Tag Archives: sons of God

How Christ Abides in Us—Getting to His Sustained Presence

This knowledge is extremely important—if you want to walk with Him.

Seekers of God must believe He wants them to grow. Without that faith, they remain spiritually immature, blown about like leaves in the wind. Christ has given clear commands for growth: “Abide in Me” and “Add to your faith” the seven attributes of His divine nature (II Peter 1).

These commands—and the seven additions—are explored in my books The Eleventh Commandment and The Additions to the Faith. These attributes are attainable; if Peter, Paul, and John grew into them, so can we. [Get your free copy here: Ordering My Free Books in Paperback | Immortality Road]

Some may think, “Here he goes again about becoming like Christ.” But Scripture says teachers exist to mature the saints until we reach “the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:11–13). Growth into His fullness is our calling.

This abiding is the indwelling of His heart and Spirit. “Christ in you, the hope of glory” becomes reality as we learn and practice the seventh addition—agape love.

Recognizing a command is one thing; learning how to obey it is another. We abide in Christ by believing His words about His presence through the Spirit of truth. He is the vine; we are the branches. Remaining in Him produces “much fruit.”

This aligns with the seven additions. When they are added, we are never barren but full of fruit—“much fruit.” Abiding and adding work together to make our calling and election sure.

Abiding is the sustained presence of the Spirit within us, made possible by these seven qualities, culminating in divine love.

But how do we abide? How do we add? What is the actual way forward?

Christlike Prayer

We abide in Christ through prayer—but not self-centered prayer. True prayer aligns with Christ’s own prayers and with God’s interests. Worship must be “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

Our words to God should reflect what matters to Him. Christ taught this in the model prayer. Prayer shaped by His priorities gains His ear.

Dale Carnegie once wrote, “Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.” If this works with people, how much more with God? Self-focused prayers—“Bless me, help me get this job”—miss the mark. But if we speak with Him about His plan, His purpose, His Kingdom, He will listen.

Christ said the Father gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask. We ask—not command. When we pray according to His will and His plan, He abides in us.

God’s interests are revealed in the words of Christ, the prophets, and the apostles. He thinks about His Kingdom and His righteousness. Why not talk to Him about these things? Few do.

Thinking His thoughts is abiding in Him. Continuing in His teachings shapes our minds into His mind. Paul urges us, “Let this mind be in you.”

We gain His thoughts through knowledge taught by His servants, and we sustain His thoughts through prayer and study of His purpose.

Prayer becomes the rudder that keeps our minds on course toward the New Jerusalem and toward God Himself.

Abiding in Him

Love for Christ grows from gratitude for deliverance. “We love Him because He first loved us.” Because we love Him, we keep His words. Then He and the Father “make their abode” with us (John 14:23).

There is a progression: gratitude → love → obedience → abiding presence. He fulfills His promise: “I will never leave you.”

One of His commands is “pray.” Scripture emphasizes prayer repeatedly. It is essential. Praying according to His plan keeps us abiding in Him and bearing much fruit—fulfilling God’s purpose of reproducing His nature in us.

Christ promised that if we abide in Him and His words abide in us, our prayers will be answered (John 15:7). Abiding produces the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

Spiritual Growth

Abiding in Him ensures spiritual growth. Look at Peter and Paul before and after the resurrection. If they grew into spiritual powerhouses, so can we. Their teachings—and Christ’s—center on abiding.

Conclusion

Abiding in Christ is not a mystical feeling but a deliberate walk of agreement with His mind, His words, and His purposes. As we pray according to His interests—His Kingdom, His righteousness, His plan for the nations—we open our hearts to the very thoughts of God. In that communion, His Spirit settles in us, shaping our desires and empowering our obedience. This is how Christ abides in us: through a steady exchange of His thoughts for ours, His will for ours, His love poured into our hearts. When we pray His way and think His thoughts, the vine’s life flows into the branches. Fruit appears. Growth becomes inevitable. And the Father’s purpose—to reproduce His own nature in His children—moves steadily toward fulfillment.

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Christ: From the Lamb to the Warrior-King

“Arm yourselves with the same mind”

Intro: To know Christ and the power of his resurrection, to know Him as He is, we must cease to look at him after the flesh. In other words, though we have known Him in his fleshly encounter with the cross, which is indeed important, we should not continue to look at Him from that perspective.  

Us dying with Him is the beginning of growing spiritually. But Christ has moved on, and He desires us to move on with Him. “Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more” (II Cor. 5:16).

Christ’s duty some 2,000 years ago was to serve as the Lamb of God that “takes away the sins of the world.” But now, He is the Warrior-King in exile, and He is coming back with a vengeance. For He has said, “Vengeance is mine, sayeth the LORD.” We cannot truly grow to full maturity in being His manifested 100-fold fruit-bearing sons and daughters unless we see Him as He now is.  We must begin to see Him, not only as our King, but also the mighty Commander of all heavenly forces who will purge this earth of evil during the glorious days of His return.

