Chapter Index
PART ONE
PART TWO
The Mystery Of
Iniquity
Part Two
Introduction
And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
Daniel 7:20‑22
And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
Revelation 13:5‑7
The prophet Daniel and the apostle John saw that in
the last days an incredibly wicked entity would arise. Daniel saw this final
manifestation of evil as a "little horn" while John saw it as a
"beast." Christians call it the Antichrist. Both Daniel and John
predicted that this entity would be given power to do certain things. It will
be given a mouth that speaks great things against God; meaning, it will
blaspheme the name and the temple of God. Also, it will be given power to
"make war" with the saints and overcome them.
These warnings carry sobering implications for those
who believe we are living in the last days. Unfortunately, many find it hard to
take them seriously because they assume, for a variety of reasons, that they
cannot be spiritually overcome
by Antichrist. We examined one of those reasons in the first part of this
study—the doctrine of Eternal Security. How can Antichrist possibly pose a
threat to believers if we are eternally secure?
Another reason Christians can’t take these warnings
seriously is because they still believe the Pre-tribulation Rapture hoax, which
says we will all be taken to heaven in a secret evacuation before this entity
comes to power. How can Antichrist pose a threat to us if we are already in
heaven by the time it is revealed?
Still another reason is because we don’t understand
that Antichrist is first and foremost an evil spirit—a very religious evil
spirit—that operates just as much inside the churches as it does outside of
them. This ignorance causes us to focus most of our attention—if not all of
it—on the coming external one-world governmental system.
Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us...And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
I. John 2:18‑19 4:3
Writing to a group of saints who had apparently been taught that in the last days a human Antichrist would arise—which is true—the apostle John informed them that they didn’t have to wait to see it. It was already manifesting itself through various people in that hour, some of whom had been in their church. John never denied that there will be a final, individual manifestation of Antichrist. Rather, he exhorted them to get their focus off a future individual and get it on a contemporary spirit that was already manifesting.
Nineteen-hundred years later God’s people are doing basically the same thing. We still have our focus on externals. Few seem to have a balanced view of what we are up against. The Scripture teaches that Antichrist comes forth in three distinct forms: first as a counterfeit Christ, then as an earthly government, and finally as an individual world leader. Like the apostle John, we do not deny that an individual Antichrist is coming or that a one-world government is currently being erected among the nations; you don’t have to be a "prophet" to correctly interpret the obvious. What we deny is that these two events are the most important issues facing us at the moment. Important though they may be, they do not constitute the heart of what the Scripture warns us about.
It can be debated whether the establishment of such a government is one year or five years away. However, it cannot be debated that millions of Christians have already been deceived by a powerful religious spirit that is posing as the Holy Spirit, and that as a result, are not only abandoning the restraints of Scripture, but are turning to all kinds of extra-biblical sources for direction and revelation. And though the commitment of many remains strong enough to keep them from receiving a physical mark in their right hand or forehead, they do not have enough discernment to see that they are already involved with a counterfeit Christ. They would never accept a literal mark, even on pain of death, but they gladly participate in spiritual practices and accept spiritual teachings that come straight from the hand of Antichrist.
It is frightening to realize just how much of current Christian experience and doctrine originates with Satan. We don’t have to wait until an external one-world government is established or an individual man is revealed to see the Antichrist. All we have to do is go to church! The spirit of Antichrist has already risen; it is already overcoming the saints. It is this spiritual defeat of the saints that has produced evangelists and scholars who preach a false gospel and a false Jesus. It is this spiritual defeat that has produced shepherds who turn the sheep away from the Word, towards a counterfeit anointing, towards lying signs and wonders, towards bogus spiritual experiences and demonic physical encounters, towards humanistic psychology and counseling, towards extra-biblical channels of revelation, and towards a false unity that is based on compromise with error.
Antichrist is overcoming many saints right now and will continue to do so until Jesus returns to put a stop to it. Therefore, we believe it is important that we not only understand what is happening but how it is happening, so we can make sure it doesn’t happen to us. One of the most frightening things about coming under the power of a strong delusion is that we never know we have been deceived unless and until we get delivered from it. When we come under the power of a deception we only realize we have been deceived after we see the truth. We don’t perceive that we are being deluded when it begins and we don’t realize we are deceived the whole time we are under its power. The only time we realize we have been deceived is when we begin to come out on the other side of it.
In this hour of extreme spiritual danger, it is important that we not only walk in the reality that we can be deceived, but that we understand the mechanics of deception. The rise of the spirit of Antichrist came first through the trashing of sound biblical doctrine in our seminaries and Bible colleges. This has been going on for over a hundred years now. In the last twenty years or so, Antichrist has shifted his focus from the trashing of doctrine to the complete rejection of doctrine in favor of supernatural religious experiences and unity.
The closer we get to the goal God has for us, the more deceptive and subtle the enemies tactics become. Those who assume they can’t be deceived because they are saved, or have spiritual gifts, or have end-time revelation, or are outside the Religious System, are already deep in deception. Believers of all levels of maturity, both inside and outside the System, are getting caught in all kinds of delusions at this very moment; and unless God moves sovereignly in their lives to deliver them, they will go out into eternity in that condition. It can happen to you dear friend, just as it can happen to this writer. If ever it does happen to us, we will never know it happened until we get delivered. In Part Two of this study we want to finish examining the biblical view of salvation.
Brother Daniel
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious
appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us
that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar
people, zealous of good works.
Titus 2:13-14
The Mystery At Work
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
II. Thessalonians 2:3-4
There are two major errors taught about the great falling away, or the apostasia (ap‑os‑tas‑ee'‑ah). The first one is that it primarily concerns unsaved masses and professing (phony) Christians. We dealt with this in the first part of the study. The second one is the idea that it has to do with abandoning our religious culture and practices. Paul did not use apostasia to denote an abandoning of all things religious. He was not saying people will forsake their church programs, spiritual activities and experiences, and return to their former pagan life-styles. He used the term to signify a massive departure from the truth. That is what apostasia means—a defection from or a forsaking of truth—and this is exactly what we see happening all around us. Christians are abandoning many of the truths laid out in the Word of God. In their frantic quest for revelation, spiritual experiences and supernatural power, they are casting off the restraints of Scripture, going far outside the boundaries God has established for our own protection.
One of the most important truths being abandoned is the Scriptural view of redemption. The apostles clearly taught there are requirements for salvation—two of which are repentance and obedience. Go into any church, in any town you like, and tell the pastor you believe the Scripture teaches that we must obey God in order to be saved, then watch his reaction. Unless he is one of the increasingly rare exceptions, he will probably reprimand you in a condescending tone of voice for thinking you can be saved by works. He will say, "don’t you know you can’t earn salvation? We are not saved by what we do but by what we believe."
The majority of scholars and preachers equate the idea of required repentance or obedience with trying to "earn" salvation through self-effort. That mind-set is the mystery of iniquity at work, for that mystery has to do with producing lawlessness in God’s people. When a pastor stands behind the pulpit and tells the listeners that all they have to do in order to be saved and go to heaven is "believe" in Jesus, then assures them that after they have believed, no amount of sin can negate that salvation—if the people take what he says seriously—he has just succeeded in placing their feet squarely on the path of lawlessness and eventual ruin.
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
II. Thessalonians 2:7
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jude 1:3‑4
Paul said the mystery of iniquity was already at work in his day but would not come to its fullness until just before the Lord returns. At that time it will produce a mass defection from the truth of Scripture and the Spirit of Truth. The English word, iniquity, comes from the Greek word, anomia (an‑om‑ee'‑ah), which means "lawlessness." The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia defines anomia as "the condition of one without law." It is no coincidence that the "gospel" being preached everywhere on this planet is a "law-less" gospel. The idea that obedience is an option after we are saved has become universal. The biblical view of salvation has been perverted and turned into an Antichrist counterfeit, thus making it Satan’s most effective tool in producing lawless, self-centered Christians.
This perversion is not an academic issue. The very heart of the gospel "that bringeth salvation" (Titus 2:11) has been cut out and replaced with a license to do our own thing after we have believed in Jesus. Moreover, it has been done right under our noses by the very people we have been trusting to preserve the original gospel message. It is playing a central role in giving Antichrist power over the saints. This corruption of the gospel is not a new phenomena. It has been going on since the first century. Jude had to warn a congregation of believers about false teachers who were, even then, "turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness." So in and of itself, the presence of false teachers who pervert the gospel is not a sign that we are at the end of the age. What is new is that for the first time in the history of the Protestant Church this perversion has become the majority view.
We sought to demonstrate this unpleasant reality in part one of this study by asking the question: what does it take to get connected to the Vine? What is required of an individual in order to become a Christian? We quoted the doctrinal position of several top-ranking, contemporary Evangelical leaders as just a small example of what is happening everywhere. Most of today’s leaders are saying the only requirement for salvation is that a person "believe" in Jesus—and they define the term believe as mental acceptance of the truth, rather than the apostolic definition of obedience to the truth. Mental acceptance of the truth alone is not the New Testament gospel; it cannot save.
In order to understand the apostolic view of what is required to be connected to the Vine, we need only look at what John the Baptist, Jesus and the disciples preached. The Scripture says, "In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:1-2). John didn’t come begging the Jews to "make a decision for Christ." He commanded them to repent.
What was the message of the Lord Jesus? The Scripture says, "From that time [after His temptation] Jesus began to preach and to say, repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4:17). It also records that He "came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying, the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:14-15).
Notice that the Lord called the people to repent even before He called them to believe. Speaking of His mission, He said, "I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Matt. 9:13). Speaking to those who told him about the Galileans who were killed by Pilate, He said, "I tell you...except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3).
How about when Jesus sent the twelve disciples out two by two? What was their message? They went from village to village and "preached that men should repent" (Mark 6:12). The disciple Peter continued with that same message after the resurrection. On the Day of Pentecost, when Jerusalem was filled with Jews from all over the world, he stood up with the other disciples and testified to the multitude that Jesus was the Christ. They asked him what they should do and he said, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins..." (Acts 2:37-38).
The writer of Acts tells us that these people were "pricked in their heart"—not their mind but their heart—when they heard Peter’s words. Something much deeper was going on at that point than an appeal to "believe" in Jesus with the brain.
What was the message of the apostle Paul? He told the pagan Athenians that although God had winked at their ignorance in the past, He "now commandeth all men every where to repent" (Acts 17:30). When saying farewell to the elders of Ephesus, he recounted his three-year ministry among them, that in humility and with tears he testified to both Jews and Greeks, "repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:17‑21).
Later, after he was arrested, he recounted his ministry before King Agrippa, saying that he "shewed first unto them of Damascus and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God." (Acts 26:19-20). Neither John the Baptist, Jesus, or the apostles ever told sinners to "accept Christ" or "make a decision" for Him. Their message was not just, "believe in Jesus and you will be saved." They commanded all men every where to repent of their sins, believe the gospel and be baptized.
As proof that we get connected to the Vine simply by believing in Jesus with our brains, teachers quote Mark 16:16 to us: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." But notice that the Lord prefaced that statement with this one: "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature..." (v. 15) The "gospel" that was to be preached was the same gospel He Himself preached; the same gospel John preached; the same gospel they had preached; the same gospel the apostle Paul would later preach—the gospel of repentance!
Another passage used to prove mental assent is the only requirement for salvation comes from the story of Paul and Silas being thrown into jail. At midnight they were praising God in their cell and an earthquake came and opened the prison doors. The jailer immediately thought all the prisoners had fled, which meant he faced execution. In despair he drew his sword and was about to kill himself when Paul and Silas stopped him, assuring him that no one had escaped. The man fell at their feet and cried, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:30-31).
The point is made that in answering his question, repentance was not mentioned. They simply instructed him to believe on the Lord Jesus. What is conveniently left out of this argument is the fact that the jailer was on the verge of suicide, with sword in hand. He was already at a point of repentance—on his knees, broken and trembling before the apostles. He had already come to the end of himself. His heart was already in a repentant state when he asked them the question, so there was no need to tell him to repent at that point.
We can make the Word of God say anything we want it to as long as we don’t have to make our theories fit the whole Scripture. It is easy to grab a verse here or there, yank them out of context and string them together to prove a point. This is what has been done with the above verses in order to legitimize a false doctrine. The notion that salvation is a simple fact to be believed with the brain cannot stand when compared with the over-all teaching of the entire New Testament.
