The Apostle Peter in his second Epistle states that Paul is a “beloved brother” and that Paul’s writings are “Scripture.” Paul writes in I Timothy that “All Scripture is God inspired”: so why do you deny Scripture in proving a point? The foundation to any Gospel heresy is always rooted in the denial of Scripture. You claim that Paul’s message was different than Christ’s; however, Christ taught that the foundation of all things is Love; and likewise, Paul taught the same thing (I Cor. 13). Christ also taught us to deny and humble ourselves; and likewise, Paul taught the very same thing (Rom. 6; Eph. 4). There are many other likenesses, which speak of the very same message; however, your willingness to believe historical propaganda prevents you from seeing this.
Paul never denies Jesus Christ; in every way Paul esteems and glorifies Jesus our Lord. Paul never states that it is from him that he proclaims the Gospel, but consistently declares that it is only through Christ Jesus he declares the Gospel. The problem is that you biasness blinds your eyes to the truth in seeing Paul’s message in application to what Christ taught. Paul’s message of the Gospel was no different than the other apostles; however, the fact is--Paul’s words do not fit your religious rhetoric; so you must deny him to justify yourself.
Those of us who believe that Paul was divinely inspirited through Christ Jesus are not slaves to his words, as you imply. Paul's words are an inspired account of a man faithfully and lovingly following Christ's words, which is really why we trust Paul to begin with; because we see in his writing the requirements of the Gospel of Christ being lived out in the first century. Paul is no longer among us, but his words are still more powerful than any one of us, and they have influenced and continue to influence more people towards following Christ, in a positive way, than ours are ever likely to.
I know that through faith in Christ--works and word--that we find eternal life, and not through faith in Paul. Paul is a solid witness-a humble servant inspired by God's Spirit. However, it is Christ who preached freedom, the freedom we are all holding to, and it was Christ who preached life, love, mercy, and so many things that have enlightened our hearts and minds.
Whoever hears the word of Christ and believes Him who sent Him has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life, for the law and the prophets were until John, but whoever keeps Christ's word shall never taste death, and his word is not burdensome. I assure you that should you judge according to every jot and tittle, you shall be judged according to every jot and tittle yourself, for with the measure you use, it shall be measured to you--with extreme solemnity.
You deny Paul’s words and claim he is a “False Teacher”; but I am sure that many of you, like a lot of us, were lead by the Holy Spirit to the salvation of Christ through the very inspired words of Paul that you now deny--his words were good enough then, why aren’t they now. To deny Paul as an apostle of Christ Jesus is claiming Jesus a liar--the truth hurts, but it can also heal; so please, come back to the truth and stop denying our “beloved brother” Paul whose faithfulness to the Gospel lead multitudes to seek Christ Jesus.
**I want to thank my good friend and dear brother in Christ J.L. McKinney for his additional writing contribution in putting this blog post together.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
A Word To Those Who Deny The Apostle Paul
Thursday, June 4, 2009
The Sunday Myth--Explaining The Sabbath
The Commandments including the requirement to keep the Sabbath day were “nailed to the cross” along with all the rest of the Law of Moses. God gave a covenant at Mount Sinai through Moses to the Jews, known to mostly today as the “Old Covenant.” The Ten Commandments are the visible representation of this Old Covenant which was replaced by a New Covenant called, among other things, “the Law of Christ.” No part of the Old Covenant remains in force since the resurrection of Christ.
No one prior to Moses--from Adam to Abraham--ever heard of the Sabbath law or much less kept it. The very first time that anyone was commanded to keep the Sabbath was in Exodus chapter 16. The word “Sabbath” is not even found in the book of Genesis. Genesis 2:2-3 was written by Moses to tell Jews the meaning behind WHY they were to keep the Sabbath, not when the Sabbath was instituted.
Notions of Errors concerning the Sabbath:
>Notion # 1--Constantine changed the Sabbath to Sunday in the 4th century AD.
Constantine’s decree--"On the venerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed." (Constantine, March 7, 321. Codex Justinianus lib. 3, tit. 12, 3; trans. in Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 3, p. 380, note 1)
In reading Constantine’s decree, you can see that there is nothing to say that Constantine changed anything. Constantine was actually making a civil decree because Christians were already meeting on Sunday, as they were doing since the first century, which Christians should not work on Sunday.
>Notion # 2--The Roman Catholic changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday.
Yes, the Catholic Church does outwardly claim that they changed the Sabbath; however, they also claim that the apostle Peter was the first pope. Interesting enough, those who emphasis that Christians should keep the Sabbath day, reject this Catholic claim that Peter was the first pope; therefore, they are in grave error for accepting the Catholic claim to changing the Sabbath to Sunday.
Furthermore, to insinuate, assume, or interpret that “He” in Daniel 7:25--“He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.”--in relation to Revelations 13 represents the Catholic Church and/or the Pope is merely personal interpretation based on no foundation and nothing more. No one--I mean “NO ONE”--knows that for sure or can claim that as fact.
>Notion # 3--The Sabbath is called "The Sabbath of the Lord"; therefore, it is not simply the Sabbath of the Jews, but for all Christians to keep.