The New Testament presents Jesus Christ/Yahshua, not only as the sacrificial Lamb who redeems humanity, but also as the Divine Warrior‑King who fulfills and intensifies the Old Testament portrait of Yahweh as the God of war, the Commander of heavenly armies, and the One who fights to reclaim His creation. The Lamb who was slain rises as the Warrior/King who conquers, waging holy war to take back the earth from the powers of darkness.

The Old Testament Foundation: Yahweh the Divine Warrior

The Old Testament consistently portrays Yahweh as a God who fights for His people and wages war against evil. After the Red Sea deliverance, Moses sings, “The LORD [Yahweh] is a man of war” (Exodus 15:3). This is not metaphor but identity. Yahweh marches before Israel (Judges 5:4), thunders from Sinai (Psalm 68:7–8), and rides with “chariots… twenty thousand, even thousands of angels” (Psalm 68:17). He trains His people for battle (Psalm 144:1) and personally dons armor: “He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head” (Isaiah 59:17).

Yahweh is also the “LORD of hosts”—YHWH Sabaoth—the Commander of angelic armies (1 Samuel 17:45). Several translations render “LORD of hosts” as “LORD of armies.” His heavenly forces appear as “horses and chariots of fire” surrounding Elisha (2 Kings 6:17). The prophets envision Him going forth to battle: “Then shall the LORD/Yahweh go forth, and fight against those nations” (Zechariah 14:3).

This Divine Warrior theme is not peripheral; it is central to God’s identity as King. The question is: How does the New Testament apply this imagery to Christ?

The Lamb Who Conquers: Christ as the Fulfillment of the Warrior‑King

The New Testament does not diminish the Divine Warrior motif—it heightens it. The same God who fought for Israel now fights in and through His Messiah. The Lamb is not passive; He is slain and standing (Revelation 5:6), and His sacrifice becomes the very weapon by which He conquers.

1. Christ as the Captain of the Lord’s Armies

The mysterious “Captain of the host of the LORD” who appears to Joshua (Joshua 5:13–15) receives worship and speaks with divine authority. The New Testament reveals that Christ is the One who commands the angels: “the Son of Man shall come… with his angels” (Matthew 16:27). He will “send his angels” to gather His elect (Matthew 24:31). He is “revealed from heaven with his mighty angels” (2 Thessalonians 1:7). The Commander of the heavenly host in the Old Testament is the same One who leads the armies of heaven in Revelation.

2. Christ Wearing Yahweh’s Own Armor

Isaiah 59:17 describes Yahweh putting on a breastplate and helmet. Paul explicitly identifies this armor as belonging to Christ and shared with His people: “Put on the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11). The “helmet of salvation” and “breastplate of righteousness” are not Roman metaphors—they are Yahweh’s own battle gear, now given to the saints because they fight under Christ’s command. Christ is the Divine Warrior who equips His soldiers with His own armor.

3. Christ Making War to Reclaim the Earth

Revelation 19 is the New Testament’s clearest Divine Warrior scene. John sees heaven opened and Christ riding forth:

  • In righteousness he judges and makes war” (19:11).
  • His eyes were as a flame of fire” (19:12).
  • Out of his mouth goes a sharp sword” (19:15).
  • The armies which were in heaven followed him” (19:14).
  • His title: “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (19:16).

This is Yahweh the Warrior of Exodus 15 and Isaiah 59 revealed in the person of Jesus/Yahshua. The Lamb who was slain now rides as the Warrior‑King to reclaim the earth from the dragon, the beast, and the kings of the nations.

4. Christ’s War in the Heavenly Realm

Revelation 12 describes a cosmic conflict: “There was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon” (12:7). Though Michael leads the battle, the victory is explicitly attributed to Christ: “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb” (12:11). The Lamb’s blood is a weapon. The cross is not defeat—it is the decisive strike in the war to reclaim creation.

5. Christ as the Stronger Man Who Overthrows the Enemy

Christ describes His mission in warrior terms: “If I cast out devils… then the kingdom of God is come” (Matthew 12:28). He speaks of binding “the strong man” (12:29) to plunder his house. This is conquest language. Christ invades Satan’s territory and liberates captives.

6. Christ’s People as Soldiers in His War

Believers are not spectators. They are enlisted. “Endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3). They fight “principalities… powers… rulers of the darkness” (Ephesians 6:12). They overcome “by the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 12:11). His shed blood that has put our feet on the glory road is now being used in the full spiritual war that He is waging. The church participates in Christ’s ongoing campaign to reclaim the earth.

Conclusion: The Warrior‑King Reclaims His World

The New Testament does not present two Christs—a gentle Lamb and a fierce Warrior. It presents one Christ whose sacrificial death is the opening act of His cosmic war. The Lamb conquers by dying, rises to lead the armies of heaven, and returns to overthrow every rival power. The Divine Warrior of the Old Testament is revealed in the New as Christ, who fights not with earthly weapons but with truth, righteousness, judgment, and the power of His indestructible life. The war is not metaphorical. It is the real conflict for the dominion of the earth, and you and I are in the big middle of it—if we make our calling and election sure by forsaking childlike desires. Knowing this: It is now Christ the Warrior‑King in us, “the hope of glory.”

