In our study of the Personal Sense of Destiny when we left off last time we were looking at Abraham as an illustration of a personal sense of destiny.
We saw that Abraham is the pattern for salvation by faith alone in Christ alone, Gen 15:6;
Abraham received the imputation of divine righteousness and was justified by grace through faith alone in Christ alone as a Gentile long before he became the source of the Jewish race. The imputation of divine righteousness occurred when Abraham was an uncircumcised gentile in Ur, but Abraham did not become the source of the Jewish race when he was saved in Ur of the Chaldees.
It was not until he was ninety-nine and had attained his personal sense of destiny through his use of God's Word and deployed it on his own soul that he became the father of the Jewish Race. Circumcision became the sign of Abraham's personal sense of destiny and became the sign of the personal sense of destiny for the Jewish race.
The Judaizers who followed Paul around confused the ritual of circumcision with the reality of salvation through faith alone in Christ alone. The ritual belongs only to Israel as a memorial to the postsalvation experience of the attainment of a personal sense of destiny.
Rom 4:11, "And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness because of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, that he might become the father [pattern] of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them."
Abraham is the pattern of Old Testament salvation, that is, always was and always will be faith alone in Christ alone.
The result is the imputation of divine righteousness at salvation that is called justification. Abraham believed in Jesus Christ as He was revealed at the time, in the same way that we believe in Jesus Christ as he is revealed now.
As a believer, Abraham used the faith-rest drill to enter into a personal sense of destiny at age ninety-nine under the hopeless conditions of sexual death. Abraham had a very strong personal sense of destiny.
The sign of Abraham's personal sense of destiny and the new racial species was circumcision. From this personal sense of destiny he had confident expectation for the heir through whom the promises of God would be conveyed.
By faith or by means of doctrine, Abraham's personal sense of destiny had to overcome the empirical fact he and Sarah were both unable to procreate. His personal sense of destiny believed the promises of the word of God were more real than everything else in life.
It was the postsalvation function of the faith-rest drill that resulted in the personal sense of destiny. This faith required the deployment of the problem solving devices that were available to Abraham in his dispensation on the defensive perimeter of his soul. It was through the deployment of the problem solving devices that Abraham developed a Doctrinal viewpoint to life. Rom 1:17;
Rom 4:13-15; "For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified; for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, neither is there violation."
No one is or ever was saved by keeping the Law or any system of works or any ritual like circumcision or sabbath observance. Circumcision was the badge of attainment of a personal sense of destiny. We are saved by faith alone and we are mandated to live by faith thereafter. Col 2:6; Gal 5:16-18;
Abraham's personal sense of destiny is described in Rom 4:19- 21; "And without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet, he did not waver in unbelief at the promise of God, but grew strong in faith (through the faith-rest drill), giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded that what God had promised, God was able to perform."
With this doctrinal viewpoint, Abraham and Sarah finally reached a personal sense of destiny and the first thing they encountered was a test sexual death. A personal sense of destiny never looks at life from the standpoint of human failure or impossibility, because a personal sense of destiny is strong in claiming the promises of God.
A personal sense of destiny is when the believer believes what the Bible says is always right no matter what the circumstances are. The believer trusts in the integrity, veracity and ability of God without regard to anything else.
God is glorified when the believer deploys and uses the problem solving devices. Abraham did not waver in unbelief. He no longer looked at the promise of God emotionally.
Believers who fail to advance do not understand the principle of a personal sense of destiny and they do not develop the doctrinal viewpoint necessary to have confidence in God and his unconditional promises.
When God gave the mandate for Abraham to be circumcised and he complied; God restored Abraham and Sarah's capacity to procreate. Abraham's spiritual heritage to Israel were the acts of faith that were the application of a personal sense of destiny
He did not waver in unbelief at the promises of God. He obeyed the command to be circumcised. Every circumcised male in Israel was a reminder of Abraham's faith in Jesus Christ and his personal sense of destiny.
Circumcision was a ritual that recalled the personal sense of destiny that came from the power of the faith-rest drill through the use of doctrinal rationales.
The heritage of Israel is regeneration through personal faith in Jesus Christ. God promised that in Isaac Abraham's progeny would be elected. The true Israel that will receive the eternal promises of God are made up of only those who believe in Christ as Savior. Circumcision is the sign of the purpose of Israel. It is a sign of their personal sense of destiny after salvation.
A personal sense of destiny opens the door to the adult spiritual life. The Church Age believer's sign of a personal sense of destiny is the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Abraham's personal sense of destiny looked forward to the divine initiative of eschatological grace related to living in a resurrection body and in a new earth and a new universe.
Heb 11:1-2; "Now faith (what is believed or doctrine) is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by means of it (doctrine circulating in the stream of consciousness) men of old attained approval."
Heb 11:9; "By means of doctrine he (Abraham) lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise."
That promise includes the land grant covenant, often called the Palestinian covenant and in the doctrine of resurrection. This promise includes an eternal city.
Gen 13:14-16; "And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, `Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your seed forever. And I will make your seed as the dust of the earth; so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your seed can also be numbered.'"