Exodus 20:10, “But the seventh day is a Sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.”
The Old Covenant was an agreement between God and Israel, which Exodus 19:4-6 gives the fundamentals of that agreement between God and Israel. Let it be known that all the Old Covenant Commandments are commandments of the Lord; but, they were for Israel alone.
So was there anything set by God to mankind before the Commandments? Indeed there was; however, many Christian are unfamiliar with these “Universal laws” or better known as the “Noachian Laws”, which are binding to all mankind: Genesis chapters 2-9
1>Not to worship idols
2>Not to blaspheme the name of God
3>Establish courts of justice
4>Not to kill
5>Not to commit adultery
6>Not to steal
7>Not to eat the flesh that had been cut from a living animal
Notice that there is absolutely no affiliation to “religion” or religious rituals in these Laws, other than to honor the true God. In addition, note that these laws are quite comparable to the Ten Commandments, but with an exception--Honoring the Sabbath day.
The Noachian Laws were well understood by the Jews in Jesus’ day; and for that matter, by the disciples of Jesus--Acts 15 speaks to this. Of course, the Sabbath is the “Sabbath of the Lord”; however, God was not addressing all of mankind when He gave the Commandments including, of course, to honor the Sabbath day--He was addressing only those He brought out of Egypt from their bondage--the Israelites.
While the Ten Commandments remain as good and sound fundamental rules for Christians to follow, many are intended as religious laws for Israel, never intended for Gentiles, which that includes the Sabbath day command. While it is not wrong for Christians to worship on the Sabbath day, doing so may detract from the freedom we have in Christ; but if one begins to judge other Christians for not keeping the Sabbath that strict religious adherence to the Sabbath then becomes wrong.
Lastly, I have included below documentation and historical writings by Christians which all--but one--date before the time of the supposed Constantine--“changed the Sabbath”--myth; and they clearly prove that Sunday has been observed by Christians since the first century.
Jeremiah 17:10, “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.”
>HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH: The celebration of the Lord's Day in memory of the resurrection of Christ dates undoubtedly from the apostolic age. Nothing short of apostolic precedent can account for the universal religious observance in the churches of the second century. There is no dissenting voice. This custom is confirmed by the testimonies of the earliest post-apostolic writers, as Barnabas, Ignatius, and Justin Martyr. (Philip Schaff, , vol. 1, pg. 201-202)
>HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH: Hence, the first day was already in the apostolic age honorably designated as "the Lord's Day." ...it appears, therefore, from the New Testament itself, that Sunday was observed as a day of worship, and in special commemoration of the Resurrection, whereby the work of redemption was finished. The universal and uncontradicted Sunday observance in the second century can only be explained by the fact that it has its roots in apostolic practice. (Philip Schaff, , vol. 1, pg. 478-479)
>220 AD Origen "Hence it is not possible that the [day of] rest after the Sabbath should have come into existence from the seventh [day] of our God. On the contrary, it is our Savior who, after the pattern of his own rest, caused us to be made in the likeness of his death, and hence also of his resurrection" (Commentary on John 2:28).
>200 AD TERTULLIAN: Let him who contends that the Sabbath is still to be observed a balm of salvation, and circumcision on the eighth day because of threat of death, teach us that in earliest times righteous men kept Sabbath or practiced circumcision, and so were made friends of God. .. ...Therefore, since God originated Adam uncircumcised, and inobservant of the Sabbath, consequently his offspring also, Abel, offering Him sacrifices, uncircumcised and inobservant of the Sabbath, was by Him commended... Noah also, uncircumcised - yes, and inobservant of the Sabbath - God freed from the deluge. For Enoch, too, most righteous man, uncircumcised and inobservant of the Sabbath, He translated from this world... Melchizedek also, "the priest of most high God," uncircumcised and inobservant of the Sabbath, was chosen to the priesthood of God. (An Answer to the Jews 2:10; 4:1, Ante-Nicene Fathers Vol. 3, page 153)
>150 AD JUSTIN: "And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. (First apology of Justin, Weekly Worship of the Christians, Ch 68)
>150 AD JUSTIN: We are always together with one another. And for all the things with which we are supplied we bless the Maker of all through his Son Jesus Christ and through his Holy Spirit. And on the day called Sunday there is a gathering together in the same place of all who live in a city or a rural district. (Apology, 1, 67:1-3, 7; First Apology, 145 AD, Ante-Nicene Fathers , Vol. 1, pg. 186)
>155 AD Justin Martyr "[W]e too would observe the fleshly circumcision, and the Sabbaths, and in short all the feasts, if we did not know for what reason they were enjoined [on] you--namely, on account of your transgressions and the hardness of your heart. . . . [H]ow is it, Trypho, that we would not observe those rites which do not harm us--I speak of fleshly circumcision and Sabbaths and feasts? . . . God enjoined you [Jews] to keep the Sabbath, and impose on you other precepts for a sign, as I have already said, on account of your unrighteousness and that of your fathers" (Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 18, 21).