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Who Is the King? Yahweh the King of Glory Revealed in the Son

Psalm 24 opens with a majestic question: “Who is this King of glory?” (Psalm 24:8). The answer is unmistakable: “Yahweh strong and mighty… Yahweh of hosts, He is the King of glory” (Psalm 24:8,10). The Old Testament leaves no ambiguity—Yahweh alone is the King. Psalm 47:2 declares, “Yahweh most high… is a great King over all the earth,” and verse 7 adds, “God is the King of all the earth.” Isaiah 43:15 reinforces this truth: “I am Yahweh… your King.” Zechariah 14:9 summarizes the entire testimony: “Yahweh shall be King over all the earth… His name one.” There is one King, one throne, one divine ruler.

Yet the New Testament repeatedly identifies Christ as the King. The wise men ask, “Where is He that is born King of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2). The crowds shout, “Blessed is the King of Israel” (John 12:13). Jesus Himself affirms, “Thou sayest that I am a King. To this end was I born” (John 18:37). Paul calls Him “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings” (1 Timothy 6:15). Revelation 19:16 seals the identity: “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

This raises a profound question: If Yahweh is the King, and Christ is the King, do we have two Kings? Scripture forbids such a division. Zechariah 14:9 insists there is one Yahweh and one King. The only biblical conclusion is that Christ is Yahweh the King of glory revealed in human form.

The Old Testament prepares us for this revelation by showing Yahweh appearing visibly as a Man. In Genesis 18, “Yahweh appeared unto him” and Abraham saw “three men” (Genesis 18:1–2). Yahweh eats, speaks, and walks with Abraham. In Genesis 32:24–30, Jacob wrestles with a Man yet declares, “I have seen God face to face.” Hosea 12:3–5 confirms the One he wrestled with was “Yahweh, the God of hosts.” In Joshua 5:13–15, the Commander of Yahweh’s army receives worship and speaks as Yahweh Himself. These appearances reveal a visible Yahweh, distinct from the invisible Father whom no man has seen (John 1:18).

The New Testament identifies this visible Yahweh with Christ. John 12:41 states that Isaiah saw Christ’s glory when he saw Yahweh on the throne in Isaiah 6. Jesus declares, “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58), claiming the divine name revealed in Exodus 3:14. Paul writes, “In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). Hebrews 1:8 records the Father addressing the Son: “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever.” Christ is not a second deity or a lesser King—He is Yahweh’s own visible manifestation.

Thus the Old Testament King—Yahweh—is the same King revealed in the New Testament as Yahshua the Messiah. The Father, who is invisible, dwells fully in the Son, who is His visible Image (Colossians 1:15; John 14:9–10). There are not two Kings, but one divine King revealed in two modes: the invisible Father and the visible Yahweh who became flesh.

Therefore, when David asks, “Who is this King of glory?” The Old and New Testament answer: It is the Father Yahweh, clothed in human form, who is called Christ, the Anointed One. He is “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings” (I Tim. 6:15).

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Connecting Dots–“In the Beginning”

Introduction

Occasionally, the mind drifts back to the big questions—the ones that tug at the edges of our spirit. This morning, mine drifted back to the word “beginning.” Moses used it. John used it. And both seemed to sense that “beginning” is far bigger than our small minds can grasp. Yet Scripture invites us to trace the lines, to connect the dots, and to see the picture that emerges.

Thesis: It is to connect the biblical “beginning” to the heart of God, showing how Spirit, Love, and Yahweh converge in His purpose to share His very nature with humanity through Christ. (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1; 1 John 1:1)

1. Back to the Beginning: Spirit, Love, God

When Moses wrote, “In the beginning,” and when John echoed the same phrase, they were not merely marking time—they were pointing us toward the heart of God. Scripture gives us three dots to connect: God is Spirit, God is love, and God is invisible. Put them together and the picture becomes clearer: the Supreme Being is the Invisible Spirit of Agape Love. And Scripture gives this Being a name—Yahweh. So the first dot is drawn: Yahweh = Invisible Spirit of Agape Love. (John 4:24; 1 John 4:8; Colossians 1:15; Exodus 3:14–15)

2. Love Alone—Yet Not Content to Be Alone

But love, by its very nature, longs to give itself. In the beginning, Yahweh existed with spiritual beings in the heavenly realm, yet He was still alone in one essential sense: there was no one who shared His nature, no one who could receive the fullness of His heart. Love needs an object. Love needs someone to bless, someone to lift, someone to pour itself into. And so, Yahweh formed a plan—a purpose rooted in His very essence. He would create human beings in His image so that He could share Himself with them. (Genesis 1:26–27; Ephesians 1:4–5)

3. How Love Reveals Itself

But how would Yahweh show these new creatures what love truly is? Humanity is wired to recognize sacrificial love. We honor the firefighter who gives his life for a child, the soldier who throws himself on a grenade to save his brothers. Something in us knows: that is the greatest love. Jesus Himself said it: “Greater love has no man than this, than to lay down his life for a friend.” And so, Yahweh determined to reveal His heart in the clearest way possible. He would form a prototype body, pour His Spirit into a chosen mortal, walk among us, heal us, teach us—and then lay down that mortal body as an offering for the sins of the world. (John 15:13; Philippians 2:6–8; John 1:14; 1 John 2:2)

