we ask some questions about this???

1. First of all… does the Bible “HAVE TO” make sense? Ya know, in a practical sense, the Bible DOES NOT HAVE TO make sense, for, as we can all see, most folks can’t make heads or tales out of it. So… the Bible can exist and have a purpose and it’s purpose can be beyond you, personally.
2. Secondly, the Bible WILL NOT make sense if you treat it like a hodge Podge of blended information all stirred up to be a “unified” theory information packet. the Bible is not “unified”. Some of it was meant for those under the law, and some of it was meant for the wild boys who come out of Antioch. The wild boys… look at the messages meant for those under the law and say “WTF”?
3. So… we want to hop over to Second Corinthians… chapter 5… amazing chapter… full of gusto…. And we want to stare blankly at this jab… that says Christ is constraining us…. What the hell? Do we need constraining? Do we have a clue… what’s in Christ mind when He does “constrain” us?
4. Now, He is our elder brother. And ya know, sometimes, elder brothers know more than the rest of us young’ens…. So, it’s a nice figure of speech to see that our elder brother would — shall we say — “arrange” things… to keep us out of trouble?
5. Now, I have no doubt that we all need constrain’ from time to time…. A choke leash would be appropriate for some of us. And somehow… magically, weirdly… we feel “loved” when we’ve got that lease on our necks… and we know that someone, some wise one, is in control and it’s a surrender thing… and we TRUST that with that lease, we’ll be both protected and used in the right kind of way.
6. The verse says “for the love of God constrains us”…. Or words to that effect… we’ll get there in a moment… But, ain’t it something to jam the words LOVE and CONSTRAINS there in the same sentence…
7. Most of us brats don’t want to be “constrained”… we’ve been trained, along with the “freewillers” to so-called “love our freedom”. And we most certainly “love our feelings”… even (and especially if) our “feelings” are not the least bit lined up with reality.
8. “MY FEELING ARE REALLLLLLLLLLLL” — So says the little 4 year old brat.
9. Hang on… let me grab that “constraining” verse…
   14 For the love of Christ is constraining us, judging this, that, if One died for the sake of all, consequently (THE) all died.
10. Now, I’ve lifted this thing right out of context… and who knows what it’s about to reveal to us. But get this… we need “constraining”… and it’s love that steps in… and it’s the “love of Christ” that does it… And OMG… somehow… the magic here is UNIVERSAL… what ever he’s yakking about covers ALL… and not only “all” but there is the definite article “the” jammed right up there in front of the word ALL so that it says THE ALL.
11. If one died for the sake of all… and we assume that Christ did just that… well then, “all died”… and we must ask, is that a good thing? It seems to be. Although, in humility we must also say “what the heck is he talking about??????”
12. Ya see… I’m of the opinion that most folks have no idea what is truly revealed in the Bible. Even I can look at this verse and say “what the hell”…
    14 For the love of Christ is constraining us, judging this, that, if One died for the sake of all, consequently (THE) all died.
    But keep in mind… when God told Abraham, “You’re gonna be a papa”… Abraham “believed”… It did not say “he understood”…. he just believed God… Ain’t that something.
13. So may I suggest a new prayer… “Oh God, constrain me.”
    Would that be a wise prayer? Would that make sense in the context of this chapter? “Constrain me, please, please, pretty please.”
14. Well, if one died for the sake of all… and we’ve been taught that from day one… that Christ died for our sins, and Christ died for all… and at best we apply it very, very, locally — only to ourselves… (Yeah, baby, Christ died for MY sins… hot dog… MY, MY, MY, sins). But the revelation here is that He died for the sake of all…
    14 For the love of Christ is constraining us, judging this, that, if One died for the sake of all, consequently (THE) all died.
    And the consequence — of his dying for all.. is that “ALL DIED”… Now you may say with me… “WHAT?” … Or more strongly — “What the hell?”
    Not only are these STRONG WORDS “all died”… but they are strange words… why is it important that “all die”… what’s going on here? If it’s important that “all die”… some how… Christ made sure that we all died by dying for our sakes… are you catching on? I admit… I’m not catching on… But — Like Abraham — I believe.
    14 For the love of Christ is constraining us, judging this, that, if One died for the sake of all, consequently (THE) all died.
    Why is it important that all die? Could it have something to do with Adam and the condemnation we all received from him? (See Romans 5)
    Could it be God likes to start over? You know most artists kinda do — do a warm up act before they really get started? After all, I Cor 15 reveals that Christ is the “last Adam” but the “second man” — and 2nd man, suggests he did a warm up act with the first man. If one died for the sake of all… So much is happening here… it’s tough to really UNLEARN all the “christian” stuff we think we know, in order to totally digest Paul’s revelation.
15. Opps… not to stray too far afield… we’re suppose to look at this “constraining” business….
    14 For the love of Christ is constraining us, judging this, that, if One died for the sake of all, consequently (THE) all died.
    Note: constraining is not in the past tense…. It’s seems to be ongoing. It is an act of God… a work of God, one of God’s operations… So… How is God operating today? Why, He’s constraining us, in the love of Christ, of course. Ain’t that interesting? He’s got a big job… and do we say to God “How can I help?” — God would say, “Sure, you can help, sit still, till I get this collar on you.”
16. Ok, now let’s look at the whole of chapter 5, where we find this constraining business… and I’ll make the Bible text RED and my notes black. Hang on…

(2) CORINTHIANS Chapter 5

1 For we are aware that, if our terrestrial tabernacle house should be demolished, we have a building of God, a house not made by hands, eonian, in the heavens.
Hang on… are we “aware” of this? I’m not aware if we are aware or not.