>225 AD The Didascalia "The apostles further appointed: On the first day of the week let there be service, and the reading of the Holy Scriptures, and the oblation, because on the first day of the week our Lord rose from the place of the dead, and on the first day of the week he arose upon the world, and on the first day of the week he ascended up to heaven, and on the first day of the week he will appear at last with the angels of heaven" (Didascalia 2).
>250 AD IGNATIUS: "On the day of the preparation, then, at the third hour, He received the sentence from Pilate, the Father permitting that to happen; at the sixth hour He was crucified; at the ninth hour He gave up the ghost; and before sunset He was buried. During the Sabbath He continued under the earth in the tomb in which Joseph of Arimathaea had laid Him. At the dawning of the Lord's day He arose from the dead, according to what was spoken by Himself, "As Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of man also be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." The day of the preparation, then, comprises the passion; the Sabbath embraces the burial; the Lord's Day contains the resurrection." (The Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians, chapter 9)
>300 AD Eusebius of Caesarea "The day of his [Christ's] light . . . was the day of his resurrection from the dead, which they say, as being the one and only truly holy day and the Lord's day, is better than any number of days as we ordinarily understand them, and better than the days set apart by the Mosaic Law for feasts, new moons, and Sabbaths, which the Apostle [Paul] teaches are the shadow of days and not days in reality" (Proof of the Gospel 4:16:186).
>345 AD Athanasius "The Sabbath was the end of the first creation, the Lord's day was the beginning of the second, in which he renewed and restored the old in the same way as he prescribed that they should formerly observe the Sabbath as a memorial of the end of the first things, so we honor the Lord's day as being the memorial of the new creation" (On Sabbath and Circumcision 3).
>597 AD Gregory I "It has come to my ears that certain men of perverse spirit have sown among you some things that are wrong and opposed to the holy faith, so as to forbid any work being done on the Sabbath day. What else can I call these [men] but preachers of Antichrist, who when he comes will cause the Sabbath day as well as the Lord's day to be kept free from all work. For because he [the Antichrist] pretends to die and rise again, he wishes the Lord's day to be had in reverence; and because he compels the people to Judaize that he may bring back the outward rite of the Law, and subject the perfidy of the Jews to himself, he wishes the Sabbath to be observed. For this which is said by the prophet, 'You shall bring in no burden through your gates on the Sabbath day' (Jer. 17:24) could be held to as long as it was lawful for the Law to be observed according to the letter. But after that the grace of almighty God, our Lord Jesus Christ, has appeared, the commandments of the Law which were spoken figuratively cannot be kept according to the letter. For if anyone says that this about the Sabbath is to be kept, he must needs say that carnal sacrifices are to be offered. He must say too that the commandment about the circumcision of the body is still to be retained. But let him hear the apostle Paul saying in opposition to him: 'If you be circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing' (Gal. 5:2)" (Letters 13:1).
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
The Judaiser: Age Old Heresy--New Age Following
The Judaizers were one of the earliest, most widespread, and most dangerous attack against the Gospel of Christ. This group insisted that to be truly justified, Gentiles (non-Jewish people) needed to observe certain Old Covenant (Old Testament) rituals, festivals, and Mosaic Laws--namely at the time, the most emphasized was the rite of circumcision, which was the physical sign for the Jews in the Old Testament as God’s chosen people.
The letter of Galatians is the Apostle Paul’s answer to this Gospel heresy. Paul starts his reply to the Judaizers in chapter three by pronouncing a divine curse on their false gospel. This same false teaching is also seen in Acts, in the book of Hebrews, and in various other New Testament Epistles. As you can see this false doctrine is seen as quite an error and one of the first examples of false doctrine that rose up from within the New Testament church.
The Judaizer’s doctrine, at first glance, seems to be a subtle error which hardly seems worth the fight. However, that subtle error undermines the very principle of justification through faith in Jesus Christ. Here is the break down of the Judaizer doctrine of salvation compared to the Gospel’s doctrine of salvation through Christ:
The Judaizer says that a man must--first--repent and believe in Christ AND--secondly--observe certain Jewish-Mosaic Laws the best he can over his lifetime, and then he will be justified by God.
The Gospel of Christ says that a man must--first--repent and believe in Christ AND THEN he is justified before God, at which he will immediately, through the Holy Spirit of Christ, proceed to keep the Law of God--Love God and love you neighbor.
Did you catch the difference? I think it is clear that the Judaizer believes that merely repenting and believing in Christ is only one-half of justification of sin, which the second-half is based on your works afterwards through observing certain Jewish-Mosaic laws--salvation to them is a two step 50/50 process. Now, the Gospel of Christ gives no other means besides repenting and believing in Christ by which to gain justification of sin--simply repent and believe and your sins are justified through the Blood of Christ and your salvation is sealed forever in Him. These verses from Paul clearly speak to justification by faith alone:
Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; (9) not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”(NASB)
Titus 3:5-6, “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, (6) whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,” (NASB)
Indeed, the false teachings of the Judaizers are breaking new ground today; this age-old heresy is growing like a disease within Christianity in this modern age and it needs to be stopped. I have come across various sects within the modern-day Judaizer movement, who continue to twist the Gospel of Christ in each their own way; but no matter what their various twists are, they all break down the same--believe in Christ AND observe Jewish-Mosaic Law to be justified by God. However, out of all these sects there is one group who has recognized various biblical contradictions to the--by definition--Judaiser doctrine; therefore, they have placed a new spin on this old false teaching in order to mask its falsies to make it perceive more as Gospel teaching.
