Chances are you have heard the term “Christian” at some point in your life. But what makes someone a Christian? What do Christians do? These are questions to which we will explore answers in this post.

Our Bible Quotation of Focus

We will answer our question by considering a Bible quotation. “And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed [ceased].” 2 Kings 4:4-6.

For those who are new to Bible notation, “2 Kings 4:4-6” is a reference to the Bible, which is a collection of books. In the Bible, each book consists of one or more chapters, and each chapter has numbered sections called verses. The quotation referred to as “2 Kings 4:4-6”” is taken from the book of 2 Kings in the Bible, the 4^th chapter, and the 4^th to the 6^th verses.

The Context of 2 Kings 4:4-6

“Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear [have reverence for] the LORD [God]: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen [slaves].” 2 Kings 4:1. (Note that God is a Family of three divine Persons, namely, the Father, the Son called Christ, and the Holy Spirit known as “the Godhead.” Acts 17:29.)

“And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.” 2 Kings 4:2.

“Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad [outside] of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.” 2 Kings 4:3, 4.

“So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.” 2 Kings 4:5, 6.

“Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest [].” 2 Kings 4:7.

The Power of God

To understand the literal meaning of 2 Kings 4:4-6, we must first understand that “the things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Luke 18:27. “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” Luke 1:37. It was beyond the power of Elisha to cause the pot of oil to multiply and to fill many vessels. This supernatural act known as a miracle was an act of God.

Two Meanings

Our Bible verses of focus 2 Kings 4:4-6 have two meanings, that is, two applications. One meaning is literal and the other is symbolic.

Literally, God caused the oil in the pot to multiply. So, the widow was able to sell the oil and the proceeds from the sale was enough to pay her debts and to leave money for her and her sons to live off.

The symbolic meaning has to do with the use of the word “vessel” (2 Kings 4:6) in the Bible. Consider the Bible verse Acts 9:15. Speaking of a man named Saul, “The Lord [God] said…he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles [non-Jews], and kings, and the children of Israel.” Acts 9:15.

What did God mean when He called Saul a chosen vessel? God meant that Saul, whose name was later changed to Paul, was to become a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. Paul then was to take to all the world the good news of Christ’s work for humanity.

What Christ Did for Humanity

Who is Jesus Christ? This was the name given to Christ when He was born in human flesh as a baby boy approximately 2,000 years ago.

“Christ died for our sins [our evil and wrongdoing] according to the scriptures [the Bible]; and that he was buried, and that he rose again [came to life again from the dead] the third day according to the scriptures [the Bible].” 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4.

Subsequently, the risen Christ “was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.” Mark 16:19. All this Christ did that humanity who are all destined for eternal death may instead have eternal life.

Who is a Christian?

According to the Bible, a person is a “Christian” (Acts 26:28) if they have exercised “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Acts 20:21. These are the two conditions upon which God forgives an individual of their sins and imparts to them the righteousness of Christ. Only then can a person be said, in the biblical sense, to be a Christian.

The Making of a Christian

A person can only become a Christian if they cooperate with God’s work on their behalf. In other words, it is impossible for a human being to make themselves a Christian apart from God.

For God says of humanity, “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.” Job 14:4. “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.” Jeremiah 13:23.

The Power of Choice

The individual must choose to be a Christian and submit themselves to the will of God if they are to succeed in the quest to become a Christian. In so doing they give God full permission to work in them to change them from sinfulness to holiness.

No half-heartedness or doublemindedness will bring success in this endeavour. The individual must surrender themselves completely to God to do God’s will at all times.

But what is God’s will? It is that the individual “should be holy and without blame before him in love.” Ephesians 1:4. That is, that they should live in accordance with God’s law of love.

So, God requires that all humanity should say to Him in sincerity, “O LORD [God], thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” Isaiah 64:8. Then they are in the position where they have not “resisted his [God’s] will” (Romans 9:19) and can, therefore, become true Christians.

God Works

God says, “Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?” Romans 9:21. For “a wicked man hardeneth his face [resists God’s will]: but as for the upright, he [God] directeth his way.” Proverbs 21:29.

This means that under the same undeserved favour of God, the wicked become vessels of dishonour while the upright become vessels of honour. Therefore, God says, the wicked are “a vessel wherein is no pleasure” (Jeremiah 22:28) while the upright are “they that deal truly are his [God’s] delight.” Proverbs 12:22.

In other words, the wicked are a dishonour to God and so do not become Christians, while the upright who are holy and righteous are an honour to God and so become Christians.

Unpacking the Meaning of 2 Kings 4:4-6

We have seen that in the Bible the word “vessel” is used to speak of a person whether they are wicked or righteous. So, we are now in a position to explore the meanings of our Bible verses of focus 2 Kings 4:4-6.

The Literal Calling of a Christian

Jesus Christ, after His resurrection, that is, His coming to life again from the dead, gave a commission to all His followers.

“Jesus…spake [spoke] unto them [His disciples], saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20. “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature [person].” Mark 16:15.

Thus, Christ commanded His disciples to go into all the world and teach the gospel. This is the teaching of the good news of salvation, the saving from eternal death and instead to receive eternal life from God. In this way, by teaching those who accepted the gospel became Christians, the followers of Christ.

