Wot 4 & Y?: Asking Those Naughty Questions About Stuff You’Re Just Supposed to Accept Without Question.

By Ronald Birksmith

As Christians, for all sorts of reasons, we believe and do things for traditional, liturgical, and sacramental reasons. But dare we ask those introspective questions about subjects we’re supposed to accept without question? In WOT4 and Y?, author Ronald Birksmith offers a series of articles designed to answer some of the questions he has had as a Christian.

He explores the scriptural basis of these questions and how it all began. Birksmith discusses how, through the years, the church has embellished much of the original ordinances and teachings, making it difficult to ascertain why we should blindly believe and act as we were taught.

WOT4 and Y? looks simply at the Bible and presents an uncomplicated explanation of what precipitated the original events and principles. It encourages Christians to continue being pilgrims, but more informed pilgrims.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press AU
• Release date: Jan 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9781982293338

Ronald Birksmith

Ronald Birksmith and his late wife, Beverley, served together in ministry for many years. He’s also held a number of senior management positions in management analysis, leadership psychology, and ergonomics. He is currently enjoying time with academic theological research in retirement and attends St. Thomas Anglican Church, Cranebrook, NSW. Birksmith has three grown children with families of their own.

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ISBN: 978-1-9822-9334-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-9333-8 (e)

Balboa Press rev. date: 03/11/2022

Contents

Introduction

Article #1 Explain Christianity’s Trinitarian Godhead.

Article #2 Do those Feasts of Israel have any connection with G-D’s Great Plan of Redemption?

Article #3 The Things we do in the Church - But why?

Article #4 ‘Where will we be when we die?’

Article #5 Why ‘SIN’ – A disastrous Odyssey

Article #6 Created for a purpose but beneficiaries are selective.

Final Thoughts

Bibliography

About the Author

This book is dedicated to three people.

1. To the memory of Alex who, like Eli of old, said to a confused young man, When G-D speaks, shut-up and listen to what He is saying. Unlike Eli Alex showed this lad from a very dysfunctional home-life how to differentiate G-D’s voice from all the other crap the world was dumping on him.

2. To the memory of what, today, would be called a Yeshua Believing Jew but then he was just a wonderful Jewish man who loved to show the Jewishness of Yeshua/Jesus in such a kind and loving manner. Gurben was a man who saw G-D’s covenantal relationship with His people throughout the Old Testament and through the lens of his love for Adonai Yeshua the Messiah his Lord he showed and taught me to see how G-D laid down His foundation by precept and typology through the Old Testament for the New Testament reality.

3. To Beverley my dear late wife who loved and believed in the guy I have become and am developing into. I can just imagine her now as practical as ever up there with her Lord interceding for and organising the affairs of us down here with that glint in her eye.

Whatever academic studies that I may have done or will do I owe it these blessed folk who have impacted my life, my thinking and my relationship with G-D. If it had not been for the faith, wisdom and encouragement of these people I am not sure what or where I would be today.

This one thing I do know though is that G-D is completely sovereign, infinite in wisdom and perfect in love. In His Love He always wills what is right for us. In His wisdom He always knows what is best and, in His sovereignty, He has the power to bring it all about – if we trust Him.

Many years ago, we sang a little chorus that said, If Jesus goes with me, I’ll go anywhere. But, over the years, I have found that that ‘anywhere’ is not always geographic. It has been also circumstantial and experiential. Yet, whatever and wherever, I can witness that the Holy Spirit has been and is ‘there’ supporting, guiding and providing every need.

My very own introduction to the Gospel Narrative.

Our first parents, Adam and Eve, were created by G-D in a state of innocence, but by their disobedience and pride they lost their purity and happiness. They also gave away the authority and government of this world to the Satan and, as a result, all humankind has been afflicted with a disease inherent to our genetic trait – depravity (or sin)! ¹ So, there is no question to the fact that I am born a sinner and as human naturally at rebellion with G-D.

Bible history has shown the reality of the generational effects of sin in the lives of people and nations. Even great folk of G-D demonstrated the negative effects of sin in their lives and only the graciousness of G-D saved each situation to His glory. There were even occasions when G-D utilised the nature of some individuals and nations to do His very own bidding that His divine will might be effected to His glory.

At a time chosen by the Godhead, the Messiah/Christ of G-D, via His Holy Spirit, moved upon a virgin girl. The impartation of the very seed of G-D resulted in the Christmas story of the virgin birth which brought to the world a new Adam exactly as the first Adam was created to be – sinless and perfect and having a close relationship with G-D.

In the person of Yeshua Messiah/Jesus Christ the divine and human natures are united, so that He is truly and properly G-D and truly and properly man. He is genetically without sin! Yeshua/Jesus – the god/man came into a world of men that were not capable of even fulfilling their own vows or keeping covenants between themselves let alone with G-D.

Knowing this about Yeshua/Jesus it is important that we also understand that between Adam’s sin and the birth of Yeshua/Jesus the Great Redemption Plan of G-D was foretold and then set in place to ensure that there could be some form of covenantal relationship between sinful man and a righteous and Holy G-D. In His mercy G-D permitted man to sacrifice an animal so that its blood was poured out as atonement for his sin. (Exodus 17). This became normal religious function for hundreds of years with many priests standing with bloody hands before God in the hope that G-D would fulfil His side of the Blood Covenant.

However, the Adonai Yeshua/Lord Jesus has by His suffering and death made atonement for the whole world. In this new covenant the genetically sinless body and blood of the immaculate second Adam alone could do what all the sacrificed animals of old failed to achieve. Further He is still alive and stands at the right hand of G-D as our High Priest interceding on our behalf as only, He can do and He communicates His love and mercy to us via the power of the Holy Spirit. Our very awareness of Him is a positive action of the Holy Spirit interacting with our soul.