4. The Path of Growth and the Purpose of Love

Yet humanity must first walk the dark path long enough to feel the need for a Savior. Only then can they offer their bodies as living sacrifices and receive His Spirit into their minds. As His Spirit grows in them, the old selfish ways fall away. They begin to love as He loves. Some will grow and grow until Christ is fully formed in them—until they reflect the very nature of the One who made them. And the picture that emerges is breathtaking: a people who share their Father’s purpose, who carry His love into the world, who become living expressions of the Invisible Spirit of Agape. (Romans 12:1; Ezekiel 36:26–27; Galatians 4:19; Romans 8:18–29)

Conclusion

So, yes—I’ve been connecting dots. And the more I connect them, the more I see a God whose plan is far more beautiful than we imagined. A God who began with love, acted in love, revealed Himself in love, and is forming a people who will live out that same love. (Ephesians 3:17–19)

The greatest dot of love is that Christ chose us in Him before He laid “the foundation of the world.” He chose us “in the beginning,” before this world was ever laid. That is the greatest dot—to see His love in already predestinating us, that we could be “accepted in the beloved” (Eph. 1:4-6). Belief of all this is connecting the dots of truth. We are with Him—Before, Now, and throughout Eternity. That is the biggest of dots! Kenneth Wayne Hancock [Request my books. Christ has already paid for them; they are free with free shipping. Be sure to “Like” this post. Subscribe and make a comment about the dots of truth that you are connecting. Request a free book here:  Ordering My Free Books in Paperback | Immortality Road

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Who is Christ? The Invisible God Revealed

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Introduction

Blindness is one of Scripture’s most persistent metaphors—not merely the inability to see with physical eyes, but the deeper inability to perceive who God truly is. Throughout the Gospels, Christ heals the blind, yet each miracle points beyond itself. These healings are signs, shadows, and living parables of a greater work: the opening of humanity’s spiritual eyes to recognize the identity of the Son (John 9:39; Matthew 13:13). For the greatest blindness is not physical; it is the inability to see Christ as He truly is. And the greatest healing is the revelation of His identity.

Many pursue spiritual truth with zeal, sincerity, and even sacrifice, yet remain unaware of the central mystery: Christ is Yahweh made visible—the Father dwelling in human form, the Seed and the Word made flesh (Colossians 1:15; John 1:14; 1 Timothy 3:16). Until this truth dawns upon the heart, the eyes remain dim. But when this revelation breaks through, the blindness lifts, and the believer begins to walk in the light of who God is.

This essay explores that revelation. It traces the mystery of the Son, the Seed, and the Word; the nature of spiritual blindness; and the eye‑salve Christ offers to those who desire to overcome. For those “going for all the marbles”—those who long to feed lambs and sheep (John 21:15–17), to bear one‑hundred‑fold fruit (Matthew 13:23), and to sit with Christ on His throne (Revelation 3:21)—seeing Him rightly is not optional. It is essential.

I. Who Is Christ? The Visible Manifestation of the Invisible Yahweh

The question “Who is Christ?” is not academic; it is the axis upon which spiritual sight turns. Christ is not merely a teacher, prophet, or moral example. He is the visible manifestation of the invisible Yahweh (Colossians 1:15), the Creator God who spoke the worlds into existence. His Hebrew name, Yahshua, declares His identity openly: “Yahweh is the Savior” (Matthew 1:21).

The Son of God is not a second divine being standing beside the Father. Rather, the Son is Yahweh Himself come in human form. The Father, who is Spirit, took on flesh and walked among His creation (John 4:24; John 1:14). The Son is the human vessel with the Spirit within; the Father is the indwelling Spirit. Together, they form the one Christ—the Anointed One who reveals the Father perfectly because the Father dwells within Him (John 10:30; John 14:10–11; 1 Timothy 3:16).

II. The Seed, the Word, and the Mystery of the Son

Christ often spoke in parables—mysteries designed to conceal truth from the unready and reveal it to the hungry (Luke 8:10; Matthew 13:35). He declared, “The seed is the Word of God” (Luke 8:11). This is not a botanical lesson but a revelation of identity. The Seed is the Word; the Word is the Son; and the Son is the Father dwelling in flesh.

Thus, when Scripture says, “The Word was made flesh,” it unveils the mystery: Yahweh, the eternal Word, took on human form as the Son (John 1:14). The Seed planted in the earth is the Father’s own life embodied in the man Yahshua. To see the Son is to see the Father (John 14:9); to receive the Seed is to receive the very life of God (Galatians 3:16).

III. The Human Condition: Blindness to the Identity of Christ

Yet humanity remains blind to this truth. People may admire Jesus, respect Him, or even worship Him, yet still fail to perceive who He truly is. This blindness is not intellectual; it is spiritual. It is the inability to recognize that the Son is not a second divine person but the Father revealed in flesh (2 Corinthians 3:14; John 1:5).

This blindness is the same condition Christ addressed when He healed the physically blind. Each miracle was a sign pointing to the deeper healing He came to give: the opening of spiritual eyes to behold the Father in the Son (John 9:1–7; John 14:10–11).