Now, granted; they are not so blatant to deny one’s salvation for not following Jewish Law as the true Judaizer; but nevertheless, the distortion of the Gospel is still there and should never be tolerated.
They state that justification for a one’s sin is only by the repenting and believing in Christ (sounds like the Gospel), but the purpose for following the Jewish Laws (here comes the deceit), such as observing only the Jewish-Sabbath Day (Saturday), not eating pork, and/or not properly proclaiming the Hebrew names “Yahweh” (God) and “Yeshua” (Jesus) the person will then avoid “grieving the Spirit,” and in return, reap blessings and favor from God. Although this group, at first, seems to be more in line with what the Gospel of Christ says; however, their error is the suggestion and the criticism towards other Christians that not following Jewish Laws is somehow displeasing to God. Nice try, but there is still no biblical backing for this group, and their Judaiser roots of heresy are still present: it’s all nothing more than just pure manipulation of Scripture candy-coated to further deceive.
The problem with the Judaizer--old or new--is not merely that they disagree with the Gospel of Christ, but that their disagreement involves such a vital point. The Gospel of Christ hinges on the very position that the Judaizer denies, which is, that sinners are justified solely on the basis of what Christ has already done on our behalf, and not in any way because of anything we must do for Him.
Galatians 3:8, “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.’”
Galatians 3:11, “Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, ‘THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.’”
Gaining God's favor was never achieved by the Law of Moses, it was only a means for which one could recognize sin; faith has always been the means of gaining favor with God. Abraham was blessed because of his faith not because he followed the law and David was blessed because of his faith not because he followed the law. Hebrews chapter eleven gives us many other examples of those who by faith gained God’s favor.
The way the apostle Paul dealt with these Judaizers then is the only right way to respond to any false teacher who corrupt and compromise essential elements of the Gospel of Christ now--they must be exposed for what they are, and their doctrine must be refuted. Paul was very clear in his letter to the Galatia church that only faith in Christ was the way for salvation and that living by Christ's Spirit was the only means for righteous living--never by observing any laws.
Those principle elements were true then and are still true today.
Galatians 2:19-21, “For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. (20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (21) I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."
Galatians 3:5-6, “So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? (6) Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Satan's Greatest Deception
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, (4) and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” [II Timothy 4:3-4]
It concerns me to see that some professed Christians either claim there is no hell or say that hell is only a temporal punishment for the wicked and unbeliever. And that, when the day of final judgment comes, all will be redeemed into glory--not just believers. My concern here is for those who deny the very essence of Biblical doctrine, and to have them remember, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding" Proverbs 3:5.
Did you just overlook the teachings of Jesus Christ on hell in The Bible? Did you know that Jesus talked more about hell than He did about Heaven? Did you also know that Jesus talked more about hell than all of the prophets and apostles combined?
Hell is not man's doctrine, its Biblical doctrine--straight out of the lips of Jesus Christ. Jesus in several passages within the New Testament Gospels (Matt 5, 8, 9, 18, 25; Luke 16--just to name a few) clearly gives warnings of a place of everlasting--not temporal-- torment called hell. How can you consider denying the teaching of Christ?
The parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31), gives us a clear picture of hell, which was told--dare I say it-- by Jesus Christ. Even though you might discount this as only a parable, here is a little thing to notice about this parable: it was the only parable that Jesus told where He used actual names from actual people--Why?--because it actually happened. If hell is not real, why would Jesus use a false doctrine to teach truth? In addition, if Jesus--the Son of the Living God--is not enough for you, the New Testament apostles also wrote of such a place called hell: II Peter 2:4, 9; Jude 6, 7.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”[John 3:16] God is--indeed--a loving God, and because of His love, He gave His Son, Jesus, as sacrifice for all mankind. However, it is a two-way street: those who choose His Son’s sacrifice, they will gain “eternal life”; but those who deny His Son’s sacrifice, will “perish.” And please, stop using I Timothy 2:4 which states, “[God] who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” as the all points’ verse that suggests all of mankind will be saved. My “desire” one day is to own a Porsche, but that doesn’t mean it will happen. The point is: of course God “desires” or “wills” (found in other versions) that all of His created mankind will accept His great salvation; but He knows, and we know through Scripture, that will not happen--all will not accept.
Of course the New Testament is not the only reference to a place called hell, let us not forget the Old Testament, which in several passages gives us a clear picture of a place of eternal torment or hell, "everlasting burnings"--Isa. 33:10-14; “to some eternal life, but to some eternal shame and disgrace”--Daniel 12:2.