In an attempt to side-track those who have gained a measure of wisdom and discernment from the Scripture, and who realize that repentance is definately a requirement for salvation, scholars try to explain away the real meaning of the term. They try to equate repentance with belief (mental assent to the facts), thus establishing mental assent as the only real requirement for salvation. One scholar named J. Dwight Pentecost, a professor of theology at Dallas Theological Seminary, explains it this way:
"If conditions were placed by God to salvation, Satan might take away those conditions so that men would not be saved. But since there are no conditions, and salvation is a simple fact to be believed, Satan’s method of deceiving men has been to add to the simplicity of the gospel... Repentance is not a prerequisite to salvation; for if repentance is required, Salvation is based, at least in part, upon works...Some will teach that salvation is by faith and good works, or salvation is by faith plus church membership, or salvation is by faith plus repentance. These are attempts to darken the mind of man who needs to be saved.”
Things Which Become Sound Doctrine
J. Dwight Pentecost; pp. 61,62
First he says repentance is not necessary for salvation, stating that salvation is a "simple fact to be believed." He says teaching that repentance is necessary for salvation is an attempt to "darken the mind of man who needs to be saved" and makes us an accomplice in Satan’s attempt to "add to the simplicity of the gospel." He then goes on to define repentance. He says when the word repent is used:
"...it brings to the mind of the average individual the thought of sorrow for sin...But there could be nothing further from the concept of the Word of God than the idea that repentance means sorrow for sins...we find that the word translated ‘repent’ means ‘a change of mind.’ It means literally, ‘a turning about.’ not so much a physical turning about as a mental turning around...our lord and John preached that there was a need for a change of mind: a change of mind concerning sins, a change of mind concerning righteousness, a change of mind concerning their need..."
Things Which Become Sound Doctrine
pp. 66,67
The Greek word for "repent" simply means "a change of mind," says Mr. Pentecost. Therefore, the message of John the Baptist and Jesus was that "there was a need for a change of mind" among the people. They had to change their mind about their sinful condition and realize they needed a Redeemer. They had to change their mind about the way righteousness is obtained and cease relying on obedience to the Law of Moses to make them righteous and believe in Jesus.
The first problem any thinking person would have with these assertions is that after stating quite emphatically that repentance is "not necessary for salvation," he turns around and defines repentance as a "change of mind" from unbelief to belief in Jesus. Well, if repentance is simply a turning of the mind from unbelief to belief in Jesus, but is not a prerequisite to salvation—guess what? We can all be saved without believing in Jesus! We don’t have to "repent" (change our mind) about our sinful condition. Our minds don’t have to turn from unbelief to belief. We can be saved without "turning around."
If this is the kind of "scholars" our seminaries are producing...God help us! Yes, in its most narrow and literal sense, metanoeo (met‑an‑o‑eh'‑o) means a turning of the mind. It is a combination of two Greek words: meta (after) and noeo (to perceive, to think as the result of observing). It means to think differently after; an after-thought, different from the former thought, which brings about a change of mind. But it is also true that when we read the entire New Testament, it immediately becomes clear that the term was used in a much wider sense.
Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
Luke 17:3
Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
Acts 8:22‑23
Jesus said if a brother sins against us and he comes to us and repents, we are to forgive him. Clearly Jesus is not talking about the brother simply "changing his mind" about the situation—though a change of mind is part of the process of repentance. He is talking about the whole person, especially the heart of the individual. He is talking about the brother having a godly sorrow for the sin, about him being willing to confess it as sin and ask forgiveness for it. The same applies to Simon the Magician, who tried to buy God’s power with money. Peter told him to repent of his wickedness and pray for forgiveness. Peter was telling him to do more than "change his mind" about his wickedness. He was telling him to acknowledge that wickedness in his heart, for that is where the idea of buying God’s power originated, not his mind. He had to recognize that desire as sin, confess it as sin, and ask God’s forgiveness.
Repentance has to do with a "turning about" of the entire person. A change of mind is only one part of a process that affects the whole man. It must also include the heart if it is to have any eternal value because people can accept truth with their brains, yet not let that truth get down into the heart and change them. When the heart of a person is affected by truth a change of behavior takes place. That is why John told the Pharisees to bring "fruits meet for repentance" (Matt. 3:8). What Mr. Pentecost and other scholars try to do is separate one aspect of the process of repentance and define that aspect as the entire process.
Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
II. Corinthians 7:9‑10
Notice the chain-reaction that takes place in an individual that is brought to a place of true repentance. Truth enters the heart and mind and produces a godly sorrow for sin, which in turn produces repentance, which in turn produces salvation. That is why, whenever you see genuine repentance in a person’s life you will also find a godly sorrow. The two should go hand in hand. Technically speaking, godly sorrow and repentance are not identical, for Paul said one leads to the other. But godly sorrow will always be present if the repentance is genuine.
Of course, not every scholar or minister is caught up in this delusion, but the vast majority are. Concerning the absence of the requirement of repentance in today’s watered-down gospel, David Wilkerson writes:
“I wonder: do we evangelicals insist on a biblical ‘godly sorrow’ as evidence of true repentance? Or are we leading masses of unrepentant people into a false peace? Are we wrongly instructing them that all God requires of them is to say, ‘I believe in you, Jesus?’ Have we cut short genuine conviction for sins? Have we jumped in and offered salvation to those who haven't actually repented, who haven't sorrowed over their trespasses, who haven't seen the exceeding sinfulness of their sins?...Such people never experience a deep work of the Holy Spirit. As a result, they never repent, never sorrow over their sins and never truly believe. Tragically, we've offered them something Jesus Himself never offered—salvation without repentance!...
...I once heard a man say, ‘I'm so glad I know New Testament Greek; it translates the word repent as meaning, ‘to change one's mind.’ No—this man doesn't know his Greek! The full, literal meaning of the word ‘repent’ in the New Testament is, ‘to feel remorse and self-reproach for one's sins against God; to be contrite, sorry; to want to change direction.’ The difference in meanings here rests on the word ‘want.’ True repentance includes a desire to change...[and] a sorrow that's without regrets, one that's genuine, one that ‘sticks’ in the life of the repentant person.“
Whatever Happened To Repentance
Times Square Pulpit Series; August 1999
God is not interested in whether or not we "believe" Jesus exists and is the Savior of the world. He is not interested in whether or not we believe the facts of redemption. He wants to know whether or not we have come to Christ with a truly repentant heart—the proof of which is a godly sorrow for sin and a desire to change. He wants to know whether or not we are willing to serve Jesus, whether or not we are willing to submit our lives to Jesus, for that is the only way we get connected to the Vine.
Fruit From The
Vine
Having a scriptural view of redemption is not only essential for our own eternal safety, it is necessary if we want to respond correctly to the needs of others. As we get closer and closer to the end of this age, Satan’s counterfeit becomes harder and harder to distinguish from the real thing, which makes it hard to correctly assess the spiritual condition of others. It is becoming increasingly difficult to tell the difference between the "wolves" in sheep’s clothing and the "sheep" who have been deceived by the wolves.
A simple definition of a Christian is: one who is a disciple of Jesus Christ. The Scripture says the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26). What is a disciple? Jesus gave us the definition. He said, "if ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples..."(John 8:31). He also said, "if ye abide in me and my words abide in you...that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples" (John 15:7‑8).
According to the Scripture then, a Christian is a disciple and a disciple is one who continues in His word and bears fruit. This being the case, it naturally follows that the person who does not continue in His word and bear fruit is not a Christian. He may look like a Christian, go to church and hang out with Christians, and call himself a Christian, but if he does not continue in Jesus’ word and bear fruit he is not a Christian.
Simple enough? Unfortunately, things are not always as simple as we would like them to be. Jesus also said it is possible to be part of Him, yet not bear fruit—at least for a season.
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
John 15:1‑10
That Jesus was not talking about "phony" Christians in this passage should be obvious, for He said every branch "in me" that beareth not fruit gets taken away. It is impossible for an unsaved man or woman to be "in" Christ. It is impossible for an unsaved man or woman to "abide" in Christ or bring forth "fruit" from that union. Regardless of how much a pseudo Christian may look or talk like a real Christian, he is not actually a Christian.
Notice that Jesus said a person can be "in" Him and be unfruitful for a period of time—though it is dangerous to remain in that condition too long. He said, "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away." The unfruitful branch is said by Him to be "in me" until it is cut out by the Father. Just to make sure we get the point, He repeats it for us: "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch." The branch that is not abiding in Christ is said by Him to be "in me" until he is taken away and burned. The message Jesus is giving us is very clear. From the time a person is connected to the Vine, till the time he is cut out of the Vine, he is considered by Jesus to be "in" Him. He is under the grace of God.
The teaching on the vine and the branches is probably the most comprehensive picture of salvation in the New Testament. It exposes the current view of redemption as incompetent at best and a counterfeit at worst. The first truth it shows is that biblical salvation is a relationship and a process, not an irreversible legal state we enter based on our profession of faith or adherence to orthodox doctrine. Both the relationship and the process can be terminated if the branch does not abide in the vine and bring forth fruit. It shows that the "gift" of salvation is not a gift in the ordinary sense of the term, but is rather the gift of an opportunity. We have been given a grace period—the opportunity and the time to bring forth fruit unto God.
Under normal circumstances, those who have been connected to the Vine soon begin to bear fruit. That is why Jesus said, "by their fruit ye shall know them" (Matt. 7:20). But in certain cases—like that of a baby Christian, or a person who is a slow-progresser for some reason—people who have been connected to the Vine may not have begun to bear fruit yet.
To add to the complexity of the issue, a person can be bearing fruit in one area of his life while other areas remain under the control of evil spirits through the flesh nature. The areas that remain under the power of the enemy will be manifesting ungodly behavior. In such cases, how do you view the person? Do you say he is a Christian because he is bearing some fruit—even though he may still be in ignorance or sin in many other areas of his life—or do you say he is not really a Christian because he is still sinning? What about believers who get entangled in deception? How much doctrinal error can a person be involved in before their eternal salvation becomes jeopardized?
Those in the deliverance ministry learn quickly that the issues of redemption are not as cut and dry as they would like them to be. Two people can be manifesting the same ungodly behavior; one gives in to the sin because after months (or years) of struggle with it he has given up all hope of obtaining deliverance, while the other gives in because he has been taught that "grace" will pick up the tab for all unresolved sin. On the surface both individuals may look identical. Only God sees the deepest recesses of the heart. Only He sees the end from the beginning. When we are faced with the complex issues of redemption we need more than correct doctrine to sort out the truth. We must be able to hear clearly the voice of Him who knows all and sees all.
If our view of redemption is off-balance we will either become rigid, harsh, and swift to consign weak believers to Hell, or we will come under the influence of today’s perverted gospel of grace and end up walking in a false (eternal) security. In contrast, the Scriptural view keeps us from going to either of these extremes. It shows that Jesus Christ is a patient and faithful High Priest. He works and works and works with those who have been connected to the Vine by true faith, doing everything possible—except over-riding our free will—to make us fruitful. At the same time, it also shows that if we choose to live careless and disobedient lives we will remain unfruitful and be in danger of having the Father cut us out of the Vine. It reveals that the patience and mercy of God do have a limit.
What kind of fruit is the branch supposed to yield? There are several kinds of fruit spoken of in the New Testament, the most important of which is the "fruit of the Spirit" (Gal. 5:22; I. Cor. 13:4-8). A Christian who has been connected to the Vine should "continue" in the Lord’s word (teachings) and "abide" (live) in His life. As we abide in His life we are changed into His likeness from glory to glory. This is personal fruit.
Another kind of fruit is service fruit. Paul said he wanted to visit Rome in order that he might gain "some fruit among" them (Rom. 1:13). Speaking about his twin desires of dying and going to be with the Lord and remaining alive to help strengthen the body of Christ, he said that if he remained alive it would mean "fruitful labor" for him (Phil. 1:22). Gaining souls for the kingdom and fostering spiritual growth among believers is called by Paul the fruit of his labor and includes a reward in the coming kingdom appropriate to that labor. However, when the New Testament talks about producing fruit, most of the time it is talking about personal fruit—transformation into the image of Jesus.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22‑25
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity 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.
I. Corinthians 13:4‑8
The "fruit" in Galatians and the "charity" in First Corinthians are attributes of the character of God; they describe His nature. This is the harvest the branches are to bring forth. Once we have been connected to the Vine the life of Jesus is made available to us. We then have a choice as to what we do with that life. We can learn to yield to it and "abide" in it or we can choose to continue abiding in our own life—even our own religious life.
Abiding in His life does not happen automatically to anyone. Each person must deliberately turn away from his or her life and choose the life of the Vine every day. God will never make that choice for us. He will enable us to make that choice if we ask Him to but He will never force us to make it. The more we turn away from our own life and abide in His life, the more fruit we will bear.