IV. The Healing: Eye‑Salve of Truth

Christ diagnoses the condition plainly: “You are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17). But He does not leave His people in that state. He offers gold refined in the fire, white raiment, and—most crucially—eye‑salve to restore sight (Revelation 3:18).

This eye‑salve is the revelation of who the Son truly is. When the believer meditates on the Son—not as a figure within a three‑person framework, but as the human form containing the fullness of the Father—something shifts. The eyes begin to open. The heart begins to see. The blindness lifts (Ephesians 1:18; 1 John 5:20).

The believer beholds Christ not as a partial revelation but as the complete manifestation of Yahweh (Colossians 2:9). This is the healing Christ offers. This is the anointing that restores sight (John 14:9).

V. The Purpose: Preparing Overcomers for the Throne

This revelation is not merely doctrinal; it is transformational. Christ extends a breathtaking promise: “To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with Me in My throne” (Revelation 3:21), just as He overcame and sat down with His Father in His throne.

Those who receive the eye‑salve—those who see Christ as Yahweh in human form—are being prepared to rule with Him. They are the one‑hundred‑fold fruit bearers (Matthew 13:23), the kings and priests who will reign with Christ during His thousand‑year Kingdom (Revelation 20:4–6).

To see Christ rightly is to be equipped for this calling. To remain blind is to fall short of it (John 8:24). To see Christ rightly is to be equipped for this calling. To remain blind is to fall short of it (John 8:24).

Conclusion

Spiritual blindness is not cured by effort, intellect, or tradition. It is healed by revelation—specifically, the revelation of who Christ is. When the eyes are anointed with this truth, the believer sees the Son not as a distant figure or a partial expression of God, but as Yahweh Himself made visible, the Father dwelling in human form, the Seed and the Word made flesh (John 1:14; 2 Corinthians 5:19).

This is the eye‑salve Christ offers. This is the gold refined in the fire. This is the white raiment of the overcomer (Revelation 3:18). And this is the revelation that prepares the sons and daughters of God to sit with Christ on His throne (Revelation 3:21).

For those who are “going for all the marbles,” nothing matters more than this: to see Christ as He truly is. For in seeing Him, the blindness lifts, and the believer steps into the fullness of God’s purpose (John 17:3). Kenneth Wayne Hancock

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THE ABIDING OF GOD: TRUTH, PURITY, AND THE SPIRIT WHO REVEALS THE SON

Trying to grasp Christ’s mystical thoughts is like reaching for a golden butterfly shimmering in the sun—beautiful, near, yet always slipping beyond the grasp of our earthbound minds. And then we blink, and the revelatory thought evaporates before our outstretched arms.

Yet Christ did not speak to bewilder us; He spoke to draw us into the mystery of God’s own indwelling. He declared, “I am…the truth” (John 14:6), and truth is the condition of His abiding presence. God will not take up residence where falsehood remains. Christ teaches that the Spirit of truth comes only when we cease knowing Him “after the flesh” (2 Corinthians 5:16) and begin to see Him as the ascended Son who sends the Comforter.

Therefore, the central claim of this essay is that God’s abiding presence enters the believer only when false concepts are purged, for the Spirit of truth—whom Christ sends after we stop clinging to Him as a mortal—guides us into all truth and reveals the Father dwelling in the Son.

1. God’s Abiding Presence Requires Truth

God offers us His abiding presence—His very life dwelling within us. But because He is truth, He will not inhabit a heart governed by falsehood. Christ’s own words establish this: “I am…the truth” (John 14:6). Truth is not merely a doctrine; it is the very nature of God. Therefore, abiding cannot occur where untruth remains.

Before God takes up residence in us, the old belief system must be purged of its errors. False concepts about God create a dwelling place unfit for His presence. The heart must be cleansed of misconceptions, distortions, and inherited traditions that obscure the true knowledge of Christ. Only then can the abiding begin. [Several false teachings are found here: false doctrines | Immortality Road]

2. The Spirit of Truth Is the Means of Abiding

Christ reveals that the abiding presence comes through the Comforter, “the Spirit of truth.” He says, “When the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth…he shall testify of me” (John 15:26).

The Spirit of truth does not speak of Himself. He speaks of Christ. He unveils Christ as He truly is—not as we imagine Him, not as we have been taught by human systems, but as the Son of God in His present glory.

Abiding begins when the Spirit comes. And the Spirit comes only in truth. He cannot testify of Christ to a heart still clinging to falsehood. He cannot reveal the Son where the mind refuses to be renewed.

3. Christ Must Depart Before the Spirit Can Come

Christ makes a startling statement: “If I do not go away, the Comforter will not come unto you. But if I depart, I will send him unto you” (John 16:7).

This departure is not merely physical. It is spiritual. Something in our perception of Christ must depart. We must release our limited, flesh-bound view of Him.

As long as we cling to Christ as a mortal man—full of passion, pain, and the limitations of flesh—we cannot receive Him in His ascended form. The Spirit cannot reveal the glorified Christ to a heart still fixated on the earthly Christ.

The departure Christ speaks of is the departure of our old way of seeing Him.