Now, the notions that the word “hell” was incorrectly placed in most versions of The Bible through lack of bad translation or that the translators for some reason wanted to create a place called hell is a complete farce. Though this might--at first glance--be a good argument, it still does not erase the strong warnings of Jesus Christ of a place of torment and darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth and the fire is never quenched--Matthew 8:12, and 13:41-42
If Jesus and the apostles intended to depict hell as temporal, then I am sure they would have used different imagery and wording. Furthermore, if hell is temporal than why such strong warnings? Hell is eternal, I do not think there is any side or forgotten meaning where “eternal” means “temporal,”--Revelations 14:11, "And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image…”. And yes, "ever knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,”-- no doubt that believers and unbelievers alike will confess; but for the unbelievers, who chose to deny Christ in the here and now--it will be too late.
Moreover, if hell is not a real place or only temporal, and that all will be eventually redeemed, then what is the whole point of the Great Commission and what is the point of even serving Christ? In The Bible, Christians are taught to love, respect, witness, and to pray for those who are unbelievers; so why are we told to do that--what is the point any of it?
The devil is a very strong, smart, and deceiving adversary, and this has to be his biggest deception to mankind. PLEASE TAKE NOTE--to deny, disregard, or manipulate the clear teachings of Jesus would be calling Him a liar or perhaps, in so much to say, to deny His very deity. The fundamental hope of Christianity is that through accepting Jesus Christ as Savior, we will in turn, live eternally with Him. To take away that hope and say that all believer and unbeliever alike will have this hope, breeds the questions--“What is the point then to witness and proclaim this Hope to the lost?”
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. (8) For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” [Galatians 6:7-8]
Friday, May 8, 2009
Being Filled...The Fullness Of Christ
The roles of Jesus Christ can be expressed in a fourfold way--Savior, Healer, Sanctifier, and Coming King. When we speak of Jesus being the Savior, most Christians have a good grasp of what that means; and most--if not all--evangelical churches would agree that it is an absolute necessity to have the experience of Christ as Savior in one’s life. In the same regards, most Christians have a good grasp on the understanding of Jesus the Healer and Jesus the Coming King. However, when we speak of Jesus being the Sanctifier, confusion and disagreement often set in among the Christian community.
For years, I was always under the impression that sanctification (“to be made clean” or “to be separate”) was essentially intertwined with salvation--one in the same. When we receive the Holy Spirit of Christ, the indwelling nature of the Holy Spirit helps us to clear out the “mud” in our life in our new walk towards righteousness. My past understanding was not totally incorrect, in regards to the general scope of the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit once we receive Christ. However, the underlining error in my understanding lied in the full understanding of what it is meant to be truly sanctified through the Holy Spirit. The relationship between salvation and sanctification is apparent--you cannot have one without the other--but there lies a distinct difference between them within a Christian’s life.
In the Gospel of John, it is recorded that when John the Baptist saw Jesus walking down the road, he shouted--“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). In John’s statement, he is clearly proclaiming Jesus as the Savior; moreover, in just a few verses later, John shouts a second statement--“…this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.” (John 1:33). In John’s second statement, he is also proclaiming Jesus as the Sanctifier. Now, there are some Christians that would disagree with these two points; however, it seems clear to me that John the Baptist had a pure understanding that there was not one gift, but two great gifts, Jesus was bringing to His people--salvation and sanctification.
When we come to know Jesus as our Savior, we experience the deliverance from the penalty of sin, which is eternal death and separation from God. However, when we come to know Him as our Sanctifier, we experience the deliverance from the power of our inherited sinful nature. In other words, salvation in Jesus Christ--the indwelling of the Holy Spirit--releases us from the guilt of our past, brings freedom from eternal death, and then, brings life everlasting; but sanctification--the filling of the Holy Spirit--brings us freedom to live in the power of Christ’s Spirit and equips us to resist the temptation of sin that will come in our Christian walk in the here and now.
At the point of Salvation, Christ lives in us by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. At the point of sanctification, Christ starts to live through us because we are now filled with the Holy Spirit. The distinction lies in understanding the crucial difference between “indwelling” (salvation in Jesus Christ) and being “filled” (sanctification through Jesus Christ) by the Holy Spirit.
*Side note: when I say “filled,” I am not implying anything about speaking in tongues or that it is proof of being “filled by the Holy Spirit”--perhaps the case for some, but not for all. My experience was at first crying because of my weakness, but then, the tears turn to pure joy of the strength of Christ--nothing miraculous, just a sense of pure humbleness.*
In all of this so far, a question perhaps comes to mind, “Is there two types of Christians?” Indeed there are--Christians who are Spirit-filled (completely control by Christ’s Spirit) and Christian who are not Spirit-filled (still controlled by the human spirit). Paul makes the distinction in I Corinthians 3:1-3, “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. (2) I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, (3) for you are still fleshly.”