Gen 15:18; "On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, `To your seed I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates: "
The eternal city is described in Rev 21:2; "And I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out from heaven from God, made ready as a bride dressed for her husband.
Abraham looked forward to this eternal city as part of his eternal estate, so he continued to live in a tent rather than use his great wealth to build his own city. Abraham's life in a tent is another sign of his personal sense of destiny. Abraham's security was not based on fortifications, but on the function of the problem solving devices that were arrayed in his soul.
Heb 11:10, "for he himself kept waiting for a city which has foundations, whose architect and contractor is God."
A personal sense of destiny is an extension to the faith-rest drill. The only difference is the power available from the personal sense of destiny automatically applies doctrinal rationales to experience.
Believer's who function in the adult spiritual life live by principles of doctrine. Every great virtue is based on principle.
An illustration of this is compassion. There is a pseudo compassion that is irresponsible. Pseudo compassion is a part of the emotional complex of sins. The believer who lives outside of principle lives by emotion and uses experience as the basis for relationship with God. A believer who functions in this way will be a spiritual loser as long as they live.
When a believer reaches a personal sense of destiny, they live by the principles of Bible doctrine that have been metabolized in the soul and are circulating in the stream of consciousness.
The problem solving devices are the only means of applying principle to experience. You were designed to live by principle.
A personal sense of destiny is the status of the believer who is living by principle. The application of doctrine to experience establishes spiritual values, provides God-given spiritual environment for the soul, provides self-motivation for the fulfillment of the spiritual life, becomes a prerequisite for the fulfillment of God's plan, and inevitably becomes the source of the greatest blessing and happiness that is available in this life.
We see that Sarah had also developed a personal sense if destiny.
Heb 11:11; "By means of faith (doctrine) even Sarah herself received the power for laying down the seed, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised."
She believed the same promise that was given to Abraham. She came to admire her husband. She had true fellowship with God, from which she had a personal sense of destiny. And from that personal sense of destiny she had capacity to love God based on principle (Bible doctrine). This gave her capacity to love.
Heb 11:12-13; "Therefore, also, there was born out from the source of one man, and he as good as dead as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
v13 All these died in doctrine, without receiving the promises, but having seen them from a distance and having welcomed them, they also acknowledged that they were strangers and transients on the earth."
Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph all died in doctrine without receiving the promises and were never disappointed because they believed in resurrection. They realized that God is fair and that they did not have the capacity to enjoy the eternal city that had been promised without a resurrection body.
Having a personal sense of destiny enables us to see from a distance. If you live by principle, sooner or later everything falls into place. They perceived, welcomed and acknowledged from a distance through their doctrinal perception. They all saw the One who would provide the promised blessings in eternity. They were occupied with Christ.
They were transients on the earth because they had true fellowship with God. If you live by principle, you will embrace Him who is invisible. The adult spiritual life is a life that is based on the reality found in Bible doctrine, not on empiricism, feelings or emotion.
Abraham's personal sense of destiny in spiritual maturity was related to resurrection. Heb 11:17-19, "By means of faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac; even he who had received the promise offered up his uniquely born son; face to face with whom it was said, `In Isaac your seed will be called.' He concluded that God was able to resurrect even from the dead; from which he also received him back in a parable."
The more spiritually mature the believer is the greater becomes the believer's adversity and testing. In his personal sense of destiny, Abraham always had the resurrection in view because His personal sense of destiny was occupied with Christ and the eternal promises.
Abraham loved his son more than anything in life. When God commanded him to sacrifice his son, He knew that there was some reason for it that was beyond human reason.
Human sacrifice was contrary to everything in his life. The test was: are you going to believe what God mandates, even though you do not understand it, or are you going to refuse to obey and never make the final step in spiritual growth?
Abraham did not become emotional about the Lord's command to sacrifice Isaac. He thought about it and concluded that God keeps His word. Abraham did not rationalize what God had told him to do and try to find an excuse for not doing it. Abraham came to a doctrinal conclusion that led to his obedience.
Only God could solve the problem because only God had the power to resurrect anyone. That God was able to resurrect was an objective doctrinal conclusion that he stated to his servants. Gen 22:5; "Stay here with the donkey and I and the lad with go over there, and we will worship, and we will return."
Abraham had to pass the test of sexual death, which demanded the application of doctrine from a personal sense of destiny. Abraham had to pass the test of offering Isaac, which demanded the application of doctrine from a personal sense of destiny.
This illustrates four concepts related to a personal sense of destiny found in Phil 3:10, "that I may know Him (a personal sense of destiny parlayed into occupation with Christ),
and the power of His resurrection (a personal sense of destiny related to the doctrine of resurrection)
and the fellowship of His sufferings (a personal sense of destiny is related to true Christian fellowship as well as precedence for the Christian way of life),
being made conformable to His death (a personal sense of destiny is related to both the power options and the spiritual skills).
"Our personal sense of destiny is related to resurrection just as was Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph's personal sense of destiny.