Fruit From The
Soil
A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear...Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
Luke 8:5‑8 & 11-15
But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Matthew 13:23
God’s question to us is not: do we believe in Jesus? Rather, it is: do we believe in Jesus enough to stop abiding in our own life and start abiding in His life? To emphasize the importance of bearing fruit, the Lord taught various parables about it. Here He uses the illustration of a sower sowing seed in a field. The "seed" is the word of God and the "sower" is Jesus. Paul said, "faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17). When the seed comes to us, faith is also made available so we can believe. Hearing the word does not automatically produce faith, but faith always comes with the word. Whether or not that faith is permitted to operate depends on the condition of the heart, which is typified by four different types of soil in the parable: wayside soil, stony soil, weedy soil and good soil.
We would like to consider these types of soil for a moment, beginning with the "good" soil. Jesus said the good soil can bring forth different measures of fruit: some thirty fold, some sixty fold and some one-hundred fold. Exactly what is He talking about? What does fruit symbolize? It symbolizes the fruit of the Spirit, which is the character of God or the image of Christ. In other words, believers can come forth in varying degrees of the nature of God. We can manifest different percentages of His likeness and image.
This is reflected in Paul’s desire to see believers "filled with all the fulness of God" (Eph. 3:19) and grow to "the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13). This is one-hundred fold fruit. We do not automatically produce one-hundred fold fruit just because they have been saved. There are requirements for growth. One is obedience and another is learning to "abide" in the life of Jesus. The amount of fruit we produce is directly related to how well we fulfil the requirements of growth. Consequently, we can stop at any level of fruit-bearing as the result of poor choices.
Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: and that he might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Romans 9:21‑23
One of the problems with modern Christian thinking is that we are locked into an "all or nothing" mind-set: if people are saved they automatically get all the rewards laid out in the Scripture; if they are lost they automatically receive the same degree of punishment in the Lake of Fire. When we read what Paul said in Romans about the vessels of honor, dishonor, wrath and mercy, we only see two kinds of vessels. We assume that the vessels of honor and mercy represent those who are saved, and the vessels of dishonor and wrath represent those who are lost. But as you read his other epistles you will see that Paul talked about three kinds of vessels, not two. When writing to Timothy he divides the vessels of "mercy" into vessels of honor and dishonor.
Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
II. Timothy 2:19‑21
In a "great house" there are not only vessels of honor but of dishonor as well. It is pretty hard to get around the implication of that statement. The house is obviously God’s house because those who have been purged and made fit for the master’s use are in it. Both kinds of vessels are in the same house, both belong to God.
Viewing the vessels of dishonor as vessels of wrath forces Paul into the position of saying unsaved people will be part of God’s house—a preposterous assumption. If he wanted to contrast the saved and the lost he would have compared vessels of honor to vessels of wrath. Instead, he contrasted vessels of honor and dishonor, then said they are both in the same house. He was warning us that we will experience various states of spiritual existence in the Kingdom of God. The state we end up in will be determined by the choices we have made in this life while connected to the Vine.
Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
I. Corinthians 3:13‑15
Here Paul describes how it is possible to become a vessel of dishonor. The work of all believers will be tried by fire before they take their place in the kingdom. If our work stands the test we will "receive a reward." If it is burnt up we will "suffer loss."
The ones being referred to in this passage are commonly viewed as preachers and teachers. In this context, the "work" that will be tested is how these ministers have built up the body of Christ and what materials they used to do it. Gold and silver would represent teachings that impart spiritual life because their source is the Spirit of God. Wood and straw would represent teachings that do not impart life because their source is the religious Adamic mind. The rewards that are gained or lost relate to service fruit.
From this we can see that some doctrinal errors are not as harmful as others, for they do not destroy the foundation of redemption. This is why Paul could say it’s possible for a person to lose everything (except the foundation) and still be "saved...as by fire." Those in positions of leadership can lose all their reward by believing and teaching doctrinal error, yet in the end be saved. Even so, it will not be a pleasant experience. They will be ashamed because they will realize they are vessels of dishonor. All creation will see that their work originated out of their own soul-life, not God’s life. All will see that they refused to let the Spirit crucify their Adamic talents, wisdom and strength, in order that they might come forth in, and minister out of, the talents, wisdom and strength of the life of Jesus Christ.
Having our work tried by fire is certainly not limited to ministers. Paul said every man’s work will be tried. You don’t have to be an ordained preacher to serve the Lord. We all "work" for the Lord in our own ways. We support our fellowships with money, time and talent, we share our beliefs with those around us, etc. Everything we have done for the kingdom will be tested in the fire. Some of us will lose portions of our reward because much of what we thought was kingdom work didn’t originate from the Spirit. Some may lose all their reward, but as long as their foundation remains intact they will be saved.
Not only will we be rewarded according to the kinds of work we have done while connected to the Vine, we will be judged according to how we lived in general. Both the Old and the New Testaments state emphatically that every man will be given what his deeds and actions deserve. We will all be judged according to how we lived.
One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, Oh Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.
NIV Psalms 62:11-12
If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength! Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?
NIV Proverbs 24:10-12
Listen to me then, like intelligent people. Far be evil from God or injustice from Shaddai! For he pays people back for what they do, treating each as his own conduct deserves.
NJB Job 34:10-11
The heart is more devious than any other thing, and is depraved; who can pierce its secrets? I, Yahweh, search the heart, test the motives, to give each person what his conduct and his actions deserve.
NJB Jeremiah 17:9-10
Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life.
Romans 2:6-7
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad (evil).
II. Corinthians 5:10
But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.
Colossians 3:25
These Scriptures are not talking about religious works or ministry. They are talking about what we do. They are talking about how we live. Now the whole point of redemption is this: Jesus sends His Spirit into our lives to show us how to change the way we live, so we will be vessels of honor in the Kingdom of God. If we obey the Holy Spirit while we are connected to the Vine, if we learn to abide in the Spirit, He will change our deeds and empower our work. He will teach us how to "sow" to the Spirit now, so we can "reap" the rewards that accompany salvation in the kingdom.
The possibility of entering the Kingdom of God in dishonor is a foreign concept to most Christians because they have been taught that we will all receive the same rewards based on our belief in Jesus. But Paul said only those who "depart from iniquity" will be vessels of honor. Only those who allow God to "purge" them can expect to bear that glory. Those who refuse to let God do this work of cleansing will be vessels of dishonor.
Sadly, this is not what is being taught. What is being taught is that "grace" is so wonderful because it enables people to reap all the rewards associated with salvation regardless of how they live or what they sow. We are assured that we will be vessels of honor regardless of what kind of materials we use to build our Christian lives now, or how our lives affect others. Millions of people are being taught that they can sow disobedience their whole lives, yet in the end reap all the rewards promised in the Scripture "by grace." Not only does this cheat them out of the reward they were destined by God to have, it serves to produce more and more iniquity in them.
The idea that obedience is not absolutely necessary for salvation has been entrenched in the minds of religious leaders for many years. At the same time, obedience as proof of our love for God has also been a big part of Evangelical doctrine. Therefore, pastors have called for obedience from those who claim to be saved. The pressure to obey God has helped to restrain the lawlessness that resides in their false doctrine of grace.
However, today the situation has changed drastically. Religious leaders are now taking their perverted view of grace to its only logical conclusion, which is that grace cannot require anything other than mental assent to the truth from people in order for them to be saved. Any other requirements, including repentance or obedience, would mean that we are being saved (at least in part) by our own works, by something we are doing.
The whole Evangelical/Protestant view of redemption has been distilled down to a single pre-supposition which all other doctrine must conform to, which is that we have absolutely nothing to do with our own salvation. Our only part is to believe in Jesus. This whole concept came from the mouth of Antichrist. The spirit of Antichrist is the spirit that tells people they can be saved and eternally secure without obeying God.
Destroying Our
Fruit
Jesus spoke of three other types of ground in His parable, none of which produced good fruit. The first one was the wayside ground. The seed that fell on this type of person was actually destroyed by Satan. It did not even remain in the person’s heart or mind. The second type was "stony ground." Notice that this type of person hears the word, accepts it and believes it. Jesus said when they hear, they "receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe and in time of temptation fall away."
These people believed the gospel. They believed in Jesus. Yet something was wrong with their ground—it was not broken up. Their hearts were still full of stones, still unrepentant. This is what happens when we offer people salvation without repentance. You can’t sow true seeds of faith until the soil of the heart has been deeply plowed. Spirit-led preaching will go deep, bringing conviction of sin and cracking the fallow ground of the heart. It will produce genuine repentance, which in turn will produce strong and faithful Christians.
Most preaching today is all sowing. Few sermons plow deeper than the topsoil. Few address the issue of sin or call for a full repentance. This causes people to assume they've been healed when they never realized they were sick. They are given robes of righteousness before they see their naked condition; and this prevents the word which they have received from taking "root" in their lives. When persecution or hard trials come, their unrepentant state causes them to be offended at God and they fall away.
The third kind of ground is thorny ground. Jesus said these people, "when they have heard, go forth and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life and bring no fruit to perfection." He didn’t say they produced absolutely no fruit at all. He said they brought no fruit forth "to perfection." In other words, fruit began to grow, but it was destroyed by the choking action of the "thorns" (cares, riches, pleasures). This is another danger that faces those coming to God under the preaching of shallow evangelists, for these ministers are themselves being choked by the riches and pleasures of this life. Thus, they encourage the same lusts in the very ones they are trying to save.
For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ....Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
Jude 1:4,11-13
Speaking of those who were preaching a worthless gospel, Jude mentions three errors they became involved in: (1) the way of Cain, (2) the error of Balaam, and (3) the gainsaying of Core. People automatically assume that these men were never really saved to begin with. However, the fact that they were believers at one time is clearly revealed by two of the descriptions Jude gives of them, one of which is that they are "trees whose fruit withereth..." Once again, the situation was not that these men had never produced any fruit at all. It was that their fruit had withered. They had fruit, but it was destroyed.
Unsaved people will never produce any fruit, at any time, under any circumstances....period. They may acquire morality and religious principles, they may join a church and do religious works, but they will never even begin to produce fruit. These men were believers at one time, but the errors they got entangled in ruined their foundation. Jude also said they were "twice dead." The usual interpretation of this statement is that they were dead once because they were born in sin and dead again (twice) because at some point they "seemed" to be born again, but then turned back to their evil life. Matthew Henry, the well-known and well-respected Bible commentator says:
They seemed to recover, as a man...brought to life again, when they took upon them the profession of the Christian religion. But now they are dead again by the evident proofs they have given of their hypocrisy; whatever they seemed, they had nothing truly vital in them.
Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible
Explanatory Notes for Jude 13
This is such a mindless explanation, yet brilliant scholars, theologians and pastors propagate it continually. Those who only seem to be born again are not really born again—they only seem to be. Since they were not actually born again, they never actually received a second life; and since they never really got a second life they can’t really die a second death! Another explanation is that they were dead once because they were born in sin and would be dead again (twice) when finally thrown into the Lake of Fire, which is called the "second death" (Rev. 20:14). But Jude didn’t say they would be twice dead later. He said they were already twice dead, while alive in the flesh. There is only one way a person can be twice dead while physically alive. They must be dead once (in sin), then receive a second, spiritual life (born again), then have that second life slain.
That is exactly what happened to these men. They found Jesus, not in appearance only but in reality, then got involved in various deceptions that had the power to kill every bit of fruit they had started to produce. Because they would not repent they were "plucked up by the roots." Being unfruitful for a time is one thing, having our fruit destroyed and getting plucked up by the roots is something else entirely.
The first error they got involved in was "the way of Cain." John called Cain "the wicked one" and said he murdered his brother because "his works were evil and his brother's righteous" (I. John 3:12). Thus, the way of Cain has to do with corrupted worship and the persecution of those who give God true worship. Cain was rebellious. He knew the proper offering was an animal, yet he offered the fruit of his own labor. He chose to serve God his own way, on his own terms. When he saw that God had accepted Able’s obedience but rejected his disobedience, he hated Able and planned his death.
The way of Cain is the attempt to serve God on our own terms. It represents a refusal to let Him purify and cleanse our hearts from wickedness, which eventually leads to the corruption of our faith. It also represents the hatred that those who follow corrupted religion have for those who follow true religion. Inevitably, those who corrupt pure worship will persecute and murder those who stay faithful to God. You can see the way of Cain in Old Testament Israel, when wicked kings and corrupted "prophets" teamed up to seduce the people of God into idolatry, and then tried to kill any who remained faithful to God. You see it in the New Testament, when the faith that was "once delivered unto the saints" began to be perverted by the very leaders of Christianity, who soon became Bishops and Popes and teamed up with secular governments to seduce the people into (Catholic) idolatry—killing all who tried to remain faithful to God.