Paul is clearly pointing out in this passage two types of Christians--“spiritual men” (Spirit-Filled Christians) and “men of flesh” (not Spirit-filled Christians). The Holy Spirit of Christ is equally indwelling both types of Christian (the “seal” of salvation in Christ); however, the “spiritual men” have went the step further to surround their human spirit completely to the control of Christ’s Spirit, whereas, the “men of flesh” still live under the control of their human spirit of fleshly desires; and until they complete surround is made, they will always be mere “infants in Christ” unable to eat “solid food” to gain their full potential as Christians.
Please, do not get me wrong, I am not implying that Christians who are not filled with Christ’s Spirit are still living wicked--the intentions are good and pure, but the control of the human spirit is still “pulling the string” which often causes confusion and uncertainty in the Christian walk. Paul, in Romans chapters 7 and 8, brings into play the battle that goes on inside us when we accept Christ as our Savior--the Holy Spirit and our human spirit are at war. Paul states that the only way to overcome the battle properly is to totally surrender our human spirit to the Holy Spirit--it won’t always be “roses” but if the Holy Spirit is in complete control the battle inside is better “managed,” so to speak.
Dear Christian brothers and sisters, are you in a state where the “joy of the Lord” is lacking right now in your life, do you feel that your service to the Lord is suffering because of it; is there bondage, sin, or something else in your life that is always present and it seems you cannot shake it loose? You are not alone; there are many Christians who feel the very same way--I know, I have been there.
Just this past Saturday night, during the altar call at my church, the Holy Spirit of Christ convicted my heart for me to give my all. For the last four years, my soul has been burning for more of Christ, my desire to study God’s word, pray, help others, and serve Him was strong; however, at the beginning of this year much conflict, distress, and the lack of desire and passion manifested itself in my life as the months went by.
It was not until two weeks ago, after a conversation with a dear friend and brother in Christ, the reading of I Corinthians 3, and through the conviction of the Holy Spirit when I realized that all my desires in the past were all partly due to my own drive and not completely from the Lord; I do believe though, that God in all it was also setting the table for something greater for me. I truly was one of the, as Paul wrote, “infants in Christ” living off the simplicity of spiritual “milk,” but now, through all the various conflicts of this year, God helped me to see that spiritual “solid food” is needed in my life; and the only way I am going to be “ready to receive it” is to completely let go of the “fleshly” controlled me (my human spirit), and seek the complete fullness of Christ’s Spirit.
Great is He--the Lord Most High--for since last Saturday night, my (His) desire and passion just shifted into a new and wonderful gear of a more fulfilling walk with Jesus--Praise God!!!
Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:30, “do not grieve the Spirit” which is the foundational piece in all of this--if there is something in your life that is grieving the Spirit, the only way to live by the Spirit is to get rid of it. So, I encourage you--if there is a sense of weakness in your Christian life, give all of you--not “it”--to the Lord; and He will in turn, give all of Him to you and all the “its” in your life causing your weakness will shed away. In addition, if you haven’t yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, but you want to experience the fullness of Christ’s Spirit--you must believe and accept Him first (read John 3 and Romans 10).
Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
When we start to “hunger and thirst for righteousness” the full embodiment of Christ’s Spirit will render us a new and glorious fullness in our Christian walk with Jesus our Savior, Healer, Sanctifier, and Coming King.
Friday, April 17, 2009
The Father's Grace To A Wayward Child
The revival was nothing new, the church had many in the past; however, this revival proved to be something different--something that would ultimately change my life forever. I do not exactly remember the particular theme the evangelist was preaching on or exactly what he said; but something, right in the middle of his message, triggered a burst of guilty emotions within me. Instantly, my heart started pounding, to the point where it felt like it was going to burst out of my chest; and right then and there, at that very moment, the Holy Spirit came over me, and I knew I needed the salvation of Christ--so, I bowed my head, prayed to the Lord, confessed my sins, and asked Jesus to forgive me and save me. Right after my prayer, my guilty emotions and pounding heart went to unspeakable feelings of peace and joy--no doubt that the Spirit of Jesus Christ came to live within my soul that night.
The first two years after my salvation where relatively good years; however, I was walking weak in my relationship with Jesus Christ--not praying and seeking the Lord’s guidance as I should. I truly believe, due to my lack of strength in my Christian walk, Satan saw an opportunity to deceive me and manipulate me down a road to where the glorious light of Christ’s beauty is only seen in the distance. The start of my troubles came about in the summer of 1995 just before my senior year in high school--wrong influences coupled with bad choices started to manifest in my life. Although these manifestation where the roots of my soon to be rebellious attitude; it was the very places that I knew as security that would draw out my rebellion to a destructive level--the church and the school.
When my senior year started, it seemed from the first day I could not stay out of trouble. My troubles my senior year were not really related to breaking the rules, but having a certain attitude about myself that the school faculty felt was not appropriate for one of their students, especially, a student from the church. There were two major situations that happened that year in which feelings of getting a raw deal by the school faculty transpired; and in turn, brought on internal feelings of betrayal towards the very people who I thought were suppose to guide and direct, and demonstrate compassion and thoughtfulness the most. Both situations turned out to be very damaging at the time; and in all, worked to develop much resentment within me
After graduation, the wounds of resentment towards the church and the school grew into destructive bitterness, pride, and rebellion--my attitude was, “I can do whatever I want and no one has authority over me.” Needless to say, that rebellious attitude lead me deeper down the road away from Christ, where for nine years (1996-2005) “all the wrong things” were controlling my life; however, the Holy Spirit did not lose fight in His conviction in my life; but sadly, instead of listening, I just ran to anything that would take the convictions away.