These new Christians who are new disciples of Christ were to be baptized signifying their change of allegiance from Satan, the angel who is the enemy of God and humanity, to loyalty to God. What is baptism? It is a ceremony in which the person is submerged beneath water and then raised up out of the water. This act by the individual is a pledge to follow Christ for the rest of their life.

The Spread of Christianity

Every Christian is to be obedient to the commission that Christ gave to His disciples and themselves make new disciples. So, God’s plan is that Christians would continually be growing in numbers and would embrace the whole world.

For God is He “who will have all men [and women] to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4) about God.

The Symbolic Calling of the Christian

“And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.” 2 Kings 4:4, 5.

So, the woman is a Christian and her sons are the fruit of her own work in making disciples of Christ. This means then that, in making disciples, the Christian is to take persons apart from the world and pour into them the teachings of the gospel. Now the oil represents the Holy Spirit. When such persons are full of the Holy Spirit because they have accepted the teachings of God they are to be set apart as new disciples of Christ, new Christians.

Paul’s Method of Discipleship

Paul, who is known as an apostle, was one chosen by God for a special work of making disciples.

This is what the apostle Paul did in teaching disciples. “But when divers [some people] were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way [of the gospel] before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing [teaching] daily in the school of one Tyrannus.” Acts 19:9.

Paul said to his disciples, “For this cause [your conversion to Christ] also thank we God [myself and my co-workers we thank God] without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” 1 Thessalonians 2:13.

Paul’s charge to the newly made disciples is “The things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men [and women], who shall be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2.

Now the teachings of God are like treasure. So, God says that in all humility, Christians are to say, “We have this treasure in earthen vessels [vessels of clay], that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7.

The Christian Church

Any group of Christians banded together to make more disciples is called a church in the biblical sense of the word.

Consider God’s description of the members of a church. God says, “And we [the members of the Godhead] have confidence in the Lord [God] touching [concerning] you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you.” 2 Thessalonians 3:4.

“And I myself [God] also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish [to caution and to reprove] one another.” Romans 15:14.

The Close of Probation

“And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed [ceased].” 2 Kings 4:6.

This means that there will come a time in earth’s history when no one else on earth will accept the gospel and so the outpouring of the Holy Spirit into the lives of people will cease. This is known as the close of probation for the human race.

At that time God will say, “My [Holy] spirit shall not always strive with man.” Genesis 6:3. “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” Revelation 22:11.

Then “the seven plagues…[will be] fulfilled” (Revelation 15:8) as God pours out His wrath, His fierce anger, against the wicked of the earth.

The Second Coming of Christ

At the end of the seven plagues Christ comes to the earth the second time. “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man [Christ] in heaven: and then shall all the tribes [peoples] of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man [Christ] coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Matthew 24:30.

Then “the dead in Christ [the righteous dead] shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain [the living righteous] shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord [Christ] in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord [Christ].” 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17.

“So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just.” Matthew 13:49, 50. God then “when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire [will be] taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 1:7, 8.

Thus, the living wicked are destroyed when Christ returns which means that all the wicked who have ever lived on the earth are then dead.

The Third Coming of Christ

After the righteous have been in heaven for a thousand years reviewing and confirming God’s judgment of all the wicked they return with Christ to the earth.

Then the wicked are resurrected by God and God passes sentence on them for their wickedness. After this sentencing by God, He “shall cast them [the wicked] into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 13:50. So, God casts all the wicked of the earth along with Satan and his evil angels into a lake of fire.

Once the wicked are completely destroyed by the fire, God says, “they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.” Malachi 4:3.

At that time sin and sinners will be no more and God would have purged the universe of all evil. Thus, all the righteous have been saved from the eternal death of the wicked and instead received eternal life and they “shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:5) with God. “They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isaiah 35:10.

Conclusion

We have seen that 2 Kings 4:4-6 literally refers to a miracle of God in providing an abundant supply of oil from a single pot of oil.

Symbolically, 2 kings 4:4-6 refers to the making of disciples of Christ, that is, the making of new Christians by a Christian. These Bible verses also point to the close of probation for the human race. At that time Christ comes to the earth a second time and takes all the righteous who have ever lived with Him to heaven and leaves dead on earth all the wicked who have ever lived.

After a thousand years, Christ returns to the earth a third time with all the righteous and passes sentence on the wicked who have been resurrected for this purpose. The wicked of earth along with Satan and his evil angels are all cast into a lake of fire where they burn to ashes.

Thus, God cleanses the universe of sin and sinners forever and joy and gladness reigns in the universe.

How This Blog Teaches Bible Study

My blog posts take one or more Bible verses and unpack what is often the hidden meaning in them, to help you to gain in your understanding of the Bible, and to receive insights into how to study it. For God says, “Study [the Bible] to shew [show] thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing [interpreting] the word of truth [the Bible].” 2 Timothy 2:15. There are new blog posts every two weeks on a Monday at 12:01 a.m. in timezone UTC-5 (GMT-5).

Further Reading

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