2 For in this also we are groaning, longing to be dressed in our habitation which is out of heaven,
Hang on…are we “groaning”… that would suggest we know something is wrong, and we want a change… right?

3 if so be that, being dressed also, we shall not be found naked.
Hang on…How can we be naked if we’re wearing a choke collar? (I do jest.)

4 For we also, who are in the tabernacle, are groaning, being burdened, on which we are not wanting to be stripped, but to be dressed, that the mortal may be swallowed up by life.
Hang on…here’s something good… that the mortal may be swallowed up by life… that sounds powerful even if you’ve no idea what the Bible’s message is about.

5 Now He Who produces us for this same longing is God, Who is also giving us the earnest (DOWN PAYMENT) of the spirit.
Hang on…Do you see God’s operations in this verse??? “He who produces”… clearly is the language of all being OF GOD… and not the freewiller’s lingo of “you better do this or that”… no… God produces… get it? And, God is GIVING US.. the earnest… wow.

6 Being, then, courageous always, and aware that, being at home in the body, we are away from home from the Lord
Hang on…the best is yet to come.

7 (for by faith are we walking, not by perception),
Hang on… Remember, Abraham did not “get it”… he did not “understand it all”… he just BELIEVED GOD.

8 yet we are encouraged, and are delighting rather to be away from home out of the body and to be at home with the Lord.
Hang on…the best is yet to come.

9 Wherefore we are ambitious also, whether at home or away from home, to be well pleasing to Him.
Hang on…so… he puts this choke collar on us and we fall in love with Him??? “Love’s strange”. (A quote from Howard the Duck.)

10 For all of us must be manifested in front of the dais of Christ, that each should be requited for that which he puts into practice through the body, whether good or bad.
Hang on…the best is yet to come.

11 Being aware, then, of the fear of the Lord, we are persuading men, yet we are manifest to God. Now I am expecting to be manifest in your consciences also.
Hang on…no idea what this is all about.

12 Not again are we commending ourselves to you, but are giving an incentive to you by boasting over you, that you may have it (OUT) for those who are boasting in personal appearance and not in heart.
Hang on…”appearance is everything, reality is nothing”… so, don’t get snookered. And… how gracious that Paul was bragging on these saints. There’s hope for us, as there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between the Corinthian saint’s and us yahoos.

13 For, whether we were beside ourselves, it is to God, whether we are sane, it is to you.
Hang on… Paul was crazy? Yes, thank God.

14 For the love of Christ is constraining us, judging this, that, if One died for the sake of all, consequently (THE) all died.
Hang on…Here is our touchstone verse… can you see something in the context? It seems to be a “throw away” line… in that it can stand all by itself and needs no context… onward…

15 And He died for the sake of all that those who are living should by no means still be living to themselves, but to the One dying and being roused for their sakes.
Hang on…I’m telling you… this stuff is BIGGER than anything we have been lead to believe thus far. He died for the sake of all… wow. And now we can toss in something about BEING ROUSED for our sakes.

16 So that we, from now on, are acquainted with no one according to flesh. Yet even if we have known Christ according to flesh, nevertheless now we know Him so no longer.
Hang on… too deep to go over here… pressed for time… stick to the “constraining” business….

17 So that, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: the primitive passed by. Lo! there has come new!
Hang on…..OMG…

18 Yet all is of God, Who conciliates us to Himself through Christ, and is giving us the dispensation of the conciliation,
Hang on…DOUBLE OMG…

19 how that God was in Christ, conciliating the world to Himself, not reckoning their offenses to them, and placing in us the word of the conciliation.
Hang on…TRIPLE OMG…

20 For Christ, then, are we ambassadors, as of God entreating through us. We are beseeching for Christ’s sake, “Be conciliated to God!”
Hang on…THIS IS THE PART WHERE WE TELL OUR FELLOWS… “FORGIVE GOD”… HE CAN’T HEP (NO “L) IT.

21 For the One not knowing sin, He makes to be a sin offering for our sakes that we may be becoming God’s righteousness in Him.
Hang on…SEE THE WORD “offering” in this verse… it’s not there. That means this idea is way stronger in God’s mind that we would let on, in our piddly understanding. He makes Christ to be sin for our sakes… Dare we go down that road and try to understand it all? Yes, we must… but not now. You’re on your own — ‘except for the idea that God was in Christ conciliating your butt to himself, not counting all your stuff against you. You lucky dog.

Ok… Got to go… and refill my coffee.
Grace to you.
Ace.