Throughout those nine years of “doing things my way” rather than God’s, I was progressively drifting into a world that is not of God--where self indulgence is the function of living, self denial justifies the living, and self destruction is the means to the end. However, in the mist of my wayward years, the Lord showed His love towards me by blessing me with a beautiful wife and three wonderful boys--clearly something I did not deserve. Even though the blessing of having a family helped to slow down my self destructive ways, I still proceeded with them, but in more secretive ways. Every day, I did my best to cover up what I was actually doing behind the scenes; I may have looked good and in control on the surface, but behind the scenes, I was truly wicked and out of control. Throughout the years of living an act started to rub off on me, soon denial set in, to the point, that I never realized my lie was destroying everything around me, including my own precious family. However, in one night, by hitting rock bottom, God in His love and mercy would take my hand and guide me out of my denial sinful state, and turn me back into His right direction.
It was the fall of 2005; I just finished my evening college class. A few of my fellow students were planning an evening out on the town; at first, I was reluctant to go, but in my state of mind, I ignored my thoughts and went out with them anyways. Eventually, I came home that night, around 3 o’clock in the morning--staggered through the front door and my wife looked at me and said “Get out; I am through with you…” Needless to say, this was not the first time I did this, but my wife made sure that night was officially the last time. The next day, while at work, a thought hit me, “What am I doing, I am destroying my family--I just need to stop this…” and then, I heard a still small voice that was not my own say, "Turn around Tim, and come back to Me."
Six months had passed since that day at work; the spring of 2006 just started. Thankfully, after much convincing and follow through in cleaning up my act, my wife forgave me; however, no matter how cleaned up my life was at the time, a very important decision was still needed to be made. A married couple, who were our neighbor’s, came over one day and invited us to their church; it was an interesting thing I thought at the time, my wife and I were previously talking about starting to go to church any ways (no coincident that God was surely working through our neighbors) so the next Sunday we went to our neighbor’s church. We faithfully started attending the church thereafter, but on one particular Sunday, while listening to the sermon, my heart once again began to heavily pound, and I heard that still small voice again telling me, “Turn around Tim, and come back to Me.” And without hesitation, I prayed, cried out to my Savior to forgive me my wrongs and take me back--though now I know, He never let go.
That day, I will never forget--my life once again found peace and joy; and along with making that decision, many glorious things soon transpired in my life. Although my family no longer attends our neighbor’s church, we have since found a great home church these last two years, which has helped my wife, my children, and I gain a much closer walk with Jesus Christ. Moreover, the Lord has blessed me with the abilities to serve Him by encouraging others in whatever their needs through my writings and my music in glorifying His kingdom.
I do not look at my testimony as one to brag about; I took the back road in finding myself as a Christian. My wish is that other Christians, both young and old, will not go through what I did to find clarity, and the best Christian walk is a continuous steadfast walk with Jesus Christ--never wavering to allow the advisory to deceive and manipulate. I was weak by not properly pursuing the recourses that God has giving us to gain strength in Him. In my weakness, pride, bitterness, anger, and self indulgence manifested a wicked life of denial and deceit which almost destroyed me. My testimony speaks of weakness and shame; but more importantly, it speaks of the saving grace, the enduring love, and the protection that our Heavenly Father has to His children--even to a wayward child.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Creation: Thinking Outside The Box
Old Earth creationists, who believe that the physical universe is approximately 4.5 billion years old and Young Earth creationists, which believe that the physical universe is approximately 7,000 years old, are in a pointless debate by not thinking outside of their box. Although there is huge gap between their two earth age beliefs, I believe both are right. The differences between them are essentially based on their interpretation of the Genesis account of creation; however, both find commonality in their in belief in God and The Bible. Old Earth suggests that based on the known physical evidence, the six day account of Creation in Genesis chapter one is merely an analogy or metaphor to simplify God's creation process in terms that all can understand. Young Earth suggests that based on the Bible being God's Holy Word, the Genesis six-day account is the literal truth--no ifs, ands, or buts. Each side has their strong points and each have their loop holes among the details, but I will not be explaining each their own details of argument; plus, I will not be making any statements about Evolution--the specific details and Evolution serves no purpose to this hypothesis.
I thought of an analogy which I believe helps in understanding this hypothesis, though the relationship will come later:
You rent a movie which is three hours long; however, your DVD player for whatever reason starts the movie in fast forward; and then, just after the two hour brink, it finally stops and starts playing in real time--so, instead of watching a three hour, you just watch an hour movie. Now, due to the failure of your DVD player in playing properly, has the three-hour movie become an hour movie? Of course not--it's still a three-hour movie no matter what your DVD player did. Although you did not see the complete details of the first two hours, you did gain glimpses or evidence of facts, which support the three-hour length of the movie.
