We are His Workmanship

Welcome Prayer Song Silence Sunday Schooled Principles of Perfection “We are His Workmanship” Part I January 4th 2026 And so here we are – January 4th of 2026 – the very month and year our family believes is the beginning of the Next Age of Christianity on earth. And for the next few weeks we are calling this series, Principles of Perfection with todays installment titled, “We are His Workmanship.” GRAPHIC Principles of Perfection Series We are His Workmanship When we say, Principles of Perfection, we are borrowing from the Greek meaning of perfection and not the English. The first word translated to Perfection is “katartizo, kat-ar-tid'-zo And it means rightly repaired (literally or figuratively) and/or adjusted - fitted, framed, mended, and therefor made perfect - restored. Love this definition in context with how this restoration comes about in God’s plan. How He created Man, we fell, were subject to every kind of defect – internal, external, disease, weakness and brokenness in our persons but how God loving each of us so much He became incarnate (one of us) lived out the model of human perfection (which our first parents could or would not) and then all who seek to be restored or reunified with our right model of soundness SPIRITUAULLY have that ability through faith on Yeshua alone. To add in more is to guild the lilly so to speak, to take away from this model is to render ourselves truly unrepaired. So, in terms of katartidzo, this ONLY means that our “repairs to perfection are possible” is through faith on His Son. Period. Only Him. Always Him. Faith on Him and His life, death, resurrection, and I would add ascension, return and reign ever since. Again, this type of perfection, katartidzo happens only by and through Him and is employed to our betterment through faith in Him and His faith alone. It is the instant repair job that mends the damages done by our first parents, in our human error, and in things genetically and circumstantially imposed upon each of us in the eyes of God. It is this repair that reconciled the fallen world to the Father and it seems to exist in two main ways. First, it was a repair job for the world at large, done for all, unconditionally, and eternally. This was the repair of justification for all, again summarized as the reconciliation of the world to the Father. Then, for those who receive and believe in it, it is a repair that, hand in hand with our participation and allowance, He is able to individually move each participant, from the heart, to repair the soul immediately to qualify those who first believe to enter His Kingdom. So the first stage of repairs by Christ was on the fallen world for all unconditionally, reconciling them to the Father forevermore. The second stage of repairs is offered to all who chose from the heart to believe and receive the Spirit of Christ by faith. This reception of His victorious work qualifies all for entrance into His Kingdom, for this IS the Kingdom of heaven from the moment they receive and believe. But the Apostle John said something so telling in his Gospel when he said of Christ in that day, John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. I that day, to them, those who believed on His name, were given the power to believe on Him and were born from above or born again, which Christ told Nicodemus was necessary to even see the Kingdom of God. They had been given the law and the prophets and those who, according to such were elected to see and receive Him were born from above and therefore given the power to become sons and daughters of God. Interestingly, a verse ahead of what I just read, also describing Christ, says, John 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. We maintain that because Christ has had the victory over all things that once stood in our way to freely having faith in God His light shines in all souls since He reconciled the world to Himself, and thriving in what can best be seen as the Spiritual Garden of Eden, every soul freely has the Light of Christ in them calling for them to believe and receive Him and to enter into what His presence within looks like once they have. There is another word translated to perfect and/or perfection in the text and one place is in Hebrews 6 where the writer says, after mentioning the believers inability to understand meaty topics like Melchizedek, says, Hebrew 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, That word is, “tel'-i-os,” and it means more than just repaired, it mean made, complete especially in various applications like in our labors, our growth and maturity, and in our mental and moral character. We might see it the way a vitner would describe a perfect bottle of wine – it is of full age, complete in every way to be consumed in its perfect possible condition. This term, of course does not mean without flaw any more than a teliose bottle of wine should be considered imperfect because the bottle is dusty. No, telios is a moral, spiritual, completeness made possible only by faith, but it is a faith where we are included in the mix whereas katartidzo faith at one stage must be received and believed to enter the Kingdom but stands alone as a finished work of mending without our accepting it or not. I his letter to the believers at Colosse, Paul wrote Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. 