Finally, we are seeing it again today, as deceived religious leaders seduce the people of God into following a false Jesus—who is a combination of Santa Claus and Grandpa—and a false Christ (spiritual power), and a false unity that is based on religious "feelings" or social expediency rather than truth; all of which are serving to completely undo the Protestant Reformation and lead us all back into the arms of the Catholic Harlot. Soon, those who refuse to follow this delusion will be outlawed and persecuted, just as the sadistic leaders of Rome have outlawed and butchered million s of believers over the centuries. Those who corrupt true worship always end up persecuting those who remain faithful to God and are thus being led by the Spirit.
What is the error of Balaam? Simply put, it was covetousness. Balaam was only concerned with making money off of his spiritual gifts. We involve ourselves in the error of Balaam when we prostitute the anointing given to us by God, when we take our spiritual gifts—which are freely given in order that we might freely share them—and sell them in the religious market place.
Another manifestation of the error of Balaam is today’s prosperity message. The "name it and claim it" gospel is an American invention that is being spread all over the world by rich pastors and evangelists who say God wants all Christians to be wealthy. They teach that we must learn to use the "spiritual laws of faith" to acquire this wealth. One of those laws has to do with sowing and reaping. Christians must "sow" money if they want to "reap" money—and guess where they are to sow it? In the pockets of prosperity preachers!
At a recent "blab it and grab it" conference, one of the preachers turned to the others and said, "If a poor widow on welfare hands you $5.00 you better take it. Elijah took the widow's last meal. You're the anointed one, you deserve it, you take it...I live in an 8,000 square foot house and I'm going to build a bigger one, one that King Solomon would be proud of. I just paid $15,000 for a dog. See this gorgeous ring on my finger? I was in Jamaica and paid $32,000 for it. When the people in my town come past my mansion and see my Rolls Royce sitting in the driveway they know there is a God in heaven."
Another man got up and said, "We have made a covenant along with brother Copeland that for the next 365 days, none of us is going to suffer for a single day. We won't know a moment of discouragement. We will never be sick or in need. We're going to enjoy all the blessings. We reject all suffering, all pain, all financial problems." Think of it. In the name of Jesus they take the last $5.00 from the widow and buy a $15,000 dog! In the name of Jesus they take the pay check from the poor and tell them they are not prospering because they don’t have enough faith! They take the very wool off the back of the sheep! This is so blatantly unscriptural, you must deliberately ignore the warnings of the Bible before you could ever be deceived by it.
Paul explains the disastrous affects of covetousness in our lives. He speaks of those who, as the result of seeking material wealth, "have erred from the faith" (I. Tim. 6:10). He warned that those who seek to be rich will "fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition" (v. 9). Moreover, he instructed young Timothy to "withdraw" (separate) from all who say "gain is godliness" because true wealth is spiritual, not material. It is "godliness with contentment" (vv. 5-6). Covetousness is such a serious issue in the Christian life Paul calls it idolatry and lists it with fornication, filthiness and uncleanness. He warns covetous believers that they have no "inheritance" in the Kingdom of God (Eph. 5:3‑5). This is because the lust to accumulate material wealth often leads to other forms of sin, such as stealing and lying. Even worse, when we try to gain wealth by using spiritual power (faith), we are practicing divination. An unchecked lust for wealth has caused many a soul to depart from the faith altogether.
A great part of the Law of Moses—such as the regulations regarding servants and the poor, regulations on gleaning, usury, pledges and the spoils taken in war—were all specifically designed to counteract the covetous nature of man. In addition, God gave numerous illustrations in the Scripture of just how dangerous the lust for wealth can be. Achan, Saul, Ananias and Sapphira, Judas and Balaam, are all graphic examples of people who were totally destroyed by it. Yet blind religious leaders like Mr. Copeland continue to spread their prosperity gospel, telling people that if they want to be blessed financially, they must find the most blessed (ie., richest) preacher they can find and give him their offerings. Supposedly, this will bring them a huge return on their "tithe."
If Isaiah were alive he would walk into their conventions, get right up on the stage, and denounce them in front of the whole world. He would call them "blind watchmen, ignorant, dumb dogs...greedy dogs which can never have enough...[who look] every one for his own gain from his quarter" (Isa. 56:10-11). Ezekiel would say, "Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat and ye clothe you with the wool: ye kill them that are fed but ye feed not the flock" (Ezek. 34:2‑3).
What about the apostle Paul, who worked as a tent-maker to support his own ministry, who said to the Ephesian elders, "I have shewed you...how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak" (Acts 20:33-35)? What would he say about these men? You can bet he would declare publicly that Mr. Copeland and all who follow him are "enemies of the cross." He would warn all prosperity preachers that their "end is destruction" (Phil. 3:18‑19) if they do not repent of their covetousness. If Jude were alive he would also denounce them publicly and warn Christians everywhere to avoid them like the plague! He would say "Woe unto them! For they have ran greedily after the error of Balaam."
The last error Jude mentions is the gainsaying of Core. Korah was a Levite of the family of Kohath, the son of Levi and grandfather of Moses. Of the three Levitical families—Kohathites, Gershonites and Merarites—Korah’s clan was considered the most important. They, along with the Gershonites and Merarites, were placed around the Tabernacle and were charged with caring for and moving it. Korah led a confederacy of 250 princes of Israel in a rebellion against Aaron’s claim to the priesthood, as well as against Moses’ authority in general. As a result of this rebellion, God caused the earth to open and swallow Korah, Dathan and Abiram, then He slew the other 250 rebels with fire.
Some use the rebellion of Korah as an example of congregants rising up against the spiritual authority of the pastor. Sorry, that won’t work. It is true he rebelled against spiritual authority but he was not a laymen—he was a "minister," a relative of Moses who was engaged in the service of the Tabernacle. His problem was that he was engaged in a much lesser ministry than Moses.
When challenging Moses he said, "all the congregation are holy...wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation..." (Num. 16:3)? To this Moses replied, "Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle...and seek ye the priesthood also" (vv. 9‑10)?
Moses saw right into the heart of Korah. He was not really concerned about the congregation at all; he wanted the priesthood! He wasn’t willing to remain an "obscure" minister indefinitely. He wanted power and recognition; he wanted to be in the lime-light; he wanted to be the leader. He was not satisfied with God’s will for his life. Just like Lucifer, he rebelled against the ruling authority. Just like Lucifer, he said, "I will ascend...I will exalt my throne...I will be like the most High" (Isa. 14:13‑14). It’s a dangerous thing to not be satisfied with what God gives us or where He places us. Not only does it show that we think we know better than God concerning what is best for us, it reveals a heart that is covetous and rebellious. It reveals a heart that cannot be trusted with spiritual authority. If we don’t allow God to deal with the lust for personal glory it can kill us spiritually.
The Scripture teaches that salvation is all about bearing fruit—which represents transformation into the image of Christ. It teaches that we can bring forth different levels of Christ-likeness and that we will be rewarded according to the degree of fruit we allow the Spirit to produce in us. It also warns us that we can end up vessels of "dishonor" in the kingdom if we serve God out of our own Adamic wisdom and strength. Finally, it warns us that we can end up vessels of "wrath" if we let our fruit get choked by the cares and pleasures of this life, or if we allow the foundation of our redemption to be destroyed by the way of Cain, the error of Balaam, or the gainsaying of Korah.
Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient...For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present life.
I. Timothy 1:19 & Titus 2:11-12
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Galatians 3:24‑25
One of the reasons so many are walking in deception today is because they are ignorant of the purpose of the Law under the Old Covenant, as well as its proper relationship to the New Covenant. Ask any scholar or preacher what the purpose of the Law was and they will all give you the same exact answer. They will quote the preceding scripture, or similar verses, then explain that its primary purpose—some say its only purpose—was to demonstrate that no matter how hard we try, we will never be able to obey or please God the way we should. The idea is that after comparing our performance with the high standards of the Law, we will see how wicked we are and realize the futility of trying to "earn" God’s favor, humble ourselves, and turn to the covenant of grace for salvation. Not only is this the standard view across the board today, it has been the standard view for many centuries. Below are just a few examples.
AUGUSTINE - "The utility of the law is that it convinces man
of his weakness and compels him to apply for the medicine of grace,
which is in Christ."
LUTHER - "...the chief office or force of the Law is that
it reveal original sin with all its fruits, and show man how very low his
nature has fallen, and has become utterly corrupted...[The] Law must tell man
that he has...no regard for God and worships other gods—a matter which before
and without the Law he would not have believed. In this way he becomes
terrified, is humbled, desponds, despairs, and anxiously desires aid..."
CALVIN
- "[The] Law is
a kind of mirror. As in a mirror we discover any stains upon our face, so in
the Law we behold, first, our impotence; then, in consequence of it, our
iniquity; and, finally, the curse, as the consequence of both...The Apostle
testifies that the law pronounces its sentence of condemnation in order that
every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God...In
another place, however, the same Apostle declares that God has “concluded them
all in unbelief,” not that he might destroy all or allow all to perish, but
that “he might have mercy upon all”...[That] divesting themselves of an absurd
opinion of their own virtue, they may perceive how they are wholly dependent on
the hand of God...[and] may take refuge in his mercy, rely upon it, and cover
themselves up entirely with it; renouncing all righteousness and merit and clinging
to mercy alone as offered in Christ."
WESLEY - "The moral law was added to the promise to
discover and restrain transgressions, to convince men of their guilt, and need
of the promise, and give some check to sin."
SPURGEON - "Natural men dream that by a strict performance
of duty they shall obtain favor, but God saith thus: “I will show them their
folly by proclaiming a law so high that they will despair of attaining unto
it...I will send them a law so terrible in its censures, so unflinching in its
demands, that they cannot possibly obey and will be driven even to desperation,
and come and accept my mercy through Jesus Christ."
HALDANE - "The law, however, is in itself holy and just and good. As such, it is employed by the Spirit of God to convince His people of sin, to teach them the value of the remedy provided in the Gospel..."
JOSEPH BEET - "The great purpose of the Law...was to leave all men without excuse for sin; and, because by nature none are able to obey it, to bring all men under conscious liability to punishment...[It] was given in order to reveal our hopeless bondage...For, by revealing the uselessness of their own efforts, it has led them to Christ and taught them the worth of His salvation."
In the eyes of virtually all Christians, the only function of the Law was to show the futility of trying to obey God, thus driving them to salvation by "grace." If this be the case, what about the Hebrews who lived between the time of Moses and the establishment of the covenant of grace? To where were they "driven" in desperation? Certainly not to the covenant of grace—that was hundreds or thousands of years away! Though it is true, the Law convicts the sinner and the self-righteous, thus leading them to Christ, this is only half the truth, and it has little to do with why the Law was given to Israel.
The reason the rest of the story is neglected is because the Church has never been all that interested in the sanctification of the believer; its only focus for centuries has been the justification of the sinner. The fact that the Law was given to Israel in order to sanctify them is totally ignored—and in most cases, totally unknown—among today’s believers. Because religious leaders have only been presenting one side of the story for so many centuries, our modern view of the purpose of the Law is totally lop-sided.
Over 4000 years ago God called Abraham to leave his home in the highly advanced civilization of Ur. He started giving Abraham ordinances and statutes to obey—one of which was circumcision—and as Abraham’s descendants and servants grew in number, He gave them more and more ordinances. By the time they arrived in Egypt for their extended stay they already had a highly developed social order, much of which came from God. However, by the time they came out of Egypt that order had been mixed with all kinds of pagan traditions. When they got to Sinai the Lord gave them a fresh, comprehensive legal code that would not only support and nourish them as a nation, but would also be a reflection of His character. Though Israel was not the first nation to have a legal code as its foundation, it was the first nation to have a legal code written by the finger of God and free of paganism.
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.”
Exodus 19:5-6
And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.
Leviticus 20:26
For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
Deuteronomy 7:6
God chose the seed of Abraham from among the nations, gave them His Law, and made them His peculiar treasure. He wanted them to be a "light" to the surrounding nations. Thus, the Law had a dual purpose: (1) to show the people how to live a life that was pleasing to God—which would in turn bring them blessing and peace—and (2) to provide an example for the surrounding nations that were living in darkness. What the nations around Israel needed was a demonstration of godly behavior. They needed to see justice and compassion lived out in day to day conduct. Through obedience to the Law as a people, Israel would be that example.
The great error concerning the Law in Evangelical theology is that even though it was always God’s plan to save men by faith, He offered Israel a chance to save themselves by works (obedience to the Law) in order to prove to them that they could never do it. Most theologians and pastors don’t teach this explicitly, but the idea is implicit throughout their doctrines. Some theologians like Charles Hodge, a Reformed scholar in the 1800's, actually did teach it explicitly. When explaining what it meant to be under the Old Covenant, he said:
"To be under the law is to be under the obligation to fulfill the law of God as a rule of duty, as the condition of salvation...We are not under a legal dispensation, requiring personal conformity to the law, and entire freedom from sin, past and present, as the condition of our acceptance; but we are under a gracious dispensation, according to which God dispenses pardon freely, and accepts the sinner as a sinner, for Christ’s sake, without works..."