4. We Must No Longer Know Christ “After the Flesh”

Paul echoes this truth: “Though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more” (2 Corinthians 5:16).

This is not a denial of Christ’s incarnation. It is an invitation to move beyond it.

We must not cling to Christ merely as the suffering man of Galilee. We must see Him as He is now—the ascended, spiritual-bodied King who reigns at the right hand of God. Only when we release the fleshly view can He return to us in a spiritual way, in the capacity known as the Holy Spirit.

5. The Spirit Reveals the Father in the Son

The Spirit of truth guides us “into all truth” and “shows us things to come” (John 16:13). This is not abstract knowledge. It is revelation. It is the unveiling of the Father in the Son.

Christ pleaded with His disciples, “Believe me that the Father is in me…doing the works” (John 14:10–11). This is the truth the Spirit reveals. The Father dwelling in the Son, and the Son dwelling in us through the Spirit—this is the abiding.

The Spirit’s work is to manifest Christ within us, and in manifesting Christ, to manifest the Father. This is the mystery of the abiding presence. Knowing Christ “after the flesh” must go before He can come to us “after the Spirit.”

Conclusion

Christ’s teachings on the abiding presence are not easily grasped. They shimmer with spiritual light, always just beyond the reach of natural understanding. Yet He has given us the key: truth. God abides only in truth. The Spirit of truth comes only when we release our fleshly view of Christ and allow Him to reveal the Son as He truly is. When the Spirit comes, He guides us into all truth, testifies of Christ, and unveils the Father dwelling in Him. And in that revelation, God takes up His residence within us. This is the abiding. This is the promise. This is the life of God in the soul of man.     Kenneth Wayne Hancock   [If this and other articles have helped you, please hit the “like” button and subscribe.]

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THE CALL TO GROW: WHY SPIRITUAL FRUIT MATTERS

Christ and His apostles taught a real, measurable spiritual growth—thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and hundredfold—and that this growth is not optional. It is the very purpose for which Christ chose us: to bear enduring fruit, to grow into His likeness, and to make our calling and election sure.

The Vision Many Cannot See

Someone may say, “I just cannot see this spiritual growth you speak about—this thirty‑fold, sixty‑fold, and hundred‑fold fruit‑bearing. Why is it so important? I don’t believe we can be like Christ.”

To such a person I would answer kindly; it is understandable. This vision of sonship is not given to everyone. It is the Creator who calls and chooses. Christ Himself said, “You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and ordained you, that you should bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain” (John 15:16). There goes Christ again, talking about fruit bearing. Read John 15 alongside the parable of the Sower in Matthew 13, and the pattern becomes unmistakable.

Many gladly receive His gift of salvation but never move beyond it. Not because they are evil, but because they have never been taught the spiritual growth cycle. They assume they do not need it—or worse, they simply do not believe it.

The Tragedy of Refusing the Call

But imagine realizing that you were not chosen to walk with Christ as the early apostles did. Would that not wrench the stomach with a bitter churn of regret? The doubters received salvation, yes—but they rejected His invitation to sit with Him on His throne (Rev. 3:20–21).

They resemble the lukewarm Christians, the five foolish virgins, who missed the great celebration because they dismissed the oil—doctrinal truth—as unimportant. They would not study it, believe it, or walk in it. These five virgins were indeed Christians (Matthew 25:1), yet their unbelief barred them from the royal feast. They hid when they should have feasted with the King. And Christ warns that such loss brings weeping and sorrow.

The Command to Grow

Scripture does not leave us passive. We are told to “make our calling and election sure” and to “examine ourselves, whether we be in the faith.” And what should we find in that examination? A young Spirit of Christ within us—alive, growing, maturing.

So, when someone says, “I don’t believe we can be like Christ,” they are not merely doubting themselves—they are limiting God and rejecting His own declaration: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” I understand the struggle; decades ago, I wrestled with the same doubts. But a mentor helped me cast them off and pursue the calling with certainty. All doubt springs from spiritual blindness. And Scripture tells us plainly what restores sight.

The Seven Additions: God’s Eye Salve

Peter teaches that the seven additions to faith—listed in II Peter 1—is the very eye salve that heals spiritual blindness. Speaking of the additions, Peter writes: “For if these things be in you and abound, they [the additions] make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacks these things is blind, and cannot see afar off…”

These additions are the engine of spiritual growth. They move a believer from barrenness to fruitfulness, from blindness to sight, from mere salvation to sonship. Some will answer this call to bear 100-fold fruit and be His manifested sons and daughters in the end times. Christ spoke it; I am only repeating His words.

Conclusion

Spiritual growth is not an optional doctrine or a private theory. It is the clear teaching of Christ and His apostles. We were chosen to bear fruit, to grow into His likeness, and to walk the path laid out in Scripture. Those who embrace the seven additions to the faith will see; those who refuse remain blind. The call is before us. The fruit is promised. The choice is ours.  Kenneth Wayne Hancock [If you believe me, hit that like button, subscribe and make a comment.]

