Re: What About the Bride of Christ? -- Mamusz' Restoration Forum

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Date Posted: 10:52:13 04/10/11 Sun
Author: Lois
Subject: Re: What About the Bride of Christ?
In reply to: George 's message, "What About the Bride of Christ?" on 22:43:33 04/05/11 Tue

>Since I have reproached John for reproducing lenten
>scripture readings that could be obtained almost
>anywhere for the nonhomebound -- and perhaps even them
>-- I decided that we needed some devotionals that
>might bring some uniqueness to the forum. When the
>liberal leaders and laity decided to phase out the
>Restoration distinctives, that uniqueness that
>justifies the Restoration was lost from the Community
>of Christ. So I offer here a devotional that is, to my
>knowledge, not available anywhere else without a lot
>of difficulty:
>
>
>HYMN OF ASSANETH'S CONFESSION UNTO GOD
>
>I have sinned, 0 Lord,
>I have sinned before thee, and greatly transgressed,
>I, Assaneth, daughter of Poti-pherah
>the priest of the town of Heliopolis,
>who was the officer of all the gods.
>I have sinned, 0 Lord,
>I have sinned before thee and committed wrong,
>and worshiped numberless gods,
>and eaten of their sacrifices.
>
>I have sinned, 0 Lord,
>and committed wrong;
>I was a proud and haughty maiden.
>
>I have sinned, 0 Lord,
>I have sinned before thee, and greatly transgressed;
>I ate the strangled meat and drank of the cup of
>imposture,
>and ate at the table of death.
>
>I have sinned, 0 Lord,
>I have sinned before thee and greatly transgressed,
>and dlid not know the Lord God of heaven,
>and did not put my hope in God the Most High,
>in the Eternally Living One.
>
>I have sinned, 0 Lord.
>I have sinned before thee and greatly transgressed;
>and I trusted in the greatness of my glory and in my
>beauty,
>and I was proud and haughty.
>
>I have sinned, 0 Lord,
>I have sinned before thee and greatly sinned,
>for I despised all men,
>and there was no man before me whom I valued.
>
>I have sinned, 0 Lord,
>I have sinned before thee; I have transgressed,
>greatly transgressed,
>for I said that there was no prince upon the earth who
>could loose the girdle of my virginity.
>
>I have sinned, 0 Lord,
>I have sinned before thee, and greatly transgressed;
>as I have hated all those who would have me for a
>bride,
>and I despised and disdained them.
>
>I have sinned, 0 Lord,
>I have sinned before thee and greatly transgressed;
>for I have considered myself the bride of Pharaoh's
>eldest son;
>forgive me.
>When Joseph the mighty one of God came, he conquered
>me,
>and brought me down from my haughtiness,
>and enticed me with his beauty,
>and through his wisdom he made me to be obedient,
>and caught me like a fish in a net.
>And through his spirit he made me drink the draught of
>life,
>and through his power confirmed me,
>and offered me unto the Eternal God,
>and gave me to eat the bread of life, and to drink the
>cup of immortality,
>and I have become his bride forever.
>
>Translated by the Rev. Dr. Jacques Issaverdens, 1901
>
>I see in this prayer symbolism related to the church
>and Jesus Christ. The natural physical and biological
>nature of a woman requires her natural partner, a man,
>to make one whole out of two incomplete. I believe
>that creation was designed this way to testify of
>God's nature, and to let us known important things
>about God.
>
>This symbolism is as deeply ingrained in the Christian
>church as the usage of "father" to address God.
>Asenath seems here to have had some of the
>characteristics familiar to the targets of the
>Community of Christ's evangelism. She repents of
>hating all men when she sees the perfection and beauty
>of the relationship between herself and Joseph, which
>mirrors the relationship between the Church and Jesus
>Christ.
>
>She cannot come to God unless she repents.
>An unnatural hatred of the opposite sex that prevents
>Biblical marriage for her is sinful.
>The full consequences of the sin are not known to her
>until after true repentance puts her back into a right
>relationship.
>
>Asenath's sin is no different in degree than any other
>sin. I only selected this passage because her sin runs
>parallel to that of many of the appointed, paid clergy
>of the Community of Christ, and also parallels that of
>the most favored class of members in that denomination.
>
>God wants all us to repent of every sin -- not
>just a particular sin that plagues someone else and
>not ourselves. But, those of us who do share that
>particular sin ought not only to repent of it, but
>encourage their
>/our fellows to repent of it as well. If we don't
>repent, there will be no Lent, nor Easter, because
>every second of every minute of every hour of every
>day will be eternally Good Friday -- with Jesus on the
>cross.
>
>Just my thoughts during the Lenten season.
>
>George

Hebrews 6
3 And we will go on unto perfection if God permit.
4 For he hath made it impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to be renewed again unto repentance; seeing they crucify unto themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
7 For the day cometh that the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them who dwelleth thereon, by whom it is dressed, who now receiveth blessings from God, shall be cleansed with fire.
8 For that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; therefore they who bring not forth good fruits, shall be cast into the fire; for their end is to be burned.
------

Either that young man, Joseph Smith Jr., was VERY knowledgable of the Bible, or God repeats Himself alot to make sure we have not missed something really important.
------

Doctrine and Covenants 76
3m And we saw a vision of the sufferings of those with whom he made war and overcame, for thus came the voice of the Lord unto us.
4a Thus saith the Lord, concerning all those who know my power, and have been made partakers thereof, and suffered themselves, through the power of the Devil, to be overcome, and to deny the truth, and defy my power;
4b they are they who are the sons of perdition, of whom I say it had been better for them never to have been born;
4c for they are vessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of God, with the Devil and his angels, in eternity, concerning whom I have said there is no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come;
4d having denied the Holy Spirit, after having received it, and having denied the only begotten Son of the Father; having crucified him unto themselves, and put him to an open shame:
4e these are they who shall go away into the lake of fire and brimstone, with the Devil and his angels, and the only ones on whom the second death shall have any power; yea, verily, the only ones who shall not be redeemed in the due time of the Lord, after the sufferings of his wrath;
-------

Lois

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Replies:

Re: What About the Bride of Christ? -- George, 23:35:18 04/10/11 Sun
- Re: What About the Bride of Christ? -- Lois, 00:07:26 04/11/11 Mon