Commentary on Romans
Charles Hodge; p. 317
Those under the first covenant had to obey the Law as "the condition of salvation," says Mr. Hodge. Comparing us to them, he says we are not under a system that requires us to keep the Law "as the condition of our acceptance." Not only are we not under such a system, Israel was never under such a system either. This error, which underlies so much of today’s theology, misrepresents both God’s character and His plan of salvation. It also makes it impossible to understand the right relationship between the two covenants, causing a gross distortion of what it means to be "saved by grace."
Neither is this error limited to scholars and theologians. It is also promoted by popular Christian authors such as Dave Hunt. In the December 1997 issue of his "Berean Call" newsletter he discuses the difference between Israel and the Church, and grace and works. He very frankly states that:
"In all of his epistles Paul comes back to the theme that salvation is all of grace and nothing of works. Herein is the major difference between Israel and the church: for the former, eternal life came through keeping the law; for the latter, eternal life comes by faith."
According to Dave, the major difference between Israel and the Church is that for the Jews, "eternal life came through keeping the law." Two months later, in the February issue, a perceptive reader scolded him in the Q&A section for making such a statement, saying that it causes "confusion." Unfortunately, Dave’s answer, far from clearing up the confusion, only made it worse, and is very indicative of the problem under discussion. He says:
"My statement was, unfortunately, badly worded. Rather, it should have said that eternal life was offered to Israel for keeping the law. Of course, no one ever attained to it on that basis because no one could keep the law: ‘all have sinned’...my article went on to make that clear and to state that ‘salvation has always been and still is the same for both Jews and Gentiles.’ Therefore, as poorly worded as was that one clause, those who read the entire article would not have been led astray."
Dave says he didn’t mean to infer that eternal life came through "keeping the law." What he meant was, eternal life was offered to Israel for keeping the law, but since nobody could ever keep the Law, they had to be saved by faith just like us. The notion that the Old Covenant was a vehicle of justification, or even a possible vehicle of justification—which was really not possible after all—is not only confusing, but absurd. Yet this is what is believed and taught, at least implicitly if not explicitly. The idea that under the Old Covenant there were two ways to obtain salvation (at least theoretically), one by perfect obedience to the Law (which no one could do) and the other by faith, is confusion indeed! Nobody seems to realize that this view imputes unrighteousness to the Lord.
If God gave the Law of Moses as a possible (actually an impossible) means of justification to teach man a lesson, all the while knowing that no person could ever obey it (and thereby become justified), then why did He punish Israel for not obeying it? Did He punish them because they failed to save themselves by their own religious effort? He said if they obeyed the Law He would bless them, but if they disobeyed it He would curse them. Yet, all the time He knew that no one could ever possibly obey it. Since it was really impossible to obey the Law in the first place, nobody did. Consequently, God punished them for failing to obey that which was impossible to obey! What a twisted image of God's justice.
Preachers wax eloquent on the futility of trying to earn God's salvation by "keeping the Law." The Law is cast in a negative light, being associated closely with legalism, self-righteousness, and in general, man's attempt to save himself rather than submit to the Cross. But the Law was never intended to be a vehicle of justification. It was intended to be a vehicle of sanctification—two totally different operations. Of course, it is true that some (not all) Jews confused the two and ended up trying to be justified by obedience. But this was never God's intention. God asked them to "keep the Law" so they would be sanctified. It was not wrong for them to strive to obey the Torah. It was only wrong for them to think such obedience justified them.
It was possible to obey the Law; this fact is established in the Scripture. King David said, "I have remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night, and have kept thy law...I kept thy precepts" (Ps. 119:55‑56). Of King Hezekiah it is recorded that he, "...clave to the Lord and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments which the Lord commanded Moses" (II. Kg. 18:6). Of Zacharias and his wife Elisabeth it is said, "they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless" (Luke 1:6).
Did all these people keep the Law perfectly? Did they never break a single commandment? Of course not. Then how can it be said of them that they "kept" the commandments? Because the whole sacrificial system was designed to forgive and cover their transgression (Lev. 16:21-30). This means that even if a person did "break the Law," as long as he truly repented in his heart and brought the appropriate sacrificial offering, the trespass was forgiven and covered. He was seen as still keeping the Law because he was keeping the sacrificial laws—he was doing what God had commanded.
If it was possible to keep the Law, why couldn't that obedience justify the person? Because in order to stand "justified" before God a person has to possess the same kind of holy and righteous "nature" that He possesses. He has to be AS holy as God Himself is. Obedience to the Law—even perfect obedience—could never change man's fundamental problem, which is that he possesses only one nature, a nature that has been contaminated by sin, a nature that is fallen. No matter how well it behaves, no matter what it does, our Adamic nature will never, by its own religious efforts, be as holy as God. We need to be given another nature; and that is the purpose of the New Covenant. That is what people really mean when they use the term "born again." God plants in us a new nature, one that is holy, one that will never sin because it cannot sin.
The saints of all ages have been justified by faith. Before the Law was given, Abraham was justified by faith; during the period of the Law, God's people were justified by faith; after the Law (under the New Covenant), we are justified by faith. The same applies to forgiveness and imputed righteousness. Before, during and after the Law, God’s people have received forgiveness and imputed righteousness by faith. It has always been by faith.
What shall we say then that Abraham (before the Law) our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness...Even as David (during the Law) also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. And he (Abraham) received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also.
Romans 4:1-7 & 11
There was never a time when we could be justified by anything other than faith. It was never possible to earn justification by obedience to any commandment or law, either Old or New Testament. God has never given laws to justify us. He has never played a sadistic game by telling people He will bless them if they measure up to an impossible standard. All laws are given to curb unrighteousness. Justification always have and always will come by faith alone.
The reason this is so important is because whatever church you go to you will find that the whole focus is on getting people to receive forgiveness, justification and imputed righteousness. Even after people are saved and in the churches, the focus never changes. Everyone just assumes that this is what being "saved" is all about.
But if God’s only goal has been to get people justified and
covered with the imputed righteousness of Christ, if this is what salvation is
all about, and if it has always been
available by faith, then why was it necessary to establish a "new"
covenant? Why wasn’t the old one good enough? Because forgiveness, and imputed
righteousness are not the central issues of salvation. They are absolutely
necessary for salvation because they are the foundation of our redemption; but
they do not constitute the totality
of salvation. The central issue of redemption under both covenants is
sanctification. God gave Israel the Law to sanctify their behavior, to produce
a certain level of righteousness (light) before the nations.
Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.
Exodus 31:13
For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Leviticus 11:44
Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God. And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the Lord which doth sanctify you.
Leviticus 20:7-8
The Lord sanctified the Israelites by separating them from the nations and bringing them into a covenant relationship with Himself. That is one definition of the term—it means to be separated unto the Lord. Then the Lord told them to sanctify themselves. How were they to sanctify themselves? They were to sanctify themselves by keeping the Sabbaths, by not defiling themselves with creeping things—in short, by keeping His statutes and doing them.
When God said "be ye holy" He was really saying "obey my statutes." He was not telling them they had to become as holy as He Himself is—that was not possible as long as they only possessed the Adamic nature. What God did was give them laws and statutes that the Adamic nature could obey, thus they could be judged for disobeying them. The story of the Old Testament Church is the story of what happens to a people who have been sanctified (set apart) by God, but who refuse to sanctify themselves (obey His commandments). How sad that this is the story of the New Testament Church as well.
Not Under Law
Today there is absolute confusion over the role of obedience under the New Covenant. The vast majority of believers are being taught that obedience is optional after we are saved. A small minority of individuals and groups reject this error, but unfortunately, many of them misunderstand what it is we are supposed to obey. Consequently, both camps misrepresent genuine biblical faith. One is promoting lawlessness and the other is promoting legalism.
A person who has not already been brain-washed would never read the New Testament and walk away thinking obedience is not necessary—there is simply too much scriptural testimony stating the opposite. However, once we accept the absolute necessity of obedience there is a danger of swinging too far to the other side of the pendulum and getting entangled in legalism. What are we to obey? Obviously, we are to obey God. But how are we to obey Him? Paul said we are to be "led by the Spirit" (Rom. 8:14). He said if we are led of the Spirit we are "not under the law" (Gal. 5:18) because when we walk in the Spirit we do not "fulfil the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16).
The problem is, how are we to know for sure if we are following the right spirit? All Christians claim they are being led by the Spirit and doing God’s will, yet it is obvious that many of them are not. They may be following a spirit, but they are not following the Holy Spirit. Just look at the Church. There are literally hundreds of Christian sects teaching doctrines that are not only diametrically opposed to each other, but to the Scripture as well, yet each one claims they have the truth and are being led by the Spirit. Clearly, someone is mistaken!
In fact, when a person gets the revelation of just how important obedience really is, he suddenly realizes that the situation of the Church today is much like the situation of the Church in the days of the Judges, when there was no king in Israel and "every man did that which was right in his own eyes" (Judg. 21:25). He thinks to himself, surely it is not God’s intention that the Church runs around like a chicken with its head cut off, not knowing what it is doing and everyone contradicting each other as well as the Scripture. God must have a standard that everyone can be held accountable to. We need a visible king; we need an external framework of spiritual government to keep us from going off the deep end.
For many, it seems that the only logical standard is the Law. Thus, we have individuals and Christian groups who keep the Law, or portions of it. For them, the only difference between the Old and the New Covenant is that under the old one, it was impossible to keep the Law perfectly because it was written on Stone Tablets and we didn’t have the Spirit dwelling in us the way we do today. However, since the Law is written on our hearts under the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31), and since the Holy Spirit dwells in us in a deeper way, it is assumed that we can now keep the commandments of God perfectly. And exactly how much of the Law should we keep? The answer to that question varies, depending on which group you talk to.
For instance, Messianic Jews view the entire Law, excluding the sacrifices that represent the Lord, as valid. Other groups, like Seventh-Day Adventists, divide the Law into three categories—civil, ceremonial and moral—and view only the "moral" component (Ten Commandments) as still in force. Still other groups define which parts of the Law are valid according to their own particular criteria. However, the common assumption is that some portion of the Law is not only eternal, but eternally valid and in force.
Some of the scriptures used to prove this are: "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips" (Ps. 89:34); "...his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever..." (Ps. 111:7‑8); "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven..." (Matt. 5:19); "...if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments" (Matt. 19:17); "...it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail" (Luke 16:17); "If ye love me keep my commandments...He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me..." (John 14:15 & 21); "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law" (Rom. 3:31).
In addition, John defined sin as "the transgression of the law" (I. John 3:4) and said, "whosoever abideth in him sinneth not" (v 6). The conclusion for many is that if we love God we will not sin—we will keep the Law perfectly. But then we are back to the same problem as being led by the Spirit. Who is defining God’s Law for us? Each group has its own definition. Who is right?
First, the Law of Moses was never given to the Gentiles. It was only given to Israel. This is clearly stated throughout the Scripture. For instance, when recounting all the wonderful things God had done for the people since leaving Egypt, Moses asks: "what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today" (NIV Deut. 4:8)? Again he asks: "Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have..." (v. 33)? The answer to both these questions is obviously, No. Speaking of the laws that God gave to Israel, King David said, "[He] has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws..." (NIV Ps. 147:19).
When the people in Lystra tried to sacrifice an Ox to Paul after he healed a cripple, he said, "...turn from these vanities unto the living God...who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways" (Acts 14:15‑16). Speaking of the idolatry of the Athenians, he said, "the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent..." (Acts 17:30). Later he asked what advantage the Jew had over the Gentile. The answer: "they have been entrusted with the very words of God" (Rom. 3:2). The Gentiles were not entrusted with the Oracles of God—that was the privilege of the Jewish people. God separated them from every other nation and gave them commandments that would apply to their peculiar national life. The Old Covenant was made with Israel alone. The only Gentiles ever brought under the Law of Moses were those who joined themselves to the nation in order to serve their God.
Commandments and ordinances have been around from the very beginning. The concept of sin and retribution is not a Jewish thing, nor is it permanently linked to the Law of Moses. The first commandment was not, "Thou shalt have no other gods beside me." Rather, it was, "...of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat." (Gen. 2:17). Breaking that commandment was also the first "transgression of the law." The first use of the Hebrew term for sin—chatta'ah (khat‑taw‑aw')—is 2500 years before Moses’ Law and has to do with Cain’s bad attitude. God asked him why he was angry and said,"If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it" (NIV Gen. 4:7). Since God told Cain to do what was "right," we can be sure he knew what was right.