{I want you to have a free copy of my latest book, The Additions to the Faith. The Spirit is guiding us into knowledge of the seven crucial spiritual, divine attributes—what they are and how to add them to your faith. The books are free for the asking. No strings, no follow-ups. Christ wants us to grow. He has given me light on the subject and the funds to get the truth out there. Instead of putting cash in an offering tray, I publish my own books for the body of Christ. To order: Send your name and mailing address and the title of the book to my email: wayneman5@hotmail.com}

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Christ the Door into the Heavenly Dimension

The door to the other dimension — the spiritual dimension — is Christ Himself. Scripture teaches that we must enter the Kingdom of God, but the question remains: How do we enter? Jesus answers plainly: “I am the door.” But a door always opens somewhere. Christ is the Door that opens into the righteous, heavenly dimension — the realm where God’s will is done, the realm Jesus taught us to seek when He said, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth…” Through His righteousness, we step from the natural into the spiritual, from the earthly into the heavenly.

Peter expands this truth by explaining that an entrance into this Kingdom is “supplied” to those who add seven attributes to the faith already operating within them (2 Peter 1:1–8). These seven additions are nothing less than the divine nature of Christ, spiritually transposed into our earthly vessels. As we add them, we are not merely improving our character — we are entering the righteous spiritual dimension where God’s Kingdom operates. Christ is the Door, and these attributes are the steps through that Door.

This is the very purpose of God: to multiply His divine nature into “many sons unto glory.” We have been chosen to walk this path of apostleship, following Christ step by step, for “the steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD.” The Kingdom we enter is invisible, spiritual, and real — a dimension into which Christ alone grants access.

Christ has given us “exceeding great and precious promises,” and through these promises we become partakers of His divine nature. Peter, in the opening chapter of his second letter, lists the very qualities that form this path of entrance: virtue, knowledge, self‑control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. These are not suggestions; they are commands spoken by an apostle who walked with the Savior Himself.

Peter’s authority is not theoretical. His life bears witness:

•           He performed the first apostolic miracle after Pentecost (Acts 3).

•           He opened the gospel to the Gentiles through Cornelius (Acts 10).

•           He served as a foundational leader and spokesman of the Jerusalem church (Acts 1–12).

•           He authored 1 & 2 Peter, strengthening believers and clarifying doctrine.

•           He displayed boldness under persecution (Acts 4–5).

•           He confessed Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” by revelation of the Father (Matt. 16:16–17).

•           He was restored by Christ and became a model of grace after failure (Luke 22; John 21).

This is the man who tells us how to enter the Kingdom. His words carry weight because he walked with the Door Himself.

Therefore, we can trust Peter when he declares that adding these seven facets to the gem of God’s faith will open to us an abundant entrance into the everlasting Kingdom. Each attribute is a deliberate step deeper into the spiritual dimension where Christ reigns. We are not passive spectators but active participants in this transformation. As we cultivate these qualities, they become signposts marking our progress into the Kingdom, confirming our calling and election.

And the more faithfully we walk in them, the more abundantly the entrance is supplied — until we find ourselves fully stepping through Christ the Door into the dimension He has prepared for His sons and daughters.   Kenneth Wayne Hancock

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John the Baptist—Forerunner of Yahweh in Human Form

From the moment John the Baptist stepped out of the wilderness, his voice shattered the silence of four hundred years with a message that demanded attention: “Prepare the way of the Lord.” His cry was more than a call to repentance — it was the announcement that Israel’s God was drawing near in an unprecedented way.

John’s mission as the forerunner only makes sense when seen through the lens of the oneness of God: the eternal Yahweh was coming to His people clothed in human flesh. John the Baptist’s ministry points directly to the mystery and majesty of the incarnation — that “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself,” and John’s role was to prepare hearts for the arrival of the Son of God, who is the visible expression of the one true God Yahweh.

John the Baptist was unique, for he pointed a nation to the Son of God. The Son was going throughout the land doing miracles, claiming that it could only be the Father Yahweh working the miracles (John 14:10).

The miracles gave life, for Life was in the Son of God. “And the Life was the light of men” (John 1:4). John the Baptist was “not that Light but was sent to bear witness of that Light” (v. 8). The voice of one was crying in the wilderness, telling all to repent, for the Son of God—the Light—had come. He had studied the words of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter—words through the pen of Isaiah (Isaiah 40:1-5).

“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.” This shows us that the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, is come. “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, he shall testify of me.” He will testify the truth as to who I am.  (John 15:26).

The Spirit of truth will reveal secrets concerning just who the Son of God is. The secret is this: The Son is the Father clothed in human form. Proof: Isaiah 9:6 speaks of Christ, the Son of God, calling Him the “Everlasting Father.”

The Way of Yahweh Is Yahweh’s Way

In Isaiah 40: 3, the voice of the Comforter’s forerunner cries in the wilderness saying, “Prepare the way of the LORD—Yahweh, Yahweh in human form.

We are on the way of Yahweh when we “make straight in the desert a highway for our God. [He is speaking of a desert highway for the Christ, the Son of God.] Every valley [the lowly and humble] shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill [the proud nations] shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight…and the glory of Yahweh shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it” (verses 3-5).