12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on agapey, which is the bond of perfectness. Put on agape, which is the BOND of Telios, of perfection, completeness, wholeness. This is why the writer of Hebrews said, Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this will we do, if God permit. Our loving as Yeshua loved proves or validates our being at least somewhat repaired, somewhat a disciple and at least in part, touching on being completed by Him in us, taking more and more of our person captive to His will and bringing us closer to God . . . who is????? That’s right! Love. We remember Yeshua saying to His disciples John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. And how Paul wrote in Romans 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.; Has done what with the Law? Fulfilled it. That Greek term is play-oo-roo and it is akin to complete but better meaning to fill to the top. To complete the glasses potential for full capacity. Very hard – very hard, folks to telios (or perfect our minds. Through the indwelling of Christ and our allowance of it to reign our minds will improve – but I am not sure that in this realm any of us have perfect mental capacities in harmony with God. Very hard to perfect our will. Especially to be in perfect conformity to His will. But we can, again through the indwelling and reception of the Spirit of His Son improve it. Very hard to perfect our emotions. We can improve but there is almost always something in this material mortal life that can take us over the edge – for most of us, at least. Yes, through accepted faith, we can have our souls renewed, perhaps even to some extent our bodies as science shows our emotional stability can enhance physical health. But there is one place where we can actually literally fulfill the Law, where we can choose to be like His Son – and that is to receive His faith by which He saved us and then choose to love as He loved us. Easy? Hardly. Possible? More and more as we allow Him to reign over our hearts to at least desire to love as He commands. Of course, I would be remiss to leave out Paul’s words in 1st Corinthians 13 about this factor in our being perfect in Him through love as he wrote the all familiar words in 1st Corinthians 13:1-13 saying, 1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not agape, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not agape, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not agape, it profiteth me nothing. 4 Agape suffereth long, and is kind; agape envieth not; agape vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; {in the truth: or, with the truth} 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Agape never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. That use of “perfect” in verse 10 is telios, showing that it is the processional, practiced act of becoming complete and not kataridzo kind of mending or repairing which is freely given to all and enhanced by faith. A key to understanding this love can be seen in the writings of Paul who pennede in Ephesians 5:1-2 1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in agape, as Christ also hath agapeoed us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. Indirectly we have Paul telling us how to walk in the love that Christ had for us here – did you catch it? He said, “and walk in agape, as Christ also hath agapeoed us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. Proving that agapeo love, the kind that Christ has for us, can be literally defined as “given himself” (for us or others) an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” Everytime, empowered by the Spirit of Christ in us, we elect to give ourselves – our minds, our will, our emotions – even our bodies – over as an offering and a sacrifice to God – meaning to love as Christ loved, we reflect Him and His command. Note the key terms in that passage – “given himself” “as an offering and a sacrifice” “to God” “For a sweetsmelling savour.” In the Old Covenants animals, unblemished and without spot were “given,” “offered up a dead sacrifices” to God bringing sweet savor to His nostrils because these with the right heart, were a literal offering of repentance and payment for sin. Yeshua, God with us, then showed His love by willingly giving himself up as an offering and a sacrifice to God, as a sweet smelling savor, through death but the command on us, according to Paul in Romans 12:1 who said, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Because we walk by the Power of the Risen Lord today, honoring the God of the Living and not the dead, we too, as living sacrifices, give ourselves up as offerings and living sacrifices to God alone for a sweetsmelling savour.” It is from this position that we submit our mind, and will, and emotion up and over to the Spirit of the Risen Christ in us, and allow Him, the vine, to produce the fruit of SSI love as our “reasonable service” to God Himself. These love offerings, because they are so against the Spirit of this world and the Spirit of Man and the ways of the flesh, are really strong evidences of both Christ in you, and of your willingness – your living sacrificial willingness – to let Him and His ways reign. Highlighting that agapeo, and from where is originates (Christ the vine) and how it is the completion or fulfillment of the Law, Paul writes in 1st Timothy 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is agapao “out of a pure heart, “and of a good conscience, “and of faith unfeigned: This scriptural addition ramps up agape love even beyond Paul’s description of it in 1st Corinthians 13 where all He does is describe how it is always always always in the