Later, speaking of Abraham, God said because he has "obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws," his seed will bless all nations (Gen. 26:4‑5). Only a few of those commandments and laws were ever recorded in the Scripture. But apparently there were many ordinances given to Abraham during his life-time and he obeyed them all. God has been giving mankind laws and commandments since He created him. Even though the nations were not given the Law of Moses, they were still held accountable for the laws they did have. God told Abraham he would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because "their sin is very grievous" (Gen. 18:20). In order to have sin, there must be a commandment broken, for John said all sin is the "transgression of the law." What kind of laws did the nations have back in Abraham’s day?
Archeologists have found nine cuneiform writings which make up a special class of document known as "law code." All of them are similar in content and all existed immediately after the flood. The most famous law code comes from a Babylonian king named Hammurabi, a contemporary of Abraham. In 1902 a stone containing a relief of Hammurabi and his laws was found. The relief shows him receiving a scepter and a ring from a Babylonian god, along with his call to "make justice shine forth in the land, to destroy the evil and the wicked, that the strong might not oppress the weak...to give light to the land."
Under Hammurabi’s Code, 600 years before the Law, bearing false witness, robbery, receiving stolen goods, and kidnaping were all crimes, some of which carried the death penalty. There were commercial laws relating to loans of money or seeds, laws regulating partnerships and sales, and laws regulating transportation of merchandise. There were marriage laws involving the rights of both parties, marriage offenses, dowry settlements and divorce. Adultery with a married woman resulted in death for both individuals, as in Moses’ Law. Also as in Hebrew law, an adulterous wife was sentenced to trial by ordeal, death was the punishment for rape, incest is prohibited, the first-born had special rights, and the owner was held accountable for gorings by his oxen.
This explains why 400 years before the Law, in reproving Abraham for deceiving him about Sarah being his sister, King Abimelech said, "thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin" (Gen. 20:9). Abimelech knew that taking another man’s wife was a sin because there was a law forbidding it. Whether these laws came from God directly or through man’s conscience, they were clear and God held the nations accountable for breaking them.
For Gentiles, the "transgression of the law" was not the transgression of Moses’ Law, but the transgression of whatever particular laws they possessed. God never intended the Gentiles to come under the Law of Moses. That is why, when giving the Twelve Apostles their commission to go and make disciples of all nations, Jesus said, "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:20). He didn’t tell them to go and teach the nations what Moses said, but rather, what He said.
secondly, the issue of whether or not Gentile believers should keep the Law of Moses—either for the purpose of justification or for sanctification—was dealt with 1947 years ago by the apostles, at the first great council of church leaders, held at Jerusalem in A.D. 52. They came together specifically to settle this question (Acts 15:2-21). The "Pharisees which believed" demanded that Gentile converts be instructed to "keep the law of Moses" (v. 5). Peter’s reply to them was, "why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear" (v. 10-11)? Then, after some further discussion, the apostle James stood up and said, "...my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: but that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood" (vv. 19-20).
In mentioning these four practices, James was not trying to reduce the Law of Moses to the minimum possible observance. The question had been settled; the Gentiles were not required to obey the Law in any degree. Rather, he was telling them to abstain from these things in order to encourage a permanent separation from their former idolatry. He was saying, "stay away from even the social trappings and eating habits of that life-style and you will prosper spiritually."
thirdly, the Scripture repeatedly contrasts living under law with living under grace: "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17); "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets" (Rom. 3:21); "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace" (Rom. 6:14); "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that ye should be married to another...that we should bring forth fruit unto God" (Rom. 7:4); "But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held, that we should serve in newness of spirit and not in the oldness of the letter" (Rom. 7:6); "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth" (Rom. 10:4); "But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law" (Gal. 5:18).
What about the scriptures used by those who say the Law is unchangeable and unending, and therefore we should be keeping it? We will look at them briefly. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips...his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever. In Psalm 89, when God said He would not "alter the thing that is gone out" of His lips, He was not talking about the Law or the Old Covenant. He was referring to a special covenant He was making with King David, wherein He promised that his seed "shall endure for ever, and his throne...be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven" (Ps. 89:37).
If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.
Hebrews 7:11‑12
The writer of Hebrews said Jesus instituted a new covenant, based on a new priesthood, which required a "change also of the law." The Law came from Jesus; it was His Law! Though He would never change its moral underpinnings or violate its ultimate righteous intention, He certainly had the authority to change, replace or annul the ordinances contained therein. Many commandments which are said to "stand fast forever" have in fact, been annulled and/or replaced as the result of the establishment of that better covenant. The Law is not unchangeable. Anybody who teaches that it is, has not read the book of Hebrews very well.
It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. Not letting "one tittle of the law to fail" does not mean that we all have to keep making atonement with animal sacrifices! It does not mean that we must observe the many Feasts and Sabbaths of Israel. It means everything contained in the Law will come to pass just as predicted. All the types and shadows will be fulfilled.
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. If by this Jesus meant Christians should continue obeying every commandment in the Law—even the most (seemingly) insignificant ones—why don’t those who promote this idea keep those ordinances themselves? Why don’t they sacrifice animals for forgiveness? Why don’t they go to Jerusalem three times a year? Why don’t they celebrate the various Festivals and Sabbaths required in the Law? Why are they not, in fact, living just like Orthodox Jews in Israel? Of course, Messianic Jews do keep all these ordinances, excluding animal sacrifice. But most groups don’t. They claim Jesus was only referring to the Ten Commandments, not the entire Law. Therefore, we are only under obligation to keep that portion of the Law.
Really? In that discourse Jesus mentions six specific commandments. The first two—murder and adultery—are part of the Ten Commandments; but the other four—divorce, breaking oaths, retaliation and our attitude towards enemies—are not. So the argument that Jesus was only referring to the "moral" Law holds absolutely no water. When He spoke these words Israel was still under the Old Covenant. The New Covenant had not yet been ratified. They were in a time of transition and the current system of sanctification was still valid. That is why He referred to the Law many times. That is why He could say, "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." Under the Old covenant, which was still in effect, obeying the commandments produced sanctification, which brought life.
After making His statement about not breaking the least of the commandments, Jesus went on to say, "except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:20). This puts His previous statements in the proper context. He was talking about what was happening then, not about what would happen after the New Covenant was established.
The Pharisees had divided the Law into categories of important and non-important commandments. In addition, they twisted the Law to fit their lusts. They were worried that Jesus was going to destroy the Law, along with the authority it conferred upon them, and they were telling the people this in order to turn them against Him.
Therefore, the Lord assures the people that He did not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfil it. At the same time, He was also warning them not to think they can manipulate the Law the way the Pharisees do and still be great in the kingdom, or even enter it, for the Pharisees were basing their "righteousness" on a legal code that they had fashioned in their own image.
If ye love me keep my commandments...He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. Notice that Jesus didn’t say if we love Him we will keep Moses’ commandments. He said if we love Him we will keep His commandments. When we love Him we prove that love by obeying Him personally, by following what He speaks to us each day through the Spirit.
New Testament
Sanctification
Just as the Law was given to sanctify the Old Testament Church and produce a light before the nations, so the Holy Spirit comes to sanctify the New Testament Church in a much deeper way, thus producing a much greater light before the nations. Just as the goal of God under the Old Covenant was the sanctification of the saints, so His goal under the New Covenant is the sanctification of the saints (I. Thess. 4:3). Indeed, this is the whole reason God saves us (v. 7).
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing...
II. Corinthians 6:17
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ...But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
I. Peter 2:5 & 9-10
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 5:14‑16
Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.
Philippians 2:14 - 15
We have the same call as National Israel, and we must be sanctified just as they were—yet with a much higher level of sanctification. This sanctification can never be "imputed" to us. It must be learned (I. Thess. 4:4) and pursued (I Tim. 2:15; Heb. 12:14), for it is not an invisible legal state based on what we believe; it is a possession that must be acquired over time, little by little, as a result of obedience to the Spirit and the Word of God (Matt. 11:29) (John 13:15) (Eph. 4:20) (Phil. 2:5). It is not gained by self-will or self-effort, but through the Spirit (Rom. 8:13; Eph.3:16). He is responsible to complete that work in us, yet we are responsible to yield to it. Thus, we will not be rewarded on the basis of mercy or grace in the kingdom, but according to how much we yielded to the Spirit’s sanctifying work.
Both the New and the Old Covenants are designed to produce sanctification. The difference between them rests in the type of righteousness each was designed to produce. The Old Covenant only dealt with what the New Testament calls our "old man" (Rom. 6:6) (Eph. 4:22) (Col. 3:9 )—which is the fallen Adamic nature. Until the Lord died and made atonement for sin there was no such thing as a "new man." There was only one man—the "old" man. God had no choice but to work within the framework of that first nature. The Law was designed to produce a level of righteousness which the old Adamic man could bring forth. It was not the actual nature or character of God Himself, but rather, a human representation of that character.
However, under the New Covenant, God plants a portion of His own nature in us through the Spirit. The righteousness of that "new man" is not just a representation of God’s character; it is God’s character. The Adamic nature will never be able to bring forth the actual character and nature of God, regardless of what kind of external code or laws he obeys.
Moses is a type of Jesus. It was Moses who brought Israel out of Egypt, even as it is Jesus who saves us out of the sin and bondage of the world. It was Moses who brought them to Sinai, where they received the Law, just as it is Jesus who baptizes us into the Holy Spirit. At Mt. Sinai God wanted Israel to voluntarily accept His Written Torah. When He first spoke to the people out of the mountain and gave them the Ten Commandments they agreed to come under His yoke.
Unfortunately they changed their mind and rebelled. Their problem was that they had been in slavery for so long, after being set free from the yoke of Pharaoh they had no desire to come under another yoke. Like little children, they were totally self-centered, unable to grasp the spectacular destiny God was offering them. Of course, they wanted God to provide for them and bring them into the Promise Land, but they weren’t ready to obey His commandments. They wanted Him to serve them.
Today believers do the same exact thing! After delivering us from the bondage of the world, Jesus brings us to our spiritual Mt. Sinai and baptizes us in the Holy Spirit, who is to become our Living Torah. He comes to bring us under the yoke of obedience, to show us how to live a pleasing life to God, thus helping us fulfil our call as a light to the nations. He comes to lead us (Rom. 8:14) and teach us (John 14:26) and guide us into all truth (John 16:13). Not only doctrinal truth but transforming truth as well.
When God asks us to obey we say yes at first, but just as the Israelites, we are self-centered children and we soon change our mind. Not only are we unable to comprehend the spectacular destiny God is offering us, we are unwilling to give up our new freedom. Of course, we want God to bless us and take care of us and take us to heaven when we die (or in the Rapture), but we don’t want to put on that yoke of obedience. We want God to serve us. This kind of rebellion is only encouraged by preachers who say grace is an "unconditional" covenant, that coming under the Lord’s yoke is not really necessary. As if this lie was not destructive enough, we are then taught how to use the Bible and the "laws of faith" to coerce God into serving us! Our orientation toward salvation is turned completely upside-down.
To say today’s view of salvation is erroneous would be a gross understatement. Since religious leaders don’t understand the sanctifying role of the Written Torah under the Old Covenant, they also don’t understand the sanctifying role of the Living Torah under the New Covenant. Therefore, everything about redemption becomes based not on what we do, but on what we believe. The result is that the "sheep" gradually become lawless.
When the anarchy and rebellion gets to a certain point, people start reacting against it, and they swing all the way to the other side of the pendulum, into legalism. They try to be sanctified by obeying some portion of the Law. As the apostasy intensifies and approaches its climax, more and more believers will resort to some type of legalism as the antidote.
What these brethren need to see is that the establishment of a "better" covenant changed the Old Testament economy dramatically. Torah observance has been replaced by a "new and living way" (Heb. 10:20) called Torah fulfilment. Torah fulfillment produces a much higher degree of holiness and a much brighter light than Torah observance ever could. Not understanding this truth, they go about misinterpreting and misapplying Paul’s statement that the Law is not "made void" by faith, that in fact, faith "establishes" the Law (Rom. 3:31). They assume he meant that we are obligated to obey the Law because it remains in force eternally. But that was not what he was saying.
Because so many of his fellow Jews were seeking to be justified through obedience to Moses, he was forced to continually emphasize the point that we are not justified by obedience, but by faith in Messiah’s work. For those Jews who would feel threatened by such a statement—and also for those Gentiles who would use it as a license to live in lawlessness—he tried to counter-balance the heavy emphasis on faith by saying that even though faith is independent of obedience to the Law, faith does not make void the Law; it establishes it.
So, what exactly does Paul mean when he says those who walk by faith establish the Law? Does he mean that they obey the Law perfectly? Does the word "establish" mean obey? For legalists the answer is yes. But if the term establish means obey, the only conclusion we are left with is that Paul was commanding Gentile believers to take up a life of Torah observance, for his audience included Gentiles as well as Jews. Paul was not using the term establish as a reference to perfect Torah observance. It means something else.