The voice of the forerunner commands us, “Prepare the way of the LORD, who is Yahweh.” John the Baptist was speaking of Yahshua of Nazareth, of course. Therefore, the Son of God is the “way of Yahweh.” For Yahshua said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life—of Yahweh.”

The Son of God is the way of Yahweh. He is Yahweh’s way to manifest love unto this world. The Son is Yahweh’s way to provide forgiveness of sins. The Son is Yahweh’s way to give man hope in the resurrection. The Son, the appearance of Yahweh in human form, is the way that Yahweh makes Himself known to His creation (“I and my Father are one… If you have seen me you have seen the Father.”)

John the Baptist was that voice of one,” the forerunner of Yahweh, who came in the Son of God. “Prepare the way of Yahweh. Make His paths straight.” The Savior Yahshua is the path, the way, that leads us from death to life, from mortality to immortality.

The Spirit said to prepare the way of Yahweh. And sure enough, Yahweh came right after John the Baptist’s announcement. Yahweh came in human form, in the form of a servant, a humble man “acquainted with grief.” And He wept over His creation, for He had created them, and they had gone astray and were scattered as “sheep without a shepherd.”

And so, it goes on today. The everlasting Father is reaching out to whomsoever will come. Who will believe that it is the Father Creator God Himself who walks in human form among us? Who will believe that He “tasted death for every man. He then was raised from the dead, His body changed into a spiritual body which matches the original spirit body that He created everything in, in the beginning.

But “few there be to find this way of truth.” Yahweh’s way. How important is all this? The Son said, The only way that one may worship God is “in spirit and in truth.” The truth about God, His nature, where He is found, how He reveals Himself—all this is the truth. And the Son said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

Conclusion

John the Baptist’s ministry forms a vital bridge between Israel’s prophetic hope and the revelation of God in Christ. His message prepared the hearts of the people for more than a teacher or miracle‑worker; it prepared them for the arrival of Yahweh in human flesh. Through the lens of the oneness of God, John’s role becomes even more astonishing: he was announcing that the God who promised to come to His people had finally arrived, not through another, but in His own incarnate presence. John’s voice still echoes today, calling us to behold the Lamb of God — the Son who reveals the Father because He is the very presence of the one true God among us (John 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:16).      Kenneth Wayne Hancock

Study Guide–John the Baptist’s Forerunner Role

•           “Prepare the way of the Lord” — Isaiah 40:3; fulfilled in Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:2–3, Luke       3:4, John 1:23

•           John’s baptism of repentance — Mark 1:4, Luke 3:3

•           John preparing for the One who would baptize with the Holy Ghost — Matthew 3:11,      Mark 1:7–8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33

•           John as the divinely sent forerunner — Malachi 3:1, Malachi 4:5–6, echoed in Luke 1:17

The Oneness of God Revealed in Christ

•           “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself” — 2 Corinthians 5:19

•           Jesus as the visible image of the invisible God — Colossians 1:15

•           The fullness of God dwelling bodily in Christ — Colossians 2:9

•           The Word was God and became flesh — John 1:1, John 1:14

•           Jesus/Yahshua as the express image of God’s person — Hebrews 1:3

•           “I and my Father are one” — John 10:30

•           “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father” — John 14:9

John’s Testimony About Jesus/Yahshua

•           “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” — John 1:29, John 1:36

•           John declaring Jesus “preferred before me” because He “was before me” — John 1:15, John 1:30

•           John saying he is unworthy to loosen Jesus’ sandal — Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:7, Luke 3:16, John 1:27

•           John identifying Jesus as the Son of God — John 1:34

Christ as Yahweh Come in the Flesh

These passages support the theological claim that Jesus is Yahweh revealed:

•           Prophecy of Yahweh coming to His people — Isaiah 40:3, Isaiah 35:4–6

•           Jesus identified as Immanuel (“God with us”) — Matthew 1:23

•           Jesus forgiving sins (a divine prerogative) — Mark 2:5–7

•           Thomas’ confession: “My Lord and my God” — John 20:28

•           The mystery of God manifested in the flesh — 1 Timothy 3:16

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Love in Human Form

We will love our neighbor as ourself when we get hold of who Yahshua is. Since we are not literally beholding Him at present, we cannot fetch a calf and prepare a meal for Yahweh-in- human-form the way Abraham did on the plains of Mamre, when he was visited by Yahweh (Genesis 18). Oh, how we would show respect and reverence to Yahshua if He would appear to us!

But Yahshua said, “Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me” (Matt. 25:40). So then, we should treat our fellow human beings with the same love and respect as we would if it were the Savior himself there! In fact, the way we treat other human beings is the way we are treating our Savior. That is the cold, hard truth.

After all, are they not made in His image? And loving our fellow man is loving Him, and healing them is healing Him, insomuch as we are making Him whole. For we are members of His body. And if one member of this body is weak or sick, then we should love them and reach out in belief and heal that member–both physically and spiritually.

We should give unto Yahweh by giving unto those created by him in his image. It is all going to boil down to LOVE: loving neighbor as self. Love is all you need to give. “Be perfect as your father is perfect; He rains on the just and the unjust.”     Kenneth Wayne Hancock

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