face of difficulty and is always therefore SSI But here in 1st Timothy, Paul takes this love to the next level and assigns it parameters that speak to great spiritual maturity, saying that the agapeo should come from out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: Pure heart. Good conscience. Faith unfeigned. These passages and passages like them are describing a place where a believer has allowed the power of the Risen Christ to move to completion. Again, its not an act of our will, it is Him giving us the “power to become sons and daughters of God.” To first be repaired unconditionally. They to be conditionally equipped by faith and to finally be made complete in terms of our capacities as human beings who follow the Risen Lord in Love. Moving out to Peter in his epistle written to the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel he wrote in 1st Peter 4:8 the following instructions to the Church/Bride who was waiting earnestly on Yeshua’s return to save them from the coming promised destruction, 1st Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And of everything possible that he could have added to this listen to what he adds, 8 And above all things have fervent agapeo among yourselves: for agapeo shall cover the multitude of sins. I only thought the blood of Yeshua could pay for sins? The key to understanding this line, which is taken from the Proverbs by the way (which is telling) is to read it as, the action or choice of agape toward another covers a multitude of sins of the one loved not the one doing the loving. And here is an almost unspoken truth – ready? When we, followers of the King, elect or choose to operate by SSI love toward others – we begin to see and observe less of their sins and imperfections. In other words, our love, when from the heart and genuine because we have first been loved, and is out of devotion and gratitude for what God has done for us, this love also serves to hide from our eyes judgment and scrutiny of the recipient. This is tricky – because if we love because its demanded and therefore not from the heart, it is good, and it is right action, but it may not soften you but could create resentment toward the other. I know this personally because as Christ has matured me a little bit, I have learned that to love because it is duty is not the same as to love because you seek to show devotion to the King. Yes, SSI love out of duty is amazing, and it truly is SSI love because it is hard, and confronts our souls directly – especially when we show mercy toward the undeserving, and longsuffering to the insufferable, generosity of life toward takers – all expressions of agape that are demanded but do not always produce easy outcomes when pursued as a command. The interesting thing about God’s love is that once a person decides to act on it – which is typically out of duty because it is a command, that act actually serves to change the giver, and when this shift occurs, the giver is more liberated than the receiver. Herein lies another mysterious, even almost magical reality of why choosing to love as He commands is the solution to the world – NOT because those loved will always appreciate it – many will even take advantage of it – but because the act itself opens us up to a most wonderful change in perspective as the love we share, especially from gratitude for what He did for us, will serve to soften our hearts, make us more understanding, and merciful toward those who to others deserve mercy least. Therefore, When our love is from the heart and true toward another we become kinder to their imperfections, longsuffering toward their faults, and often blind even to the existence of their egregious personality flaws. Because we choose from the heart to actually love them with Christ’s love we cannot help but overlook the traits this uncaring world cannot forgive or let go, and we wind up, through heartfelt selfless, sacrificial insufferable love, becoming more like Christ, not less. There are two lines from the Spirit of Man to consider. One is, familiarity breeds contempt.” In our flesh, especially in my flesh, nothing could be more true. But in and with Christ, the line, “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Understanding this, Ive elected to learn how to love better by getting to know those who in my flesh I would never seek to know, serve or love. Why? My flesh is proud. I have standards. I have views on how to be and do and think about everything, right? And the more my flesh is confronted by people and things that challenge such, the more my familiarity with them creates contempt. But in Christ, to embark on loving all as He loved us, my flesh takes a back seat to His Spirit, and these engagements enable me to overlook many sins because I am able to see others through different eyes. What a gift His love is to those that seek to live by it. I think it is important for people to assess what motivated Yeshua to offer His life up for us while we were yet sinners? Was it fear? No. Fear was not what motivated Christ to die for us though as a man He may have feared what it entailed at least momentarily. Was it reward? If it was, I suggest that He was motivated by greed and self – and that stands contrary to the text. The scripture makes it pretty clear the motivation for God giving us His Son and His Son’s willingness to sacrifice Himself. Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Ephesians 2:4-7 says, But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus., Of course, we really get down to it all when we get to the Epistles of John. First there is the familiar passage from 1st John 3:16 where he writes, 1st John 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. To lay down our lives begs the question, of what do our respective individual lives consist? Materially, time, resources, plans. Spiritually? Mind, will, emotions, body, ideas. Opinions. Views. Judgements. Do we lay down the gifts God has given us? Only insofar as we use them for good and not evil. But SSI love is a surrender, a submission, a giving up of our lives for His. The coup de grace of it all is wonderfully summarized by John in his fourth Epistle which we will wrap today up reading from verse 7 through 21. Note that every time the word love is used it is agapao of SSI love. Ready? May the Spirit of Christ abiding in our hearts, shine brighter by these words. 1st John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. People ask, how can I know that Christ dwells in me? By the presence of His love coming from us. How can I know that I know God? By the presence of His love coming from us. And so the reverse is true as well as John adds, 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. Let me break this down for you from the Greek. He that loveth not is written in what they call, the “present active articular participle of agapaô which is a ways to say, he that "keeps on not loving." We are not talking about failures to love – whether from choice or gratitude from the heart - but not continuing to try and love, or will not keep on loving. We can say this because love never fails (according to Paul) and it is longsuffering and because we read that God is love we can also surmise that God never “fails to keep on loving.” This idea should put all of the human ideas of God rejecting, refusing and punishing out of malice and rancor to bed. It should put the notion that He as our Maker ever gives up on us but it also suggests that He will allow us to have freewill. Notice that John does not say that “love is God, but only that God is love. The two terms are not interchangeable. The scripture also says that God is light (1st Jo 1:5) and that God is spirit (John 4:24). 9 In this (statement) was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. "Through him" is through Christ, who is the life (John 14:6). Christ also lives in us (Galatians 2:20) even to the point of His presence as the Light of the world being in all souls. This life He offers begins here and now. We do not wait for it in a kingdom to appear. John adds at verse 10 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if (or since) God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. This realization is a transitionary point between duty to love (which again is good and a great starting point) and the humble heartfelt grateful desire to love others without compulsion. It is the end result of knowing Him, knowing what He has actually done for us, and knowing His love directly, personally, and with contrition. 12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. John writes almost the exact same thing in his Gospel chapter 1:18. Here he seems to imply that while we cannot see God who Paul calls, invisible, and in 1st timothy adds that He is, “the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” That if – that is the condition – we love one another, God dwells, by the Spirit of His Risen Son, in us and then adds, “and his love is perfected in us.” Is finished, made complete in us. This perfecting is not bestowed unconditionally upon us like kataridzo mending. It is gained. This love is not the repairing of us – it is our choice – having been repaired, to abide in it, develop it, and appeal to it over all of our selfish human traits. This is His sanctification of us through the love we choose to embrace. This is a love that proves His indwelling presence, and that we are His, and that we know Him, and that we seek to please Him from the heart. This love is the fruit of His presence in us, as the branches. This love is perfected and made complete the more we lean into it, allow it, and make no excuse for failing in it. Failure to love as He loves is merely an indication of the power of our flesh, the weakness of our faith, and the constant decision we all make in the face of our mortality. At verse 13 John reiterates the point saying, 13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15 Whosoever shall confess that Yeshua is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. And again, 17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. This is the call, my friends – as He is, so are we in this world. A tall order? The tallest. Impossible? Without God in us, yes. But we were all not only made with the capacity to grow and mature in Him, we were also repaired by His victorious work to become like Him. But like John said so distinctly back in the first chapter of his Gospel, John 1:12-13 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And we will stop here for today. Questions comments prayer Announce HOTM Epiphany this Tuesday January 6th 2026. Also, starting next week, we are going to offer a verse by verse through the Gospel of Matthew at 8am Mountain time in addition to these Sunday Schooled teachings. Following those we are going to start hosting our Thursday Call in show to Sunday afternoons and we are calling them firesides where Delaney and I will field calls, respond to online stuff and engage with guests. To believers, so faith is assumed.