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Romans 8:3‑4
Notice that the issue in this passage is the "righteousness of the law." Paul said Messiah came to condemn sin in the flesh and pay the penalty for that sin so the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Here Paul speaks not of establishing the Law but of fulfilling it. What does the term "fulfil" mean? Does it mean obey? Here again, legalists would say yes. But if the answer is yes, the only conclusion we can draw is that Paul was telling Gentile believers to adopt Torah observance. Fulfilling the Law is a reference to something much greater than Torah observance.
Notice Paul’s explanation of how we fulfil the Law. He didn’t say we fulfil it by obeying it. He said we fulfil it by walking "after the Spirit." The "new and living way" enables the believer to live out the ultimate righteous intention of the Law, thus fulfilling it. It allows us to experience and manifest the Law’s highest righteousness—which is the nature of God—without any reference to its many statutes and ordinances. This is why Paul could say the righteousness of God "without the law" has been manifested (Rom. 3:21). Those who teach a return to law-keeping as the answer to the problem of today’s rebellion and apostasy must ignore Paul’s own testimony. If ever there was a man who knew about the Law, about its proper role and its right relationship to New Testament Christians, it was him. Listen to what he says.
I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city [Jerusalem] at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day...My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee...For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: and profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.
Acts 22:3 & 26:4‑5; Galatians 1:13‑14
Speaking of his life before conversion, he testifies that he is a Jew and a Pharisee, born in Tarsus but raised in Jerusalem, where he was taught Torah observance from Gamaliel, the greatest Sage of the day. He was well known in the city, was very zealous for the Law and exceedingly zealous for the traditions of the fathers. He profited (excelled) above his equals in his ability to observe Torah faithfully. It is clear that his whole life was focused on learning, upholding and obeying the Law of Moses.
Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.
Philippians 3:4‑8
Sharing his testimony with the brethren at Philippi, he says he has much to boast about in the flesh. A Hebrew from the tribe of Benjamin, he was circumcised the eighth day and belonged to the most disciplined religious sect in Judaism. Regarding the righteousness that is in the Law he was blameless—no small feat for any man. He kept the Law better than any modern law-keeper ever will. His great love and zeal for the Lord enabled him to perfect the art of obedience to commandments, statutes, and ordinances. Of course, that same love and zeal also caused him to persecute those who were in union with Christ and fulfilling the Law. Then he tells the brethren that he counts all these things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus. Not only does he count them all loss, he counts them as dung that he might "win" Christ.
Exactly what "all things" is Paul talking about? What things were "gain" to him? He is talking about the things pertaining to his former life, which was centered around Torah observance as an expression of faith in God. He is talking about Torah observance as a means of pleasing God, as a means of justification and sanctification. He testified very clearly that his goal of maintaining perfect Torah obedience had been replaced by a new goal. That new goal was to win Christ. His new efforts were focused on living in the Spirit and abiding in Christ in order that he might come forth in the nature of God. He saw that the nature of God will never break the ultimate intention of His own Law.
It is impossible to show from the New Testament text that the apostle Paul was utilizing his "new man" and the indwelling Spirit to perfectly keep the Law. Not only is this idea absent in Scripture, it denies his own testimony. Law-keeping as a means of either justification or sanctification is the very life he left behind and counted as loss in order to win Christ! In all of his writings, not once did he say believers are called to obey the Law. He said we are called to fulfil it, to live out its ultimate righteous intention. Obedience to external commandments is no longer a valid path to sanctification. We are sanctified by obeying Jesus directly, through the Spirit—that is how we prove our love for Him.
Everywhere Paul went he had to deal with his fellow Jew’s attachment to the Law. He not only had to tell them the Law was never meant to be a vehicle of justification, he then had to tell them a new and living way had been established that excludes even the proper function of the Law—which was the sanctification of the outward man. While trying to get this message across to his fellow Jews, he had to take time out to explain what he was saying to Gentile believers because they had no prior knowledge of, or affection for, the Law. So he tells the Gentiles in Rome that his fellow Jews are "seeking" to obtain the righteousness of the Law the wrong way (Rom. 9:31). Why were the Jews so preoccupied with righteousness? For one thing, many of them were trying to be justified by obedience. But beyond that, they also knew that living righteously is the "hinge" upon which the Messianic Call "swings." Without righteousness there can be no "light." The same applies to the Church, for we have been called to be part of that same Royal Priesthood.
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?....Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
Romans 6:15‑16 7:4
Like the Jews of Paul’s day and our day, Gentile legalists cannot accept that we are "dead to the Law." They cannot see we are no longer required to keep any of it: ceremonial, sacrificial or moral. On the other hand, the vast majority of Christians have no trouble understanding or accepting this truth, and they rightly label those who refuse to let go of Moses as legalists. Yet they do not understand why we have been set free from Moses, so they end up in lawlessness. Paul said all who have accepted Messiah have "become dead to the law by the body of Christ" in order that we might be "married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God" (Rom. 7:4).
Being set free from the Law does not mean that there is no longer any requirement to live righteously—this is the great heresy that is being propagated throughout the world under the banner of "grace." Indeed, this very delusion has destroyed righteousness in the Church and spawned a host of other false doctrines as well. No, the need to live righteously has not been abrogated; it has been elevated to greater importance. Being set free from Moses means there is now a way to fulfil the Law’s ultimate intention without having to be under it. Simply put: we have been loosed from Moses—who demanded an outward righteousness which was Adamic—in order to be married to Jesus Christ—who demands an inward righteousness which is the very nature of God Himself.
Moses will never be able to help us produces the righteousness demanded under the New Covenant. Therefore, we must cleave to Messiah. If it was possible to marry Messiah and remain married to Moses, Paul would have told us so, but he didn’t. He said in order to marry Messiah we are going to have to leave Moses. We are going to have to become dead to the Law and focus on learning how to be "led" by the Spirit. The "new and living way" of grace consists of allowing the Spirit to convict us and deliver us from everything that He—not Moses—defines as sin. Christians can obey external commandments ever so carefully and never overcome the power of sin or walk in God’s nature.
Jeremiah prophesied that God would write the "Law" on our hearts. To legalists this means He gives us a new nature and sends the Spirit to help us obey the commandments contained in the Law. Learning those commandments becomes an absolute necessity, for how can we possibly apply or obey them if we don’t even know what they are? But Paul’s view of the Law being "written" on our hearts was quite different. He said that if we learn how to yield to our new nature we will fulfil the ultimate intention of the Law. Only the "new man" knows how to fulfil and establish the "righteousness" of the Law in our lives, so the thing that is necessary is that we learn to walk and live in the Spirit.
Whenever you run across individuals or groups who are focused on obeying external commandments, understand that you are dealing with people who do not know what it means to have the Law "written" on their hearts. Writing the Law on our hearts has nothing to do with obedience to external commandments. All external commandments—whether they are instituted by God or by man’s religious tradition—pertain only to the outward man. The only permanent answer to the problem of sin is to be governed by a sinless internal life.
This does not mean it is always wrong to obey any external commandments. Sometimes we must be under an external framework of spiritual government until we have grown enough to where the internal government of the Spirit is leading and guiding our actions. This is especially true of babes in Christ and those who are still young in the Lord. It is sort of like when your child grows up. The older he gets and the more mature he becomes, the less external rules you must keep him under. His maturity cancels the need for cumbersome regulations. As long as people are spiritually immature they need external government. The Bible is not against obeying all external laws. It is against remaining in a perpetual state of spiritual immaturity wherein external commandments continue to be necessary.
There is a proper time and place for obeying external commandments. If God cannot control our actions and desires internally, through the Spirit, He must control them externally, through commandments of some kind—but not the commandments of the Old Covenant. If we need to be held in check by external government, the New Covenant has its own body of Law. There are literally hundreds of commandments given by both Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament, enough to provide an external framework of government while we mature. However, God’s goal for the believer is that we learn to live and move and have our being "in the Spirit." He wants our obedience to advance from the "carnal commandment" to the "power of and endless life" (Heb. 7:16).
The minute we start equating obedience to any kind of external government with the "new and living way" God wants to establish us in, we go back under the principle of legalism and have missed the entire point of the New Covenant! Whenever you run across people who say: "if you were being led by the Spirit, the Spirit would be leading you to refrain from eating certain foods, or the Spirit would guide you into a vegetarian life-style, or the Spirit would be leading you to keep the Passover, or the Spirit would be leading you to keep the Sabbath (Saturday or Sunday), or the Spirit would be leading you to be sure you are in a church every Sunday, or the Spirit would be leading you to join a church, or the Spirit would be leading you to go to the mission field, or any one of a hundred other commandments, understand that they do not have the faintest clue as to why Jesus died for them or what the New Covenant is all about!
Those who are truly being led by the Spirit will be ruled by an internal new and living way. They will be learning how to live and move by the "power of an endless life." The Holy Spirit will have become their Living Torah until they have, as Paul says, come to "the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" and are "filled with all the fulness of God." When we have reached that goal, the very nature and character of God Himself will be fully formed in us and that nature will be our government throughout all eternity. This is the Lord’s supreme goal for the body of Christ—it is His main focus in this dispensation. That is what He is offering you and me if we are willing to pay the necessary price, if we are willing to voluntarily put on that yoke of obedience. To pursue anything less is foolish.
Following The
Right Spirit
We have seen that the Holy Spirit is sent into our lives to show us how to establish and fulfil the righteousness of the Law, which is the character of God. It is imperative that we be led by the Spirit, for only the Spirit can show us how and empower us to fulfil that righteousness.
We have also seen that, unfortunately, not every one who claims they are being led by the Spirit really is being led by the Spirit. Though they sincerely believe they are following the Spirit, they are actually following another spirit, or perhaps their own spirit. Therefore, the most important question becomes: how can we know for sure if we are following the right spirit?
One important way is through the knowledge of Scripture. The purpose of the Word is to show us what God is like and how He deals with His people. For example, we know from reading the Bible that the Lord hates sin. So we can be sure the Holy Spirit would never "lead" us into adultery, or to steal or murder, etc. Not only does God want us to live righteously in this present world, we learn from reading the Scripture that in order to bring that righteousness forth in us He allows our integrity to be tested, as in the case of Joseph. It teaches us that He Himself tests our loyalty at times, such as in the case of Abraham, and that He also allows the Devil to test that loyalty, as in the case of Job.
The Scripture also reveals kingdom laws and principles that govern the visible and the invisible creation, one of which is the law of sowing and reaping—but not the kind of sowing and reaping prosperity preachers talk about. The real law of sowing and reaping warns us not to continue living in sin after we have been connected to the Vine. Paul said, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life" (NIV Gal. 6:7‑8). So we can be sure that the Holy Spirit would never tell us—either directly or through a minister—that because we are under "grace" we can now sow to the flesh and reap eternal life.
Another kingdom principle is the relationship between death and life. We can’t save our life by preserving it. We can only save it by allowing God to crucify it. Jesus said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it" (Matt 16:24‑25). Paul said, if we through the Spirit do "mortify the deeds of the body" we shall live spiritually, but if we "live after the flesh" we shall die spiritually (Rom. 8:13). He also said we must bear about in our bodies "the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest" in us (II. Cor. 4:10 ).
Paul knew that true life comes out of death. That is why he said he wanted to know the "fellowship" of the Lord’s sufferings and be made "conformable" unto his death. Such is the only way we will ever come to know the "power of his resurrection" (Phil. 3:10). This is also why he said things like: "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him..." (II. Tim. 2:12); and, "unto you it is given...not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake" (Phil. 1:29); and again, "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (II. Tim. 3:12). The apostle Peter exhorted those who suffer "according to the will of God" to commit the keeping of their souls to Him (I. Pet. 4:19).
Incidently, our suffering is not confined to the rejection, slander and persecution of sinners who spurn the gospel. Jesus was "made perfect by the things which he suffered" (Heb. 5:8). In many cases, suffering is the means by which spiritual growth takes place. Paul suffered from a physical ailment which he described as a "messenger of Satan" (evil spirit). He said he prayed three times to be healed from it but the Lord said, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (II. Cor. 12:9).
Thereafter he said, "I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong" (II. Cor. 12:10). He took pleasure in that infirmity, not only because it kept him humble, but also because it caused him to rely on God more. As he was made weak, God became strong in his life and ministry. He may not have been wealthy and healthy, but he was the greatest apostle of that time.
Out of death comes life; out of suffering comes strength and victory. This is a totally foreign concept to the average Christian today. They don’t even have the capacity to understand it because they have cut their spiritual teeth on a self-serving, hedonistic gospel. They would never accept that having a spirit of infirmity was God’s will for Paul, or that such could ever be God’s will for them.