We need to remember and appropriate the reality that, even though we are ‘born-in-sin’ and will remain so until we die – G-D through His sinless Son has made us justified by grace through faith in our Adonai Yeshua Messiah/Lord Jesus Christ and the constant empowerment and saving grace of the Holy Spirit. They that believe this have the witness in themselves.

Note: - I should state that Messianic Jews and Yeshua Believing Jews refer to Jesus Christ as ‘Yeshua the Messiah’ and where many, as Gentile Christians call Him Lord Jesus Christ those same cousins call Him Adonai Yeshua the Messiah. You will find that through this set of Articles I have been at pains to enfold and to instruct Gentile Christians to be cognisant of the Jewishness of our Scriptures and to appreciate that they were originally written by Jewish people to Jewish people on Jewish matters including the Gospel narrative. In love Yeshua/Jesus opened the eyes of Peter and personally called Saul of Tarsus to take the Gospel to the Gentile world that they might be grafted into the root stock of Israel as chosen and predestined by and for the Messiah/Christ before creation.

Introduction

I guess I am just an ordinary guy who has been privileged to have an amazing relationship with my G-D. I must confess that it has not always been an easy one nor, for that matter, a happy one at times. Then again, even our human relationships have their ups and downs also but the difference is that G-D is definitely more understanding and forgiving of our humanity.

I don’t think I need to apologise or hide the fact that I did come from a very dysfunctional home-life and family. Even as a child and before I really understood any of the religious stuff that mostly went on over my head anyway, I was conscious of being ‘protected’ by spiritual beings who guided me amid the turmoil of my life. Perhaps these were angelic beings that, in my infantile understanding, were able to communicate with me to bring comfort and peace in my loneliness. Gradually this relationship ceased as I grew older and life imposed hard realities and doubts challenged my developing awareness. Yet, like some half-remembered memory, a spiritual intimacy with the divine lingered like wisps of mist as the sun brightens the day.

At an age and time when, as a young teen, I was trying to figure out life, sexuality and self-identity without any male influence at home to balance the misanthropist clutter of an embittered mother it could only be G-D’s influence that brought us to a town and a church with Pastor and other Godly menfolk who understood. I found out the truth of that old saying, Give someone a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach them to fish and you help them feed themselves for life. Alex and these menfolk simply lived and demonstrated basic principles for a young man to help not only solve some of life’s problems but how to walk with G-D and build a relationship with Him. Falteringly at first but gradually these principles took root within my life to bring comfort, guidance and strength and to develop a basic truth in my life. My feelings do not always equate with G-D’s reality and plan for my life but I have learned to trust Him even against my own feelings.

From time to time each of us experience "feelings. We may feel pain or we may feel unwell. Our feelings in these cases are not aberrant or misleading as they tell or give information about ourselves that call for action on our part. Also, we can talk about emotional matters that are expressions of feelings such as ‘sadness’, ‘grief’, ‘being ‘misunderstood’, ‘being unloved’ or ‘lonely’ to name a few. Then, again, we may feel something that is beyond words or explanation and even beyond our normal cognitive experiences. This may be aberrant and it can be just a ‘G-D’ moment.

Whether there is actual value behind the feelings may not be relevant because emotions are ‘just-that’. Emotions most often are expressed as ‘feelings. However, when it comes to spiritual matters our feelings or what is ascribed to them can be very misleading and, therefore, we are open to deception. For example, I may not ‘feel’ close to G-D or I may not ‘feel’ saved or even sanctified. Our salvation, as also our sanctification, is not a matter of feelings but they are a legal relationship we have with G-D through the covenantal atoning work of Yeshua Messiah/Jesus Christ. It is very much a matter of faith. Even then we are assured that we have been given the ‘measure of faith’ (Romans 12: 3) The Word of G-D gives us assurance that we are saved as an act of mercy and love by G-D Himself. ‘For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of G-D.’ (Ephesians 5:8)

The problem with our feelings is that the Satan uses them to make us feel ‘disconnected’ from G-D and then whilst we are experiencing discomfort and even shame because we don’t like being that way the Satan returns to stab us with guilt and lies that G-D cannot love a sinner. If we fall for this line of deception and ignore the voice of the Holy Spirit Who often comes in the form of our conscience, we are in danger of being brought into further temptation by deception. The truth is that, G-D commends His love towards us in that, while we were yet sinners, Messiah/Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8). So, it is true that we are held ‘blameless’ not ‘faultless’ to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ/Yeshua the Messiah. (1 John 3: 9; 1 Thessalonians 3: 13)

Now, few of us, today, would experience the test of our faith as did the early Roman church. Nero and his fellow Caesars had many thousands of Christians killed for simply being Christian. It would be understandable for them to feel some fear of the impending martyrdom with, perhaps some shame for feeling so intimidated. John Stott writes,

I once heard James Stewart of Edinburgh, in a sermon make this perceptive comment that, there is no sense in declaring that you are not ashamed of something unless you have been tempted to feel ashamed of it." ²

I think it is very interesting how the apostle Paul advises them (and for that matter us) to come to grips with and overcome such temptation.

As I write this introduction, I am also aware that in countries around the world people are being really martyred on a daily basis by religious fervour not unlike that of the early Romans. Though equally wrong and, as such, in direct alignment for G-D’s wrath and punishment, our media conceals the truth of these atrocities from the masses thus maintaining the Satan’s pervasive lies. That same media, also, is very quick to condemn any individual or group who proclaim Scriptural Christian ethics and world view if any of those tenets do not align with current Politically Correct opinions and societal moors. They, from a standpoint of abject bigotry, deny any other view