Hypothesis Explained
The Bible, time after time, gives accounts of how God worked and moved among mankind within the realm of the physical--great example, "The Six Days of Creation" in Genesis. In the most simple of times, mankind understood that when the sun goes up, a day is beginning; and when the sun goes down, a day is ending--all of mankind in any era, with or without technology, can universally understand that. This universal understanding of "sun up, sun down" equals a day is exactly why God through the writer of Genesis (Moses?) wrote the beginning of the universe in a six-day event. Now, was/is God lying or tricking mankind to believe that He created the universe in six days, when He actually didn‘t? Not at all, God would never do or allow such a thing--God is holy, He cannot lie. However, if the six days of creation is how He did it, it brings out an important question, “Why God chose to stay simple in the creation explanation rather then reveal the mysteries to give us no debate?” Well, the answer is quite simply: God never intended the Bible to be a scientific book. Throughout the Bible, there are several stories, which obviously lack or leave out the details, but the point wasn’t the details, the point was the overall message of the story--details would only distract away for the pivotal message. God did not intend for us to discover the details of His creation process through the Bible; He simply wanted us to know WHO created the universe, not how He did it.
Now we are in the modern age, where mankind has grown vastly within the realm of technology and science. Mankind has developed machines, computers, chemicals, and various scientific methods and processes, which have given us much insight and evidence to the “why’s” of our universe and planet. Through growth in archeology, geology, and science, mankind has discovered various elements, objects, and artifacts; and have developed test, such as Carbon Dating, which has a relatively low error results, to test age. Therefore, it did not take long to have official documented, tested, and analyzed support for an Old Earth hypothesis.
We hear much about "The Evolutionist vs. The Creationist," but what we don't hear often is the debate that exists among the Creationists--a debate rarely heard of, but it is bigger than most think. Young Earth supporters quickly attack any scientific experiments or discovered facts that may jolt the Biblical Creation account; and suggest they are unreliable, fakes, or misunderstandings. In addition, the foundation behind the Young Earth argument is that the Genesis Creation account is straight from the Bible; therefore, God does not lie, it's truth; and to think anyway else; is believing a “dangerous lie.” Old Earth supporters, however, do not deny the Biblical account of the six days of creation; they suggest, as I stated earlier, the Genesis account is an analogy or metaphor to give a simple understanding to complex process. They support this claim either by blaming bad translation from original text; but mainly, the support lies within modern scientific and geological evidence.
So, which is it--Old Earth or Young Earth? Well, as I stated previously, I believe both sides have it right. Here’s the thing, God is a supernatural being, everything infinite and eternal--physical time and natural limitation have no barring on Him. However, God created humans just the opposite, everything finite wrapped with natural limitation, where physical time is a major function in the life process. The knowledge of time is often taken for granted by most of us; but if you think about it, our whole existence, day in day out, is consumed by it.
The infinite wisdom and power of God made it possible for early man to understand creation--through Scripture. Likewise, the infinite wisdom and power of God made it possible for modern man to gain an even deeper understand of creation--through Scripture and scientific evidence. God has always worked within humanity and around humanity in natural logical way, though at times He comes to us in unnatural ways; but so often, He comes in natural and logical ways to give understanding--as He created us rational and logical beings.
God created His physical universe in six literal human days--all of mankind can universally understand that; and yet, maintains His eternal truthfulness. Furthermore, the process in which God created the physical universe in the six literal human days has been proven logically by scientific evidence to take 4.5 billion years; and yet, it still maintains the eternal truthfulness of God. How is this? We as finite humans often fail to understand that an infinite supernatural God is not restricted or held down by our physical human limitation. God did it His way, but did in a way, that makes logical and physical sense to all of humanity--speaks to the timelessness of the Bible and the perfect wisdom of God.
In other words, God’s time process is not within the scope of human time, we have much evidence that supports a literal human 4.5 billion year creating process, but Almighty God accomplishes that literal process in six literal human days. The Genesis account is not a lie, analogy, or metaphor--it’s Almighty God working within the premises of human logic, time, and understanding
In conclusion, going back to my “three hour movie” analogy, it would be like us watching the creation of the universe, 4.5 billion literal year process, in fast forward mode; and at point of conclusion, stopping it, and then watching it in regular play (still a three hour moving, we are just watching the last hour). If we actually had front row seats to watched the creation of the earth in "regular play mode" it would literally take us 4.5 billion years to watch it because modern day evidence, which has been discovered and tested, proves that because God squeezed that entire process in six literal days--"fast forward mode."
The Old Earth crowd has it right as do the Young Earth crowd; however, the Old Earth crowd needs to stop rationalizing the facts by claiming the Genesis account is an analogy or metaphor, and the Young Earth crowd needs to stop rationalizing the facts by placing a supernatural, infinite, and limitless God into the natural, finite, and limited physical realm. When we think about God, we must be careful to not place Him inside the box of human comprehension.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Beyond The Surface: "The New Man"
Ephesians 4:23-24, "and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, (24)and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." [NASV]
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