However, since Paul did suffer infirmities and necessities, and since he did tell us to expect the same, and since the apostle Peter did know people who were suffering according to God’s will, we can be sure the Holy Spirit would never tell us—either directly or through a minister—that it is never God’s will we suffer, or get sick, or find ourselves in need.
Another principle has to do with separation, or the proper and improper function of spiritual division. The apostles instructed believers in the Early Church to hold fast to sound doctrine. In order to hold fast to sound doctrine, two things must be true. First, we must know what sound doctrine is. Second, we must understand how important it is that we defend it. The apostles taught those first congregations to remember and defend the doctrines and teachings they had entrusted to them, and if necessary, to separate from fellow believers who perverted that truth. Doctrine was very important to them—the exact opposite attitude that prevails in our day. Listen to how much emphasis Paul puts on doctrine in his letters to Timothy and Titus.
As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine...Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee...If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings.
I. Timothy 1:3; 4:13‑16; 6:3-4
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
II. Timothy 4:2-4
But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine...In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity.
Titus 2:1 & 7
After warning Timothy some would depart from the faith in the latter days, he admonishes him to "give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine." In other words, he is telling Timothy to pay attention to God’s doctrine. He further tells him to "take heed" of that doctrine and "continue" in it. In his second letter to Timothy, and also his letter to Titus, he says much the same thing. Notice what those who are "approved" of God are to do with the "doctrine" of God. They are not to ignore it but preach, reprove, rebuke and exhort with it. They are to "speak things" which become sound doctrine.
Today it has become an accepted fact that the greatest evil we face is division in the Church. Vast numbers of believers are being seduced into believing that no division, whatever the circumstance, is ever right. Spiritual unity has become the only objective and everything is considered expendable in order to achieve it. How the heart of God must break when He sees so many once-faithful saints de-emphasizing the importance of knowing and defending sound doctrine.
How can people make sure they are speaking things which "become sound doctrine" if they don’t even care about doctrine? If we consider allegiance to truth the enemy of love and unity, we’ll never even think about whether or not we are speaking things which become sound doctrine. After reading Paul’s instructions to Timothy and Titus, only those who have come under the power of a "strong delusion" will still insist that all separation over doctrine is wrong. Because so many are being duped, there is an ever increasing attack on those who dare to let doctrine divide them from others. Faulty logic and twisted verses of Scripture are employed to try and bring us under this delusion.
For instance, we are told that since our understanding of doctrine will never make us one (don’t you know division has always been over doctrine?), and since the Scripture says a believer will "lay down his life" for his brother (John 15:13), we should all lay our selfish religious opinions on the twin altars of "love" and "unity." Then we can concentrate on the "essentials" of the Christian faith. Sorry; the Scripture tells us to lay down our physical lives and our flesh natures for the brethren. It never teaches us to lay down the truth God gives in order to be one, and it never instructs us to disobey that truth for the sake of unity.
Another verse that is used is Romans 16:17. This is how it is quoted: "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences and avoid them." Then follows an impassioned plea about the evils of spiritual division. But listen to what Paul actually said: "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them." Quite a different picture! No, the Holy Spirit would never tell us—either directly or through a minister—that the proper defense of doctrine is wrong, or that God-directed separation over doctrine is evil.
I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
I. Corinthians 5:9‑11
Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle...Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.
II. Thessalonians 2:15 & 3:6
And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
II. Thessalonians 3:14‑15
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Jude 1:3
If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
II. John 1:10‑11
A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.
Titus 3:10‑11
Far from not caring about doctrine, the apostles said we should be very concerned about it. We should care about it enough to learn to rightly divide the Word. We should care about it enough to make certain our doctrine demonstrates uncorruptness, for Paul prophesied a day would come when God’s people (not the heathen, but God’s own people!) would no longer put up with sound doctrine. He spoke of a day when the very idea of defending or separating over truth would be scoffed at and ridiculed. That day is here, and this is the worst possible time in history to not worry about doctrine.
Jude exhorted believers to contend for the faith, and not only contend but contend earnestly for it. Does Jude mean we are to contend over doctrine? You bet! Today he would have a hard time finding believers who even care about doctrine, let alone finding people who would be willing to contend over it. John said believers should not receive into their homes any who come and bring not "this" doctrine; that is, the doctrine he had just taught in his epistle. That directive certainly included the fellowship as well, for all fellowship was carried out in the homes at that time. Not only were believers commanded to keep separate from those promoting doctrinal error, they were not even allowed to wish them well. Today John would have a hard time finding Christians who would be willing to be that "narrow" and "intolerant" towards others.
Paul told Titus that any person who persists in teaching heresy, after he has been shown the truth a first and second time, should be rejected. He commanded believers to withdraw (separate themselves) from every brother who walks not after the traditions he taught. Today Paul would have a hard time finding people who would be willing to be that "harsh" or "exclusive."
The apostles spoke out strongly against compromising truth in order to achieve or maintain spiritual unity. Were John, Paul and Jude being arrogant? Were they being divisive? Were they anti-unity? Of course not! They were moving in wisdom and discernment. They understood that when you make unity more important than truth you invite spiritual disaster. Defending sound doctrine and separating over false doctrine is a commandment—not a sin!
The Scripture does not support the lie that all division is evil. The apostles instructed believers not to tolerate false prophets and false teachers in the churches. They told us not to compromise or sacrifice truth for any religious goal, including unity. The doctrine which we hold and defend should be uncorrupt, sincere, sober and according to godliness. When someone begins to teach unsound or false doctrine in the fellowships we are to "reprove" them and stop them from destroying the faith. If they refuse to turn from their error we should "mark" them, "avoid" them, and not "keep company" with them so that they may be ashamed and repent, and also so they do not cause others to fall.
Is truth really the major cause of division in the body of Christ? Hardly! The major cause of division has always been spiritual pride, which has been manifested over and over again by either a stubborn refusal to let go of bad doctrine, or a refusal to keep moving on in God’s unfolding revelation. Does truth divide? Yes it does. It always has and always will because that is its proper function. It is supposed to divide darkness from light, good from evil, truth from error. Look around you. Is it spiritual division that is destroying so many people today? No. It’s bad doctrine that has brought the Church to this pitiful state. It’s bad doctrine that has opened multitudes of believers up to all kinds of evil influences, even to the point where they are now following another spirit. In an hour when "doctrines of demons" are picking the brethren off like flies, you can be sure it is not the Holy Spirit that is causing ministers to de-emphasize doctrine.
Not only Scripture but Church History reveals the absolute necessity of proper spiritual division at times. Since the days of Martin Luther, every religious movement birthed by the Spirit degenerated into a denomination because at some point they assumed that they had arrived at all truth. Good spiritual division came about when some of those in the most recently formed denomination came out from among the rest of the brethren and went on with God. We should be thankful for the hundreds of thousands of faithful saints down through the centuries who did not believe the lie that so many are now swallowing, for if they would have, there would only be two churches today: Catholic and Lutheran.
But what about the verses in the Bible that tell us we should "love" one another? Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35). Love is practically all the apostle John talked about in his First Epistle: "He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness..."(I. John 2:10‑11); "For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another" (I. John 3:11); "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God" (I. John 4:7); If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not see? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also" (I. John 4:20-21).
People read these statements and think John was telling us to go around having spiritual union with anybody and everybody who says they are a Christian. They do not realize that there is a difference between love and fellowship. Love has to do with our attitude towards others. We are indeed to love one another at all times and in all circumstances. Fellowship, or spiritual union, is another matter entirely. Spiritual union involves an acceptance of and/or a participation in the beliefs, practices, or spiritual and moral condition of others.
Nowhere does the Bible say we must all be involved with each another. It is both possible and scriptural to love fellow believers, yet maintain a certain degree of separation from those who are in error for our own good. It is possible to reject and stay separated from a fellow Christian’s bad doctrine, erroneous church practices, or evil behavior, yet still "love" him and be willing to pray for him or help him. However, this is not possible when it comes to fellowship, for that entails spiritual union, and that means getting involved with them.
People tend to forget that John also said, "if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another" (I. John 1:7). The depth of our fellowship must be based on the likeness and compatibility of the "light" we are walking in. Even those who cry unity the loudest practice division. Pentecostals go to Spirit-filled churches instead of Fundamental churches every Sunday. Why? Because the light of a Pentecostal believer is different from the light of a Fundamentalist believer. The two lights are only compatible to a certain point, beyond which there will arise contention and misunderstanding—at least on the part of the Fundamentalist.
How can two "walk together except they be agreed" (Amos 3:3)? When two people’s or two group’s spiritual vision is radically different—either because one is more mature than the other, or because one is in error and the other is walking in truth—genuine love between them is possible but intimate spiritual union is not. If we try to have union with those who walk in a lesser light, or in darkness, we end up being influenced by them. This is precisely why Paul said, "be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners" (I. Cor. 15:33). Read the context of that statement. He was referring to someone in the fellowship. He tells the brethren at Corinth that there must be a degree of distance between them and the one who is spreading the false teaching.
That congregation was not only tolerating a brother who was teaching error, they were also tolerating a man who was practicing blatant, pre-meditated sin. They were doing precisely what so many are doing today—they were loving these men, accepting them, and having spiritual union with them regardless of their condition. Listen to what Paul had to say about this kind of attitude: "ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you" (I. Cor. 5:2).
Love demanded a separation from these men for their own good and the good of the congregation. Of course we are not to treat those who are in error as enemies. We are to continue to love them and pray for their restoration as God leads. The issue is fellowship. We have been commanded to "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness" (Eph. 5:11). Besides, is it really love that allows a deceiving spirit to influence a brother’s doctrine without warning or rebuking him? Is it "love" that allows him to spread that poison, wrecking not only his own faith but the faith of others, and not confront him? Is it "love" that allows demonic teaching spirits into our fellowships in the name of unity? Is it "love" that stands by silently and watches whole segments of the Christian community go to destruction? Friends, that is not love—that is cowardice!
People are afraid to face the truth about what is happening! It is just too shocking, too unbelievable, too painful for our emotions to deal with. Rather than face the reality that many genuine believers are being destroyed, we choose to live in denial. That is not the "love" of God! That is the weak emotions of the Adamic soul. The Scripture teaches that God’s love "rejoiceth in the truth" and "beareth all things" (I. Cor. 13:6-7). Love does not deny and turn away its head from unpleasant realities. Rather, love wants to know the truth, even if the truth is ugly, even if the truth hurts. God’s love is not weak. It endures whatever it takes to look reality straight in the face and deal with it accordingly.
But didn’t Jesus pray that we would be one even as He and the Father are one? Yes, but true unity can never be built on compromise with error. God is doing just the opposite with His elect remnant. He is giving those of us who will pay the necessary price the mind of the Spirit—the one mind of the Spirit of God. The body of Christ is going to be one in the truth, not one regardless of the truth. As God brings each of us to a place of maturity, those doctrines and concepts we hold that are false will give way to a purer understanding of the Lord’s purposes. This is the only way the body will come into the unity we all desire. We must never sacrifice truth for any relationship or any religious goal. Genuine unity can only be built on truth, and it can only be built by the Spirit of truth.
God gave us the Scripture to help us discern whether or not we are following the right Spirit, for the Spirit will never teach us doctrines or lead us into practices that directly contradict His own Word. While we must be "led" by the Spirit, God never tells us to be led blindly by the Spirit. We are exhorted to "believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God..." (I. John 4:1), and to "prove all things..." (I. Thess 5:21), and to "be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour" (II. Pet. 3:2).
Neither does the Scripture tell us to follow religious leaders blindly. During His ministry Jesus said, "Take heed that no man deceive you" (Matt. 24:4). After His resurrection, when He appeared to John on the Isle of Patmos, He commended the Ephesian church because they "tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars" (Rev. 2:2). Paul said the Bereans were "more noble" than the Thessalonians because they "searched the scriptures daily" to make sure the things he was teaching were true (Acts 17:11). Proverbs says, "...a prudent man gives thought to his steps" (NIV Prov. 14:15).
God doesn’t expect us to follow anything blindly. He gave us His Word to safe-guard our steps. Sadly, Christians today are not only biblically illiterate, they are also in rebellion against the Scripture. They refuse to let the Bible restrain them. Instead of studying it for themselves, they run to meetings or listen to tapes and videos to hear what ministers say about the Word. And even if they did have an adequate knowledge of it, they would never make the spirit that they follow subservient to its teachings and principles because they have been taught not to question what the Spirit says (or what religious leaders say). Consequently, if the Scripture agrees with what their spirit is telling them they quote it as "proof" that they are following the truth. If the Scripture contradicts what their spirit is telling them they ignore it or conveniently re-interpret it. This kind of stupidity can only lead to one place—the arms of Antichrist!
To Be Continued